“Jesus approached the disciples and said to them,” “Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit,”
Today’s Feast of the Trinity is not well proven from the Gospel. Today’s Gospel contributes to a lack of proof, as the stand-alone statement is considered by scholars to be a much later addition. Also, the added statement says nothing about a belief in three distinct persons believed to be one Godhead, which is the doctrine of the Trinity. The formulation of the doctrine on the Trinity, happened as all doctrines did, much later, when rulers started institutionalizing Jesus’ People’s Movement. The institutionalizing was done mostly by men, for example Paul, perhaps his cohort, who started to formulate a ruling priestly class. As was done throughout history, these men began to seek, even demand, obedience to their priestly rule, which they had invented for themselves given that Jesus was not a priest. Obedience is greatly helped by statements of beliefs. Thus, it was not the people who started formulating beliefs. The people were living Jesus’ relationship model of communion, sharing his love, and acting as healers like him. It was not the people who formed the beliefs into doctrines for a creedal system. It was the rulers who did so. A noteworthy example is baptismal candidates being required by 2nd century priests to recite their formulation of the Apostle’s Creed; “Do you believe… in God… and in Jesus… born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried…” Please note the creed jumps right over Jesus’ life witness, it is missing. As Jesus’ life witness is missing in a priest ruled institutional christianity. The Apostle’s creed was considered lacking in doctrinal specifics. Additional rulers thus formulated the Nicene Creed. That creeds are formulated by rulers for their rule, is evident in the fact that the primary ruler formulating the Nicene Creed was Emperor Constantine. It was Constantine who convened the Council at Nicaea and called the bishops to it. Hierarchs, intent on formulating institutional christianity’s creeds were intent on preserving monotheism, the singular War Lord deity of organized religion. As there is one emperor, one pope, one president, so there is one God. Advocates for creeds include the late Professor Jaroslav Pelikan who authored 30 books reflecting his expertise in creeds. Pelikan asserts that in difficult times it is necessary to believe in something, “something specific. Specification is the task of the creed.” Given Jesus’ life witness was free of creeds, might we consider creeds as problematic? For example, scholarship on the creeds does not clearly link them to the ruling class who composed them. So it is that rulers composing creeds about Jesus that jump over his life witness, betray that life witness. Creedal doctrines, such as the Trinity, did not stop the rulers from oppressing people in Jesus’ name who were trying to follow Jesus’ lived witness of Communion. Nor did it stop them from inflicting suffering on people in Jesus’ name who were trying to follow Jesus’ lived witness of love. Nor did it stop rulers from doing violence to people in Jesus’ name who were trying to follow Jesus’ lived witness of acting as a healing power. Let us not allow words set by rulers yesterday to eclipse a living witness energizing our present and our future.
“Ah, we disparage still The Tidings of Good Will, Discrediting Love’s gospel now as then! And with the verbal creed.” (On Love – Bliss Carman)
Prayer: Beautiful Spirit, I pray my intellect never diminishes my compassion.
Question: How have my beliefs changed?
May 26, 2024 Gospel Matthew 28:16-20 Feast of the Trinity