Jesus, Prophet of Islam - The Islamic Bulletin

Latet Unitarians in Christianity 193

And whoever hears from God what he

• i.e, Jesus - is to say is taught by God.
  The Holy Spirit does so.
  Therefore the Holy Spirit is not God.

12. Whoever has a will which is distinct



from the will of God is not God.



The Holy Spirit has a will which is distinct



from the will of God.



Therefore the Holy Spirit is not God.

(Here Biddle quotes Romans 8.26-27which reads: 'Like­

wise the Spirit also heipeth ... for we know not how

to pray as we ought, but the Spirit maketh interces­

sion for us with groans unutterable ... he maketh in­

tercession for the saints according to the will of God.')

Biddle also discussed the one verse in the New Testament which the
priesthood of the established Trinitarian Church used to quote in
supportof their view of the doctrineTrinity, 1John 5: 7, which reads:
'For there are three that bear record in heaven - the Father, the
Word, and the Holy Ghost; and these three are One.'
Biddle stated that the verse was contrary to common sense. It
contradicted other verses in the Scriptures, and it only signified
union of consent and agreement, but never of essence. Further­
more, he pointed out, the verse did not even appear in the oldest
Greek copiesof the gospel, nor in the Syriac translations, nor in the
very old Latin editions.It seemed therefore that the verse had been
interpolated, and was rejected as such by interpreters both ancient
and modem. 32
Despitethe Act of 1648, Biddle publishedtwo furthertracts, for
which he was put in prison and would probably have been hanged
had he not been helped by a number of independent members of
Parliament. One of them was called A Confession of Faith Touching
the Holy Trinity According to the Scripture. It was composed of six
articles, eachillustratedwithpassagesfrom the Bible and supported
with ms arguments. In the Preface, he boldly talks of the evils re­
sultingfrom belief in the doctrineof Trinity andsaysthatthe argu­
ments used by the Trinitarians are 'fitter for conjurers than Chris­
tians.' 33 Here is an excerpt from Biddle's Confession ofFaith: