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Thomas Emyln
(1663-1741) Cristian theory
by bro.Muhammad Ata ur-Rahim
Emyln thus joined the distinguished saints who dared deny the Trinity and support the faith in One and only One God. In the divine revelation of Qur'an, the whole matter is made clear. He is supreme and there is not one like him. No one else is mentioned as God. Unfortunately, it is not so in the Bible. Emyln therefore tried to clear up this confusion in his book: God , according to Emyln,
"sometimes signified the most high, Perfect, and Infinite Being, Who is of himself Alone, and owes neither His Being nor His authority , nor anything else to another; and this is what is most commonly intended when we speak of God in ordinary Discourse, and Prayer, and Praise,; we mean it of God in the most eminent sense".
Emyln then went to show the Bible, although the word "God" is employed ,it is often used to signify persons who are invested with subordinate authority and power in comparison with the supreme Bring: "Angels are styled as God.... 'Thou hast made him a little lower than the Gods' (Psalm 8:5) ;Magistrates are Gods. (Exodus 22:28, Psalm 82:1, John 10:34-35) ; sometimes a person is styled as God as Moses is twice called a God to Aaron, and afterwards a God to Pharaoh; and the Devil is also called the God God of this world, i.e., the Prince and mighty ruler of it, who by unjust usurption and God's permission occupies this position. Now as He who alone is God in the former scene is infinitely above all these, so we find Him distinguished from all others who are called Gods"
To further clarify this distinction, Emyln quoted Philo who describes the Supreme Being as "not only God of men but God of Gods". This is the highest and most glorious epithet given to Him in the Old Testament, when it is designed to make a most magnificent mention of His Greatness and Glory"
Since the Bible uses the term "God" to describes God and to describe beings inferior to God, Emyln then proceeded to try and resolve the question : "In which of the two senses is Christ to be God in the Holy Scripture? He concluded that Christ is an inferior being compared with the God of Gods. (see I Corinthians 8:5 ). He reached this conclusion by asking himself this crucial question :"Has Jesus Christ any God over him; who has great Authority, and greater ability than himself, or not? The reply to this question would decide the position of Jesus one way or the other. If he had God above him, then he would not be the Absolutely Supreme God. Emyln's reply was "Yes" , and he provided three arguments to support his answer:
Jesus expressly speaks of a God other than himself
He accepts His God to be above or over himself.
He asks for perfections since he lacks those super-eminent and infinite
perfections which belong only to God, the Supreme Being.
Emyln felt that these three points had to be elaborated on in a way which would be understood by the general public. He decried the practice of those who wrote about the scriptures in a manner unintelligible to the people and yet who expected them to believe in the dogma their writings described. Emyln expanded these three points thus :
First, Jesus speaks of another God distinct from himself. Several times we find him saying "My God My God" of another (Mathew 27 :46), "My God My God, why hast thou forsaken me? (John 20:17). Surely, intended not saying "My Self My Self why hast thou forsaken me ?". This God distinct from himself, as he declares in other places in John 8:42, where it is to be noted that he does not distinguish himself from Him as the Father, but as God, and therefore , in all just construction, he cannot be supposed to be the selfsame God, from whom he distinguished himself...
Secondly, Jesus owns, not only another than himself to be God, but also that he is above or over himself, which is plainly intimidated also by his Apostles. He himself loudly proclaims his subjection to the Father in many instances. In general, he declared his father to be greater than himself. He says he came not to do anything on his own, but only in his Father's name and authority. He sought not his own, but God's Glory; nor made his own will, but God's his rule. In such a posture of subjection he came down from heaven into this earth. Again he owns his dependance upon God, even for those things, which it is pretended belong to him, as God, viz., the power of working miracles of raising the dead, of executing universal judgement : all of which he says :"of my own self I can do nothing"
Thirdly, Jesus disclaim those infinite perfections (underived power; absolute godness, unlimited knowledge), which belong only to the Supreme God of Gods. And it is most certain that, if he lacks one or any of these perfections that are essential to the Deity he is not God in the same sense. If he find him disclaiming the one, he cannot challenge the other, for to deny himself to have all Divine Perfection, or to deny himself to be the Infinite God is the same thing "
Emyln then went on to give some instances for the proof of this last point :
One great and peculiar Perfection of the Deity, is absolute and underived Omnipotence. He also cannot work all miracles, and do whatever he wills by himself can never be the Supreme Being if he cannot do it without the help of another. He appears to be an imperfect defective being, Comparatively , since he needs help, and asks for additional strength from another than himself.
Now it is most evident, that Jesus, (whatever power he had), confesses again and again, that he had not infinite power by himself :"O myself I can do nothing" (John 5:30). He had been speaking of great miracles, viz., raising the dead , of executing universal judgement; he makes it quite clear, that men should know that his sufficiency for these things was of God. In the beginning he say, "The son can do nothing but what he sees the Father do". So in the middle he says the same thing. As if he could never too much inculcate this great truth, he adds towards the conclusion, "I can do nothing of myself.....". Surely this is not the Voice of God, but of man! The Most High can receive from none. He cannot be made more mighty or wise, because to absolute Perfection, there can be no addition. Since power in God is an essential Perfection, it follows that if it be derived, then so would be the essence or Being itself, which is blasphemy against the most High. To number him among dependent derivative beings will tantamount to "Un-God" him. The supreme God indeed is only He who is the first Cause and absolute original of all"
Emyln also examined the statement attributed to Jesus in Mark 13:32. Speaking of the Day of Judgement he says, "Of that day knows no man, no not the angels of heaven, not the son, but the Father only". Emyln observed that for anyone who believed in the divinity of Jesus this statement would imply that God had two natures, or two different states of awareness simultaneously. It would put Him in the ridiculous position of knowing the not knowing something at the same time. If Jesus was Divine and God had this knowledge then Jesus would not have made this statement, since by having this nature he too would have possessed that knowledge.
Thomas Emyln was well aware that he would be misunderstood by a large number of Christians. In defending his belief he made clear his "Confession of Christianity" by saying that he regarded Jesus as his teacher, whom he admired and loved beyond father, mother or friends. He continued, "I know that Jesus loves nothing but Truth, all will never be offended with anyone who stands by his words, viz., that "the Father is greater than I" (John 14:28). In view of this statement, argued Emyln, it would be dangerous to say, "God is not greater than Jesus"1.
Thomas Emyln was a learned man of God who is distinguished by
his learning and integrity and for the firmness with which he endured persecution
rather than compromise his beliefs. He belongs to the galaxy of
saints who defied those who opposed them. They suffered imprisonment , of the
Church and State which so often combined forces to eliminate them. On the whole,
each instance of persecution only added to popularity of their message
which was simply,
There are not Three but One God.
Anti-Trinitarian Biographies 111, A. Wallace
from the Book : Jesus - A prophet of Islam
Author : Muhammad Ata ur-Rahim
(ICRA)