Imatges de pàgina
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Siquis itaque nobis dixerit, Quomodo ergo fi lius prolatus a patre eft ? dicimus ei, quia prolatio nem iftam, five generationem, five nuncupationem, five adapertionem, ['tis obfervable He does not add, five creationem, aut quomodolibet quis nomine vocaverit generationem ejus inenarrabilem exiftentem, nemo novit, non Valentinus, non Marción, neque Saturninus, neque Bafilides, neque Angeli, ncque Archangeli, nec principes, neque poteftates, nifi Solus qui generavit pater, & qui natus eft filius. Inenarrabilis itaque generatio ejus cùm fit, &c. lib. 2, cap. 48.

Accordingly Irenæus : If any one (faith he) inquire of us, How then was the Son produced by the Father? We answer that This bis Production, or Generation, or Speaking forth, or Birth, [alluding, I fuppofe, to the Hebrew Phrafe, adaperi ens vulvam, or how elfe foever you in words endea vour to exprefs his generation, which in reality is ineffable; it is understood by no man, neither by Va lentinus nor Marcion, neither by Saturninus nor Bafilides, neither by Angels nor Archangels nor Principalities nor Powers, but by the Father only which begat, and by the Son which is begotten of him. Wherefore, fince his generation is And Novatian: Of whom, and by whofe Will, was generated The Word His Son. The Secret Man ner of whofe facred and divine Generation, neither have the Apostles known, nor the Prophets difcovered, nor the Angels understood, nor any Creature comprebended: It is known only to the Son, who understands the Fathers Secrets.

ineffable, &c,

Ex quo, quando ipfe voluit, Sermo Filius natus eft, Cujus facræ & divinæ Nativi tatis Arcana nec Apoftolus didicit, nec Prophetes comperit, nec Ange lus fcivit, nec Creatura cognovit: Filio foli nota funt, qui Patris fecreta novit. De Trinit. c, 31.

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And Alexander Bishop of Alexandria: The Pious Apoftle St John, (faith he,) confidering that the Manner of Exifence of God the Word, was far different from That of the things created by Him, avoided faying of Him, that he was Made; [ but faid only, that he WAS.] Not as if he were Self-exiftent; (For Nothing is Self-exiftent belides the Father ;) but becaufe the ineffable Manner how the Only-begotten God received his Subfiftence, is far beyond the comprehenfion not only of the Evangelifts, but probably even of the Angels alfo. For if the Knowledge of many things vaftly inferiour to This, be hid from humane Understanding;--

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how dare any man curiously pry into the Manner how God the Word received his Subfiftence; concerning which the Holy Ghoft faith, Who fhall declare his generation?

And Eufebius : The Church faith he preaches Jefus Chrift, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of his Father before all Ages: being, not the fame Perfon with the Father, but having a real Subfiftence and Life of his own, and being with him as his Son; God of

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γιὸν θεῖ μονογή Ιησέν Χρι

δίδωσι, ἢ περὶ πάντων αἰώνων ἐκ * πατρὶς γελυνημέ von & du]ὸν ὄντα λῶ πα]εί· καθ' vor¿¢åv¶òrðvlaÌã wà]ei· ἑαυτὸν ἢ ὄντα καὶ ζῶντα, κὶ ἀληθῶς ὑὸν σιόντα, θεὸν ἐκ θεῖ, καὶ φῶς ἐκ φωτός, καὶ ζωὴν ἐκ ζωῆς· ἀλέκτοις καὶ ἀῤῥήτοις ή παντάπασιν ἀγνώςοις ἡμῖν,

ἀκαταλήπτοις λόγοις, ἐκε

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God, Light of Light, Life
of Life: Begotten of the Eu-
ther after an unfpeakable
& ineffable and to Uswhole
ly unknown and unconceivable
of the World.

πατρὶς ἐπὶ σωτηρίᾳ « ὅλων,
γεγωνημθμον. De Ecclef Theol.
lib. 1, 6. 8.

manner, for the Salvation

And again: If any one . (faith he) will be fo curim ous as to inquire, How God begat the Son ; the Boldnefs of this Queftion is juftly reproved by him that faid, (Ecclus. iii, 21.) feek not out the things that are too hard for thee, neither fearch the things that are above thy ftrength; But what is commanded thee, think thereupon with reverence ; for it is not needful for thee to fee with thine eyes the things that are in fecret. He that would prefume to go fureher ; let him himfelf. frf fow, how and in what manner thofe things, which be fays were made out of nothing, received their Subfiftence, having before had no Being at all. For as This is impoffible in Nature, for Men to explain; fo, and much more,the Manner how the only-begotten was produced, is Unlearchable and Infcrutable, not only to Us (as a Man may say,) but also to all the Powers far beyond us. And Bafil: Thou believeft that he was begotten?

