modalist

Modalist refers to a believer in modalism, a historical and theological position within Christian doctrine. Modalism holds that God is a single, indivisible being who reveals himself in three distinct modes or manifestations—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit—rather than existing as three coequal persons.

Historically, modalism arose in the early centuries of Christianity, associated with monarchian movements. The best known proponent is Sabellius in the 3rd century, often called Sabellianism. Critics such as Tertullian argued for the triune nature of God as three distinct persons within one essence. The term patripassianism is used for a related sub-branch that suggested the Father suffered on the cross, a consequence of identifying Father with the Son in modalistic views. By the late antique and medieval periods, orthodox churches rejected modalism in favor of the doctrine of the Trinity as defined in the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed. The term dynamic or modalistic monarchianism is used to describe certain related ideas that emphasize God’s action rather than a fixed three-person structure.

In modern times, the label modalist is sometimes applied to adherents of Oneness Pentecostal theology, also known as Oneness of God or Jesus-Only theology, which teaches that God is one person who reveals himself in different modes. Mainstream Trinitarian churches generally reject modalism as incompatible with the doctrine of the Trinity.