However, in Orthodox icon painting there are images deep meaning which are not so easy to immediately understand.

One such example is the icon of the Holy Trinity. Not only are there several various options this image, it is still not always clear who exactly is depicted on it. Let's try to understand this difficult theological issue.

Who is the Holy Trinity and what are its icons?

The dogma of the unity of the Holy Trinity is one of the most complex and at the same time fundamental postulates Orthodox faith. According to him, we believe in One God, who is represented in three persons or hypostases - God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit. Each of the hypostases is God, and God inextricably contains all three persons. There is no hierarchy in the Trinity; God the Son is God to the same extent as God the Father or God the Holy Spirit.

Icon Holy Trinity

It is beyond the power of a simple layman to fully understand this teaching; the best theologians of the entire Christian world are racking their brains over this. For an ordinary ordinary person who believes in our Lord Jesus Christ, it is enough to understand that the One God has three persons, each of which is equally God. Canonically, icons can only depict what was revealed to people. Thus, it was revealed to humanity big miracle to behold the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, therefore we have a large number of icons with his holy face.

About the icons of Jesus Christ:

As for God the Father and God the Holy Spirit, apparently they never appeared to people. There are places in the Bible where the Lord sent his voice from Heaven, and also the Holy Spirit descended in the form of a dove. These are all physical manifestations of the other two hypostases that humanity has. In this regard, there is no icon that in its natural form would depict the Holy Trinity (as, for example, there are icons of Christ that reliably repeat His appearance).

All images of the Trinity are deeply symbolic and carry a great theological load. One of the most famous images is “The Hospitality of Abraham.” It depicts a scene from the book of Genesis when the Lord appeared to Abraham in the guise of three angels. It was then that one of the angels announced to Abraham about the imminent birth of his son.

In this image we see three angels sitting at a table and Abraham and Sarah serving them. In the background you can see the Oak of Mamre, the home of Abraham himself, and the mountains. The essence of this image is that symbolically the secret of the Trinity Lord was revealed to Abraham and Sarah in the guise of three angels.

Appearance of the Holy Trinity to Abraham

Icon of St. Andrei Rublev

The essence of the Trinitarian Divine nature is most fully revealed in the image of St. Andrei Rublev. Perhaps this is the most famous and revered icon of the Holy Trinity in our church. The artist abandons the images of Abraham and Sarah, the angels sit alone at the table. They no longer eat the food, but seem to bless it. And there is no food as such on the table anymore - only one cup remains, which symbolizes communion and the Holy Gifts.

Many researchers have tried to unravel the order in which the Monk Andrei Rublev depicted each hypostasis of the Lord. Most experts agreed that in order to emphasize the unity of the Trinity, the artist did not indicate where anyone is depicted.

By and large, for a simple Christian believer it makes no difference where each entity is located. We still pray to the One God, and it is impossible to pray to the Son without also praying to the Father or the Holy Spirit. Therefore, when looking at an icon, it is best to perceive the image as a whole, without dividing it into three different figures.

Even the image itself seems to emphasize the unity of all the characters - the figures of all three angels fit into an invisible circle. In the middle is the Cup, which symbolically points to Christ's Sacrifice for all mankind.

It is necessary to mention that there are various non-canonical attempts to depict the three hypostases of God. The mystery of the Christian understanding of God has always attracted many researchers, and they did not always coordinate their views with the canons of Orthodoxy. Therefore, believers should carefully avoid being carried away by such images. You cannot find such icons in churches; you don’t need to have them at home either.

Icon of the Most Holy Trinity by St. Andrei Rublev

Where should the icon of the Holy Trinity be located and how to pray in front of it

If we talk about temples, then in most of them you can find this holy image. If the temple is consecrated in honor of the Holy Trinity, then the main icon will be on the lectern, in a prominent place. Any Christian believer can come to such a temple and venerate the shrine.

Before the image, prayers can be served, and water can be blessed. Such small services give great consolation to the Orthodox who pray at them for what concerns their souls. You can submit notes with the names of relatives and friends, then the priest will offer petitions to God and for them.

Important! The basis of any prayer service is not the fact of submitting a note with names, but a sincere appeal to God by a believer. Therefore, it is very advisable to attend the prayer service in person.

