subordinationism
- noun
- /səˌbɔːrdɪˈneɪʃənɪzəm/
- Formal
- According to subordinationism, the Holy Spirit and the Son are viewed as having a lower status than the Father in the Trinity.
Examples
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Many theologians debate the implications of subordinationism in their understanding of the relationship among the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
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Intimately connected with this are the problems of adoptionism and subordinationism.
Academic text (1990) -
So Arius pushed the subordinationism of Origen's Middle Platonist conception to its logical conclusion.
Academic text (2010) -
This is also, however, precisely the way Basil takes the creed, and Hilary's remarks point to his newfound sense of the need to guard against both modalism and subordinationism.
Academic text (2007) -
Subordinationism suggests that the Son and the Holy Spirit derive their authority from God the Father.
Synonyms
Being in a lower position under someone else's control
Antonyms
How Subordinate
Surface Forms
Morphology
subordinationism = subordination (transparent) = sub + ordinate + ion + ism
Morphologically identical to the secular sense: '-ism' marks a doctrine based on 'subordination'; the theological specialization does not change the compositional logic.
Etymology
Subordinationism comes from the parts sub- meaning 'under' and order meaning 'rank' or 'place'. In Christian use it names the idea that the Son and the Holy Spirit are 'under' the Father in rank, which is why it refers to that theological doctrine about the Trinity.