ABSTRACT
The doctrine of the Trinity is not a kind of optional ornate cadenza in Christian theology but a theme of central importance. Early theologians proposed various models for the Trinity. There are two perils which a theologian expounding the doctrine of the Trinity must avoid. One is called 'dividing the essence', the other 'confounding the persons'. Augustine took models from the human psyche: a mind, its knowledge and its love, or memory, understanding and will. The Old Testament represents Jehovah not only as the creator of everything but as the national god of the Jews, making agreements with them, entering into an intimate relationship with them comparable with that of marriage, fighting on their side against other nations and even enjoining genocide. The basic Judaeo-Christian belief is that the universe depends on a single principle, that there is one creator.
