Trying to find the right words and theology to describe the relationship of the Father and the Son was one of the most difficult and most important theological issues of the Early Church. Was the Son the same as the Father or different? Was the Son equal to or lesser than the Father? Could one present a theology that described what the Christian Church believed about Jesus and also remained faithful to the Tradition and Scripture?

In this episode, we look at several different ways that influential figures in the Early Church presented their views of this relationship: Adoptionism, Modalism, Logos Christology and the Trinitarian theology of Tertullian to see how different theologians wrestled with these problems and how they will influence the Church’s understanding of God.

Links:

Image: the earliest known depiction of the Trinity from the Dogmatic Sarcophagus 350 AD

Handy brief guides to the heresies we have been discussing and will be discussing in the future can be found here and here.

Examples from the Early Church Fathers describing Jesus as God

Justin Martyr’s First Apology that presents his theology of the Son. Note especially sections 6, 12, 13, 46

A good article on Tertullian’s Trinitarian theology – Against Praxaes – How Far Did Tertullian Advance The Doctrine Of The Trinity?

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#306 – A History of the Catholic Church – Jesus Christ, Our God