Before councils…Before creeds…Before the word “Trinity” was ever pronounced…
In this third episode of The Mosaic Chat, we return to Roman Judea to explore how a Jewish rabbi from Galilee gave rise to a faith that would transform the Abrahamic landscape.
Jesus of Nazareth speaks of the Kingdom of God, reinterprets the Law through love, and places forgiveness at the center of spiritual life. His death by crucifixion appears as defeat, yet his followers proclaim resurrection. From this conviction emerges a bold claim: that in Jesus, God has entered human history in a new and intimate way.
As the message spreads beyond Israel through figures like Paul of Tarsus, a decisive question arises. If Jesus is more than a prophet, how is he related to the one God of Abraham? The debates that follow will culminate in the great councils of the fourth century, where Christians articulate a formula that will define their faith: one God in three persons : Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
The doctrine of the Trinity is not a departure from monotheism in Christian thought, but an attempt to express divine unity as communion rather than solitude. Yet for Jews and, later, for Muslims, this formulation will appear as a profound rupture.
Here lies one of the central tensions within the Abrahamic world.
Focusing on this moment invites us to see how distinct theological paths emerged from a shared devotion to the One God, and how it continues to shape our understanding of one another.
🎙 A conversation with Pauline Berthaud and Tomer Attias
📖 Inspired by Abramundi: Manifesto for the Creation of an Abrahamic Alliance in the Middle East and North Africa