You can have the icon of the Holy Trinity at home, so that in your personal home prayer turn to the Lord. For this home, you can equip special shelves for images - home iconostasis. All the icons in the family are placed on it. It is worth remembering that when decorating the iconostasis, the central place should be occupied by the icons of the Lord and the Blessed Virgin Mary, followed by the saints revered in the family.

By Christian tradition It is customary to install all iconostases on the eastern wall or corner of the house. However, if for some objective reasons this cannot be done (for example, the eastern side is occupied by a large window or door), then there is no sin in placing home shrines in any other suitable place.

The main rule is that the attitude towards the place where the images are stored should be reverent. You need to keep it clean, wipe off dust in a timely manner, and change napkins. It is completely unacceptable when the owners maintain order, for example, in the kitchen, but at the same time the sacred corner looks neglected and unkempt.

Icon of the Holy Trinity

What does an icon help with?

In near-Christian circles one can often come across the opinion that one can pray in front of certain shrines strictly on certain issues. You can often hear such advice even in front of experienced parishioners and old-timers of churches. This approach does not entirely correctly reflect the essence of the Orthodox faith.

About other famous Orthodox icons:

In all troubles and sorrows in which we ask for spiritual help, only the Lord God can give us an answer. The saints are our helpers who, together with us, can ask the Lord to give us everything we need for our lives. It’s just that a tradition has developed that prayers in front of certain images help in a given situation. But this is not a strict rule, and a person in front of any icon can ask for anything.

Important! The belief that help comes precisely from the icon in front of which a person prays is a pagan approach and distorts the essence of the Orthodox faith.

Therefore, praying in front of the icon of the Holy Trinity at home or in church, a person can ask for everything that lies in his soul. You just have to remember that you cannot go to the Lord with sinful thoughts, dishonest or obviously bad requests.

Most of the holy fathers of the church say that real prayer is one that does not ask for anything, but only thanks God and entrusts His concern for human life. The Gospel says that not even a hair will fall from a person’s head unless he is God's Will. Therefore, it is best to stand before the shrine with a repentant heart, humility, and the desire to correct your life according to God’s will. Such an appeal will always be heard and a person will feel grace and spiritual help in life.

Video about the icon of the Holy Trinity by Andrei Rublev

Hello dear Anatoly. I wanted to know why at the very beginning morning rule we say “In the Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen"? What do these words mean and what should a Christian put into them and what experiences should be in the heart? Alexey Gribanov. Vorone and

« In the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, Amen“—with these great and holy words, in which we invoke the Most Holy Trinity, not only the prayer rule begins, but also every service, any prayer, pastoral sermon and in general everything that is in one way or another connected with the Lord. The Savior revealed these words to us, commanding the apostles to preach the Gospel throughout the whole earth and to baptize people in the Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. In essence, these words can be called a dogmatic expression of the consubstantiality of the Trinity. The Lord commands to baptize not in the Name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, but in the Name, indicating that all Three have one Name - Father, Son and Holy Spirit, therefore, the Trinity is one God. We believe that God is one, but in three persons: the first Person is God the Father, the second Person is God the Son and the third Person is God the Holy Spirit. All three Persons are entitled to equal power, honor and worship.

These words must be pronounced slowly, with special reverence and a feeling close to solemnity. You pronounce the Name of God, you pronounce the Dogma of the Church. If you were baptized at a conscious age, then it would be good to remember the moment when God opened the Church doors to you with Holy Baptism in the “Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.” In these words is born new person- a man of God. These are the first words that we hear when we become members of the Church, and God grant that they become a worthy completion of our Christian journey. From the moment the priest baptized us in the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, these words accompany us throughout our lives. We hear these words from our mother’s lips when she teaches us to make the sign of the cross with our childish hand. She will pronounce these same words, blessing us with her mother’s blessing for marriage. With these words we invisibly receive Divine grace through the blessing of the priest. With these words we sign ourselves with the sign of the cross. In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, we shade our paths, bless food and begin every good deed. What is so special hidden in these amazing words? Elder John Krestyankin said this: “ God's grace is the shrine, strength and strength that is hidden in the words of this prayer and in sign of the cross accompanying her. The actions of all three Persons of the Most Holy Trinity come into force in this prayer. What God the Father was pleased to have, what the Son of God fulfilled in Himself, the Holy Spirit descends in us, the believers, to appropriate. And this prayer sounds both as our confession of God and as our sermon about faith. And a small prayer invisibly does a great job, sanctifying every human undertaking, giving it great power to become a sacrifice to God, and at the same time sanctifying the one who makes this sacrifice.<…>Let us always remember that this prayer is that saving seal that seals those who receive it for salvation; - it is the key that opens the mind and all the powers of the soul to the acceptance of the Word of God; - she is a guard who protects the purity of the soul, mind and heart. My dears, let us consciously and thoughtfully accept God’s gift - the sanctity of this prayer - both at the dawn of the beginning of the day, when it places us before the icons for the morning worship of God, and throughout the day, asking for God’s blessing for all our spiritual and everyday needs, and with it Let us begin our evening sacrifice to God before going to bed. "In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit" , - sounds And With pulpit any once, calling attention is our To hearingsermons about God, about shrines, about saints". (Collected sermons of John (Krestyankin). Instead of the Preface)

