The Athanasian Creed goes to great lengths to insist that there are not three eternals,

not three incomprehensibles, not three uncreated, not three almighties, not three Gods,

not three Lords. Yet with the statement before the mind that at the same time there are

three Persons in the Godhead, this reiteration in the creed sounds much like a

consciousness that, left to itself, the creed does and will in fact breed the concept that

there are three Gods, however the idea be denied. An examination of the defence of the

creed through the centuries only deepens the problem, and the earnest inquirer generally

finds that he is taken away from the realm of Revealed Truth to the intricacies of

metaphysics, leading him either to throw aside his intelligence and `believe' upon the

authority of the Church and tradition, or to take the opposite step, deny the Deity of

Christ, become a Unitarian as a protest, and ultimately a deist or an agnostic.

We believe a true understanding of the word `person' would prevent the idea of `three

gods' forcing itself upon the mind in spite of all the protests of the creed itself, and would

recognize the gracious condescension of the `one Lord' on behalf of us men and for our

salvation. To the consideration of this most important term let us address ourselves.

Modern usage equates `person' with `individual' but how such a `person' can at the

same time be `without body, parts or passions' passes our comprehension. Turning first

of all to the usage of the word `person' in the A.V. we discover that it translates the

Hebrew word adam (Jonah 4: 11); ish man, a male (II Kings 10: 7); enosh mortal

(Judges 9: 4); methim men (Psa. 26: 4); nephesh soul (Gen. 14: 21); nephesh adam

soul of man (Numb. 31: 35). In no conceivable way can any of these terms be used of

God. The word baal lord (Prov. 24: 8) is the only term that approaches the subject.

The only other word employed in the Hebrew, that is translated person, is panim `face',

and this, we shall discover, approaches nearer to the intention of the word `Person' in the

Creed than any other word used in the O.T. Eighteen of the 20 occurrences of panim

which are translated `person' employ it in the phrase `regard' or `accept persons', and it

is evident that the term here does not think so much of an individual, but as of estate,

whether such be `high' or `low', rich' or `poor'.

In the N.T the Greek prosopon `face' is translated `person' six times, four of which

read "regard" or "accept" a man's person; one speaks of forgiving `in the persons of

Christ' (II Cor. 2: 10). Other places where `respect of persons' are found, the Greek

words are prosopoleteo tes lepsia, all being derived from prosopon `face'. We discover

from Liddle and Scott that prosopeion means `a mask' and hence `a dramatic part,

character, and so the Latin persona'. A mask is not an individual, neither is a character

or dramatic part in a play a `person' in the present acceptation of the term. The shorter

Oxford Dictionary is not a theological work and has no axe to grind, but gives this

definition of the word "person":