Providentissimus Deus: The Blessed Trinity

Monday, July 14, 2008

The Blessed Trinity

Obscurely Implied in the Old Testament

Genesis 1:26
And he said: Let us make man to our image and likeness.

Genesis 3:22
And he said: Behold Adam is become as one of us, knowing good and evil: now, therefore, lest perhaps he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever.

Genesis 11:5-7
And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of Adam were building. And he said: Behold, it is one people, and all have one tongue: and they have begun to do this, neither will they leave off from their designs, till they accomplish them in deed. Come ye, therefore, let us go down, and there confound their tongue, that they may not understand one another's speech.

Less Obscurely as the Two Divine Persons

Psalm 2:7
The Lord hath said to me: Thou art my son, this day have I begotten thee.

Psalm 109:1-3
The Lord said to my Lord: Sit thou at my right hand: Until I make thy enemies thy footstool. The Lord will send forth the sceptre of thy power out of Sion: rule thou in the midst of thy enemies. With thee is the principality in the day of thy strength: in the brightness of the saints: from the womb before the day star I begot thee.

Clearly Revealed in the New Testament

Matthew 3:16-17
And Jesus being baptized, forthwith came out of the water: and lo, the heavens were opened to him: and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove, and coming upon him. And behold a voice from heaven, saying: This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

Matthew 28:19
Going therefore, teach ye all nations; baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.

Luke 1:30-35
And the angel said to her: Fear not, Mary, for thou hast found grace with God. Behold thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and shalt bring forth a son; and thou shalt call his name Jesus. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the most High; and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of David his father; and he shall reign in the house of Jacob for ever. And of his kingdom there shall be no end. And Mary said to the angel: How shall this be done, because I know not man? And the angel answering, said to her: The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the most High shall overshadow thee. And therefore also the Holy which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.

John 14:16
And I will ask the Father, and he shall give you another Paraclete, that he may abide with you for ever.

John 14:26
But the Paraclete, the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things, and bring all things to your mind, whatsoever I shall have said to you.

Acts 2:32-33
This Jesus hath God raised again, whereof all we are witnesses. Being exalted therefore by the right hand of God, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath poured forth this which you see and hear.

2 Corinthians 1:21-22
Now he that confirmeth us with you in Christ, and that hath anointed us, is God: Who also hath sealed us, and given the pledge of the Spirit in our hearts.

2 Corinthians 13:13
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the charity of God, and the communication of the Holy Ghost be with you all. Amen.

Ephesians 2:18
For by him we have access both in one Spirit to the Father.

Ephesians 3:14, 16
For this cause I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ . . . That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened by his Spirit with might unto the inward man.

1 Peter 1:1-2
Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the strangers dispersed through Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, elect, according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, unto the sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you and peace be multiplied.

1 John 5:7
And there are three who give testimony in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost. And these three are one.

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About this Blog...

Pope Benedict XV

“Holy Scripture is invested with supreme authority by reason of its sure and momentous teachings regarding the faith. Whatever, then, it tells us of Enoch, Elias and Moses -- that we believe. We do not, for instance, believe that God's Son was born of the Virgin Mary simply because He could not otherwise have appeared in the flesh and 'walked amongst men' -- as Faustus would have it -- but we believe it simply because it is written in Scripture; and unless we believe in Scripture we can neither be Christians nor be saved.” –Spiritus Paraclitus, 15 September 1920

Pope Pius XII

“Inspired by the Divine Spirit, the Sacred Writers composed those books, which God, in His paternal charity towards the human race, deigned to bestow on them in order "to teach, to reprove, to correct, to instruct in justice: that the man of God may be perfect, furnished to every good work."[2 Tim. 3:16-17.] This heaven-sent treasure Holy Church considers as the most precious source of doctrine on faith and morals. No wonder herefore that, as she received it intact from the hands of the Apostles, so she kept it with all care, defended it from every false and perverse interpretation and used it diligently as an instrument for securing the eternal salvation of souls, as almost countless documents in every age strikingly bear witness.” -Divino Afflante Spiritu, 30 September 1943

A Textual Concordance of Holy Scripture

Alphabetical; topic-by-topic selection of passages from the Bible; originally compiled to help priests prepare sermons. Over 1;900 topics and 18;000 actual Bible verses! Unlike other concordances; this one quotes the actual passages in full. Unparalleled introduction to Bible reading. A quick way to learn just what the Bible says on a host of topics. Truly a one volume Bible study course and a great aid to unlocking the true Catholic meaning of Scripture. Great for reference. Impr. 848 pgs.