Don't rush to say these words. Treat these words as a shrine no less than an icon or holy relics. They must be pronounced with the fear of God, since, according to the teaching of the Fathers, great grace is hidden in these words. These words alone already sanctify our entire day. Saying these words, at least for a while, give your mind and heart to the Most Holy Trinity, as if in an endless embrace loving Father. But according to the teaching of the Fathers of the Church, in no case should you imagine God, no matter how you would like to do this. God is invisible and incomprehensible, but in prayer it is enough to remember His greatness.

In general, speaking about the images and experiences experienced during prayer, it should be said that the Church forbids paying attention to different kinds experiences. In prayer you need to look for only one thing - repentance and crying for sins. Some Christians, having fallen under the influence of sectarian preachers, begin to look for “revelations” in prayer and constantly listen to themselves and their thoughts. The Holy Fathers strictly forbid accepting any thoughts that arise during prayer, be they good, neutral or downright bad. The same applies to elevated states. Such exalted states, which are written about in the books of the great hesychasts, were granted to only a few from the entire Christian world. Spiritual experiences, if truly given by God, are completely unlike anything else. Even the very state of the Fear of God is so unlike anything on earth that it cannot even be compared with anything. Saint Ignatius Brianchaninov says so: “The fear of God cannot be likened to any feeling of the flesh, even sincere person. The fear of God is a completely new feeling. The fear of God is the action of the Holy Spirit." So, in everything that concerns spiritual life. So never expect any worries or high states, but as St. John Climacus taught – “ Reject incoming joy with the hand of humility, so as not to be deceived».

The phrase “in the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit” is crowned with the word “Amen.” It should be said that this word, like a number of others (for example, Hallelujah) have not been translated into Russian, but are presented to us in the version they sound in Hebrew. “Amen” is a very multifaceted word in its meaning. In various contexts it can be translated as “firm”, “reliable”, “constant”, as well as “so be it”, “truly”, “indisputably”, etc.

The first word "Amen" in Holy Scripture used in the book of Numbers. In the fifth chapter, Moses the Seer of God describes a ritual that clearly revealed his wife’s infidelity. The Law says that a husband who suspected his wife of cheating had the right to contact a priest with a request to perform a special ritual. The ritual was that the husband had to offer barley flour as a sacrifice of jealousy for his wife. The priest poured into an earthen vessel blessed water and he put there the earth taken from the floor of the tabernacle. Then he uncovered the woman’s head and gave her an offering in her hands and pronounced a curse saying - if you did not cheat on your husband, then this water will not harm you, and if you cheated, then the Lord will give you over to curse and your womb will be fallen, and belly swollen, and you will be cursed among the people. So, agreeing to such a terrible action, the woman had to say twice - AMEN, AMEN, which was, as it were, an aggravated oath and consent to such a Judgment of God.

IN Old Testament the word "Amen" was used as a spiritual formula for approval or agreement. A notable example is Deuteronomy 27. This chapter describes the ceremony of pronouncing curses on those who disobey the law - “The Levites will cry out and say to all Israel with a loud voice: Cursed is he who makes a carved or cast image, an abomination to the Lord, the work of an artist, and places it in secret place! All the people will shout and say: Amen. Cursed be he who curses his father or his mother! And all the people will say: Amen. Cursed be he who trespasses his neighbor's boundaries! And all the people will say: Amen,” etc.

