“In the Name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit”

RR144 · Nov 21, 2020

Years ago I was researching Matthew 28:19. I always found it off that while Jesus says to baptize "in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit", none of his disciples did so. All baptisms were done simply in the name of Jesus. As I was research it, a Bible Student, wrote the below article in the now defunct BEAUTUES OF THE TRUTH newsletter. I thought I'd share it and get your feedback.

Enjoy,

RR

“In the Name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit”
With this statement, a candidate is baptized and welcomed as a new member of the body of Christ. The phrase taken from Matthew 28:19 followed Jesus' command to baptize all nations. But is this phrase really the saying of Jesus? Or was the scripture altered during the third century to support the development of the doctrine of the trinity?

Since the concession that 1 John 5:7 is spurious, only Matthew 28:19 remains as a scriptural support for the triune name. That is why the triple formula, “father, son and holy spirit:' formed the framework of the Apostles' Creed. Oxford scholar Moberly (1902) claimed Matthew 28:19 to be a “solemn precept to baptize in the name of the holy Trinity, which fell from the divine lips of the newly risen Lord” Because this scripture is important to the trinitarian belief, there has been little interest in pursuing its authenticity. Yet some scholars of the 19th and 20th centuries believe the scripture was altered. James Martineau, in Seat of Authority, says that the “very account which tells us that at last, after his resurrection, he commissioned his apostles to go and baptize all nations, betrays itself by speaking in the Trinitarian language of the next century and compels us to see in it the ecclesiastical editor.”

In History of Dogma, Adolph Harnack claims Matthew 28:19 is “no word of the Lord” Even the cautious critic Canon Armitage Robinson, in Encyclopedia Biblica, says that Matthew “does not here report the (very words) of Jesus, but transfers to him the familiar language of the church of the Evangelist's own time and locality.”

There are early church writers who also seem to support these views. Eusebius, a fourth century writer, had the greatest library of any early church scribe. It contained manuscripts of the new testament that were at least 200 years older than any existing today. Manuscripts copied by Origen, Clement of Alexandria, and others not available today gave him access to almost original material. Eusebius cites Matthew 28:19 eighteen times in his work, always in the same form: “Go ye and make disciples of all nations in my name,
teaching them to observe all things, whatsoever I commanded you”. When he comments on the verse, Eusebius places great stress on the phrase, “in my name.” Apparently his sources, Origen, Clement and Justin Martyr, excluded “father” and “holy spirit” from this scripture.

Justin Martyr wrote between 130 A.D. and 140 A.D. While much of his work is no longer available, there is a passage that is generally thought to be a reference to Matthew 28:19: “God hath not yet inflicted nor inflicts the judgment, as knowing of some that still even today ARE BEING MADE DISCIPLES IN THE NAME OF HIS CHRIST, and are abandoning the path of error, who also do receive gifts each as they be worthy, being illumined by the name of this Christ.”

Aphraates, a Syriac writer of the middle-fourth century, cites the text in yet a different manner, “Make disciples of all nations, and they shall believe in me.” It probably was not until the middle of the third century that the current rendering of Matthew 28:19 appeared when Bishop Cyprian of Rome insisted on the triple formula for baptism. Ironically, Pope Stephen used only one name, Jesus.

During the fourth century, the orthodox church used the phrase, “in the name of the father, son and holy ghost” as a battle cry against the Macedonians who claimed that no new testament text supported the spirit as part of the trinity. However, by the seventh century the church had wholeheartedly accepted the current rendering of the scripture, and excommunicated the Celtic church for insisting on one name in baptism.

In 1902, the modern scholar F.C. Conybeare summed up the history of the development of Matthew 28:19 as follows: “It is worth considering, however, whether the original text of the gospel did not end at the
word 'nations,' and whether the three rival endings of the text were not developed independently, viz: (i) 'in my name' in Justin, Eusebius, and perhaps Stephen of Rome and the Pneumato-machi (ii) 'and they shall believe in me, in Aphraates, representing the older Syriac version (iii) 'baptising them in the name of the Father, the Son and the holy Ghost; or similar in the Greek gnostic Theodotus, Ter-tullian Latin version of Irenaeus, and the surviving Greek MSS.”

BAPTISM AND THE APOSTLES
There are four instances of baptism by the Apostles recorded in the book of Acts. In each instance, only the name of Jesus is used in connection with the baptism.

