The Trinomial Baptismal Formula of Matthew 28:19 by River of Life Bible Fellowship (ABFI)

The Trinomial Baptismal Formula A Critical Textual Evaluation of Matthew 28:19

The Trinitarian Baptismal Formula

What is the Trinitarian Formula? Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: - Matthew 28:19

The Trinitarian Baptismal Formula

It’s Based on the Gospel of Matthew 16 Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them. 17 And when they saw him, they worshipped him: but some doubted. 18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. 19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen. -

Matthew 28:16-20

The Trinitarian Baptismal Formula

Who teaches this Doctrine? The Catholic Church “The requisite and sole valid form of baptism is: ‘I baptize thee’ or ‘This person is baptized’ in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost.” This was the form given by Christ to His Disciples in the twenty-eighth chapter of St. Matthew’s Gospel, as far, at least, as there is question of the invocation of the separate Persons of the Trinity and the expression of the nature of the action performed. -Catholic.com/encyclopedia/baptism

The Trinitarian Baptismal Formula

So, are we Baptized into a Trinity? “Immerse them together in the presence of the Trinity, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Yes, baptize them in the name, but, dear friends, that doesn’t just mean getting them wet while you say those names. It means to immerse them in the Reality.” - Dallas Willard

The Trinitarian Baptismal Formula

Or are we Baptized into Christ? “Know ye not, that so many of us as were

baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.”

-Romans 6:3-4 “ For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.” - Galatians 3:21

The Big Problem

The Prescription Throughout the entirety of the New Testament there is no record of the Apostles ever baptizing someone in the “name of the father and of the son and of the holy spirit”

How they Actually Did it. Acts 2:38 - In the name of Jesus Christ Acts 8:16 - In the name of the Lord Jesus Acts 8:37-38 - He confessed Jesus Christ at baptism Acts 10:48 - In the name of the Lord Acts 18:8 - They believed on the Lord Acts 19:5 - In the name of the Lord Jesus Acts 22:16 - Calling on the name of the Lord Romans 6:3 - Baptized into Jesus Christ Galatians 3:27 - Baptized into Christ

The Big Problem

Did the Apostles Disobey Jesus? If Jesus told his disciples to baptize everyone in the trinitarian formula, why did they do it completely differently than what Jesus said?

How do we reconcile this? There are some major questions needing to be asked: ●

Are there mistakes in the Bible?

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Did the Apostles know something we don’t about the Name of Jesus?

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How are we to reconcile Jesus instructions with the Apostles instructions?

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Is the Catholic Church Right?

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How should we baptise today?

The Big Problem

The History Throughout the entirety of the New Testament there is no record of the Apostles ever baptizing someone in the “name of the father and of the son and of the holy spirit”

The Origin of Trine Baptismal Formula Certain features of baptism as used during the earlier centuries must now be noticed. They are the following: — (5) Baptismal formula and trine immersion; (…) 5. The Baptismal Formula. — The trinitarian formula and trine immersion were not uniformly used from the beginning, nor did they always go together. The Teaching of the Apostles, indeed, prescribes baptism in the name of Father, Son and Holy Ghost, but on the next page speaks of those who have been baptized into the name of the Lord — the normal formula of the New Testament. In the 3rd century baptism in the name of Christ was still so widespread that Pope Stephen, in opposition to Cyprian of Carthage, declared it to be valid. From Pope Zachariah (Ep. x.) we learn that the Celtic missionaries in baptizing omitted one or more persons of the Trinity, and this was one of the reasons why the church of Rome anathematized them; Pope Nicholas, however (858-867), in the Response, ad consulta Bulgarorum, allowed baptism to be valid tantum in nomine Christi, as in the Acts. Basil, in his work On the Holy Spirit just mentioned, condemns " baptism into the Lord alone " as insufficient. Baptism "into the death of Christ " is often specified by the Armenian fathers as that which alone was essential. Encyclopædia Britannica 11 ed. Vol.3 (Austria, Lower to Bisectrix) 1911 https://archive.org/details/Encyclopaediabrit03chisrich.pdf/page/n391/mode/2up

The Origin of Trine Baptismal Formula Ursinus, an African monk (in Gennad. de Scr. Eccl. xxvii.), Hilary {de Synodis, lxxxv.), the synod of Nemours (a.d. 1284), also asserted that baptism into the name of Christ alone was valid. The formula of Rome is, " I baptize thee in the name of Father and Son and Holy Spirit." In the East, " so-and-so, the servant of God, is baptized," &. The Greeks add Amen after each person, and conclude with the words, " Now and ever and to aeons of aeons, amen."

Encyclopædia Britannica 11 ed. Vol.3 (Austria, Lower to Bisectrix) 1911 https://archive.org/details/Encyclopaediabrit03chisrich.pdf/page/n391/mode/2up

The Origin of Trine Baptismal Formula We first find in Tertullian (160-240 AD) trine immersion explained from the triple invocation, Nam nec semel, sed ter, ad singula nomina in personas singulas tinguimur: " Not once, but thrice, for the several names, into the several persons, are we dipped " {adv. Prax. xxvi.). And Jerome says: " We are thrice plunged, that the one sacrament of the Trinity may be shown forth." On the other hand, in numerous fathers of East and West, e.g. Leo of Rome, Athanasius, Gregory of Nyssa, Theophylactus, Cyril of Jerusalem and others, trine immersion was regarded as being symbolic of the three days' entombment of Christ; and in the Armenian baptismal rubric this interpretation is enjoined, as also in an epistle of Macarius of Jerusalem addressed to the Armenians {c. 330). In Armenian writers this interpretation is further associated with the idea of baptism into the death of Christ. Trine immersion then, as to the origin of which Basil confesses his ignorance, must be older than either of the rival explanations. These are clearly aetiological, and invented to explain an existing custom, which the church had adopted from its pagan medium. For pagan lustrations were normally threefold.

