Scholars in the early Christian Church had to wrestle with passages of Scripture such as this:
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God,
and the Word was God." John 1:1.
Later in this passage, the "Word" (Greek logos) was identified with Jesus Christ, the
"Word made flesh". This presented them with a trilemma:
- The reports from the Apostles in the Gospels clearly taught that Christ was divine.
- The Gospels clearly taught that Christ was human.
- Christ was described as a single person, with one consistent mind and will.
How could all three of these claims be true at the same time?
Attempts to harmonize, explain and formulate a coherent doctrine of the nature(s) of Christ
became a whole field of study called Christology. Over the course of several centuries, every
imaginable combination of ideas were devised and taught. The early church had to decide which
of these were most consistent with the totality of Scripture, and which were to be rejected as
heresies. This they did, in several ecumenical councils. See the 3D Overview
for further information about these developments.
Return to trilogic diagram