This book offers a revolutionary new synthesis of ancient history and religion by bridging the gap between the archaeology of Mesopotamia (now the country of Iraq) and the biblical account of Genesis. Professor Alan Dickin shows how the Sumerians, the ancient inhabitants of Mesopotamia, established the world's first organized religion, which was a direct fore-runner of the Judeo-Christian faith. He places the biblical accounts of the Creation, Fall, Flood, and Tower of Babel in their historical context in ancient Mesopotamia, and identifies the origins of the biblical Trinity in the Sumerian pantheon. Finally, he explores the manner of God's first revelations to mankind and the meaning of the lost secrets of the Garden of Eden. Over seventy line drawings of ancient artifacts, in addition to maps and historical tables, bring the civilization and religion of ancient Mesopotamia to life for a modern audience.
You might be surprised to find that God is not a trinity. The Trinity is one of mainstream Christianity’s most widely accepted and revered doctrines held by millions of Catholics, Protestants and Orthodox believers. The belief that God is three persons—the Father, Son and Holy Spirit—coexisting in one being is how the trinity doctrine is often defined. But the word trinity appears nowhere within the pages of the Bible. You can not cling to long-held religious traditions if they contradict the Scriptures. Your beliefs must rest solidly on the teachings of the Holy Bible. This Bible Study aid, "Is God a Trinity?", goes into great detail explaning the non-biblical origins of the trinity and how this false gospel replaced the true teachings of Jesus Christ. Discover how the Bible communicates a true picture of God and learn about the awesome plan He has promised for you and all mankind. Chapters in this ebook: -- Is the Trinity Biblical? -- The Surprising Origins of the Trinity Doctrine -- Greek Philosophy's Influence on the Trinity Doctrine -- How Ancient Trinitarian Gods Influenced Adoption of the Trinity -- A Spurious Reference to the Trinity Added in 1 John 5:7-8 -- How Is God Revealed in the Bible? -- Jesus Was Sent by the Father -- Jesus Christ: "The Rock" of the Old Testament -- The Apostles Understood Jesus to Be the Creator -- Did Jesus Christ Claim to Be God? -- "In the Beginning Was the Word" -- The Claim of Jesus' Disciples -- "There Is One God, the Father...and One Lord, Jesus Christ" -- God's Plan to "Bring Many Sons to Glory" -- Jesus Christ's Submission to the Father -- How Is God One? -- "The Lord Our God, the Lord Is One" -- Seven Scriptures That Debunk the Trinity as a Single Being -- Elohim: The Plurality of God -- Is the Holy Spirit a Person? -- Does Matthew 28:19 Prove the Trinity? -- Why the Holy Spirit Is Sometimes Incorrectly Referred to as "He" and "Him" -- What About Passages That "Prove" the Trinity? -- The Holy Spirit: God's Transforming Power -- How to Stir Up God's Spirit -- God's Nature and Character -- God's Purpose for You -- The Likeness of God -- Do Some Verses Deny a Divine Family? -- The God Family Inside this Bible Study Aid ebook: "Most people assume that everything that bears the label “Christian” must have originated with Jesus Christ and His early followers. But this is definitely not the case." "Many historians and religious scholars, some quoted in this publication, attest to the influence of Greek or Platonic philosophy in the development and acceptance of the Trinity doctrine in the fourth century." God the Father is the One who calls us to baptism and a new way of life (John 6:44, 65), and it is His goodness that leads us to repentance and baptism (Romans 2:4). "As even the New Catholic Encyclopedia, quoted from earlier, acknowledges: “The majority of New Testament texts reveal God’s spirit as something, not someone; this is especially seen in the parallelism between the spirit and the power of God..."
Christian Wicca: Oxymoron or the Best of Both World? Finally, a how-to guide for practicing Wicca, celebrating the return of the original Christian Trinity: the Father, the Mother, and the Holy Son Jesus. This book is written expressly for Wiccans who wish to walk the spiritual path of earth-based religions, but do not wish to surrender their Judeo-Christian background. Nancy now offers a simple solution to the rapidly emerging ChristoPagan community. Wicca, the Old Religion, or the religion of the wise, is the fastest growing form of spirituality in the United States. Many modern and eclectic Christians have no problem recognizing Jesus as Lord, but instead have a problem accepting the dogma of the organized church. Seekers are also feeling the absense of the Female aspect of the Divine and wish to re-establish the Goddess in their spirituality. In the wake of the discoveries of the Nag Hammadi Library, for the first time since 100-300 A.C.E. - the yin of the Christian faith is seeking to restore it's yang! Despite the overwhelming evidence that there is a Divine Mother --- no one has applied this information to Wicca and the Holy Days of the Wheel of the Year. "Christian Wicca: the Trinitarian Tradition" does this very task, outlining the Sabbats, the Esbats to include the Holy Trinity . . . also introducing observances expressly for Jesus, called Kyriats! Blessed Be!!
Franz Dünzl gives an account of the formation of the doctrine of the Trinity in a narrative based on contemporary sources: as he remarks in the preface, he wants to describe the human struggle over the truth of the Christian image of God and as far as possible let the early Christians speak for themselves. His main concern is to describe the dynamic of the disputes over the theology of the Trinity in a vivid way which is easy to follow, pointing out the foundations of the doctrine and the decisive shifts in its development. He tries to see the often bitter discussion not as a barren dispute but as an evolutionary process in which the rivalry is a necessary and positive factor in moving the debate forward. After an introduction to the problem, the book describes the beginning of christology and the first models of the relationship between 'Father' and 'Son': it then describes the controversies leading up to the Council of Nicaea, which are discussed at length, going on to show how Nicaea didn't settle the question and continuing the account up to the Council of Constantinople in 381. It brings out the political influences which governed this second stage of the discussion in an illuminating way. A survey and bibliography round the book off.
This book offers a revolutionary new synthesis of ancient history and religion by bridging the gap between the archaeology of Mesopotamia (now the country of Iraq) and the biblical account of Genesis. Professor Alan Dickin shows how the Sumerians, the ancient inhabitants of Mesopotamia, established the world's first organized religion, which was a direct fore-runner of the Judeo-Christian faith. He places the biblical accounts of the Creation, Fall, Flood, and Tower of Babel in their historical context in ancient Mesopotamia, and identifies the origins of the biblical Trinity in the Sumerian pantheon. Finally, he explores the manner of God's first revelations to mankind and the meaning of the lost secrets of the Garden of Eden. Over seventy line drawings of ancient artifacts, in addition to maps and historical tables, bring the civilization and religion of ancient Mesopotamia to life for a modern audience.
Examines the origins and development of the episcopacy in the early church with an eye toward its implications for current ecumenical issues relating to the episcopacy and apostolic succession.
