Francis Davidis in Transylvania was an Antitrinitarian of the most
radical stripe. He had studied in Wittenberg 1545 and 1548. In 1552 he
joined the Lutherans, in 1559 the Calvinists. Secretly after 1560 and
publicly since 1566 he cooperated with Blandrata to introduce
Unitarianism in Transylvania. In numerous disputations he attacked the
doctrine of the Trinity as unscriptural and contradictory. In 1567 he
published his views in _De Falso et Vera Unius Dei Patris, Filii et
Spiritus Sancti Cognitione Libri Duo_. He contended that the doctrine of
the Trinity was the source of all idolatry in the Church; that Christ,
though born of Mary in a supernatural way, was preexistent only in the
decree of God, and that the Holy Spirit was merely a power emanating
from God for our sanctification. He also rejected infant baptism and the
Lord's Supper. After the prince and the greater part of the nobility had
been won for Unitarianism, Davidis, in 1568, was made Superintendent of
the Unitarian Church in Transylvania. In 1571 religious liberty was
proclaimed, and Unitarians, Catholics, Lutherans, and Calvinists were
tolerated equally. Before long, however, a reaction set in. The Catholic
Stephan Bathory, who succeeded to the throne, removed the Unitarians
from his court and surrounded himself with Jesuits. On March 29, 1579,
Davidis delivered a sermon against the adoration of Christ, declaring it
to be the same idolatry as the invocation of Mary and the saints. Three
days after he was deposed and imprisoned. In the proceedings instituted
against him he was convicted as a blasphemer and sentenced to
imprisonment for life. He died in prison, November 15, 1579, prophesying
the final downfall of all "false dogmas," meaning, of course, the
doctrines which he had combated.
In Poland, especially since 1548, the humanistic and liberal-minded
nobility opposed the Catholic clergy and protected Protestants and later
on also fugitive Antitrinitarians. Among these were the Italians Francis
Lismanio, Gregory Pauli, and Peter Statorius. These Unitarians, however,
lacked unity and harmony. They disagreed on infant baptism, the
preexistence and adoration of Christ, etc. These dissensions continued
until Faustus Socinus (born at Siena 1539, died 1604 in Poland) arrived.
He was the nephew of the skeptical and liberal-minded Laelius Socinus
(Lelio Sozzini) who left Italy in 1542, when the Inquisition was
established there, and died in Zurich, 1562.
Faustus Socinus claimed that he had received his ideas from his uncle
Laelius. In 1562 he published anonymously an explanation of the first
chapter of the Gospel of St. John, which, contained the entire program
of Unitarianism. In 1578 he followed an invitation of Blandrata to
oppose non-adorantism (the doctrine that Christ must not be adored) as
taught by Davidis. In the following year Faustus removed to Poland,
where he endeavored to unite the various Unitarian parties: the
Anabaptists, Non-adorantes, the believers in the preexistence of Christ,
etc., and their opponents. The growth of Unitarianism in Poland was
rapid. A school flourished in Rakow numbering in its palmy days about
1,000 scholars. However here, too, a Jesuitic reaction set in. In 1638
the school at Rakow was destroyed, the printery closed, and the teachers
and ministers expelled. In 1658 the Unitarians generally were banished
as traitors, and in 1661 the rigorous laws against Unitarianism were
confirmed.
The chief source of the Antitrinitarian and Socinian doctrine is the
Racovian Catechism, published 1605 in the Polish and 1609 in the Latin
language under the title: "_Catechism of the Churches in the Kingdom of
Poland_ which affirm that no one besides the Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ is that One God of Israel." It teaches: There is but one divine
person; Christ is a mere man; the doctrine concerning the deity of
Christ is false; as a reward for His sinless life, God has given Christ
all power in heaven and on earth; as such, as God's representative
(_homo Deus factus_, the man made God), He may be adored; there is no
original sin; with the help of God, that is to say, with the
commandments and promises of God revealed by Christ, man may acquire
salvation; he is able to keep these commandments, though not perfectly;
man's shortcomings are pardoned by God on account of his good intention;
an atonement by Christ is not required for this purpose; moreover, the
doctrine of atonement must be opposed as false and pernicious; by His
death Christ merely sealed His doctrine; all who obey His commandments
are adherents of Christ; these will participate in His dominion; the
wicked and the devils will be annihilated; there is no such thing as
eternal punishment; whatever in the Bible comports with human reason and
serves moral ends is inspired; the Old Testament is superfluous for
Christians, because all matters pertaining to religion are contained
better and clearer in the New Testament. (Tschackert, 473.)
Evidently, in every detail, Antitrinitarianism and Socinianism are
absolutely incompatible with, and destructive of, the very essence of
Christianity. The _Apology_ declares that the deniers of the doctrine of
the Holy Trinity "are outside of the Church of Christ and are idolaters,
and insult God." (103, 1.) This verdict is confirmed by Article XII of
the _Formula of Concord_. (843, 30; 1103, 39.)