No Other Name

NO OTHER NAME
WHAT THE APOSTLES REALLY TAUGH CONCERNING THE TRUE IDENTITY OF JESUS CHRIST
Written by
Stanley A. Bernard
1.
The Origin of the Trinity
Tertullian, properly Quintus Septimius Florens Tertullianus (A.D.160 220), in the first half of the second century, laid the foundation for the later theological formation of the incarnation and of the trinity in the fight against those who were dubbed Monarchians. In one of the most interesting scholarly work on church history and Christological controversies that gripped the post-apostolic church and gave us enormous insight into the formulation of the Trinitarian dogma, Wilfred Briggs credited the Moroccan lawyer and theologian, Tertullian, as the first person to characterize the Godhead of the Judeo-Christian faith, as a trinity of persons: an appellation originally used among pagan nations to describe their triune deities. In developing his theological concept of God, Tertullian employed the word substantia in the sense of property, and persona in the sense of a person with legal rights. His definition of the Godhead, as being one substantia shared by three persons, was in joint ownership of the three persons. This terminology, applied to the incarnation, gave rise to the conception of a double status not confused, but jointed in one person, Jesus Christ, God and Man. In this respect, humanity is one substance, owned along with Divinity, another substance, by the same Jesus Christ. Instead of defeating the Monarchians position, his theological speculation, after it became widely known and embraced, ignited fierce opposition among many of his Christian contemporaries through the Roman world and provoked the greatest Christological controversy of all times in the history of Christendom. It may be noteworthy to mention that Tertullian was not an adherent to Greek philosophers, although he was conversant with their teachings. He abhorred and mocked the proponents of a Stoic or a Platonic or an Aristotelian Christianity and asked What has Athens in common with Jerusalem? However his trinitarian idea or concept of God was the progeny of what was to become the Neoplatonic doctrine of the trinity. Several years later, in attempting to provide a plausible explanation of the relationship between the Godhead and the divine nature of Jesus Christ, the Constantinople council, also like Tertullian, left many things unsettled concerning the nature of Christ. Already the way was being prepared for the great formulation of the doctrine of the trinity at the Council of Chalcedon in AD 451. Once again the theologians of Neoplatonic persuasion, who retained the rank of philosophers, embarked on the task of unraveling the nature and personality of Christ. The galvanizing influence of Platos metaphysical speculations and philosophical system, without due consideration or reference to the Old Testament, were the vehicle by which solutions were sought and thought to be apprehended by Basil the Caesarean (the great), Gregory of Nazianzus and Gregory of Nyssa, who were leaders together with Ambrose of Milan, of the new Nicene party. These men tried, and in large measures, in the language of Neoplatonic mysticism, managed to remove the fears which were present in some minds with regards to the terminology of Nicea, which was first convened in AD 325. Biggs further revealed that the action of the Church after Constantinople, with the active support of secular powers, illustrated clearly the emergence of dogmatic intolerance as a definite principle bound up with the Catholic idea of religion. He cogently showed that the Church has come to demand assent to abstract proposition touching the divine nature in
Written by Stanley A. Bernard, P.O. Box 409, Cruz Bay, St. John, VI 00831; email: scabernard@yahoo.com
3 Christ and its relation to his human nature: assent rather than New Testament faith was becoming the criterion of orthodoxy. Considering the magnitude of this departure from biblical faith to unreservedly embrace Platonic philosophy, Biggs asserted that the warning of Robert MacKintoch that the Trinity and the Hypostatic Union (three hypostases in one ousia) are vast speculative constructions reared upon slander of biblical data is worth pondering in this connection. At the Council of Chalcedon, the Churchs doctrine of the Trinity was formulated in a way that was in the main satisfactory: three hypostases in one ousia. That is, three persons in one substance which constitute God. In classical trinitarianism, God is a substance shared by these three separate and distinct persons and each of these persons is God as a result of each possessing the divine substance. But this left unresolved the problem of Christs nature and personality, and especially the way in which the divine and human nature were united in him. One of the most provocative questions that fueled the controversy was: Wherein lay the personal center of the Lords life, in his humanity or in his divine nature? In order to understand the course of these fierce disputes that split the church in the first half of the fifth century, it is imperative to keep in mind that according to the Greek's view, personality consists of three elements, namely, body, soul and spirit. For them the latter is the seat of the personality. Philosophically speaking, the Greeks assert that the soul is irrational and the spirit is the rational soul. Armed with such pagan influence, Pope Leos statement formed the basis of the definition of the humanity and divinity of Christ at the fourth General Council of Chalcedon, in AD 451. It should be noted that this was an eastern council and the only delegates from the west were two Africans and the papal legates, but its definition has been generally accepted as setting forth the essential theological dogmas of the Trinity and the Person of Christ. It was from Leos definition that the Trinitarians got the phrases God the Son and God the Holy Ghost; terms that were never used in scripture by the apostles or in the writings of those who were disciples of the apostles. Biggs concluded that the Greek mind could not contain the mystery of the incarnation, so the Greek mind is ever seeking for it resolution, whereas the Hebrew mind could contain it, both in power and expression. Therefore in this quest for truth the Christian must start from the unique historical personality of the Lord. Jesus Christ lived a fully human life as a Jew, yet he was not just a man, but also the Hebrew God manifested in the flesh. The Greek mind has always had the propensity to say Either/ Or. However, when the Christian mind contemplates the great...mystery of godliness, is not the answer then more likely to be found when we consider the Hebrew mind and start with Both/ And? A careful examination of the Old Testament, shows the plurality of God in function and work, but does not imply a trinity of persons or what constitutes a triune God. Hence the Hebrew mind embraces Yahweh Elohim (God) as I Am, Father, Redeemer, Saviour, Creator, the Holy One, Counselor, Lord, the Spirit of God, the Word, and other epithets, giving rise to his plurality of function, rather than a divine substance divided equally and shared jointly by three persons, resulting in their Godhood. If these theologians had perused the Hebrew Scriptures, especially the writings of Isaiah, instead of Platonic mysticism, the scale of truth would undoubtedly tip towards an all-powerful, self-existent God, who has no rival or equal and certainly not a group of individuals as in a government.
4 The controversy continued as different groups of intellectuals became obsessed in providing a rational explanation of the incarnation and the nature of Christ. A reaction of Pope Leo 1 (died in 416) against the Monophysites doctrine on the one nature of Christ also culminated in the Fourth General Council of Chalcedon, which affirmed Christ to be of two natures in one person. Thus the council alienated the Monophysites believers in Egypt, Syria, other parts of North Africa and Asia Minor. As the various popes grew in influence and power, exercising authority over Christendoms machinery of government, both religiously and secularly, the Trinitarian doctrine was finally established, and enforced by inquisition, cruel punishment, prohibition, murder, confiscation of possessions and imprisonment. Absolute authority was vested in the popes to both determine the interpretation of scripture and who should live or die if found in contradiction. The rejection of the trinity during those times incurred the wrath of the imperial powers of Christendom. The Doctrine of the Trinity Although the foundation of the speculative tenet of the so-called doctrine of the trinity was laid by Tertullian in the second century, it was later developed and refined within the framework of the teachings of Plato (B.C. 428348), the most eminent Greek philosopher of all time. Gregory of Nazianzus (A.D.330-389) and the Cappadocians brothers Basil the Great (AD 329-375) and Gregory of Nyssa (AD 335-395) are credited with formulating the tenets of the doctrine of trinity. These three, called the Cappadocian Fathers, declared or endorsed the notion of three equal persons make up the Godhead, and that the persons are co-equal and co-eternal. This is regarded as the most important doctrine of the majority of churches across the world today, from east to west alike, and is embodied in their articles of faith. However most churches retained Tertullians rank of the so called persons of the Godhead in which he defined the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost as the first, second and third persons of the Trinity, respectively. Gregory of Nyssa combined the teachings of Platos One and Many, to write his book On Not Three Gods, his theology of the three persons of the Godhead. The councils of Nicea and Chalcedon (A.D.451) firmly established the Doctrine of the Trinity, (adopted from the Athanasian Creed) which states: We worship one God in Trinity, and Trinity in Unity; neither confounding the persons; nor dividing the substance. For there is one Person of the Father, another of the Son, and another of the Holy Ghost; but the Godhead of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, is all one: the Glory equal, the Majesty co-equal. Such as the Father is, the Son, and such is the Holy Ghost. The Father is uncreated, the Son is uncreated, and the Holy Ghost is uncreated. The Father incomprehensible, the Son incomprehensible, the Holy Ghost incomprehensible. The Father is eternal, the son is eternal. And yet there are not three eternals, but one eternal. Also there are not three incomprehensibles, not three uncreated: but one uncreated, and one incomprehensible. So likewise the Father is Almighty, the Son Almighty and the Holy Ghost Almighty. And yet there are not three Almighties, but one Almighty. So the
5 Father is God, the Son is God and the Holy Ghost is God. And yet there are not three Gods: but one God. So likewise the Father is Lord, the Son is Lord and the Holy Ghost is Lord. And yet not three Lords but one Lord. For like we are compelled by the Christian verity to acknowledge every person by himself to be God and Lord; so we are forbidden by the Catholic religion to say, There be three Gods, or three Lords. The Father is made of none; neither created, nor begotten. The Son is of the Father alone: not made, nor created, but begotten. The Holy Spirit is of the Father and of the Son; neither made, nor created, nor begotten, but proceeding. So there is one Father, not three Fathers; one Son, not three Sons, one Holy Ghost, not three Holy Ghosts. And in Trinity none is afore, or after other, none is greater or less than the other; but the whole three persons are co-eternal together and co-equal. So that in all things as is afore said: the Unity in Trinity and the Trinity in Unity is to be worshiped. He therefore that will be saved must thus think of the Trinity. Indeed any person who is able to think logically will clearly realize that the Doctrine of the Trinity is irrational, absurd and self-contradictory. It is the product of the natural mind espousing a misconception, masquerading as eternal truth, upon which it is said that man must thus think of to be saved, rather than humbly accepting by faith, the teachings of the apostles in the Holy Scripture wherein they affirmed: In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made.He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelled among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of only begotten of the Father) full of grace and truth. (John 1:1-3,10,12,14) In fact the blessed apostle of the gentiles, Paul, boldly asserted that: Without controversy, great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifested in the flesh, justified in the spirit, preached unto the gentiles, believed on in the world, and received up into glory. (1Tim 3:16). Also, in the second chapter of his Letter to the Colossians, Paul, who by revelation knew Jesus Christ, categorically declared: For in him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. (Col 2:9) God, in his infinite wisdom and power, requiring man to accept his word through faith and believe it, declared through Moses: The secret things belong unto the LORD our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children forever .., (Deut. 29: 29a).
6 Emphatically then, it is clear that within the minds of the Jewish writers of the Scripture, the Eternal God, Yahweh, by his Word, became flesh as the seed of Abraham, and lived among men as Jesus Christ and was believed on in the world as the God of Israel. This is Gods concealed, unfathomable, incomprehensible secret. The Hebrew people in that age, both Jews and Christians alike, have always believed and maintained that Yahweh is one God: the Father, Creator, only Saviour and Redeemer of man; themes that are conversant with the prophets and psalmists of old times. Thus the New Testament affirms that the whole fullness of deity, including all it power of life and immortality, dwells in Jesus Christ bodily. The Bible unequivocally, declares that the great mystery of godliness is irrefutable. Where God has demonstrated his awesome power and plan to save and redeem mankind, the natural mind, through vain philosophy and the doctrines of men, will never be able to comprehend Gods true intent. It can only be spiritually perceived, accepted and embraced through faith in Jesus Christ alone. The search to determine or explain how the great mystery of godliness was accomplished by God, have lead to unfruitful philosophical speculations and erroneous teachings by several theological scholars and religious groups, including the Trinitarian Fathers and their adherents, for more than 1500 years. For them, the Godhead, is relegated to a divine substance shared by three persons and each of the three persons is God, co-equal, co eternal; yet ranked in order as first, second and third persons (of the trinity). It is evident that Deuteronomy, chapter 6:4, in which the text states Hear O Israel, the Lord our God is one LORD, was never contemplated or considered was given in formulating the Trinitarian idea of God. Numerous testimonies in both the Old and New Testaments, when studied carefully, within the context of the Hebrew mind, cogently show that the doctrine of the trinity is far from being monotheistic, but rather polytheistic in essence. Jesus Christ, the Lord from heaven, in the days of his flesh, taught us that God is a Spirit (singular), not an impersonal substance or an economy, and they that worship him, must worship him in spirit and in truth; not as the proponents of the doctrine of the trinity advocated that the Unity in Trinity and the Trinity in Unity is to be worshiped and that he therefore that will be saved must thus think of the Trinity. Jesus Christ, the Word of God, who was made flesh, taught (Luke 4:8): Thou shall worship the Lord thy God and him only shall thou serve. Furthermore, concerning salvation, Yahweh pleads with all nations, through Isaiah the prophet, says: Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else. I have sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, that unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear. Surely, shall one say, in the LORD have I righteousness and strength: even to him shall men come; and all that are incensed against him shall be ashamed. (Isa.45: 2224). The apostle Paul, in connection with this very text from Isaiah, clearly illustrates by whom the prophet speaks in his Epistle to Philippians, says of Jesus:
7 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation.. coming in the likeness of men. Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Phil:2:6-11) With such profound truth in mind, consider the emphatic and unequivocal declaration of Peter concerning him, whose name is above every name (Act4:12): Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name (Jesus) under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. We can safely conclude that salvation is in no other name, but Jesus Christ only, and not in the erroneous Trinity of persons declared by the Council of Chalcedon.
2.
The Catholic Confession
It quite fascinating to read what many learned Trinitarians have to say about their own doctrine and belief. One such work that examined their body of writings is, The Origin and Development of the Trinity according to Trinitarian Scholars: Study Section I. Most of these writings concerning the Doctrine of Trinity are the product of Roman Catholic Scholars who obviously ignored the teachings of the Old Testament concerning the oneness of the God of Israel. Their unreserved use of Greek philosophy along with certain specific passages of New Testament scripture, to explain the Godhead, weaved and espoused a theology of tritheism, familiar to that of pagan Rome and a multitude of other nations in the ancient world. The self-revealing God of Israel, Yahweh, was made like unto the pagan deities of the various nations who worshipped triads or trinity of gods. It is evident that the outcome would have been different if careful consideration were given to other scriptures. One such passage of scripture is found in Nehemiah 9:6. Concerning the God of Israel, he unequivocally states, Thou art Lord alone. Among other writings of the Old Testament, and especially the Prophet Isaiah, Yahweh protested in several instances concerning idolatrous Judah and Israel that he alone is Lord, which also implies that he alone is God, Redeemer and Saviour of all mankind. He says to them: Ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me. I, even I, am the LORD; and beside me there is no Saviour. I have declared, and have saved, and I have shewed, when there was no strange god among you: therefore ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, that I am God. (Isaiah 43:10-12) I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God. (Isaiah 44:6b) Now, considering that the New Testament reveals the incarnation of Christ, we find evidence in John 10:35, where the Jewish leaders demonstrated their understanding of Jesus teaching concerning his identity, accused him of blasphemy, emphasizing that thou being a man makest thyself God. Comparatively, this is rather remarkable when we consider that the disciples of the Lord had immense difficulties in comprehending his teachings, while his claims to deity were transparent to the Jewish leaders: a lesson that should be borne in mind when studying the scripture. Let us gather some insight from what the following sources reveals: The Catholic Handbook, 1988: The Catholic Church teaches that the fathomless mystery we call God has revealed himself to human-kind as a Trinity of Persons -- the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
