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86 The Armenian Church

names given to the three persons of the
Trinity are not for enumeration, but for the
assertion of the individuality and distinc-
tiveness of the role of each person. The inter-
Trinitarian unity is so intimate that we
cannot even speak in terms of first, second
and third, which are only imposed upon us
by language. This basic affirmation of bib-
lical theology is one of the essential features
of the Armenian Trinitarian theology.
The Triune God acts from the Father
through the Son and in the Holy Spirit. The
monarchy of the Father does not imply
subordination of the Son and the Holy
Spirit. It is a kind of monarchy that mani-
fests itself only in, by, and for the Trinity.
God's threeness is expressed in oneness and
God's oneness in threeness. God is one
essence (ousia), but God's essence is neither
divided into three persons (hypostases) nor
does it exist apart from the three persons.
The Son and the Holy Spirit share the
essence of the Father. These core teachings
of Orthodox theology are fully shared by the
Armenian Church.
2) The Council of Constantinople dealt
with issues related to the Holy Spirit. Mace-
donius (351-362) said that the Holy Spirit
was a minister and a servant, not truly God.
As a reaction to erroneous interpretations
denying the divinity of the Holy Spirit,
the Council of Constantinople affirmed the