Encyclopædia Britannica 11 ed. Vol.3 (Austria, Lower to Bisectrix) 1911 https://archive.org/details/Encyclopaediabrit03chisrich.pdf/page/n391/mode/2up

The Origin of Trine Baptismal Formula Baptism then in the name or through the name or into the name of Christ placed the believer under the influence and tutelage of Christ's personality, as before he was in popular estimation under the influence of stars and horoscope. Nay, more, it imported that personality into him, making him a limb or member of Christ's body, and immortal as Christ was immortal. (...) The apostolic age supplied this identification, and the normal use during it seems to have been "into Christ Jesus," or " in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ," or "of Jesus Christ " simply, or " of the Lord Jesus Christ." Paul explains these formulas as being equivalent to " into the death of Christ Jesus," as if the faithful were in the rite raised from death into everlasting life. The likeness of the baptismal ceremony with Christ's death and resurrection ensured a real union with him of the believer who underwent the ceremony, according to the well-known principle in sacris simulata pro verts accipi.

Encyclopædia Britannica 11 ed. Vol.3 (Austria, Lower to Bisectrix) 1911 https://archive.org/details/Encyclopaediabrit03chisrich.pdf/page/n391/mode/2up

The Origin of Trine Baptismal Formula There remain two texts in which the injunction to baptize is attributed to Jesus, namely, Mark 16:16 and Matt 28:18-20: Of these the first is part of an appendix headed" of Ariston the elder " in an old Armenian codex, and taken perhaps from the lost compilations of Papias; as to the other text (Matt 28:18-20), it has been doubted by many critics, e.g. Neander, Harnack, Dr Armitage Robinson and James Martineau, whether it represents a real utterance of Christ and not rather the liturgical usage of the region in which the first gospel was compiled. The circumstance, unknown to these critics when they made their conjectures, that Eusebius Pamphili, in nearly a score of citations, substitutes the words " in My Name " for the words "baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost,..." Aphraates also in citing the verse substitutes " and they shall believe in Me " — a paraphrase of "in My Name." The first gospel thus falls into line with the rest of the New Testament. Encyclopædia Britannica 11 ed. Vol.3 (Austria, Lower to Bisectrix) 1911 https://archive.org/details/Encyclopaediabrit03chisrich.pdf/page/n391/mode/2up

Two ways to look at the BIG PROBLEM Either the Apostles Fulfilled the Command A) They understood the “NAME” of the father, of the son, and of the Holy Spirit to be one singular name. A name that applies to all three titles of God. They understood that the revealed name of Father, Son, and Spirit to be “Jesus” (Isaiah 9:6) and so they used this name. B) Peter was given authority to bind and loose on earth, that is to say retain or remit people’s sins through his commands as the head of the church. He possibly modified Jesus’ command to “Jesus Name” and God accepted this stipulation. (Acts 4:12)

Or the text itself was altered as or after the trinity was developed. A) Luke contradicts Matthew when he says “And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.” - Lk 24:47 B) There is evidence that Matthew’s Gospel was first written by him in Hebrew and that this early Hebrew Gospel of Matthew does NOT CONTAIN the trinitarian formula proving later Catholic Interpolation akin to the irrefutable tampering we find in 1John 5.

The Altered Hebrew Gospel Hypothesis

The Hebrew Gospel Hypothesis

Hebrew Gospel Hypothesis The Hebrew Gospel hypothesis is that a lost gospel, written in Hebrew or Aramaic, predated the four canonical gospels. In the 18th and early 19th century several scholars suggested that a Hebrew proto-gospel (a so-called Ur-Gospel) was the main source or one of several sources for the canonical gospels. The foundation of the hebrew gospel hypothesis is usually an early Christian tradition from the 2nd-century bishop Papias of Hierapolis.

Several early 19th century several suggested that a Hebrew proto-gospel was the main source or one of several sources for the canonical gospels.

According to Papias, Matthew the Apostle was the first to compose a gospel, and he did so in Hebrew. Papias appeared to imply that this Hebrew or Aramaic gospel (sometimes called the Authentic Matthew) was subsequently translated into the canonical Gospel of Matthew. Jerome took this information one step further and claimed that all known Jewish-Christian gospels really were one and the same, and that this gospel was the authentic Matthew. As a consequence he assigned all known quotations from JewishChristian gospels to the "gospels of the Hebrews"

The Aramaic Proto-Gospel of Matthew/Levi "I believe firmly that both Matthew and Luke were derived from Aramaic originals." - E. Jan Wilson, PhD. Hebrew & Cognate Studies

Aramaic New Testament Theory The Aramaic original New Testament theory or Aramaic Primacy is the belief that the Christian New Testament was originally written in Aramaic. The "Aramaic Matthew hypothesis" of Theodor Zahn propounded the existence of an early lost Aramaic version of Matthew. In Zahn's opinion, Matthew wrote a complete Gospel in Aramaic; Mark was familiar with this document, which he used while abridging it. Matthew's Greek translator utilized Mark, but only for form, whereas Luke depended upon Mark and secondary sources, but was not acquainted with "Aramaic Matthew".

Syrian Evidence for an Aramaic Proto-Gospel The earliest parts in Old Syriac are thought to have been translated from Hebrew or Aramaic texts by Jewish Christians at Edessa

Aramaic Traces in the Old Syriac “Of the vernacular versions of the Bible, the Old Testament Peshitta is second only to the Greek Septuagint in antiquity, dating from probably the 1st and 2nd centuries CE. The earliest parts in Old Syriac are thought to have been translated from Hebrew or Aramaic texts by Jewish Christians at Edessa, although the Old Testament Peshitta was later revised according to Greek textual principles.”

