9.⑶因此，全世界但凡拥有宗教信仰和正常理智的民族没有不承认一位神和神是一的。如前所述，神性注入人灵魂的结果是，每个人里面都有一种内在指示：存在一位神，祂是一。然而，仍有些人否认神，有些人视自然为神，有些人承认多神，有些人拜偶像为神。原因在于，这些人已经用世俗和肉体之物堵塞了其理性或理解力的内层，从而抹去了他们最初或孩童时关于神的想法，同时将宗教信仰抛诸脑后。基督徒承认一位神，但至于以哪种方式承认，这从他们所确立的信经明显可知，信经的内容如下：
天主教的信条是这样：我们敬拜在三位一体的一位神和统一体中的三位一体。神性位格有三：圣父，圣子、圣灵，然后没有三位神，只有一位神。圣父是一个位格，圣子是另一个位格，圣灵又是一个位格，他们的神性是一，同尊同荣。因此圣父是神，圣子是神，圣灵也是神。因为正如基督教真理迫使我们承认每个位格分别为神和主，天主教禁止我们说有三位神或三位主。这就是基督徒关于神的一体性之信。但在那信经中，神的三位一体和神的一体性彼此冲突，这一点会在神性三位一体那一章予以说明。
世界上但凡拥有宗教信仰和正常理智的其它民族都坚持认为神是一：如在本国中的所有伊斯兰教徒；非洲大陆上很多国家的非洲人；许多国家的亚洲人；更不用说如今的犹太人。黄金时代的上古之人，就是那些拥有宗教信仰的人，也敬拜一位神，他们称这位神为耶和华。
在接下来的时代，直到君主政权建立，古人也是如此。因为如今，世俗之爱和后来的肉体之爱开始逐渐封闭理解力的高层区域，该区域原先是开放的，就象敬拜一位神的神殿和圣所。但主神为了重新打开它们，从而恢复一位神的敬拜，就在雅各的后代中建立了一个教会，并将下面这一条置于其宗教的一切诫命之首：
在我面前你不可有别的神。（出埃及记20:3）
此外，祂在此时恢复了耶和华这个名，它表示至高无上、独一无二的存在，宇宙万有的源头。朱庇特这个名可能就源于耶和华，他被古代异教徒奉为至高神；许多其它神明组成他的宫廷，他们也披戴神性；而在接下来的时代，一些智者，如柏拉图与亚里士多德，承认这些并不是神，只不过是一位神的众多特性、品质和属性，之所以被称为神，是因为他们每个人里面都有某种神性。
9. (3)結果, 全世界中但凡擁有宗教與常理的每個民族都承認上帝的存在,且只有一位。
如上所述, 神性的注入到人們的靈魂, 因此在每個人裡面都有一種內在的指示:有上帝, 且上帝是唯一。然而仍有一些人否認上帝, 一些人接受自然為上帝, 一些人接受多位上帝, 一些人拜偶像為上帝。之所以發生這些, 是因為這些人已經用塵世和肉體之物堵塞了他們的認知之內在領域。因而抹去了他們最初或孩童時關於上帝的想法, 同時將信仰從胸前推開, 扔到背後。
基督徒接受以下信經, 此信經闡述了基督徒承認上帝的存在, 並說明了他們對一位上帝的離奇理解:這是大公之信仰, 我們敬拜在三個位格中的一位上帝和在一位上帝中的三個位格。上帝有三個神性位格:父,子,聖靈, 然後並沒有三位上帝, 而是一位上帝。聖父是一個位格, 聖子是另一個位格, 聖靈又是一個位格。但聖父聖子聖靈同是一個神聖本質, 同尊同榮。聖父是上帝, 聖子是上帝, 聖靈也是上帝。因為正如我們被大公真理催迫而承認每一位自身是上帝和主, 我們也被大公宗教禁止說有三位上帝或三位主。
以上就是基督徒對一位上帝之信。然而在那信經中, 上帝的三一與上帝的唯一並不一致, 這些將在第三章後半部分關於聖三一的內容中看到。
[2]世界上但凡擁有宗教與常理的每個民族都承認上帝的存在,且只有一位, 包括所有的伊斯蘭信徒,非洲人,亞洲人, 還有存活至今的猶太人。在黃金時代的遠古人, 也是這樣持有敬拜一位上帝的宗教信仰, 這位上帝被他們稱為"耶和華"。在下一個時代的古代人也是如此。直到君主政權建立, 因人們對世界的熱愛,以及接踵而至對肉體的欲望, 於是他們認知的最高領域被關閉了——之前是開啟的,如同敬拜獨一上帝的聖殿。為了重新打開這些被關閉的領域, 從而恢復敬拜一位上帝的信仰, 主在雅各的後裔中建立了一個教會, 並在他們的宗教信仰中頒佈了眾誡命中的首要誡條:除我以外, 你不可以有別的上帝(出埃及記20:3)。
[3]還有, 耶和華這個名字就是在此時被恢復的, 表示至高無上,獨一的存在,宇宙中萬有的起源。朱庇特主神的名字Jove——可能是派生於耶和華的名字Jehovah——就被古代外邦人敬為至高的神。許多其它的神明(各有各的神壇)也都被賦與神性。在接下來的時代中, 例如帕拉圖和亞里斯多德等一些智者, 承認這些並不是神, 只不過是屬於一位上帝的眾多特質和屬性。之所以稱他們為神, 是認為在他們每位之中有一些對應的神性。
9. 3. As a result, every nation in the whole world that possesses religion and sound reason acknowledges that God exists and that there is one God. From the divine inflow into human souls, discussed just above, it follows that in everyone there is an inner voice saying that God exists and that there is one God. Nevertheless there are people who deny God, people who worship nature as God, people who worship many gods, and people who worship idols as gods. The reason for this is that they have let worldly and bodily perspectives block off the inner reaches of their reason or intellect and obliterate their first childhood idea of God; they have rejected religion from their heart and have put it behind them.
