Father, Son, and Spirit are not distinct eternal persons
E26587
Father, Son, and Spirit are not distinct eternal persons is the core claim of the theological doctrine known as Modalism, which teaches that the one God reveals Himself in different modes or aspects rather than as three coequal, coeternal persons.
Aliases (2)
Statements (29)
| Predicate | Object |
|---|---|
| instanceOf |
Christian theological doctrine
→
doctrinal proposition → theological claim → |
| affirms |
God reveals Himself in different aspects
→
one God who appears in different modes → |
| associatedWith |
Modalism
→
|
| classifiedAs |
non‑Trinitarian doctrine
→
|
| consideredHeresyBy |
Eastern Orthodox Church
→
Roman Catholic Church → mainstream Christian orthodoxy → most Protestant denominations → |
| contradicts |
doctrine of three coequal, coeternal persons in one God
→
|
| contrastsWith |
Nicene Trinitarianism
→
|
| coreOf |
Modalism
→
|
| critiquedFor |
failing to account for simultaneous references among Father, Son, and Spirit in Scripture
→
undermining interpersonal relations within the Trinity → |
| denies |
Trinitarian distinction of persons
→
three distinct eternal divine persons → |
| historicallyAssociatedWith |
Oneness theology
→
Sabellianism → |
| implies |
Father, Son, and Spirit are modes of one divine person
→
temporal manifestations rather than eternal distinctions in God → |
| interpretsAs |
Father, Son, and Spirit as different roles of one God
→
|
| languageUsedIn |
Oneness Pentecostalism
→
|
| opposedBy |
Trinitarian theologians
→
|
| presupposes |
strict numerical monotheism in God’s person
→
|
| rejectedAt |
Council of Constantinople
→
Council of Nicaea → |
| topicOf |
debates on the nature of the Trinity
→
|
Referenced by (3)
| Subject (surface form when different) | Predicate |
|---|---|
|
Father, Son, and Spirit are not distinct eternal persons
("Father, Son, and Spirit are modes of one divine person")
→
|
implies |
|
Sabellius
("saw Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as modes of one divine person")
→
|
viewOnFatherSonSpirit |
|
Modalism
→
|
viewOnPersonsOfTrinity |