Britannica, T. Editors of Encyclopaedia (2020, September 29). Peshitta. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Peshitta

Evidence from the Early Church

The Early Church Fathers

Papias (60-130 AD) Irenaeus (130-202 AD) Origen (185-253 AD) Eusebius (260-399 AD) Epiphanius (310-403 AD) Jerome (342-420) Since the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls…it is now confirmed that Hebrew was used as a medium in first century Palestine. There is no reason to assume that Papias meant Aramaic by his reference to “Hebrew”. The early church writings, after the time of Papias, are replete with references to a Semitic (Hebrew/Aramaic) Matthew. The following are examples:

The Early Church Fathers

Papias (60-130 AD) According to Irenaeus, a 2nd generation disciple of John the Evangelist through Polycarp (c 180) and Bishop of Lyons, Papias the Bishop of Hierapolis, was “an ancient man who was a hearer of John and a companion of Polycarp” - (Adv. Haer. 5.33) He wrote the Exposition of the Sayings of the Lord (Greek: Λογίων Κυριακῶν Ἐξήγησις) in five books. This work, which is lost apart from brief excerpts in the works of Irenaeus of Lyons (c. 180) and Eusebius of Caesarea (c. 320). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papias_of_Hierapolis

The Early Church Fathers

Papias (60-130 AD) According to Eusebius, Papias the Bishop of Hierapolis wrote that “Matthew collected the oracles in the Hebrew language and each interpreted them as best he could”. - Papias

The Early Church Fathers

Irenaeus (130-202 AD) Bishop of Lugdunum, now Lyon - France, his best-known work of Irenaeus is Against Heresies, often cited as Adversus Haereses, a refutation of gnosticism. Originating from Smyrna, he had seen and heard the preaching of Polycarp,who in turn was said to have heard John the Evangelist, and thus was the last-known living connection with the Apostles. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Irenaeus

The Early Church Fathers

Irenaeus (130-202 AD) “Matthew had also written a gospel among the Hebrews in their own dialect”. - Ireneaus, Bishop of Lyons and Disciple of Polycarp

The Early Church Fathers

Origen (185-253 AD) Origen of Alexandria, also known as Origen Adamantius, was an early Christian scholar, ascetic,and theologian who was born and spent the first half of his career in Alexandria. He was a prolific writer who wrote roughly 2,000 treatises in multiple branches of theology, including textual criticism, biblical exegesis and hermeneutics , homiletics, and spirituality. He was one of the most influential and controversial figures in early Christian theology, apologetics, and asceticism. He has been described as "the greatest genius the early church ever produced".

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Origen

The Early Church Fathers

Origen (185-253 AD) “As having learnt by tradition concerning the four gospels, which alone are unquestionable in the Church of God under heaven, that first was written that according to Matthew, who was once a tax collector but afterwards an Apostle of Jesus Christ, who published it for those who from judaism came to believe, composed as it was, in the Hebrew Language” - Eusebius quoting Origen (H.E. 6.25.4)

The Early Church Fathers

Eusebius (260-399 AD) Eusebius of Caesarea (c. AD 260/265 – 30 May AD 339), also known as Eusebius Pamphilius, was a Greek Syro-Palestinian historian of Christianity, exegete, and Christian polemicist. In about AD 314 he became the bishop of Caesarea Maritima in the Roman province of Syria Palaestina. Eusebius was a scholar of the biblical canon and is regarded as one of the most learned Christians during late antiquity. As "Father of Church History", he produced the Ecclesiastical History, On the Life of Pamphilus, the Chronicle and On the Martyrs.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eusebius

The Early Church Fathers

Eusebius (260-399 AD) Eusebius quotes Matthew 28:19 at total of 21 times in historical writings, and not once does he include the phrase “baptizing them in the name of the father and of the son and of the holy spirit”. NOT ONCE

The Early Church Fathers

Eusebius (260-399 AD) “But concerning Matthew, he [Eusebius quoting early church father Papias - 12o AD] writes as follows: ‘So then Matthew wrote the oracles in the Hebrew Language, and everyone interpreted them as he was able”. -

Philip Schaff and Henry Wace

Reference: Eusebius: Church History, Life of Constantine the Great, and Oration in Praise of Constantine, Vol. 1 A select library of the Nicene and Post Nicene Fathers of the Christian Church, Second Series, New York, Christian Literature Company, 1890 P. 173.

The Early Church Fathers

Eusebius (260-399 AD) “Matthew also, having first proclaimed the gospel in Hebrew, when on the point of going also to other nations, committed to writing in his native tongue, and thus supplied the want of his presence to them by his writings. Pantaneus …penetrated as far as India, where it is reported that he found the gospel according to Matthew, which had been delivered before his arrival by some who had the knowledge of messiah, to whom Bartholomew [Nathaniel Bar Tulmay], one of the emissaries, as it is said, had proclaimed, and left them the writing of Matthew in Hebrew letters. For as Paul had addressed the Hebrews in the language of his country; some say that the evangelist Luke, others that Clement, translated the Epistle.”

The Early Church Fathers

Epiphanius (310-403 AD) Epiphanius of Salamis was the bishop of Salamis, Cyprus, at the end of the 4th century. He is considered a saint and a Church Father by both the Eastern Orthodox and Catholic Churches. He gained a reputation as a strong defender of orthodoxy.

