Ibid. cap. s. v. 4. & 5. wins, three: in the Lection. everywhere he wins the Greek has a fertile place. Also v. 7. & 8. so the Lection. Because there are three who give testimony, the spirit, water and blood; and three are one. Nothing about the testimony of the three divine persons. This omission is ancient, which Jerome in the Prologue to the canonical Epistles, in more recent editions of the Bible, without any reference to the source, mentions as having been made by unfaithful translators, in these words.
For one of them is the first of James, two of Peter, three of John, and one of Judas. Which if, as they were digested by them, so also the interpreters would faithfully translate the language into Latin; they would not cause ambiguity to the readers, nor would they challenge the variety of the words, in that particular place where we read about the unity of the Trinity in the first Epistle of John. In which also we find that the UNFIDELITY TRANSLATORS have erred greatly from the truth of the Faith, by putting only three words, that is, water, blood, and spirit, in their own edition; and the Father. And the Word and the Spirit giving testimony: in which the Catholic Faith is greatly strengthened; and the one divinity of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit is proved.
It should therefore seem no wonder that the whole of the verse we have chosen is lacking in our Lectionary, since in the time of Jerome the Latin codices were lacking in this place: the omission of which, made by the unfaithful translators, even the wise man has filled up; yet not entirely. could prevent, that less from the faulty codices the error might be propagated to others.. The good faith of Jerome, and consequently the genuine reading of this place, is proved by the most illustrious, without exception, namely the great Cyprian in his book on the unity of the Church: where this hemistichium, and these three are one, is mentioned from Scripture, and attributed to divine persons. And again it is written of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit: AND THESE THREE ARE ONE. The same in the Epistle to Jubaián, wanting to prove, that those baptized by heretics are not the temple of God; I ask; he says, whose God?... If the Holy Spirit, AS THREE ARE ONE, how can the Holy Spirit be appeased to him who is an enemy of either the Father or the Son? Therefore in the time of Cyprian, that is, in the middle of the third century, long before the birth of the heretic Aria mam, Cyprian read this place in this way. But Jerome has wrongly reproved the same. Moreover, Tertullian seems to read thus against Praxean, in these words chap. 25. But of me, he says, as he of the Father. Thus the Father's connection in the Son, and the Son in the Paraclete, makes three coherent, one from the other, who are THREE ONE, not one. In this way it is said, I and the Father are one, &c. And at the end of the book: What work of the Gospel, which is the foundation of the New Testament, establishing the Law and the Prophets, even to John, if not from thence the Father and the Son and the Spirit THREE BELIEVE to be one God? These two places, especially the first, seem to refer to the text of the Epistle of John. Whatever happens, the authority of Cyprian and Jerome is clear, which both can be used to bring authority to this place. However, Fulgentius in his book. on the Trinity chap. 4. Victor Vitellis in his book. 2. on the Vandalic perfection, Eugenius of Carthage in his exposition of the Catholic Faith, and (to omit others) Ambrose Aupertus in his book 1. on the Apocalypse to this verse, Who is faithful to thee, &c.
Also in the same first Epistle of John, chap. 7. V. 12. who hath not a son, Lection. with Greek adds Dei. Then v. 15. And we do that he heareth us whatsoever we shall ask in Lection. but not in Greek. Ibid. we ask, Lection. we asked with Greek Txaμev. Poftea v. 16. that whosoever shall ask, let him be a Lection. and Greek. Then v. 17. a sin unto death: in Lection. and Greek a sin not unto death.
