Godhead

theology

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June 29, 2026

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In Christian theology, the Godhead refers to the Deity, specifically God as understood to be composed of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. This doctrine, known as the Trinity, is a central affirmation in Christianity. While the New Testament does not explicitly use the word "Trinity," it lays the groundwork for this concept by associating the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.123

Theologians grapple with expressing God's nature, acknowledging that God is beyond human concepts and language, yet also immanent in human experience. The concept of a "High God" also exists in anthropology, describing a supreme deity often conceived as transcendent and removed from creation, typically identified with the sky.45

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Arianism
Beliefs
Because the Godhead is unique, it cannot be shared or communicated. Because the Godhead is immutable, the Son, who is mutable, must, therefore, be deemed a creature who has been called into existence out of nothing and has had a beginning. Moreover, the Son can have no…
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Because the Godhead is unique, it cannot be shared or communicated. Because the Godhead is immutable, the Son, who is mutable, must, therefore, be deemed a creature who has been called into existence out of nothing and has had a beginning. Moreover, the Son can have no…
Read More

Christianity
Negative mysticism: God and the Godhead
The most daring forms of Christian mysticism have emphasized the absolute unknowability of God. They suggest that true contact with the transcendent involves going beyond all that we speak of as God—even the Trinity—to an inner “God beyond God,” a divine Darkness or Desert…
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The most daring forms of Christian mysticism have emphasized the absolute unknowability of God. They suggest that true contact with the transcendent involves going beyond all that we speak of as God—even the Trinity—to an inner “God beyond God,” a divine Darkness or Desert…
Read More

Meister Eckhart
Eckhart calls “Godhead” the origin of all things that is beyond God (God conceived as Creator). “God and the Godhead are as distinct as heaven and earth.” The soul is no longer the Son. The soul is now the Father: it engenders God as a divine person.…
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Eckhart calls “Godhead” the origin of all things that is beyond God (God conceived as Creator). “God and the Godhead are as distinct as heaven and earth.” The soul is no longer the Son. The soul is now the Father: it engenders God as a divine person.…
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Sabellianism
…permanent distinctions (“Persons”) within the Godhead. The Monarchians, in their concern for the divine monarchy (the absolute unity and indivisibility of God), denied that such distinctions were ultimate or permanent. Sabellius evidently taught that the Godhead is a monad, expressing itself in three operations: as Father, in creation; as Son,…
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…permanent distinctions (“Persons”) within the Godhead. The Monarchians, in their concern for the divine monarchy (the absolute unity and indivisibility of God), denied that such distinctions were ultimate or permanent. Sabellius evidently taught that the Godhead is a monad, expressing itself in three operations: as Father, in creation; as Son,…
Read More