The Early Church Fathers

Epiphanius (310-403 AD) “And they (the Ebionites) receive the Gospel according to Matthew. For this they too, like the followers of Cerinthus and Merinthus, use to the exclusion of others. And they call it according to the Hebrews, as the truth is, that Matthew alone of New Testament writers made his exposition and preaching of the Gospel in Hebrew and in Hebrew letters.” “They (The Nazarenes) have the Gospel according to Matthew quite complete in Hebrew, for this gospel is still certainly well preserved among them as it was first written in Hebrew letters.” Reference: https://www.earlychristianwritings.com/text/gospelebionites.html

The Early Church Fathers

Epiphanius (310-403 AD) “In the Gospel they have, called according to Matthew, but not wholly complete, but falsified and mutilated (they call it the Hebrew Gospel), it is contained that 'There was a certain man named Jesus, and he was about thirty years old, who chose us. And coming unto Capernaum he entered into the house of Simon who was surnamed Peter, and opened his mouth and said: As I passed by the lake of Tiberias, I chose John and James the sons of Zebedee, and Simon and Andrew and <Philip and Bartholomew, James the son of Alphaeus and Thomas> Thaddaeus and Simon the Zealot and Judas the Iscariot: and thee, Matthew, as thou satest as the receipt of custom I called, and thou followedst me. You therefore I will to be twelve apostles for a testimony unto (of) Israel. Reference: https://www.earlychristianwritings.com/text/gospelebionites.html

The Early Church Fathers

Jerome (342-420) Jerome, Doctor of the Church, is best known for his translation of the Bible into Latin (the translation that became known as the Vulgate) and his commentaries on the whole Bible. As protégé of Pope Damasus I, Jerome was given duties in Rome, and he undertook a revision of the Vetus Latina Gospels based on Greek manuscripts.

The Early Church Fathers

Jerome (342-420) “Matthew, who is also Levi, and wh0 from a publican came to be an apostle, first of all composed a Gospel of Christ in Hebrew in Judaea in the Hebrew language and characters for the benefit of those of the circumcision who had believed. Who translated it into Greek is not sufficiently ascertained. Furthermore, the Hebrew itself is preserved to this day in the library at Caesarea, which the martyr Pamphilus so diligently collected. I was also allowed by the Nazarenes who use this volume in the Syrian city of Beroea, to copy it.” - Jerome (De Virius inlustribus, Ch III )

The Early Church Fathers

Jerome (342-420) “Matthew, who wrote the Gospel in the Hebrew language” - Jerome (Epist. 20.5)

“He (Shaoul/Paul) being a Hebrew, wrote in Hebrew, that is in his own tongue and most fluently; while things which were eloquently written in Hebrew were (later) more eloquently turned into Greek” - Jerome (De Virius inlustribus, Book V )

The Gospel of Matthew/Levi

STEP 1 The Original “logia” of Jesus Were an assumed collection of Hebrew and Aramic written accounts. (3455 AD)

STEP 3 While Peter and John were in Rome, Matthew wrote his Gospel in Judaea in Hebrew (50-65 AD)

The Hebrew Gospel of Matthew Autograph Est. 50-69 AD

STEP 3 Matthew’s gospel is translated into Greek (Probably by Luke) (80-130 AD)

The Greek Gospel of Matthew Translation Est. 80-130 AD

STEP 3 Matthew’s gospel is translated into Old Syriac (150 AD)

The Old Syriac Gospel of Matthew Translation (150 AD)

English Version of The Syriac Peshitta – 1896 Of the vernacular versions of the Bible, the Old Testament Peshitta is second only to the Greek Septuagint in antiquity, dating from probably the 1st and 2nd centuries CE. Estimated around 150 AD The earliest parts in Old Syriac are thought to have been translated from Hebrew or Aramaic texts by Jewish Christians at Edessa, although the Old Testament Peshitta was later revised according to Greek textual principles. The footnotes of the English 1896 edition assert that the Gospel was first written by Matthew in Hebrew in Palestine (Judea).

Reference:

Britannica, T. Editors of Encyclopaedia (2020, September 29). Peshitta. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Peshitta

The Old Syriac Gospel of Matthew Translation (150 AD)

Footnote to Matthew 28:16-20 “ Completion of the Holy Gospel as published by Matthew and which he published in Hebrew in the land of the Palestinians”

Reference:

Britannica, T. Editors of Encyclopaedia (2020, September 29). Peshitta. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Peshitta

The oldest Greek manuscript for Matthew is Codex Sinaiticus (340-350 AD) Discovered in 1844

The Greek Gospel of Matthew In Manuscript

The Greek Gospel of Matthew/Levi In May 1844, Constantin Tischendorf, discovered the oldest completed copy of the New Testament in the Convent of St Catherine at the foot of Mt Sinai. This oldest complete GREEK manuscript form we have of Matthew is in the Codex Sinaiticus (ca 340-350 AD) located and on display in the British Library.

The CODEX SINAITICUS (340-350 AD)

The Greek Gospel of Matthew 16 Οἱ δὲ ἕνδεκα μαθηταὶ ἐπορεύθησαν εἰς τὴν Γαλιλαίαν, εἰς τὸ ὄρος οὗ ἐτάξατο αὐτοῖς ὁ Ἰησοῦς, 17 καὶ ἰδόντες αὐτὸν προσεκύνησαν, οἱ δὲ ἐδίστασαν. 18 καὶ προσελθὼν ὁ Ἰησοῦς ἐλάλησεν αὐτοῖς λέγων Ἐδόθη μοι πᾶσα ἐξουσία ἐν οὐρανῷ καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς. 19 πορευθέντες οὖν μαθητεύσατε πάντα τὰ ἔθνη, βαπτίζοντες αὐτοὺς εἰς τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ Πατρὸς καὶ τοῦ Υἱοῦ καὶ τοῦ Ἁγίου Πνεύματος, 20 διδάσκοντες αὐτοὺς τηρεῖν πάντα ὅσα ἐνετειλάμην ὑμῖν· καὶ ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ μεθ’ ὑμῶν εἰμι πάσας τὰς ἡμέρας ἕως τῆς συντελείας τοῦ αἰῶνος.

The Greek Gospel of Matthew/Levi

The Greek Gospel of Matthew 16 Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them. 17 And when they saw him, they worshipped him: but some doubted.

