robto

Any suggestions for good books on the early development of the concept of the Trinity in Christianity?

spin

While we are here, can anyone say when Jn 1:1 kai Qeos hn o logos, "and the word was divine", started being read to mean kai o Qeos hn o logos, "and the word was (the) god"?


spin

Roger Pearse

Tertullian, Adversus Praxean, chapters 1-5.

All the best,

Roger Pearse

douglas

You might try Karen Armstrong's History of God (or via: amazon.co.uk). There's a chapter on the trinity that does a decent job, IMHO, of attempting to explain the concept.

hatsoff

I think you have it backwards. The passage seems to have always been read "the Word was God," with "divine" being a later development.

gstafleu

Doesn't "kai Qeos hn o logos" mean "and God was the word"? That is logically equivalent to "and the word was God."

spin

God, the noun, in Greek is preceded with an article. Just look at the Greek

en arxh hn o logos kai o logos hn pros ton Qeon kai Qeos hn o logos
In the beginning was the word and the word was with god and the word was divine.

Note the highlighted article in the previous clause?

----
ETA: while the rest of the NT tends to put an article before Qeos, the first verse, Jn 1:1b, is the only place in the logos hymn where we find the article with Qeos.


spin

Malachi151

http://www.jesusneverexisted.com/arianism.html

http://www.jesusneverexisted.com/out-of-egypt.html

http://www.jesusneverexisted.com/relics.html

gstafleu

I see. So theos can be an adjective as well? I went to the perseus project, and two dictionaries, LSJ and Middle Lidell, do indeed give theos as an adjective, as follows (Lidell):

III. as adj. in comp. theôteros, more divine

I didn't quite understand if it only occurs as adjective in the comparative though.

Gerard

andrewcriddle

Hanson's The Search for the Christian Doctrine of God (or via: amazon.co.uk) might be relevant.

However
a/ it is 900 pages long
b/ It is about the Arian disputes in the 4th century and not really about the period before 300 CE.

Andrew Criddle