jfih I Holiness ia the total glory thm
Holiness in th the total | affection of an mfhi
righteous intellig moa Holiness in the aeatnre is not mac moral perfection, but d ::" the seated nature of moral agents
their kind, in spiritual union and fellowship with the in- finite C rea : : i — 1 John i.. 3.
The word holiness, ae applied :: God in Scripture, i first, moral purity. — Lev. xi.. 44 : Ps. cxlv.. 1" - / fan tran- acendently august and venerable majesty — Isa — .. 3 : Ps. m: 3 : Rev. iv.3 8.
T; u sanctify the Lord e., to make him holy istx declare and adore his holiness I — aueratmg his august majesty whe: and whereinsoevei hie person or chara:::: is 3 — Isa.
viii.. 13; xxix.. 23 : Exek xxxviii. 23 : Matt. vi.. 9 : 1 Fel hi.. 15.
CHAPTER VIII.
THE HOLY TRINITY.
1. What is the etymology and meaning of the word Trinity, and when was it introduced into the language of the church ?
This word, in its Latin form, Trinitas, is derived from the adjective trinus, three-fold, or three in one, and it thus exactly expresses the divine mystery of three persons in the unity of one Godhead.
It is said to have taken its place in the language of Christian theology, for the first time, in an apologetic work of Theophylus, bishop of Antioch, in Syria, from A. D. 168 to A. D. 183.— See Mosheim's Eccle. Hist., Vol I., p. 121, Note 7.
2. What is the theological meaning of the term substantia (substance), and what change has occurred in its usage ?
Substantia, as now used, is equivalent to essence, independent being. Thus, in the Godhead, the three persons are the same in in substance, i. e., of one and the same indivisible, numerical essence.
The word was at first used by one party in the church as- equivalent to subsistentia (subsistence), or mode of existence. In which sense, while there is but one essence, there are three substantias or persons, in the Godhead. — See Turrettin, Tom. I., locus iii, ques. 23.
3. What is the theological meaning of the word subsistentia- (subsistence) ?
It is used to signify that mode of existence which distin- guishes one individual thing from every other individual thing, one person from eveiy other person. As applied to* the doctrine
130 THE HOLY TRINITY.
of the Trinity, subsistence is that mode of existence which is peculiar to each of the divine persons, and which in each consti- tutes the one essence a distinct person.
4. What is the New Testament sense of the word viroaraaig, (hypostasis) ?
This word, as to its etymology, is precisely equivalent to sub- stance ; it comes from v^Igttjiil, " to stand under."
In the New Testament it is used five times —
1st. Figuratively, for confidence, or that state of mind which is conscious of a firm foundation, 2 Cor. ix., 4 ; xi., 17 ; Heb. iii., 14, which faith realizes, Heb. xi., 1.
2d. Literally, for essential nature, Heb. i., 3. — See Sampson's Com. on Heb.
5. In what sense is this word used by the ecclesiastical writers ?
Until the middle of the fourth century this word, in connection with the doctrine of the Trinity, was generally used in its primary sense, as equivalent to substance. It is used in this sense in the creed published by the Council of Nice A. D. 325, and again in the decrees of the Council of Sardica, in Illyria, A. D. 347. These agreed in affirming that there is but one hypostasis in the Grod- head. Some, however, at that time understanding the word in the sense of person, its usage was changed by general consent, chiefly through the influence of Athanasius, and ever since it has been established in theological language in the sense of person, in contradistinction to dvoia, essence. It has been transferred into the English language in the form of an adjective, to designate the hypostatical or personal union of two natures in the God man.
6. What is essential to personality, and how is the word per- son to be defined in connection with the doctrine of the Trinity ?
The Latin word, " suppositum," signifies a distinct individual existence, e. g., a particular tree or horse. A person is "supposi- tum intellectuale," a distinct individual existence, to which be- longs the properties of reason and free will. Throughout the entire range of our experience and observation of personal exist- ence among creatures, personality rests upon and appears to be
DEFINITIONS. 131
inseparable from distinction of essence. Every distinct person is a distinct soul, with or without a body.