THE GREAT MYSTERY; OR, HOW CAN THREE BE ONE? BY THE REV. C. W. H. PAULI, PRESBYTER ANGL. ECCL. LONDON: WILLIAM MACINTOSH, AND AT THE LONDON SOCIETY'S HOUSE, 1863. 100. u. 109. How can they (the Three) be One ? Are they verily One, because we call them One? How Three can be One, can only be known through the revelation of the Holy Spirit. (Sohar, vol. ii., p. 43, versa., p. 22, 3.) BOD PREFACE. THE object of this little book is to prove, that the Jewish Church, before the Christian era, held the doctrine of the Holy Trinity as a fundamental and cardinal Article of Faith. Yea, the Jews held this doctrine pure and undefiled up to the end of the second century after Christ; and, as contained and declared in the Holy Scriptures, it has been set forth to demonstration in their authenticated and most ancient books, as the reader will see from the quotations in these pages. Hence it is, that we do not find in the New Testament any objections raised by the Jews to this doctrine, though they rejected, so unjustly, the claims of Jesus of Nazareth to be the true Messiah. The quotations from the Holy Scriptures, and from the Chaldee Paraphrases, as well as from other ancient Jewish works, have been given in the original languages, that the reader may be able to judge of their faithful ness. The translation, subjoined to these quotations, is to enable those, who are not con versant with those languages, to see that the Gospel of fulfilment teaches no other doctrine than was revealed in the Gospel of promise. The author of this little book requests the reader to bear in mind, that the Holy Scriptures, and nothing but the Holy Scriptures, are the basis upon which he holds that the doctrine of the Trinity is founded; and quotations from human writings, however old, venerable, and authenticated, are only employed to shew to our brethren, the Jews, how inconsistent they are in rejecting Christianity on account of this doctrine, professing, as they do, to follow closely their forefathers, who, it is here proved, believed it necessary to salvation. Moreover, the Christian reader will perceive from the quotations adduced from those ancient Jewish Doctors, how unfounded and ignorant is the assertion of the Unitarians, "that the Apostles invented the doctrine of the Trinity, in order so much the more easily to gain over the idolatrous nations to their new religion." No! our reply is, the Apostles inherited their faith in the Triune Jehovah from their fathers, who had it through Divine revelation in the Word of God. The autobiographic form of this little book has been chosen, not only because it seemed best adapted to the subject in hand, but also with the view of presenting to the reader a faithful portrait of an Israelite in pursuit of Divine knowledge, thus giving to the exposition of these deep yet saving doctrines, life and animation. This Israelite is known to the author as his own self; and the statements with regard to him are, therefore, to all intents and purposes, matters of fact. The writer of these pages has purposely avoided introducing quotations from the New Testament Scriptures as proofs of this doctrine, inasmuch as the Jews will never admit them as such; but the New Testament Scriptures have been, and ever will be, to the author, all-sufficient; and on their testimony, independently of any of these human writings of the ancient Jewish Church, he receives and believes this blessed doctrine with all his heart. THE AUTHOR. AMSTERDAM, 1863. |