The Concessions of Trinitarians: Being a Selection of Extracts from the Writings of the Most Eminent Biblical Critics and Commentators by John Wilson

Author:John Wilson [John Wilson]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: James Munroe
Published: 2018-06-26T16:00:00+00:00

Jesus of Nazareth, who appeared with splendour before all the people, by the excellence of his doctrines, and the grandeur of his miracles; beloved by God, esteemed and honoured by men; to whom God bore witness in the wonders which he performed through him, &c. — Calmer.

Before God; namely, a prophet, who served God. It is the same as in Hebrew, standing and walking before God. He served God as a prophet, and was recognised as a prophet by all the people. — J. D. Michael is: Resurrection of Christ, p. 231.

JOHN.

John i. 1: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was "with God, and the Word was God."

In erst Sermon. — Castillo, And Juniors, Erasmus, and others. erst Ratio. — Le Clerk.

'E apex, in the beginning.

It is not intimated in the word First-born [in Col. i. 15], or in the phrase used by John, iv apex *'» the beginning, at what time the Son was thus produced [that is, begotten], whether immediately before the creation, or from eternity.—Principal Hill: Lectures in Divinity, vol. i. p. 316.

Many think eternity is mo ant, and hence deduce an argument for the Deity of Christ. This doctrine, indeed, is true; but it does not follow, that the word beginning ought to be expounded of eternity. Nor is there any solid reason why the apostle should use a term which by no means suits the notion of eternity; for as eternity is without beginning or end, how can that which is eternal be set forth by tho word beginning? — Rudolph spud Scandium, p. 124.

Schulz, Lamp e, and others, have, as I think rightly, maintained that the notion of eternity, in its strict and philosophical sense, cannot at all be elicited from the words in the beginning was; that the Jews did not employ the phrases, before the ages and from the beginning, of eternity; which is sufficiently evident from Sir. xxiv. 9. Wis d. vii. 25, 26; — and that Phil o, and the Alexandrian Jews, to whose philosophy John referred, understood, by the Logos of God, some celestial nature which existed before the world, but which had emanated from the Deity. —

Stuart, in his Ans. to Channing, Let. iii. p. 56; Dr. J. P. Smith, in Script. Test. vol. iii. p. 76; and others, admit that the phrase iv apex "l the beginning, does not of itself prove the eternity of Christ.] H, erst, " was."

Those who from the imperfect tense of the verb infer a perpetual stat o do not rely on a support sufficiently firm. They say that was expresses a continued s cries, better than if John had used has been; but in such matters we ought to employ more solid arguments.—Calvin. 'O the Logos, the Word, Reason.

The Greek term Logos, rendered Word, denotes also Reason; and thus is it explained by the majority of the Greek Fathers. The expression, Reason was in the beginning, has the same signification as what is said of Wisdom in Prov. viii.

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