The Christian confessional creed shows that Christians acknowledge one God and shows how they view the unity of God:
The catholic faith is this, that we venerate one God in a trinity, and the Trinity in unity. There are three divine persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and yet there are not three gods; there is one God. The Father is a person, the Son another, and the Holy Spirit another, and yet they have one divinity, equal glory, and coeternal majesty. The Father, then, is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God; but just as Christian truth compels us to confess each person individually as God and Lord, so the catholic religion forbids us to say that there are three gods or three lords.
This is the Christian faith regarding the unity of God. (In the chapter that discusses the divine Trinity [163-184] you will see that the trinity of God and the unity of God presented in this confession are incompatible.)
[2] The other nations in the world that possess religion and sound reason agree that there is one God: all Muslims in their countries; the Africans in the many countries on their continent; and the Asians as well, in the many countries on theirs. So too do modern-day Jews. In the Golden Age, the most ancient people who were religious worshiped one God, whom they named Jehovah. So did the ancient people in the following age, up to the time when monarchies were created. In the time of the monarchies, upper levels of the intellect that had previously been open, and had been like sanctuaries and temples of worship to the one God, were increasingly closed off by worldly loves, and then by bodily loves. The Lord God, in order to unblock those upper levels of the intellect and restore worship of one God, instituted a church among the descendants of Jacob and set the following precept above all the other precepts in their religion: "There is to be no other God before my face" (Exodus 20:3).
[3] "Jehovah," which he named himself anew for the Jews, means the highest and only Being, and the origin of everything that exists and occurs in the universe. People in the preclassical period acknowledged Jove as the highest God (perhaps so named from Jehovah), and deified many others who made up his court. In the age that followed, however, sages like Plato and Aristotle admitted that the other [Olympians] were not gods but different properties, qualities, and attributes of the one God, called gods because there was divinity in each of them.
9. (iii) THAT IS WHY THERE IS NO NATION THROUGHOUT THE WORLD POSSESSED OF RELIGION AND SOUND REASON WHICH DOES NOT ACKNOWLEDGE GOD AND THE FACT THAT HE IS ONE.
