Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Series II, Vol. = V

From: Subject: Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Series II, Vol. V Date: Sun, 31 Dec 2006 16:31:44 -0600 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/related; type="text/html"; boundary="----=_NextPart_000_000F_01C72CF9.28821100" X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V6.00.2900.3028 This is a multi-part message in MIME format. ------=_NextPart_000_000F_01C72CF9.28821100 Content-Type: text/html; charset="Windows-1252" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Location: http://biblestudy.churches.net/CCEL/FATHERS2/NPNF205/NPNF2028.HTM Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Series II, Vol. = V

On the Faith

To Simplicius

On the = Faith

To = Simplicius

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God commands us by His prophet not to esteem any new God to be God, = and not=20 to worship any strange God¹=20 . Now it is clear that that is called new which is not from everlasting, = and on=20 the contrary, that is called everlasting which is not new. He, then, who = does=20 not believe that the Only-begotten God is from everlasting of the Father = does=20 not deny that He is new, for that which is not everlasting is = confessedly new;=20 and that which is new is not God, according to the saying of Scripture, = "there=20 shall not be in thee any new God²=20 ." Therefore he who says that the Son "once was not³=20 ," denies His Godhead. Again, He Who says "thou shalt never worship a = strange=20 God⁴=20 " forbids us to worship another God; and the strange God is so called in = contradistinction to our own God. Who, then, is our own God? Clearly, = the true=20 God. And who is the strange God? Surely, he who is alien from the nature = of the=20 true God. If, therefore, our own God is the true God, and if, as the = heretics=20 say, the Only-begotten God is not of the nature of the true God, He is a = strange=20 God, and not our God. But the Gospel says, the sheep "will not follow a=20 stranger⁵=20 ." He that says He is created will make Him alien from the nature of the = true=20 God. What then will they do, who say that He is created? Do they worship = that=20 same created being as God⁶=20 , or do they not? For if they do not worship Him, they follow the Jews = in=20 denying the worship of Christ: and if they do worship Him, they are = idolaters,=20 for they worship one alien from the true God. But surely it is equally = impious=20 not to worship the Son, and to worship the strange God. We must then say = that=20 the Son is the true Son of the true Father, that we may both worship = Him, and=20 avoid condemnation as worshipping a strange God. But to those who quote = from the=20 Proverbs the passage, "the Lord created me⁷=20 ," and think that they hereby produce a strong argument that the Creator = and=20 Maker of all things was created, we must answer that the Only-begotten = God was=20 made for us many things. For He was the Word, and was made flesh; = and He=20 was God, and was made man; and He was without body, and was made a body; = and=20 besides, He was made "sin," and "a curse," and "a stone," and "an axe," = and=20 "bread," and "a lamb," and "a way," and "a door," and "a rock," and many = such=20 things; not being by nature any of these, but being made these things = for our=20 sakes, by way of dispensation. As, therefore, being the Word, He was for = our=20 sakes made flesh, and as, being God, He was made man, so also, being the = Creator, He was made for our sakes a creature; for the flesh is created. = As,=20 then, He said by the prophet, "Thus saith the Lord, He that formed me = from the=20 womb to be His servant⁸=20 ;" so He said also by Solomon, "The Lord created me as the beginning of = His=20 ways, for His works⁹=20 ." For all creation, as the Apostle says, is in servitude¹⁰=20 . Therefore both He Who was formed in the Virgin's womb, according to = the word=20 of the prophet, is the servant, and not the Lord (that is to say, the = man=20 according to the flesh, in whom God was manifested), and also, in the = other=20 passage, He Who was created as the beginning of His ways is not God, but = the man=20 in whom God was manifested to us for the renewing again of the ruined = way of=20 man's salvation. So that, since we recognize two things in Christ, one = Divine,=20 the other human (the Divine by nature, but the human in the = Incarnation), we=20 accordingly claim for the Godhead that which is eternal, and that which = is=20 created we ascribe to His human nature. For as, according to the = prophet, He was=20 formed in the womb as a servant, so also, according to Solomon, He was=20 manifested in the flesh by means of this servile creation. But when they = say,=20 "if He was, He was not begotten, and if He was begotten He was not," let = them=20 learn that it is not fitting to ascribe to His Divine nature the = attributes=20 which belong to His fleshly origin¹¹=20 . For bodies which do not exist, are generated, and God makes those = things to be=20 which are not, but does not Himself come into being from that which is = not. And=20 for this reason also Paul calls Him "the brightness of glory¹²=20 ," that we may learn that as the light from the lamp is of the nature of = that=20 which sheds the brightness, and is united with it (for as soon as the = lamp=20 appears the light that comes from it shines out simultaneously), so in = this=20 place the Apostle would have us consider both that the Son is of the = Father, and=20 that the Father is never without the Son; for it is impossible that = glory should=20 be without radiance, as it is impossible that the lamp should be without = brightness. But it is clear that as His being brightness is a testimony = to His=20 being in relation with the glory (for if the glory did not exist, the = brightness=20 shed from it would not exist), so, to say that the brightness "once was=20 not¹³=20 " is a declaration that the glory also was not, when the brightness was = not; for=20 it is impossible that the glory should be without the brightness. As = therefore=20 it is not possible to say in the case of the brightness, "If it was, it = did not=20 come into being, and if it came into being it was not," so it is in vain = to say=20 this of the Son, seeing that the Son is the brightness. Let those also = who speak=20 of "less" and "greater," in the case of the Father and the Son, learn = from Paul=20 not to measure things immeasurable. For the Apostle says that the Son is = the=20 express image of the Person of the Father¹⁴=20 . It is clear then that however great the Person of the Father is, so = great also=20 is the express image of that Person; for it is not possible that the = express=20 image should be less than the Person contemplated in it. And this the = great John=20 also teaches when he says, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word = was with=20 God¹⁵=20 ." For in saying that he was "in the beginning" and not "after the = beginning,"=20 he showed that the beginning was never without the Word; and in = declaring that=20 "the Word was with God," he signified the absence of defect in the Son = in=20 relation to the Father; for the Word is contemplated as a whole together = with=20 the whole being of God. For if the Word were deficient in His own = greatness so=20 as not to be capable of relation with the whole being of God, we are = compelled=20 to suppose that that part of Godwhich extends beyond the Word is without = the=20 Word. But in fact the whole magnitude of the Word is contemplated = together with=20 the whole magnitude of God: and consequently in statements concerning = the Divine=20 nature, it is not admissible to speak of "greater" and "less."

