Trinity-- Best Analogy

[Jerusha]

When explaining the Trinity to non-Catholics, what are the best analogies? I like a triangle; without any part of which it would no longer be a triangle. Then there is St. Patrick’s use of the shamrock. Any other suggestions-- or do all analogies fail in some way or other?

 

[Joe_5859]

When explaining the Trinity to non-Catholics, what are the best analogies? I like a triangle; without any part of which it would no longer be a triangle. Then there is St. Patrick’s use of the shamrock. Any other suggestions-- or do all analogies fail in some way or other?

Yes, all analogies fail in some way or the other. We’re attempting to describe the very nature of the infinite God. Of course no analogy is going to be perfect. But analogies are still helpful to conveying at least some part of that great mystery.

The family is another analogy I have heard many times. The Father and the Son who are constantly loving each other and that love is so perfect and so real that it is also a person: the Holy Spirit.

 

[Barbkw]

One circular candle with three wicks.

 

[I_Thirst]

Another one is water: solid, liquid, and gas; ice, water, and steam.

 

[Barbkw]

I was just thinking how certain sacramentals image the Trinity: oil, candles, water, incense,

 

[meltzerboy]

When explaining the Trinity to non-Catholics, what are the best analogies? I like a triangle; without any part of which it would no longer be a triangle. Then there is St. Patrick’s use of the shamrock. Any other suggestions-- or do all analogies fail in some way or other?

One present-day analogy of the Trinity is three torches burning with a single flame. The flame emphasizes both the Oneness of G-d and the dynamic, rather than static, behavior of G-d. IOW, G-d is considered immutable, unchangeable, in His nature, but dynamic in His actions and interactions with His creation.

 

[prodigalson2011]

I think the best analogy is really not an analogy at all.
I’m paraphrasing poorly here, but it goes something like this:
The Father is God in Himself.
The Son is also aptly referred to as the Word. The Word is the thought of God; his awareness of Himself.
The Holy Spirit is the love born of the eternal exchange between God and His Word.

This is a rather poor and faulty paraphrase on my part, but it’s based on Thomas Aquinas’ exposition on the Trinity and the Necessity of 3 Persons in God. I strongly recommend checking your local library for a copy of Aquinas’ Shorter Summa for a better and much more thorough explanation. I’ve been intending to delve back into it more deeply , which my attempt at explanation betrays a serious need of.

 

[Jerusha]

I like the three forms of water, and the three torches burning as one. Thanks.

 

[Jerusha]

Here is the classic Catholic one I was looking for. Maybe the visual is what is necessary.

http://zealforyourhouse.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/trinity_shield.bmp

 

[Joe_5859]

I like the three forms of water, and the three torches burning as one. Thanks.

Of course, if you push the water analogy too far, you fall into the heresy of modalism. But that’s just the nature of analogies.

 

[Jerusha]

Same thing with the analogy of family. The psychological analogy of the human body, mind, and soul also misses the modern understanding that mind is made up of intellect and emotion. And, as we know, to be spiritually balanced, both of those must be also balanced.

I really like the triangle with is, and is not. But that seems to indicate that the Father is superior to the Son and Holy Spirit.



Researching on other discussions and blogs, I came up with one that Will Shakespeare would have liked. God the playwright (F), God the actor (S), and God the director (HS).

 

[prodigalson2011]

Same thing with the analogy of family. The psychological analogy of the human body, mind, and soul also misses the modern understanding that mind is made up of intellect and emotion. And, as we know, to be spiritually balanced, both of those must be also balanced.

I really like the triangle with is, and is not. But that seems to indicate that the Father is superior to the Son and Holy Spirit.



Researching on other discussions and blogs, I came up with one that Will Shakespeare would have liked. God the playwright (F), God the actor (S), and God the director (HS).

I really like that analogy! Kudos to you!

 

[Jerusha]

Not my original. With more research, I came up with these books which mention it.
google.com/search?q=actor+director+trinity+analogy+playwright+Balthasar&tbm=bks&tbo=1&oq=actor+director+trinity+analogy+playwright+Balthasar&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&gs_sm=s&gs_upl=16233l26768l0l31485l12l12l0l11l0l0l230l230l2-1l1l0

 

[Dragonslayer]

Another good analogy for the Holy Trinity is fire, as fire also generates light and heat.

 

[Pitcharan]

When explaining the Trinity to non-Catholics, what are the best analogies? I like a triangle; without any part of which it would no longer be a triangle. Then there is St. Patrick’s use of the shamrock. Any other suggestions-- or do all analogies fail in some way or other?

HOLY TRINITY EXPLAINED
When three persons function in perfect harmony full of humility, mutual love and trust, they will function like ONE being.

Consider this example of a small family comprising the father, the mother and son:
• The father is the head of the family and takes all decisions
• He has completely entrusted implementation of all decisions to his son
• The father is counseled by the mother who supplies him with accurate information needed for deciding. She also provides similar counsel to the son for executing the father’s decisions
• The son executes the father’s decisions exactly as willed by the father and receives from the mother, all counsel required.
• The father and son, have full trust in the counsel given by the mother and never doubt her or seek better advice
• The mother supplies ONLY truth to the father and son; she never colors it with her own views
• The son’s only desire is to fulfill the father’s will without any deviation and does it in humble obedience full of sincerity and love and hence the outcome is always perfect
• The father, the mother and the son love one another, trust one another and ALWAYS agree with one another; whatever they possess belongs to all three and whatever they do is just like that of ONE being.