In May 1844, Constantin Tischendorf, discovered the oldest completed copy of the New Testament in the Convent of St Catherine at the foot of Mt Sinai. This oldest complete GREEK manuscript form we have of Matthew is in the Codex Sinaiticus (ca 340-350 AD) located and on display in the British Library.

18 And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. 19 Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

The Greek Gospel of Matthew was translated into Latin By Jerome (400 AD)

The Latin Vulgate Matthew/Levi The Vulgate is a late-4th-century Latin translation of the Bible. It is largely the work of Jerome who, in 382, had been commissioned by Pope Damasus I to revise the Vetus Latina Gospels used by the Roman Church.

The Latin Vulgate

The Early Church Fathers

The Latin Vulgate Matthew/Levi Vulgate The Vulgate is a late-4th-century Latin translation of the Bible. It is largely the work of Jerome who, in 382, had been commissioned by Pope Damasus I to revise the Vetus Latina Gospels used by the Roman Church.

Jerome’s Latin Vulgate (384 AD) The Vulgate is a Latin version of the Holy Bible, and largely the result of the labors of St Jerome ( Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus), who was commissioned by Pope Damasus I in 382 A.D. to make a revision of the old Latin translations. By the 13th century this revision had come to be called the versio vulgata, that is, the "commonly used translation", and ultimately it became the definitive and officially promulgated Latin version of the Holy Bible in the Catholic Church. Saint Jerome had been commissioned by Pope Damasus to revise the Old Latin text of the four Gospels from the best Greek texts, and by the time of Damasus' death in 384 A.D. he had thoroughly completed this task, together with a more cursory revision from the Greek Septuagint of the Old Latin text of the Psalms.

The Latin Vulgate Matthew/Levi The Codex Amiatinus (also known as the Jarrow Codex) is considered the bestpreserved manuscript of the Latin Vulgate version of the Christian Bible. It was produced around 700 in the northeast of England

Codex Amiatinus (716 AD) Produced as a gift for Pope Gregory II in 716. It was one of three giant single-volume Bibles then made at Monkwearmouth–Jarrow, and is the earliest complete onevolume Latin Bible to survive.

The Latin Vulgate Matthew/Levi The Vulgate was given an official capacity by the Council of Trent (1545–1563)

Erasmus’ Latin Vulgate (1516-1535) In 1516 Desiderius Erasmus of Rotterdam (ca. 1466–1536) updated St. Jerome’s imperfect Vulgate New Testament with his own Latin version, translated from the original Greek. In this revised second edition of 1519, the Latin translation by Erasmus appears beside the Greek source text, accompanied by the translator’s annotations. ( ref) Erasmus was responsible for five such editions, all folio size and printed at Basel between 1516 and 1535, of which the 1527 edition was the fourth. Each of his editions contained the Greek text accompanied by his own Latin translation in parallel columns. (ref) The Greek text produced by Erasmus is known as textus receptus and was the basis for the King James Version of the New Testament. (https://greatsite.com/erasmus/)

The Latin Vulgate Matthew/Levi

https://archive.org/details/codexamiatinusno0 0tsch/page/n7/mode/2up

The Tischendorf Latin Vulgate (1854) This Vulgate is a Latin version of the Holy Bible, and largely the result of the labors of St Jerome ( Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus), who was commissioned by Pope Damasus I in 382 A.D. to make a revision of the old Latin translations.

https://archive.org/details/codexamiatinusno0 0tsch/page/n7/mode/2up

The Tischendorf Latin Vulgate (1854)

The Latin Gospel of Matthew/Levi

Matthew 28:16-20 (LV - 1535) 16 undecim autem discipuli abierunt in Galilaeam

in montem ubi constituerat illis Iesus 17 et videntes eum adoraverunt quidam autem

dubitaverunt The Vulgate was given an official capacity by the Council of Trent (1545–1563). At left is the 1535, 5th edition text of Erasmus’ Latin Vulgate.

18 et accedens Iesus locutus est eis dicens data

est mihi omnis potestas in caelo et in terra 19 euntes ergo docete omnes gentes baptizantes

eos in nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sanctieuntes ergo docete omnes gentes baptizantes eos in nomine Patris et Filii et Spiritus Sancti 20 docentes eos servare omnia quaecumque

mandavi vobis et ecce ego vobiscum sum omnibus diebus usque ad consummationem saeculi

The Latin Gospel of Matthew/Levi English translation of the 1535 Latin Vulgate text into modern english

Matthew 28:16-20 (LV - 1535) 16 And the eleven disciples went into Galilee, unto the mountain where Jesus had appointed them. 17 And seeing him they adored: but some doubted. 18 And Jesus coming, spoke to them, saying: All power is given to me in heaven and in earth. 19 Going therefore, teach ye all nations: baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. 20 Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you. And behold I am with you all days, even to the consummation of the world

The English Gospel of Matthew/Levi The inset reads: “The Holy Bible, containing the Old Testament and the New. Newly translated out of the Original Tongues; and with the former translations diligently compared and reviewed, by His Majesty’s special commandment. Appointed to be read in Churches.

Authorized King James Version (1611)

The English Gospel of Matthew/Levi The original old english text of the 1611 KJV or Authorized Version translated from the Latin Vulgate.

https://www.kingjamesbibleonline.org/1611Bible/

Matthew 28:16-20 (KJV - 1611) 16 Then the eleuen disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountaine where Iesus had appointed them. 17 And when they saw him, they worshipped him: but some doubted. 18 And Iesus came, and spake vnto them, saying, All power is giuen vnto me in heauen and in earth 19 Goe ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the Name of the Father, and of the Sonne, and of the holy Ghost: 20 Teaching them to obserue all things, whatsoeuer I haue commanded you: and loe, I am with you alway, euen vnto the end of the world. Amen.

