Note (84.) to "History of the 'Christian' Trinity - HIST"

84. “But [Tertullian’s] well-known question, ‘What has Athens to do with Jerusalem?’ expressed a rejection of [Pagan] philosophy that was not true of his own works, since he demonstrated how pagan intellectual achievements could be made to serve [?] Christianity.” - Eerdman’s Handbook to the History of Christianity, p. 111, 1977.

Even though Tertullian is often “credited” with being the first (c. 215 A. D.) to apply the term ‘trinity’ to the Christian God, he wrote (c. 210 A. D.):

“It is this philosophy which is the...rash interpreter of the divine nature and order. In fact, heresies are themselves prompted by philosophy. It [philosophy] is the source of ‘aeons,’ and I know not what infinite ‘forms’ and the ‘trinity of man’ in the [heretical] system of Valentinus [c.140 A. D.].” - pp. 5-6, Documents of the Early Church, Bettenson, Oxford University Press, 2nd ed., 1963.

Not only did Tertullian condemn the interpretation of the divine nature by philosophy, but he shows his familiarity (and contempt for) the use of the term ‘trinity’ (as applied to man) many years before he is ‘credited’ with first applying that philosophically derived term to God (and the divine nature)!

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Note (83.) to "History of the 'Christian' Trinity - HIST"

83. Cairns, p. 111.

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Note (82.) to "History of the 'Christian' Trinity - HIST"

82. Cairns, p. 111, 1977 ed., Christianity Through the Centuries.

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Note (81.) to "History of the 'Christian' Trinity - HIST"

81. New Standard Encyclopedia, v. IX, “Tertullian”.

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Note (80.) to "History of the 'Christian' Trinity - HIST"

80.  “In spite of the fact that he ended his days outside the Church, Tertullian continued to exercise strong influence on later Western theology. Jerome relates the anecdote that Cyprian called him simply ‘the master’ and used to study his writings every day. Many turns of phrase and terminology from the tract against Praxeas came to form a permanent part of the Western vocabulary for discussing the doctrine of the Trinity and of the person of Christ.” - p. 90, The Early Church, Prof. Henry Chadwick, 1986, Dorset Press, New York.

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Note (79.) to "History of the 'Christian' Trinity - HIST"

79. "The definition of the Christian faith as contained in the creeds of the ecumenical synods [councils] of the early church indicate that unbiblical categories of Neoplatonic philosophy were used in the formulation of the doctrine of the trinity." - Encyclopaedia Britannica (1976, Micropaedia) - See 1 Aug. 1984 WT.

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Note (78.) to "History of the 'Christian' Trinity - HIST"

78. "The philosophy of Plotinus [Neo-Platonism] was the last great effort of the Greek genius; it was succeeded by, and powerfully influenced, the more strictly theological writings of Christians [?]." - The Greek Philosophers, Warner, p. 230, Mentor Books, 1958.


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