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#5 c. 150–250 AD Greek Influence

Church Fathers Introduce Greek Categories

Tertullian coins the word "Trinity." Origen and Justin Martyr blend Platonic philosophy into Christology.

Tertullian (c. 160–220 AD) was the first to use the Latin word trinitas — Trinity. He was a trained Roman lawyer, not a Hebrew scholar. Origen applied Platonic philosophy directly to the nature of the Messiah, subordinating the Son to the Father (which was itself later condemned). Justin Martyr used Greek Logos theology to explain Yahushua. These men meant well, but they were reading a Hebrew revelation through Greek lenses — and the distortion entered the theological bloodstream of what would become the Catholic Church.