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Journal of Unification Studies IOURNAL OF UNIHCATION STUDIES VOWME II 1998 The Unification Doctrine THEODORE T. SHIMMYO of the Trinity Amorous Archons in Eden and Corinth ROBERTM. PRICE "A Friendly Biography MICHAEL L. MICKLER About an Extraordinary Man": Michael Breen's Sun Myung Moon: The Early Years, 1920-53 A Study of the Formation and History dIN-CHOON KIM of the Unification Principle A Reappraisal of Typologies of YOSHIHIKO MASUDA New Religious Movements and Characteristics of the Unification Church American Democracy GORDON L. ANDERSON and the True Society Visions of the Spirit World: Sang Hun Lee's ANDREW WILSON Life in the Spirit World and on Earth Spiritualists' Compared with Other Accounts R SSERV] Editor: Andrew Wilson Editorial Board: Michael Mickler Theodore Shimmyo Andrew Wilson Production Editor: Jonathan Gullery The Journal ofUnification Studies, a journal of the Unification Theological Seminary, is a forum for committed engagement with Unification theology and practice, addressing concerns of the theo logical community and the professional ministry. To clarify founda tional issues in Unification theology, the Journal of Unification Studies welcomes commentary and critical studies of texts and doc trines, as well as historical studies of the Unification Church and the life of its founder. To promote dialogue and understanding, it invites papers from diverse viewpoints which engage Unificationist themes, as well as papers which build bridges to other communities of faith. To foster living spirituality it welcomes essays discussing the rela tionship between theology and practice. To address contemporary social, cultural, political, scientific and economic issues from a Unificationist perspective, the journal solicits social commentaries and reviews of current books, films and media. The Journal ofUnification Studies is published annually by the Unification Theological Seminary, 10 Dock Road, Barrytown, New York, 12507. Annual subscription rates are $10 in the United States, $14 overseas, and $15 for institutions; discounts are available for multiple issues. Make checks payable to the Unification Theological Seminary To order call 914-752-3013. Submissions and inquiries may be sent to the editor by mail at the above address, or by e-mail at [email protected]. ISSN: 1097-1769 1999 Unification Theological Seminary Printed in Canada Journal of Unification Studies Vol. II 1998 Articles The Unification Doctrine of the Trinity Theodore T. Shimmyo 1 Amorous Archons in Eden and Corinth Robert M. Price 19 "A Friendly Biography About an Extraordinary Man": Michael Breen's Sun Myung Moon: The Early Years, 1920-53 Michael L. Mickler 35 A Study of the Formation and History of the Unification Principle Jin-choon Kim 49 A Reappraisal of Typologies of New Religious Movements and Characteristics of the Unification Church Yoshihiko Masuda 7 I American Democracy and the True Society Gordon L. Anderson 95 Visions of the Spirit World: Sang Hun Lee's Life in the Spirit World and on Earth Spiritualists' Compared with Other Accounts Andrew Wilson 123 Book Reviews The Ideal in the World's Religions: Essays on the Person, Family, Society and Environment, edited by Robert Carter and Sheldon Isenberg Robert M. Price 149 Principled Education, by Mose Durst Kathy Winings 153 Boundless as the Sea: A Guide to Family Love, by June Saunders Dieitrich Seidel 155 Editor: Andrew Wilson Editorial Board: Michael Mickler Theodore Shimmyo Andrew Wilson Production Editor: Jonathan Gullery The Journal ofUnification Studies, a journal of the Unification Theological Seminary, is a forum for committed engagement with Unification theology and practice, addressing concerns of the theo logical community and the professional ministry. To clarify founda tional issues in Unification theology, the Journal of Unification Studies welcomes commentary and critical studies of texts and doc trines, as well as historical studies of the Unification Church and the life of its founder. To promote dialogue and understanding, it invites papers from diverse viewpoints which engage Unificationist themes, as well as papers which build bridges to other communities of faith. To foster living spirituality, it welcomes essays discussing the rela tionship between theology and practice. To address contemporary social, cultural, political, scientific and economic issues from a Unificationist perspective, the journal solicits social commentaries and reviews of current books, films and media. The Journal ofUnification Studies is published annually by the Unification Theological Seminary 10 Dock Road, Barrytown, New York, 12507. Annual subscription rates are $10 in the United States, $14 overseas, and $15 for institutions; discounts are available for multiple issues. Make checks payable to the Unification Theological Seminary. To order call 914-752-3013. Submissions and inquiries may be sent to the editor by mail at the above address, or by e-mail at [email protected]. ISSN: 1097-1769 1999 Unification Theological Seminary Printed in Canada THE UNIFICATION DOCTRINE OF