Alexandria alfo fays, "the Jews believed "that there was a God who was before all

things, and after him the creatures, but "nothing intermediate between them *."

Bafil ranks the unitarians with Jews. "If any one," fays he, " fuppofe the Father, "Son, and Holy Spirit to be one, one Being “under different names, and that they are "but one hypoftafis, under three denomina"tions, we rank him with the Jews t."

"The Hebrews," fays Leontius, "have only one hypoftafis, or person, and one "nature of God; plainly admitting no tri

nity, nor faying that God is Father, Son, "or Spirit, except that they call God Father, as the father of all men. They prove this "one hypoftafis from the words of Mofes :

εναλια φρονείες, οι φασι, εν ταις θείαις γραφαις, κύριος είπε προς με,

υως με ει συ, εγω σημερον γεγεννηκά σε.

Cat.

7. p. 102:

* Intellexerunt enim in his quæ credita funt, deum quidem effe ante omnia, et poft illum creaturam, intermedium autem aliud omnino nihil. De Trinitate, lib. 3. Opera, vol. 2. p. 398.

+ Ελις τον αυτον πατερα λέγει, και υιον, κ' αγιον πνεύμα και εν πραγμα πολυώνυμον υπολιθείαι, ή μιαν υποτασιν υπο των τριων προσηγοριών εκφωνεμένην• τον τοιδίον ημείς εν τη μεριδ. των Ιεδαίων τασσομεν. Epift. 73. vol. 3- P. 123.

"Hear,

"Hear, O Ifrael, the Lord thy God is one "Lord*."

Laftly, Theophylact fays, "in the Old "Teftament God was known to the Jews

only, but not as Father; he was after"wards revealed by the gospel to all the "world with the Son +."

This is a series of teftimony, fufficiently extensive for my purpose, as it clearly shows what was the general opinion among chriftians concerning the ancient faith of the Jews; and it is uncontradicted by any other evidence whatever. Some writers of yefterday have maintained, that the Jews always believed in a trinity, and that they

* Igitur Hebræi unam dicunt hypoftafin (five personam) unamque naturam dei; nullam plane trinitatem admittentes, ac neque patrem, neque filium, neque fpiritum fanctum dicentes: nifi forte fic deum, inquiunt, adpellemus patrem ; ut qui omnium fit hominum pater. Unam ex eo probant effe hypoftafin dei, quia Mofes dixerit : audi Ifraelitica natio, dominus deus tuus, dominus unus eft. De Sectis. Bib. Pat. App. p. 1849.

+ E γαρ και εν τη παλαια εγνωςο, αλλ' Ιεδαίοις μόνοις· και εδε Τελοίς, ως παληρο υςερονδε, δια το ευαίγελια εξεκαλύφθη τη οικεμένη waon, μela ty us. In Rom. Opera, vol. 2. p. 4.

I

expected

expected that their Meffiah would be the second perfon in that trinity; but the christian Fathers, who fay just the contrary, were as much interested as any men could be, in finding that doctrine among the Jews, and they were nearer the fource of information.

It was, indeed, imagined, as I have obferved, that Mofes and the prophets were themselves acquainted with the mystery of the trinity; but that they thought it was not a proper time to make a full discovery of that doctrine for the fatisfaction of the body of the Jews. Eufebius fays, that "Ifaiah knew that there was a God in "The prophets," fays Chry

"God*"

foftom, "who foretold concerning Chrift, "concealed their treasure in obfcure "words;" which implies that, in his opinion, they knew it themselves. "Adam,"

monftratio, lib. 5. cap. 4. p. 225.

† Ουτως και οι προφήτοι χρισον κηρυξανίες τη ασάφεια των λέξεων exguĻav tov Inoaugov. De Sigillis, Opera, vol. 6. p. 169.

the Father, Son, and Spirit, and knew "that the Father fpake to the Son, when he faid, Let us make man *

Pope Gregory likewife reprefents the people of the Jews as ignorant of the trinity, though the prophets might teach it †.

* Και ηδει πατερα θεον και υιον και αγιον πνευμα, προφήτης γαρ ην Lib. 1. p. 6.

+ Ipfa enim dei cognitio quæ apud illam in fpiritalibus patribus fuit, nota omni Hebræorum populo non fuit. Nam omnipotentem deum, fanctam videlicet trinitatem cum prophetæ prædicarent, populus ignorabat: folum decalogum tenebat in fide, legem'trinitatis nefciens. Super Ezekiel, Hom. 16. Opera, vol. 2. p. 83. F

VOL. III.

C

SEC

II.

SECTION

Of the Reasons why, according to the Chriftian Fathers, the Doctrine of the Trinity was not difcovered to the Jews.

AS

S the ignorance of the Jews, concerning