Budneus Simon , (or Budny,) was a native of the Duchy of Mazovia, according to Sandius ; or, as Krasinski thinks, of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania. He was founder of the sect called Budneans. His distinguishing opinion was, that Jesus Christ was born in the ordinary mode of generation, and consequently was not an object of divine worship. "More dexterous," says Mosheim, "than the rest of his brethren in deducing consequences from their principles, and perceiving plainly the conclusions to which the peculiar principles of Lelio Socin naturally led, he denied flatly all kinds of religious worship to Jesus Christ. Nor did Budnaeus stop here : in order to give a more specious colour to this capital error, and to maintain it upon consistent grounds, he asserted that Christ was not begotten by any extraordinary act of divine power, but that he was born like other men, in a natural way. This hypothesis, however conformable to the fundamental principle of Socinianism, appeared intolerable and impious to the greatest part of that community."

Daniel Clementinus says, that Budnaeus denied the Christian faith, and embraced Judaism ; but the truth of these assertions is very questionable. It has been further said, that his notes on the Bible are those of an unbeliever, and that others of his works are subversive of revelation. But these statements also require confirmation, and seem to have been occasioned by the extreme freedom of his opinions. Whatever secret notions he may have entertained, he outwardly conformed to the Protestant religion ; and there is no reason to suppose, that his writings have at any time exercised a direct influence, unfavourable to the cause of revelation. He has been regarded, however, as the precursor of the present Rationalists of Germany. That he was a man of great learning, and extraordinary sagacity, is admitted on all hands. He was for some time Chaplain to Prince Nicholas Radzivil at Kleck ; and afterwards to John Kiszka, Castellan of Samogitia, at Losk, and finally at Zaslav, in Lithuania. After having gained over a great number of proselytes to his opinions, in Lithuania and Russian Poland, he was disowned as a Minister and Brother, at the Synod of Luclavice, in 1582 ; and in 1584 was publicly excommunicated. He often petitioned the Synods for re-admission to communion; and is said to have been again taken into favour by the Brethren, on renouncing his obnoxious opinions. The truth of this account, however, seems to have been doubted by Bock, who represents him as seeking for re-admission, not on the ground of having changed his religious views, but because he thought, that there was no other way of getting his salary restored, which had been taken away by an act of Synod.

He took part in the controversy respecting defensive war, which was discussed with great zeal by the early Unitarians, and decided in favour of its lawfulness ; and he was one of the earliest and most active opponents of Paedobaptism. The following is a list of his works.

1. A Simple Confession of the principal Articles of the Christian Faith. Losk, 1576, 8vo. Polon. A reply to this was published by Martin Bialobrzycki, Bishop of Camieniec, entitled, "An Orthodox Confession concerning the One God whom Catholic Christians believe, adore and invoke, taken from Scripture. Cologne, 1579," 8vo.

2. A Polish Version of the whole Bible from the Hebrew, Greek and Latin. Zaslav, 1572, 4to.; printed at the expense, and with the types of Matthias Kawieczynski, Starost of Nieswiez, by Daniel Leszczynski. Ringeltaube has given an account of this version in his "Nachricht von den Polischen Bibeln," pp. 37. 142, seqq.; and Father Simon says, that it is honourably cited, as to the Old Testament, by the Jews. (Hist. Vers. P. iii. p. 375. See also Wolfii Bibl. Hebr. Vol. I. p. 641.) It is exceedingly rare ; but there is a copy of it in the library of Sion College, London "Wall.

3. The New Testament, or Books of the New Covenant, in Polish, with Annotations. Losk, 1574, 8vo. An account of this may be seen in Ringeltaube's " Nachricht," &c. pp. 37. 151.

4. A Treatise on the two Natures in Christ. 1574. To this treatise Josiah Simler published a reply, which was printed by Froschover, at Zurich, in the year 1575, 8vo. Another reply to it was written by John Wigand, and published at Berlin, in 1576, 4to.

5. A brief Demonstration that Christ is not himself God, but the Father ; and why he is called God in Scripture, and moreover is God. This was appended to the preceding treatise on the two Natures of Christ.

6. A Defence of the " Simple Confession," &c. [No. 1]. Sandius has mentioned this piece, under the title " Apologia Polonica." It is quoted by its Polish title " Obrona" (Apology) in R. Isaac's " Chissuk Emuna," under the words "". Budnaeus, in this Apology, says, that Christ is God in the same sense in which Moses was. The opinions of Budnaeus, set forth in this " Apology," together with those of Czechovicius and Farnovius, were attacked by Stanislaus Zdescheki Ostrowski, Abbot of Przement, in a work "On the Trinity," published in 1591, 4to. It would seem, also, that the "Assertiones Theologicae of the College of Posnania, concerning the Triune God, against the New Samosatenians, &c, 1581," of which Faust Socin wrote a refutation, were directed against Budnaeus.

7. A Refutation of the Arguments of Martin Czechovicius, which he has advanced in his Dialogues, in Defence of the Opinion, that it is not lawful for a Christian Man to bear the Office of a Magistrate. Losk, 1574. John Karkan.

7. Une réfutation des arguments de Martin Czechovicius, laquelle il avança dans ses Dialogues, en défense de l'idée, qu'il n'est pas permis à un homme chrétien de prendre la fonction de magistrat. Losk, 1574. Joean Karkan. 

8. A Translation of Luther's Catechism into the Lithuano-Russian Dialect. Nieswiez, 1562. In this Translation Budnaeus was assisted by Matthias Kawieczynski and Laurence Criscovius.

9. On the Justification of Sinful Man before God. This was written in the Lithuano-Russian dialect, and with the same assistance. Nieswiez, 1562.

(Vidend. Sandii B. A. pp. 54, 55. Bock, Hist. Ant. T. I. pp. 80— 85. Krasinski's Hist. Sketch of the Ref. in Poland, Vol. H. Ch. xiv. pp. 362—364. Moshemii Inst. H. E. Saec. xvi. Sect. iii. P. ii. C. iv. § xxii. p. 723. Anonymi Epist. de Vita A. Wissowatii, p. 226, etc.)

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