Trinitarian Perspectives in the Apostolic Fathers: An Investigation

By Mina Fouad Tawfike and Emad Atef Ezzat Hanna

In this in-depth exploration, the authors embark on a journey to uncover the intriguing questions about the Trinity's emergence in the writings of the Apostolic Fathers. As this study takes a close look at whether we can find signs of the Trinity and shared understandings in these early texts, shedding light on whether these writings reflect a "triadic way of talking about God." A crucial aspect of the investigation is to see if there is a common belief about the Trinity, offering insights into the theological ideas of that time. A central question arises: Did the early Apostolic Fathers have a sense of the Trinity? If so, how did they try to understand it?

Immersed in the early Christian mindset, this book examines how each text talks God the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit in relation to each other. With scholars like Larry Hurtado and Richard Bauckham guiding the way, the study explores the connections and differences between the beliefs about God the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit in the Apostolic Fathers corpus.

This rich work connects the past with contemporary theological questions. Through careful research, Trinitarian Perspectives in the Apostolic Fathers reveals the interplay of history, faith, and divine understanding. This book is a helpful resource for theologians, historians, and anyone seeking a deeper understanding of early Christian beliefs.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Resource Publications
• Release date: Dec 21, 2023
• ISBN: 9798385201204

Mina Fouad Tawfike

Mina Fouad Tawfike is a lecturer at St Athanasius Provincial Seminary and a researcher at the Institute of Coptic Studies at Alexandria University. He has authored and contributed to several books.

Book preview

Chapter One

Introduction

In his 800 pages book Historical Theology: An Introduction to Christian Doctrine, Gregg R. Allison writes these words: The doctrine of the Trinity was hammered out very early in the church’s existence in response to a pronounced tension between belief in monotheism (there is only one God) and the New Testament’s teaching that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and fully God himself, which the church affirmed.¹

The early Christian church, following in the footsteps of Judaism, held a strong belief in monotheism. Though, Jesus Christ, who claimed to be the Son of God and therefore fully divine, taught that the Holy Spirit was also fully God. This belief in the Trinity is evident in the New Testament baptismal formula (Matt. 28:19) and the apostolic blessing (2 Cor. 13:14), where the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are placed in a coordinate relationship with one another. Despite this affirmation of the Godhead as three distinct persons, the doctrine of the Trinity is still grounded in monotheism.

Thus, in Trinitarian theology, which is fundamentally monotheistic, there is only one God, and this God is the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This is succinctly expressed in the Athanasian Creed, which states that: the Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God, and yet they are not three Gods, but one God.² This doctrine precludes the possibility of tri-theism, as the three persons of the Godhead are not independent entities. Here, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit together exist as one God, which is the ultimate source of being for all other things and cannot be divided.³

Within Early Christianity, there are two primary approaches to understanding the Trinity: the immanent or ontological Θεολογία approach and the economical Οικονομία approach. The immanent approach, which was adopted by later Greek Fathers, explores the Trinity as it exists for eternity in and of itself, without regard for creation.⁴ On the other hand, the economical approach, which is found in the New Testament, refers to the Trinity as it is revealed in history, with the Father, Son, and Spirit dynamically interacting in the processes of creation and redemption.⁵ While there have been centuries of debates, heresies, and councils regarding the ontological relationships between the three Persons, the relevance of Trinitarian theology to human life can only be understood through the economical approach presented in the New Testament. This approach transcends theoretical speculation and abstraction about the idea of God or God in Godself and provides a practical understanding of the Trinity in the context of human experience.

In our quest for a Trinitarian theology that is true to the earliest period of Christianity, we must begin with the presentation of the New Testament, which speaks of one God who is known and worshipped as the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. To embark upon this quest for a post-New Testament Trinitarian language would be to impose later conceptual categories upon the earliest Christian tradition. The Trinitarian languages of the second and third centuries, including Greek and Latin terms such as ousia (οὐσία), persona (πρόσωπον), prosopon (πρόσωπον), hypostasis (ὑπόστασις), and other terms were developed to address ontological questions regarding the relationships between the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. It is therefore necessary to remain grounded in the New Testament witness to gain an authentic understanding of Trinitarian theology in its earliest form.

