That which all Subjects of a Common Group are constituted or made up of
Essence is what causes a Being to be what it is
A being is not said to POSSESS the Essence but IS the Essence
Complete definition of an essence includes All its natural attributes
Removing natural attributes from an essence destroys the definition of that essence
Definition of an essence is made clear by stating what an essence is and not by stating what it is not
This definition is NOT impacted by Accidents (Contingent attributes)
It can also be viewed that contingent attributes are included in the definition of an essence
Using secular methods of categorizing existence is NOT wrong
Synonyms
Being or Existence
Concrete Reality
Hypostasis (archaic)
Nature
Substance
Divine Essence
Synonyms for the Divine Essence
Divinity
Godhead
Principles of the Divine Essence
Able to be Imitated
Able to be Partaken of
Able to be taught by faith and pious reasoning
Eternal, Uncreated, Unoriginate
Incommunicable
NO created being can EVER become constituted of the Divine Essence
Incomprehensible
NOT possible to know WHAT the Divine Essence is
Seeking the definition of the Divine Essence is NOT to be pursued
ONLY the Trinity know WHAT the Divine Essence is
Indivisble
Cannot be broken up into parts
Division of Divine Essence would necessitate that It be incomplete
One
This necessitates that there be One God
This One God is a Triad
It is NOT wrong to confess belief in One God, but better to unfold or expand our confession to clearly note each of the Three Divine Hypostases
This is the Fullness of the Godhead
This is the Perfect Doctrine of the Only True Religion
The Holy Trinity is Father, Son, Holy Spirit
Multiple divine essences would necessitate multiple gods
The Divine Essence is Referred to when naming individual Divine Hypostasis
The Divine Essence is not able to exist or energize contrary to Itself
Hypostasis
Essence (archaic)
Individual Subject
In Most cases, each hypostasis is a portion of essence distinct from another hypostasis constituted of the same essence
MW: This is NOT the case with the Divine Essence
Synonyms
Person
Individual or Personal Existence
Subsistence
An Individual Hypostasis is NOT the same thing as a commonly shared essence
Divine Hypostases
Father
Son
Holy Spirit
Principles of the Divine Hypostases
The Divine Hypostases are all able to be partaken of or participated in
Partaking of One Divine Hypostasis is the same as partaking of any of Them
NO Created Being can cause another created being to partake of God
Divine Hypostases do NOT partake of anything created
The Divine Hypostases are all coessential, connatural, consubstantial, being constituted of the One and Only Divine Essence
This precludes Them from not being equal
This causes Them to be equal in all things
The Divine Hypostases are all complete, perfect or whole
The Divine Hypostases are all constituted of the One Undivided or Unpartitioned Divine Essence
The Divine Hypostases are all coworkers in any and all things
They will NEVER do anything separately EVER
Abilities or Energizations are not divided up among the Divine Hypostases
Assigning specific abilities or energies to individual divine hypostases leads to polytheism
If something is ascribed to a specific Divine Hypostasis, it should be understood as From the Father, Through the Son and In the Holy Spirit
Each Divine Hypostasis can be understood to energize the same energy in a way that varies from the other Divine Hypostases
The formula of HOW They work together is that each Divine Hypostasis has His own Preposition that describes its relationship to the work
From the Father
Through the Son (sometimes By the Son)
In the Holy Spirit
Each Divine Hypostasis having Its own preposition allows for differences and variation for the same energization
Being able to do the same works testifies to the Son being the Father’s Image and Imprint
Being able to do the same works testifies to their being coessential
Each Divine Hypostasis is completely sufficient of Itself to completely accomplish any work
They are equal in all things
Examples
Creating
Sharing Grace (Divine Attributes)
Judging
Purifying
Sanctifying
The Divine Hypostases are all distinct from one another
The Divine Hypostases are all Eternal, Uncreated, Unoriginate
This means before or outside of time
The Son and Holy Spirit are Simultaneously Originate (the Father is their Origin) and yet, NOT Temporally
The Divine Hypostases are all IN each other
The Father is In the Son
The Son is in the Father
The Son is in the Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is in the Father
The Holy Spirit is in the Son
The Divine Hypostases are all indivisible or inseparable from each other
Division of any Divine Hypostasis from each other…
Causes one to be Divided from Life
Causes the Divine Essence to be more than one
Destroys the perfection of the Trinity
Destroys the unity of the Trinity
Necessitates that the Divine Essence has mixed with it an essence that is created and different
Precludes there being only One True God
The Divine Hypostases are all said to be possessed by those who participate in Them
The Divine Hypostases are all simultaneously individually existent with the other Divine Hypostases
The Divine Hypostases are the ONLY Hypostases that can COMPLETELY know each Other.