The English Gospel of Matthew/Levi The 1769 Standard Oxford Edition of the King James Version, as edited and compiled and revised by Dr. Benjamin Blayney, is the source text used by most Bible publishers to print “King James Version” Bibles for the past two and a half centuries up to today.

Authorized King James Version (1769)

The English Gospel of Matthew/Levi

Matthew 28:16-20 (KJV 1769) 16 Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them. 17 And when they saw him, they worshipped him: but some doubted.

The 1769 Standard Oxford Edition of the King James Version, as edited and compiled and revised by Dr. Benjamin Blayney, is the source text used by most Bible publishers to print “King James Version” Bibles for the past two and a half centuries up to today.

The English Gospel of Matthew/Levi

Matthew 28:16-20 (KJV 1769) 16 Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them. 17 And when they saw him, they worshipped him: but some doubted.

Let’s Rewind…

The Hebrew Gospel of Matthew/Levi (50-69 AD)

The Shem Tov Hebrew Gospel of Matthew 50-69 AD

The Shem Tov Hebrew Gospel of Matthew Shem Tob's Hebrew Gospel of Matthew This work was written as an transcript of an apologetic work against the Christians during the Disputation of Barcelona (1263) when jews were being forced to answer Christians in a forum with a view to convert the whole of the jewish population there.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Disputation_of_Barcel ona

What is the The Shem Tov? Shem Tob's Hebrew Gospel of Matthew The oldest extant Hebrew version of the Gospel of Matthew. It was included in the 14th-century work Eben Boḥan (The Touchstone) by the Spanish Jewish Rabbi Shem-Tov ben Isaac ben Shaprut. Shem Tob's Hebrew Gospel of Matthew, is considered the oldest surviving text of a New Testament book in Hebrew. Noted Hebraist, George Howard, attributes the version to the genuine Gospel of the Hebrews mentioned by Papias in the second century AD circa 50-69 AD

The Hebrew Gospel of Matthew/Levi

Papias (60-130 AD) According to Eusebius, Papias the Bishop of Hierapolis wrote that “Matthew collected the oracles in the Hebrew language and each interpreted them as best he could”. - Papias

What is the The Shem Tov? Shem Tob's Hebrew Gospel of Matthew George Howard stated “In my judgment, ShemTob the polemicist did not prepare this text by translating it from the Latin Vulgate, the Byzantine Greek, or any other known edition of the Gospel of Matthew. He received it from previous generations of Jewish scribes and tradents.”

The Hebrew Gospel of Matthew/Levi

Shem Tov, Eusebius, and the Short Ending of Matthew

George Howard on Shem Tov “In 1901, F.C. Conybeare observed that a short form of Matt 28:19-20 is observed in some writings of Eusebius. He conjectured that the short form came from codices that Eusebius found in Caesarea. The short form reads as follows: “Go, make disciples of all nations in my name, teaching them to keep all the things which I commanded you.” Conybeare suggested that this short ending, lacking the trinitarian baptismal formula, was reflected, though not explicitly cited by two earlier writers, namely, Justin Martyr, and Hermas. …”

Reference: Howard, George. Hebrew Gospel of Matthew (1995) Mercer University Press, Macon, GA, USA. (p 192-194) https://archive.org/details/hebrewgospelofma0000unse/page/n5/mode/2up

Shem Tov, Eusebius, and the Short Ending of Matthew

George Howard on Shem Tov In 1965, Hans Kosmala argued in favor of the originality of the short form of the ending of Matthew, suggesting that Matthew’s susceptibility to liturgical modification allowed the trinitarian baptismal formula to be added to the text. By the time the formula was added, no other baptismal formula, such as “in the name of Jesus” was any longer in use.

…

Reference: Howard, George. Hebrew Gospel of Matthew (1995) Mercer University Press, Macon, GA, USA. (p 192-194) https://archive.org/details/hebrewgospelofma0000unse/page/n5/mode/2up

Shem Tov, Eusebius, and the Short Ending of Matthew

George Howard on Shem Tov “...Shem Tov’s Hebrew Matthew is a source for an even shorter ending to Matthew than the Eusebian form. “Go, and teach them to carry out all the things which I have commanded you forever.” This reading lacks the trinitarian bapstismal formula, in agreement with the short Eusebian form, and, also lacks reference to “the Gentiles”, which is found in the Majority Greek Text. “

Reference: Howard, George. Hebrew Gospel of Matthew (1995) Mercer University Press, Macon, GA, USA. (p 192-194) https://archive.org/details/hebrewgospelofma0000unse/page/n5/mode/2up

Shem Tov’s Text For Matthew 28:16-20

In the Hebrew/Aramaic-Mathean Tradition

The Shem Tov Hebrew Gospel of Matthew (HEB/FR/EN) ‫ואחר זה כאשר השנים עשר תלמידיו הלכו לגליל נראה להם בהר‬ 16 Et après cela, quand ses douze Talmidim (Disciples) allèrent en Galil (Galilée) Il leur apparu à la Montagne 16 And after this, when his twelve Talmidim (Disciples) were come into Galil (Galilee) he appeared unto them in the Mount (ici le douzième Disciple est peut-être Yoseph de Karnasia qui était aussi Disciple de notre Seigneur et Sauveur Yéhoshou'a et qui se serait joint aux 11) (here the twelfth Disciple is perhaps Yoseph of Karnasia who was also a Disciple of our Lord and Savior Yehoshua and who would have joined the 11)

