When I am discussing the matter of the Trinity with those who profess the Arian view, I ask if the person in question is fimilar with Origen and the Greek concept of being vs becoming. If they are not, I point out to them that Arian drew much from the writings of Origen.
Origen was an early church father, he was denounced as heretical in the 6th century.Origen taught the threeness of God, but he was a graded trinity-the Father is greater then the Son which is greater then the Holy Spirit. He taught that the Father only was the true God. The Son is the same as the Father but at a lower level.Thus Origen's Trinity was three-tier, God at 3 different levels, in the following century Arian would take this further, concluding that the Father was the only true God and the Son and the Holy Spirit were but creatures. Now with that in mind,may I now also explain the matter of the Greek "being" vs "becoming" concept.
The Greek god belongs to the realm of being, he is thus unchangeable or immutable. This means that he cannot have any direct contact with this world of becoming and change. It also means that he is impassible: not subject to any emotions or feelings.
Plato's Republic 6.509ad (Dialogues,pp744) "Behind each particular thing is the idea or form of the of the thing. Moreover, the ideas or forms are all ultimately related to the Form of the Good. The Form of the Good is like the sun, which not only gives visibility to objects but sustains them and causes living things to grow, without itself being apart of the earthly process. The Good is not only the source of intelligibility of the objects of knowledge, but also of their existence and reality."
Here the Good (God) is the ultimate source of knowledge, source of existence and reality, also all other Forms of the Good are ultimately related to this Good.
Plato's Timaeus 30bc (Dialogues,pp 1162-63): "For which reason, when he was framing the universe, he (the demi-urge) put intelligence in soul, and soul in body, that he might be the creator of a work which was by nature fariest and best. On this wise, using the language of propability, we may say that the world came into being a by a living creature truly endowed with soul and intelligence by the providence of God."
This Form of the Good, created a demi-urge (copy of the Good - lesser god), in whom created the heavens and the earth. Plato asserts that the ultimate source of knowledge and that of life, is that of this Form of Good (God).
Now, thru the Good came the demi-urge (lesser good) the same is that of the teaching of Watchtower Bible & Tract Society, for Jehovah is the ultimate Form of Good, and thru him came the LOGOS (Michael) and it was this lesser god (good) that created the heavens and the earth.
The Good is not personal in Platonism, hence, the need for the demi-urge.In Platonism the Demiruge uses the Forms or the Good to construct the world out of the matter in the receptical.
Because the Greek god is immutable and belongs to the realm of being, he therefore needs a mediator between himself and the world. One common title used by Greek thought for this mediating power of principal was Logos, which means both Reason and Word. The concept of one true God with the Word as his mediator has obvious paralles with John 1:1 in the NWT (in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was a god). In this sense, the Word is needed (as in the concept of the Greek philosophy) not because of sin, but simply because God cannot deal directly with a changing world. In addition, the Greek Word was clearly separate from God and inferior to him (sound fimilar? hint:Watchtower theology).
Greek thought was predominately negative about this world. It is temporeal and changing. It was made by an inferior deity, from pre-existent matter. It was not the creation of the supreme God.The Greek dispised the material world because it was material and changing. A concept like the resurrection of the same-said body was radically opposed to Greek thought, as Paul discovered at Athens (Acts 17:32), just as the same teaching is concerning the "re-creation of the flesh" as taught by the Watchtower in regards to the life-force and that of ones life-pattern (see the booklet "Truth that leads to Eternal Life, Chapter 5 Where are the dead?")
Greek thought (as well as Jehovah's Witnesses) drew close to biblical Christianity at many points while remaining different. The Greeks (JW's) had arrived at the belief in monotheism, but their picture of an immutable God was contrary to the God of the Bible who suffers and becomes man. Greek (JW's) thought spoke/speaks about a mediating Word, but this concept fell short of the biblical picture of Christ.
Although the Watchtower holds to the teaching that Jehovah created the cosmos out of his own substance, which Plato rejected, what I am saying is that the Watchtower's teaching is very rich in the idea of Platonic concepts i.e. above a god (good) there is the God (Good).
The problem that faced the Arians was that God was unknowable or better yet, not revealable. The Jehovah's Witnesses have the same problems.
The connection with that of the concept of the Good (Forms) and that of the matter of creation in comparison to that of the Watchtower teaching concerning the same (Jehovah - Michael - heavens - earth) is one and the same, there is no getting around this.
These same greek ideas have led naturally to a denial of the true identity of the Word, a problem faced not just today by those whom encounter Jehovah's Witnesses at the door, but also a problem faced by the early church fathers, and which led to the many councils that soon followed after Arius statement: "There was a time when Christ was not".
It is quite interesting when I reveal the above to my visiting Jehovah's Witness friend, whom has knocked on my door pronouncing that the Trinity is a pagan concept, that unbeknown to him/her, their beliefs concerning Christ Jesus finds its roots in Greek philosophy (paganism).
I hope that you might be able to use the information that I have provided in helping many unexpecting Jehovah's Witnesses who knock on your door, come to the realization that they are following a man-made organization who finds its roots in paganism.
God bless you all richly Mark
Nelson's Christian Cornerstone Series "Exploring Christian Thought" by Tony lane.
A book by John Sallis called "Being and Logos: the way of Platonic Dialogue".
Plato's Republic 6.509ad (Dialogues,pp744)
Plato's Timaeus 30bc (Dialogues,pp 1162-63)
Watchtower Bible & Tract Society "The Word" Who is he? According to John.
Watchtower Bible & Tract Society "Truth that leads to Eternal Life
Watchtower Bible & Tract Society New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures.