171.当今基督教会所信奉并引入其信仰的三一观是：父神自永恒就生了一个儿子，然后圣灵从这二者发出，每一个都凭自己为神。对于这样的三位一体，人类心智只能像理解“三头政治”那样来理解，如同一个国家有三个国王，或在一支军队由三个将军率领，或一个房子里有三个主人，其中每一个都有同等的权柄。这只能导致毁灭。人若在脑海中勾勒或描绘这样的三头政治，同时又维持他们的一体性，就只能将它想象为一个身子三个头，或一个头三个身子的人。三位一体必以这样一个畸形而可怕的形像呈现给那些信三个神性位格，其中每一个都独自为神，并将他们联结起来以形成一个神，却否认神是一，故而是一个位格之人。
神自永恒所生的儿子降下来，并为自己取了人的样式，这样的观念好比古人的神话传说，即人类灵魂自世界之初被造，然后进入肉体，变成男人和女人。它还好比这一荒诞观念：一个人的灵魂进入另一人中，就像许多犹太教会中很多人所信的那样，如以利亚的灵魂回到施洗约翰的身体中，大卫回到他自己或某个其他人的身体中，来统治以色列和犹大。因为以西结说：
我必立一牧人照管他们，牧养他们，就是我的仆人大卫。他必牧养他们，作他们的牧人。我耶和华必给他们作神，大卫必在他们中间作王。（以西结书34:23，24）
还有其它这样的经文。但他们不知道，大卫在此表示主。
171. 當今基督徒教會所信奉並引進其信仰的三一概念是:父上帝從永遠(在萬世之先)生有一子, 聖靈從父子而發出, 每一位各自是上帝。
人的思想唯一能領會這種三一的方式, 就是視它如"三頭政權"。如同一國之政權由三個君王治理, 或者三個將軍同領一支軍隊, 又或一家由三個主人治理, 各自有平等權力。這樣只會帶來毀滅。任何人想在腦中對此現象有個概念或圖像, 且要維護三者為一位, 他只能萌生一身三頭或一頭三身之怪物的形像來。這就是那些相信三個神性位格,每一位自身是上帝,又要合為一位上帝,否認一位上帝只有一個位格之人對三一形成的荒誕形像。
從永遠生出的上帝之子, 後來降臨人間, 取了人的樣式顯現, 這個概念就像古時的神話故事:在世界開創之始, 人的靈魂被造, 他們進入肉體, 成為男人女人。又或像這樣荒誕的念頭:一個人的靈魂進到另一人之中, 就像許多猶太人宗教所信的那樣。例如, 以利亞回到施洗約翰的身體之中。大衛將會回到他自己或另外某人的身體之中, 來統治以色列和猶大。因為以西結說:"我將在他們之中興起一個牧人來餵養他們, 就是我的僕人大衛。他將是他們的牧人, 我耶和華將是他們的上帝, 大衛必在他們之中作王(以西結書34:23-24)。"還有其它這樣的經文。但是他們不知道, 大衛在此預表主。
171. The Trinity that the modern-day Christian church has embraced and integrated into its faith is that God the Father bore a Son from eternity, and the Holy Spirit came forth from them both. Each one is a god all by himself.
The only way the human mind can grasp this trinity is to view it as a "triarchy," like a government of three monarchs in one country, three generals over one army, or three heads in one household, each of whom has equal power. What other outcome could such a situation have except destruction? Any of us who try to picture or sketch that triarchy in our mind's eye, with its unity in mind as well, can view it only as a person with three heads on one body or three bodies with one head. This deformed image of the Trinity is bound to show up in those who believe in three divine persons, each of whom is God in his own right - those who connect them into one God while denying that "one God" means one person.
The concept of an eternally begotten Son of God who later comes down and takes on a human manifestation is like the ancient nonsense about human souls created at the beginning of the world that enter bodies and become people. It is also like the absurd notion that someone's soul can cross over into someone else. Many in the Jewish church used to believe this. They thought that the soul of Elijah was in the body of John the Baptist and that David was going to return in his own body or someone else's to reign over Israel and Judah, because it says in Ezekiel, "I will raise up one shepherd over them, who will feed them - my servant David. He will be their shepherd. And I, Jehovah, will be their God and David will be a prince in their midst" (Ezekiel 34:23-25; there are other such references as well). They did not realize that "David" there means the Lord.
171. The idea of the Trinity which the present-day Christian church has embraced and introduced into its faith, is that God the Father fathered a Son from eternity, and the Holy Spirit then issued from both, each by Himself being God. There is no way this Trinity could be conceived by human minds except as a triad of rulers, like having three kings in one kingdom, or three generals in command of one army, or three masters in one house, each of whom has equal power. This can only lead to ruin. And if anyone wants to form a mental picture or sketch of this triad of rulers while preserving their oneness, he can only conceive of it as a man with three heads on one body, or with three bodies beneath a single head. Such is the monstrous image of the Trinity which will be seen by those who believe in three Divine persons, each of whom is by Himself God, and link them to form a single God, denying that being one makes God one person.