‫ וכאשר ראוהי השתחוו לו ויש מהם שנסתפקו בו‬.‫אשר בו התפללו‬ 17 (la Montagne) où ils avaient prié. Et quand ils Le virent, ils se prosternèrent à Lui et il y eut certains d'eux qui en doutèrent 17 (the Mount) where they had prayed. And when they saw Him, they fell down to Him and there were some of them who doubted ‫ויהושע קרב אליהם ואמר להם לי נתן כל היכולת בשמים ובארץ‬ 18 Et Yehoshoua s'approcha d'eux et leur dit : À Moi a été donné tout Pouvoir dans les cieux et sur la terre 18 And Yehoshua came near to them and said to them, To me is given all authority in heaven and in earth ‫לכו אתם‬ 19 Allez 19 Go ‫ושמרו אותם לקיים כל הדברים אשר ציויתי אתכם עד עולם‬ 20 et gardez pour accomplir toutes les Paroles que Je vous ai commandé jusqu'à l'éternité. 20 and keep (make sure) to fulfill all the Words that I have commanded you until eternity. Source: EVANGILE DE MATTHIEU EN HÉBREU SHEM TOV

The Shem Tov Hebrew Gospel of Matthew (HEB/FR/EN) 16 And after this, when his twelve Talmidim (Disciples) were come into Galil (Galilee) he appeared unto them in the Mount (here the twelfth Disciple is perhaps Yoseph of Karnasia who was also a Disciple of our Lord and Savior Yehoshua and who would have joined the 11)

17 where they had prayed. And when they saw Him, they fell down to Him and there were some of them who doubted 18 And Yehoshua came near to them and said to them, To me is given all authority in heaven and in earth 19 Go 20 and keep (make sure) to fulfill all the Words that I have commanded you until eternity. Source: EVANGILE DE MATTHIEU EN HÉBREU SHEM TOV Livre de Mattityahou Témoignage de Yéhoshoua-Yéshoua - Chapitre 28:16-20, https://livredemattityahoutemoignagedeyeshoua.blogspot.com/

Hebrew Gospel of Matthew

https://archive.org/details/hebrewgospelofma0000unse/page/n5/mode/2up

The Hebrew Gospel of Matthew/Levi Shem Tov's Hebrew Gospel of Matthew is the oldest extant Hebrew version of the Gospel of Matthew. It was included in the 14th-century work Eben Boḥan (The Touchstone)

Matthew 28:16-20 (Shem Tov) “And after this, when his twelve disciples (*) were come into Galilee, he appeared unto them in the Mount where they had prayed. And when they saw Him, they fell down to Him and there were some of them who doubted and Yehoshua came near to them and said to them, ‘To me is given all authority in heaven and in earth. Go and make sure to fulfill all the Words that I have commanded you until eternity.’”

* (here the twelfth Disciple is perhaps Yoseph of Karnasia who was

also a Disciple of our Lord and Savior Yehoshua and who would have joined the 11)

The Hebrew Gospel of Matthew/Levi

So where’s the sentence

“Baptizing them in the Name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit?”

The Hebrew Gospel of Matthew/Levi

Modern Scholars Agree Reference: Joseph Ratzinger (pope Benedict XVI): Introduction to Christianity, 1968 edition, pp. 82, 83.

Pope Benedict XVI “The basic form of our (Matthew 28:19 Trinitarian) profession of faith took shape during the second and third centuries in connection with the ceremony of baptism. So far as its place of origin is concerned, the text (Matthew 28:19) came from the city of Rome.” - Joseph Ratzinger (pope Benedict XVI)

Testimonial evidence that this interpolation of Matt 28:19 is CONFESSED by the Pope to have a later origin than the Gospel in Rome - not Judaea or Antioch!

Modern Scholars Agree Reference: Encyclopædia Britannica 11 ed. Vol.3 (Austria, Lower to Bisectrix) 1911 https://archive.org/details/Encyclopaediabrit 03chisrich.pdf/page/n391/mode/2up

Encyclopedia Britannica “There remain two texts in which the injunction to baptize is attributed to Jesus, namely, Mark 16:16 and Matt 28:18-20: Of these the first is part of an appendix headed" of Ariston the elder " in an old Armenian codex, and taken perhaps from the lost compilations of Papias; as to the other text, it has been doubted by many critics … whether it represents a real utterance of Christ and not rather the liturgical usage of the region in which the first gospel was compiled. The circumstance … that Eusebius Pamphili, in nearly a score of citations, substitutes the words " in My Name " for the words " baptizing them into the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost," renders their conjectures superfluous. Aphraates also in citing the verse substitutes " and they shall believe in Me " — a paraphrase of " in My Name." The first gospel thus falls into line with the rest of the New Testament.

Modern Scholars Agree Reference: Howard, George. Hebrew Gospel of Matthew (1995) Mercer University Press, Macon, GA, USA. (p 155-159) https://archive.org/details/hebrewgospelofma0000 unse/page/n5/mode/2up

George Howard, Hebraist (1995) Papias (ca 60-130 CE), Bishop of Hierapolis wrote that “Matthew collected the oracles in the Hebrew language and each interpreted them as best he could”. - Papias Since the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls…it is now confirmed that Hebrew was used as a medium in first century Palestine. There is no reason to assume that Papias meant Aramaic by his reference to “Hebrew”. The early church writings, after the time of Papias, are replete with references to a Semitic (Hebrew/Aramaic) Matthew. The following are examples: “Matthew also issued a written gospel among the Hebrews in their own dialect while Peter and Paul were preaching at Rome and laying the foundations of the church” - Iranaeus (Adv. Haer. 3.1.1)

George Howard, Hebraist (1995) “As having learnt by tradition concerning the four gospels, which alone are unquestionable in the Church of God under heaven, that first was written that according to Matthew, who was once a tax collector but afterwards an Apostle of Jesus Christ, who published it for those who from judaism came to believe, composed as it was, in the Hebrew Language” - Eusebius quoting Origen (H.E. 6.25.4) “Matthew had first preached to the Hebrews, and when he was on the point of going to the others he transmitted in writing in his native language the gospel according to himself, and thus supplied by writing the lack of his own presence to those from whom he was sent.” - Eusebius (H.E. 3.24.6) “Matthew, who wrote the Gospel in the Hebrew language” - Jerome (Epist. 20.5)