As for those who say that the begotten is in its nature unlike the=20 unbegotten, let them learn from the example of Adam and Abel not to talk = nonsense. For Adam himself was not begotten according to the natural = generation=20 of men; but Abel was begotten of Adam. Now, surely, he who was never = begotten is=20 called unbegotten, and he who came into being by generation is called=20 begotten¹⁶=20 ; yet the fact that he was not begotten did not hinder Adam from being a = man,=20 nor did the generation of Abel make him at all different from man's = nature, but=20 both the one and the other were men, although the one existed by being = begotten,=20 and the other without generation. So in the case of our statements as to = the=20 Divine nature, the fact of not being begotten, and that of being = begotten,=20 produce no diversity of nature, but, just as in the case of Adam and = Abel the=20 manhood is one, so is the Godhead one in the case of the Father and the = Son.

Now touching the Holy Spirit also the blasphemers make the same = statement as=20 they do concerning the Lord, saying that He too is created. But the = Church=20 believes, as concerning the Son, so equally concerning the Holy Spirit, = that He=20 is uncreated, and that the whole creation becomes good by participation = in the=20 good which is above it, while the Holy Spirit needs not any to make Him = good=20 (seeing that He is good by virtue of His nature, as the Scripture=20 testifies)¹⁷=20 ; that the creation is guided by the Spirit, while the Spirit gives = guidance;=20 that the creation is governed, while the Spirit governs; that the = creation is=20 comforted, while the Spirit comforts; that the creation is in bondage, = while the=20 Spirit gives freedom; that the creation is made wise, while the Spirit = gives the=20 grace of wisdom; that the creation partakes of the gifts, while the = Spirit=20 bestows them at His pleasure: "For all these worketh that one and the = self-same=20 Spirit, dividing to every man severally as He will¹⁸=20 ." And one may find multitudes of other proofs from the Scriptures that = all the=20 supreme and Divine attributes which are applied by the Scriptures to the = Father=20 and the Son are also to be contemplated in the Holy Spirit:-immortality, = blessedness, goodness, wisdom, power, justice, holiness- every excellent = attribute is predicated of the Holy Spirit just as it is predicated of = the=20 Father and of the Son, with the exception of those by which the Persons = are=20 clearly and distinctly divided from each other; I mean, that the Holy = Spirit is=20 not called the Father, or the Son; but all other names by which the = Father and=20 the Son are named are applied by Scripture to the Holy Spirit also. By = this,=20 then, we apprehend that the Holy Spirit is above creation. Thus, where = the=20 Father and the Son are understood to be, there the Holy Spirit also is=20 understood to be; for the Father and the Son are above creation, and = this=20 attribute the drift of our argument claims for the Holy Spirit. So it = follows,=20 that one who places the Holy Spirit above the creation has received the = right=20 and sound doctrine: for he will confess that uncreated nature which we = behold in=20 the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit to be one.

But since they bring forward as a proof,according to their ideas, of = the=20 created nature of the Holy Spirit, that utterance of the prophet, which = says,=20 "He that stablisheth the thunder and createth the spirit, and declareth = unto man=20 His Christs,¹⁹=20 ," we must consider this, that the prophet speaks of the creation of = another=20 Spirit, in the stablishing of the thunder, and not of the Holy Spirit. = For the=20 name of "thunder" is given in mystical language to the Gospel. Those, = then, in=20 whom arises firm and unshaken faith in the Gospel, pass from being flesh = to=20 become spirit, as the Lord says, "That which is born of the flesh is = flesh, and=20 that which is born of the Spirit is spirit²⁰=20 ." It is God, then, Who by stablishing the voice of the Gospel makes the = believer spirit: and he who is born of the Spirit and made spirit by = such=20 thunder, "declares" Christ; as the Apostle says, "No man can say that = Jesus=20 Christ is Lord but by the Holy Spirit²¹=20 ."

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