– Rev José Mario O Mandía
The term “Blessed Trinity” is not used in the Sacred Scripture. But the doctrine is present in a veiled way in the Old Testament, and taught by Jesus Christ Himself in the New.
OLD TESTAMENT
Already in the first three verses of the Bible, we are given a glimpse of the Blessed Trinity: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. The earth was without form and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep; and the Spirit of God was moving over the face of the waters. And God said, ‘Let there be light’; and there was light” (Genesis 1:1-3). In these words we see not only the Creator, but His Spirit and His Word (“God said”).
Yet there is no clear revelation in the Old Testament of the Blessed Trinity. In random passages, we find hints of the three Persons. In Psalm 2:7, we read: “You are my Son, I have begotten you this day.” There are also passages about the Divine Wisdom, the Word of God, and his Spirit (cf Proverbs 8:22‑31; Wisdom 7:25‑27; 9:17).
We can find other indirect references to the Trinity in the use of majestic plural (“Let us make man to our image and likeness…” Genesis 1:26, cf Genesis 3:22 and 11:7), and the use in Hebrew of the plural form for God’s name, Elohim “the Most High,” but with singular meaning.
Chapter 18 of Genesis narrates a story that also give us a hint about the Trinity. Three men appear before Moses but the narrative sometimes uses the singular and sometimes the plural to refer to this apparition. Note the highlighted texts in the following passage: “1 And the LORD appeared to him… 2 He lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, three men stood in front of him. When he saw them, he ran from the tent door to meet them … 3 and said, “My lord, if I have found favor in your [singular] sight, do not pass by your [singular] servant. 4 Let a little water be brought, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree, 5 … So they said, ‘Do as you have said.’ 9 They said to him, ‘Where is Sarah your wife?’ And he said, ‘She is in the tent.’ 10 The LORD said, ‘I will surely return to you in the spring.’”
NEW TESTAMENT
The Persons of the Blessed Trinity are announced during the Annunciation of Our Lady. The archangel Gabriel tells Mary, “The Holy Spirit shall come upon thee and the power of the Most High shall overshadow thee; and therefore the Holy One to be born shall be called the Son of God” (Luke 1:35).
The Trinity reveals itself during the Baptism of Jesus; God manifests himself to man (this is what “theophany” means). “And when Jesus was baptized, he went up immediately from the water, and behold, the heavens were opened and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and alighting on him; and lo, a voice from heaven, saying, ‘This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased’” (Matthew 3:16-17). Jesus, the Spirit, and the voice.
When Jesus sends his disciples out on a mission, he commands them: “Go therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19).
Saint Paul uses the Trinitarian formula:. “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the charity of God [the Father], and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all” (II Corinthians 13:13).
But where does the term “Trinity” come from? The first of the early church fathers to be recorded using the word “Trinity” was Theophilus of Antioch writing in the late 2nd century. He defines the Trinity as God, His Word (Logos) and His Wisdom (Sophia) (Apologia ad Autolycum, Book II, Chapter 15).
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