Index To All Nine Sections Part I - Historical Background. Is the orthodox version of one God in three persons an unassailable and inviolable doctrine straight from the pages of Scripture? Not exactly! This incomprehensible doctrine was formally adopted in 381 AD as a defense against charges that Christians worshipped more than one God. It prevailed because it satisfied a number of requirements and gave the church a nice tidy solution. Yet, although unknown to the Scriptures, it somehow evolved into a litmus test for true faith. Part II - ‘Proof Texts’. Passages that supposedly "prove" the trinity. Part III - The Grammar. Can the grammar legitimately be used to support the idea that the Holy Spirit is the third Person of the Trinity? Part IV - The Deity of Christ and the Holy Spirit. The Bible very clearly shows that Christ is God AND ascribes Divinity to the Holy Spirit which leads to the question... Part V - Can God be more than one? Part VI - What is The Holy Spirit? - A separate person, or the Divine presence and power of the Father Himself? You Are Here  Part VII - The Cappadocian Fathers. The doctrine of the trinity that has remained virtually unchanged to this day found its roots in paganism not the Bible. This largely due to the part played by the Cappadocian Fathers - three ancient Greek philosophers and mystics. Part VIII - Begotten Vs. Proceeds. The Son is "begotten" of the Father and the Spirit "proceeds" from the Father. Different? Certainly! But not what The Cappadocian Fathers made it out to be Part IX - Summary and Conclusion
ON THIS PAGE
Introduction... The First Council of Constantinople
The Cappadocian Fathers
Catholic Ascetics and Mystics / Greek Philosophers Origen - The Stone On Which They Were All Sharpened
and whose 'Theology' Had Little In Common With Scripture Origen’s Influence On Gregory of Nyssa's Trinitarian Doctrine. The Interaction of Theology and Philosophy Footnotes -
1.) Basil The Ascetic
2.) The Philokalia
3.) Origen and Genesis 1-3
4.) Origen -"On First Principles"
5.) Purgatory
6.) As Above, So Below
Introduction... The First Council of Constantinople
The First Council of Constantinople held in 381 AD is considered the second of the Ecumenical Councils - the 325 AD Council of Nicea being the first.
The Roman Emperor Theodosius I, the last emperor to rule over both the eastern and the western halves of the Roman Empire, made vigorous effort to do away with paganism and suppress all non-Nicene forms of Christianity (especially *Arianism) thus bringing about unity of faith within the empire. He issued an edict in early 380 to confirm his support of the doctrine of the Council of Nicaea and make orthodox Catholic Christianity the official dogma of the church. * Arianism that originated with the Alexandrian priest Arius (c. 250– c. 336) denied the divinity of Christ. It maintained that the Son of God was created by the Father and was therefore neither coeternal nor consubstantial with the Father.
The edict reads in part, According to the apostolic teaching and the doctrine of the Gospel, let us believe in the one deity of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit in equal majesty and in a holy Trinity. We authorise the followers of this law to assume the title of Catholic Christians; but as for the others, since in our judgement they are foolish madmen, we decree that they shall be branded with the ignominious name of heretics and shall not presume to give to their conventicles the name of churches. [01]
In other words, as said by the Encyclopædia Britannica " Only persons who believed in the consubstantiality of God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit were henceforth to be considered Catholic Christians, a designation that here appears for the first time in a document". [02]
The following year (May 381) the emperor convened First Council of Constantinople (now Istanbul) attended by about 150 Christian bishops with the aim of confirming his decree and clarifying the position adopted by the First Council of Nicaea (325 A.D.) Besides confirming Gregory Nazianzen as Bishop of Constantinople, the Council reaffirmed the creed formulated at Nicaea that proclaimed the Son to be consubstantial (i.e. of one and the same substance, essence, or nature) with the Father. However, it went several steps further conferring the same status on the Holy Spirit, now formally declared to also be consubstantial with the Father and the Son. The original Nicene Creed adopted in 325 ended just after the words 'We believe in the Holy Ghost. The First Council of Constantinople added the following words that emphasized the Divinity of the Holy Spirit. And in the Holy Ghost, the Lord and Giver of life, who proceedeth from the Father, who with the Father and the Son together is worshiped and glorified, who spake by the prophets. [03]
In other words, the doctrine of the trinity, which has remained virtually unchanged to this very day, was given explicit shape at the Second Ecumenical Council. Many anti-trinitarians point to Emperor Constantine as being somehow responsible for the doctrine of the trinity. In other words, we cannot trust a doctrine that stemmed from pagan sources. Trinitarians will vigorously oppose this idea citing church history as proof that the doctrine had nothing to do with paganism nor the Emperor Constantine. Neither side is right. Although Constantine was not responsible for the doctrine of the trinity, it most definitely stemmed from paganism. This largely due to the part played by three theologians from Cappadocia (a province in modern day Turkey) who were jointly known as...
The Cappadocian Fathers
Trinitarian Charles Ryrie, professor of systematic theology and dean of doctoral studies at Dallas Theological Seminary, says (Emphasis Added)
In the second half of the fourth century, three theologians from the province of Cappadocia in eastern Asia Minor (today central Turkey) gave definitive shape to the doctrine of the Trinity and defeated Arianism" They were Basil, bishop of Caesarea, his brother Gregory, bishop of Nyssa, and Basil's close friend Gregory of Nazianzus. [04].
