HISTORY OF THE ANTI-TRINITARIANS

A Book on Polygamy, written in Poland and dedicated to Sigismund II, King of Poland: according to the testimony of Bzovius Abraham Bzowski (1567–1637), a Dominican historian and continuator of the Annales Ecclesiastici under the year 1542, section 30.

Thirty Dialogues, divided into two books, the first of which is concerning the Messiah and contains eighteen dialogues. The second book concerns various matters, but most especially the Trinity. Originally in Italian. The first book is dedicated to the Earl of Bedford Francis Russell, 2nd Earl of Bedford, a prominent English supporter of the Reformation; the second, however, is dedicated to Prince Nicolaus Radziwiłł Mikołaj "the Black" Radziwiłł (1515–1565), a powerful Lithuanian noble and patron of the Reformation, Duke in Olyka and Nyasvizh, Palatine of Vilnius, Grand Chancellor of the Duchy of Lithuania, Supreme Marshal, and Commander of the military.

The same works were published in Latin at Basel by Petrus Perna in the year 1563, with Sebastian Castellio A French theologian and humanist known for translating the Bible and advocating for religious tolerance as the translator. However, Heinrich Bullinger The successor of Zwingli in Zurich and a leader of the Reformed Church wrote in August of 1568 that Ochino, helped in secret by the efforts of certain Italians—just as he himself was Italian—wrote those Dialogues of his in the Italian language; and that he saw to it that they were printed in Basel by an Italian who was quite familiar and friendly with him, having been translated into the Latin language (as they say) by the work of certain Italians, without the knowledge of the ministers of the Church of Zurich original: "Tigurinæ ecclefiæ".

Nevertheless, the persistent report concerning Castellio’s translation is confirmed not only by Thuanus Jacques Auguste de Thou (1553–1617), a French historian in Book 35 and Bzovius under the year 1542, section 30, but also by Andreas Dudith Andreas Dudith (1533–1589), a humanist and diplomat who eventually joined the anti-Trinitarian movement in his manuscript notes on these Dialogues of Ochino (which I happened to see). Regarding these words of Dialogue 18 on page 13, The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you: and so that holy offspring shall be called, that is, shall be, the Son of God original: "Te Spiritus Sanctus invadet, & fupremi vis inumbrabit: itaque fanctus ifte partus dicetur, hoc eft, erit Dei filius"; a variation of Luke 1:35, Dudith notes the following in the margin: Even from this it is apparent that the translation belongs to Castellio. This is evidently because the mentioned words were cited from Castellio's own translation of the Bible.

Indeed, this is most clearly demonstrated by the confession of Castellio himself, which is read in his letter to the Consul and Senate of Basel, the beginning of which is as follows: It has been shown to me, my most merciful Lords, by the Magnificent Lord Rector and the other Doctors and Pastors of the Church, that a letter was written to you in which I was most gravely accused. There are two parts to this accusation: one taken from the book of Theodore Beza Calvin's successor in Geneva and a fierce opponent of both Ochino and Castellio, and the other regarding my translation of the dialogues of Bernardino Ochino. To this latter accusation, he responds at the end of the letter in this manner: As for what pertains to the second part of the accusation, namely that I translated the Dialogues of Bernardino Ochino, I do not think...