Robert takes time to review the course and answer some lingering questions.

Extra Notes:

The passages read from Gregory of Nazianzus (AD 329-390), which were quoted from this book. Robert is fairly confident the first one is translated in its entirety in this book, but unable to verify. The second one can be found at the end of paragraph XLI here: https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/310240.htm.

“From the day whereon I renounced the things of the world to consecrate my soul to luminous and heavenly contemplation, when the supreme intelligence carried me hence to set me down far from all that pertains to the flesh, to hide me in the secret places of the heavenly tabernacle; from that day my eyes have been blinded by the Trinity, whose brightness surpasses all that the mind can conceive; for from a throne high exalted the Trinity pours upon all, the ineffable radiance common to the Three. This is the source of all that is here below, separated by time from the things on high. . . . From that day forth I was dead to the world and the world was dead to me.” (Poemata de seipso 1)

“No sooner do I conceive of the One than I am illumined by the Splendour of the Three; no sooner do I distinguish Them than I am carried back to the One. When I think of any One of the Three I think of Him as the Whole, and my eyes are filled, and the greater part of what I am thinking of escapes me. I cannot grasp the greatness of That One so as to attribute a greater greatness to the Rest. When I contemplate the Three together, I see but one torch, and cannot divide or measure out the Undivided Light.” (Oration 40)

Robert discusses different people throughout history that have taught on the Holy Sirit.

Extra Notes:

• Tertullian of Carthage’s (AD 155-220) letter Against Praxeas can be found here: https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/0317.htm.
• Augustine’s (AD 354-430) work on the Trinity can be found here: https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/1301.htm. Be advised that it isn’t easy reading! The sections on the psychological analogy can be found in Book 9.
• John of Damascus' (AD 675-749) On the Orthodox Faith can be found here: https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/3304.htm. His fire and sun analogies can be found in Book 1, chapter 8.
• Peter Lombard’s (1096-1160) Sentences are unavailable online currently, but an outline of the first volume on the Trinity can be found here: https://franciscan-archive.org/lombardus/I-Sent.html. You can also purchase two pages of an 13th century copy of it from Christie’s for about $6,000 here if you are so inclined: https://www.christies.com/en/lot/lot-6217487. Or you can just use their digital viewer…!

In this episode, Robert argues the Biblical case for the existence of the Holy Spirit.

Extra Info:

The biblical summaries Robert quoted from St. Athanasius (AD 298-374) can be found below. The entire work is worth scanning for interest if time allows. Left column is your contents, middle column is English translation, and right column is Greek.

• OT references: https://catholiclibrary.org/library/view?docId=/Synchronized-EN/npnf.Athanasius.EpistlestoSerapion.en.html;chunk.id=00000013
• NT references: https://catholiclibrary.org/library/view?docId=/Synchronized-EN/npnf.Athanasius.EpistlestoSerapion.en.html;chunk.id=00000015 

• Here is a trustworthy English translation with an introduction by C. S. Lewis: https://a.co/d/ise5AD4. 
• Here is an online version: https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/2802.htm. 

• Philip Yancey, The Bible Jesus Read: https://a.co/d/1d5RypE 
• R. T. France, Jesus and the Old Testament: https://a.co/d/6M1ZyMu 

• Hard copy: https://a.co/d/dzie0Ws
• Online: https://a.co/d/dzie0Ws 

In this episode, Robert discusses the evidence produced in the Bible that shows Jesus as God AND God's son.

Extra Notes:

• A short article on the title “Son of Man,” Jesus’ preferred term for himself, can be found here: https://www.desiringgod.org/interviews/why-is-jesus-called-son-of-man.
• All the information you could ever want to know about the Council of Chalcedon in AD 451 can be found here: https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/03555a.htm, including the different heresies discussed (docetism, Apollinarianism, Nestorianism, monophysitism, etc.) 
• The study mentioned, “The State of Theology,” conducted by LifeWay Research and Ligonier Ministries, can be found here: https://thestateoftheology.com/. The specific data about Jesus’ divinity can be found here: https://bit.ly/48AzaGq.
• Statistics about increasing suicide rates can be found here: https://www.cdc.gov/suicide/suicide-data-statistics.html. The specific statistic about the outsized rate among young males ages 15-24, our "up-and-coming bearers of new life," can be found here: https://www.cdc.gov/suicide/suicide-data-statistics.html. 

In this episode, Robert discusses scripture that references God the Father and what that means for the Trinity. 

Extra Notes:

• The passages from Isaiah Robert read are Isaiah 1:2, 63:15-16, and 64:7-8.

