tinè edita*. "The Catechism of the Churches, which in the Kingdom of Poland and in the great Dukedom of Lithuania, and in other Provinces belonging to that Kingdom, affirm that no other Being besides the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, is the one God of Israel; and acknowledge and confess that the Man, Jesus of Nazareth, who was born of a Virgin, and no other besides or before him, is the only-begotten Son of God," &c.-To this edition was prefixed by the translator and editor a dedication addressed to James the First of England. Another edition in German was printed in 12mo at the Racow press in 1612, under the following title, Catechismus der gemeine derer leute, die da im Koenigreich Polen und im Gros-Fürstenthum Litthaven, und in andern Herrschaften zu der kron Polen gehorig, &c. The original work was reprinted in London in 18mo, with the imprint of Racovia, in the year 1651, with the Life of Socinus by Przipcovius appended to it.. Prefixed was the following title :-Catechesis Ecclesiarum quæ in Regno Poloniæ, &c. cui accedit Fausti Socini Senensis Vita, et Dissertatio Operibus suis, ab ·Equite Polono præmissa. Cum Catalogo Operum ejusdem Fausti Socini. In the year following this book at * It may be mentioned here that there are two editions bearing the date of 1609. They are both in 18mo, one comprising 279 pages; the other, which is on smaller paper, extending to 317 pages. It is difficult perhaps to determine which of them proceeded from the Racow press. I am disposed to think that the former copy is the original, and that the other was printed subsequently in Holland. There is a copy of each of them in Dr. Daniel Williams's Library. + Walchii Bibliotheca Theologica selecta, tom.i. p. 537. Vogtii Catalog. Hist. Crit. Librorum Rariorum, p. 183. tracted tracted the notice of the British Parliament, who, on the 2d of April 1652, passed a resolution, requiring the Sheriffs of London and Middlesex to seize all the copies of the Catechism, and cause them to be burnt at the London Exchange, and at Palace Yard, Westminster, on the 6th and Sth of the same month*. The life of Socinus was afterwards published separately. Au English edition of this work in 18mo was printed at Amsterdam in 1652 for Brooer Janz, under the following title: "The Racovian Catechisme; wherin you have the Substance of the Confession of those Churches, which in the Kingdom of Poland, and the great Dukedome of Lithuania, and other Provinces appertaining to that Kingdom, do affirm, that no other save the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ is that one God of Israel; and that the Man Jesus of Nazareth, who was born of the Virgin, and no other besides or before him, is the only-begotten Sonne of God." Dr. Toulmin conjectures that this translation was executed by John Biddle†, and the date of its appearance renders this extremely probable. The translator has omitted the dedication to James the First, and substituted a preface of his own. It must be observed that this work is, in many parts, rather a paraphrase than a version of the original; and that occasionally the translator has introduced whole clauses to express his * See the original VOTES in another part of this volume. This edition is exceedingly scarce :—it is mentioned in no foreign work relating to the Racovian Catechism; and the only copy I have seen is in the British Museum. Sandius and Walchius notice the circumstance of its being burnt by order of the Parliament, but both mistake the date... Life of Socinus, p. 260. own own opinion, though at variance with the sentiments of the compilers of the Catechism. Oue instance of this interpretation, relating to the Holy Spirit, is noticed in the present work *. After the expulsion of the Unitarians from Poland, Jonas Schlichtingius prepared an edition of this work for the press, considerably altered and enlarged from the Latin edition of 1609, which was afterwards printed under the following title: Catechesis Ecclesiarum Polonicarum, unum Deum Patrem, illiusque Filium unigenitum, una cum Spiritu Sancto, ex S. Scriptura confilentium, anno 1609 in lucem primum emissa, et post per Viros aliquot in eodem Regno correcta: Iterumque interpositis compluribus annis à Johanne Crellio, Franco, ac nunc tandem a Jona Schlichtingio à Bucoweic recognita, ac dimidia amplius parte aucta. Irenopoli sumptibus Frederici Theophili post annum Domini 1659. "Catechism of the Polish Churches, which confess, according to the Holy Scriptures, one God the Father, his only begotten Son, and the Holy Spirit :-first published in the year 1609, and afterwards corrected by some Persons in the same kingdom. Again, after an interval of some years, first by John Crellius, and now at length by Jonas Schlichtingius, revised and enlarged more than half."--Irenopolis stands in the title-page for Amsterdam; and Sandius intimates that the date of the publication, here expressed by post annum Domini 1659, was about 1665 †. To this edition are appended some notes and emendations by Martin See page 75. ↑ Biblioth. Antitrin. P. 150. d 5 Ruarus, Ruarus, with occasional observations upon them, by way of reply, from the pen of Schlichtingius; and prefixed to it is an admirable address to the reader on the rights of private judgment in religious matters, the joint production of Andrew Wissowatius and Joachim Stegman the younger. This edition was translated into Dutch by John Cornelius, commonly called Knoll; but as he made considerable alterations in it, and omitted the chapters on Baptism and the Lord's Supper, his version was never admitted by the Unitarians. In consequence of which they published a complete edition in the same language in quarto, in 1666*. In the year 1680 this Catechism was republished in quarto under the following title: Catechesis Ecclesiarum Polonicarum, unum Deum Patrem, illiusque Filium unigenitum Jesum Christum, una cum Spiritu Sancto, ex S. Scriptura confitentium. Primum anno 1609 in lucem emissa; et post earundem Ecclesiarum jussu correcta ac dimidia amplius parte aucta; atque per Viros in his cœtibus inclytos, Johannem Crellium, Francum, hinc Jonam Schlichtingium à Bukoweic, ut et Martinum Ruarum, ac tandem Andream Wissowatium recognita atque emendata; Notisque cùm horum, tum et aliorum illustrata, nunquam antehac hoc modo edita. "Catechism of the Churches of Poland, which confess, according to the Holy Scriptures, one God the Father, his only begotten Son Jesus Christ, and the Holy * Sandii Bib. Ant. p. 101. Walchii Biblioth. Theol. Select. uhi supra, p. 539. Spirit. Spirit. First published in the year 1609, and since, by order of the same Churches, corrected, and enlarged more than half, and revised and improved by Men eminent in those congregations,―John Crellius of Franconia, Jonas Schlichtingius of Buckoweic, and Martin Ruarus, and at last by Andrew Wissowatius. Illustrated with Notes both by them and by other Persons; never before published in this form. Stauropolis, by Eulogetus Philalethes." This edition was printed at Amsterdam by Christopher Pezold, and first appeared appended to Crellius's Ethica Aristotelica, which was published in quarto in 1681. Wissowatius revised the text, and introduced into it most of the emendations suggested by Ruarus in his notes to the preceding edition: but the alterations are not very material, being confined, with the exception of one or two instances, to verbal corrections. He added however some valuable notes of his own. Besides these, several other notes from the pen of his learned nephew Benedict Wissowatius are likewise inserted here, and two bearing the initials F. C., which stand for Florian Crusius, a physician of considerable eminence, who was married to the sister of Wolzogenius. There is reason to suspect that the last editor of this edition was Benedict Wissowatius, from the manner in which the labours of Andrew Wissowatius in the revision of the text are noticed in the prefatory remarks, and also from the notes of Benedict Wissowatius being designated merely as those of B.W. This edition was followed Walchius, ut supra, by *Bock, ubi supra, tom. i. p. 1029. tom. i. p. 541. |