DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.9552#0239
TO THE CHRISTIAN PUBLIC. - 20Q
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of the same essence with the Father ; the vanquished
Presbyter banished among the Illyrians, and his followers
compelled to give their assent to the creed or confession
of faith which was composed by this council." It must
not escape the notice of my readers, that so late as the
year 314, the doctrine of the Son being of the same
nature with the Father was supposed to be a matter of
■.•small importance, and little connected with the funda-
mental and essential doctrines of religion.
The reason for the majority being in favour of the
three persons of the Godhead at the Council of Nice may
be easily accounted for, as I noticed before. More than
nine-tenths of the Christians of that age, including the
emperor and princes, were Gentile converts, to whom
the idea of a plurality of Gods was most familiar and
acceptable, and to whose reason as well as practice the
worship of a Deity in the human shape was perfectly conso-
nant, as appears from the following quotation, as well as
from the Roman and Grecian histories. Mosheim, Vol.
t. p. 25 : "The deities of all nations were either ancient
lieroes renowned for noble exploits and worthy deeds, or
kings and generals who had founded empires, or women
become illustrious by remarkable actions or useful inven-
tions ; the merit of these distinguished and eminent
persons, contemplated by their posterity with an en-
thusiastic gratitude, was the reason of their being exalted
into celestial honours." We find also in the Acts of the
Apostles, Paul declared to be God by the people of
Melita, and both Paul and Barnabas regarded as gods by
the inhabitants ;of Lystra ; and the Saviour was ranked
in the number of false gods even by professed heathens.
Acts, ch. xxviii. ver. 6 : " Howbeit, they looked when he»
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of the same essence with the Father ; the vanquished
Presbyter banished among the Illyrians, and his followers
compelled to give their assent to the creed or confession
of faith which was composed by this council." It must
not escape the notice of my readers, that so late as the
year 314, the doctrine of the Son being of the same
nature with the Father was supposed to be a matter of
■.•small importance, and little connected with the funda-
mental and essential doctrines of religion.
The reason for the majority being in favour of the
three persons of the Godhead at the Council of Nice may
be easily accounted for, as I noticed before. More than
nine-tenths of the Christians of that age, including the
emperor and princes, were Gentile converts, to whom
the idea of a plurality of Gods was most familiar and
acceptable, and to whose reason as well as practice the
worship of a Deity in the human shape was perfectly conso-
nant, as appears from the following quotation, as well as
from the Roman and Grecian histories. Mosheim, Vol.
t. p. 25 : "The deities of all nations were either ancient
lieroes renowned for noble exploits and worthy deeds, or
kings and generals who had founded empires, or women
become illustrious by remarkable actions or useful inven-
tions ; the merit of these distinguished and eminent
persons, contemplated by their posterity with an en-
thusiastic gratitude, was the reason of their being exalted
into celestial honours." We find also in the Acts of the
Apostles, Paul declared to be God by the people of
Melita, and both Paul and Barnabas regarded as gods by
the inhabitants ;of Lystra ; and the Saviour was ranked
in the number of false gods even by professed heathens.
Acts, ch. xxviii. ver. 6 : " Howbeit, they looked when he»