Early Christian Beliefs About Patripassianism and the Trinity

Tertullian, Against Praxeas Direct teaching

..., when all the Scriptures testify to the clear existence of, and distinction in, the Persons of the Trinity, and indeed give us our Rule of faith: that He who speaks, and He of whom He speaks, and to whom He speaks, cannot possibly seem to be One and the Same. So absurd and misleading a statement would be unworthy of God: that, when it was Himself to whom He was speaking, He speaks rather to another, and not to His very self. Hear, then, other sayings also of the Father concerning the Son through the mouth of Isaiah: "Behold my Son, whom I have chosen; my beloved, in whom I am well pleased: I will put my Spirit upon Him, and He shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles." Isaiah 42:1 Hear also what He says to the Son: "Is it a great thing for You, that You should be called my Son to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the dispersed of Israel? I have given You for a light to the Gentiles, that You may be their salvation to the end of the earth." Isaiah 49:6 Hear now also the Son's sayings about the Father: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He has anointed me to preach the gospel to men." He likewise speaks of Himself to the Father in the Psalm: "Forsake me not

Tertullian, Against Praxeas Direct teaching

...od; the other, God. Although the Word is also God, He is God regarded as the Son of God, not as the Father. There is One through whom all things were made, and Another by whom all things were made. But in what sense we call Him Another, we have already often explained. In calling Him Another, we must mean that He is not identical. He is not identical, yet not as if separate. He is Other by divine arrangement, not by division. Therefore, He who became flesh was not the very same as He from whom the Word came. "His glory was seen, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father." John 1:14 Notice: not "as of the Father." He alone declared what was in the bosom of the Father. The Father did not reveal the secrets of His own bosom. For this is preceded by another statement: "No man has seen God at any time." Then again, when John the Baptist designates Him as "the Lamb of God," John 1:29 he is not described as being Himself the same as Him whose beloved Son He is. He is certainly always the Son of God, yet not Himself the one of whom He is the Son. Nathanael at once recognized this in Him, John 1:49 just as Peter did on another occasion: "You are the Son of God." Matthew 16:16 And H

Tertullian, Against Praxeas Direct teaching

while the mystery of the dispensation is still guarded, which distributes the Unity into a Trinity, placing in their order the three Persons— the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost: three, however, not in condition, but in degree;

Novatian, Treatise Concerning the Trinity Direct teaching

But since they often press on us the passage where it is said, “I and the Father are one,” in this also we will overcome them just as easily. For if, as the heretics think, Christ were the Father, He ought to have said, “I and the Father are one.” But when He says “I,” and afterward introduces the Father by saying, “I and the Father,” He separates and distinguishes what is proper to His person, that is, the Son’s person, from the Father's authority. He does this not only in the sound of the name, but also in the order of the distribution of power, since He might have said, “I the Father,” if He had intended that He Himself was the Father. And since He said “one,” let the heretics understand that He did not say “one person.” For “one,” placed in the neuter, points to social concord, not personal unity. He is said to be one in the neuter, not one in the masculine, because the expression is not referred to number, but is declared with reference to the association of another. Finally, He adds and says, “We are,” not “I am,” so as to show, by the fact that He says, “I and the Father are,” that they are two persons. Moreover, that He says “one” refers to agreement, and to identity of jud

Tertullian, Against Praxeas Direct teaching

So, it is either the Father or the Son, and day is not the same as night. In the same way, the Father is not the same as the Son, so that both of them would be one, and one or the other would be both. That is the view held by the most arrogant Monarchians. They say that He made Himself a Son to Himself. But a father makes a son, and a son makes a father. When persons are related to each other in that way, they cannot somehow become related to themselves by themselves. So the Father cannot make Himself a Son to Himself, and the Son cannot make Himself a Father to Himself. And the relations God establishes, He also preserves. A father must have a son in order to be a father. In the same way, a son must have a father in order to be a son. However, having something is one thing, and being something is another. For example, to be a husband, I must have a wife. I can never be my own wife. In the same way, to be a father, I have a son, because I can never be a son to myself. And to be a son, I have a father, because it is impossible for me ever to be my own father. These relations make me what I am when I come to possess them. I will be a father when I have a son, and a son when I have a

Dionysius of Rome, Against the Sabellians Direct teaching

...letely opposed to the opinion of Sabellius. For he blasphemes by saying that the Son Himself is the Father, and vice versa. But these men, in a certain way, proclaim three gods, because they divide the holy unity into three different substances, completely separated from one another. For it is necessary that the Divine Word be united with the God of all, and that the Holy Spirit abide and dwell in God. Thus the Divine Trinity must be brought together and gathered into one, as into a certain head, that is, into the all-powerful God of all. For the teaching of the foolish Marcion, which cuts up and divides the monarchy into three elements, is certainly from the devil, and not from Christ's true disciples or from those to whom the Savior's teaching is pleasing. For they rightly know that the Trinity is declared in the divine Scripture, but the teaching that there are three gods is taught neither in the Old Testament nor in the New Testament.

