The Trinity is the foundation of Christian faith, the lifeblood of its liturgy. In this remarkable course, you will come to understand Trinitarian theology and history as never before. Your professor is Fr. David Vincent Meconi, S.J. (D.Phil, the University of Oxford), an expert on early Church history and an award-winning theology professor at Saint Louis University. The idea of one God as three persons cannot be understood through human reason alone. Indeed, the doctrine of the Trinity was not something that early Christians fully grasped. Since then, the ecumenical councils and Christianity's great theologians have developed an understanding of this great mystery, giving us the necessary language to discuss it. The Trinity 101 encapsulates two millennia of Trinitarian theology in twelve brilliant lectures. Thorough yet accessible, Meconi's course covers the fascinating history of Trinitarian doctrine, from the first disciples to the pews of modern churches. Along the way, you'll explore how the Trinity manifests itself in sacred scripture, the Mass, and catechism. The doctrine of God's triune existence has always been the foundation of Christian belief. After rooting yourself in the scriptural origins of the Trinity, you'll explore how the first Christians unfolded the teaching Jesus left to His disciples. Moving through the history of the Trinity, you will come to see its mystery not as an abstract doctrine, but rather as the manifestation of Christian discipleship.
In 1992, David Meconi entered the Jesuit novitiate. He was sent to Xavier University to teach Classics and Philosophy, and then to the University of Innsbruck to obtain a pontifical license in Patrology. There he wrote a thesis on the apologetic nature of the Christian cento.
He was missioned to Oxford, studying Augustine under one of Henry Chadwick's last students. His dissertation was on Augustine’s use of deification and the Christian’s call to become Christ.