MarkBsnr wrote:
“Questions? Well, how about this instead: the nature of Nicene Trinitarianism was not understood by the Apostles and the early Church and most definitely not by Paul. It was developed over 3 1/2 centuries by the Church and declared doctrine at Nicea.”
So, Mark, what are you asserting here? Why don’t you be candid with all of us and just answer these simple questions: Did the Triune God become God in 325 A.D. by virtue of the creed confessing faith in Him formulated at Nicaea? Did no one believe in Him before that? Did no one understand Him to be Triune before that?
This would require you to type three words to respond. Yes/no. Yes/no. Yes/no.
There are no tricks here, just a straight-up request to answer three simple questions, one word each (More if you feel it necessary).
1. No. God IS. Man tries to understand God.
2. The Jews believed in God in BC; after Christ, that belief extended to some of the Greeks and other Gentiles. The beliefs diverged beginning in Acts 2: during and after Pentecost. The expulsion of the Judaizers marked a significant point in the divergence. Paul correcting Peter on Christian versus Jewish practice was another milestone.
3. Not at first. The Jewish Apostles didn't really understand Him to be God at the beginning. If they did, they would not have huddled in fear of the Jews both after the Resurrection and after the Ascension at Pentecost. The writings I have seen indicate a growing awareness of the divinity of Christ and the Trinitarian formula of God which eventually culminated in Nicea.
I hope you have the patience to watch paint peel.