第四章 大公教會論三位一體的教義

七、據我所知大公教會中新舊兩約聖經的注釋者，論到三位一體的時候，都按照聖經教訓人說，

父，子，聖靈由於不可分離的平等和同一的本體乃是合一神；所以祂們不是三神，而是一神。

父生了子，因此父不是子；子是由父所生，因此子不是父；而聖靈既不是父，也不是子，而只是父和子的靈，也是與父和子同等，歸於三位一體。

然而三位一體並沒有而只有子，乃是由童女馬利亞所生，在本丟彼拉多手下被釘十字架上，葬了，第三天復活，升天。

再者，這三位一體也沒有像鴿子在耶穌受洗時降在祂身上，而且在主升天之後五旬節那天，當“從天上有響聲下來，好像一陣大風吹過”（徒2：2）的時候，也不是三位一體，而只是聖靈“如火焰的舌頭，分開落在他們各人頭上”（徒2：3）。

再者，當子受約翰的洗，又當三個門徒同祂在山上，那從天上說“你是我的兒子”（可1：11）的，和那說“我已經榮耀了我的名，還要再榮耀”（約12：8）的，並不是三位一體，而只是父，

雖然如此，父，子，聖靈既是分不開的，所以是不能分開來行動。

這也是我的信仰，

因為這是大公教會的信仰。

7. All those Catholic expounders of the divine Scriptures, both Old and New, whom I have been able to read, who have written before me concerning the Trinity, Who is God, have purposed to teach, according to the Scriptures, this doctrine, that the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit intimate a divine unity of one and the same substance in an indivisible equality; and therefore that they are not three Gods, but one God: although the Father has begotten the Son, and so He who is the Father is not the Son; and the Son is begotten by the Father, and so He who is the Son is not the Father; and the Holy Spirit is neither the Father nor the Son, but only the Spirit of the Father and of the Son, Himself also co-equal with the Father and the Son, and pertaining to the unity of the Trinity. Yet not that this Trinity was born of the Virgin Mary, and crucified under Pontius Pilate, and buried, and rose again the third day, and ascended into heaven, but only the Son. Nor, again, that this Trinity descended in the form of a dove upon Jesus when He was baptized; nor that, on the day of Pentecost, after the ascension of the Lord, whenthere came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind,the same Trinitysat upon each of them with cloven tongues like as of fire,but only the Holy Spirit. Nor yet that this Trinity said from heaven,You are my Son,whether when He was baptized by John, or when the three disciples were with Him in the mount, or when the voice sounded, saying,I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again;but that it was a word of the Father only, spoken to the Son; although the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, as they are indivisible, so work indivisibly. This is also my faith, since it is the Catholic faith.