All this indicates that the word “Amen” is used as a kind of spiritual seal, our consent or expression of will to accept responsibility before God in the hope that our prayer will be fulfilled or heard. An example is the Lord's Prayer. What we said at the end of the prayer “Amen” means not only our request, but also our agreement to leave debts to our offenders, so that the Lord will forgive us our sins. That is, we give our consent to God, we promise God to do what is said in the prayer. In this sense, “Amen” is more than just a promise to God, it is rather a consolidation, a kind of spiritual seal.

In the works of Vladimir Ivanovich Dahl, the author of the Explanatory Russian Dictionary, I found an ancient Russian saying: “ Amenem doesn't get things done"(i.e., in words alone, promises). This indicates that in the old days the word “Amen” was understood exactly as in the case of the prayer “,” that is, a Christian not only asks, but is also ready for action.

In the New Testament, the word “Amen” is used as a sign of confirmation and agreement at the end of the doxology. For example, the words of the Apostle Paul - “They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature instead of the Creator, who is blessed forever, amen” (Rom. 1:25). In this case, the word “Amen” is said in the same sense as at the beginning of the prayer book. That is, when we say – “In the Name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen,” then “Amen” here will mean nothing more than steadfastness and certainty.

Anatoly Badanov
missionary administrator
project “I Breathe Orthodoxy”

Perhaps everyone knows what the Holy Trinity is. By this concept they mean the triune God - the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit (it is sometimes referred to as the Holy Trinity). But what does this mean - in other words, how can one God manifest himself in three persons at once?

A detailed answer to this question, a first-hand comment from a church representative - all this can be found in the material.

The Trinity is the basic concept of God in the Christian religion. It means that God has three persons (sometimes they are also called hypostases):

• God the Father;
• God the Son (Jesus Christ);
• God the Holy Spirit.

These persons appear in the history of mankind sequentially, one after another - first the Father created heaven and earth and everything in them. Then the Son came to save sinful humanity. And on the fiftieth day after it physical death The Holy Spirit descended to earth. This means the arrival of a grace-filled time when every person can receive forgiveness and salvation through sincere repentance in prayer.

Moreover, in reality, all three persons have a single nature and exist without beginning and without end. Interestingly, a certain hint of this can be seen on the very first page of the Bible.

The book of Genesis (chapter 1) describes the process of creation of the world step by step. Everyone knows the phrase “And God said... and it was so.” First light appeared, then land, oceans, vegetation, animals. Finally, the sixth day came - it was the man’s turn.

And at this point the attentive reader will easily notice a peculiar surprise:

And God said: Let us make man in Our image and after Our likeness, and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that moves on the earth.

How so? Up to this point, God had not spoken to anyone, he simply gave orders and created the heavens and earth, as well as living beings. When we talk about the creation of man, God is clearly addressing someone.

Here it is - the first mention of the Trinity in the Bible: even on the basis of this place, you can understand what it means (both in Orthodoxy and in Christian teaching in general).

The Holy Trinity is God, who exists without beginning and without end. However, many people still find it difficult to understand what the Trinity is in Orthodoxy and in Christianity in general.

In other words, how can it be that three persons represent one God? This is not the person’s fault - the voice of reason often dominates faith and wants to receive only specific, clear answers: 1 day, 2 kilograms, 3 kilometers, etc.

The idea of ​​the trinity of God does not fit into a logical framework. After all, mathematics is an exact science that says that one is one, and three is three. But the fact of the matter is that faith is not mathematics.

Moreover, the nature of God and his powers in many ways remain a great mystery to man. By the way, science also has its own “big” mysteries - for example, where did humanity come from, for what purpose did it appear on earth. If we look carefully at our life, we will discover one curious fact: there are many more questions in it than answers.

Moreover we're talking about not only about important tasks, but even about everyday everyday matters. Sometimes even the simplest action makes a person a little dumbfounded. What can we say about the mysteries of the Universe, and even more so about the secrets associated with its Creator?

Yes, God is one, but at the same time he manifests himself in three persons. However, even on our planet we can find many examples that at least well illustrate this analogy. For example, water can be steam, ice, or liquid - and this is the only substance that, under terrestrial conditions, can be in 3 states at once. And at the same time, water remains water, its nature is one.

