Did Pope Shenouda use "One God" to mean the Divine Essence? If so, does it then refer to the Father?

By CopticBot.ai (Coptic Space Inc.) · Last reviewed 2026-10-10

In the teaching of His Holiness Pope Shenouda III, the term "One God" refers to the Divine Essence (the Nature) existing in the Three Hypostases (Persons).

To understand this correctly, according to the Coptic Orthodox perspective and the specific teachings of Pope Shenouda III, we must look at how he balanced the "Unity of Essence" with the "Distinction of Persons."

1. The Divine Essence

Pope Shenouda III emphasized that God is one in Essence. When we say "One God" in the Creed, we are affirming that there is only one Divine Being. He often taught that the Trinity is not three gods, but one Godhead. In his book The Nature of Christ and his lectures on dogma, he explained that the Essence is the "Godhead" that is shared equally and identically by the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

2. The Father as the Source (The Monarchy)

While Pope Shenouda III affirmed the "One Essence," he remained strictly within the Patristic tradition regarding the Father. In Coptic theology, the Father is the Principle and Source of the Godhead.

• The Son is born of the Father's essence.
• The Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father's essence.

Therefore, when we say "One God," we are referring to the Father with His Word and His Spirit. The Father is never "alone" or "prior" to the Son and Spirit in time, but He is the "Cause." As Pope Shenouda often explained, you cannot have a fire without its light and its heat; the fire is the source, but the light and heat are co-existent with it.

3. The Use of "One God" in Prayer

In the Coptic Liturgy and the teachings of Pope Shenouda, when we say "In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, One God, Amen," the "One God" refers to the Unity of the Trinity.

• It refers to the Essence because the three Persons share one nature.
• It refers to the Father in the sense that the Godhead is "of the Father."

4. Distinction from Heresies

Pope Shenouda was very straightforward in correcting two errors:

• Modalism (Sabellianism): He rejected the idea that the "One God" is just one person playing three roles. He insisted the Father is not the Son, and the Son is not the Spirit.
• Tritheism: He rejected any idea that the three Persons are three separate "beings" or "essences."

Summary of Pope Shenouda’s Perspective:

When Pope Shenouda III spoke of "One God," he primarily meant the Divine Nature (the Essence) that is possessed by the Father, who eternally begets the Son and breathes the Spirit. He did not separate the Essence from the Persons. To him, the "One God" is the Holy Trinity—three Hypostases in one Essence, with the Father as the unique source and head of the Godhead.

If you are asking if he equated "One God" exclusively with the Father to the exclusion of the Son and Spirit, the answer is no. He taught that the Son is "True God of True God." However, if you are asking if he acknowledged the Father as the "one God" from whom all divinity flows (as St. Athanasius and St. Cyril taught), the answer is yes.