• Embed Doc
  • Copy Link
  • Readcast
  • Collections
  • CommentGo Back
Download
1
\u2018Bringing the works of Isaac Newton to life\u2019
Drafts on the history of the Church
(Section 7)
by Isaac Newton
Source: Yahuda Ms. 15.7, Jewish National and University Library,
Jerusalem
<116r>

described, & is their fundamental error [called by the Apostle Paul the
mystery of iniquity.] And as they agreed in one common fundamental
error which made them Idolaters & Polytheists, so they were united into
one common body{by} baptism. ffor when the Church of Rome had
allowed the Baptism of Pra{xeas} a patripassian, & the practise of
allowing the baptism of hereticks began to be of some standing in that
Church, Stephen Bishop of Rome in a letter to Cyprian defended it by
the like practise of the hereticks amongst themselves who allowed one
anothers baptism. But the rest of the Churches of Christ disagreed from
the Church of Rome in this point, contending that Christ had given no
authority to Antichristians to baptize. There was but one God one Christ
one spirit one Church one faith & one baptism And This baptism was in
the name of that God & that Christ & that Spirit & into that faith & by it
men were admitted into that Church. Whereas Antichristians denied
that God & that Christ & had not that Spirit nor that faith & were
enemies to that Church & by another baptism into another faith
admitted men into another Church.

The education of learned men in the principles of Plato & other heathen
philosophers before they became Christians, the study of the heathen
learning by some learned men after they became Christians & the
reception of Montanism by the bishop of Rome aboutthe end of the 2d

2

century & the easy admission of hereticks into the latine Church all in
the third century & the writings of Tertullian & some other learned men
gave occasion to the spreading of some erroneous opinions in the very
early Church her self, & particularly to the spreading of the opinion the
son of God was the \u039b\u03cc\u03b3\u03bf\u03c2\u1f10\u03bd\u03b4\u03b9\u03ac\u03b8\u03b5\u03c4\u03bf\u03c3 \u2013\u2013 \u2013 \u2013 from the Sun. For
Athenagoras in his Apology for the Christians, after he\u2013\u2013\u2013\u2013\u2013\u2013 qu\u00e6
est Patris et filij.

When the Nicene Council at the importunity of the Emperor had
decreed the son to be\u1f41\u00b5\u03bf\u03bf\u03cd\u03c3\u03b9\u03bf\u03c2 to the father, Hosius who published the
creed of the Council translated this word by unius substanti\u00e6 & some
Greek translated unius substanti\u00e6 by \u00b5\u03b9\u03b1\u03c2\u1f40\u03c5\u03c3\u03af\u03b1\u03c2 & \u00b5\u03b9\u03b1\u03c2\u1f51\u03c0\u03bf\u03c3\u03c4\u03ac\u03c3\u03b5\u03bf\u03c2 &
these translations being capable of several senses became a stumbling
block to the people, especially to the Latines & in a few years led them in
great numbers into the errors of Montanus & Sabellius.

The education of learned men in the principles of Plato before they
became Christians gave occasion to the propagating of those opinions
not only amongst such as separated from the Church but even in the

When the opinion that the Son or Word is the inward \u03bb\u03cc\u03b3\u03bf\u03c2 of the \u03bb\u03bf\u03b3\u03bf\u03c2
\u03b5\u03bd\u03b4\u03b9\u03b1\u03b8\u03b5\u03c4\u03bf\u03c2 the inward reason & wisdom was thus far spread in the
Churches as has been described, & the Emperor Const with the bishops
of this opinion had prevailed with the Council of Nice to decree the Son
to be\u1f41\u00b5\u03bf\u03bf\u03cd\u03c3\u03b9\u03bf\u03c2 to the Father: Hosius who published the Creed of the
Council translated the word\u1f41\u00b5\u03bf\u03bf\u03cd\u03c3\u03b9\u03bf\u03c2 unius substanti\u00e6 & others for
unius substanti\u00e6 wrote \u00b5\u03b9\u03b1\u03c2\u1f40\u03c5\u03c3\u03af\u03b1\u03c2 & \u00b5\u03b9\u03b1\u03c2\u1f51\u03c0\u03bf\u03c3\u03c4\u03ac\u03c3\u03b5\u03bf\u03c2. And these
translations by their ambiguity became a stumbling block to the people
& led many of them into the errors of Montanus & Sabellius, as I gather
fom what Hilary A.C. 358 wrote to the Bishops of Gallia & Britain. Multi
ex vobis, saith he,

<116v>

You have heard out of Ire\u00e6us, that all the Churches throughout the
whole world agreed in one & the same faith till his days, that is till
towards the latter end of the second century, & that the people were so
zealous for this faith that even the illiterate Germans upon hearing the
opinions of the old hereticks would stop their ears & run away. And
what their opinion wasin those days in relation to the unity of the deity
& how zealous they were for it in opposition to the metaphysical

3

opinions of the hereticks about it, is thus described by Tertullian in his
book against Praxeas written in the end of the second century or
beginning of the third. Simplices quosque, saith he, ne dixerim
imprudentes et idiot\u00e6 qu\u00e6 major semper credentium pars est.

This Oeconomy of the Montanists consisted in explaining how the
father Son & holy Ghost were one by unity of substance, and credentium
pars major, the major part of beleivers were certainly the christians of
the Church catholick. And Tertullian complains that these in the Greek
Empire would not understand the Oeconomy of the Montanists & in the
Latine empire in opposition to it cried out Monarchiam tenemus
pronouncing the word Monarchy emphatically with a loud voice, & in
generall were affrighted & trembled at this Oeconomy accounting the
Trinity of the Montanists a division of that unity which the Church
beleived & in which the Monarchy was founded & affirming that the
Montanists worshiped two or three Gods

<117r>

\u03bf\u03c5\u03c3\u03b9\u03b1 with its compounds\u1f41\u00b5\u03bf\u03bf\u03c5\u03c3\u03b9\u03bf\u03c2{\u1f41\u00b5\u03bf\u03b9}\u03bf\u03c5\u03c3\u03b9\u03bf\u03c2 This was first done
by the Council of Sirmium A.C. 357 in a Creed subscribed by Hosius &
Potunius. Then in another Council of Sirmium A.C. 359 in a Creed in
which they professed the son to be similis Patri secundum scripturas.
Which Creed was published before the Emperor at Sirmium &
subscribed the same year by the Councils of Ariminum in Italy & Nice in
Thrace. And the same year the Council of Seleucia abolished the use of
those words both in their preface to the Creed of Lucius the martyr, & at
the end of that Creed where they confirm the said faith of Sirmium . And
the next year A.C. 360 the Council of Constantinople subscribed it
without any material alteration of words. The reasons given for
abolishing the use of those words were because they were not extant in
the scripture nor allowed by ancient Councils nor understood by the
people. For by The Apostles rule they were to hold fast the form of
sound words. The Council of Antioch convened against Paul of Samosat
60 years before the Council of Nice, rejected the Sons being\u1f41\u00b5\u03bf\u03bf\u03cd\u03c3\u03b9\u03bf\u03c2
to the father & the sentence of this Council was communicated to &
approved by all the Churches of the Roman Empire & therefore could
not be revoked. The Council of Nice had admitted the word\u1f49\u00b5\u03bf\u03bf\u03cd\u03c3\u03b9\u03bf\u03c2
hastily & without due deliberation being pressed by the Emperor then

of 00

Leave a Comment

You must be to leave a comment.
Submit
Characters: ...
You must be to leave a comment.
Submit
Characters: ...