MORE ( ANF ) TAMPERING BY LATER TRI{3}NITARIANS – MELITO OF SARDIS
EDITED: 4/06/11 Corrected some spelling mistakes etc.
Only fragments of Melito's writings have survived the ages. One passage is found in the:
PASCHAL CHRONICLE “Chronicum Paschale” or also known as “Chronicum Alexandrinum” or “Constantinopolitanum” or “Fasti Siculi.”
The ( oldest ) and no doubt ( original ) Greek version reads as the following as quoted by William Whiston:
GREEK TEXT: “...Οὐκ ἐσμέν οὐδε μἱαν αἵσθησιν έσχότων θεραπευταί, ἀλλὰ μόνου θεοῦ τοῦ ( πρό ) πάντων καὶ ( ἐπὶ ) πάντων καὶ ( ἐπὶ ) τοῦ Χριστοῦ αὐτοῦ, ὅντως θεοῦ λόγου πρό αἰώνων ἐσμέν θρσησκευταί...” - (Page 69. Melito 2. pud Chron. Alexand. ad. Olymp. 236. 2. p. 607. [As quoted in William Whistons 'Primitive Christianity Revived' Vol., 4.)
William Whiston translated it this way:
MELITO OF SARDIS (circa. 110 to 177 C.E.): “...We are not the worshippers of beings that are insensible ; but we are worshippers of God alone, who is before all things, AND ( OVER ) ALL THINGS - AND - ( OVER ) HIS CHRIST, who is really God the Word, existing before the world began...” - (Page 69. Melito 2. pud Chron. Alexand. ad. Olymp. 236. 2. p. 607. [As quoted in] William Whistons 'Primitive Christianity Revived' Vol., 4.)
But in existing Tri{3}nitarian versions of the Greek text and English translations it reads this way:
GREEK TEXT: “...Μελἱτων Σαρδιανῶν ἐπίσκοπος μετὰ πολλὰ τῶν ἐπιδοθέντων παρὰ τοῦ αὐτοῦ Ὶουστίνου φησίν, Οὐκ ἐσμέν λίθων οὐδε μἱαν αἵσθησιν έσχότων θεραπευταί, ἀλλὰ μόνου θεοῦ τοῦ πρό πάντων καὶ ( ἐπὶ ) πάντων καὶ Χριστὸς ( ὤν ) θεοῦ λόγος πρό αἰώνων ἐσμέν θρσησκευταί, καὶ τὰ ἐξῆς...” - (Melito Apolog. fragm. in the Chron. Pasch. Par. 8-11, Section B. p. 483, Vol 1, Dindorf. ed. CORPUS SCRIPTORUM HISTORAE BYZANTINAE.)
[FOOTNOTE 11(a)]: τοῦ] ἐπὶ τοῦ P.
[FOOTNOTE 11(b)]: ibid. ὅντως P.
MELITO OF SARDIS (circa. 110 to 177 C.E.: “...We are not worshippers of senseless stones, but adore one only God, Who is before all and OVER ALL, AND HIS CHRIST, truly God the Word before all ages...” - (Page 533, “Ante-nicene Christianity: History Of The Christian Church” By Philip Schaff, 5th Edtion, 1885.)
Did you spot the difference?
Have a closer look!
Compare:
GREEK TEXT: “...καὶ ( ἐπὶ ) πάντων καὶ ( ἐπὶ ) τοῦ Χριστοῦ αὐτοῦ, ὅντως θεοῦ λόγου πρό αἰώνων...” - (Page 69. Melito 2. pud Chron. Alexand. ad. Olymp. 236. 2. p. 607. [As quoted in William Whistons 'Primitive Christianity Revived' Vol., 4.)
With:
GREEK TEXT: “...καὶ ( ἐπὶ ) πάντων καὶ Χριστὸς ( ὤν ) θεοῦ λόγος πρό αἰώνων...” - (Melito Apolog. fragm. in the Chron. Pasch. Par. 8-11, Section B. p. 483, Vol 1, Dindorf. ed. CORPUS SCRIPTORUM HISTORAE BYZANTINAE.)
Did you see the changes?
Lets take a closer look at these changes that have taken place in this later version of Dindorfs critical text:
FIRSTLY: The later version has dropped the second: “...( ἐπὶ )...” or “...over...” This change in the text is the most important of all because it effects a doctrinal change to the passage.
SECONDLY: It has dropped the definite article before Christ: “...τοῦ...” or “...( of ) the...”
THIRDLY: It has dropped the word: “... αὐτοῦ...” or “...( of ) him/his...”
FOURTHLY: It has changed the grammatical case of Christ from: “...Χριστοῦ...” or “...( of ) Christ...” to “...Χριστὸς...” or “...Christ...”
FIFTH: It has changed: “...ὅντως...” or “...really/truly...” to “...ὤν...” or “...being...”
SIXTH: It has also changed the grammatical case of the word: “...λόγου...” or “...( of ) logos...” to “...λόγος...” or “...logos/word...”