9 Three Persons, One God The mystery of the Trinity is the central doctrine of the Catholic faith. Upon it are based all the other teachings of the Church. The church studied the mystery with great care and, after four centuries of clarification, decided to state the doctrine in this way: "In the unity of the Godhead there are three persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, truly distinct from one another." The Church of our Fathers - 1950, pg. 46: The day was to come when the Nicene party won out completely and then the emperors, who wished to prevent any more such quarrels, decreed that one who denied the Trinity should be put to death. This law was later to be used against the Unitarians (Oneness Faith Believers). At the earlier time, however, the bishops were horrified that the truth should be defended by the shedding of blood. The American Peoples Encyclopedia, 1975: Trinity: The doctrine of the trinity was made official by the Council of Nicea (A.D. 325) and was given its definitive statement by the Council of Constantinople (A.D. 381)." The doctrine was not formalized and enforced by secular powers until the Council of Chalcedon, AD 451. Catholic Encyclopedia, 1911: Other Arian sects, such as the Eunomians and Aetians, baptized (converts) in the death of Christ." Converts from Sabellianism were ordered by the First Council of Constantinople (can.vii) to be rebaptized because the doctrine of Sabellius claimed that there was but one person in the Trinity. Pope Innocent I (As. Episc., Maced., vi) declares that these sectaries did not distinguish the Persons of the Trinity when baptizing. The Council of Nicea (can. xix) ordered the rebaptism of Paulianists, and the Council of Aries (can. XVI and XVII) decreed the same for both Paulianists and Photinians. There has been a theological controversy over the question as to whether baptism in the name of Christ only was ever held valid. Certain texts in the New Testament have given rise to this difficulty. St. Paul (Acts, xix) commanded some disciples at Ephesus to be baptized in Christ's name. "They were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus." In Acts, X, we read that St. Peter ordered others to be baptized "in the name of Jesus Christ", and above all we have the explicit command of the Prince of the Apostles; "Be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of
10 your sins" Acts, ii). Owing to these texts, some theologians have held that the Apostles baptized in the name of Christ only. St. Thomas, St. Bonaventure, and Albertus Magnus are invoked as authorities for this opinion, they declaring that the Apostles so acted by special dispensation. Other writers, as Peter Lombard and Hugh of St. Victor, hold also that such baptism would be valid. The authority of Pope Stephen I has been alleged for the validity of baptism given in the name of Christ only. History of Dogma, 1950: As to Baptism, which was administered in the name of the Father, Son, and Spirit, though Cyprian, Ep. 73:16-18,.he felt compelled to oppose the custom of baptizing In the name of Jesus." Encyclopedia Britannica, 1976: "Trinity, the doctrine of God taught by orthodox Christianity, asserts that God is one in essence, but three in "person", Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Biblical Basis: Neither the word "Trinity" nor the explicit doctrine as such appears at any one place in the Bible. The ecclesiastical dogma is an effort to unite in one confession all the several strains of the biblical description of God. Fundamental to the description in both the Old and New Testaments is the monotheistic credo summarized in the Shema of Deut. 6:4 "Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord." Neither Jesus nor his early followers intended anything they said about their new revelation to contradict that credo. At the same time, Christianity was compelled from its earliest beginnings to cope with the implication of the coming of Jesus Christ. The early Christians spoke to Jesus and about him in titles that put him above merely human; they ascribed to him powers and works that transcended the natural realm; they sang to him "as God," as their Roman enemies reported (see Jesus Christ). They were also aware of a presence and the power of God in their midst that was distinct from, yet not alien to, Jesus Christ and the one whom he had taught them to call his Father; this was the Holy Spirit, whose coming was connected with the celebration of Pentecost." Historical Development: "Nevertheless, the awareness of these implications did not spring into the Christian consciousness all at once but developed over several centuries and through many controversies. Initially, both the requirements of the monotheism inherited from the Old Testament and the implication of the need to interpret biblical teaching to Greco-Roman paganism seemed to demand that the divine in Christ as the word of (God) "Logos" be seen as subordinate to the Supreme Deity." Many of the early Church Fathers, even the most orthodox, seemed to incline in one or the other direction. It was not until the 4th century that the distinctness of the three taught by subordinationism and their unity taught by
11 modalism were brought together in a single orthodox doctrine of one essence and three persons. The Council of Nicea in 325 AD stated the crucial formula for that doctrine in its confession that the Son is "of the same essence [homoousious] as the Father," even though it said very little about the Holy Spirit. Over the next half-century Athanasius (q.v.) defined and refined the Nicene formula, and by the end of the 4th century, under the leadership of Basil, Gregory of Nyssa, and Gregory of Nazianzus (qq.v.), The doctrine of the Trinity took substantially the form it has maintained ever since. The Encyclopedia of Religion, Vol. 15, 1987: Development of Trinitarian Doctrine: Exegetes and theologians today are in agreement that the Hebrew Bible does not contain a doctrine of the Trinity, even though it was customary in past dogmatic tract on the Trinity to cite texts like Genesis 1:26, "Let us make humanity in our image, after our likeness" (see also Gn. 3:22, 11:7, Is 6:2-3) as proof of plurality in God. When it states, "Let us make humanity in our image, after our likeness" God is talking to us, the church. The Trinitarians completely miss the spiritual teachings of Genesis. Genesis is also a great book with much spiritual insight. The Hebrew Bible depicts God as the Father of Israel and employs personifications of God such as Word (Davar), Spirit (Ruah), Wisdom (Hokhmah), and Presence (Shekhinah); it would go beyond the intention and spirit of the Old Testament to correlate these notions with later Trinitarian doctrine. Further, exegetes and theologians agree that the New Testament also does not contain an explicit doctrine of the Trinity. God the Father is the source of all that is (Pantkrator) and also the Father of Jesus Christ: "Father" is not a title for the first person of the Trinity but a synonym for God." "The language of the Bible, of early Christian creeds, and of Greek and Latin theology prior to the fourth century is "economic" (oikonomia, divine management of earthly affairs). It is oriented to the concrete history of creation and redemption: God initiates a covenant with Israel, God speaks through the prophets, God put on Son flesh in Christ, God dwells within a Spirit. In the New Testament there is no reflective consciousness of the metaphysical nature of God ("immanent trinity"), nor does the New Testament contain the technical language of the later doctrine (hupostasis, ousia, substantia, subsistentia, prosopon, and persona). Some theologians have concluded that all post-biblical Trinitarian doctrine is therefore arbitrary; while it is incontestable that the doctrine cannot be established on scriptural evidence alone. Dogmatic development took place gradually, against the background of the emanationist philosophy of Stoicism and Neo-Platonism (including the
12 mystical theology of the latter). By the close of the fourth century the Orthodox teaching was in place: God is one nature, three persons (miaousia, treis hypostaseis). In the West, Tertullian (d.225?) formulated an economic Trinitarian theology that presents the three persons as a plurality in God." The Catholic Encyclopedia Vol. 11 Page 47: An International work of reference on the constitution, doctrine, discipline, and history of the Catholic Church under the auspices of the Knights of Columbus: - Trinity: The Dogma of the Trinity: The Trinity is the term employed to signify the central doctrine of the Christian religion - the truth that in the unity of the Godhead there are three persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, these three persons being truly distinct one from another. The Persons are co-eternal and co-equal: all alike are uncreated and omnipotent. In Scripture there is as yet no single term by which the Divine Persons are denoted together. The word tpias (of which the Latin Trinitas is a translation) is first found in Theophilus of Antioch about A.D. 180. He speaks of "the Trinity of God [the Father], His Word and His Wisdom" (ad. auto1.", ii, 15, p.g., vi, 1078). The term may, of course have been in use before his time. Shortly afterwards it appears in its Latin form of Trinitas in Tertullian ("De pud", c. xxi, P.G., II 1026). In the next century (4th) the word is in general use. It is found in many passages of origin. (Note the following statements): The writers of this school contend that the doctrine of the Trinity, as professed by the Church, is not contained in the New Testament, but it was first formulated in the second century and received final approbation in the fourth century, as the result of the Arian and Monarchians controversies." The Encyclopedia Americana - 1956, Vol. xxvii, Page 294L: Christianity derived from Judaism, and Judaism was (and still is) strictly Unitarian (Oneness - believing that God is only one). The road that led from Jerusalem to Nicea was scarcely a straight one. Forth century Trinitarianism did not reflect accurately early Christian teaching regarding the nature of God; it was on the contrary, a deviation from this teaching. The New Catholic Encyclopedia - 1967, Vol. xiv, Page 299: The formulation "one God in three Persons" was not solidly established, and certainly not fully assimilated into Christian life and its profession of faith, prior to the end of the 4th century. But it is precisely this formulation that first claimed the title "The Trinitarian Dogma.Among the apostolic fathers, there had been nothing even remotely approaching such a mentality or perspective.
13 "There is the recognition on the part of exegetes and Biblical theologians that one should not speak of Trinitarianism in the New Testament without serious qualifications New Testament exegesis is now accepted as having shown that not only the verbal idiom but even the patterns of thought characteristic of the patristic [church fathers] and concilian [church councils] development would have been quite foreign to the mind and culture of the New Testament writers." The Noveau Dictionary Universal - Edited by M. Lachatre, (1856-1870), Vol. 2, Page 1467: The Platonic trinity, itself merely a rearrangement of the older trinities dating back to earlier peoples, appears to be the rational philosophic trinity of attributes that gave birth to the three hypostases or divine persons taught by Christian churches This Greek philosopher's (Plato) conception of the divine trinity can be found in all the ancient (Pagan) religions. Dictionary of the Bible - by John L. McKenzie S.J., (1965), Page 899: The Trinity of persons within the unity of nature is defined in terms of persons and nature which are Greek philosophical terms; actually the terms do not appear in the Bible. The Trinitarian definitions arose as the result of long controversies in which these terms and other such as essence and substance were erroneously applied to God by some theologians." The Dictionary of the Bible - Edited by James Hastings (1963), Page 1015: Trinity, The: The Christian doctrine of God (q.v.) as existing in three Persons and one Substance is not demonstrable by logic of scriptural proofs the term Trias was first used by Theophilus of Antioch (c. a.d. 180), not found in scripture The chief Trinitarian text in the New Testament is the baptismal formula in Mt. 28:19. Note: (No one was baptized in this spirit, everyone in the Bible was rather baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Trinitarians do not know the name of the one Spirit (God). Mt. 28:19 says baptize in the name of. Mt. 28:19: Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. Hasting Bible Dictionary Page 88, under baptism: In order to rediscover the earliest statements on Christian baptism we must turn to Paul 1Cor. 6:11: But you were washed, (or baptized) you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God. The primitive church baptized in and into the name of Jesus.
14 The Two Babylons by Alexander Hislop (1916), Page(s) 17-18 The Babylonians used the equilateral triangle to symbolize the Trinity just like the (Orthodox and Catholic Churches) do today. Many ancient pagan nations had three headed gods and a trinity doctrine. All these have existed from ancient times. While overlaid with idolatry, the recognition (and worship) of a Trinity was universal. The Bible Almanac (1980), Page 540-541: The early church under Christian baptism The early Christians were baptized in Jesus name following Jesus example (cf. Mark 1:10, Gal. 3:27). Kerygma of the Hellenistic Church (1950), Page 133: Under the Sacraments As to the rite of baptism, it was normally consummated as a bath in which the one receiving baptism completely submerged, and if possible in flowing water as the allusions of Acts 8:36, Heb. 10:22, Barn. 11:11 permit us to gather, and as Did. 7:1-3 specifically says. Also we find this confession of what really happened to Matthew 28:19, and how the real early Church of the Bible baptized. The ones baptizing name over the ones being baptized in the name of The Lord Jesus Christ, later expanded (or changed) to the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit-first attested in Did. 7:1. Hastings Encyclopedia of Religion, Vol.2, Pages 377, 389 Christian baptism was administered using the words, in the name of Jesus Baptism was always in the name of the Lord until the time of Justin Martyr when the Triune formula was used. Name was an ancient synonym for person. Payment was always made in the name of some person referring to ownership. Therefore, one being baptized in Jesus name became his personal property. Ye are Christs. (See Act 2:38).
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3.
Important Insights into the Christological Controversy
There are numerous historical writings that exist on the subject of the Doctrine of the Trinity; it formulation in the second century and its continued development and refinement that culminated in the 451 A.D. Council of Chalcedon. Ever since the speculative trinitarian concept of God became the primary article of faith in the Roman Church, even among the Catholics, people were forced to be rebaptized by acknowledging the Trinity of persons in the Godhead. Several Church Fathers, who were largely against this Neo-Platonic view of God, were either willing or persuaded to adopt a trinitarian view at the conclusion of the Nicene Councils. In this survey of the various ancient literature and scholarly work that exist on the subject of the churchs belief during the post-apostolic era, the evidence is overwhelming and can be substantiated to arrive at a reasonable conclusion in determining the true teachings of the apostles. The esteem oneness author, David K. Bernard, did a research that shed some light on the controversy and provides insight and depth to this study. In his excellent work entitled, The Oneness of God (Series in Pentecostal Theology, Volume 1), he used numerous sources that were written by eminent trinitarian historians who willing admitted that the trinitarian doctrine was later developed after the apostolic era. These sources gave us important insight into the pre-trinitarian era, prior to the neo-platonic theology that split the church. Bernard affirms that the Bible consistently teaches the oneness of God. However he emphasized that the church world today would have us believe that throughout history the Christian church accepted the doctrine of the trinity. The evidence he found led him to examine whether or not such a claim is true. He argued that such a claim wrongly implied that church leaders in the post-apostolic age were Trinitarian. His findings overwhelmingly proved that numerous Oneness believers existed in church history long before the emergence of the trinitarian idea of God. His penetrating inquiries and the extent of his research on the historicity of Oneness, which preceded the era of the trinitarian dogma, brought him to three important conclusions: 1. As far as we can tell, the early Christian leaders in the days immediately following the apostolic age were Oneness believers. It is certain that they did not teach the doctrine of the trinity as it later developed and as it exists today. 2. Even after the emergence of the trinitarian doctrine in the latter part of the second century, the doctrine of the trinity did not replace Oneness as the dominant belief until around 300 A.D., and it did not become universally established until late in the fourth century. 3. Even after trinitarianism became dominant, Oneness believers continued to exist throughout church history.
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The Post-Apostolic Age

An in-depth look into the important and controversial periods of church history, overwhelming agreement exists among church historians that the doctrine of the trinity did not exist in the immediate post-apostolic age, as we know it today. The historical sources Bernard surveyed brought him to the compelling conclusion that the Christian leaders following the apostles did not allude to a trinity, but rather they affirmed their belief in the monotheism of the Old Testament and accepted without question the deity and the humanity of Jesus Christ. A careful examination of the writings of the most prominent Ante-Nicene and postapostolic fathers, such as Hermas, Clement of Rome, Polycarp, and Ignatius, without doubt, shows that they taught and practice Oneness theology. Interestingly, Clement of Rome is called a disciple of the apostles, namely Paul and Peter, while both Polycarp and Ignatius were well known disciples of John the Apostle. Ignatius knew all the apostles, Mary the mother of the Lord and most of those who saw the Lord alive (over five hundred) after his passion. In 110 A.D. Ignatius, Bishop of Syria, wrote in his Epistle to the Ephesians: For our God Jesus Christ was conceived in the womb of Mary, of the seed of David, but by the Holy Ghost. In another section of the same epistle, compelling insight into what the apostles believed and taught concerning Jesus Christ were further amplified by this second century disciple who clearly expounded that: We have also as a Physician, the Lord our God, Jesus the Christ, the only-begotten Son and Word, before time began, but who afterwards became also man, of Mary the virgin. For "the Word was made flesh being incorporeal,. being immortal, He was in a mortal body; being life, He became subject to corruption, that He might free our souls from death and corruption, and heal them.. Our Lord and God, Jesus Christ..first did and then taught, as Luke testifies, "whose praise is in the Gospel through all the Churches." In his Second Epistle of Ignatius to John (the Apostle) concerning Mary, the mother of Jesus, Ignatius also wrote: For who would not rejoice to behold and to address her who bore the true God from her own womb, provided he is a friend of our faith and religion? The ministries of these disciples were probably the period between 90 to156 A.D., the year Polycarp was martyred. Considering the extent of Ignatius convictions and from whom he learned the true Gospel, it is evident that the concept of three persons in one God, or God in three persons, would be alien to his (Jewish) concept of God.
17 One can hardly discuss Polycarp, the Bishop of Smyrna, without mentioning his eminent student Irenaeus, Bishop of Lyons (A.D. 180), who was described as had an intensely Christocentric theology and a firm belief that Jesus Christ was God manifested in flesh. He held that the Logos, which became incarnate in Jesus Christ, was the mind of God, and that the Father himself was in Jesus Christ. If there were problems among the apostles, associated with the latter chapter (twenty-eight, verse nineteen) of The Gospel According to Matthew, Ireneaus would have known. From his work in Against Heresies111, we read: So firmly is the ground upon which these Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) rest, that the very heretics themselves bear witness to them, and starting from these (Documents), each one of them endeavours to establish his own particular doctrine For as there are four quarters of the world in which we live, and four universal winds, and as the Church is dispersed over all the earth, and the gospel is the pillar and base of the Church and the breath of life, so it is natural that it should have four pillars, breathing immortality from every quarter and kindling the life of men anew. Whence it is manifest that the Word, the Architect of all things, who sits upon the cherubim and holds all things together, having manifested to men, has given us the gospel in fourfold form, but held together by one Spirit. Further demonstration of his intimate knowledge of the apostles, their work, writings and teachings, Ireneaus unequivocally states that: Matthew published his Gospel among the Hebrew in their own tongue, when Peter and Paul were preaching the gospel in Rome and founding the church there. After their departure, Mark, the disciple and interpreter of Peter, himself, handed down to us in writing the substance of Peters preaching. Luke, the follower of Paul, set down the gospel preached by his teacher. Then John, the disciple of the Lord, who also leaned on his breast, himself, produced his Gospel, while he was living at Ephesus in Asia. It is noteworthy that Ireneaus referred to Jesus Christ, the Word, in the vernacular of Old Testament thoughts and expressions of the Shekhinah, the Presence or Glory of Yahweh, as the one who sits upon the cherubim of glory, as seen in Exodus concerning the Ark of the Covenant, and vividly described in the writings of the visionary encounters of the prophet Ezekiel. It is rather interesting to note that Ireneaus clearly stated that Matthew published his Gospel among the Hebrew in their own tongue. This is how the English translation from the Hebrew (Messianic Jewish Bible) of the last chapter of Matthew reads: Therefore go and make people from all nations into talmidim (disciples), immersing them into the reality of the Father, the Son and the Ruach HaKodesh (Holy Ghost) and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. (Matthew 28:19) According to David K. Bernard, possible references to an emerging trinitarian doctrine appeared in some second century writings, mainly in a few references that seem to point to a triune baptismal formula. In rendering an explanation as to what might have given rise to the trinitarian reference in this period, his findings led him to conclude the following:
18 (1) Trinitarian readers and scholars may misunderstand these passages due to their own biases, just as they misinterpret Bible passages such as Matthew 28:19. (2) There is a strong possibility that later trinitarian copyists interpolated [added] passages of their own - a very common practice in church history. This is likely since the only existing copies of these early writings were written hundreds of years later than the originals. For example, an early writing called the Didache says communion should be administered only to those who are baptized in the name of the Lord, but it also mentions baptism in the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost. However, the oldest existing copy of the Didache is dated 1056 A.D. (3) No doubt false doctrine had already begun to creep into the church in some instances. In fact, false doctrines existed in apostolic days (Revelation 2-3), even false doctrine about Christ (II John 7; Jude 4). On balance, however, we conclude from historical evidence that the church leaders in the age immediately following the days of Christ's twelve apostles were Oneness believers. The Dominant Belief in the Second and Third Centuries In considering the importance of Briggs research, his findings cogently proved that the logos theology that was later developed by Justin Martyr (100-165 A.D.) to make the incarnation intelligible to the Greek mind, upset many of his fellow Christians when he referred to the divine Logos as virtually a second God, besides Yahweh. This unthinkable idea compromised the Hebrew monotheism that the orthodox Christians were ardently defending against Gnostic dualism. The opponents of the logos theology were later labeled Monarchians. They affirmed that Father, Son, and Holy Ghost were descriptive names and manifestation of the one God, not substantives. One of the most prominent Monarchians in the third century, a Roman presbytery, Sabellius, was excommunicated for this opinion. Later Clement of Alexandria and Origen provided the Greek churches with their speculative Platonizing theology that was firmly opposed to the Monarchians teachings. Bernard, in his historical finding, also agreed that Oneness was the only significant belief in the early second century with regard to the Godhead. Even when forms of binitarianism and trinitarianism began to develop they did not gain dominance until the latter part of the third century. During this time there were many notable Oneness leaders and teachers who opposed this shift in doctrine and were labeled Modalistic Monarchians and later, Sebellians. Further evidence of the development of Bernards historical argument is taken from several well-known historical sources, thus giving credence to the actual thought and expression of Oneness movement during the second and third centuries. These are some of the findings from his investigations: 1. The most prominent modalist leaders were Noetus of Smyrna, Praxeas, and Sabellius. Noetus was Praxeas' teacher in Asia Minor, Praxeas preached
19 in Rome about 190, and Sabellius preached in Rome about 215. Since Sabellius was the best known modalist, historians often call the doctrine Sabellianism. Sabellius relied heavily upon Scripture, especially passages such as Exodus 20:3, Deuteronomy 6:4, Isaiah 44:6, and John 10:38 2. We get much of our information on the modalists from Tertullian (died c. 225), who wrote a treatise against Praxeas. In it he indicated that during his ministry "the majority of believers" adhered to the Oneness doctrine. 3. "The simple, indeed (I will not call them unwise and unlearned), who always constitute the majority of believers, are startled at the dispensation (of the Three in One), on the very ground that their very Rule of Faith withdraws them from the world's plurality of gods to the one only true God; not understanding that, although He is the one only God, He must yet be believed in with His own economy. The numerical order and distribution of the Trinity, is assume to be a division of the Unity." For the Trinitarians, during this controversial period, the nature of God and the relationship of Jesus Christ to God could only be explained within a Neo-Platonic philosophical system. However, in the first few centuries of Christianity, what is called the Doctrine of the Trinity did not exist, neither was it implied or taught by any of the apostles and their disciples who succeeded them. Various sources of historical evidence presented here and may be found elsewhere, indisputably proved beyond doubt that the Trinitarian dogma was firmly established at the latter half of the 5th century at the Council of Chalcedon. Later, what might have been characterized as apostolic teaching was termed modalistic monarchianism. This affirmed that the Father, Son and Holy Ghost are epithets of the same God, without distinction of persons, and that Jesus Christ was God manifested in the flesh. Their belief affirms and upheld the Old Testament belief of only one God who manifested himself in various forms; hence his many names and titles. Bernard, citing the trinitarian historian, Adolph Harnacks conclusion from the writings of Hippolytus, Tertullian, and Origen affirmed that modalistic monarchianism was the most dangerous rival to trinitarianism in the period from 180 A.D. to 300 A.D and that modalism was the official theory in Rome for almost a generation, and that it was at one time "embraced by the great majority of all Christians."
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4.
Oneness Believers from the Fourth Century to the Present
Many of the historical documents of the post-apostolic era combined with the scholarly research conducted by a number of eminent Trinitarian theologians, interestingly brought to light authentic historical evidence concerning Oneness beliefs and its continuation throughout the fourth century to the present. This is an obvious indication that 1913 revelation of the oneness of God was not its inception, but rather a continuation of the true gospel and an introduction, by the Spirit of God, to trinitarian believers who sought after God with their whole heart. An in-depth look at Pentecostalism and Oneness doctrine across many nations in Europe, Asia Minor and Africa over the centuries, proved that Oneness believers existed throughout the centuries after the death of the apostles, in spite of the vicious and violent persecutions they endured. Unfortunately, a number of famous trinitarian preachers of the past, in their righteous indignation bitterly condemned oneness believer as heretics. However Oneness Doctrine survived and still continued to embrace the unity of God in Jesus Christ. The following excerpt is taken from the work David k. Bernard: We feel that the believers we have discovered represent only the tip of the iceberg. Some writers find evidence that the Oneness doctrine existed among the Priscillianists (c. 350 - c. 700), Euchites (c. 350 - c. 900), and Bogomils (c. 900 - c. 1400). It appears that most Oneness believers did not leave a written record. Others had their written works destroyed by victorious opponents. Many were persecuted and martyred, and their movements were destroyed by official Christendom. We do not know how many Oneness believers and movements were not recorded in history, or how many so-called heretics were really Oneness believers. What we find, however, reveals that the Oneness belief survived in spite of its violent opposition. They existed: Across France In the Middle Ages, the prominent scholar and theologian Abelard (1079 - 1142) was accused of teaching Sabellian (Oneness) doctrine. Eventually his enemies forced him to retire from teaching. He sought refuge at a monastery in Cluny, France, and there died. Thus demonstrating the fierce opposition that existed against oneness believers in those times, concerning Jesus Christ as the one true God. Across Spain The Reformation produced many who opposed the doctrine of the trinity in favor of the Oneness belief. One prominent anti-trinitarian at the time of the Reformation was Michael Servetus (1511 - 1553), an eminent physician from Spain. He had only a few followers, although some historians consider him to be a motivating force for the development of Unitarianism. However, he definitely was not Unitarian, for he acknowledged Jesus as the only God. The following description of him clearly affirmed that he was a true Oneness believer: "The denial by Servetus of the tri-personality of the Godhead and the eternality of the Son, along with his anabaptism, made his system abhorrent to Catholics and Protestants alike, in spite of his intense Biblicism, his passionate devotion to the person of Christ, and his Christocentric scheme of the universe."
