Nontrinitarianism

Nontrinitarianism refers to various Christian belief systems that reject the doctrine of the Trinity. The Trinity is the mainstream belief that God exists as three distinct hypostases, or persons. These persons are the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. They are viewed as coeternal, coequal, and indivisibly united in one essence.

Nontrinitarianism is not a single unified belief. Instead, it is a broad category for groups with many different views. These views vary regarding the nature of God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. Because of these differences, some mainstream Christians do not classify nontrinitarian groups as part of Christianity.

Historically, these debates shaped the development of Christian doctrine. In the 4th century, several ecumenical councils were held to define official beliefs. The First Council of Nicaea took place in 325 AD. This council declared the full divinity of the Son. Later, the First Council of Constantinople met in 381 AD. This meeting declared the divinity of the Holy Spirit.

Before these councils, many different philosophies existed. These included ideas like monarchianism and adoptionism. These early thinkers struggled to define the relationship between the divine and the created world.

One major way nontrinitarians view Jesus is through subordination. This means they believe Jesus is not equal to God the Father. Adoptionism, which emerged in the 2nd century AD, is one such view. It suggests Jesus became divine at his baptism or his resurrection. Arianism is another significant historical view. Arius, who lived around 250 to 336 AD, taught that the Son was created by the Father. He believed the Son was the very first of all God's creations.

Arianism was quite influential in the Roman Empire. It was the dominant view for groups like the Visigoths until 589 AD. The Third Council of Sirmium in 357 AD marked a high point for Arianism.

Other groups focus on how God manifests in the world. Modalism is a belief that God is one person acting in different modes. Sabellius, active around 215 AD, taught that God takes different forms. In this view, the Father, Son, and Spirit are roles played by one person. The Father is seen in creation. The Son is seen in redemption. The Holy Spirit is seen in regeneration.

Some trinitarian critics called this "Patripassianism." This term was coined by Tertullian. It suggested the idea implied that the Father suffered on the cross.

Some nontrinitarian views suggest there are multiple distinct deities. This is known as tri-theism. In the 6th century, John Philoponus argued for three separate natures and deities. He used Aristotelian categories to justify this view. Later, in the Middle Ages, Roscellin of Compiegne proposed a similar idea. He argued for three distinct almighty Gods. He believed they were one in mind and purpose. They acted together as one divine group or godhead. This notion of "three Gods in one Godhead" was eventually condemned by St. Anselm.

There are also views that reduce the number of persons in the Godhead. Binitarianism is the belief that there are only two co-equal persons: the Father and the Word. In this system, the Holy Spirit is not a distinct person. Instead, the Spirit is seen as a divine power or influence. Other groups, like the Ebionites from the 1st to 4th centuries, practiced Psilanthropism. They viewed Jesus as the Jewish Messiah and a great prophet, but not as a divine being. Socinianism also taught that Jesus was a perfect human son of God without a pre-human existence.

Nontrinitarianism has seen several periods of renewal throughout history. The Cathars held these views between the 11th and 13th centuries. The Unitarian movement grew during the Protestant Reformation. There was another period of interest during the 18th-century Age of Enlightenment. Some groups also emerged during the 19th-century Second Great Awakening. Today, nontrinitarian denominations remain a small minority of Christians. The largest groups include the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and Jehovah's Witnesses. Other groups include the Christadelphians, Christian Scientists, and the Dawn Bible Students. These diverse groups continue to represent a long history of theological inquiry.