Socinus and his followers admitted the divine authority of tl;*' Scriptures. The sacred writers, tliey said, wrote, divino Spiritu im- puhi eoque dictante. They admitted that the Bible contained doc- trines above, but not contrary to reason. Of this contrariety reason was to judge. On this ground they rejected many doctrines held by the Church universal, especially the doctrines of the Trinity and of the Atonement. Socinus said that as there is but one divine essence there can be but one divine person. He denied that there is any such thing as natural religion or natural theology. Supernatural revelation he regarded as the only source of our knowledge of God and of divine things. The only religion was the Christian, which he defined to be " Via divinitus proposita et pate- facta perveniendi ad immortalitatem, sen seternam vitam." ^ This is the answer to the first question of the " Brevissima Institutio," of which Socinus was the author.
All men having sinned they became subject to the penalty of eternal death, which Socinus understood to be annihilation. To deliver men from this penalty God sent Christ into the world, and it is only through Him that immortality can be secured. Concern- ing Christ, he taught that He was in Himself and by nature a mere man, having had no existence prior to his being born of the Virgin Mary. He was, however, distinguished from all other men, —
1. By his miraculous conception.^
2. Although peccable and liable to be tempted, He was entirely free from sin.
3. He received a special baptism of the Holy Ghost, that is, of the divine efficiency.
4. Some time before entering upon his public ministry He was taken up into heaven that He might see God and be instructed immediately by Him. There are two passages which speak of Christ's having been in heaven (John iii. 13, and John vi. 62). " In priore loco," says Socinus, " ex Grseco ita verba Christi legi possunt, ut dicat, filium hominis non quidem esse in coelo, sed fuisse.
1 Chrhtinnm Religionis brevissima Institutio per J Merrogationes et Responsiones, quam Ca^echismum vulgo vacant. Scripta a Fausto Socino Senensi. IrenopoU, Post annum 1656. It makes a part of the first volume of the works of Faustus Socinus, as published in the Bibliotkeca Fratrum Potonorum, pp. 651-676.
2 On this point Socinus, in the Brevissima Institutio, says, " De Christi essentia ita statuo ilium esse homineni Rom. v. 15, in Virginia utero et sic sine viri ope, divini Spiiitus vi con- ceptum ac formatum. Matt. i. 20-23 ; Lnc. i. 35, indeque genitum, primum quidem pati- bilem ac mortalem 2 Cor. xiii. 4, donee scilicet munus sibi a Deo demandatum hie in terris obivit; deinde vero postquam in caelum ascendit, irapatibilem et immortalem factum. Rom. vi. 9." Bihliothtca Fratrum Polonorum, Fauati Socini Opera, vol. i. p. 654,
420 PART m. Ch. m.— the person of CHRIST.
Vox enim Graeca &v quae per praesens tempus reddita fuit, potest, ut doctissimi aliqui interpretes annotarunt (Erasmus et Beza), reddi per praeteritum imperfectum ; ut legatur non qui est, sed, qui erat in ccelo.^' ^ As no preexistence of Christ was admitted, these passages were regarded as direct assertions of his being taken up into lieaven during his earthly life.
5. The great distinction of Christ is that since his resurrection and ascension all power in heaven and in earth has been committed to Him. He is exalted above all creatures, and constituted God's viceroy over the whole universe. The question is asked, " Quid tamen istud ejus divinum imperiurn nominatim complectitur ? " To which the answer is, " Propter id quod jam dictum est, nempe quod hoc potestatem complectitur plenissimam et absolutissimam in verum Dei populum, hinc necessario sequitur, eodem divine imperio contineri potestatem et dominationem in omnes angeloa et spiritus tam malos, quam bonos."'-^ And again : "Nonne ex eadem tua ratiocinatione sequitur, Jesum Christum in omnes homines ple- num dominatum habere? Sine dubio; nee solum in omnes homines sed prseter ipsum unum Deum 1 Cor. xv. 27, prorsus in alia omnia, quemadmodum divina testimonia nos diserte decent." ^
6. On account of this exaltation and authority Christ is properly called God, and is to be worshipped. Socinus would recognize no man as a Christian who was not a worshipper of Christ. The answer to Question 246 in the Racovian Catechism, declares those "qui Christum non invocant nee adorandum censent," to be no Christians, because in fact they have no Christ.'*
7. Socinus acknowledges that men owe their salvation to Christ. He saves them not only in his character of prophet by teaching them the truth ; not only in his character of priest by interceding for them ; but especially in virtue of his kingly office. He exercises the divine and absolute power and authority granted to Him for their protection and assistance. He operates not only over them and for them, but also within them, so that it is through Him that immortality or eternal life is secured.
From all this it appears that Socinus and his early followers held
1 Bibliotheca Fratrum Polonorum, Fausli Socini Opera, vol. i. p. 674.
2 Ibid. vol. i. p. 656. 8 j(,id.
* In answer to the question, "Numquid humana naturae in Christo exaUationem recte percipere non prorsus necessariam esse statuis ?" the Brev'ssima InstUutio answers (Ibid. p. 655), " Eatenus rectam cognitionem istam prorsus necessariam esse statuo, quatenus quia sine ilia non esset Christo Jesu divinum cultum exhibiturus, ob eam causani, quam antea dixi; nimirum, quod Deus ut id a nobis fiat, omnino requirit." Socinus also says that they are not Christians who deny that Christ understands our thoughts when we pray. Ibid. 656.