IX. Many Socinians Likewise Hold Conditionalist Positions

Many of the Socinians denied the immortality of the soul, and held to the sleep of the dead and the ultimate annihilation of the wicked after due and just punishment. In common with others they believed in the second coming of Christ, the physical resurrection of the dead, and the day of judgment. ^{4141) Mosheim, Ecclesiastical History (Murdock tr.), vol. 3, pt. 4, ch. III, p. 428; see also Alger op. cit., p. 429.} The old Religious Encyclopedia makes a succinct statement of their belief in this area. It is adduced here chiefly because current authorities are seemingly not interested in bringing out this aspect of their belief at that time and do not commonly discuss this angle—evidently not considering it of particular concern or importance. But here it is:CFF2 86.1

“Many of them [the Socinians] also reject the spirituality and separate existence of the soul, believing that man is wholly material, and that our only prospect of immortality is from the Christian doctrine of a resurrection. Of course, the notion of an intermediate state of consciousness between death and the resurrection is rejected; for, as the whole man dies, so the whole man is to be called again to life at the appointed period of the resurrection, with the same association that he had while alive; the intermediate portion of time having been passed by him in a state of utter insensibility.” ^{4242) The Religious Encyclopedia, art. “Socinianism.”}CFF2 86.2

From about the middle of the sixteenth century, Socinianism spread rapidly in Poland, as elsewhere in Europe. Following the lead of their founder, FAUSTUS SOCINUS (d. 1604), ^{4343) Though born in Italy, FAUSTUS SOCINUS (1539-1604) lived the greater part of his life at Cracow, Poland. The early Socinians erected a college at Racovia, which attained such high repute as to attract students from both Protestant and Romanist ranks. But it was suppressed by the government in 1658 and the followers of Socinus, after protracted persecution, were likewise expelled from Poland.
Socinus came to be opposed by Catholics and Protestants alike because of his attacks on certain orthodox teachings. He maintained that no doctrine, even though founded on the Bible, should be retained if it was contrary to reason or moral progress. Charged with sedition, he was forced to withdraw from Cracow, where he had strongly influenced the theology of the developing Polish Unitarian Church unifying and organizing the budding movement. In 1562 he wrote a treatise on John’s Gospel, denying the essential deity of Christ. And in 1563 he denied the natural immortality of the soul.} the Socinians revolted against the high Trinitarianism of the time, taking the opposite position and denying the eternal deity of Christ. But, significantly enough, as noted, many of them also rejected the Innate Immortality of all souls and repudiated the dogma of the Endless Torment of the impenitently wicked.CFF2 86.3

Thus it was that Conditionalism in time came to penetrate all groups, as we shall see—Trinitarians and Anti-Trinitarian Socinians, Lutherans and Anglicans, Arminians and Calvinists, Anabaptists and Baptists, Presbyterians and skeptics. No lines were drawn concerning Conditionalism, and it appeared in many lands and languages as the Reformation spread.CFF2 87.1

We now turn to England and William Tyndale.CFF2 87.2