Consider a very simple task – ‘throw’. To perform it, one must firstly know some details like what / where to throw, decide to do it and then do it. This is true of every task and we can easily see that there are three common basic elements that constitute a task – Knowledge, Decision and Implementation. Thus, whenever something is done, it involves discerning, deciding and doing.
The HOLY TRINITY comprises three persons in ONE GODHEAD and this is exactly how they function:
• The Father wills and controls everything for good
• The Son obediently implements the Father’s will, be it creation, redemption or judgment
• The Holy Spirit counsels the Father, the Son and whoever the Father chooses by discerning truth, exposing falsehood and convicting guilt.
… and the three agree as one” (1Jn 5:8)

 

[meltzerboy]

HOLY TRINITY EXPLAINED
When three persons function in perfect harmony full of humility, mutual love and trust, they will function like ONE being.

Consider this example of a small family comprising the father, the mother and son:
• The father is the head of the family and takes all decisions
• He has completely entrusted implementation of all decisions to his son
• The father is counseled by the mother who supplies him with accurate information needed for deciding. She also provides similar counsel to the son for executing the father’s decisions
• The son executes the father’s decisions exactly as willed by the father and receives from the mother, all counsel required.
• The father and son, have full trust in the counsel given by the mother and never doubt her or seek better advice
• The mother supplies ONLY truth to the father and son; she never colors it with her own views
• The son’s only desire is to fulfill the father’s will without any deviation and does it in humble obedience full of sincerity and love and hence the outcome is always perfect
• The father, the mother and the son love one another, trust one another and ALWAYS agree with one another; whatever they possess belongs to all three and whatever they do is just like that of ONE being.

Consider a very simple task – ‘throw’. To perform it, one must firstly know some details like what / where to throw, decide to do it and then do it. This is true of every task and we can easily see that there are three common basic elements that constitute a task – Knowledge, Decision and Implementation. Thus, whenever something is done, it involves discerning, deciding and doing.
The HOLY TRINITY comprises three persons in ONE GODHEAD and this is exactly how they function:
• The Father wills and controls everything for good
• The Son obediently implements the Father’s will, be it creation, redemption or judgment
• The Holy Spirit counsels the Father, the Son and whoever the Father chooses by discerning truth, exposing falsehood and convicting guilt.
… and the three agree as one” (1Jn 5:8)

Your analogy involving knowledge (discernment), decision, and implementation reminds me of the tripartite model in psychology of cognition (knowing, thinking), affect (emotion), and conation (behavior), which are three distinct elements of a unitary process, particularly according to a group of psychologists who belonged to the school of structuralism: Ach, Marbe, and Watt, as well as Kurt Koffka of the Gestalt school. I’m not sure about your family analogy, however, since members of a family are not only distinct but also separate entities or persons although they are connected.

 

[Jerusha]

The cognitive one is also a good analogy. However, the simple old one interferes cognitively with such a modern explanation.

Since I am writing this from a partially Shakespearian perspective, this book books.google.com/books?id=Gqp-vSwG7TsC&pg=PA79&dq=actor+director+trinity+analogy+playwright+Balthasar&hl=en#v=onepage&q=actor%20director%20trinity%20analogy%20playwright%20Balthasar&f=false
seems to cover the actor director playwright analogy well. I have done an interlibrary loan request on it.

It is very difficult for the individual to understand a play from just reading the script. Too many people, for example, see Romeo and Juliet as a romance, rather than as a morality play on the potential tragedy of romance despite family opposition.

The family analogy is weak, too, for the people I am addressing.

 

[Geist]

When explaining the Trinity to non-Catholics, what are the best analogies? I like a triangle; without any part of which it would no longer be a triangle. Then there is St. Patrick’s use of the shamrock. Any other suggestions-- or do all analogies fail in some way or other?

The best I can do, like you is a triangle. I picture an equilateral triangle (where all sides are equal), if you were to look at it from a 2-d perspective, you’d only see one side at a time, yet the other two are there all the same, in one shape.

It also helps to remember God cannot be constrained to our own 3-d understanding, so it helps the analogy a bit in that way.

 

[Pitcharan]

Your analogy involving knowledge (discernment), decision, and implementation reminds me of the tripartite model in psychology of cognition (knowing, thinking), affect (emotion), and conation (behavior), which are three distinct elements of a unitary process, particularly according to a group of psychologists who belonged to the school of structuralism: Ach, Marbe, and Watt, as well as Kurt Koffka of the Gestalt school. I’m not sure about your family analogy, however, since members of a family are not only distinct but also separate entities or persons although they are connected.

The analogy I posted is my own and I never read psychology.

Since we are all created in the image and likeness of God, we are all trinitarian by design. We can easily identify three persons within ourselves. Our spirit counsels, our mind decides and heart (body) does.

 

[mbugal]

**A good analogy is the egg. Its composed of three parts (shell, white and yolk) and without any one of the component parts you no longer have an egg… you may have an omelet, but not an egg. We even use the overall name of “egg” in describing the parts: eggshell, egg white and egg yolk. Similarly we use the overall title “God” to describe the Members of the Trinity: God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.

I hope this helps a little. As has been stated by many no analogy holds up completely since we are trying to expalin an infinite God to the finite mind of man. But this is using the creation to help to point to the Creator just as St. Paul says in Romans 1.**