Quotes

"[It has been decided] that nothing except the canonical scriptures should be read in the Church under the name of the divine scriptures. But the canonical scriptures are: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, Ruth, four books of Kings, Paralipomenon, two books, Job, the Psalter of David, five books of Solomon, twelve books of the prophets, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel, Ezekiel, Tobit, Judith, Esther, two books of Esdras, two books of the Maccabees . Of the New Testament: four books of the Gospels, one book of the Acts of the Apostles, thirteen Epistles of the Apostle Paul, one epistle of the same [writer] to the Hebrews, two Epistles of the Apostle Peter, three of John, one of James, one of Jude, one book of the Apocalypse of John. Let this be made known also to our brother and fellow-priest Boniface, or to other bishops of those parts, for the purpose of confirming that Canon. because we have received from our fathers that those books must be read in the Church. Let it also be allowed that the Passions of Martyrs be read when their festivals are kept. "
-Third Council of Carthage, Canon 47, 397 A.D.

“It is manifest that those things are not to be inquired into, which Scripture has passed over into silence. For the Holy Spirit has dispensed and administered to us all things which conduce to our profit.”
-Anastasius of Antioch, Anagog. Contemp. in Hexem. lib 8 init.

"...from the tokens of truth are more exact as drawn from Scripture,than from other sources..."
-Saint Athanasius, Father and Doctor of the Church, De Decretis, 31

“The Holy and Inspired Scriptures are sufficient of themselves for the preaching of the truth.”
-Saint Athanasius, Father and Doctor of the Church, Contra Gentiles, 1:1

"These [canonical] books are the fountains of salvation, so that he who thirsts may be satisfied with the oracles contained in them: in these alone the school of piety preaches the Gospel; let no man add to or take away from them."
-Saint Athanasius, Father and Doctor of the Church, Festal Letters 39

"For they [the Scriptures] were spoken and written by God."
-Saint Athanasius, Father and Doctor of the Church, De Incarnatione 56

"...the Scriptures...will learn from them more completely and clearly the exact detail of what we said"
-Saint Athanasius, Father and Doctor of the Church, De Incarnatione 56

"Scripture is of all things most sufficient for us."
-Saint Athanasius, Father and Doctor of the Church, Ad Epis Aeg 4

"Divine Scripture is sufficient above all things."
-Saint Athanasius, Father and Doctor of the Church, De Synodis 6

'The Scriptures are enough for instruction."
-Anthony of Egypt, Vita S. Antoni 16

“What more shall I teach you than what we read in the Apostle? For Holy Scripture fixes the rule for our doctrine, lest we dare to be wiser than we ought.”
- Saint Augustine, Father and Doctor of the Church, De Bono Viduitatis 2

“Let us therefore give in ... to the authority of the Holy Scriptures.”
- Saint Augustine, Father and Doctor of the Church, De Peccatorum 33

“Let us search for the church in the sacred Scriptures”
-Saint Augustine, Father and Doctor of the Church, Epis 105

“He will find there in much greater abundance things that are to be found nowhere else, but can be learnt only in the wonderful sublimity and wonderful simplicity of the Scriptures.”
-Saint Augustine, Father and Doctor of the Church, De Doctr. Christ. 2,42,63

“It believes also the Holy Scriptures, old and new, which we call canonical, and which are the source of the faith by which the just lives...”
-Saint Augustine, Father and Doctor of the Church, De Civ. Dei 19,18

'The hearers taught in the Scriptures ought to test what is said by teachers and accept that which agrees with the Scriptures but reject what is foreign.”
-Saint Basil the Great, Father and Doctor of the Church, Moralia 72:1