The Divine Hypostases are all united to each other
Father <—> Son
Father <—> Holy Spirit
Son <—> Holy Spirit
They are NOT able to go above or below Three
They are NOT the Divine Essence
They are NOT duplicates of each Other
Attributes
Descriptive capacities possessed by an essence or individual
Energies
The supplying of an effect
The effect itself
Principles
Attributes can be categorized as:
Essential, Natural, Substantial
Shared and possessed by any and all things constituted of a given essence
These attributes are rooted in the nature and cannot be lost by that nature
These can grow dull if they are not used
Hypostatic
Belonging to specific individuals of a group that is coessential
Hypostatic Attributes of the Holy Trinity
Fatherhood
Only-Begottenness or Sonship
Procession
These are the ONLY differences between the Divine Hypostases
If these are removed, the Divine Hypostases will contract into One
Conditional, Contingent, Dependent or Impermanent (Accidents)
These type of attributes are not inherent to the Essence which they are attached
These can be lost by the Essence or Individual they were in
Losing these does not do any harm to the Essence or Subject
Mutually Exclusive Attributes CANNOT exist simultaneously in the same subject
Attributes are not:
Essences
Individual Hypostases
Self-existent or able to exist independent of an essence or hypostasis
Divine Attributes of the Holy Trinity
All-encompassingness
Authority or Sovereignty
Calmness, Peace, Serenity, Tranquility
Compassion
Completeness, Perfection, Wholeness
Creativity
How God creates is not able to be comprehended
Only the Trinity is able to possess this attribute
Causing something to exist in a given state and restoring this thing back to this state are the same thing
Whatever God wants to create is created immediately in its entirety
Energizing (Able to bring something about)
Eternity or Timelessness
Existence
God can NEVER not exist
His existence is beyond all understanding
Fearlessness
Formlessness or Shapelessness
Freedom
Gentleness
Glory
Godhood (Being Divine)
Goodness
Graciousness (Kindness)
Holiness, Righteousness, Sanctity
Honesty
Humility
Immateriality, Impalpability or Intangibility
Immeasurability
Immortality
Immutability, Inalterability, Unchangeability
Impartiality
Immovability or Impassibility
Imperishability
Incomprehensibility
Incorporeality
Incorruption or Indestructibility
Indescribability, Ineffability, Inexpressibility
Indivisibility
Infiniteness, Limitlessness or Unquantifiability
Invisibility
Only the Trinity can truly see Itself
The Divinity can appear to created beings through Accomodation
This is NOT seeing the Divine Essence itself
The Divine Nature CAN be seen with the soul
This is NOT possible with bodily eyes
This is what it means to gain knowledge of God
Invulnerability
Judgmental (Having the capacity to judge)
Leniency
Life
Light
Longsuffering or Patient
Lordship
Love
Manliness
Mercy
Nobility
Omnipotence
Omnipresence
Omniscience
Purity
Self-existence, Originateness, Subsistence
Self-sufficiency
Sinlessness
Supraessentiality
Supremacy or Transcendence
Truth
Uncompoundedness (Simplicity)
Uncreatedness
Unoriginateness
Unweariedness
Will
Wisdom
Principles of Divine Attributes
The Divine Attributes are a means to contemplate and gain knowledge of God
The Divine Attributes are able to be actualized or not by the Trinity at will
The Divine Attributes are able to be discovered through Holy Scripture
The Divine Attributes are able to be divided up
The Divine Attributes are able to be guarded
The Divine Attributes are able to be increased by those who receive them
The Divine Attributes are able to be manifested:
through an object
towards an object
The Divine Attributes are able to be shared with created beings and become conditional attributes in them
This process is called partaking or participating in
Not ALL of the Divine Attributes are able to be shared with created beings
The Divine Attributes are difficult or hard to innumerate/explain
The Divine Attributes are eternal and uncreated
The Divine Attributes are from God as their Source
The Divine Attributes are immutable or unchangeable
The Divine Attributes are infinite or immeasurable
The Divine Attributes are possessed by the Trinity
The Divine Attributes are said to exist
The Divine Attributes are revealed in Holy Scripture
The Divine Attributes are a Single Instance of each divine attribute and not separate instances of the same divine attribute for each divine Hypostasis
The Divine Attributes are NOT:
The Divine Essence
If the Divine Attributes are the Divine Essence, then it is composite!!!
Divine Hypostases
Principles about energization, partaking, participation or sharing
It cannot occur if one is already constituted of that essence or inherently possesses that essence’s attributes
It can cause one to gain a new title or description
It enables one to escape one’s natural state
Created beings are not able to grant participation in the Divine Nature
Created beings can share some divine attributes with another being THROUGH themselves (e.g. teaching)
A human is not able to share every divine attribute it receives with others
Does NOT change the definition of an essence or its natural state UNLESS these new attributes become inherent in the essence
Is Passive
God shares
Is Active
Accomplished through Free will
Is Reversible (can be lost)
Maintained via
Attentiveness or Watchfulness
Faith
Humility
Holiness, keeping God’s commandments or Love
Purity
Disrupted via
Disbelief
Disobedience or Sin
Negligence
Turning to what is worse
No Created being can EVER inherently possess Divine Attributes