Nazianzus had already been appointed archbishop of Constantinople by the emperor Theodosius I - an appointment that was confirmed at The First Council of Constantinople Dr. Alister E. McGrath, a British-Irish theologian, priest, intellectual historian and Christian apologist is Andreas Idreos Professor of Science and Religion at the University of Oxford and Senior Research Fellow at Harris Manchester College and President of the Oxford Centre for Christian Apologetics. His book An Introduction to the History of Christian Thought says (All Emphasis Added) The Cappadocian fathers, especially Basil of Caesarea, defended the divinity of the Spirit in such persuasive terms that the foundation was laid for the final element of Trinitarian theology to be put in its place. The divinity and co-equality of Father, Son, and Spirit had been agreed; it now remained to develop Trinitarian models to allow this understanding of the Godhead to be visualized. The Cappadocian Fathers played a pivotal role in establishing the full divinity of the Holy Spirit, a decision which was formally endorsed by the Council of Constantinople in 381. Once this decisive theological step had been taken, the way was open to a full statement of the doctrine of the Trinity. With the recognition of the identity of substance of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, it was possible to explore their mutual relationship within the Trinity. Once more, the Cappadocian Fathers played a decisive role in this major theological development. [05]
The problem is this. The three men who played such an important part in the formulation of the doctrine of the Trinity were not only Catholic mystics and ascetics but were also trained in, and influenced by Greek philosophy. The question then becomes - to what extent did these factors influence what they believed and taught?
Catholic Mystics and Ascetics
Not only were all three mystics, but Basil and Gregory of Nazianzus pioneered the rules of monastic life compiling what became known as "the Rule of St. Basil".
Basil, Archbishop of Cæsarea
The web site of the orthodox church in America (cited earlier) says this of Basil, Archbishop of Cæsarea (Emphasis Added) wishing to acquire a guide to the knowledge of truth, the saint undertook a journey into Egypt, Syria and Palestine, to meet the great Christian ascetics dwelling there. On returning to Cappadocia, he decided to do as they did. He distributed his wealth to the needy, then settled on the opposite side of the river not far from his mother Emilia and sister Macrina, gathering around him monks living a cenobitic (characterized by strict discipline, regular worship, and manual work) life. By his letters, Basil drew his good friend Gregory the Theologian to the monastery... In their solitude, Sts. Basil and Gregory occupied themselves in an intense study of Holy Scripture. They were guided by the writings of the Fathers and commentators of the past, especially the good writings of Origen. From all these works they compiled an anthology called Philokalia. [06]
Although he stayed at the monastery only for about five years, it is during this period that Basil compiled what was to be known as "the Rule of St. Basil". These rules heavily drawn on by Benedict founder of the Benedictines, shaped the monasticism in the Eastern Church for centuries. It is little wonder that Basil is considered the founder of monastic communities. centuries. [07] See Footnote I for more on Basil's Asceticism. Note: If you have been told that Catholicism did not exist at this time, you have been misinformed. It was alive and well with most of the core doctrines flourishing if not systemized. See Catholicism and The Councils Gregory of Nazianzus
The following quote is mysticism personified. No sooner do I conceive of the One than I am illumined by the Splendor of the Three; no sooner do I distinguish Them than I am carried back to the One. When I think of any One of the Three I think of Him as the Whole, and my eyes are filled, and the greater part of what I am thinking of escapes me. I cannot grasp the greatness of That One so as to attribute a greater greatness to the Rest. When I contemplate the Three together, I see but one torch, and cannot divide or measure out the Undivided Light. [08]
Gregory of Nyssa (c. 335 – c. 395)
The Encyclopedia Britannica describes Gregory of Nyssa as a (Emphasis Added) philosophical theologian and mystic, leader of the orthodox party in the 4th-century Christian controversies over the doctrine of the Trinity. Primarily a scholar, he wrote many theological, mystical, and monastic works in which he balanced Platonic and Christian traditions. [09]
Marianne Dorman, who holds diplomas in Theology and Christian Education and researched for her Ph.D in Oxford Catholic says (Emphasis Added) The last years of his life seem to have been dedicated to his most sublime mystical works, including the Life of Moses, in which he relies on Origen's approach to drawing out the mystical meaning of scriptural texts where they might not be obvious at first glance. It is here that he gives us his vision of eternal life as forever stretching towards God (epektasis) Some of his other exegetico-mystical works included his homilies on the Song of Songs, On Ecclesiastes, On the inscriptions of the Psalms, On the Beatitudes and On the Lord's Prayer. [10]
The following is an outstanding example of the mystical meanings that Gregory of Nyssa read into Biblical accounts. (Emphasis Added) It seems to me that, already, the great Moses knew about this mystery by means of the light in which God appeared to him, when he saw the bush burning without being consumed. For Moses said: "I wish to go up closer and observe this great vision.” I believe that the term "go up closer" does not indicate motion in space but a drawing near in time. What was prefigured at that time in the flame of the bush was openly manifested in the mystery of the Virgin, once an intermediate space of time had passed. As on the mountain the bush burned but was not consumed, so the Virgin gave birth to the light and was not corrupted. Nor should you consider the comparison to the bush to be embarrassing, for it prefigures the God-bearing body of the Virgin. [11]
Greek Philosophers
The word "philosophy", which stems from the Greek words philo (love) and sophia (wisdom) means "love of wisdom". Greek philosophy focused on the importance of reason and evidence in understanding the nature of the god, the universe etc. In other words, knowledge and values are based on logical reasoning. Unfortunately, as long as the logic was sound, it seemed to matter not whether the conclusion contradicted the Scriptures.
