CHAP. XII. DOCTRINE OF THE TRINITY. 187 



of the singular verbs, *' baroy" created, *' ira," saw, 

 *' iamer,'^ said, and others, following the plural 

 Elohim, as may be seen throughout the first chapter 

 of Genesis ; and the first verse of that chapter 

 bears the literal translation, " In the beginning jf/c- 

 the Gods created tlie heavens and the earth," or 

 more intelligibly and more closely in the Latin, 

 *' In principio Dii creavit * coelum et terram," 

 where the plural substantive is followed by a sin- 

 gular verb. Thus, the very first verse of the Bible 

 inculcates the doctrine of the Trinity ; but under 

 the title of "He the Gods," or "Gods Almighty," 

 alone was the Deity known to the Patriarchs be- 

 fore the time of Moses ; and the name of Ihoah 

 was not revealed to the Hebrew lawgiver, until 

 the future deliverance of the Israelites from the 

 hand of Pharaoh was promised, when the Deity 

 made a covenant with him under that sacred 

 name ; God saying to Moses t, " I am the Lord 

 (Ihoah), and I appeared unto Abraham, unto 

 Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God (Gods) 

 Almighty (Elohim Shadai t) ; but by my name 

 Jehovah § was I not known to them." 



It may appear singular that the principle of a 

 Trinity should be so obscurely noticed in the Old 

 Testament ; but the wise caution of the divine lecis- 

 lator foresaw the danger likely to result from too 



* Or in French, " Lcs Dieiix cre«." 



t Exod. vi. 3. X Or Shidce. 



§ Calmet observes, that when Moses uses the name (Ilioah), in 

 speaking of times prior to this appearance ((Jen. iv. '^G. &c.), lie adopts 

 it by way of anticipation, and because at the time lie wrote the Jews 

 were ae(iiiaintcd with it ; that is, he followed the custom cf iiis own 

 day, and not that of the patriarchs. 