But the origional really said this:
GREEK TEXT: “...Μελἱτων Σαρδιανῶν ἐπίσκοπος μετὰ πολλὰ τῶν ἐπιδοθέντων παρὰ τοῦ αὐτοῦ Ὶουστίνου φησίν, Οὐκ ἐσμέν λίθων οὐδε μἱαν αἵσθησιν έσχότων θεραπευταί, ἀλλὰ μόνου θεοῦ τοῦ πρό πάντων καὶ ( ἐπὶ ) πάντων καὶ ( ἐπὶ ) τοῦ Χριστοῦ αὐτοῦ ( ὅντως ) θεοῦ λόγου πρό αἰώνων ἐσμέν θρσησκευταί, καὶ τὰ ἐξῆς...” - (Page 69. Melito 2. pud Chron. Alexand. ad. Olymp. 236. 2. p. 607. [As quoted in William Whistons 'Primitive Christianity Revived' Vol., 4.)
MELITO OF SARDIS (circa. 110 to 177 C.E.): “...Not that we are worshippers of things that are perceptible to the senses, but in contrast we are worshippers of the (definitive) God (only) [who is] before all things and over all things and ( OVER ) His Christ, [who is] truly [the] Logos ( of )[#] God before [the] ages...” - (Fragments of Melito of Sardis in the Paschal Chronicle, by Matt13weedhacker 17/4/11)
[FOOTNOTE #]: Gk., ( θεοῦ λόγου ) is genitive, therefore I have translated as “...( of ) God...”
[FOOTNOTE]: Gk., ending in Dindorf text: “...καὶ τὰ ἐξῆς...” = “...and the things [like this] in a regular manner...”
An alternate version:
MELITO OF SARDIS (circa. 110 to 177 C.E.): “...Not that we are worshippers of things that are perceptible to the senses, but in contrast we are worshippers of the (definitive) God (only) [who is] before all things and ( OVER ) all things even ( OVER ) His Christ, [who is] truly Word ( of ) God before [the] ages...” - (Fragments of Melito of Sardis in the Paschal Chronicle by Matt13weedhacker 17/4/11)
In the Tri{3}nitarian version the second Gk., ( ἐπὶ ) “...OVER...” is missing.
Yes Tri{3}nitarians have removed it from the text. They felt ( very - uncomfortable ) with the “...one only God...” being SUPERIOR TO or “...OVER...” Christ.
This does not fit with the later doctrine of equality within the Post-Chanceldon Tri{3}ad.
HENRY WACE: “...One extract from the Apology preserved in the Paschal Chronicle (p. 483, Dindorf) gave rise to some discussion in the early Socinian controversy. "We are not worshippers of senseless stones, but adore one only God, Who is before all AND OVER ALL, AND [OVER] HIS CHRIST truly God the Word before all ages." The second "over" given in Rader's ed. of the Chronicle does not appear in the latest ed. (Dindorf's)...” - (Page 720, Melito. “Dictionary of Christian Biography and Literature to the End of the Sixth Century A.D., with an Account of the Principal Sects and Heresies.”)
Also by comparing William Whistons earlier version.
I believe William Whiston was an honest man who was genuinely concerned about what he saw as later corruptions to true Christianity. I do not agree with all his beliefs, but he certainly go it right on a lot of things concerning the Trinity doctrine and was prepared to put his life, job, and standing in society on the line to draw attention to the what he believed was the truth and tampering and doctrinal changes by Tri{3}nitarians.
The Latin text of Dindorf dilutes the text even further:
LATIN TEXT: “...Melito Sardianorum Episcopus, post multa ab eodem Justino tradita : Non sumsu, inquit, cultores lapidum ne minimo quidem sensu praeditorum, sed solius Dei, qui est ( ante ) omnia et ( in ) omnibus, et ( in ) Christo ejus vere Deo Verbo ( ante ) saecula, etc...” - (Melito Apolog. fragm. in the Chron. Pasch. Par. 8-11, Section B. p. 483, Vol 1, Dindorf. ed. CORPUS SCRIPTORUM HISTORAE BYZANTINAE.)
The most important phrases here are:
LATIN: “...( ante ) omnia et ( in ) omnibus, et ( in ) Christo ejus vere Deo Verbo...”
LITERAL ENGLISH: “...( before ) all things and ( in ) all, and ( in ) Christ his truly God Word...”
“...( OVER )...” in Latin is: “...super...” which has been changed to Latin: “...in...” which means in English, guess what? “...( IN )...”
“...( OF ) GOD...” in the Greek has been changed to Latin: "...Deo Verbo..." or “...God Word...” in English.
Just watering down and diluting the original even further towards ( later ) Tri{3}nitarian dogma.
CONCLUSION: Never take Tri{3}nitarian claims or translations of the ANF on face value and always check the source texts and just as important the HISTORY OF THE TRANSMISSION OF THE TEXT. Because it is often in this, in the finer details, the footnotes, the fine print and casual remarks in obscure places that these corruptions and changes can be found. And unfortunately – to often – are to be found.
But God is seeing to it that in the end, in these last days, the truth is coming out and the hidden things of darkness are being exposed for what they are.