At least two, and probably all three of these men were formally trained in Greek philosophy. Additionally, they were all greatly influenced by the writings of Origen, known for introducing Greek ideas into Christianity. In fact, Basil, bishop of Caesarea and his close friend Gregory of Nazianzus "edited a collection of his writings, which they called Philokalia. ("In subsequent centuries, other small works of monastic spirituality also took the same title). [12]
Note: Philokalia means "love of the beautiful, the good". An anthology of older texts published in 1782 was also called The Philokalia. See Footnote II Basil, bishop of Caesarea (c. 329 - 379)
was educated first in Caesarea, then Constantinople which was, at that time, "distinguished for its teachers of philosophy and rhetoric", and then in Athens. Note "Rhetoric" is the art of using language effectively and persuasively. It aims to improve the capability of writers or speakers who wish to persuade, or motivate others. The word rhetoric was also used of language that was elaborate and high-flown.
According to the web site of the orthodox church in America, Basil was also called "the revealer of heavenly mysteries". He ... (Emphasis Added) "... studied under the finest teachers in Caesarea of Cappadocia, and it was here that he made the acquaintance of St Gregory the Theologian (January 25 and January 30). Later, Basil transferred to a school at Constantinople, where he listened to eminent orators and philosophers. To complete his education St Basil went to Athens, the center of classical enlightenment. At Athens a close friendship developed between Basil the Great and Gregory the Theologian (Nazianzus), which continued throughout their life. In fact, they regarded themselves as one soul in two bodies" [13]
Gregory of Nyssa (c. 335 – c. 395).
Little is known of Basil's brother, Gregory of Nyssa's education, but it is believed that he studied in Caesarea, where he read classical literature, philosophy and perhaps medicine. Gregory of Nazianzus (c. 329 – 389/390)
Nazianzus was also known as Gregory the Theologian, or the "Trinitarian Theologian". He and his brother first studied at home with their uncle, but he later went on to study advanced rhetoric and philosophy in Nazianzus, Caesarea, Alexandria and Athens. According to the Catholic Encyclopedia (Emphasis Added) "Gregory was recognized as one of the very foremost orators who have ever adorned the Christian Church. Trained in the finest rhetorical schools of his age, he did more than justice to his distinguished teachers; and while boasting or vainglory was foreign to his nature, he frankly acknowledged his consciousness of his remarkable oratorical gifts, and his satisfaction at having been enabled to cultivate them fully in his youth. Basil and Gregory, it has been said, were the pioneers of Christian eloquence, modeled on, and inspired by, the noble and sustained oratory of Demosthenes and Cicero, and calculated to move and impress the most cultured and critical audiences of the age. [14]
(Demosthenes was a prominent Greek statesman and orator of ancient Athens. Cicero was a Roman philosopher, politician, lawyer, orator and political theorist trained in philosophy and rhetoric in Rome, and educated in the teachings of the ancient Greek philosophers.) The Department of Internet Ministries of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, says this about Gregory of Nazianzus His extant writings, both prose and poems in every type of metre, demonstrate his lofty eloquence and his wondrous breadth of learning. In the beauty of his writings, he is considered to have surpassed the Greek writers of antiquity. [15]
It is well beyond comprehension that Catholic mystics/ Greek philosophers have been allowed to shape one of the fundamental doctrines of the orthodox church and worse, declare it a 'litmus test' of faith. Is it any wonder the Lord called us "sheep".
Origen... The Stone On Which They Were All Sharpened
Gregory of Nazianzus' declaration that "Origen is the stone on which all of us were sharpened." [16] makes what Origen believed and taught extremely important.
So who was he? Origen was a Greek philosopher and theologian who reinterpreted Christian doctrine through Neoplatonist philosophy. He was born in Alexandria to Christian parents but eventually took up permanent residence in Caesarea founding a school that functioned for more than twenty years. His school ... exercised a magnetic attraction not only over the neighbouring country but on hearers from abroad, who came to hearken to his wisdom from all parts, as the Queen of Sheba came to Solomon. [17]
All three of the Cappadocian fathers were associated with Caesarea. Basil was bishop of Caesarea. His brother, Gregory of Nyssa is believed to have studied there. And it was one of the places where Gregory of Nazianzus studied advanced rhetoric and philosophy. One biography says, Origen lived through a turbulent period of the Christian Church, when persecution was wide-spread and little or no doctrinal consensus existed among the various regional churches. In this environment, Gnosticism flourished, and Origen was the first truly philosophical thinker to turn his hand not only to a refutation of Gnosticism, but to offer an alternative Christian system that was more rigorous and philosophically respectable than the mythological speculations of the various Gnostic sects. Origen was also an astute critic of the pagan philosophy of his era, yet he also learned much from it, and adapted its most useful and edifying teachings to a grand elucidation of the Christian faith. [18]
What is most troubling and is that Origen is considered .... One Of The Greatest Christian Theologians. Seriously?
Origen is considered by many to be the father of systematic theology, and has been called "one of the greatest Christian theologians" [19] and the "greatest by far" of the ante-Nicene writers of the Eastern Church, both as a theologian and as a "prolific Biblical scholar". [20]. G.L. Prestige, fellow and chaplain of New College, Oxford says that Origen was ".. one of the greatest teachers ever known in Christendom" who (Emphasis Added) "...finally, and completely established the principle that Christianity is an intelligent religion, by bringing all the strength and vigour of Greek philosophical insight to bear on the elucidation of Hebrew religious intuition and Christian spiritual history". [21].
So much of Origen's theology was so far removed from what the Bible teaches, that there is little doubt that, more than the Scriptures, Greek philosophy played a major part in determining his views on life, God, and religion in general. Origen's On First Principle is called "the most systematic and philosophical of Origen’s numerous writings". The paperback edition carries an endorsement by Pope Benedict XVI, who said "Origen of Alexandria was a figure crucial to the whole development of Christian thought". The description of the 2013 paperback edition, published by Christian Classics inc., says it is a "foundational work in the development of Christian thought and doctrine.... the first attempt in history at a systematic Christian theology written in a time when "fundamental doctrines had not yet been fully articulated by the Church, and contributed to the very formation of Christianity". [22]
Whatever brand of Christianity this book contributed to it certainly wasn't the one promoted by the Scriptures. Origen’s ‘Theology’ Had Little In Common With Scripture.
He taught the pre-existence of souls, the final reconciliation of all creatures (possibly even Satan), Purgatory and the reincarnation of the soul. Note that Origen's final reconciliation of all creatures follows the Platonic understanding of the world as part of a great cycle of the emanation of all things from God and the return of all things to God. This was very influential in Greek theology.
He doubted the temptations of Jesus in Scripture and claimed they could have never happened. The Scriptures were not literal. Genesis 1-3 was not historical or literal but a myth, and there was no actual person named "Adam.” [23] Origen more than once affirmed that Mary remained a virgin throughout life. He in fact, used the expression Theotokos (Mother of God) to refer to Mary. Incidentally, this designation was raised to a "dogmatic standard" by the 431 A.D. Council of Ephesus. with the 553 A.D second Council of Constantinople adding the title "Eternal Virgin." [23b]. The councils certainly made it up as they went along. Footnote III - Origen and Genesis 1-3 Footnote IV Origen's "On First Principles" -
What Origen believed about Christ, the pre-existence of souls etc. About purgatory Origen said, If a man departs this life with lighter faults, he is condemned to fire which burns away the lighter materials, and prepares the soul for the kingdom of God, where nothing defiled may enter. (Patres Groeci. XIII, col. 445, 448. A.D. 185-232). [24]
Footnote V Surprise! surprise! Basil, Gregory of Nyssa, and Augustine also believed in purgatory. Several points in Origen's theology were rejected by Church authorities and, in 543 the Emperor Justinian (527–65) issued an edict denouncing Origen by name... Among the condemned doctrines were his Christological subordinationism; his eschatological speculation, which included the conjecture that all rational beings including Satan and the demons may eventually be restored to grace; the doctrine of pre-existence of souls; his theory about previous worlds and future world cycles; his speculation that the final state of salvation may be disembodied; and his purgatorial understanding of hell. [25]
The real tragedy is, to me, the number of believers who consider Origen one of the "greatest Christian theologians", and who spend countless hours of their own lives expounding the rubbish he taught. Time that would be put to far better use studying the Scriptures that Origen so greatly contradicted. Recalling something that Tozer once said, even laying bricks would be a better use of time. Can we, at the very least, require people to actually be in agreement with the Scriptures before we hang labels like the "Greatest Theologians" and "prolific Biblical scholar" on them? Although indirectly, Origen's beliefs and influence had tentacles that have enveloped the church all the way into the 21st century.
Origen's Influence On Gregory of Nyssa's Trinitarian Doctrine.
Origen stated that, since there are "certain secret analogies or affinities" between the things below and the things above, we must "read within ourselves the reflection of truths" that we could not otherwise know.
That this idea originated in occult literature is in little doubt See As Above, So Below Footnote VI. However, Origen did not himself apply this line of reasoning to the trinity. This fell to Gregory of Nyssa who actually said we would have no content for our thoughts about Father, Son, and Spirit, if we did not find an outline of their nature within ourselves. In other words, Gregory found the key to the trinity in the triple nature of our soul stating that you learn "the secret of God" from the things within yourself... a "testimony above and more sure than that of the Law and the Gospel". How Gregory of Nyssa based his conception of the Trinity on Origen's ideas is found on the Christian Classics Ethereal Library . Gregory employs sometimes a method which he has caught from Origen. Origen supposes, not so much, as Plato did, that things below are images of things above, as that they have certain secret analogies or affinities with them. This is perhaps after all only a peculiar application for his own purpose of Plato's theory of ideas. There are mysterious sympathies between the earth and heaven. We must therefore read within ourselves the reflection of truths which are too much beyond our reach to know in themselves. With regard to the attributes of God this is more especially the case. But Origen never had the occasion to employ this language in explaining the mystery of the Trinity. Gregory is the first Father who has done so. He finds a key to it in the triple nature of our soul. The * noûs, the logos, and the soul, form within us a unity such as that of the Divine hypostases.... Not only does this instance illustrate trinity in unity, but we should have no contents for our thought about the Father, Son, and Spirit, if we found no ... outlines at all of their nature within ourselves Gregory, then, had reason in recommending even a more systematic use of the method which he had received from Origen: 'Learn from the things within thee to know the secret of God; recognise from the Triad within thee the Triad by means of these matters which you realise: it is a testimony above and more sure than that of the Law and the Gospel (De eo quod immut., p. 30) [26]
* Note: noûs means the mind or reason, while logos means a word. The article uses the original Greek words that I cannot reproduce here. In so few years the entire lot of them had forgotten Paul's words (as have some of us). Instead, by relying on cleverness of speech, and the wisdom of men, they did exactly the opposite. For Christ did not send me to baptize, but to preach the gospel, not in cleverness of speech, so that the cross of Christ would not be made void. For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written, "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the cleverness of the clever I will set aside." Where is the wise man? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not come to know God, God was well-pleased through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. For indeed Jews ask for signs and Greeks search for wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block and to Gentiles foolishness [1 Corinthians 1:17-23 NASB] and my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God. [1 Corinthians 2:4-5 NASB] See to it that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ. [Colossians 2:8 NASB]
Sadly, even today, people defend the ...
The Interaction of Theology and Philosophy
As an example, Melinda Penner, executive director of Stand to Reason says the councils "used Scripture as their authority", but the early theologians brought their training in philosophy to bear on the debates. (Emphasis Added)
The ecumenical councils used Scripture as their authority, but sought to work out the details in an intellectually rigorous way. The early theologians were also philosophers, and brought these categories of thought to bear on the debates. After all, if God is a rational being, His revelation must make logical sense, though this is different than being fully comprehensible to finite minds... So theology and philosophy must interact to express the most accurate and logical doctrines possible. [27]
Unfortunately, this is a bunch of hogwash on several levels. Now why am I having trouble imagining Peter and Andrew working out the details in an "intellectually rigorous way". They heard, they read the Old Testament prophecies, they saw, and they believed. Scripture as the authority, Although the Scriptures provide evidence aplenty for the Deity of Christ, as this article shows there is none for the Holy Spirit being a 'person' at all. This means the Council of Constantinople did not use Scripture as its authority but instead allowed itself to be influenced by the Cappadocian Fathers who applied to Origen's groundless (and possibly occultic) theory about affinities between the things below and the things above. Besides which, we do not need philosophy to come up with accurate doctrine. If handled correctly and without preconceived bias, the Bible itself tells us all we need to know, some of which doesn't make logical sense to us simply because God is "a rational being". In other words, just because God is a rational being we do not have to explain nor understand everything about Him. Surely the word "God" should tell us that there are things that are WAY beyond even our ability to understand. On a purely physical level, we cannot explain how the waters of a sea can part to allow people to walk through, or a river can turn to blood, how dead men can rise again, how bread and fish can be multiplied, how water can change into wine. The Old Testament is very clear that God is more than a single Being (See Plurality in The Godhead) and no amount of 'rationalization' is going to tell us how exactly this works. Just like the loaves and fishes, we accept that this is that the Bible says and perhaps one day we will understand a little more. Most importantly, while I am certainly very grateful that it is so, it makes NO logical sense as to how Christ can pay for the sins of a multitude. Logically, a person has to answer for their own misdeeds. Sadly all too many humans have to resort to endless gobbledygook in the effort to endeavor to explain that which is not explainable. Is it too much to ask that instead of endless abstract and elaborate 'reasoning' we accept that this is what the Bible says - therefore this is what is true. Little Children
Can we please stop glossing over verses in Scripture and actually take the time to APPLY them. Here is one that philosophers and academics may need to pay attention to. Jesus ... called a child to Himself and set him before them, and said, "Truly I say to you, unless you are converted and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 18:2-3 NASB)
The words "little children" implies that abiding in Christ is simple, not something that you need a graduate degree to understand or practice. Little children do even know how to over-complicate their beliefs. They trust. And Jesus was fully aware that because it isn't in our nature to humble ourselves and to be like little children, we have to first be converted. Formulating the doctrine of the trinity from Greek lines of reasoning was not the only thing the Cappadocian fathers got completely wrong.
Continue On To Part VIII - Begotten and Proceeds. The Cappadocian fathers believed and taught that both Son and spirit derive from the father, but are derived in different ways i.e the Son is "begotten" of the Father, and the Spirit "proceeds" from the Father. Gregory of Nyssa missed the fact that Jesus also spoke of 'proceeding' or 'coming from' the Father. Also the word "begotten" means something else entirely. HERE
Footnote I - Basil The Ascetic
About a.d.357, when still under thirty, Basil left Caesarea to seek the most celebrated ascetics upon whose life he might model his own.