Dionysius of Rome, Against the Sabellians Supporting witness

and thus that the Divine Trinity should be reduced and gathered into one, as if into a certain head — that is, into the omnipotent God of all.

Gregory Thaumaturgus, A Sectional Confession of Faith Direct teaching

...dea of a person devoid of subsistence. Therefore we clear ourselves of Sabellius, who says that the Father and the Son are the same. For he holds that the Father is He who speaks, and that the Son is the Word that abides in the Father, and becomes manifest at the time of creation, and afterward returns to God when all things are fulfilled. He makes the same claim also about the Spirit. We forswear this, because we believe that three persons—namely, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—are declared to possess the one Godhead. For the one divinity, showing itself according to nature in the Trinity, establishes the oneness of the nature. And so there is a divinity that is the property of the Father, according to the word, "There is one God the Father," 1 Corinthians 8:6. And there is a divinity hereditary in the Son, as it is written, "The Word was God," John 1:1. And there is a divinity present according to nature in the Spirit, namely, what subsists as the Spirit of God, according to Paul's statement, "You are the temple of God, and the Spirit of God dwells in you," 1 Corinthians 3:6.

Gregory Thaumaturgus, A Sectional Confession of Faith Supporting witness

We forswear this, because we believe that three persons— namely, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit— are declared to possess the one Godhead: for the one divinity showing itself forth according to nature in the Trinity establishes the oneness of the nature;

Gregory Thaumaturgus, A Sectional Confession of Faith Direct teaching

...ity?" we will give this reply: There are indeed three persons, since there is one person of God the Father, one of the Lord the Son, and one of the Holy Spirit. And yet there is only one Divinity, since the Son is the Image of God the Father, who is One. That is, He is God of God. In the same way, the Spirit is called the Spirit of God, and that by nature according to the very substance, not by a simple participation in God. And there is one substance in the Trinity. This is not also the case with things that are made. For there is not one substance in God and in the things that are made, because none of these is God in substance. Nor indeed is the Lord one of these in substance. But there is one Lord, the Son, and one Holy Spirit. And we also speak of one Divinity, one Lordship, and one Sanctity in the Trinity, because the Father is the Cause of the Lord, having begotten Him eternally, and the Lord is the Prototype of the Spirit. For in this way the Father is Lord, and the Son also is God. And of God it is said that God is a Spirit. John 4:24

Hippolytus, Against the Heresy of Noetus Supporting witness

...Persons, however, and of a third divine arrangement, that is, the grace of the Holy Spirit. For the Father indeed is One, but there are two Persons, because there is also the Son; and then there is the third, the Holy Spirit. The Father decrees, the Word carries out, and the Son is manifested, through whom the Father is believed on. The harmonious divine arrangement is led back to one God, for God is One. It is the Father who commands, and the Son who obeys, and the Holy Spirit who gives understanding. The Father is above all, and the Son is through all, and the Holy Spirit is in all. And we cannot otherwise think of one God, except by truly believing in Father and Son and Holy Spirit. For the Jews glorified, or gloried in, the Father, but did not give Him thanks, for they did not recognize the Son. The disciples recognized the Son, but not in the Holy Spirit; therefore they also denied Him. The Father's Word, therefore, knowing the divine arrangement and the will of the Father, namely, that the Father seeks to be worshipped in no other way than this, gave this charge to the disciples after He rose from the dead: "Go and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Fathe

Novatian, Treatise Concerning the Trinity Direct teaching

Thus God the Father, the Founder and Creator of all things, who alone knows no beginning, invisible, infinite, immortal, eternal, is one God. To His greatness, or majesty, or power, I would not merely say that nothing can be preferred, but that nothing can be compared. From Him, when He willed it, the Son, the Word, was born. He is not received in the sound of struck air, or in the tone of a voice forced from the lungs, but is acknowledged in the substance of the power put forth by God. The mysteries of His sacred and divine nativity no apostle has learned, no prophet has discovered, no angel has known, and no creature has grasped. They are known to the Son alone, who has known the secrets of the Father. Then, since He was begotten of the Father, He is always in the Father. And I say always in this way, so that I may show that He is not unborn, but born. But He who is before all time must be said to have always been in the Father, for no time can be assigned to Him who is before all time. And He is always in the Father, unless the Father has not always been Father. Only, in a certain sense, the Father also goes before Him, since it is necessary, in some degree, that He should be be

