Aspect is a term used across several religions and in theology to describe a particular manifestation or
conception of a deity or other divine being. Depending on the religion, these might be disjoint or overlapping parts, or methods of perceiving or conceptualizing the deity in a particular context.
Overview
In Christianity, Trinitarianism (see
Trinity
The Trinity (, from 'threefold') is the Christian doctrine concerning the nature of God, which defines one God existing in three, , consubstantial divine persons: God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ) and God the Holy Spirit, thr ...
) is the belief in God as three distinct Persons in one Divinity, all of One Being, not confounding the Substance nor dividing the Essence: as such it would be false and indeed heretical (
Sabellianism), from the perspective of orthodox Christianity, to conceive of one God manifested in three separate aspects or modes.
In the
Baháʼí Faith
The Baháʼí Faith is a religion founded in the 19th century that teaches the Baháʼí Faith and the unity of religion, essential worth of all religions and Baháʼí Faith and the unity of humanity, the unity of all people. Established by ...
, this might be conceived as a
Manifestation of God.
In some conceptions of
Hinduism
Hinduism () is an Hypernymy and hyponymy, umbrella term for a range of Indian religions, Indian List of religions and spiritual traditions#Indian religions, religious and spiritual traditions (Sampradaya, ''sampradaya''s) that are unified ...
,
Vishnu
Vishnu (; , , ), also known as Narayana and Hari, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the supreme being within Vaishnavism, one of the major traditions within contemporary Hinduism, and the god of preservation ( ...
is seen as an ''aspect'' of
Brahman
In Hinduism, ''Brahman'' (; IAST: ''Brahman'') connotes the highest universal principle, the ultimate reality of the universe.P. T. Raju (2006), ''Idealistic Thought of India'', Routledge, , page 426 and Conclusion chapter part XII In the ...
.
In
Sikhism
Sikhism is an Indian religion and Indian philosophy, philosophy that originated in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent around the end of the 15th century CE. It is one of the most recently founded major religious groups, major religio ...
, there are three distinct aspects: God as deity; God in relation to creation; and God in relation to man.
See also
*
Hypostasis (philosophy and religion)
Hypostasis (plural: hypostases), from the Greek (''hypóstasis''), is the underlying, fundamental state or substance that supports all of reality. It is not the same as the concept of a substance. In Neoplatonism, the hypostasis of the soul, the ...
References
Conceptions of God
Trinitarianism
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