Visiting Alexandria and Upper Egypt, Palestine, Coelesyria, and Mesopotamia He records his admiration of the abstinence and endurance of the ascetics whom he met, their mastery over hunger and sleep, their indifference to cold and nakedness, as well as his desire to imitate them (Ep. 223, § 2) The year 358 saw Basil again at Caesarea resolved on the immediate carrying out of his purpose of retiring from the world, finally selecting for his retreat a spot near Neocaesarea, close to the village of Annesi, where his father's estates lay, and where he had passed his childhood. His glowing description attracted Gregory for a lengthy visit to study the Scriptures with him (Ep. 9), together with the commentaries of Origen and other early expositors. At this time they also compiled their collection of the "Beauties of Origen," or "Philocalia" (Socr. iv. 26; Soz. vi. 17; Greg. Naz. Ep. 87). In this secluded spot Basil passed five years, an epoch of no small importance in the history of the church, inasmuch as it saw the origin under Basil's influence of the monastic system in the coenobitic form... monastic communities were a novelty in the Christian world, and of these Basil is justly considered the founder. His life was one of the most rigid asceticism. He had but one outer and one inner garment; he slept in a hair shirt, his bed was the ground; he took little sleep, no bath; the sun was his fire, his food bread and water, his drink the running stream (Greg. Naz. Or. xx. p. 358; Greg. Nys. de Basil. p. 490). [28] {PLACE IN TEXT}
Footnote II - The Philokalia
The Philokalia, more than any other text, reflects the Eastern Church's interpretation of the Bible's meaning. In the anonymous nineteenth-century Russian classic The Way of a Pilgrim, the pilgrim asks a staretz, or spiritual father, whether the Philokalia is "more exalted and holier than the Bible.” The staretz answers: (Emphasis Added)
No, it is not more exalted or holier than the Bible, but it contains enlightened explanations of what is mystically contained in the Bible, and it is so lofty that it is not easily comprehended by our shortsighted intellects. Let me give you an illustration. The sun is the greatest, the most resplendent and magnificent source of light, but you cannot contemplate or examine it with the simple naked eye. You would need to use a special viewing lens, which, though a million times smaller and dimmer than the sun, would enable you to study this magnificent source of all light and to endure and delight in its fiery rays. Thus the Holy Scriptures are like a brilliant sun, for which the Philokalia is the lens needed in order to view it. [29] {PLACE IN TEXT}
Footnote III - Origen and Genesis 1-3
About Genesis 1-3 Origen wrote,
"Could any man of sound judgment suppose that the first, second, and third days (of creation) had an evening and a morning, when there were as yet no sun or moon or stars? Could anyone be so unintelligent as to think that God made a paradise somewhere in the east and planted it with trees, like a farmer, or that in that paradise he put a tree of life, a tree you could see and know with your senses, a tree you could derive life from by eating its fruit with the teeth in your head? When the Bible says that God used to walk in paradise in the evening or that Adam hid behind a tree, no one, I think, will question that these are only fictitious stories of things that never actually happened, and that figuratively they refer to certain mysteries.” [30] {PLACE IN TEXT}
Footnote IV. Origen's "On First Principles"
The following excerpts are from Origen of Alexandria on the Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy (IEP). All Emphasis Added Souls and their Fall: According to Origen, God's first creation was a collectivity of rational beings which he calls logika. "Although Origen speaks of the logika as being created, they were not created in time. Creation with respect to them means that they had a beginning, but not a temporal one" (Tripolitis 1978, p. 94). These souls were originally created in close proximity to God, with the intention that they should explore the divine mysteries in a state of endless contemplation. They grew weary of this intense contemplation, however, and lapsed, falling away from God and into an existence on their own terms, apart from the divine presence and the wisdom to be found there. This fall was not, it must be understood, the result of any inherent imperfection in the creatures of God, rather, it was the result of a misuse of the greatest gift of God to His creation: freedom. The only rational creature who escaped the fall and remained with God is the "soul of Christ" (Origen, On First Principles 2.6.5; Tripolitis 1978, p. 96)... As Origen explains, the soul of Christ was no different from that of any of the souls that fell away from God, for Christ's soul possessed the same potential for communion with God as that of all other souls. What distinguished the soul of Christ from all others – and what preserved Him from falling away – was His supreme act of free choice, to remain immersed in the divinity. What are now souls (psukhê) began as minds, and through boredom or distraction grew "cold" (psukhesthai) as they moved away from the "divine warmth" (On First Principles 2.8.3). Thus departing from God, they came to be clothed in bodies, at first of "a fine ethereal and invisible nature," but later, as souls fell further away from God, their bodies changed "from a fine, ethereal and invisible body to a body of a coarser and more solid state. The purity and subtleness of the body with which a soul is enveloped depends upon the moral development and perfection of the soul to which it is joined. Origen states that there are varying degrees of subtleness even among the celestial and spiritual bodies" (Tripolitis 1978, p. 106). When a soul achieves salvation, according to Origen, it ceases being a soul, and returns to a state of pure "mind" or understanding. [Origen of Alexandria (185—254 C.E.). Multiple Ages, Metempsychosis (Reincarnation), and the Restoration of All
Origen was unable to conceive of a God who would create souls that were capable of dissolving into the oblivion of evil (non-being) for all eternity. Therefore, he reasoned that a single lifetime is not enough for a soul to achieve salvation, for certain souls require more education or 'healing' than others. So he developed his doctrine of multiple ages, in which souls would be re-born, to experience the educative powers of God once again, with a view to ultimate salvation. [31]
The quote immediately above, makes me wonder whether Origen ever read the book of Hebrews which so clearly states ... "And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment" (Hebrews 9:27 KJV). But then, as I said before, Greek philosophy trumped the Scriptures. Certainly, Gregory of Nyssa picked up on Origen's ideas about the restoration of all things including demons. (although he may have abandoned the idea later). In his book Sermo Catecheticus Magnus, he talked about "The annihilation of evil, the restitution of all things, and the final restoration of evil men and evil spirits to the blessedness of union with God, so that He may be 'all in all,' embracing all things endowed with sense and reason. {PLACE IN TEXT}
Footnote V - Purgatory.
