Can you comprehend or just apprehend the Holy Trinity?

Answer 1

A:I have no difficulty in understanding the concept of the Holy Trinity, whether defined by 'apprehend' (understand or perceive) or 'comprehend' (grasp mentally). In fact, the syncretic religion of ancient Egypt is far harder to really understand and appreciate, as is the Hindu godhead of three gods in one, with many avatars. However, when faced with doubt or scepticism, the Church's response has been to describe the Holy Trinity as a mystery. This then means that if you think you comprehend the Blessed Trinity, you do not, while if you think you do not understand the Holy Trinity it is because it is a mystery beyond human understanding. And if you are sceptical about the concept, the idea of mystery means you are trying to understand what can not be understood.

However, the real mystery is that it took so long for Christianity even to decide that there is a Holy Trinity, but perhaps this is because there was no scriptural support for the Trinity. The earliest known proponent of the Holy Trinity was Tertullian, a Latin theologian who wrote in the early third century. The new concept gradually gained adherents throughout the third century but also faced opposition, particularly from Arius, a popular Libyan priest at the beginning of the fourth century. The Trinity was adopted as Christian doctrine at the Council of Nicaea in 325, but the Church remained divided until Emperor Theodosius made belief in the Trinity a requirement for all Christians, around 380 CE. The history of the Holy Spirit shows it to be a creation of men, and a creation of men can never be beyond comprehension.

The Blessed Trinity is supposedly supported by the 'Johannine Comma', 1 John 5:7-8 ("For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one."), but that passage was never in the early Greek manuscripts. It appeared in the Latin translation of the fifth century, after the Trinity doctrine had been accepted by the Council of Nicaea.