21 Servetus wrote, "There is no other person of God but Christ the entire Godhead of the Father is in him." Servetus went so far as to call the doctrine of the trinity a three-headed monster. He believed it necessarily led to polytheism and was a delusion from the devil. He also believed that because the church accepted trinitarianism, God allowed it to come under the rule of the papacy and so to lose Christ. He could not understand why the Protestants would come out of Catholicism but still insist upon retaining the non-biblical and man-made doctrine of the trinity. These bold expressions of his belief cost him his life. Servetus was burned at the stake in 1553 for his Oneness belief, with the approval of John Calvin (although Calvin would have rather had him beheaded). Across Sweden Emmanuel Swedenborg (1688 - 1772) was a Swedish philosopher and religious writer who expressed a good understanding of the oneness of God. He taught a number of other doctrines that deviated from what most of us believe, but he did have a revelation of who Jesus really is. He embraced the term trinity in the unique sense of "three modes of manifestation" and not a trinity of eternal persons. He used Colossians 2:9 to prove that all the "trinity" was in Jesus Christ, and he referred to Isaiah 9:6 and John 10:30 to prove that Jesus was the Father. He denied that the Son was begotten from eternity, holding the view that the Son of God was the humanity by which God sent Himself into the world. He firmly believed that Jesus was the Hebrews God, Yahweh, who assumed humanity to procure the salvation of mankind. Swedenborg wrote: "Whoever does not approach the true God of heaven and earth, cannot have entrance into heaven, because heaven is heaven from that one only God, and that God is Jesus Christ, who is Jehovah the Lord, from eternity the Creator, in time the Redeemer, and to eternity the Regenerator: of consequence, who is at once Father, Son, and Holy Spirit and this is the Gospel which is to be preached." He saw God (Jesus) as composed of Father, Son, and Spirit, just as man is composed of soul, body, and spirit - an analogy not particularly appropriate, considering that Jesus is the Word of God manifested in the flesh. This is easily justified from I Corinthians 15: 27 and 28 tells us: For he has put everything under his feet. Now when it says that everything has been put under him, it is clear that this does not include God himself, who put everything under Christ. When he has done this, then the Son himself will be made subject to him who put everything under him, so that God may be all in all. However, Swedenborg's explanation of the Godhead is strikingly similar to that of many modern Oneness believers. Across America The nineteenth century saw the emergence of Oneness writers. A controversial Oneness believer in America was a Presbyterian minister named John Miller, from whom the Seventh Day Adventists movement might have had their beginning. In his work, Is God a Trinity?, written in 1876, he used terminology slightly different from that of modern Oneness writers, but the beliefs he expressed are basically identical to those of Oneness believers today. It is
22 amazing to read his book and see how closely he parallels modern Oneness teachings, including his treatment of Matthew 28:19. Miller agreed with many of his predecessors that the doctrine of the trinity was not biblical and that it greatly hindered the church in reaching out to Jews and Moslems. He emphatically declared the full deity of Jesus Christ.
Across England Oneness believers also existed in nineteenth century England. David Campbell reported finding a book written in 1828 that taught Oneness doctrine. The author was John Clowes, pastor of St. John's Church in Manchester. Across the World Bernard concluded that in the twentieth century, the most significant Oneness force has been the Oneness Pentecostals, although some scholars classify the noted neo-orthodox theologian Karl Barth as modalist (Oneness). Charles Parham, the first leader in the twentieth century Pentecostal movement, began to administer water baptism in Jesus' name, although he apparently did not link this practice with an explicit denial of trinitarianism. After 1913, many Pentecostals rejected Trinitarianism and the Trinitarian baptismal formula, beginning the modern Oneness Pentecostal movement. From his research, Bernard also showed that a number of Oneness Pentecostal organizations exist today. The major ones with headquarters in the United States of America are: The United Pentecostal Church International (by far the largest), The Pentecostal Assemblies of the World, The Bible Way Churches of Our Lord Jesus Christ World Wide, The Assemblies of the Lord Jesus Christ, The Church of Our Lord Jesus Christ of the Apostolic Faith, and The Apostolic Overcoming Holy Church of God. Oneness Pentecostal groups with headquarters in other countries include The United Pentecostal Church of Colombia, an indigenous church and the largest non Catholic church in the country; The Apostolic Church of the Faith in Christ Jesus, with headquarters in Mexico; the Oneness Pentecostal movement in the U.S.S.R.; and the True Jesus Church, an indigenous church founded by Chinese believers on the mainland but whose headquarters is now in Taiwan. There are many smaller organizations (approximately 130 worldwide), independent churches, and charismatic fellowships that are Oneness Pentecostals in doctrine. Oneness doctrine varies according to church organizations and can be diverse to the extent of denying the deity of Jesus Christ. Like the proponents of the Doctrine of the Trinity, in its development, they also ignored the fundamental teachings of the Old Testament concerning the oneness of Yahweh, the God of the Hebrews, not comprehending the mystery of Christ. Monotheistic theology can be greatly compromise when the Lord Jesus Christ is not fully recognized for who he is and accorded the honour worthy of his great and marvelous name. The scripture has always affirms and maintains that the Word that was God was made flesh. The Bible declares this as the great mystery of godliness. In concluding this aspect of our study I feel compelled to cite two other important sources that exemplified the fact that a trinity of gods is more ancient than Christianity itself and are
23 associated with the worship of the moon and the sun among heathen nations. According to The New American Desk Encyclopedia (Third Edition): Hinduism was developed in 500BC, and includes belief in Brahman, the creator of the universe, the one that is the All, the absolute and ultimate principle, which is the Self of all living things. Brahman is sometimes personified as Brahma, a background figure who, with Shiva and Vishnu, forms the Trimurti, which in some ways analogous to the Christian Trinity. Interestingly a similar notion is strongly supported by Joseph Campbell in his fascinating work, The Power of Myth. He indicated that Taoism, a religion that is far earlier than Christianity, possessed knowledge of a trinitarian concept of their deity, similar to the ancient Egyptians. Citing from their religious writings, Campbell interestingly pointed out: There is a verse in Lao-tzus Tao-te Ching which states that out of the Tao, out of the transcendent, comes One. Out of the One come Two; out of the Two come Three; and out of the Three come all things. The early Christian fathers and early artists took over these images intentionally. Read the text where it is declared those forms which were merely mythological forms in the past are now actual and incarnate in our Saviour. The mythologies here referred to were of the dead and resurrected god: Attis, Adonis, Gilgamesh, Osiris, one after the other. The death and resurrection of the god is everywhere associated with the moon, which died and is resurrected every month. It is for two nights, or three nights, or three days dark, and we have Christ for two nights or three days in the tomb. No one knows what the actual date of the birth of Jesus might have been, but it has been put on what used to be the date of the winter solstice, December 25, when the night began to be shorter and the days longer. That is the moment of the rebirth (death and resurrection) of light. That is exactly the date of the birth of the Persian God of light, Mithra, Sol, the Sun. Let me conclude here with the admonition of the Apostle Paul to the Colossians wherein he urged them, and us, to Beware lest any man spoil us through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ; for in him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.
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5.
Jesus is Yahweh /Jehovah
The following passages of scripture are intended to prove that Jehovah (Yahweh), the God of Israel in the Old Testament, revealed himself in Jesus Christ in the New Testament. The New Testament record declares: Without controversy, great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifested in the flesh, justified in the spirit, preached unto the gentiles, believed on in the world, and received up into glory. (1Timothy 3:16) In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made.He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not And the Word was made flesh, and dwelled among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of only begotten of the Father) full of grace and truth. (John 1:1-3,10,14) It is interesting to note that all the attributes of God in the Old Testament are also ascribed to Jesus Christ. When we analyze a few of the prophecies found in the Old Testament, it becomes quite clear to whom the scripture is referring: But thou, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel: whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting. (Micah 5:2) The Jewish source, Targum Isaiah, records: The prophet saith to the house of David, A child has been born to us, a son has been given to us; and he has taken the Torah upon himself to keep it, and His name has been called from of old, Wonderful counsellor, Mighty God, He who lives forever, the Anointed One (Messiah), in whose days peace shall increase upon us. (Israel 9:6). Thus saith the Lord, the King of Israel, and his Saviour the Lord of hosts; I am He, I am He that is from of old; yea, the everlasting ages are mine, and beside me there is no God. (Isaiah 44:6)
25 The magnitude of Micahs prophecy concerning Messiahs birthplace and identity demonstrates the divine mind at work, considering that Bethlehem, the House of Bread, is the city God choose out of all Israel to bring forth the Bread of Life. Not only does the Old Testament revealed the birthplace and identity of Messiah, but also called him Yahweh (Jehovah). Behold the days come, saith the Lord, that I will raised unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in all the earth. In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS. (Jeremiah 23:5-6) In the Midrash Tehillim(Commentary on Psalms), a Jewish source, written between 200 - 500 A.D., says on Psalm 21:1: God calls King Messiah by his own name. But what is his name? Answer Jehovah is a man of war (Exodus 15:3). The Echa Rabbathi, a Jewish commentary from the same period, on Lamentations 1:16: What is the name of Messiah? R. Abba ben Cahana (200-300 A.D.) has said: Jehovah is his name, and this is proved by This is His name, referring to Jeremiah 23:6. The fact that even third century rabbis believed that God calls Messiah by his own name, is worth pondering in connection with the table below and the Judeans problem with Jesus identity as recorded by the disciple whom Jesus loved: The Jews answered him saying, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because thou being a man makest thyself God. (John 10:33) The table below aligned scriptural texts from both the Old and New Testament to assist in the understanding of this study and to affirm the true identity of Jesus Christ.
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Jehovah the Creator