Gregory Thaumaturgus, On the Trinity Direct teaching

...bstance. Servant, because of genus or condition. Curator, because of denomination. We also speak of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. However, these are not names that only came later, but they are subsistences. Again, the denomination of man is not in actual fact a denomination, but a substance common to men, and it is the denomination proper to all men. Moreover, names are such as these: Adam, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob. These, I say, are names. But the Divine Persons are names indeed, and the names are still the persons. And the persons signify that which is and subsists, which is the essence of God. The name of the nature also signifies subsistence, as if we should speak of the man. All the persons are one nature, one essence, one will, and are called the Holy Trinity. These also are subsistent, one nature in three persons, and one genus. But the person of the Son is composite in its oneness, being one made up of two, that is, of divinity and humanity together. These two constitute one. Yet the divinity does not therefore receive any increment, but the Trinity remains as it was. Nor does anything new happen to the persons or even to the names, but these are eternal and without time.

Gregory Thaumaturgus, On the Trinity Supporting witness

We speak also of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit: these, however, are not names which have only supervened at some after period, but they are subsistences.

Early Liturgies, Divine Liturgy of St. James Supporting witness

II Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, the triune light of the Godhead, which is unity subsisting in trinity, divided, yet indivisible: for the Trinity is the one God Almighty, whose glory the heavens declare, and the earth His dominion, and the sea His might, and every sentient and intellectual creature at all times proclaims His majesty: for all glory becomes Him, and honour and might, greatness and magnificence, now and ever, and to all eternity. Amen.

Early Liturgies, Divine Liturgy of St. James Supporting witness

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, the threefold light of the Godhead, which is unity existing in trinity, distinct yet indivisible. For the Trinity is the one Almighty God, whose glory the heavens declare, and the earth His dominion, and the sea His might, and every creature with sense and understanding always proclaims His majesty. For all glory belongs to Him, and honor and might, greatness and magnificence, now and always, and to all eternity. Amen.

Early Liturgies, Liturgy of Adaeus and Maris Supporting witness

We shall repeat the hymn to Your glorious Trinity, O Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.

Early Liturgies, Divine Liturgy of St. Mark Supporting witness

One Father holy, one Son holy, one Spirit holy, in the unity of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Early Liturgies, Liturgy of Adaeus and Maris Supporting witness

One holy Father: one holy Son: one Holy Ghost.

Didache, The Teaching of the Twelve Apostles Direct teaching

And concerning baptism, baptize this way: Having first said all these things, baptize into the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Matthew 28:19 in living water.

Didache, The Teaching of the Twelve Apostles Supporting witness

But if you have not either, pour out water thrice upon the head into the name of Father and Son and Holy Spirit.

Tertullian, On Baptism Direct teaching

For the law of baptizing has been imposed, and the formula prescribed: Go, He says, teach the nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

Ignatius, Epistles of Ignatius Supporting witness

Wherefore also the Lord, when He sent forth the apostles to make disciples of all nations, commanded them to “baptize in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost,” not unto one [person] having three names, nor into three [persons] who became incarnate, but into three possessed of equal honour.

Cyprian, Epistles Supporting witness

18. Finally, when, after the resurrection, the apostles are sent by the Lord to the heathens, they are bidden to baptize the Gentiles in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.

Cyprian, Epistles Supporting witness

Go, therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.

Cyprian, Seventh Council of Carthage Supporting witness

Go and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.

Apostolic Constitutions, Apostolic Constitutions Supporting witness

XXII. Now concerning baptism, O bishop, or presbyter, we have already given direction, and we now say, that you shall so baptize as the Lord commanded us, saying: Go, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost (teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you): Matthew 28:19 of the Father who sent, of Christ who came, of the Comforter who testified.

Apostolic Constitutions, Apostolic Constitutions Supporting witness

for the Lord did not say, Baptize into my death, but, Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them into the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.

Apostolic Constitutions, Apostolic Constitutions Supporting witness

Matthew 28:19 and then He adds this, and baptize them into the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.

Anonymous, Treatise on Re-Baptism Supporting witness

baptize them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.

Didache, Connection to Matthew 28:19 Supporting witness

"in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: "

Matthew 28:19 Direct teaching

Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:

Luke 3:22 Direct teaching

And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased.

John 1:1 Direct teaching

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

John 1:14 Direct teaching

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

1 Corinthians 8:6 Direct teaching

But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him.

1 John 2:23 Direct teaching

No one who denies the Son has the Father. Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also.

1 John 5:7 Supporting witness

For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.

1 John 5:8 Supporting witness

And there are three that bear witness on earth: the Spirit, the water, and the blood; and these three agree as one.

1 Peter 3:18 Direct teaching

For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:

Matthew 11:27 Direct teaching

All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him.

John 1:2 Supporting witness

The same was in the beginning with God.

John 10:30 Supporting witness

I and my Father are one.