“Therefore let God-inspired Scripture decide between us; and on whichever side be found doctrines in harmony with the word of God, in favor of that side will be cast the vote of truth.”
-Saint Basil the Great, Father and Doctor of the Church, Ep. Ad Eustathius

“How can we prove and certify as true something which Sacred Scripture does not attest?”
-Saint Cyril of Alexandria, Father and Doctor of the Church, Glaphyra on Genesis, PG 69,53c

“In regard to the divine and holy mysteries of the faith, not the least part may be handed on without the Holy Scriptures. Do not be led astray by winning words and clever arguments. Even to me, who tell you these things, do not give ready belief, unless you receive from the Holy Scriptures the proof of the things which I announce. The salvation in which we believe is not proved from clever reasoning, but from the Holy Scriptures.”
-Saint Cyril of Jerusalem, Father and Doctor of the Church, Catechetical Lectures 4,17.

“Nothing must be taught without the Sacred Scriptures.”
-Saint Cyril of Jerusalem, Father and Doctor of the Church, PG 33,476-7

'Therefore I beg you all that you give up what appeals to this one or that one and that you address all these questions concerning these things to the Scriptures.'
-Saint John Chrysostom, Father and Doctor of the Church, Homily 13 on 2 Corinthians

“If anything is said without Scripture, the thinking of the hearers limps. But where the testimony proceeds from the divinely given Scripture, it confirms both the speech of the preacher and the soul of the hearer.”
-Saint John Chrysostom, Father and Doctor of the Church, Commenting on Psalm 95

“But when Scripture wants to teach us something like that, it interprets itself and does not permit the hearer to err. I therefore beg and entreat that we close our ears to all these things and follow the canon of the Holy Scripture exactly.”
-Saint John Chrysostom, Father and Doctor of the Church, Homily 13 on Genesis

“As a trusty door, Scripture shuts out heretics, securing us from error...”
-Saint John Chrysostom, Father and Doctor of the Church, Joann. 58

“Everything in the divine Scriptures is clear and straightforward; they inform us about all that is necessary.”
-Saint John Chrysostom, Father and Doctor of the Church, Epis 2 ad Thess 3,4

“Being most properly assured that the Scriptures are indeed perfect, since they were spoken by the Word of God.”
-Saint Irenaeus, Father of the Church, Against Heresies 2,28,2

“The apostles at that time first preached the Gospel but later by the will of God, they delivered it to us in the Scriptures, that it might be the foundation and pillar of our faith.”
-Saint Irenaeus, Father of the Church, Against Heresies 3,1

“Since, therefore, the tradition from the apostles does thus exist in the Church, and is permanent among us, let us revert to the Scriptural proof furnished by those apostles who did also write the Gospel, in which they recorded the doctrine regarding God, pointing out that our Lord Jesus Christ is the truth, and that no lie is in Him.”
-Saint Irenaeus, Father of the Church, AH 3,5,1

“Ignorance of Scripture is Ignorance of Christ.”
-Saint Jerome, Father and Doctor of the Church, In Is. Prologue

“It is necessary to take the Holy Scriptures as witnesses; for our comments and statements without these witnesses are not trustworthy.”
-Origen, In Jerem 1,7

“For he knows that Scripture, as a whole, is God's one perfect and complete instrument, giving forth, to those who wish to learn its one
saving music...”
-Origen, In Matt. tom 2

“It is right that His conduct be investigated according to the rule of Scripture.”
-Tertullian, Ad Marcion 3,17

"I would give up my life a thousand times, not only for each of the truths of Sacred Scripture, but even more for the least of the ceremonies of the Catholic Church."
-Saint Teresa of Avila, Doctor of the Church, Life - Thirty-three, 3.

"Saint Paul tells us, "The letter kills, but the spirit gives life" [2 Cor 3:6]. A man has been killed by the letter of the Sacred Scripture when he wants to quote it only so that people will think him to be very learned, . . . when he has no desire to follow the spirit of Sacred Scripture, but wants to know what it says only so he can explain it to others."
-Saint Francis of Assisi