This is based on Matthew 28:19: “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the son and the holy spirit.”
Current scholarship shows that we were never asked to baptize in the name of the Father, son and holy spirit. We were told to baptize in the name of Jesus – “my name.”
There were many modifications of Christian doctrine and biblical texts as the centuries rolled on. In 1902, Dr. F.C. Conybeare drew together the scholarship for the close of Matthew’s Gospel to show that the original wording of Matthew 28:19 as written by Matthew was “go forth to all nations baptizing in my name…” However, this verse was rewritten after the Nicaean council (325 AD) into the familiar but incorrect reading “baptizing in the name of the Father, son and holy spirit…” [F.C. Conybeare, “Doctrinal Modifications – Matthew 28:19,” The Hibbert Journal, London, England (Vol. 1, October 1902) p.102-108]
As it turns out, there is ample evidence from early church writings that the original words of our Lord as related by the Evangelist Matthew were “clarified” by this unwarranted substitution.
The full Hibbert Journal text with a translation of the Greek, Latin and German can be found here: Matthew 28:19 – Beauties of the Truth