Ibid. cap. s. v. 4. & 5. vincit, ter: in Lection. ubique vicit Græcum habet in fecundo loco vaca. Item v. 7. & 8. ita Lection. Quia tres funt qui teftimo nium dant, fpiritus, aqua & fanguis; & tres unum funt. Nihil de teftimonio trium perfonarum divinarum. Antiqua eft hæc omiffio, quam Hieronymus in Prologo ad Epiftolas canonicas, in recentioribus Bibliorum editionibus nefcio qua de caufa detracto, ab infidelibus tranflatoribus factam commemorat, his verbis. Eft enim una earum prima Jacobi, due Petri, tres Johannis, & Juda una. Que fì, ficut ab eis digefta funt, ita quoque ab interpretibus fideliter in Latinum verterentur eloquium; nec ambiguitatem legentibus facerent, nec fermonum fe fe varietate impugnarent, illo pracipue loco, ubi de unitate Trinitatis in prima Johannis Epiftola pofitum legimus. In qua etiam ab INFIDELIBUS TRANSLATORIBUS multum erratum esse à Fidei veritate comperimus, trium tantummodo vocabula, hoc eft aqua, fanguinis, & fpiritus, in ipfa fua editione ponentibus; & Patris. Verbique ac Spiritus teftimonium emittentibus: in quo maximè & Fides Catholica roboratur; & Patris ac Filti ac Spiritus-Sancti ́una Divinitatis fubftantia comprobatur. Nequaquam ergo mirum videri debet, quòd totus verfus feptimus in noftro Lectionario defit, cùm Hieronymi tempore hoc in loco deficerent Latini codices: quorum omiffionem, ab infidelibus tranflatoribus factam, etfi vir fan&tus fupplevit; non tamen penitus. impedire potuit, quo minùs ex vitiofis codicibus error in alios propagaretur.. Bonam Hieronymi fidem, ac proinde genuinam hujus loci lectionem comprobat illuftriffimus teftis, omni exceptione major, nempe magnus Cyprianus ins libro de unitate Ecclefiæ: ubi hoc hemiftichium, & hi tres unum funt, ex Scriptura commemorat, divinifque perfonis attribuit. Et iterum de Patre, & Filio & Spiritu Sancto fcriptum eft: ET HITRES UNUM SUNT. Idem in Epiftola ad Jubaiá-num, probare volens, ab hæreticis baptizatos non effe templum Dei; Quero; inquit, cujus Dei?... Si Spiritus - Sancti, CÙM TRES UNUM SINT, quomodo Spiritus-Sanctus placatus effe ei poteft, qui aut Patris, aut Filii inimicus eft? Itaque Cypriani tempore, id eft medio fæculo tertio, longè ante natam hærefim Aria
mam, ita hunc locum legebat Cyprianus. Eumdem verò Hieronymus malè multatum reftituit. Quin etiam ita legiffe videtur Tertullianus adverfus Praxeam, in hæc verba cap. 25. Ceterum de meo fumet, inquit, ficut ipfe de Patris. Ita connexus Patris in Filio, & Filii in Paracleto, tres efficit coherentes, alterum ex altero, qui TRES UNUM SINT, non unus. Quo modo dictum eft, Ego & Pater unum fumus, &c. Et fub finem libri: Quod opus Evangelii, que eft fubftamia novi Teftamenti, ftatuens Legem & Prophetas, ufque ad Johannem, fi non exinde Pater & Filius & Spiritus TRES CREDITI unum Deum fiftunt? Hi duo loci, maximè prior, ad textum Epiftolæ Johannis refpicere videtur. Quidquid fit, plana eft Cypriani & Hieronymi auctoritas, quæ utraque fufficere poteft ad afferendam huic loco auctoritatem. His tamen accedunt Fulgentius in lib. de Trinitate cap. 4. Victor Vitenfis in lib. 2. de perfecutione Vandalica, Eugenius Carthaginenfis in expofitione Fidei Catholicæ, & (ut alios omittam) Ambrofius Autpertus in lib. 1. fuper Apocalypfin ad hunc verfum, Qui eft teftis fidelis, &c.
Item in eadem prima Epiftola Johannis cap. 7. V. 12. qui non habet filium, Lection. cum græco addit Dei. Dein v. 15. Et fcimus quia audit nos quicquid petierimus deeft in Lection. fed non in græco. Ibid. poftulamus, Lection. poftuLavimus cum græco Txaμev. Poftea v. 16. ut roget quis, abeft quis à Lection. & græco. Tum v. 17. peccatum ad mortem : in Lection. & græco peccatum non ad mortem.