Ει ἢ πειεργάζοιτί τις, και πῶς ἂν γυνήσειεν ὁ Θεός; το τολμηρόν επώσεως καταστ γάσῃ ὁ φήσας βαθύτερα σε μή ζήτει, καὶ ὑψηλότερα σε μὴ εξέταζε & προσελάχη σου, ταῦτα διανός' κ τ εξίσου χρεια * κρυπτών. — Τὸν περιβά τέρω χωρείν τολμῶντα πειθέτω λέγων πρότερον από τις, ἃ δή φησιν ἐξ ἐκ ὄντων γεγονέναι, πῶς καὶ τίνα τείπον ὑπέση, μηδαμή μηδαμῶς ὅνα πρότερον. · Ὥσπερ ο τότο τῇ φύσει ἀμήχανον, ὅσον ἐπ ανθρώποις, - έτω καὶ πολὺ πλέον ἡ τὸ μονοθυῖς αὐτὸ γύνησις ἀνεξερεύνητG κι ανεξιχνίας ( ἂν ἔη, ἐχ ἡμῖν ὡς ἂν φάνη τις) μόνοις, 'Mὰ καὶ πάσαις * κρείττοσιν ἤ καθ ̓ ἡμᾶς διά

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μεσιν. De Ecclef. Theol. lib.
I. cap. 12.

Πιςεύεις ὅτι γελώνης, με ζήτει, πῶς. Ἐι η ενδέχει T 2

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S.XIV.

They are therefore equally worthy of Cenfure, who either on the one hand presume to affirm, that the Son was made (E EK OVTAV) out of Nothing; or, on the other hand, that He is the Self-existent Subftance.

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Notes on $ 14.

That the Son is not Self-existent, fee above in § 12. That, on the other hand, the Antients were careful not to reckon Him among Beings made (15 in ovTwv) out of Nothing, but (on the contrary) thought themfelves oblig'd to keep to the Scripture - language, which ftiles him The only-begotten of the Father, and (TeToTonov) The first-born, (not TgWTONTISOV The firstcreated) of every Creature, may be judged from the following paffages.

The Son of God (faith the Paftor of Hermas) is antienter than All Creatures,

Filius quidem Dei omni creaturâ antiquior eft, ita ut in confilio Patri fuo

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infomuch that he was pre-
fent in Confult with his Fa-
ther at the Making of the
Creature, [or, at the Creation.
And Ignatius: Who
(faith he) WAS with the
Father, [or, as it is in the
other Copy, was begotten
of the Father, before all
Ages; and appeared at the
End of the World.

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"Os we alwvwv and Matel v, in the larger Copy," [in walei Horndes, y ∞ TEearn. Ad Magnes.epift. λει ἐφάνη. contractior, $6.

Εάν τις πατέρα καὶ τὸν καὶ yov avevμa öμorózu, xì † Tio wavy, &c. Epift.ad Philadelph, largior five in

And again: If any one confeffes the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghoft; and praises the Creation, [ viz. acknowledges all terpol. $6. the Creatures of God to bee of good, & bat LAC And Juftin Martyr But the Son of the Father,

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Ὁ δὲ τὰς ἐκείνα, ὁ μόνο λεγόμΘ κυρίως ὑὸς, ὁ λόγο

you Father,

vw, IT! ↑ asxlu di αυτό πάντα ἔκλισε κι εκόσμησε Apol. 1.

difpofed all things; He &c. Αλλὰ τότε τὸ τῷ ὄντι ἀπὸ τὰ

even he who alone is proper we off wonμatar y oway) ly called his Son, The Word which was with him and was begotten of him before the Creation, because by Him He in the Beginning made and And again: But This Perfon who was really be gotten and produced of the Father before all Creatures were made, was with the Father, and the Father converfed with him.

less eoBander Súrnua e προβληθέν γύνημα προ πάντων ας ποιημάτων στην κ της παλεῖ, καὶ τέτῳ ὁ πατὴς προσομιλέ, [forte προσωμί. Ae] Dial. cum Tryph.

And in all other places of his Works he speaks with the like caution; calling Christ, werTonov OE we #dvwv x/10μdowv, the first-begotten of God before all Creatures;

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