Summary of Book 1 - Chapter 13

Calvin attempts to explain the Trinity - not an easy job for anyone. Basically, Calvin concludes that God is one essence and three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. I like his idea of describing God, the Father, as the origin of all divine action. God, the Son, is the administrator of divine action, and God, the Holy Spirit, manifests divine action in the world. In spite of being three persons with differing focuses, God is One. As an aside, in contrast to the Christian trinity, Hindus have a trinity also. Brahma, Vishnu, and Shiva. Brahma is a creator god. Vishnu is a preserver god. And Shiva is a destroyer god. Even though Hindus consider these gods as part of one absolute reality, they are still separate gods. So, the Hindu trinity is quite different from the Christian version.