THE TRINITY Theodore T. Shimmyo The doctrine of the Trinity is one of the most difficult and mysterious "trinity" Christian doctrines. For one thing, the word is not found in the Bible. Although the New Testament many times refers to the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit together as a group, nowhere can we find the word "trinity" "Trinity" to describe their relations. is a technical term coined in a later era. Theophilus of Antioch in the second century was the first to use the word trias in Greek, and Tertullian in the beginning of the third century used the word trinitas in Latin. Since the doctrine of the Trinity is a central doctrine in Christianity, we are willing to make a concession and accept this non-biblical term as author itative. But there is yet a second difficulty even more disturbing than the first, for the word contains a numerical contradiction. The contradiction is evident when the word intends to say that the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are each God, and also at the same time that there is only one God. The three are equal to the one. This is beyond intellectual comprehension. Hence the doc trine of the Trinity has been called a mysterium logicum. Thomas Aquinas decided that this doctrine belongs to revealed theology which is to be accept ed by faith beyond reason. The doctrine of the Trinity is thus truly difficult to comprehend. Despite its central position in Christian theology, therefore, it has long tended not to be dealt with very openly. In the words of a contemporary Catholic theolo gian, "Among the doctrines and symbols of Christianity perhaps none has Trinity" been subject to theological neglect as that of the due to its received mystery.' status as a According to another contemporary theologian, one wide- Dr. Theodore T. Shimmyo is the President of the Unification Theological Seminary, where he is Associate Professor of Theology. His recent publications include Explorations in Unificationism (1997) co-edited with David A. Carlson. Dr. Shimmyo is a member of the Karl Barth Society of North America. Iournal oi' Unification Studiks Vol. II, 1998 l 2 Journal of Unification Studies spread reaction to the doctrine of the Trinity today is "one of hostility dis indifference" missal or because this inherited dogma is "of no interest or rel evance to the modern mind."2 The present essay will attempt to solve the mystery of the doctrine of the Trinity, first by analyzing why it became a mystery historically, and then by Trinity3 explaining the Unification doctrine of the which offers a good solu tion. By so doing, we aim to restore the original central importance of the Christian doctrine of the Trinity, which should never be abandoned as an unintelligible or troublesome thing. We must reach its essence and under stand what it was intended to explain. If we do so, we will be able to see what Christianity originally sought to accomplish through this doctrine. In this century, theologians including Karl Barth, Karl Rahner and Jiirgen Moltmann revived the doctrine of the Trinity by making it more relevant to the domain of creation. This was an important phenomenon from the stand point of restoring the original importance of the doctrine. Hence, the present essay will also assess and appreciate their new views on the Trinity from the viewpoint of the Unification doctrine of the Trinity. 1. Why the Doctrine of the Trinity Became a Mystery The reason the doctrine of the Trinity became a mystery, beyond intel lectual comprehension, stems from the Church's combat with the two here sies of Monarchianism in the third century. Monarchianism, in describing the relations of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, sought to defend the unity of God and his sole rule or monarchy (monarchia). In so doing, it had as its laudable motive to combat the errors of pagan polytheism. Unfortunately, perhaps even because of its good motive, Monarchianism ended up being heretical. Monarchianism had two different schools: Modalistic Monarchianism and Dynamistic Monarchianism. Their positions can be described concisely as follows: Modalistic Monarchianism defended the unity of God by maintaining that the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are three different successive modes of one and the same God. As modes of God the three are all one and the same and equally divine. By con trast, Dynamistic Monarchianism defended the unity of God by regarding the Father alone as God and deciding that the Son and the Holy Spirit are mere ly creatures, although very close to God. Modalistic Monarchianism, because of its teaching of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit as three successive modalities of the same God, held that God the Father suffered as the Son at the time of the crucifixion. Hence this Monarchian school is also called Patripassianism. Dynamistic Monarchianism asserted that the Son, a created man subordinate to God the Father, received a power (dynamis) from the Father at the time of his baptism to be adopted as the Son of God.
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