Does anyone know the history of the defining of the Holy Trinity? Was the Athanasius Creed considered the origional definiton. Was there a council before Nicea that defined it?
See this CA tract and this CA tract for a historical discussion of the doctrine of the Trinity, as well as testimony from the Early Fathers.
The Council of Nicea was the very first full Ecumenical Council, BTW (and it pre-dates the Athanathian Creed). But the testimony of the Early Fathers clearly establishes that the teaching about the Trinity goes back to Apostolic times; it was not an “invention” of this Council.
Of course, some people get confused over the difference between “defining” a doctrine and “inventing” it.
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