This is based off Inspiring Philosophy (Michael Jones) video, video 2.
The goal is to address and resolve objections to the Trinity being labeled as pagan. Ironically, the term pagan, as we understand it today, was popularized by Christians. The original Latin word paganus simply referred to “a country district or community” and could also generally mean “a place with fixed boundaries.” By the 4th century, Christians began using paganus to describe polytheists or non-Christians who lived outside the Church. The oxford classical dictionary
These various comparisons are based on a Association Fallacy and have no direct casual link to the actual trinity that Christians hold to. Which wasn’t created by Christians but discovered through further revelation of scripture by Jesus Christ as he has spoken to us in these last days. (Hebrews 1:2).
Association Fallacy
An informal Fallacy where one assumes the qualities of one thing are inherently qualities of another because of irrelevant associations.
- Premise: A is B
- Premise: A is also C
- Conclusion: Therefore, all Bs are Cs
Example: You think the Trinity is paganism, because you found in pagan literature three deities are grouped together. Similar to if you were to say that Islam is associated with the moon God just because you find the moon associated with Islam.
LIST
Egypt: Amun, Re, Ptah
Mesopotamia: Anu, Enlil, Ea
Babylonian: Nanna, Shamash, Ishtar
Hinduism: Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva
Greeks: Hecate
Romans: Diana (Diva Triformis)
Northwestern European Tribes: Nehalennia, Hludana, Tanfana; Matronae/Natronae
Egypt: Amun, Re, Ptah
Hymn: “All gods are three: Amun, Re, Ptah”
This comes from the Leyden Papyrus X (250 AD)
“All gods are three,” we read in an Egyptian text (Papyrus Leiden 1.350), which moreover states that these three gods are just aspects of one god: All gods are three: AMUN, RE, and PTAH, whom none equals. He who hides his name as Amun, he appears to the face as Re, his body is PTAH. We easily discern here the three “dimensions” of polytheistic theology: name, cosmic appearance, and cubic “embodiment” in a statue, dwelling in a temple, ruling a city. These three dimensions, however, are encompassed and transcended by a god who is referred to as only “He.”
Assmann, Jan. “Monotheism and Polytheism.” Religions of the Ancient World: A Guide, edited by Sarah Iles Johnston, Harvard University Press, 2004, pp. 17–31. PDF file, p. 26.
Mesopotamia: Anu, Enlil, Ea
“All gods are One.’’ In Mesopotamia, the pantheon (*,*) is structured by strong hierarchical relations of subordination, and this, in the long run, fosters similar ideas of deep structural identity. The creation epic, the Enuma Elish, ends with a hymn to the chief god, Marduk, calling him by fifty names. The gods who are subordinated to Marduk become his names, aspects of his all-encompassing essence. Another text assembles a group of major deities, identifying them with roles of Marduk…A hymn of Assurbanipal addresses Marduk as carrying the identity of the three highest gods as personal properties: “You hold the Anu-ship, the Enlil-ship, the Ea-ship.” The culmination of these tendencies is reached when the whole pantheon comes to be seen as just aspects (*,*) of one supreme god.
Ninirta is Marduk of the hoe, Nergal is Marduk of the attack, Zababa is Marduk of the hand-to-hand fight, Enlil is Marduk of lordship and counsel, Nabium is Marduk of accounting, Sin is Marduk, the illuminator of the night, Shamash is Marduk of justice, Adad is Marduk of rains.”
Assmann, Jan. “Monotheism and Polytheism.” Religions of the Ancient World: A Guide, edited by Sarah Iles Johnston, Harvard University Press, 2004, pp. 17–31. PDF file, p. 26.
This concept is far removed from the understanding of the Trinity. It is described as multiple gods united under the name of Marduk, which bears a resemblance to the heresy of Modalism. In this view, the different gods are seen as aspects or components of the one god. However, unlike the Trinity, which is neither composite nor made up of parts, the Christian doctrine maintains the distinct persons of the Godhead as fully unified without division or composition.
Babylonian: Nanna, Shamash, Ishatar
This one is a stretch, because they worshipped an array of god’s and it was based on the cities in Babylon and gods could be replaced by another god. Babylonian was a city in the region of Mesoptamia. (Relam of History). They had major and minor gods.
- In any case, the god Shamash (or sun god Utu) was one of the most important deities in the ancient Mesopotamian pantheon, attested by the fact that the entity was mentioned as early as circa 3500 BC (5,500 years ago) in the nascent forms of Sumerian writings. – Mandal, Dattatreya. “12 Important Ancient Mesopotamian Gods and Goddesses.” Realm of History, 24 May 2022, www.realmofhistory.com.