Basil
"...and if they [i.e., Christians who die] are found to have any wounds from their wrestling, any stains or effects of sin, they are detained. If, however, they are found unwounded and without stain, they are, as unconquered, brought by Christ into their rest." (Basil, Homilies and Psalms, 370 A.D.) [32]
Gregory of Nyssa also believed in Purgatory saying "...when, after his departure out of the body, he [the departed soul] gains knowledge of the difference between virtue and vice and finds that he is not able to partake of divinity until he has been purged of the filthy contagion in his soul by the purifying fire" (Sermon on the Dead [A.D. 382]). [33]
Augustine did as well "But by the prayers of the holy Church, and by the salvific sacrifice, and by the alms which are given for their spirits, there is no doubt that the dead are aided, that the Lord might deal more mercifully with them than their sins would deserve... Nor can it be denied that the souls of the dead find relief through the piety of their friends and relatives who are still alive, when the Sacrifice of the Mediator [Mass] is offered for them, or when alms are given in the Church. But these things are of profit to those who, when they were alive, merited that they might afterward be able to be helped by these things. (Handbook on Faith, Hope, and Charity 29:109. A.D. 421). [34]
Note: This is hardly surprising considering that 2 Maccabees 12:46 states that "It is therefore a holy and wholesome thought to pray for the dead, that they may be loosed from sins." {PLACE IN TEXT}
Footnote VI... As Above, So Below
According to themystica.com, an on-line encyclopedia of the occult, mysticism, magic, paranormal and more (Emphasis Added)
The Emerald Tablets, or the Emerald Table is part of the Hermetica. It is one of most revered magical documents in Western occultism ... According to a legend, The Emerald Tablets were discovered in a caved tomb, clutched in the hands of the corpse of Hermes Trismegistus ... The most significant part of The Emerald Tablets is within its opening, as above so below: "That which is above is like that which is below and that which is below is like that which is above, to achieve the wonders of the one thing.” Therefore, "This is the foundation of astrology and alchemy: that the microcosm of mankind and the earth is a reflection of the macrocosm of God and the heavens.” [What is the Emerald Tablet of Hermes. http://www.themystica.com/the-emerald-tablet/]
Sound familiar? There are many interpretations of this phrase. Some mentioned on themystica.com are "a dual relationship between the divine and the human. There is a connection between the divine or spiritual realm and the human or physical realm"."
The next two are related and are the basis for the book 'The Secret' and The Word Faith Movement "related to the law of attraction. Our thoughts and intentions can shape and influence our reality. What we focus on and believe on a spiritual level can be manifested in our physical reality". Our actions have consequences, both in the physical world and in the spiritual or moral realm. It suggests that what we do on one level of reality will be reflected on another level. [35]
Who is Hermes Trismegistus? Hermes Trismegistus was the alleged teacher the magical system known as Hermetism of which high magic and alchemy are thought to be twin branches. The name Trismegistus means thrice greatest Hermes, and is the title given by the Greeks to the Egyptian god Thoth or Tehuti, a lord of wisdom and learning ... The combined myths of these gods report that both Thoth and Hermes revealed to humankind the healing arts, magic, writing, astrology, science, and philosophy. Thoth wrote the record of the weighing of the souls in the Judgment Hall of Osiris. Hermes led the souls of the dead to Hades ... Surviving Hermes Trismegistus is the wisdom of the Hermetica, 42 books (including the emerald tablets of Toth) that have profoundly influenced the development of Western occultism and magic. [36]
To say nothing of the influence on some Christian theology {PLACE IN TEXT}
End Notes... The Cappadocian Fathers
[01] Imperial Edict Decrees Catholic Christianity - 380. https://christianhistoryinstitute.org/dailyquote/2/27
[02] Adolf Lippold. Theodosius I. Roman emperor http://www.britannica.com/biography/Theodosius-I [03] Theopedia. The Nicene Creed. https://www.theopedia.com/nicene-creed [04] Charles C. Ryrie Basic Theology: A Popular Systematic Guide to Understanding Biblical Truth. Hardcover. Moody Publishers; New Edition edition (January 11, 1999) Pg. 65 [05] Alister E. McGrath. Historical Theology: An Introduction to the History of Christian Thought. Wiley-Blackwell; 2 edition (July 23, 2012). Paperback. Pgs. 55, 57 [06] The Orthodox Church in America. St. Basil the Great, Archbishop of Cæsarea in Cappadocia.
http://oca.org/saints/lives/2013/01/01/100003-st-basil-the-great-archbishop-of-caeligsarea-in-cappadocia [07] http://novices.opwest.org/wordpress/2012/10/st-basil-of-caesarea-and-his-rule/ [08] Gregory of Nazianzus, Oration 40, On Holy Baptism. Preached at Constantinople Jan. 6, 381. As quoted on Interrupting the Silence, a blog by Michael K. Marsh, an Episcopalian priest in West Texas.
http://interruptingthesilence.com/2012/06/03/gregory-of-nazianzus-on-the-three-and-the-one/ [09] Encyclopedia Britannica. Saint Gregory of Nyssa. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Saint-Gregory-of-Nyssa [10] Marianne Dorman's Catholic Website, Arianism, Macedonianism , Apollinarianism and the Cappadocian Fathers.