Timeline

132 BC - 60 AD

60 AD - 360 AD

260 AD - 1522 AD

1532 AD - 2024 AD

Timeline

132 BC - 170 AD

340 AD - 1455 AD

1532 AD - 1898 AD

1908 AD - Present Day

Conclusion

Conclusion The rediscovery of both Codex Sinaiticus and the Shem Tob volumes of scripture in Greek and Hebrew, respectively, form a mandate to re-evaluate the authenticity of our source texts for our English Bibles. Based on evidence of Catholic interpolation regarding: 1) The “Johannine Comma” (1 John 5) 2) The “Annunciation Greeting” (Luke 1), and 3) The “Matthean Baptismal Decree” (Matt 28) It has become incumbent that honest disciples of the Bible should investigate and make a collective determination as to the errors in our English translations containing vestigial interpolations from apostate Catholic Latin works.

Conclusion Further, proving or disproving the existence of a Hebrew/Aramaic Gospel of Matthew and discovering the earliest evidence possible of its translation into Old Syriac and Koine Greek is paramount. The discovery of a mid first century written artifact containing the text would be ideal enough to support the testimony we already have from the post-apostolic church fathers. All we know for certain is that by 1382 the Hebrew Matthew and the Greek/Latin Matthew differ and that Eusebius seems to corroborate the short ending. That or an early greek text with the short form. UNTIL which time we can say with all confidence that we are “reasonably certain” that the text of Matthew 28:19 was either: POSTULATE A) Altered by Shem Tov to remove the trine formula, or that POSTULATE B ) Early greek translators added the formula into the Hebrew Text of Matthew to support the emerging idea of the trinity

Postulates POSTULATE A

POSTULATE B

Did Shem Tov alter the hebrew text of Matthew to remove the trine formula to follow a more jewish reading .

Did early translators add the formula into the Hebrew Text of Matthew in Greek to support the emerging idea of the trinity.

Eusebius (260-339 AD) affirms the short form extant during his lifetime.

Did the Didache influence the translation effort of Matthew into Greek? Or Tertullian (155-220 AD) He wrote against Praxeas in 213 AD CS (340-350AD) has the trine formula

Postulates A likely candidate food an early translation of Matthew’s Gospel into Greek could be Luke.

Roadblocks One of the major roadblocks to wholesale acceptance of the short form hebraic version of Matthew 28:19 is the text from the New Testament Apocryphal book of the Didache, the dating of which is troublesome to our theory. Didache is estimated to be written between 50-120 AD The earlier date range is catastrophic to Postulate B because it would validate the inclusion as a contemporary work which prescribes the trine formula. We should not expect the trine formula to appear until at least the time of Tertullian and later. If the formula is not in the original Hebrew (c 50-65) and yet IS found in Codex Sinaitictus (340) It would give a span for later inclusion much closer to the dates of Nicea and Constantinople when those trinitarian factions were seen to emerge and be growing into the orthodoxy of the 5t century.

APPENDIX 1 - SOURCES

Supportive Video Sources Hebrew Gospels “Hebrew New Testament Manuscripts Update 2022 - Refuting Objections Against Vatican Ebr. 100!” (Apr 4, 2023) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fp2qQIHmqdY Hilton, Jake “The Trinity: 70 Reasons the Trinity is False | Episode 22 - My Mormon Exodus” (Jul 24, 2023) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fn4nyAp316E Noland, Jay “The Real New Testament (No More Greek Deceptions) ” (Nov 2, 2023) Promote the Truth https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dcpLI3faywA

Tabor, James “How Does Hebrew Matthew Compare with Greek Matthew in the New Testament?” (May 5, 2022) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_ps5e8PECc&t=265s

Critical Sources Burling, Daryl “Was the Gospel of Matthew Written in Hebrew or Greek? ” (Jun 29, 2022) Biblical Mastery Academy https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=si2GWsaOpGA Ehrman, Bart D. “Bart Ehrman AMA on the Gospel of Matthew - For r/AcademicBiblical on Reddit ” (Mar 7, 2024) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-oqOmaNiTA Hebrew Gospels “Matthew - transcribed from Vat. Ebr. 100, fol. 3r. ” (2024) HebrewGospels.com . https://www.hebrewgospels.com/matthew

Roberts & Donaldson “Didache - English Translation” https://www.earlychristianwritings.com/text/didache-roberts.html

Other Sources Misc contributors. “Livre de Mattityahou Témoignage de Yéhoshoua-Yéshoua” In Blogger, (accessed Sept 10, 2024) https://livredemattityahoutemoignagedeyeshoua.blogspot.com/ Šušljić, Goran. (2022, Aug 02). “MATTHEW 28:18-20 IS CHANGED (325 IN NICEA)” Retrieved September 10, 2024, from Blog Excerpt of “First Commandment OR Trinity? – Encyclopedia of Evidences of the Old Trampled Truths of All Areas.” https://first-commandment-or-trinity.com/2021/10/24/matthew-2818-20-is-falsification-325-in-nicea Tabor, James. (2022, May 23) “How Does Ibn Shaprut’s Hebrew Matthew Compare with Greek Matthew?” from “Christian Origins” (accessed Sept 10, 2024) https://jamestabor.com/how-does-ibn-shapruts-hebrew-matthew-compare-with-greek-matthew Wikipedia contributors. (2024, July 9). Disputation of Barcelona. In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 09:42, September 10, 2024, from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Disputation_of_Barcelona&oldid=1233452558

APPENDIX 2 - George Howard’s Hebrew Gospel of Matthew

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