Genesis 1:1. In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
Jesus the Creator

John 1:1. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
Gensis 2:7. And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed 3 All things were made by him; and into his nostrils the breath of life; and man without him was not any thing made that became a living soul. was made. Job 33:4. The Spirit of God hath made me, and the breath of the Almighty hath given me life. Psalm 33:6. By the word of the LORD were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth. 1 Corinthians 8:6. But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him.
Ephesians 3 9. And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath Psalm 140:30. Thou sendest forth thy spirit, they are created: and thou renewest been hid in God, who created all things the face of the earth. by Jesus Christ: Nehemiah 9:6 Thou, even thou, art LORD alone; thou hast made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth, and all things that are therein, the seas, and all that is therein, and thou preservest them all; and the host of heaven worshipped thee. 16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: Colossian 1: 17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.
Isaiah 40:28. Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the Hebrew 1: 10 And, Thou, Lord, in the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there beginning hast laid the foundation of the is no searching of his understanding. earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands: Isaiah 42:5 Thus saith God the LORD, he that created the heavens, and stretched 12 And as a vesture shalt thou fold them them out; he that spread forth the earth, and up, and they shall be changed: but thou art that which cometh out of it; he that giveth the same, and thy years shall not fail. breath unto the people upon it, and spirit to them that walk therein: 11 Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast 12 I have made the earth, and created created all things, and for thy pleasure man upon it: I, even my hands, have they are and were created. stretched out the heavens, and all their host have I commanded.
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Jehovah the Saviour and Redeemer

