From Logos to Trinity The Evolution of Religious Beliefs from Pythagoras to Tertullian

This book presents a critical evaluation of the doctrine of the Trinity, tracing its development and investigating the intellectual, philosophical and theological background that shaped this influential doctrine of Christianity. Despite the centrality of Trinitarian thought to Christianity and its importance as one of the fundamental tenets that differentiates Christianity from Judaism and Islam, the doctrine is not fully formulated in the canon of Christian scriptural texts. Instead, it evolved through the conflation of selective pieces of scripture with the philosophical and religious ideas of ancient Hellenistic milieu. Marian Hillar analyzes the development of Trinitarian thought during the formative years of Christianity from its roots in ancient Greek philosophical concepts and religious thinking in the Mediterranean region. He identifies several important sources of Trinitarian thought heretofore largely ignored by scholars, including the Greek middle-Platonic philosophical writings of Numenius and Egyptian metaphysical writings and monuments representing divinity as a triune entity.

Preface; Foreword Anthony Buzzard; Introduction; 1. The logos in Greek culture; 2. The logos in Judaism; 3. The development of Jewish messianic traditions: the source of Christian scripture and doctrines; 4. Development of the Hellenistic Christian doctrine; 5. Justin Martyr and the logos; 6. Justin Martyr and the metaphysical triad; 7. Tertullian - originator of the Trinity; 8. Tertullian and the son of God; 9. Thomas Aquinas and the accepted concept of the Trinity; Appendix 1. The possible sources for the development of the Christian Trinitarian concepts; Appendix 2. Egyptian chronology.

Marian Hillar is Professor of Philosophy and Religious Studies and of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at Texas Southern University, where he is also Director of the Center for Philosophy and Socinian Studies. His books include Michael Servetus: Intellectual Giant, Humanist, and Martyr (2002) and The Case of Michael Servetus (1511–1553): The Turning Point in the Struggle for Freedom of Conscience (1997). He is also editor-in-chief of Essays in the Philosophy of Humanism, a publication of the American Humanist Association and (with Christopher A. Hoffman) is currently translating the major work of Servetus (Christianismi restitutio, 1553).