'''Paul of Samosata''' was a third-century Syrian theologian and [[heresy|heretical]] [[patriarchbishop]] of Antioch. To defend Christianity's monotheism against charges of tritheism, Paul espoused a definition of the relationship among the three persons of the Godhead that denied the personal distinction of the divine [[Jesus Christ|Son]] and [[Holy Spirit]] in contrast to God the Father, thus contradicting the Orthodox doctrine of the [[Holy Trinity|Trinity]].