[2] The idea that a Son of God fathered from eternity came down and took upon Himself human form can be compared with the myths of the ancients, that human souls were created from the beginning of the world, and they enter into bodies and become men and women. It is also like the absurd idea that the soul of one person passes into another, as many of the Jewish religion have believed; for instance, that the soul of Elijah came back in the body of John the Baptist, and that David will return to his own or someone else's body, and reign over Israel and Judah, because Ezekiel says:
I will raise up over them a shepherd who shall feed them, my servant David. He shall be their shepherd, and I Jehovah will be their God, and David shall be prince in their midst, Ezekiel 34:23-24.
There are other such passages. But they do not know that David here means the Lord.
171. The trinity which the present Christian church has embraced and brought into its faith, is that God the Father begat a Son from eternity, and that the Holy Spirit then went forth from both, and that each one of Himself is a God. Human minds can conceive of this trinity only as a triarchy, like the government of three kings in one kingdom, or of three generals over one army, or of three masters in one household, all possessing an equal power. From this what but destruction could ensue? Or if one wishes to figure or shadow forth this triarchy before his mind's sight, and at the same time the unity of its members, he can present it to contemplation only as a man with three heads on one body, or as three bodies under one head. In such a monstrous image must the trinity appear to those who believe that there are three Divine persons each by Himself God, and who join these into one God, but deny that God, because He is one, is therefore one person. That a Son of God begotten from eternity descended and assumed a Human may be compared to the fables of the ancients, that human souls created at the beginning of the world enter into bodies and become men; also to the absurd notion that the soul of one person passes into another, as many in the Jewish church believed; for example, that the soul of Elijah would pass into the body of John the Baptist, and that David would return into his own or into some other man's body, and rule over Israel and Judah, because it is said in Ezekiel:
I will set up one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them, even My servant David; and he shall be their shepherd and I Jehovah will be to them as God, and David a prince among them (34:23, 24);
besides other passages; not knowing that the Lord is there meant by "David."
171. The trinity which the present Christian Church has accepted and introduced into its faith is, that God the Father beget a Son from eternity, that the Holy Spirit then came forth from both, and that each is God by Himself. This trinity can only be understood by human minds as a triarchy, and as the rule of three kings in one kingdom, or of three generals over one army, or of three masters in one house, each of whom has equal power; which must result in destruction. Should any one desire to picture this triarchy, or represent it to his mental vision, and yet associate it with the idea of unity, he would be obliged to conceive it as a man with three heads on one body, or with three bodies under one head. Such a monstrous image of the Trinity will appear to those who believe there are three Divine Persons, each of whom by Himself is God; and who combine them into one God, and deny that God, because He is one, is one Person. The idea that a Son of God born from eternity, descended and assumed the Human may be ranked with the fables of the ancients, which relate that human souls were created at the beginning of the world, and that these enter human bodies and become men; and also with the absurd notion that the soul of one person passes into another, as many in the Jewish Church believed; for example, that the soul of Elijah had passed into the body of John the Baptist, and that David would return into his own body or that of some other man and reign over Israel and Judah, because it is said in Ezekiel: "I will set up one Shepherd over them, and He shall feed them, even my servant David... he shall be their shepherd, And I JEHOVAH will be their God, and... David a prince among them" 34:23-24; and in other places, as they did not know that by David in these passages is meant the Lord.
171. Trinitas, quam Ecclesia Christiana hodierna amplexa est, et quam in fidem suam intulit, est quod Deus Pater genuerit Filium ab aeterno, et quod Spiritus sanctus ab utroque tunc exiverit, et quod quisque sit 1 Deus per se: haec Trinitas non aliter a mentibus humanis concipi potest, quam ut Triarchia, ac sicut Regimen trium Regum in uno Regno, aut trium Ducum super uno Exercitu, 2 aut trium Dominorum in una domo, quorum cuique sit aequalis potestas; quid inde nisi destructio: et si quis hanc Triarchiam vult figurare aut adumbrare coram visu mentis, et simul tunc illorum unitatem, non aliter potest illam suae contemplationi sistere, quam sicut hominem trium capitum super uno corpore, aut trium corporum sub uno capite; talis monstrosa 3 imago Trinitatis apparitura est coram illis, qui credunt tres Personas Divinas, et quamlibet Deum per se, et illas conjungunt in unum Deum, et negant quod Deus quia est unus sit una Persona.
[2] Quod Filius Dei ab aeterno genitus descenderit et assumserit 4 Humanum, comparari potest cum fabulis Veterum, quod Animae humanae ab initio Mundi creatae sint, et quod intrent in corpora et fiant homines; tum etiam absonis illis, quod unius anima transeat in alterum, sicut plures in Ecclesia Judaica crediderunt, ut quod anima Eliae in corpus Johannis Baptistae, et quod David rediturus sit in suum aut alterius corpus, et regnaturus super Israelem et Judam, quia dicitur apud Ezechielem, Excitabo super 5 illos Pastorem unum, qui pascet illos, servum meum Davidem, hic erit illis in Pastorem, et Ego Jehovah ero illis in Deum, et David princeps in medio eorum, 34:23-24, 6 praeter alibi; non scientes, quod per Davidem ibi intelligatur Dominus.
Footnotes:
1. Prima editio: fit.
2. Prima editio: Excercitu.
3. Prima editio: monstrorsa.
4. Prima editio: assumferit.
5. Prima editio: fuper.
6. Prima editio: 23, 24, 25.