A human being, as distinguished from an animal, or inanimate

An individual; one; a man.

A term applied to each of the three beings in the Godhead.

The parson or rector of a parish.

We have so lost the early meaning of the word 'person' that some of the

arguments of the opening centuries of Christian discussion sound strange in

our ears.  We quote from The Incarnation of the Eternal Word, by Rev. Marcus

Dodds without necessarily endorsing the writer's own attitude or argument.

'I may give an illustration of the nicety with which expressions

were then sifted, out of Facundus Hermianensis ... .  In Book 1 chapter

iii of the work which he addressed to the Emperor Justinian, he proves

that a Person of the Trinity suffered for us.  There were two ways of

expressing this -- unas de Trinitate passus est, one of the Trinity

suffered, and una de Trinitate persons passa est, -- one Person of the

Trinity suffered.  At present a man would not readily discover any

difference between these two modes of expression, nor would easily

detect a nearer approach to heresy in the one than in the other.  Yet

the difference was clearly understood by Justinian; for while nobody

felt any scruples about the latter expression (i.e. "one of the Persons

of the Trinity suffered") some Catholics hesitated to make use of the

former (i.e. "one of the Trinity suffered") lest they should be

supposed to ascribe suffering, not to a Divine Person, but to the

Divinity ... '.

Returning to the list of definitions given by Lloyd, we see that the

emphasis is upon the assumed character and not essential being, except when

the dictionary gives the usual theological usage and speaks of three 'Beings'

in the Godhead which must inevitably lead at last to the conception of three

God's, however the fatal step is circumscribed.

God is 'essentially' one, but 'economically' (i.e. dispensationally)

God is Father, Son and Holy Spirit.  The adoption of the 'Person' is an

indication of gracious condescension 'for us men, and for our salvation'.

Priest.  Assuming as we do, that Paul wrote the epistle to the Hebrews, we

find that the word hierus 'priest' is used by him in that epistle fourteen

times, but is used by him Nowhere Else!

For a fuller examination of this feature, and a consideration of its

bearing upon the distinctive character of the present dispensation as

compared with that under which Hebrews was written, the article dealing with

the epistle to the Hebrews2 should be referred to.

While angelic ministry and rule meets the reader at every turn when

Israel and Israel's world are the subject of the Scriptures, a noticeable

change takes place when we enter the higher realm of the epistles of the

Mystery, linked as they are with 'heavenly places', for in these epistles

angels are either ignored or set aside, and principalities and powers take

their place.