During the New Testament and Apostolic Fathers era, the acknowledgment of God’s tri-unity was limited to the disclosure of God’s work in the economy of creation and redemption. The nature of God -independent of these activities- was not the subject of inquiry. But could the doctrine of a triune God be just mere inventions of the third and fourth centuries? Or is it rooted deeply in the beliefs of the early church from the very beginning?

The primary objective of this study is to address a series of inquiries. Firstly, can we discern indications and a shared understanding of the Trinity within the texts of the Apostolic Fathers? Secondly, do these texts exhibit a triadic shape of discourse about God? Thirdly, is there a parallel doctrinal norm regarding the Trinity in these texts? Essentially, the question at hand is whether a Trinitarian consciousness was present during the Apostolic Father’s era. If the answer is in the affirmative, then what was their method for comprehending the Trinity? What was their paradigm for representing the Trinity? Finally, how can we utilize their approach to construct our systematic theology?

Methods of Investigation

This work encountered several challenges that required careful consideration. The first challenge was the temptation to read the texts of the Apostolic Fathers anachronistically, interpreting them through the lens of later dogma formulated at Nicaea, Constantinople, and Chalcedonian councils. To avoid this, the texts were analyzed within their historical context. Rather than merely citing proof-texts, a deeper analysis was undertaken to understand their monotheistic theology and their understanding of the Father, Son, and Spirit.

The second challenge was the alleged discontinuity between the Apostolic Fathers and the later church doctrines formulated in the third and fourth centuries. Although, as this work will demonstrate, there is both continuity and discontinuity between the New Testament and the texts of the Apostolic Fathers. The Apostolic Fathers did not advance the Trinitarian issue beyond the level of discussion found in the New Testament.⁶ Additionally, there is continuity between the later Trinitarian formulations and the texts of the Apostolic Fathers, as they represent an articulation of both New Testament theology and Apostolic Fathers’ tradition.

Though, there is also a difference in both the language and approach, which became more philosophical and ontological in later formulations. This work will show that the texts of the Apostolic Fathers serve as the seeds for the later ecumenical Christian understanding and formulations of the data found in the New Testament and the Apostolic Fathers.

To explore the concept of the Trinity within the Apostolic Fathers’ corpus, it is essential to thoroughly examine the Christology and Pneumatology of each text and how they relate to God the Father. This requires us to establish our assumptions. We have adopted the emerging consensus. Recently, scholars have posited the existence of an emerging consensus in Christology that moves beyond the conventional dichotomy of low and high Christology, or adoptionism and incarnation. This emerging consensus acknowledges that Jesus was fully human and fully divine and was incorporated into the identity of the one God from his Jewish origins. This viewpoint is supported by evidence from early Christian worship, confession, scripture interpretation, and theological reflection, which attributed to Jesus’ titles, functions, and attributes reserved for God alone in Second Temple Judaism.

Advocates of this emerging consensus, including Larry Hurtado, Richard Bauckham, Crispin Fletcher-Louis, and others⁷ contend that the earliest Christians did not transgress or compromise their Jewish monotheism by worshipping Jesus as a divine figure but rather redefined their monotheism in response to Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection. They further assert that this high Christology was not a later development influenced by Hellenistic philosophy or mystery religions, but a spontaneous and original response to Jesus’ historical reality.

Our task is to determine whether there is continuity or discontinuity between the Christology of the New Testament and the apostolic texts. Additionally, we investigate whether the pneumatology of each text aligns with the historical orthodoxy of Christianity. Finally, we analyze whether these texts contain a Trinitarian theology or a triadic shape of worship.

