THE CONFESSION OF THE DOGMA OF THE HOLY TRINITY IN THE ANCIENT CHURCH

My beloved brothers and sisters in Christ Our Only True Lord, God, and Savior,

CHRIST IS IN OUR MIDST! HE WAS, IS, AND EVER SHALL BE.

THE CONFESSION OF THE DOGMA OF THE
HOLY TRINITY IN THE ANCIENT CHURCH.

THE CREED
[Nicaean-Constantinopolitan]

I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth,
and of all things visible and invisible, And in one Lord Jesus Christ,
the Son of God, the Only begotten, begotten of the Father before all
ages. Light of Light; true God of true God, begotten, not made; of one
essence with the Father, by whom all things were made; who for us
men and for our salvation came down from heaven, and was incarnate
of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary and became man. And He was
crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, and suffered, and was buried.
And the third day He rose again, according to the Scriptures, and
ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of the Father; and He
shall come again with glory to judge the living and the dead, whose
Kingdom shall have no end. And in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the Giver
of Life, who PROCEEDS FROM THE FATHER, who with the Father and
the Son together is worshipped and glorified; who spoke by the
Prophets. In one Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church. I acknowledge
one baptism for the remission of sins, I look for the resurrection of
the dead, and the life of the world to come. Amen.
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The TRUTH OF THE HOLY TRINITY has been confessed by the Church of Christ in all of its fullness and completeness from the very beginning. For example, Saint Irenaeus of Lyons, a disciple of Saint Polycarp of Smyrna, who was himself instructed by the Apostle Joh the Theologian, speaks clearly of the universality of faith in the Holy Trinity.

Defending the catholic truth of the Holy Trinity against heretics, the Holy Fathers of the Church not only cited as proof the witness of Sacred Scripture, as well as rational philosophical grounds for the refutation of heretical opinions, but they also relied upon the testimony of the first Christians. They indicated (1) the example of the Martyrs and Confessors who were not afraid to declare their faith in the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit before their torturers, and they cited (2) the writings of the Apostolic Fathers and, in general, the ancient Church writers, and (3) the expressions which are used in the Divine services. Thus, Saint Basil of the Great quotes the Small Doxology: "Glory to the Father through the Son in the Holy Spirit," and another: "To Him (Christ) with the Father and the Holy Spirit may there be honor and glory unto the ages of ages."

The Church has experienced great disturbances and undergone a great battle in the defense of the dogma of the Holy Trinity. The battle was chiefly fought on two points: first one the affirmation of the truth of the ONENESS OF ESSENCE and EQUALITY OF HONOR of the Son of God with God the Father; and then on the affirmation of the ONENESS OF HONOR OF THE HOLY SPIRIT with God the Father and God the Son.

God is ONE in Essence and TRIPLE in Persons. The dogma of the Trinity is the second fundamental dogma of Christianity. A whole series of the Chruch’s Great Dogmas are found immediately upon it, beginning first of all with the dogma of our Redemption. Because of its special importance, the doctrine of the All-Holy Trinity constitutes the content of all the Symbols of Faith which have been and are now used in the Orthodox Church, as well as all the private confessions of faith written on various occasions b the shepherds of the Church.

Because the dogma of the All-Holy Trinity is the most important of all Christian dogmas, it is at the same time the most difficult for the limited human mind to grasp. This is why no battle in the history of the ancient Church was as intense as that over this dogma and the truths which are immediately bound up with it.

Protestants often focus more prominently on Jesus in their teachings, because of their emphasis on PERSONAL SALVATION through faith in Jesus ALONE, while still acknowledging the Trinity, which includes the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; this can sometimes appear as if they only speak about Jesus because their focus is on the individual relationship with Christ as the means to salvation, unlike Orthodox Christianity which places more emphasis on the interconnectedness and unity of the Holy Trinity within the Church Holy Tradition.

"The whole of Protestantism denies the bond with the heavenly Church, that is, the veneration in prayer of the Mother of God and the saints, and likewise prayer for the dead, indicates that they themselves have destroyed the bond with the one Body of Christ which unites in itself the heavenly and the earthly. Further, it is a fact that these non-Orthodox confessions have "broken" in one form or another, directly or indirectly, with the Orthodox Church, with the Church in its historical form; they themselves have cut the bond, they have "departed" from her. Neither we nor they have the right to close our eyes to this fact. The teachings of the non-Orthodox confessions contain heresies which were decisively rejected and condemned by the Church at her Ecumenical Councils. In these numerous branches of Christianity there is no unity, either outward or inward–either with the Orthodox Church of Christ or between themselves." [Resources: Orthodox Dogmatic Theology]

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"Glory Be To GOD
For
All Things!"
– Saint John Chrysostomos
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With sincere agape in His Divine and Glorious Diakonia (Ministry).
The sinner and unworthy servant of God
+ Father George