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The idea of the Trinity that God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit are different from each other and are all God, but there is only ONE God, is a central tenet of Christianity. But most Christians don't actually know what the doctrine really says, let alone where it came from (is it in the Bible?). In this episode we explain the factors that led to the formulation of the doctrine and see why it became so important to Christian thinking. But does it matter that the math doesn't work? (The three are one!) Or that it doesn't make logical sense?

What exactly is the doctrine of the trinity?

Does the idea of the Trinity appear anywhere in the Bible?

The idea of the Trinity came about as an answer to a theological question namely, if God eplicitly states that he is the only god, how do we reconcile that with Jesus’ divinity and the presence of the Holy Spirit. Is that a fair understanding, or does it need nuancing?

The Trinity was just one answer to this particular question how did nonorthodo Christian groups deal with this problem? Did they all see it as a problem?

Are there other solutions that answer this question?

What makes the Trinity different from polytheism?

Who can we credit with the idea of the Trinity?

How was it received at the time?

How did it come to be orthodo teaching, and how does it go from there being this really popular idea to just being the Trinity?

What role did the Council of Nicea play?