System of Sacred Theology · §3.4.2 · Ludwig Crocius

Unity of universality not mere number; Rufinus; Scripture; reasons against plurality

Rufinus in his exposition of the Creed: God is one not by number but by universality — as one sun, so that another cannot be added. Much more is God named one by a word of universality, because there is no other.

This unity of God is manifest in the Scriptures (Deuteronomy 4:35, 39; 6:4; Psalm 18:31; Isaiah 44-48; John 17:3; Romans 3:29; 1 Corinthians 8:4; Galatians 3:20; Ephesians 4:6; 1 Timothy 2:5). Yet to stubborn minds it must be persuaded by reasons known by nature's light. We will not only prove that God is one, but also demonstrate that there cannot be many.

Latin

Rufinus in expositione symboli: Deum unum esse non numero, sed universitate: ut unus sol, ita ut alius addi non possit. Multo magis Deus unus non numeri sed universitatis vocabulo nuncupatur, quia alius non sit. Haec Dei unitas Scripturis manifesta est: Deut. 4.35.39; 6.4; Psal. 18.32; Esa. 44-48; Joh. 17.3; Rom. 3.29; 1 Cor. 8.4; Gal. 3.20; Ephes. 4.6; 1 Tim. 2.5. Protervis tamen ingeniis rationibus naturae lumine notis persuadenda est. Non tantum unum esse Deum evincemus, sed nec plures esse posse demonstrabimus.

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About this text

Ludwig Crocius's System of Sacred Theology (Bremen, 1636), all four books: theology and its rule in Scripture; man's last end, death and the resurrection; God, the Trinity, creation, providence and sin; and the grace of Christ, the Word and sacraments, faith, the Christian life and prayer.

Ludwig Crocius (1586–1655) taught theology and philosophy at Bremen and sat as a delegate at the Synod of Dort (1618–1619). A Calvinist of the irenic school, he spent his career seeking common ground between the Reformed and Lutheran churches.

His System of Sacred Theology (Bremen, 1636) is a full Reformed dogmatics in the high-orthodox style: precise definitions, ordered questions, objections raised and answered.

Date1636 AD (Bremen; Reformed professor)

EditionSyntagma sacrae theologiae (Bremen: Berthold Villerian, 1636)

English follows the 1636 Bremen Latin (Berthold Villerian), read chapter by chapter from the SLUB Dresden page images, with a machine reading of the same pages as a check. No modern English was copied. The author index at the end of the volume is not translated.

Reference

VD17 14:684303C. SLUB id335860389.

We have not yet re-checked this work against its source. We made this study translation with AI help. No scholar has yet certified it as faithful and complete. Open Latin on any section, or the Latin source link, to see the source text. It is not a critical edition.

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