Hinduism Trimurty: Brahman Manifest in 3 forms; Brahma, Vishnu & Shiva
This is a late concept in Hinduism all three of the god’s were combined into one later in hindu history. First mention of Hindu Trimurti is “Birth of the War God” (4th-5th century AD). First mention of three gods brought together “puranas” (300 AD). Tri-murti means “three” ”representation of the one god. Meaning this is inline with modalism, not trinitarianism. Article by Britannica.
Greeks: Hecate Is A Greek tripled headed goddess
She is simply had three heads or forms…Scholar Danielle Mackay says…
“On the famous Pergamon Altar (c. 2nd century BCE) Hecate is represented as trimorphic, while attacking a serpent-like giant with a dog’s help. Throughout antiquity, Hecate’s triple form was portrayed as three separate bodies around a central column. Yet, in late antiquity, this representation transformed into a single goddess with three heads. Esoteric literature from this time describes Hecate as having three heads – that of a dog, a snake, and a horse. Hecate was also identified with many goddesses from surrounding pantheons.” – June 13, 2024 • By Danielle Mackay, BA Classical Studies and Linguistics, MA Classical Studies
Romans: Dianah Venerated As Diva Triformis Which Means 3 Formed Goddess.
This again is similar to modalism and not trinitarianism as it is three forms or roles.
THE TRIPLE DIANA
Diana, then, was Diana triformis: Luna, Diana, Hecate. These were neither different goddesses nor an amalgamation of different goddesses.
pp. 134
THE MANY FACES OF DIANA
They were Diana, (26) well represented by the triple statue of Diana on the coin of P. Accoleius Lariscolus (fig. 5),” (27) Diana as huntress, Diana as the moon,?” Diana of the underworld. Three seems to have been a number closely associated with her, perhaps inevitably, as the moon goddess who has three stages: full, dark, and the changes between.
Perhaps inevitably she had three faces because she was in the sky, on earth, and in the darkness with the dead. She may have been addressed as Luna when her lunar aspect was alone significant; as the huntress she was always Diana; as the goddess who went to the underworld and returned, she was addressed only through the safety of assumed names, such as Hecate and Proserpina.
Green, C. MC. Romans, Religion, and the Cult of Diana at Africa and Spain. Cambridge University Press, 2007, pp. 134–135.
Ancient Goddesses Indigenous to The Netherlands: Nehalennia, Hludana, and Tanfana
These three distinct goddesses have been grouped together, and here is an article by an internationally recognized teacher providing a brief discussion on the topic.
“Today’s blog is about three ancient goddesses that were indigenous to The Netherlands (but please note that there were others too!) If we include the Matrones, there were many goddesses indeed. About 1,100 different stones with description to the matronae have been found (so far)… Behind our house here in Sweden we have large earthbound rocks that (roughly) form a circle. I think of this as “our personal stone circle”. This week I received guidance to turn this area into an outdoor temple dedicated to three ancient goddesses from The Low Lands, for one night. (Other nights it often serves as a Moon Observatory!)” – Almqvist, Imelda. Ancient Goddesses Indigenous to The Netherlands: Nehalennia, Hludana and Tanfana. 31 July 2019. (Please be mindful of the imagery in the link)
Northwestern European tribes: Worshiped A Group of 3 Female Deities Know As Natronae
The claim says it’s just three different gods grouped together, and since they also worshiped a moon god and Islam has a moon symbol, the same logic must be assumed that muslims stole the moon god from them. But this doesn’t make sense and isn’t true.
Conclusion
The evidence strongly supports the origin of the doctrine of the Trinity as rooted in biblical scriptures, upheld by early Christians who consistently quoted the Bible to substantiate their belief in the triune nature of God. This doctrinal continuity is evident in the writings of the early Church Fathers and Christian philosophers, who upheld the apostolic tradition and demonstrated alignment with the scriptural basis of the Trinity.
Prominent Church Fathers such as Ignatius of Antioch, Polycarp of Smyrna, Justin Martyr, and Irenaeus of Lyons serve as critical links between the apostles and later theological developments. Ignatius and Polycarp were direct disciples of the Apostle John, maintaining a clear and unbroken line of teaching from the twelve apostles. Their writings reflect a high view of Christ’s divinity, an early understanding of the relationship between the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and a commitment to the apostolic faith.
These early Fathers provide a direct link to the apostles, ensuring the continuity of the Trinitarian doctrine from its biblical foundations. Their writings collectively reinforce the theological integrity of the Trinity, showing that it is not a later pagan invention but an intrinsic part of Christian teaching from its orgin.
To claim that the Trinity has pagan origins, one would need to demonstrate a direct causal link between external pagan influences and the doctrinal development of the early Church, supported by collective ecclesiastical acceptance. However, the historical and theological evidence consistently points to the Trinity’s origins in the Bible and its affirmation through apostolic teaching and early Christian witness.