Richard Bauckham’s Thesis

In his book Jesus and the God of Israel: God Crucified and Other Studies on the New Testament’s Christology of Divine Identity, Richard Bauckham argues that the early Christian practice of worshipping Jesus did not contradict Jewish monotheism, but instead included him within the singular identity of the God of Israel. Bauckham proposes that the New Testament authors employed a variety of means to express Jesus’ participation in the divine identity, such as attributing to him: titles, attributes, roles, and functions that were exclusive to God in Jewish Scripture. Furthermore, he posits that the early Christians did not gradually develop a high Christology, but rather recognized Jesus’ divine status from the outset of their faith. Bauckham substantiates his argument by analyzing several New Testament passages and other Jewish and Christian sources, demonstrating that they reflect a Christology of divine identity grounded in the Jewish monotheistic framework.

Larry Hurtado’s Thesis

Larry Hurtado’s book Lord Jesus Christ advances the thesis that the early Christian devotion to Jesus as Lord was an unprecedented and distinctive phenomenon that emerged in response to the historical Jesus and his resurrection. Hurtado posits that this devotion did not arise gradually from Jewish monotheism or pagan influences but was a novel expression of faith. He meticulously traces the evolution of this devotion from the earliest Christian sources to the second century, scrutinizing the various ways that Jesus was worshipped as Lord in confession, scripture, art, and liturgy. Moreover, Hurtado explores the theological implications and historical consequences of this devotion to the identity and mission of the Christian movement. Through this scholarly and comprehensive study, Hurtado presents a compelling analysis of the origins and development of Christology in early Christianity.

Clarifying Terms

1. The Apostolic Fathers’ Corpus

The designation ‘Apostolic Fathers’ has its roots in the seventeenth century, referring to a collection of works whose authors were believed, although some remain anonymous, to have been close to the Apostles and to possess a degree of apostolic authority.⁸ This corpus encompasses a wide range of literary genres, including letters, treatises, apocalyptic texts, church orders, and accounts of martyrdom. The diversity of this collection is noteworthy.

The writings, collectively known as the Apostolic Fathers, represent a significant historical transition in the early Christian church, bridging the period between the New Testament and the later patristic era. Kannengiesser argues that these authors, writing in the late first and early second centuries, serve as witnesses to the earliest stages of literary and doctrinal traditions rather than interpreters attempting to understand them.⁹ Despite representing diverse theological trends¹⁰, they share a common faith with the New Testament and Jesus. Their writings have thus become a focal point in scholarly discussions of Christian origins and have played an important role in shaping the theological reflections of the church due to their early date and witness to the traditional faith.

It is important to acknowledge that the collection of writings known as the Apostolic Fathers does not hold an authoritative status, as Bart Ehrman has emphasized, but rather, it serves as a useful tool in conjunction with other collections to provide insight into the nature of early Christianity, including its external appeal and internal workings, diverse perspectives, and an evolving sense of self-identity, social differentiation, theological perspectives, ethical standards, and liturgical customs.¹¹

It should be noted that we will be following the most widely accepted proposed dates of composition for the following Apostolic Fathers texts:¹²

•The Didache (Teaching of the Twelve Apostles): A manual on Christian ethics and church order, believed to have been written in Syria between 50–70 AD.

•The Epistle of Barnabas: A letter attributed to Barnabas, a companion of Paul, that provides an allegorical interpretation of the Old Testament and critiques Judaism. It was most likely written in Alexandria between 70–135 AD.

•The First Epistle of Clement: A letter written by Clement, a leader of the church in Rome, to the church in Corinth, calling for unity and order among its members. It was probably written around 95–96 AD.

•The Second Epistle of Clement: A sermon that is attributed to Clement, but most likely not written by him, which encourages Christians to live a righteous life and warns of the impending judgment. It was most likely written in Corinth or Rome between 100–150 AD.

•The Epistles of Ignatius: there are seven letters written