Orthodox icon | Holy Trinity | New Testament | Bronze | 24633

Orthodox icon | Holy Trinity | New Testament | Bronze | 24633 with multicoloured enamel. Top part of a wing of a Tetraptch.

In Christian theology, the term “trinity” originates from the ancient Greek word “trias,” meaning “a group of three.” It refers to God’s essential unity in three distinct persons or hypostases, not substances. We refer to these as “Father,” “Son,” and “Holy Spirit.” This nomenclature highlights their uniqueness and unbreakable unity simultaneously.

The “New Testament Trinity” distinctly portrays the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Despite its more widespread recognition in the West, it originates from Greek tradition.

The New Testament Trinity likely first appeared in the Cretan school, influenced by the West. It draws inspiration from Psalm 110, where the Lord instructs, “Sit thou at my right hand…”

Council of Chalcedon

In 451, the Council of Chalcedon shaped the Christian faith based on Holy Scriptures into “symbola” or faith formulas, found in the creed. The 1st Council of Nicaea, held in 325, preceded this, establishing the Son’s similarity in nature to the Father. Following this, the Council of Constantinople (381) affirmed the Holy Spirit’s divinity.

Though the Holy Scriptures lack a specific doctrine of the Trinity, they feature numerous critical triadic formulas. One of the most notable is Christ’s command to his disciples post-resurrection: “… baptize them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit ” (Matt 28, 19).

This Trinity icon aligns with the New Testament and bases itself on the Gospel of Luke (22, 69), “…the Son of Man will be seated at the right side of God All-Powerful…” and the Gospel of Mark (16, 19), “…he was taken up into heaven and he sat at the right hand of God.”

Surrounding the cherubim are an archangel and the symbols of the 4 evangelists: the winged man for Matthew, the lion for Mark, the bull for Luke, and the eagle for John.

Source: Orthodox icon | Holy Trinity | New Testament | Bronze | 24633 © Ikonen Mautner. Typing errors, other errors or changes reserved. For more information: “Das Synaxarion. Die Leben der Heiligen der Orthodoxen Kirche.” (http://www.prodromos-verlag.de/buecher.html) and Joachim Schäfer: Das Ökumenische Heiligenlexikon – https://www.heiligenlexikon.de