modalism

Or Mo·dal·ism

[mohd-l-iz-uhm]

noun

Theology.

1. a Christian doctrine espousing the belief that the members of the Trinity are not distinct persons, but are aspects or manifestations of one God.

Word History and Origins

Origin of modalism¹

First recorded in 1845–50; modal ¹ ( def. ) + -ism ( def. )

Example Sentences

He eventually created a piano style that combined the modalism of Davis’s pianist Bill Evans with sprightly, flexible dance rhythms of flamenco.

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Fans of the marimba, in fact, should rejoice, as the wooden percussion instrument plays a central role on “Live,” as does the vibraphone. Consisting of four semi-improvised pieces titled after the first four letters of the alphabet, “Live” was composed, says Steinbrick in release notes, as a way to capture “the sound of musicians I feel very connected to playing freely around composed pieces under my direction — exploring themes and theories of naturalism and modalism through repetition.”

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Tracks like “Bismillah” intersect with many points of history and culture: rhythm from India and Africa, the late ’60s modalism of Alice Coltrane and Charles Lloyd, and the radical new ways that more and more jazz bandleaders are conceiving and recording their music.

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This view of the Trinity is commonly called Modalism, or Sabellianism, and is also widely held by those who call themselves Trinitarians.

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But, even before the struggle with Modalism, elements were present which repressed the naïve confidence of the utterances about the God-man.

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