Acts 2:38. Peter's sermon on the day of Pentecost was followed by a call to those who would become followers of Jesus: “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, IN THE NAME OF JESUS CHRIST so that your sins may be forgiven. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (NIV)

Acts 8:16. Philip preached throughout Samaria and gained several converts. However, when Peter and John arrived, those converts had not received the gifts of the spirit that normally accompanied conversion in those days. They then laid their hands upon them, “because the Holy Spirit had not yet come upon any of them; they had simply been baptized INTO THE NAME OF THE LORD JESUS” (NIV) Acts 10:48. Cornelius, the first Gentile convert, was baptized after a lengthy conversation with Peter: “So he ordered that they be baptized IN THE NAME OF JESUS CHRIST.” (NIV) Acts 19:5. Paul's initial encounter with the brethren at Ephesus caused him concern as they had been baptized by Apollos with John's baptism. He instructed them regarding Jesus: “On hearing this, they were baptized INTO THE NAME OF THE LORD JESUS” (NIV)

BIBLE STUDENT PRACTICE AND THE TRIUNE NAME
In The New Creation, page 455, “The Baptism of the New Creation:' Brother Russell recommended the words that we traditionally use. However, it is important to note how and why he made this recommendation:

“No particular form of words for this service (baptism) ie, set before us in the Scriptures, and all can readily see that the words are of secondary importance-that the baptism might be equally valid if no words at all were used; because, as previously stated, the real contract is between the baptized one and the Lord and the act of water baptism is the open confession of it. It is not, therefore, a question of what the administrator may believe or disbelieve, say or omit to say, but of what is the thought and intention of the heart of the one thus symbolically baptized. Nevertheless, BASING OUR JUDGMENT UPON THE WORDS OF THE LORD, IN MATTHEW 28:19, AND THE WORDS OF THE APOSTLE IN ROMANS 6:3, WE RECOMMEND AS A SIMPLE FORM OF SOUND WORDS FOR THE OCCASION THESE: BROTHER JOHN, IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER, AND OF THE SON, AND OF THE HOLY SPIRIT, BY THIS AUTHORITY, I BAPTIZE THEE INTO CHRIST.”

Note that Brother Russell's recommendation was based on his assumption that Matthew 28:19 contains the words of the Lord. Romans 6:3 contains no reference to the Father or the holy spirit.

It is only recently that the authenticity of Matthew 28:19 has come into doubt. As Bible Students, we have always examined the translations carefully to assure that we are following the original texts as closely as possible. When dealing with subjects like the trinity, this has especially been true. Although Matthew 28:19 has not yet been agreed upon by a majority of scholars as spurious, there is certainly enough evidence to limit its use. At least it would be wise to consider it inappropriate for use in baptism, given its questionable
history and subtle support of the doctrine of the trinity.

-Leonard Griehs
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John S · Nov 28, 2020

RR144 said: ↑

Years ago I was researching Matthew 28:19. I always found it off that while Jesus says to baptize "in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit", none of his disciples did so. All baptisms were done simply in the name of Jesus. As I was research it, a Bible Student, wrote the below article in the now defunct BEAUTUES OF THE TRUTH newsletter. I thought I'd share it and get your feedback.

Enjoy,

RR
Click to expand...

John S · Nov 28, 2020

Good work whoever compiled this. It makes sense. As far as the Holy Spirit? Who or what it is would be the important and bigger question as Jesus himself taught us more about this person or force than anyone. Jesus is the light of the world and came to explain about God. I think we could enjoy an examination of these questions. It’s the Gospel of John that shines more light on the facts we do have about the Spirit and it is not a Trinity just see for yourselves it is not difficult or unknowable.

Tsaphah · Nov 29, 2020

I wrote an article about the “Trinity Doctrine” quite a while back. To me, the article says more than I would take the time to revisit the subject. It is listed under Apologetics - Defending our Faith, page 5.

It is no longer that important to me. It is a moot point, and anyone can believe however they choose.
I can’t be a judge of their thoughts, or ideas. People read what they want, think what they want, believe what they want, and do what they want!

“Fiction is obliged to stick to possibilities. Truth isn’t” - Mark Twain

“Get your facts first, and then you can distort them as much as you please.” - Mark Twain

“In religion and politics, people’s beliefs and convictions are in almost every case gotten at second hand, and without examination.” - Mark Twain

As it appears here, I like Samuel Langhorne Clemens, aka Mark Twain

“In the Name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit”

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