The consequence of the Divine influence operating on the souls of men as described above is that every man has an inward voice telling him that there is a God, and that He is one. None the less there are those who deny the existence of God, those who recognise nature as a god, and those who worship several gods and also statues as gods. The reason is that these have choked the interiors of their reason or understanding with worldly and bodily thoughts, thus blotting out their original or child-like idea of God, and at the same time throwing religion away over their shoulders. The confession of the creed shows plainly that Christians acknowledge one God, but it also shows how they see Him. It runs:
The catholic faith is that we reverence one God in the Trinity and the Trinity in unity. There are three Divine persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and yet there are not three gods, but one God. There is one person of the Father, another of the Son, and another of the Holy Spirit. They have one Divinity, equal glory and co-eternal majesty. So the Father is God, the Son is God and the Holy Spirit is God. But as Christian verity compels us to confess each person severally to be God and Lord, so does the catholic religion forbid us to speak of three Gods and three Lords.
Such is the Christian faith on the oneness of God; but it will be seen in the chapter on the Divine Trinity [163-188] that there is a conflict in that confession between the ideas of a Trinity and the oneness of God.
[2] The rest of the nations in the world, who are possessed of religion and sound reason, insist that God is one: all the Mohammedans in their empires, the Africans in many kingdoms of their continent, and the peoples of Asia in several of theirs, not to mention the present-day Jews. The most ancient people of the Golden Age, those who had any religion, worshipped one God whom they named Jehovah. So did the ancients of the following age, before the establishment of empires under a sole monarch. For at this time worldly, and finally bodily, loves began to close up the higher regions of the understanding, which had previously been open; then they had been like temples and shrines for the worship of one God. But the Lord God, in order to re-open them and thus restore the worship of one God, founded a church among the descendants of Jacob, and set at the head of all the commandments of their religion this:
There is to be no other God before my face, Exodus 20:3
[3] Jehovah too, the new name which He gave Himself for them, means the supreme and single Entity from which everything comes which is and comes into being anywhere in the universe. The early gentiles acknowledged as their supreme God Jupiter, 1 perhaps so called from Jehovah; and they endowed with divinity many of the other members of his court. But the philosophers of the following age, such as Plato and Aristotle, admitted that these were not gods, but so many properties, qualities and attributes of the one God, which were called gods on account of the divinity immanent in each of them.
9. (3) For this reason, there is in all the world no nation possessing religion and sound reason that does not acknowledge a God, and that God is one. As a consequence of the Divine influx into the souls of men, treated of just above, there is in every man an internal dictate that there is a God and that He is one. And yet there are some who deny God, and some who acknowledge nature as god, and some who acknowledge more gods than one, and some who worship images as gods; which is possible because such have blocked up the interiors of their reason or understanding with worldly and corporeal things. thereby obliterating their first or childhood idea respecting God, and at the same time rejecting religion from their breasts and casting it behind their backs. Christians acknowledge one God; but in what manner is evident from their established creed, which is as follows:
The Catholic faith is this: That we worship one God in trinity, and trinity in unity. There are three Divine persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and yet there are not three Gods, but there is one God. There is one person of the Father, another of the Son, and another of the Holy Spirit, and their divinity is one, their glory equal, and their majesty coeternal. Thus the Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God. But like as we are compelled by Christian verity to confess each person singly to be God and Lord, so we are forbidden by the Catholic religion to say there be three Gods or three Lords.
Such is the Christian faith respecting the unity of God. But that the trinity of God and the unity of God in that creed are inconsistent with each other will be shown in the chapter on the Divine trinity.
