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adhere to the fame rules as govern us in the conftruction of any other Greek Writer, whether we believe the Sacred Writers to have been infpired or not, they will evidently appear to affert the Divinity of the Son of GOD. As afferting this I have here appealed to them; and I hereby farther appeal to every Greek Scholar in the world, and demand it of him, conftruing the words as he would conftrue the words of any other Greek Writer, to put such a conftruction upon them as that they shall not affert the Divinity of the Son of GOD. This, if it can be done, all controverfy will be ended; if it cannot be done, the pofition will remain true, that the Writers of the New Teftament affert the Divinity of JESUS CHRIST; and the Catholic Church will thereby be fully juftified in believing and affirming, as it ever hath believed and affirmed, that our LORD JESUS CHRIST is very and eternal GOD, that he is Osos aλnθινος and Θεος ευλογητος εις τους αιωνούς, Αμην.

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APPENDIX.

As it has been faid in the preceding pages that the Creed, which was adopted by the Council of Nice, differs, as in fome other refpects, fo alfo in what regards the eternal generation, from the Creed which we have in ufe at this day, it is thought proper to fubjoin a copy of the Nicene Creed as it was adopted and sanctioned by the council.

Πιςεύομεν εις ένα Θεον Πατέρα παντοκράτορα, παίζων οράζων και αοράζων ποιητην, και εις ένα Κυριον Ιησεν Χριςον, τον υιον τε Θε8, γεννηθεντα εκ τ8 Πάρος μονογενή, τελέςιν, εκ της στιας τε Πάρος, Θεον εκ Θεου, φως εκ φωτός, Θεον αλη θινον εκ Θες αληθινε, γεννηθέντα & ποιηθεν]α, ὁμουσιον τῷ Πατρι, δι' κ τα παλα εγενετο, τα τε εν τῷ κρανῳ, και τα εν τη γη. Τον δι' ἡμας τις ανθρώπες, και δια την ημετεραν σωτη ριαν, καλελθοντα, σαρκωθέντα, ενανθρώπησαν]α, παθόντα, και

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αναςανά τη τρίτη ήμερα, ανελθούλα εις τες έρανές, ερχόμενον κρίναι ζώντας και νεκρες. Και εις το άγιον το νευμα.

Credimus in unum Deum omnipotentem omnium vifibilium & invifibilium factorem. Et in unum Dominum Jefum Chriftum, filium Dei, natum ex Patre unigenitum, hec eft, ex fubftantia Patris, Deum de Deo, lumen de lumine, Deum verum de Deo vero, genitum non fa&tum, confubftantialem Patri; per quem omnia facta funt & qua in calo & quæ in terra. & propter noftram falutem, homo fatius eft, pafus eft, & cendit in cælos, venturus judicare vivos & mortuos, Et in Spiritum Sanctum,

Qui propter nos homines, defcendit, incarnatus, & tertia die refurrexit, af

The above, then, being the genuine Creed of the Nicene Council, freed from the προ παίζων των αιω νων, εκ του Πατρός γεγεννημένον, which was in the Creed propofed to the council by Eufebius, it fhould feem to be no departure from the Nicene faith, if we also rejected that article as the council itself had rejected it. The creed propofed to the council by Eufebius was in these following terms:

Πιςεύομεν εις ένα Θεόν, Πατέρα παντοκράτορα, τον των απαλων οράζων και αοράτων ποιήθην. Και εις ένα Κυριον Ιησεν Χριςον, τον τ8 Θε8 λόγον, Θεον εκ Θεέ, φως εκ φωτός, ζωην εκ ζωής, ύιον μονογενή, πυροβόλοκον πασης κλίσεως, προ παν των των αιώνων εκ τ8 Πατρος γεΓεννημένον, δι' ο και εξενειο τα παλα. Τον δια την ἡμέτεραν σκληρίαν σαρκωθέντα, δεν αν

θρωποις

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θρωποις πολίζευσαμενον, και παθολα, και αναπαλά τη πόλη ήμερα, και ανελθονα προς τον Πατέρα, και ήξονα παλιν εν δοξη κρίναι ζώντας και νεκρες. Πιςεύομεν και εις εν πνευμα άγιον.

How far this creed differs from that which was established by the council, the reader will fee by comparing them together. When it was firft prefented, it seemed to meet with a pretty general approbation. But, as Eufebius was thought (whether justly or otherwife I enquire not) to be in fome. measure attached to the caufe of Arius, it was thought neceffary to revife it; and, on the revifal, it appearing to the Fathers not to be fufficiently guarded against the errors of Arius, they made what they judged to be the neceffary alterations in it; the. moft material of which were, the expunging what related to the Eternal generation, and inferting the article ὁμοούσιον τῷ Πατρι, which was not in the creed of Eufebius. This article at firft was ftrenuously oppofed by Eufebius; but at length not being able to refift the wisdom with which it was fupported, le acquiefced, and, as he tells the people of Cæfarea, in his letter to them, he subscribed the creed as the council had established it without any farther hefitation.

Hence then, I think it appears very plainly, that the προ πάντων των αιώνων, εκ του Πατρός γεγεννημένον, was no doctrine of the Nicene council; it was ex

punged

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