Here is another example - the rainbow with its endless number of tones and halftones. Until now, no one has been able to “take it apart” into parts, but this is not required: only a combination of colors can be recognized as a rainbow. And individually, each of them is nothing more than a shade of one tone or another.

And many more such examples can be given. But their essence is the same: the same nature of things, and at the same time – their different manifestations. This means that the Holy Trinity is one God, manifested in three persons.

Therefore, the question of what the Holy Trinity is in Orthodoxy or in Christianity in general can be answered very briefly: this is God.

What does the Holy Trinity mean in Orthodoxy: the priest’s answer

A detailed video commentary by the priest about who the Holy Trinity is and what the Holy Trinity means in Christianity can be seen here.

History and significance of the Feast of the Holy Trinity

The holiday of the same name is celebrated in honor of the Holy Trinity. It is traditionally celebrated on the 50th day after Easter (i.e. it also always falls on Sunday).

It is interesting that the word “Trinity” itself appeared after the writing of the Bible and even after the earthly life of Christ - it was introduced into circulation by the ancient Greek clergyman Theophilus of Antioch back in the 2nd century AD. And the idea of ​​the trinity of God arose even earlier - it began with a story that happened exactly 50 days after the resurrection of Jesus.

During his lifetime, the Savior promised that after his death the Holy Spirit would definitely descend to earth. Most likely, people did not fully understand his words then. Then quite a lot of events took place - dramatic and festive. First, as you know, the Lord entered Jerusalem (on this day we celebrate Palm Sunday), then died and rose again (Easter), and 40 days later he went to heaven (Ascension).

And on the fiftieth day, several apostles, disciples of Jesus, gather together in one house in Jerusalem. The Bible says this quite beautifully (Acts 1:14):

They were all unanimously together.

These people gathered because they followed Christ. Whether they were waiting for the fulfillment of the prophecy about the Holy Spirit or not, at that moment a real miracle happened.

A very loud noise was heard in the sky, like thunder or, as we would say today, the rumble of a low-flying plane. However, no one was afraid of this. And suddenly, at some point, a flame lit up above the head of each apostle. At the same time, those gathered began to speak in different languages, which were actually used by many surrounding peoples of that time.

This miracle shocked all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and they even thought that the disciples of Christ were simply drunk. However, in reality, the followers of Jesus were filled with the Holy Spirit. They immediately went to preach his word and teach all nations, as, indeed, the Lord commanded.

So it turns out that on the day of Pentecost, a teacher, a patron of people and at the same time an assistant of God, and at the same time his third person, descended to earth. And all this is the Holy Spirit.

That is why Trinity is often called the Day of the Spirits (although in fact it is celebrated not on Pentecost Sunday, but on the next day - Monday). Interestingly, Trinity is celebrated on all three days (Sunday, Monday and Tuesday, with the main celebrations taking place on the first two of them).

Who is the Holy Trinity for us?

What does the descent of the Holy Spirit mean for us? In other words, what is included in the concept of the Holy Trinity?

Of course, this is the triune God himself. It may not be easy for a person to realize this with pure logic, but it is quite possible to believe in this truth if you set your heart correctly. The Trinity is the manifestation of God in all his fullness, as well as a certain image that symbolizes the fulfillment of the divine plan for humanity.

Very briefly it can be described as follows: the Father created heaven and earth, the Son saved all people from sin and granted salvation, and the Holy Spirit began the time of divine grace.

That is why the Holy Trinity is celebrated on the day of the appearance of the Holy Spirit, which means the manifestation of God in all three of his persons. Every believer can now contact him directly and ask in prayer for forgiveness, reassurance and the fulfillment of their needs. It is interesting that until this moment people turned to their gods only through animal sacrifices and special rituals that accompanied this event.

That is why the Holy Trinity personifies the attitude of God, his love and mercy towards every person. Despite our sinful nature, each of us has the right not only to cry for forgiveness, but also for salvation. In the same book of Acts it is written (2:21):

Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.

Here it is - the eternal and priceless gift of salvation that comes from heaven. Thanks to the fulfilled mission of each member of the Holy Trinity, any of us can receive this gift today. All you need is desire and at least a little faith.

Argam writes:

Hello. Are the Father, Son and Holy Spirit one person in different manifestations or are they three different persons? Thank you.

The Holy Scripture speaks of ONE ONE God, but at the same time calls the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit God. It is impossible for us, people who know everything in comparison, to understand the physical nature of God, His physical structure. Moreover, the Bible forbids us to do this.

