I am teaching a class on the Trinity in the Bible and I wanted to ask you all for some suggestions. The class has 5 men and 4 women. Any suggestions?
This can get controversial and get you in trouble, if this class is expected to conform to a certain denomination's teachings.
https://www.logos.com/product/153963/resurrecting-the-trinity-a-plea-to-recover-the-wonder-and-meaning-of-the-triune-god
Yes it can. The class paper instructions are
Write a 30-40 page paper of the doctrine of the Trinity. The Bible supports the elements of Trinitarian doctrine without ever explicitly stating such a doctrine. Why do you think Jesus never explicitly talked about the Trinity? The doctrine of the Trinity, however, evolved through conflicts between Christian leaders and thinkers, on the one hand, and heretics on the other hand. The main group of heretics who denied the Trinity were the fourth century Arians. Another group were the Sabellians/Modalists. Study the Trinity from a interpersonal, theological and analytical point of view. The paper does not discuss the history of the Trinity. Be sure to use 30 sources in the paper.
Write a 30-40 page paper of the doctrine of the Trinity.
The Bible supports the elements of Trinitarian doctrine without ever explicitly stating such a doctrine. Why do you think Jesus never explicitly talked about the Trinity? The doctrine of the Trinity, however, evolved through conflicts between Christian leaders and thinkers, on the one hand, and heretics on the other hand. The main group of heretics who denied the Trinity were the fourth century Arians. Another group were the Sabellians/Modalists. Study the Trinity from a interpersonal, theological and analytical point of view. The paper does not discuss the history of the Trinity. Be sure to use 30 sources in the paper.
Daniel, I read this book as a class textbook already sorry. This was the main textbook.
Please, keep your thread on the trinity in one place. You already posted like 4 posts on the same subject. It helps keep the forums from getting flooded with repetitive topics that can be mentioned in one thread only; especially when you’re the OP 👌 For example you could say: I have some requests on the subject of the Trinity: 1, 2, 3, 4, etc. Or I have some requests on the Gospel of John: 1, 2, 3, 4, etc. That way it’s only 2 post by Christian Alexander on the Trinity and Gospel of John and not 8 posts! Does that make sense? Sorry, not trying to be mean or rude, I’m just trying to give you a friendly tip to help you organize your posts better. Sometimes the entire first page of the forums is flooded with your posts and in many of them you’re essentially asking the same question or discussing the same topic.
Thanks!
DAL
I understand sorry. I will be more careful next go.
No need to be sorry! If anything, it’s very commendable that you’re studying a lot on different subjects of the Bible. Not many people take the time to do that 👍😁👌
Keep on studying!
This book and the wording of the paper assignment lead me to assume that you are expected to parrot back the conclusion of the book and only use resources for your class that support that book. Maybe you might have more permission in the paper not to parrot the book, than you do for the class?
I would not want to teach a class on this topic after reading the intro to that book and the paper assignment. I'd get in more trouble than when I quoted the lyrics of a Christian rock song in the conclusion of one of my papers. The lyrics were the conclusion, not the proof, and the lyrics summed up what I wanted to say as my final statement.
My mom was totally confused why I got in trouble. LOL. She thought it was perfect. It was perfect. That is why I used it. I'm perfectly happy with my low grade on a great paper. It is not my first. It was worth it. But teaching a class is not a paper. The audience is not a professor.
Good luck! I have said this to you before, "I am glad that I am not you!"
For your paper, and not the class, if you are supposed to include resources that you don't agree with, Dakes study Bible and his book God's Plan for Man, might serve as "heresy" to that professor.
The Bible in shipped on the 10th. I am not sure when the price goes up, but it is $16.99 today.
https://www.logos.com/product/198934/dakes-annotated-reference-bible
God's Plan for Man is $9.99
https://www.logos.com/product/214915/gods-plan-for-man
You might start with this video to establish the complexity of the subject:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQLfgaUoQCw
Be sure to use 30 sources in the paper.
Might be space for this one, then.
The main group of heretics who denied the Trinity were the fourth century Arians. Another group were the Sabellians/Modalists. Study the Trinity from a interpersonal, theological and analytical point of view.
There is some interesting information on modalism:
"One may hold, with orthodox theologians from Basil of Caesarea to Herman Bavinck, either that the divine persons are modes of the divine being or that they differ only in their modes of being, without committing oneself to the heresy of modalism. In order to avoid modalism, rather, one need merely affirm that the distinctions between the divine persons are (1) eternal, (2) unchangeable, and (3) real, and in particular, intrinsic to the divine being and not dependent for their existence on the activity of nondivine minds."
Jowers, D. W. (2018). Modalism. In H. W. House (Ed.), The Evangelical Dictionary of World Religions (p. 327). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books: A Division of Baker Publishing Group.
Is amazing that the word intrinsic is used above. Ireneaus suggested an analogy: Jesus and the Holy Spirit are like the arms / hands of God, that God uses to bring believers close to His heart. (very rough paraphrase).
Note that if such view has any validity, arms / hands are intrinsic members of One Being, and not different persons (in the modern sense term), they come across as persons to us, but in actuality they seem to be more like Hypostasis (Divine Substantive Realities).
So the old definition of trinity makes perfect sense in such light: Love relation between (Divine Substantive Realities), and to me it seems that there is more support for such construct in the Bible.
