"The Bible's teaching about Christ", by Viktor Rydberg (1862) (Part 17)
As a general remark we repeat that none of the Greek church fathers and authors quote the words of the three witnesses in heaven, though it happens, that they quote both the nearest preceding and next following words during their efforts to find support in the Holy Scripture for the doctrine of the Trinity. The same observation can also be extended to
V. The Latin church fathers during the four first centuries. One searches in vain for a quote from the insmuggled words also in such writings, where one could most certainly expect to find them, e.g. in Augustine's polemical works against the Arians, or by Hilarius, who to the defense of the Nicene doctrine had written no less than twelve books »About the Trinity».
However, it is precisely by two Latin church fathers, both of older date, namely by Tertullianus (died 220) and Cyprian (died 258), that the defenders of the verse believe they have found testimonials which would speak in favor of their editing of 1 Joh. 5: 7-8. We announce here these professed testimonials.
What is taken from Tertullian have the following wording: »Thus the relationship of the father in the son and the son's in the paraklete's form three coherent, one out of the other, which three are one and the same, not just united: why also the place "I and the Father are one" refers to the unity of essence, not on the unity of number".*
It requires an inability to criticize, in order to, in these Tertullian words (taken from his writing against Praxeas), find what the friends of the insmuggled words in them seek. The Bible passage, with which Tertullian here supports his meditation upon the Trinity and which he states verbatim, is not 1 Joh. 5:7, but Joh. 10: 30, where Jesus says: »I and the Father are one». Because there is only a question of the father and the son but not of the holy spirit, Tertullian would, who also included the latter in his meditation, certainly rather have quoted the verse of the unity of the three heavenly witnesses, if it was to be read in his New Testament. But he does not quote it. The testimonial thus precisely turns against those who brought it up in their defense.
The second of the two both aforementioned testimonials is given in Cypriani writing "On the unity of the church" and has the following wording: »The Lord says: I and the Father are one. And again it is written about the father and the son and the holy spirit: and three are one.»
Admittedly, this testimonial has a certain sheen to it. Two different Bible passages are referred to here. One is, also by Tertullian, Joh. 10:30; the other is without doubt 1 Jn. 5: 8. But the matter finds its explanation in the fact that the words "the spirit, the water and the blood" by Cyprian, as well as by other church fathers, was considered to denote the father, the son and the holy spirit. That's what Augustine says (died 429) in his writing "Against the Arian Maximinus":
»If we want to explore, what by these words (the spirit, the water, and the blood) have been designated, then it is by no means unreasonable, that by this is understood the Trinity itself, who is one God, father, son, and holy spirit, of which with greatest truth could be said: "three are the witnesses" and "three are one», so that under the name of the spirit we have to understand the father, but under the name of the blood, the son, and under the name of water, the Holy Spirit.»
* In the original language: Ita connexus patris in filio et filii in paracleto tres efficit cohaerentes alterum ex altero, qui tres unum sunt, non unus: quomodo dictum est Ego et pater unum sumus, ad suhstantiae unitatem, non ad numeri singularitatem.