If the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are ONE ONE God, and at the same time these three divine Persons coexist in time and have communication with One another, then the conclusion suggests itself that these are three separate Persons of ONE God.

These are not different personalities, they are not one person. How is this possible, you ask? I don't know. God is much higher than man, and it is impossible for any man to understand the physical structure of God, just as it is impossible for an ant to climb on my shoe to understand my physical structure. Therefore, I will not tell you more than the Bible tells me. And at the same time, I will not try to humiliate one of the divine Persons by depriving Her of the right to be God (as, for example, the followers of the Watchtower society are doing, trying to distort what is written in other places) just because I do not find similarity among people and the earthly world. An attempt to lower the nature of God to the human level is a direct violation when they try to limit the glory of the incorruptible God to the likeness of corruptible man.

Blessings!

Vasily Yunak

Read more on the topic “Trinity in Christianity”:

Trinity Holy– God, one in essence and threefold in Persons (Hypostases); Father, Son and Holy Spirit. God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit are the One and only God, cognizable in three equal-glorified, equal-sized ones, not merging with each other, but also inseparable in a single Being, Persons, or Hypostases.

The Father is beginningless, not created, not created, not begotten; The Son is pre-eternally (timelessly) born of the Father; The Holy Spirit eternally comes from the Father. Knowledge of the Trinity of God is possible only in mystical revelation through the action of Divine grace, to a person whose heart is cleansed of passions.

The Holy Fathers experienced the contemplation of the One Trinity, among them we can particularly highlight the Great Cappadocians (Basily the Great, Gregory the Theologian, Gregory of Nyssa), St. Gregory Palamu, St. Simeon the New Theologian, St. Seraphim of Sarov, St. Alexander Svirsky, St. Silouan of Athos.

How can the Lord God be simultaneously One and Trinity?

We must not forget that the earthly measurements familiar to us, including the category of number, are not applicable to God. After all, only objects separated by space, time and forces can be counted. And between the faces of the Holy Trinity there is no gap, nothing inserted, no section or division. The Divine Trinity is absolute unity. The mystery of the Trinity of God is inaccessible to the human mind (see more details). Some visible examples, rough analogies of It can be: the sun - its circle, light and warmth; the mind that gives birth to the ineffable word (thought), expressed by breathing; a source of water, a spring and a stream hidden in the earth; the mind, word and spirit inherent in the godlike human soul.

To clarify the mystery of the Holy Trinity, the Holy Fathers pointed to human soul, which is the Image of God.

“Our mind is the image of the Father; our word (we usually call the unspoken word a thought) is the image of the Son; spirit is the image of the Holy Spirit,” teaches Saint Ignatius Brianchaninov. – Just as in the Trinity-God the three Persons unfused and inseparably constitute one Divine Being, so in the Trinity-Man the three Persons constitute one being, without mixing with each other, without merging into one person, without dividing into three beings. Our mind has given birth to and does not cease to give birth to a thought; a thought, having been born, does not cease to be born again and at the same time remains born, hidden in the mind. The mind cannot exist without thought, and thought cannot exist without the mind. The beginning of one is certainly the beginning of the other; the existence of the mind is necessarily the existence of thought. In the same way, our spirit comes from the mind and contributes to thought. That is why every thought has its own spirit, every way of thinking has its own separate spirit, every book has its own spirit. Thought cannot exist without spirit; the existence of one is certainly accompanied by the existence of the other. In the existence of both is the existence of the mind.”

The very doctrine of the Holy Trinity is the doctrine of “Mind, Word and Spirit - one co-nature and divinity,” as St. Gregory the Theologian. “The First Existing Mind, God, who is consubstantial in Himself, has the Word with the Spirit co-essential, never being without the Word and the Spirit,” teaches St. Nikita Studiysky.

According to the definition given by the Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian, God is love. But God is love not because He loves the world and humanity, that is, His creation - then God would not be completely Himself outside and apart from the act of creation, would not have perfect being in Himself, and the act of creation would not be free, but forced by the very “nature” of God. According to the Christian understanding, God is love in Himself, because the existence of the One God is the co-existence of the Divine Hypostases, existing among themselves in the “eternal movement of love,” according to the words of the 7th century theologian St. Maximus the Confessor. The doctrine of the Holy Trinity is the basis of Christianity. According to St. Gregory the Theologian, the dogma of the Holy Trinity is the most important of all Christian dogmas. St. Athanasius of Alexandria defines the very Christian faith as faith “in the unchangeable, perfect and blessed Trinity.”

