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Statement by McKenzie

The Full Context of John L. McKenzie’s Statement on the Trinity

In The Only Perfect Man (chapter 2), we quoted from Dictionary of the Bible, a reference that is esteemed by Catholics and Protestants alike for its careful and lucid scholarship, and which in its time was the best-selling one-volume Bible dictionary ever. In this work, the author, Father John L. McKenzie, though a trinitarian, makes some observations in the article “Trinity” that are unfavorable to trinitarianism, including the following:

  • The formal doctrine of the Trinity was reached only in the 4th and 5th centuries, and does not represent biblical belief.
  • The trinitarian terms used for describing God are Greek philosophical terms rather than biblical terms.
  • Terms such as “essence” and “substance” were “erroneously” applied to God by early theologians.
  • The personal reality of the Holy Spirit is uncertain and was a later development in trinitarianism.
  • The trinity is a mystery that defies understanding.
  • The trinity is not mentioned or foreshadowed in the Old Testament.

Because these statements are quite remarkable for coming from the pen of a trinitarian, we would like to quote McKenzie’s article in full, in order to present our readers with the full context of his statements (words in boldface are what we quoted in TOPM):

TRINITY. The trinity of God is defined by the Church as the belief that in God are three persons who subsist in one nature. The be­lief as so defined was reached only in the 4th and 5th centuries AD and hence is not explicitly and formally a biblical belief. The trinity of persons within the unity of nature is defined in terms of “person” and “nature” which are Gk philosophical terms; actually the terms do not appear in the Bible. The trinitarian definitions arose as the result of long controversies in which these terms and others such as “essence” and “substance” were erroneously applied to God by some theologians. The ultimate affirmation of trinity of persons and unity of nature was declared by the Church to be the only cor­rect way in which these terms could be used.

The elements of the trinity of persons within the unity of nature in the Bible appear in the use of the terms Father, Son, and Spirit. The personal reality of the Spirit emerged more slowly than the personal reality of Father and Son, which are per­sonal terms. On the application of the name of Spirit to the Son in the Pauline writings cf spirit. The unity of nature does not ap­pear as a problem in the Bible, and indeed could only arise when a philosophical in­vestigation of the term nature as applied to God was begun. In the NT the Father is “the God” (Gk ho theos), and Jesus is “the Son of the God” (ho hyios tou theou). The Spirit is “the spirit of the God” or “the holy spirit,” in this context a synonymous term. Deity is conceived not in the Gk term of nature but rather as a level of being, “the holy”; between this level and the level of “flesh” there is an impassable gulf. Impas­sable, that is, by man; it is bridged by Jesus, the Son, who renders it possible for men to be adopted sons. Without an explicit formula the NT leaves no room to think that Jesus is Himself an object of the adop­tion which He communicates to others. He knows the Father and reveals Him. He there­fore belongs to the divine level of being; and there is no question at all about the Spirit belonging to the divine level of being. What is less clear about the Spirit is His personal reality; often He is mentioned in language in which His personal reality is not explicit. This distinction between God and flesh is the NT basis for the affirmation of the unity of nature; the very identifica­tion of the Father with “the God” shows that the NT writers intend to distinguish the Son and the Spirit from the Father. The NT does not approach the metaphysical problem of subordination, as it approaches no metaphysical problem. It offers no room for a statement of the relations of Father, Son, and Spirit which would imply that one of them is more or less properly on the divine level of being than another. In Jewish thought of the time the son and the spirit are angels; it does not even take the trouble explicitly to deny it. At the same time, it is necessary to recall that in Catholic belief the trinity of persons within the unity of nature is a mystery which ultimately escapes understanding; and in no respect is it more mysterious than in the relations of the per­sons to each other. “Son” and “Spirit” do not express perfect identity and are not in­tended to express it; the distinction of per­sons is not merely numerical but reposes upon a mysterious personality or character in each one which is unknown in its ulti­mate reality. The Church has declared that any statement of this distinction which re­duces the divinity of any of the persons is a false statement; equally false would be a statement which would deny their personal distinction. The notions of Father, Son, and Spirit are revealed that we may know God better; and the theologian should explore these ideas.

The OT does not contain suggestions or foreshadowing of the trinity of persons. What it does contain are the words which the NT employs to express the trinity of persons such as Father, Son, Word, Spirit, etc. A study of these words shows us how the revelation of God in the NT advances be­yond the revelation of God in the OT. The same study of these words and their background is the best way to arrive at an understanding of the distinction of persons as it is stated in the NT.

(Dictionary of the Bible, pp.899-900, John L. McKenzie)

The following is a capsule biography of John L. McKenzie adapted from the back cover of his Bible dictionary:

John L. McKenzie firmly established his reputation as an outstanding biblical scholar with the appearance of his interpretation of the Old Testament, The Two-Edged Sword (1956). This was followed by his studies in biblical theology, Myths and Realities, and by his New Testament interpretation, The Power and the Wisdom. In 1965, he joined the faculty of the Divinity School at the University of Chicago, the first Catholic to hold a position of this kind.

What scholars have said about McKenzie's Bible dictionary:

“A triumph of scholarship, lucidity, and high editorial discipline” (Commonweal).

“McKenzie’s accuracy and sound judgment as a Biblical theologian have gained him the wholehearted respect of his Protestant peers” (Time).

“... magnificent in scholarship, ample in learning, frank and unhesitating in facing all the difficulties and problems, sympathetic with the varieties and diversities of other views” (Religious Education)

“Simply amazing ... every important subject and person commonly regarded as biblical is treated, and never skimpily. Fr. McKenzie is an honest and outspoken scholar who has done an excellent job extraordinarily well” (Journal of Biblical Literature)

 

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