hypostases
Hypostasis, in plural hypostases, is a term with several related uses in philosophy, theology, and medicine. Etymologically from Greek hypo- “under” and histanai “to stand,” it originally meant the underlying substance or substrate that supports phenomena. In ancient and medieval philosophy, hypostasis referred to a concrete individual thing—what makes a thing be rather than merely what it is described as. Later scholastic writers used hypostasis to distinguish a subsistent individual from its universal “nature” or “essence.” In Christian theology, hypostasis came to denote a concrete subsistent person of the Trinity: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are three hypostases sharing one divine nature. This usage contrasts with “nature” (physis) as the common divine essence. Some early theologians used “hypostasis” and “prosopon” (mask or appearance) differently; in later patristic and creedal formulations, “hypostasis” is the preferred term for a person.
In medicine and forensic science, hypostasis refers to the settling or pooling of blood under gravity in
In modern usage, hypostasis retains these core senses: it may mean a tangible substrate or the concrete