All the dogmas of Christianity rest on the doctrine of God, one in essence and trinity in Persons, the Trinity Consubstantial and Indivisible. The doctrine of the Most Holy Trinity is the highest goal of theology, since to know the mystery of the Most Holy Trinity in its fullness means to enter into Divine life. Christian teaching about the Holy Trinity is the doctrine of the Divine Mind (Father), the Divine Word (Son) and the Divine Spirit (Holy Spirit) - Three Divine Persons possessing a single and indivisible Divine Being. God has an all-perfect Mind (Reason). The Divine Mind is beginningless and infinite, limitless and unlimited, omniscient, knows the past, present and future, knows the non-existent as already existing, knows all creations before their existence. In the Divine Mind there are ideas of the entire universe, there are plans for all created beings. “Everything from God has its own being and existence, and everything before being is in His creative Mind,” says St. Simeon the New Theologian. The Divine Mind eternally gives birth to the Divine Word , By which He creates the world. The Divine Word is “the Word of the Great Mind, surpassing every word, so that there was not, is not and will not be a word that is higher than this Word,” teaches St. St. Maximus the Confessor. The Divine Word is All-perfect, immaterial, silent, does not require human language and symbols, beginningless and endless, eternal. It is always inherent in the Divine Mind, born from Him from eternity, which is why the Mind is called the Father, and the Word the Only Begotten Son. The Divine Mind and the Divine Word are spiritual, because God is immaterial, incorporeal, immaterial. He is the All-Perfect Spirit. The Divine Spirit resides outside of space and time, has no image or form, and is above any limitation. His All-Perfect Being is limitless, “incorporeal, and without form, and invisible, and indescribable” (St. John of Damascus). The Divine Mind, Word and Spirit are entirely Personal, which is why They are called Persons (Hypostases). Hypostasis or Person is the personal way of being of the Divine essence, which equally belongs to the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. The Father, Son and Holy Spirit are one in Their Divine nature or essence, consummate in nature and consubstantial. The Father is God, and the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God. They are completely equal in their Divine dignity. Each Person has omnipotence, omnipresence, perfect holiness, the highest freedom, uncreated and independent of anything created, uncreated, eternal. Each Person carries within Himself all the properties of the Divine. The doctrine of three Persons in God means that the relationship of the Divine Persons for each Person is threefold. It is impossible to imagine one of the Divine Persons without the existence of two Others at once. The Father is Father only in relation to the Son and the Spirit. As for the birth of the Son and the procession of the Spirit, one presupposes the other. God is “Mind, the Abyss of Reason, the Parent of the Word and through the Word the Maker of the Spirit Who reveals Him,” teaches St. John of Damascus. The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are three full-fledged Persons, each of Whom has not only the fullness of being, but is also fully God. One Hypostasis is not a third of the total essence, but contains within itself the entire fullness of the Divine essence. The Father is God, and not a third of God, the Son is also God and the Holy Spirit is also God. But all Three together are not three Gods, but one God. We confess “the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit - the Trinity, consubstantial and indivisible” (from the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom). That is, the three Hypostases do not divide a single essence into three essences, but the single essence does not merge or mix three Hypostases into one. Can a Christian address each of the three Persons of the Holy Trinity? Undoubtedly: in the prayer “Our Father” we turn to the Father, in the Jesus prayer to the Son, in the prayer “Heavenly King, Comforter” - to the Holy Spirit. Who does each of the Divine Persons recognize Himself as and how can we correctly recognize our conversion so as not to fall into a pagan confession? three gods? Divine Persons do not realize themselves as separate Personalities. We turn to the Father, who eternally gives birth to the Son, whose spokesman is the Holy Spirit, who eternally emanates from the Father. We turn to the Son, eternally begotten of the Father, whose spokesman is the Holy Spirit eternally proceeding from the Father. We turn to the Holy Spirit as the exponent of the Son, who is eternally born of the Father. Thus, our prayers do not contradict the teaching about the unity (including will and action) and inseparability of the Persons of the Holy Trinity.