[2] The other nations in the world possessing a religion and sound reason agree in acknowledging that God is one; all the Mohammedans in their empires; the Africans in many kingdoms of that continent; the Asiatics in their many kingdoms; and finally the Jews to this day. Of the most ancient people in the golden age, such as had any religion worshiped one God, whom they called Jehovah. The same is true of the ancient people in the succeeding age, until monarchical governments were established, when worldly and afterwards corporeal loves began to close up the higher regions of the understanding, which previously had been open, and had been like temples and sacred recesses for the worship of one God. In order to reopen these and thus restore the worship of one God, the Lord God instituted a church among the posterity of Jacob, and made this the first of all the commandments of their religion:
Thou shalt have no other gods before Me (Exodus 20:3).
[3] Moreover, the name Jehovah, which He at this time restored, signifies the supreme and only Being, the Source of everything that is or exists in the universe. Jove, a name derived possibly from Jehovah, was worshiped as a supreme god by the ancient heathen; and many other gods who composed his court they also clothed with divinity; while in the following age wise men, like Plato and Aristotle, confessed that these were not gods, but were so many properties, qualities, and attributes of the one God, being called gods because there was something Divine in each of them.
9. (3) THERE IS NO NATION IN THE WHOLE WORLD, POSSESSING RELIGION AND SOUND REASON, WHICH DOES NOT ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THERE IS A GOD, AND THAT HE IS ONE.
From the Divine influx into the souls of men, which has just been treated of, it follows that there is an internal dictate with every man that there is a God and that He is one. Still there are some who deny that there is a God, and who acknowledge nature as God. There are, moreover, those who worship several gods, and those also who set up images for gods. The reason for this is that they have closed up the interiors of their reason or understanding with worldly and corporeal things, and have thereby obliterated the primitive idea of God which was theirs in infancy, banishing at the same time all religion from their hearts. That Christians do acknowledge one God is evident from the general Confession of their faith, which is as follows:
The Catholic faith is this, that we worship one God in a trinity, the trinity in unity. There three Divine Persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and yet there are not three Gods, but One God: there is one Person of the Father, another of the Son, and another of the Holy Spirit, and their Divinity is one, their glory equal, and their majesty co-eternal. Thus the Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Spirit is God; but, although we are compelled by Christian verity to confess each Person to be God and Lord, yet we are forbidden by the Catholic religion to say there are three Gods and three Lords.
Such is the Christian faith concerning the unity of God; but that the trinity and the unity of God in that Confession are inconsistent with each other, will be seen in the chapter on the Divine Trinity.
[2] The other nations in the world who possess religion and sound reason agree in acknowledging that God is one: all the Mohammedans 1 in their several dominions, the Africans in many kingdoms of their continent, the Asiatics in many of theirs, and also the modern Jews. In the golden age the most ancient people, who had any religion, worshiped one God, whom they called Jehovah. The same was the case with the ancient people in the age which followed, before monarchical governments were formed, when the lusts of the world and also of the flesh began to close the more interior parts of their understanding which, previously opened, were like temples and shrines for the worship of one God. It was to open again those inner recesses of the human mind, and so restore the worship of one God, that the Lord God established a Church among the posterity of Jacob, and set at the head of all the precepts of their religion the command:
"Thou shalt have no other gods before me" Exodus 20:3.
[3] The name Jehovah also which He assumed anew before them signifies the supreme and only Being (Ens), from whom everything is, that is and exists in the universe. The ancient Gentiles acknowledged Jove as the supreme God, probably so called from Jehovah, and they attributed Divinity to many others who composed his court. Wise men, however, in later times, as Plato 2 and Aristotle, 3 declared that these mere not gods, but were so many properties, qualities, and attributes of the one God, and were called gods because something of the Divine entered into them.
Footnotes:
1. Mohammad, the founder of Mohammedanism or Islam, A.D. 571-632, was born at Mecca, where his father was spiritual and temporal head. He married a wealthy and devout widow, and owed much to her influence. In the visions to which he was subject he received confirmations of his Divine mission. He also received messages from Gabriel which were incorporated in the KORAN, the sacred book of Mohammedanism. Early persecution drove him from Mecca and in the year A.D. 622 he fled to Medina, where he was cordially welcomed. This flight, or Hejira, marks the beginning of the Mohammedan year, and from Medina he set out on his conquest of Arabia. Mohammedanism proclaims the unity of the God-head, and condemns idolatry; but the peaceful methods of propaganda soon gave place to ruthless persecution of infidels and merciless extermination of idolators.
