I’ve always heard it employed essentially as a descriptor of the nature of Trinity (in order to distinguish the triune nature from simply a ‘god’, or God, which implies a singular person, rather than God comprised of 3 distinct persons)–and, for all intents and purposes, essentially synonomous with the word “Trinity”.
Wiki has this on its origin and use:
Godhead is a Middle English variant of the word godhood, and denotes the Divine Nature or Substance (Ousia) of the Christian God, or the Trinity. Within some traditions such as Mormonism, the term is used as a nontrinitarian substitute for the term Trinity, denoting the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit not as a Trinity, but as a unified council of separate beings but in full harmony.
[edit] Appearance in English BiblesThe ending “-head”, is not connected with the word “head”. John Wycliffe introduced the term godhede into English Bible versions in two places, and, though somewhat archaic, the term survives in modern English because of its use in three places of the Tyndale New Testament (1525) and into the Authorized King James Version of the Bible (1611). In that translation, the word was used to translate three different Greek words:
In the Catholic Encyclopedia on The Blessed Trinity it says: “The Trinity is the term employed to signify the central doctrine of the Christian religion – the truth that in the unity of the Godhead there are Three Persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, these Three Persons being truly distinct one from another.” Writing about the baptismal formula, they say: “It has already been shown that the words as prescribed by Christ (Matthews 28:19) clearly express the Godhead of the Three Persons as well as their distinction.”
The linked source isn’t exactly authoratative, but it contains a decent discussion of its use.
The “Catholic Encyclopedia” to which they refer, appears to be “Advent”:
newadvent.org/cathen/15047a.htm
As for it’s use in mormonism–doesn’t really matter that they use the term differently. What matters, is the meaning which they accord it. To Mormons, the Godhead is comprised of essentially 3 distinct gods, rather than 3 persons, or
hypostases, in one God.
…and
the difference there, is a distinction of the relationship of the Will of God. Three distinct gods with 3 distinct wills,
may yield a conflict of wills; whereas three distinct persons in one God (i.e. the Trinity, or the Catholic/Orthodox/traditional “Godhead”) share
one common will; they are bound by
the same will; and therefore there can be no conflict of wills. That’s what makes
them (i.e.–the three distinct persons of the Trinity) = one God.
…and for this understanding, I can’t (and of course don’t), claim originality. Rather I must thank and yield credit to, St. Augustine–though I don’t recall specifically which source(s)–maybe from his tome
On the Trinity–but I can’t recall specifically. I’ve read
City of God, Confessions, Enchiridion on Faith, Hope & Love, on Christian Doctrine, several homilies, but only parts of
On the Trinity. With the passage of time, I don’t really remember what I got from each of them–things start to
blend, and mish-mash…
