YET ANOTHER FALSE TRINITARIAN CLIAM ABOUT THE ANF WRITER IRENAEUS

Heres a FALSE claim about Irenaeus and the Trinity by a Trinitarian that can be found online!

(MICHAEL PARTYKA): “...Was the Trinity "unknown" to Irenaeus? ... just like the doctrine of the Trinity says. No wonder, then, that he concludes his book On the Apostolic Preaching with this prayer: “...Glory to the All-Holy Trinity and one Divinity: Father and Son and all-provident Holy Spirit, forever, Amen....” - (“THE WATCHTOWER AND THE ANTE-NICENE CHURCH FATHERS” by Michael Partyka 11/14/2005)

You could read Irenaeus book “On Apostolic Preaching” and possibly think he's right.

But upon close inspection of photographs of the original Armenian text you find this claim is downright miss-leading and dishonest. 

Exactly what Trinitarian Apologist Michael Partyka accuses Jehovah's Witnesses of.

Partyka conclusion is based soley upon an English translation without actually knowing what the original says. This is where many Trinitarian Cyber Apologist's go wrong OFTEN!

St. IRENAEUS - [ ΕἸΣ ἘΠΊΔΕΙΞΙΝ ΤΟΥ͂ ἈΠΟΣΤΟΛΙΚΟΥ͂ ΚΗΡΎΓΜΑΤΟΣ ] THE PROOF OF APOSTOLIC PREACHING WITH SEVEN FRAGMENTS ARMENIAN VERSION EDITED AND TRANSLATED BY HIS LORDSHIP THE BISHOP KARAPET TER MEKERTTSCHIAN AND THE REV. DR. S. G. WILSON WITH THE CO-OPERATION OF H. R. H. PRINCE MAXE OF SAXONY D. D. AND D. C. L.

An important point is to be found in the Preface of the above translation:

PREFACE PAGE 1: "...In the 13th Century, between 1270 and 1289, the manuscript was copied under the superintendence of Archbishop IIoannes, the younger brother of haitun, the Cilician king of Armenia, he is the author of several works, still extant..." - (St. IRENAEUS - [ ΕἸΣ ἘΠΊΔΕΙΞΙΝ ΤΟΥ͂ ἈΠΟΣΤΟΛΙΚΟΥ͂ ΚΗΡΎΓΜΑΤΟΣ ] THE PROOF OF APOSTOLIC PREACHING WITH SEVEN FRAGMENTS ARMENIAN VERSION EDITED AND TRANSLATED BY HIS LORDSHIP THE BISHOP KARAPET TER MEKERTTSCHIAN AND THE REV. DR. S. G. WILSON WITH THE CO-OPERATION OF H. R. H. PRINCE MAXE OF SAXONY D. D. AND D. C. L.)

 

Now at the end of the original MSS in Armenian there is a line indicating the end of Irenaeus actual text then followed by this note:

IRENAEUS PROOF OF APOSTOLIC PREACHING

“Praise to the All-Holy Trinity and one Godhead, the Father, Son and All-Provident Holy Spirit forever. Amen. Remember in one Lord the God-strengthened and thrice blessed Arch-bishop Der IIohannes, the owner of this book, the brother of the holy king: and humble scribe.”

This as the preface clearly shows is a note from the 13TH CENTURY ARMENIAN TRANSLATOR - not - from Irenaeus himself.

But that is not how the online article by a Trinitarian portrays it. I never take Trinitarian claims at face value! Always check the source texts!

The following is also from another translation:

INTRODUCTION

[SUBHEADING]: I - THE DOCUMENT AND ITS VALUE

"...We cannot say whether this error of title goes back beyond the date of the manuscript, which was probably written between 1270–1289, that is in the time of the learned Archbishop John, the brother of King Hetum of Cilicia. A note at the end states that it was written for this archbishop. The Armenian editors believe that the same translator is responsible for the two books of the larger work and for our treatise, and that the translation was made at some date between 650 and 750..." - (Page 7, “The Demonstration of the Apostolic Preaching” by St. Irenaeus, Bishop of Lyon, Christian Classics Ethereal Library ; by Robinson, Armitage, D.D. (Editor) Publisher: The Macmillan Co. 1920)

Another translation of "On Apostolic Preaching" by Irenaeus confirms the above:

(S. IRENAEUS - ΕἸΣ ἘΠΊΔΕΙΞΙΝ ΤΟΥ͂ ἈΠΟΣΤΟΛΙΚΟΥ͂ ΚΗΡΎΓΜΑΤΟΣ - THE PROOF OF APOSTOLIC PREACHING WITH SEVEN FRAGMENTS ARMENIAN VERSION EDITED AND TRANSLATED BY HIS LORDSHIP THE BISHOP KARAPET TER MEKERTTSCHIAN AND THE REV. DR. S. G. WILSON WITH THE CO-OPERATION OF H. R. H. PRINCE MAXE OF SAXONY D. D. AND D. C. L.)

Page 122: The Latin translation of the Armenian at the line break in the text calls it:

ADDITAMENTUM SCRIPTORIS

“Irenaei demonstratio apostolicae praedicationis”

“Gloria sanctissimae Trinitati et uni Deitati, Patri et Filio et omni-providenti Sancto Spiritui in Seacula. Amen Deo accepti et ter beati archiepiscopi Domini Ioannis possessoris librorum, fratis sancti regis mementote in Domino, et miselli scriptoris.”

As you can see this is the Latin text of the above so-called 'trinitarian' passage.

What is the meaning of: “...ADDITAMENTUM SCRIPTORIS...” ?

additamentum , i, n. addo,
I. an addition, accession, increase
A Latin Dictionary. Founded on Andrews' edition of Freund's Latin dictionary. revised, enlarged, and in great part rewritten by. Charlton T. Lewis, Ph.D. and. Charles Short, LL.D. Oxford. Clarendon Press. 1879.

scrīptor öris, m
scribo, one who writes, a writer, scribe, copyist, clerk : scriptores male mulcati: librarius, H.— One that composes in writing, a writer, composer, author, reporter, narrator...
Lewis, Charlton, T. An Elementary Latin Dictionary. New York, Cincinnati, and Chicago. American Book Company. 1890.

It is simply a: "...SCRIBAL ADDITION..." by the 13^th Century Copyist.

CONCLUSION: No Trinity at all was taught, let a lone mentioned by Irenaeus, and never, I mean never - take Trinitarian claims on face value.

P.S. Mr Partyka has since edited and removed his comments above. Perhaps he read my comments elsewhere online when I first posted the above on the History Channel Forum on: "...The History Of The Trinity..."