No, it's technical metaphysical terminology, and translated from Greek, to boot. A "person" is defined as an "individual substance of a rational nature". Think of it as a rational entity who can be identified (and therefore named) uniquely. Human beings are persons, angels are persons (but not human persons; they're angelic persons), and God is three divine persons in one divine substance.
No, it's technical metaphysical terminology, and translated from Greek, to boot. A "person" is defined as an "individual substance of a rational nature". Think of it as a rational entity who can be identified (and therefore named) uniquely. Human beings are persons, angels are persons (but not human persons; they're angelic persons), and God is three divine persons in one divine substance.
Not by any definition I could find...
This is a perfect example of the 'stuff' you guys cook up based on man's flawed wisdom...And Catholics just lay down and believe you...Why??? I guess because someone who sounds intelligent said it...
Metaphysics??? Metaphysics is pure philosophy...Man's flawed wisdom...There's nothing philosophical about God...God is not a philosophy...
It is not easy to say what metaphysics is. Ancient and Medieval philosophers might have said that metaphysics was, like chemistry or astrology, to be defined by its subject matter: metaphysics was the “science” that studied “being as such” or “the first causes of things” or “things that do not change.” It is no longer possible to define metaphysics that way, and for two reasons. First, a philosopher who denied the existence of those things that had once been seen as constituting the subject-matter of metaphysics—first causes or unchanging things—would now be considered to be making thereby a metaphysical assertion. Secondly, there are many philosophical problems that are now considered to be metaphysical problems (or at least partly metaphysical problems) that are in no way related to first causes or unchanging things; the problem of free will, for example, or the problem of the mental and the physical from here
A substance is physical/matter...Therefore if God is a substance, God is physical, a person...
Person=prosōpon=the front (as being towards view), that is, the countenance, aspect, appearance, surface; by implication presence, person:
That gives us 4 in what used to be a Trinity, 5 if you include Mary...
The Bible reveals that the person of God is within the Godhead. The Godhead is known as the holy Trinity. All of God is in the Godhead.
The fullness of the person of God was in Jesus Christ. All of God was in the person of the Lord Jesus. He was the complete fullness of the Godhead. So it has to be 3 divine persons in 1 divine person...
Colossians 2:9 For in him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.
The Father and the Holy Spirit are within Jesus...
Revelation 4:2 And immediately I was in the spirit; and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne.
(3) And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald.
(9) And when those beasts give glory and honour and thanks to him that sat on the throne, who liveth for ever and ever,
(10) The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne,
They worshiped God...They did not worship the substance that was outside the 3 or separate from the 3...The 3 are one-person...
Ephesians 4:6 One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.
It is not God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit...It IS God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit...
It is interesting to note that when those elders are in heaven worshiping God, Jesus the lamb does not come out from the right hand of God...He comes right out of the center of the single throne that is in heaven...Right out of the center of God...
wow ... so sorry
I forgot all about this thread. It dropped away from my recently bookmarked pages and poof ... out of sight, out of mind ... anyhoo...
Campion, part of your reply:
Think of it as a rational entity who can be identified (and therefore named) uniquely. Human beings are persons, angels are persons (but not human persons; they’re angelic persons), and God is three divine persons in one divine substance.
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I still have trouble grasping that concept of “persons”.
I guess because I’m a person, and to me it means a human form, and not a “spiritual” form.
Now you say angels are persons too?
I’ve always looked at them as “spiritual beings” who can appear as a person when they enter “our realm” to interact with us.
Maybe the word “entity” is more appropriate, or does that give it a spooky connotation? ... I dunno peeps ... I’m at a loss here ... sighs and wonders why I still can’t relate to this concept.