St. Patrick Glossary: Trinity

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Triads, Trinity

The concept of three, known as the trinity, is universal among Indo-European cultures. Diogenes Laertius mentions that the druids taught in forms of triads. There were Celtic triple goddesses and gods. Hilary, Bishop of Potiers in 350 A.D, is regarded as the first native Celt to become an outstanding force in the Christian movement and he authored De Trinitate, which defines the concept of a Holy Trinity. Mr. Belleford Ellis states that the Christian Trinity probably owes it orgins more to Celtic concepts than to the Judaic-Greco background of the religion. (34)