One infinite God in Trinitarian form, transcendent and revealed in Syriac theology
The Assyrian Church of the East affirms the classical Christian doctrine of God as one infinite, eternal, omnipotent, omniscient, and all-merciful Creator of all things visible and invisible. God is transcendent and incomprehensible in his divine essence, yet revealed through his creative activity and through the mystery of the Incarnation. The church's theological reflection on God is carried out in Syriac and draws on the Antiochene theological tradition as mediated through Theodore of Mopsuestia and the East Syrian fathers.
The divine nature is immutable and eternal, and God's providence extends over all creation. God is understood to be the source of all goodness and mercy, desiring the salvation of all humanity. The mystery of God—his transcendence and immanence, his justice and mercy—is central to the church's liturgical and devotional life. The apophatic or negative way of theology (speaking of what God is not) is recognized as necessary, acknowledging that finite human concepts cannot fully comprehend the infinite divine nature.
Key Distinctions
- Theism type:
- classical monotheism; Syriac Antiochene tradition
- Primary divine attribute:
- God is transcendent, merciful, and omnipotent; creator of all
Scripture References
Sources
- Theodore of Mopsuestia, Commentary on the Psalms
- Syriac liturgical theology, Church of the East Tradition
- Nestorius of Constantinople, Bazaar of Heracleides (c. 451)