World Blog by humble servant.Lesson: Tracing the Trinity and Jesus’ Death—A Historical and Biblical Perspective

Lesson: Tracing the Trinity and Jesus’ Death—A Historical and Biblical Perspective

The doctrine of the Trinity—God as one essence in three persons: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—is a cornerstone of Christian theology, yet it finds no explicit mention in the New Testament. As the Encyclopaedia Britannica (1975) notes, neither the term “Trinity” nor its formal doctrine appears in scripture, and Jesus and his followers upheld the Shema: “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one” (Deuteronomy 6:4). This raises questions about Jesus’ death and identity—did he die as God incarnate, or as a human messenger? The Gospels suggest a silent, unresponsive figure during his trial and crucifixion, while early Christian diversity reveals a complex evolution of belief, shaped by figures like Paul and historical upheavals like the fall of Jerusalem in A.D. 70. This lesson explores these threads to understand how the concept of Jesus’ divinity emerged, despite scriptural and historical challenges.

Jesus’ Death: A Silent Witness

The New Testament portrays Jesus’ arrest and crucifixion with striking detachment. Mark 15:3-5 recounts, “The chief priests… brought many accusations against Jesus… But greatly to Pilate’s surprise, Jesus made no further response.” Similarly, Luke 23:8-11 states, “Herod questioned Jesus at considerable length, but Jesus made no response… Herod and his guards then treated him with contempt.” This silence is echoed in the non-canonical Apocalypse of Peter (Nag Hammadi Library, 1977), where the Savior explains, “He whom you saw on the tree, glad and laughing, this is the living Jesus. But this one into whose hands and feet they drive the nails is the fleshly part.” The Quranic perspective (3:55, 4:157) aligns with this dichotomy, asserting Jesus’ soul was raised before his body faced crucifixion—an empty shell tortured, not the living Jesus.

A modern parallel emerges with William Schroeder, who, in 1984, received an artificial heart. His soul departed 19 days later, yet his body lived 19 months, alert one day, unresponsive the next (New York Times, November 26 and December 14, 1984). This mirrors the Gospel’s portrayal of an oblivious Jesus, suggesting his essence had already left, leaving a body to endure—a concept God may have illuminated through such examples.

Early Christian Diversity and the Rise of Divinity

The Trinity and Jesus’ divinity were not universal in early Christianity. Acts 21:20-26 reveals a divide: Jewish Christians, staunch defenders of Mosaic law, purified with Paul, while Gentile converts followed simpler rules. Robert L. Wilken (The Myth of Christian Beginnings, 1971) illustrates this diversity: hypothetical Christians in A.D. 35, Michael in Edessa and Ephraim in Alexandria, diverged in practice and belief—one keeping Jewish law, the other praying to Jesus. By A.D. 75, after Jerusalem’s fall, their traditions barely aligned, united only by loyalty to Jesus’ memory.

Within a century, Ignatius of Antioch (circa 100 A.D.) wrote to the Ephesians, “suffering… by the will of the Father and of Jesus Christ, our God… God’s blood stirred you up” (Early Christian Fathers, 1970), signaling an early shift toward deification. Yet, this wasn’t uncontested. The Jerusalem Church, led by original apostles, likely resisted such ideas, rooted in Judaism’s strict monotheism (Deuteronomy 6:4).

Paul’s Influence vs. the Jerusalem Church

Paul, who never met Jesus, shaped Christian doctrine through visions, not direct teachings (Hyam Maccoby, The Mythmaker, 1987). His letters reveal tension with “super-apostles” preaching “another Jesus” (2 Corinthians 11:3-5), whom S.G.F. Brandon (Jesus and the Zealots, 1967) identifies as Jerusalem’s eyewitness apostles. Paul boasts parity with these authoritative Hebrews (2 Corinthians 11:18), but never disputes their legitimacy, suggesting their gospel—possibly Mosaic-aligned—rivaled his own.

Galatians 1:6-8 shows Paul’s frustration: “I am amazed that you are so soon deserting… for another gospel… let a curse be upon him!” He opposes law-observance (Galatians 3:10, 5:3-4), clashing with apostles like James, Cephas, and John, who initially endorsed him but later diverged (Galatians 2:6-14). Cephas’ shift in Antioch—eating with Gentiles, then withdrawing under James’ influence—highlights this rift. Given Judaism’s ban on idolatry, the Jerusalem Church likely rejected Jesus’ divinity, a concept Paul’s Gentile-focused gospel advanced.

Historical Shift: Jerusalem’s Fall

Brandon argues the Jerusalem Church’s destruction in A.D. 70, akin to Qumran’s fate in A.D. 68 (Dead Sea Scrolls), silenced Jewish-Christian voices. With no surviving documents from this “Mother Church,” Paul’s writings dominated, unshackled from Judaic roots post-rebellion. This political and cultural shift favored non-Jewish ideas, like Jesus as God, over the original apostolic witness.

Summary

Jesus’ Death: Gospels depict an unresponsive Jesus (Mark 15:3-5, Luke 23:8-11), possibly soulless (Apocalypse of Peter), akin to Schroeder’s case—body enduring, soul gone (Quran 3:55, 4:157 as parallel).

Early Diversity: Jewish Christians kept Mosaic law (Acts 21:20-26), Gentiles varied (Wilken’s Edessa vs. Alexandria), showing no unified divinity doctrine initially.

Paul vs. Apostles: Paul’s vision-based gospel (2 Corinthians 11:3-5, Galatians 1:6-8) clashed with Jerusalem’s law-abiding apostles (Galatians 2:6-14), likely resisting deification.

Key Insight: Trinity and divinity, absent from scripture (Deuteronomy 6:4), grew post-A.D. 70 as Jerusalem’s influence waned, cementing Paul’s version over the original gospel.

This narrative, penned by a humble servant, reflects on how historical currents, not Jesus’ teachings, shaped his divine status. God knows the guided path.