From: clayton stirling bartholomew (c.s.bartholomew@worldnet.att.net)
Date: Wed Mar 11 1998 - 17:17:21 EST
Michael S. Olszta wrote:
>
> In Matthew 28:19 I read:
>
> Matt 28:19 (KJS) Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them
> in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
>
> Question: Regarding the words EIS TO ONOMA TOU patroV kai tou uiou kai
> tou agiou pneumatoV, does this mean that the Father, the Son, and the
> Holy Ghost have ONE NAME by which they are to be called?
>
Michael,
The following does not answer your question, which I will leave to scholars.
Alfred Plummer (An Exegetical Commentary on Matthew, p431) has some discussion
of the authenticity of the baptismal formula. He cites F.C. Conybeare and K.
Lake who argue that the baptismal formula in Mat. 28:19 is an early
interpolation. They support this idea by noting that Eusebius of Caesarea
quotes the passage several times omitting the baptismal formula. For this
reason they conclude that this formula didn't appear in the text until after
the Council of Nicea.
Alfred Plummer didn't buy this argument. He states (citing a Dr. Chase as his
authority) that Eusebius did use the baptismal formula, when it served his
purpose and omitted it when it did not. Plummer concluded that the evidence
for the authenticity of this text was "overwhelming."
This issue is noteworthy because it shows the length some scholars are willing
to go to remove what they consider "dogmatic" material from the text of the NT
by means of conjecture. In this case F.C. Conybeare and K. Lake attempted to
cast doubt on a text which had unanimous manuscript support on the basis of a
selective use of evidence from Eusebius. There argument fell flat because they
didn't even use Eusebius in an even handed manner and Dr. Chase (who is he?)
called their bluff.
The moral of the story is look out for textual critics with an agenda.
-- Clayton Stirling Bartholomew Three Tree Point P.O. Box 255 Seahurst WA 98062------------------- President Flem Snopes and the first lady, Eula Varner Snopes are spend a quiet weekend at Martha's Vineyard. Has anyone seen Mink Snopes since he got out on parole?
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