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CONGRUITIES AND INCONGRUITIES BETWEEN THE BIBLE AND THE QUR'AN |
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In Christianity, the concept of Trinity was adopted in the fourth century after Christ. The subject is studied under two headings: Trinity according to synoptic gospels, Trinity according to Paul and according to the Gospel according to St. John.
« And Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: And the scribe said unto him, Well, Master, thou hast said the truth: for there is one God; and there is none other but he:» ( Mark 12/29,32)
« Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.» (Matthew 4/10)
« And Jesus answered and said unto him, Get thee behind me Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God and him only shalt thou serve. »(Luke 4/8)
One can see that in the above quotations there is no allusion to Trinity. The same concept of unicity is stressed like in the Old Testament and in the Psalms. « Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.» (Matthew 22/37)
The following phrase is shown as an evidence of the Trinity concept: « Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: »(Matthew 28/19)
This passage was added towards the end of the fourth century to the Gospel of Matthew. Scholars have brought forth two evidences regarding this addition whose objective may have been the reconciliation of the Trinity concept. To begin with such a concept is not mentioned in the letters of Paul, nor was it mentioned by the Apostles since at the time, the baptism was carried out not in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, but in the name of Messiah. This fact was explicit in the gospels and in the letters of Paul.
TRINITY IN PAUL AND IN THE GOSPEL OF ST JOHN
« The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen. »(2 Corinthians 13/14)
« There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism,One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.» (Ephesians 4/4,6)
« And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.» (John 14/16,17)
Both in the letters of Paul and in the Gospel of St. John there were allusions to the divinity of Jesus. But there was no explicit account regarding the concept of Trinity.
The official acceptance of Trinity occurred in 381 during the meeting of the Council of Constantinople. According to the concept of Trinity, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit forms a whole sharing the same substance but having different entities. The Father is the Creator of the universe who rules over it. The Son is made of the same essence, of the same substance as the father; he is His Son and the Word. In addition to his divine character he has manifested in human form. The Holy Spirit is, like the Son, is of the same substance as God; he warns, teaches and strengthens the human being. The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are One God having three different identities. In other words, all the three of them are but one God. Eliade had the following to say: But at the beginning of the fourth century, Arius, amn Alexandrian priest denies the consubstantiality of the three divine persons. For him God is alone and uncreated; the Son and the Holy Spirit were c reated later by the Father, and so are inferior to him...Arius' interpret ation had some success, even among the bishops, but at the Council of Nicaea in 325 the creed rejecting Arianism was adopted. However, Arius' theology still had comparatively powerful defenders, and the controversy continued for more than half a century. (Ibid. P.409) »
TRINITY IN THE QUR'AN