modaalid

Modaalid, in Estonian usage, refers to adherents of modalism, a nontrinitarian theological position within early Christianity. Modalists hold that there is one divine Person who reveals Himself in three distinct modes or manifestations—the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit—rather than three coequal, eternal persons. This view treats the Trinity as a single divine reality that appears in different modes at different times, rather than as a triune God.

Historical development of modalism began in the 2nd and 3rd centuries with figures such as Praxeas and Sabellius, who argued that Father, Son and Spirit are not separate persons but successive revelations of the same God. Their teachings were contested by early orthodox writers, notably Tertullian, who argued for a real distinction of persons within the Godhead. Over time, mainstream Christianity insisted on the doctrine of the Trinity as three distinct persons sharing one essence, a stance solidified in the ecclesiastical debates of Late Antiquity and the Nicene and post-Nicene period.

In subsequent centuries, modalistic ideas largely declined within the wider church as the orthodox doctrine of the Trinity became normative. In the modern era, forms of modalism have reappeared or were revived in some nontrinitarian movements, including certain Oneness or Jesus-only groups. These movements generally diverge from historic Trinitarian teaching and are often categorized separately by traditional Christian denominations.

Scholars continue to study modaalid as part of the broader history of early Christian heresies. In contemporary theological discourse, modalism is typically presented as a historical position illustrating alternative attempts to articulate the nature of God, and it is generally rejected by mainstream Christian churches for its treatment of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit as not having a genuine personal distinction.