Table of Contents
Isaiah 45:24
In the Book of Isaiah, the Mediator is described as “God in the form of sin.” His purpose was to glorify the Law of God and to make it honorable. He was also to bear the sins of God’s people on the tree, and make atonement for them by suffering death and burial. He was to be the firstborn among many brethren and the heir of their glory.
The glory of God will be greatly advanced, and the people of the Lord will be exalted. In fact, the saints of the church often quote this text to teach the importance of the Holy Trinity.
John Duns Scotus
The theology of John Duns Scotus focuses on God’s unity in communion of love. For Scotus, God is the eternal movement of the Father (first Efficient Cause), Son (second Efficient Cause), and Spirit (third Efficient Cause). God is the model for all reality and human relationships.
According to Scotus, God predestined Christ to become man, and he willed that the human and divine natures of Christ would be united. This union is necessary because only one person can love to the extent of God’s love. Scotus argues that the Incarnation of Christ and the Creation itself were part of the same plan. In essence, the purpose of creation was to make Christ the firstborn of all creation.
Scotus was influenced by the writings of the early Christian Church. He sought to find a middle ground between Augustinianism and Aristotelianism. His Christology often agreed with Aquinas, but he also differed from him on certain issues.
Gregory Nazianzus
St. Gregory Nazianzus, an Orthodox saint, is known as the “singer of the Trinity.” He had a sensitive temperament, and suffered disappointments from those around him. However, he remained faithful to his faith, and often quotes the holy trinity when speaking.
Gregory was called to a new life in Rome shortly after Basil’s death, and he took on the difficult work of rebuilding the Catholic and orthodox faiths in the eastern capital of the empire. Newman noted that his friend’s heroic spirit had come into Gregory.
In his fifth discourse on the Holy Spirit, Gregory rebuked the Macedonian heresy. This heresy had argued that the Third Person could not exist without the Father. In response to this claim, Gregory quoted several passages from the Bible that taught the Divinity of Spirit. He added that the full manifestation of the Divinity of Spirit was to occur gradually.
Gregory of Nyssa
Saint Gregory of Nyssa is the eldest of five brothers and, unlike his younger siblings, did not receive a formal education. He probably learned philosophy from his brother Basil, but outshone him in many ways. He was at home among Platonic philosophers like Aristotle and Plato.
Gregory stresses the mystical nature of God, which cannot be fully grasped by the physical senses. As such, the mystical awareness of God can only be achieved within. Therefore, Gregory’s reference to more intimate senses is a metaphor for the spiritual senses.
Gregory believes that human beings were created in the image of God. The Creator has transcendent nature and projects outwards, but humanity is not the same as God. In the hereafter, there is no more evil, but God may justly damn sinners for eternity. The distinction between God and humans has led to several differences in interpretation.
