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How old is the doctrine of the Trinity?
About the doctrine of the Trinity: this finds abundant attestation in
the most ancient Church Fathers. A superb resource is Jurgens' Faith of
the Early Fathers (three vols., about $45 from Eighth Day Books), which
contains 1046 theological assertions with citations to passages from the
Fathers, excerpted in the three volumes, that make this assertion. Thus
for the doctrine "That God is triune is clear in the Tradition of the
Church even in the pre-Nicene era," Jurgens offers no fewer than 39
passages, drawn from Clement of Rome, Ignatius of Antioch, "The Martyrdom
of Polycarp," Dionysius Bishop of Corinth, Aristides of Athens, Justin
Martyr, Athenagoras of Athens, Theophiilus of Antioch, that wonderful
writer Irenaeus of Lyons, Tertullian, Hippolytus of Rome, Clement of
Alexandira, Origen, Cornelius of Rome, Cyprian of Carthage, "Pope"
Dionysius, Gregory Thaumaturgus, Aphraates the Persian Sage, and
Athanasius.
Incidentally, one fascinating thing about this set is how the chief
orthodox doctrines of God, etc., find abundant early attestation, while
matters such as the bodily assumption of the Lord's mother into heaven is
first attested in Gregory of Tours (about AD 590).
Overview on the doctrine of the Trinity
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