Job 19:25 For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth:
Jesus the Saviour and Redeemer

Titus 2:13 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;
Psalm 78: 35 And they remembered that Luke 2:11 For unto you is born this day in God was their rock, and the high God their the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. redeemer. Psalms 106:21 They forgat God their saviour, which had done great things in Egypt;Isaiah 41:14 Fear not, thou worm Jacob, and ye men of Israel; I will help thee, saith the LORD, and thy redeemer, the Holy One of Israel. Isaiah 43:3 For I am the LORD thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour: I gave Egypt for thy ransom, Ethiopia and Seba for thee. Isaiah 43:11 I, even I, am the LORD; and beside me there is no Saviour. Isaiah 44:6 Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel, and his redeemer the LORD of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God. Isaiah 44:24 Thus saith the LORD, thy redeemer, and he that formed thee from the womb, I am the LORD that maketh all things; that stretcheth forth the heavens alone; that spreadeth abroad the earth by myself; Isaiah 45:21 Tell ye, and bring them near; yea, let them take counsel together: who hath declared this from ancient time? who hath told it from that time? have not I theLORD? and there is no God else beside me; a just God and a Saviour; there is none beside me. John 4:42 And said unto the woman, Now we believe, not because of thy saying: for we have heard him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world Acts 5:31 Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins. Acts 13:23 Of this man's seed hath God according to his promise raised unto Israel a Saviour, Jesus: Act 20: 28 Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood. Gal 3:13 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree: Philippians 3:20 For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: 1 Timothy 1:1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the commandment of God our Saviour, and Lord Jesus Christ, which is our hope; .
28 Isaiah 49:26(b) And all flesh shall know that I the LORD am thy Saviour and thy Redeemer, the mighty One of Jacob. Isaiah 59:20 And the Redeemer shall come to Zion, and unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob, saith the LORD. Isaiah 60:16 Thou shalt also suck the milk of the Gentiles, and shalt suck the breast of kings: and thou shalt know that I the LORD am thy Saviour and thy Redeemer, the mighty One of Jacob. Isaiah 63:16 Doubtless thou art our father, though Abraham be ignorant of us, and Israel acknowledge us not: thou, O LORD, art our father, our redeemer; thy name is from everlasting. Hosea 13:4 Yet I am the LORD thy God from the land of Egypt, and thou shalt know no God but me: for there is no saviour beside me. 2 Timothy 1:10 But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel: Titus 1:4 To Titus, mine own son after the common faith: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ our Saviour. Titus 3:4 But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, Titus 3:6 Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; 2 Peter 1:1 Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ: 2 Peter 1:11 For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
Jehovah the First and Last

Isaiah 41:4 Who hath wrought and done it, calling the generations from the beginning? I the LORD, the first, and with the last; I am he. Isaiah 44:6 Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel, and his redeemer the LORD of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God. Isaiah 48:12 Hearken unto me, O Jacob and Israel, my called; I am he; I am the first, I also am the last.
Jesus the First and Last

11(a) I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: Revelation 1:17 And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last: Revelation 2:8 And unto the angel of the church in Smyrna write; These things saith the first and the last, which was dead, and is alive;
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Jehovah the I AM/ I Am He

Exodus 3:13 And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them? 14 And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you. Deuteronomy 32:39 See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god with me: I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal: neither is there any that can deliver out of my hand.
Jesus the I AM / I Am He
John 8: 6 Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad. 57 Then said the Jews unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham? 58 Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am. John 8:24 I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.
John 8:28 Then said Jesus unto them, When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself; but as my Father Isaiah 43:10 Ye are my witnesses, saith the hath taught me, I speak these things. LORD, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, John 9:9 Some said, This is he: others said, and understand that I am he: before me He is like him: but he said, I am he. there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me. John 13:19 Now I tell you before it come, that, when it is come to pass, ye may Isaiah 43:13 Yea, before the day was I am believe that I am he. he; and there is none that can deliver out of my hand: I will work, and who shall let it? John 18:5 They answered him, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus saith unto them, I am he. Isaiah 46:4 And even to your old age I am And Judas also, which betrayed him, stood he; and even to hoar hairs will I carry you: with them. I have made, and I will bear; even I will carry, and will deliver you. John 18:6 As soon then as he had said unto them, I am he, they went backward, and Isaiah 48:12 Hearken unto me, O Jacob fell to the ground. and Israel, my called; I am he; I am the first, I also am the last. John 18:8 Jesus answered, I have told you that I am he: if therefore ye seek me, let Isaiah 52:6 Therefore my people shall these go their way: know my name: therefore they shall know in that day that I am he that doth speak: Revelation 2:23 And I will kill her behold, it is I. children with death; and all the churches shall know that I am he which searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give unto every one of you according to your works.
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Jehovah the Rock

Dueteronomy 32: 3 Because I will publish the name of the LORD: ascribe ye greatness unto our God. 4 He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he. Deuteronomy 32:15 But Jeshurun waxed fat, and kicked: thou art waxen fat, thou art grown thick, thou art covered with fatness; then he forsook God which made him, and lightly esteemed the Rock of his salvation. 2 Samuel 22:2 And he said, The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; 2 Samuel 22:47 The LORD liveth; and blessed be my rock; and exalted be the God of the rock of my salvation. 2 Samuel 23:3 The God of Israel said, the Rock of Israel spake to me, He that ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear of God. Psalms 28:1 Unto thee will I cry, O LORD my rock; be not silent to me: lest, if thou be silent to me, I become like them that go down into the pit. Psalms 78:35 And they remembered that God was their rock, and the high God their redeemer. Psalms 89:26 He shall cry unto me, Thou art my father, my God, and the rock of my salvation. Isaiah 17:10 Because thou hast forgotten the God of thy salvation, and hast not been mindful of the rock of thy strength, therefore shalt thou plant pleasant plants, and shalt set it with strange slips:
Jesus the Rock

Matthew 16:18 And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. Romans 9:33 As it is written, Behold, I lay in Sion a stumblingstone and rock of offence: and whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. 1 Corinthians 10:2 And were all baptized unto Moses in the cloud and in the sea; 4 And did all drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ. Ephesians 2:20 And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; 1 Peter 2: 6 Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded. 1 Peter 2: 7 Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner, 8 And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed.
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Jehovah the King of Israel

Isaiah 6:5 Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts. Isaiah 41:21 Produce your cause, saith the LORD; bring forth your strong reasons, saith the King of Jacob. Isaiah 43:15 I am the LORD, your Holy One, the creator of Israel, your King. Isaiah 44:6 Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel, and his redeemer the LORD of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God. Jeremiah 10:7 Who would not fear thee, O King of nations? for to thee doth it appertain: forasmuch as among all the wise men of the nations, and in all their kingdoms, there is none like unto thee. 10 But the LORD is the true God, he is the living God, and an everlasting king: at his wrath the earth shall tremble, and the nations shall not be able to abide his indignation. Zephaniah 3:15 The LORD hath taken away thy judgments, he hath cast out thine enemy: the king of Israel, even the LORD, is in the midst of thee: thou shalt not see evil any more.
Jesus the King the of Israel

Matthew 2:2 Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him. Matthew 21:5 Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass. Matthew 25: 34 Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: Matthew 25: 40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me Matthew 27:11 And Jesus stood before the governor: and the governor asked him, saying, Art thou the King of the Jews? And Jesus said unto him, Thou sayest. Luke 19:38 Saying, Blessed be the King that cometh in the name of the Lord: peace in heaven, and glory in the highest. John 1:49 Nathanael answered and saith unto him, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel.
John 12:13 Took branches of palm trees, Zechariah 9:9 Rejoice greatly, O daughter and went forth to meet him, and cried, of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: Hosanna: Blessed is the King of Israel behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is that cometh in the name of the Lord. just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal John 12:15 Fear not, daughter of Sion: of an ass. behold, thy King cometh, sitting on an ass's colt. Zechariah 14:9 And the LORD shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall John 18:37 Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered,
32 there be one LORD, and his name one. Zechariah 14:16 And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles. Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice. 1 Timothy 1:17 Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen.
Zechariah 14:17 And it shall be, that whoso will not come up of all the families of the earth unto Jerusalem to worship the 1 Timothy 6:15 Which in his times he King, the LORD of hosts, even upon them shall shew, who is the blessed and only shall be no rain. Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords; Malachi 1:14(b) But cursed be the deceiver, which hath in his flock a male, Revelation 15:3 And they sing the song of and voweth, and sacrificeth unto the Lord a Moses the servant of God, and the song of corrupt thing: for I am a great King, saith the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are the LORD of hosts, and my name is thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and dreadful among the heathen. true are thy ways, thou King of saints. Revelation 17:14 These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.
Jehovah the Shepherd

