The Religions Book

215

attempt to answer these tricky
questions, with the assertion
that Christians worship one God
in three persons.

What Jesus taught
As the Gospel writers recorded,
Jesus referred to God as his Father
throughout his ministry. The
implication of this teaching was
clear, Jesus was God’s Son and he
claimed the same divinity as God.
He also spoke about his close
relationship to the Spirit: “the
Holy Spirit, whom the Father will
send in my name, will teach you
all things and will remind you of
everything I have said to you” (John
14:26). Jesus again hinted at the
shared divinity of the three persons
of God in the Great Commission, a
statement in which he commanded
his followers to “make disciples of
all nations, baptizing them in the
name of the Father and of the Son

and of the Holy Spirit” (Matthew

28:19). In accordance with these

teachings, the early Christians

worshipped Jesus. After all, he had

made it possible for everyone who

believed to be part of God’s family

(a status previously only accorded

to the Jews), forgiving their past

rebellion against God and assuring

them that they would be included

when God brought peace and

justice to the world. Jesus had

said and done things that only God

could say and do: as he had implied

during his life, Jesus was God.

Similar but not the same

The doctrine of the Trinity emerged

in response to a series of other

answers that the early Christians ❯❯

See also: From monolatry to monotheism 176–77 ■ Jesus’s divine identity 208 ■ The unity of divinity
is necessary 280–81

CHRISTIANITY

The Trinity is portrayed as Son, Father,
and dove—inspired by Jesus’ baptism,
when the Holy Spirit “descended on him
like a dove”—in this 17th-century fresco.

The Nicene Creed

By the start of the 4th century CE,

Christianity had spread across

the Roman Empire. With such a

wide appeal, it was increasingly

difficult to establish a uniform

understanding of the faith. The

Emperor Constantine saw the

problems these differences were

causing, so he called a council of

Church bishops from all over his

empire to meet in Nicea in 325 CE.

He encouraged the bishops to

agree a statement of faith—in

particular, to define the nature

of the Trinity—that would be

acceptable to all Christians.

This creed would be recited in

churches and would help steer

Christians away from heretical

beliefs, especially those of the

Arians (see p.216). In 381 CE,

Emperor Theodosius called

another council, this time in

Constantinople. The 325 CE creed

was clarified and expanded,

resulting in the Nicene Creed,

which is still recited today in

churches all over the world.

We believe in one God,

the Father almighty...and

in one Lord Jesus Christ,

the only begotten Son of

God...and in the Holy Spirit,

the Lord and lifegiver...

Nicene Creed