• The NT Scriptures Robert referred to where Paul identifies God the Father as “God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ” are 2 Cor. 1:3, Ephesians 1:3 and 1:7, Colossians 1:3, and 1 Peter 1:3. 
• Some info on Sabellius and modalism can be found here: https://justinholcomb.com/2010/06/23/sabellius-know-your-heretics/. 
• Artistic examples of the importance of Mary in early Christian thought, specifically depictions of Pentecost:
  • https://bit.ly/3Ppjddd
  • https://bit.ly/3Pr4yhB
  • https://bit.ly/3ZqpeuG
  • https://bit.ly/3Zx5J3S
• Artistic examples of Mary and the child Jesus:
  • https://bit.ly/3RzXG4p
  • https://bit.ly/3rf3J3B
  • https://bit.ly/3rmQgGQ
• The closing prayer is again from the Synekdemos*. It was taken from the “Prayers before Sleep,” and the full version can be found here: https://www.goarch.org/-/prayers-before-sleep. 
  • "At all times and in every hour, you are worshiped and glorified in heaven and on earth, Christ our God. Long in patience, great in mercy and compassion, you love the righteous and show mercy to sinners. You call all to salvation through the prom­ise of good things to come. Lord, receive our prayers at the present time. Direct our lives according to your commandments. Sanctify our souls. Purify our bodies. Set our minds aright. Cleanse our thoughts and deliver us from all sorrow, evil, and distress. Surround us with your holy an­gels that, guarded and guided by their host, we may arrive at the unity of the faith and the understanding of your ineffable glory. For you are blessed to the ages of ages. Amen.”

* This prayer was edited out of the recording due to quality issues. This note is left as a general reference to this powerful prayer.

Robert discusses how the teachings about the Trinity split the early church. 

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Extra Notes:

Much of the history of what was covered can be found in Eusebius of Caesarea’s (AD 260s-339) Ecclesiastical History. Thank you Mr. George Roberts for raising this question. Much of our knowledge of Constantine also comes from the EH. It is very lengthy but can be found online in its entirety at https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/2501.htm. A hard copy is available at https://a.co/d/1eU137j.

The history of the 12 apostles is included in the EH but is also digested here: https://www.goarch.org/-/the-basic-sources-of-the-teachings-of-the-eastern-orthodox-chur-1. Please be advised that the descriptions of their martyrdoms are graphic.

A summary of the seven ecumenical councils is available here: https://www.saintjohnchurch.org/quick-facts-7-ecumenical-councils/. A full English translation is available here: https://archive.org/details/sevenecumenicalc00perc/page/n7/mode/2up. Thank you Mr. Rex Thompson for raising this question!

The beliefs of Arius Robert read from can be found here: https://www.fourthcentury.com/arius-thalia-greek/. A version of Athanasius of Alexandria’s creed in response to Arius can be found here: https://www.rca.org/about/theology/creeds-and-confessions/the-athanasian-creed/.

Robert closed by mentioning an 8th-century Latin hymn titled “Ubi Caritas." The text can be found here: https://www.preces-latinae.org/thesaurus/Hymni/UbiCaritas.html. An audio version of the hymn can be heard here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ej8VvT3g2MA. We recommend listening while following the text. 

Robert argues the case for the existence of the Trinity and its presence in the Bible despite never being properly named. 

For more podcasts and resources like this, visit linktr.ee/MarvinChurch

Extra Notes:

Robert's opening prayer is known as St. Patrick’s Breastplate. It is a lengthy prayer of protection. St. Patrick (AD 400s) was an early missionary to the British Isles, and the Methodist tradition can be traced back to him, and even earlier than him. So he is “one of us” so to speak. There are different versions of the prayer, but the one Robert read from tonight is taken from here: https://bit.ly/45UXJM1. Here is another version: https://bit.ly/3Pk0n8u. 

Here are the OT passages referred to to demonstrate the presence of the triunity of God in the OT

• • Genesis 1:1-4 (compare John 1:1-5)
  • Genesis 1:26-28
  • Genesis 18:1-3 
    • Here is the original icon Robert mentioned by Andrei Rublev from the early 1400s: https://bit.ly/3OZC9il 
    • Here is another version: https://bit.ly/47MKHlk 
  • Genesis 32:24-30
  • Psalm 110:1-5 (compare Hebrews 7:15-22)

Here are the OT passages referred to regarding the mysterious “angel of the Lord” figure in the OT and how interchangeable he is with God himself:

• • • Genesis 16:7-11
    • Genesis 22:9-12, 15-18
    • Exodus 3:1-6
    • Numbers 22:21-24
    • Judges 6:21-24
    • 1 Kings 19:4-8
    • 1 Chronicles 21:16-17

Here are the NT passages referred to:

• • • • Matthew 3:13-17
      • John 1:1-5
      • John 14:15-21 (part of Jesus’ Farewell Discourse, which is chaps. 13-16)
      • John 17:21-24 (Jesus' “High Priestly Prayer”)

Tonight’s closing prayer was taken from the Orthodox Syndekemos (literally translated, “Traveling Companion”). The hard copy Robert uses can be found at https://a.co/d/1WuUu84. An free online version can be found here: https://bit.ly/3EhkMES. 

For more podcasts and resources like this, visit linktr.ee/MarvinChurch