2. Plato, greatest of Greek philosophers, 427-347 B.C. His theory of ideas places the attainment of an exalted and spiritual yearning for a supersensible beauty only in an ideal world.
3. Aristotle, Greek philosopher, 384-322 B.C.; born at Stagiros, so called The Stagirite. He took all knowledge for his province, but had little appreciation of mathematics. He created the science of logic.
9. III. INDE EST, QUOD IN UNIVERSO MUNDO NON DETUR GENS, CUI RELIGIO ET SANA RATIO EST, QUAE NON AGNOSCIT DEUM, ET DEUM UNUM ESSE. Ex Influxu Divino in animas hominum, de quo mox supra, sequitur, quod sit internum dictamen apud unumquemvis hominem, quod Deus sit, et quod unus sit: quod usque dentur, qui Deum negant, et qui Naturam pro Deo agnoscunt, quique plures Deos, et quoque Simulachra pro diis colunt, est causa, quia interiora rationis suae seu intellectus sui obstipaverunt mundanis et corporeis, et per haec primitivam seu infantiae ideam de Deo obliteraverunt, et simul tunc Religionem a pectore in tergum rejecerunt. Quod Christiani agnoscant unum Deum, sed quomodo, ex Symbolica illorum Confessione patet, quae talis est, "Fides Catholica haec est, ut unum Deum in Trinitate, et Trinitatem in Unitate veneremur: sunt tres 1 Personae Divinae, Pater, Filius, et Spiritus Sanctus, et tamen non sunt tres dii, sed unus est Deus: atque alia est Persona Patris, alia Filii, et alia Spiritus Sancti, et illarum est una Divinitas, aequalis Gloria, et coaeterna Majestas; ita Deus est Pater, Deus est Filius, et Deus est Spiritus Sanctus: at quia singulatim unamquamque Personam Deum et Dominum confiteri Christiana veritate compellimur, ita tres Deos et tres Dominos dicere, Catholica Religione prohibemur:" talis est fides Christiana de Unitate Dei; sed quod Trinitas Dei et Unitas Dei in illa confessione inter se dissideant, in Capite de DIVINA TRINITATE videbitur.
[2] Gentes reliquae in Mundo, quibus Religio et sana ratio est, adstipulantur, quod Deus unus sit: omnes Mahumedani in suis Imperiis; Africani in multis sui Orbis Regnis; et quoque Asiatici in pluribus suis; et insuper Judaei hodie. Antiquissimi in Saeculo aureo, illi, apud quos Religio fuit, coluerunt Deum Unum, quem nominaverunt JEHOVAM; similiter Antiqui in Saeculo sequente, antequam Imperia monarchica facta sunt, cum quibus inceperunt amores mundani, et demum corporei, occludere superiora intellectus, quae prius fuerunt aperta, et tunc sicut Templa et Adyta pro cultu unius Dei: at Dominus Deus ut recluderet illa, et sic restauraret cultum unius Dei, Ecclesiam apud Jacobi posteros instituit, et praefecit omnibus praeceptis religionis illorum hoc, Non erit Deus alius ante faciem meam, Exodus 20:3.
[3] Jehovah etiam, quem se e novo coram illis nominavit, significat supremum et unicum Ens, ex quo omne est, quod in universo est et existit. Prisci Gentiles pro supremo Deo agnoverunt Jovem, ita forte vocatum a Jehovah, et plures alios, qui componebant Aulam ejus, etiam Divinitate donaverunt; at Sapientes in sequenti aevo, ut Plato et Aristoteles, fassi sunt, quod hi non Dii, sed totidem proprietates, qualitates, et attributa unius Dei essent, quae dii vocati sunt, quia singulis illis divinitas inerat.
Footnotes:
1. Prima editio: sunt tres (absque italicis).