Genesis 49:24 But his bow abode in strength, and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob; (from thence is the shepherd, the stone of Israel:) Psalms 23:1 The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. Psalms 80:1 Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, thou that leadest Joseph like a flock; thou that dwellest between the cherubims, shine forth.
Jesus the Shepherd

John 10:11 I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. John 10:12 But he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: and the wolf catcheth them, and scattereth the sheep. John 10:14 I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. John 10:16 And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there
33 Jeremiah 31:10 Hear the word of the LORD, O ye nations, and declare it in the isles afar off, and say, He that scattered Israel will gather him, and keep him, as a shepherd doth his flock. Isaiah 40:11 He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young. Ezekiel 34:12 As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered; so will I seek out my sheep, and will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day. shall be one fold, and one shepherd. Hebrews 13:20 Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, 1 Peter 2:25 For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls. 1 Peter 5:4 And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away.
Jehovah is Coming
Psalms 50:3 Our God shall come, and shall not keep silence: a fire shall devour before him, and it shall be very tempestuous round about him. Psalm 50:6 And the heavens shall declare his righteousness: for God is judge himself. Isaiah 26:21 For, behold, the LORD cometh out of his place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity: the earth also shall disclose her blood, and shall no more cover her slain. Isaiah 59:20 And the Redeemer shall come to Zion, and unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob, saith the LORD. Isaiah 66:15 For, behold, the LORD will come with fire, and with his chariots like a whirlwind, to render his anger with fury, and his rebuke with flames of fire. Isaiah 66: 16 For by fire and by his sword will the LORD plead with all flesh: and the slain of the LORD shall be many.
Jesus is Coming
Matthew 10:23 But when they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another: for verily I say unto you, Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come. Matthew 16:27 For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works. Matthew 24:27 For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. Matthew 24:30 And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. Matthew 24:37 But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
34 Joel 3: 2 I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land. 12 Let the heathen be wakened, and come up to the valley of Jehoshaphat: for there will I sit to judge all the heathen round about. Zechariah 14: 3 Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle. Zechariah 14: 4 And his feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the east and toward the west, and there shall be a very great valley; and half of the mountain shall remove toward the north, and half of it toward the south. 5 And ye shall flee to the valley of the mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal: yea, ye shall flee, like as ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of Judah: and the LORD my God shall come, and all the saints with thee. 9 And the LORD shall be king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one LORD, and his name one. Matthew 25:31 When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: Corinthians 1:7 So that ye come behind in no gift; waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ: 1 Thessalonians 4:15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. 16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Titus 2: 13 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; 1 Thessalonians 5:23 And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Thessalonians 2:8 And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: James 5:7 Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold, the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain.
35 2 Peter 1:16 For we have not followed cunningly devised fables, when we made known unto you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but were eyewitnesses of his majesty. Jude 1:14 And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, Revelation 22:12 And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.
Jehovah the Father (Revealed)

Isaiah 9:6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Isaiah 63:16 Doubtless thou art our father, though Abraham be ignorant of us, and Israel acknowledge us not: thou, O LORD, art our father, our redeemer; thy name is from everlasting. Isaiah 64:8 But now, O LORD, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand.
Jesus (Revealer of the Father)

Matthew 11:27 All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him. John 1:18 No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him. John 5:17 But Jesus answered them, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work.
John 5:18 Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the sabbath, but said also that God Psalms 68:5 A father of the fatherless, and was his Father, making himself equal with God. a judge of the widows, is God in his holy habitation. 19 Then answered Jesus and said unto Psalms 89:26 He shall cry unto me, Thou them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The art my father, my God, and the rock of my Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things salvation. soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son. Jeremiah 3:4 Wilt thou not from this time 21 For as the Father raiseth up the dead, cry unto me, My father, thou art the guide and quickeneth them; even so the Son of my youth? quickeneth whom he will likewise.
36 Jeremiah 3:19 But I said, How shall I put thee among the children, and give thee a pleasant land, a goodly heritage of the hosts of nations? and I said, Thou shalt call me, My father; and shalt not turn away from me. Jeremiah 31:9 They shall come with weeping, and with supplications will I lead them: I will cause them to walk by the rivers of waters in a straight way, wherein they shall not stumble: for I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn. Malachi 1:6 A son honoureth his father, and a servant his master: if then I be a father, where is mine honour? and if I be a master, where is my fear? saith the LORD of hosts unto you, O priests, that despise my name. And ye say, Wherein have we despised thy name? Malachi 2:10 Have we not all one Father? hath not one God created us? why do we deal treacherously every man against his brother, by profaning the covenant of our fathers? 26 For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself; John 8:19 Then said they unto him, Where is thy Father? Jesus answered, Ye neither know me, nor my Father: if ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also. John 10:30 I and my Father are one. John 10:33 The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God. 7 If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him. 9 Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father?
Jehovah Pierced
Zechariah 12:10 And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn. (Psalms 22:16 For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet.) Zechariah 13: 5 But he shall say, I am no prophet, I am an husbandman; for man
Jesus was Pierced

