Bagaimana Doktrin Tritunggal Berkembang?
Peranan Konstantin di Nicea
WT
berusaha untuk menyesatkan pembaca bahwa doktrin Tritunggal berasal
dari kaisar Kontantin yang kafir dengan mengutip bagian-bagian tertentu
secar selektif. Padahal, dalam sumber yang dikutip WT, jelas dikatakan
bahwa Konstantin adalah seorang Kristen dan doktrin Tritunggal itu
bukanlah berasal dari Konstantin, melainkan sudah dipercaya oleh
mayoritas uskup dalam lingkungan gereja.
WT menulis tentang peranan penguasa Roma Konstantin di halaman 8 sbb
Konstantin
bukan seorang Kristen. Menurut dugaan, ia belakangan ditobatkan, tetapi
baru dipbaptis pada waktu sedang terbaring sekarat. Mengenai dirinya,
Henry Chadwick mengatakan dalam The Early Church: "Konstantin,
seperti bapanya, menyembah Matahari Yang Tidak Tertaklukkan; …
pertobatannya hendaknya tidak ditafsirkan sebagai pengalaman kerelaan
yang datang dari batin … Ini adalah masalah militer. Pengertiannya
mengenai doktrin Kristen tidak pernah jelas sekali, tetapi ia yakin
bahwa kemenangan dalam pertempuran tergantung pada karunia Allah
orang-orang Kristen."
Kutipan asli dari The Early Church
"When he [Constantius] died at York on 25 July 305 the soldiers proclaimed his son Constantine as emperor. Constantine, like his father, worshipped the Unconquered Sun [page 122]... "The conversion of Constantine marks a turning-point in the history of the Church and of Europe." ... "But if his conversion should not be interpreted as an inward experience of grace, neither was it a cynical act of Machiavellian cunning. It
was a military matter. His comprehension of Christian doctrine was
never very clear, but he was sure that victory in battle lay in the gift
of the God of the Christians....He was not
baptized until he lay dying in 337, but this implies no doubt about his
Christian belief. It was common at this time (and continued so until
about A.D. 400) to postpone baptism to the end of one's life, especially
if one's duty as an official included torture and execution of
criminals. Part of the reason for postponement lay in the seriousness
with which the responsibilities of baptism were taken. Constantine
favoured Christianity among the many religions of his subjects, but did not make it the official or 'established' religion of the empire." (The Early Church, Chadwick, Henry. p 122,125,127)