http://mariannedorman.homestead.com/CappadocianFathers.html [11] Homily on the Nativity of Christ, by St. Gregory of Nyssa
https://full-of-grace-and-truth.blogspot.com/2011/12/homily-on-nativity-of-christ-by-st.html [12] G. E. H. Palmer. Philokalia: The Eastern Christian Spiritual Texts (SkyLight Illuminations) Skylight Paths Publishing; Annotated edition (August 1, 2006) Paperback. Pg. 8 [13] The Orthodox Church in America. St. Basil the Great, Archbishop of Cæsarea in Cappadocia. http://oca.org/saints/lives/2013/01/01/100003-st-basil-the-great-archbishop-of-caeligsarea-in-cappadocia [14] Hunter-Blair, O. (1910). St. Gregory of Nazianzus. In The Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. Retrieved February 4, 2014 from New Advent: http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07010b.htm [15] Gregory The Theologian. http://www.iconograms.org/sig.php?eid=403. (2014 © Iconograms is a service of the Department of Internet Ministries of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America [16] Description of Origen's "On First Principle" (2013 paperback edition, published by Christian Classics Inc.) on numerous sites such as https://b-ok.cc/book/2854480/18c435 AND http://www.amazon.com/dp/0870612794/ref=dp_bookdescription?_encoding=UTF8&n=283155 [17] G.L. Prestige. Fathers and Heretics: Six Studies in Dogmatic Faith with Prologue and Epilogue (Bampton Lectures for 1940). London: SPCK, 1940. "Lecture 3: Origen: OR The Claims of Religious Intelligence," Fathers and Heretics.
http://www.earlychurch.org.uk/pdf/origen_prestige.pdf. Pg.48-49 [18] Origen. https://sciencetheory.net/origen/ [19] The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Origen of Alexandria (185—254 CE). http://www.iep.utm.edu/origen-of-alexandria/#SH5b [20] The Development of the Canon of the New Testament. Origen. http://www.ntcanon.org/Origen.shtml. Pages created by Glenn Davis, 1997-2010 [21] G.L. Prestige. Fathers and Heretics: Six Studies in Dogmatic Faith with Prologue and Epilogue (Bampton Lectures for 1940). London: SPCK, 1940. "Lecture 3: Origen: or, The Claims of Religious Intelligence," Fathers and Heretics.
http://www.earlychurch.org.uk/pdf/origen_prestige.pdf Pg. 43 [22] Product Description. [23] Dr. Ken Matto, Origen's Gnostic Belief System. http://www.scionofzion.com/origen.htm [23b] Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. The doctrine of the Virgin Mary and holy Wisdom
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Christianity/The-doctrine-of-the-Virgin-Mary-and-holy-Wisdom [24] CatholicBridge Purgatory according to the Church Fathers. https://www.catholicbridge.com/catholic/purgatory-church-fathers.php [25] Origen. Commentary On The Epistle To The Romans. Books 1–5. Translated By Thomas P. Scheck.
https://idoc.pub/documents/origen-commentary-on-the-epistle-to-the-romans-books-1-5-by-origen-thomas-p-scheck-klzzdm2m1vlg. Click on full text. [26] NPNF2-05. Gregory of Nyssa: Dogmatic Treatises, Etc. Edited by Philip Schaff. Chapter III.—His Origenism. The Christian Classics Ethereal Library (CCEL). http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/npnf205.vii.iii.html . All emphasis Added [27] Melinda Penner. The Doctrine of the Trinity at Nicaea and Chalcedon.
http://www.str.org/articles/the-doctrine-of-the-trinity-at-nicaea-and-chalcedon#.Un5oFtLTmCi [28] Henry Wace (1836-1924) A Dictionary of Christian Biography and Literature to the End of the Sixth Century A.D., with an Account of the Principal Sects and Heresies. Basilius, bp. of Caesarea in Cappadocia.
http://www.ccel.org/ccel/wace/biodict.html?term=Basilius,%20bp.%20of%20Caesarea%20in%20Cappadocia [29] Saint Sophia Greek Orthodox Cathedral. Daily Meditations - The Philokalia. https://saintsophiadc.org/2012/07/the-philokalia/ [30] Origen, De Principiis 4:3:2. The Allegorical Interpretation Of The Scriptures. St. Mark's Coptic Orthodox Church, Jersey City, NJ http://copticchurch.net/topics/patrology/schoolofalex/I-Intro/chapter3.html [31] Origen’s Life and Times. The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy (IEP) http://www.iep.utm.edu/origen-of-alexandria/. Note that quotes attributed to "Tripolitis" are from The Doctrine of the Soul in the Thought of Plotinus and Origen (New York: Libra 1978), by Antonia Tripolitis [32] Catholic Bridge. Purgatory according to the Church Fathers. https://www.catholicbridge.com/catholic/purgatory-church-fathers.php [33] What the Early Church Believed: Purgatory. https://www.catholic.com/tract/the-roots-of-purgatory [34] ibid. [35] As Above So Below Meaning, origin and interpretations. https://www.themystica.com/as-above-so-below/ [36] Hermes Trismegistus - Life and Biography. http://www.themystica.com/hermes-trismegistus/
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