John 19:34 But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water. John 19:37 And again another scripture saith, They shall look on him whom they pierced. Revelation 1:7 Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen. John 20: 27 Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and
37 taught me to keep cattle from my youth. 6 And one shall say unto him, What are these wounds in thine hands? Then he shall answer, Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends. 7 Awake, O sword, against my shepherd, and against the man that is my fellow, saith the LORD of hosts: smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered: and I will turn mine hand upon the little ones. thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing. 28 And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God. Luke 24: 39 Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have. 40 And when he had thus spoken, he shewed them his hands and his feet. 28 Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.
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6.
Baptism: Why in the Name of Jesus?
When one considers the subject of water baptism, whether by repeating the command in Matthew 28:19 or in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, a number controversies have been generated for centuries about which formula is right or wrong. However before such a decision or assumption should be arrived at, one must be absolutely clear about the truth of the scripture and be completely persuaded that the scripture cannot contradict itself and that the Bible interprets itself. With these three convictions firmly etched in our consciousness we can now forge the right perspective by examining what I call the Isaiah Method of interpreting the scripture: Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts. For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little. (Isaiah 28:9) His method clearly shows that doctrine can only be understood by those who have absorbed the fundamental principles of the knowledge of the word of God, which he alluded to as been weaned from milk or drawn from the breast and are primed for maturity. To attain unto such level of understanding doctrine, Isaiah emphasized that precepts (teachings, principles) must be aligned and compared with each other. In other word, when interpreting the scripture, as in our look at Why Baptism in the Name of Jesus, then as many verses that can be looked at to rightly divide the word of truth must be undertaken to arrive at the proper interpretation of Gods word as he intended. It must be remembered that baptism is an ancient practice of the Jewish people, thus it is a Jewish custom that is irrefutable. According the Messianic Jewish believer, Barney Kasdan, in his book, Gods Appointed Customs: Much of the confusion derived from the word itself, baptism, Baptizo is actually the Greek equivalent for the Hebrew tvilah (to totally immerse). The concept of ceremonial washing is as old as the Torah itselfIn Leviticus, chapter 8 and 16, Aaron and his sons were commanded to wash before they ministered in the Tabernaclethe concept comes entirely from the ancient Jewish practice of mikvek. Water baptism is not therefore something Gentile or pagan. Therefore both Gentile Christian and Jew should look back at the historical reality of mikveh. Every person needs to ask if he or she has found the new life illustrated in the waters of the mikveh. Every believer needs to take the sign (i.e., immersion in a mikveh) of their salvation in Yeshua the Messiah In The Jewish New Testament Commentary, on 1 Corinthians 10: 2, David H. Stern explains that immersion translates a form of the Greek word baptizo, usually rendered baptized, but whose root meaning is dip, soak, immerse into a liquid, so that what is dipped takes on the qualities of what it has been dipped in. Examples such as cloth in dye and leather in tanning solution sufficiently illustrate this important concept. In commenting
39 on Pauls analogy of Israel being baptized into Moses, Stern understood this to means being united with him, accepting his vision, goal and leadership. The Israelites demonstrated this by trusting Moses in connection with (being under) the cloud and in connection with (passing through) the sea. Thus, the analogy here between immersion (baptized) into Moses and immersion (baptized) into Christ is evident. In connection to being baptized (immersed) into Messiah (Christ), covering aspects of Romans 6: 3-14 and in particular Galatians 3: 27, Stern cogently reiterated that: Union with the Messiah comes about through being immersed into the Messiah. The word baptizo implies immersion so as to absorb the qualities of the immersing substance and thus be transformed. If you are an immersed believer, you have absorbed some of the qualities of the Messiah and are continually being changes into his very image, from one degree of glory to the next, by Adonai the Spirit (2 C 3:18). This immersion into Messiah comes about not merely through getting wet, but through prayer to God in which one repents of ones sinful way of life and accepts Yeshua the Messiahs atonement and Lordship. Here Shaul says this is equivalent to having clothed yourself with Messiah. Although proof of the change of the baptismal formula is beyond the scope of this work, it is sufficient to say that church history tells us that the formula was changed from pronouncing the name of Jesus Christ over candidates of baptism to in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost some time during the third century after the introduction of the Trinitarian doctrine. One example of this change was formalized into what was called the Caesarean Baptismal Creed. In other cases, arguments were raised over the number of times a person should be dipped into water, whether once of thrice. History tells us that Theodosius was the first emperor to have been baptized into the true faith of the Trinity. Immediately upon his baptism he dictated a solemn edict declaring: Let us believe the sole deity of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost, under an equal majesty and a pious Trinity. We authorize the followers of this doctrine to assume the title of Catholic Christians; and as we judge that all other are extravagant madmen, we brand them with the infamous name of Heretics, and declare that conventicles shall no longer usurp the respectable appellation of churches. Besides the condemnation of Divine Justice, they must expect to suffer the severe penalties, which our authority, guided by heavenly wisdom, shall think proper to inflict upon them! Interestingly, The Oxford Companion to the Bible, edited by Bruce Metzger, an eminent Protestant theologian, states, Because the Trinity is such an important part of later Christian doctrine, it is striking that the term does not appear in the New Testament. Likewise, the developed concept of three coequal partners in the Godhead found in
40 later creedal formulations cannot be clearly detected within the confines of the canon."(Oxford University Press, Oxford, 1993, Pp. 782-3) Quite a large controversy erupted in the third century between Cyprian, a theologian of North Africa, and the Bishop of Rome, Stephen. Cyprian insisted that "heretics" who were baptized in Jesus Name be rebaptized in the Trinity. Cyprian set off a controversy that drew in others. Firmillian, Bishop of Caesarea (in Cappadocia) wrote Cyprian and quoted Pope Stephen as saying that anyone baptized in "the name of Christ, immediately obtains the grace of Christ." Cyprian argued back against this saying even Baptism in Jesus Name, performed outside the Catholic Church, was invalid because it had not been administered by the Church's jurisdiction. The Pope stubbornly insisted that baptism in the name of Christ did indeed remit sin. (see Cyprian, Epistles, 72.00, A.N.F. V, p. 383) According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, 1911 edition, under the heading Baptismal Formula, The trinitarian formula and trine immersion were not uniformly used from the beginning, nor did they always go together. The Teaching of the Apostles, indeed, prescribes baptism in the name of Father, Son and Holy Ghost, but on the next page speaks of those who have been baptized into the name of [Yahshua] -- the normal formula of the New Testament. In the 3rd century, baptism in the name of [Messiah] was so widespread that Pope Stephen, in opposition to Cyprian of Carthage, declared it to be valid. From Pope Zachariah (Ep.x.) we learn that the Celtic missionaries in baptizing omitted one or more persons of the Trinity, and this was one of the reasons why the Church of Rome anathematized them; Pope Nicholas, however (858-867)...allowed baptism to be valid tantum in nomine Christi, as in Acts. Basil, in his work On the Holy Spirit, just mentioned, condemns baptism into the L-rd alone as insufficient. Baptism into the death of [Messiah] is often specified by the Armenian fathers as that which alone was essential. Ursinus, an African monk...also asserted that baptism into the name of [Messiah] alone was valid... Trine immersion, then, as to the origin of which Basil confesses his ignorance, must be older than either of the rival explanations. These are clearly...invented to explain an existing custom, which the church had adopted from its pagan medium. For pagan lustrations were normally threefold. Ovid...Persius...and Horace...similarly speak of trine lustrations; and on the last mentioned passage the scholiast Acro remarks, He uses the words thrice purely, because people in expiating their sins plunge themselves in thrice. Such examples of the ancient usage encounter us everywhere in Greek and Latin antiquity (pp. 365-366). It is rather imperative to note that Britannica emphasizes that the trinitarian formula for baptism was clearly...invented to explain an existing custom, which the church had adopted from its pagan medium. Notice that the pagan converts, upon being baptized for the remission of sins, plunge themselves in thrice, a custom they continued to practice from the trinitarian influence of their previous pagan beliefs. From the early Second Century writing of the Shepherd of Hermas countless inferences
41 were made or alluded to baptism in the name of Jesus Christ. From one of the passages of this popular writing that was read aloud in many early Second Churches we find: "They were obliged," he answered, "to ascend through water in order that they might be made alive; for, unless they laid aside the deadness of their life, they could not in any other way enter into the kingdom of God. Accordingly, those also who fell asleep received the seal of the Son of God. For," he continued, "before a man bears the name of the Son of God27 he is dead; but when he receives the seal he lays aside his deadness, and obtains life. The seal, then, is the water: they descend into the water dead, and they arise alive. And to them, accordingly, was this seal preached, and they made use of it that they might enter into the kingdom of God. Whosoever does not receive His name, shall not enter into the kingdom of God." (Sim 9, XVI, XII) In the Didache, or Teaching of the Twelve Apostles, another early Second Century document, it refers to the New Testament baptism in the name of Jesus in this manner: "Let no one eat or drink of your Eucharist, but they who have been baptized into the name of the Lord" (Did 9:5). It is evident, based upon First and Second Centuries writers, that in practice baptism in the name of Jesus Christ was universally accepted and practiced by Christians, Jews and Gentiles alike, since the apostles and preceded the third century Doctrine of the Trinity. Additional reading of the various ancient sources are encouraged, especially those from the periods mentioned. The New Testament Way of Salvation In examining the following passages of scripture I took the liberty of emphasizing the name, which, when considering the rules of grammar in the context of singular and plural, it is strikingly clear that Matthew was referring to only one name and not names. He was not implying a Trinitarian concept of God. Being a Jew, he would have found such a belief repulsive and foreign to his Jewish upbringing. One of the most interesting scripture that utilizes the concept of name in the singular form, but followed by five titles of the name is found in Isaiah: For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The Mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6) Take a careful look at how name is used, and compare how it is also used in exactly the same way in Matthew 28:19, except for the three titles that came after the name of. Again name is used in a singular context. The real question is: What is the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost? Now watch what happens when we apply what I call the Isaiah Method of lines upon lines and precepts upon precepts; here a little and there a little. The conclusion will become evident that there is absolutely one name for water
42 baptism. Like The Shepherd of Hermas (second century) boldly states, with reference to water baptism in the glorious name of Jesus, Whosoever does not receive His name shall not enter into the kingdom of God." Baptism: In the Name of Jesus Christ Now a look at all the scripture together, concerning baptism will force us to examine whether or not the apostles used an actual name to execute Jesus command when baptizing or simply repeated what Jesus told them, as reported by Matthew to his Jewish audience. Also, bear in mind that each writer of the four Gospels, except for John, made particular reference to baptism at the end of each book. However, although Luke did not use the actual word at the end of his treatise, it is pregnant with all the implications associated with baptism. Luke,having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first and know the certainty of those things, reported: Then opened he their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures, And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. (Luke 24: 45 47) There should be no doubt that Luke understood name to be name, singular, meaning Jesus the Messiah. This he consistently maintained as the proper interpretation of Jesus command throughout his writings. In the Acts of the Apostles, he describes how the early church used the name of Jesus to preach repentance and remission of sins, by baptism, signs and wonders. The evidence is overwhelming and cannot be refuted or overlooked by anyone who seriously peruses Acts of the Apostles. And if I may reiterate, he unequivocally, stated that he had perfect understanding of all things from the very first. Now let us put as many passages of scripture on baptism, as it were, lines upon lines and precepts upon precepts; here a little and there a little to derive the correct teachings of the apostles concerning baptism and the name of Jesus Christ: Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen. (Matthew 28:19-20) When therefore the Lord knew how the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John, (Though Jesus himself baptized not, but his disciples) (John 4:1-2)
43 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. (Acts 2:38) (For as yet he was fallen upon none of them: only they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus). (Acts 8:16) Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we? And he commanded them to be baptized in the name of the Lord. (Act 10: 47-48) And he said unto them, Unto what then were ye baptized? And they said, Unto John's baptism. Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus. When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. (Act 19: 3) And he said, The God of our fathers hath chosen thee, that thou shouldest know his will, and see that Just One, and shouldest hear the voice of his mouth. For thou shalt be his witness unto all men of what thou hast seen and heard. And now why tarriest thou? Arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord. (Act 22: 14-16) Baptism: Unites us with Christ in His Death and Resurrection Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection: knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin. For he that is dead is freed from sin. Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him: Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more dominion over him. For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in that he liveth, he liveth unto God. Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Romans 6:3-11) For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. (Galatians 3:27-28) For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:
44 In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ: Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead. (Col 2:9-12) The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God,) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ: (1Pe 3: 21 22)
Conclusion:
There is no doubt that repentance and remission of sins can only be preached in the name of Jesus Christ. Clearly the apostles and the early messianic community taught and practiced baptism in the name of Jesus Christ alone. From all the scripture we have cited together, only a person who is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings among other things. If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness, then such a person is proud, blind to the scripture and is unwilling to accept the truth that: Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. (Act 4:12) For remission of sins to be granted, then water baptism in the name of Jesus Christ is the only way taught in the New Testament. Jesus taught that all his disciples must be born of the water (baptism in his name) and of the Spirit (baptized in the Holy Ghost) to enter the Kingdom of God. I will once again reiterate the words of Paul and the Second Century writer, Hermas, concerning water baptism in the name of Jesus Christ, For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ and Whosoever does not receive His name (by baptism), shall not enter into the kingdom of God."
45 Bibliography 1. Bernard, David K. The Oneness of God, Missouri, Word Aflame Publications, 1983 Biggs, Wilfred. An Introduction to the History of the Christian Church, 1965 Campbell, Joseph. The Power of Myth, New York, Anchor Books, 1991 Chadwick, Henry. The Early Church, Volume I, Revised Edition, 1993 Donald, James; Robert, Alexander. The Anti-Nicene Fathers, The writings of the Fathers Down to A.D. 325, (A Translation) Edinburgh Edition
2. 3. 4. 5.
6. Encyclopedia Britannica, Volume 4, 1976 7. Kasdan, Barney. God Appointed Customs, Baltimore, Lederer Messianic Publications, 1996 McDowell, Josh. Evidence That Demands the Verdict, Volume I, San Bernardino, Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1972.
8.
9. Stern, David H. The Jewish New Testament, Translated by, Jerusalem, Israel, Jewish New Testament Publications, Inc. 1989. 10. Stern, David H. The Jewish New Testament Commentary, Jerusalem, Israel, Jewish New Testament Publications, Inc. 1992. 11. The Wordsworth Dictionary of Beliefs and Religions, Penguin Books, 1995 12. The New American Desk Encyclopedia, Third Edition, New York, Signet Books, Penguin Group, 1993 13. Christian Classics Ethereal Library, CD-Rom Version 4, Calvin College Publication, 2001. (www.ccel.org) [Contains over 300 volumes of books covering First to Fifth Century Church History]

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