Nicene and Post-Nicene Church Fathers Series 2 - The Still Small ...

Chapter VIII.
In how many ways “Throughwhom” is used; and in what sense “with whom” is more suitable.
Explanation of how the Son receives a commandment, and how He is sent.
17. When, then, the apostle “thanks God through Jesus Christ,” 827 and again says that
“through Him” we have “received grace and apostleship for obedience to the faith among
all nations,” 828 or “through Him have access unto this grace wherein we stand and rejoice,” 829
he sets forth the boons conferred on us by the Son, at one time making the grace of the good
gifts pass through from the Father to us, and at another bringing us to the Father through
Himself. For by saying “through whom we have received grace and apostleship,” 830 he declares
the supply of the good gifts to proceed from that source; and again in saying “through
whom we have had access,” 831 he sets forth our acceptance and being made “of the household
of God” 832 through Christ. Is then the confession of the grace wrought by Him to usward
a detraction from His glory? Is it not truer to say that the recital of His benefits is a proper
argument for glorifying Him? It is on this account that we have not found Scripture describing
the Lord to us by one name, nor even by such terms alone as are indicative of His godhead
and majesty. At one time it uses terms descriptive of His nature, for it recognises the “name
which is above every name,” 833 the name of Son, 834 and speaks of true Son, 835 and only
begotten God, 836 and Power of God, 837 and Wisdom, 838 and Word. 839 Then again, on
account of the divers manners 840 wherein grace is given to us, which, because of the riches
of His goodness, 841 according to his manifold 842 wisdom, he bestows on them that need,
827 Rom. i. 8.
828 Rom. i. 5.
829 Rom. v. 2.
830 Rom. i. 5.
831 Rom. v. 2.
832 cf. Eph. ii. 19.
833 Phil. ii. 9.
In how many ways “Through whom” is used; and in what sense “with whom” is…
834 Two mss., those in the B. Museum and at Vienna, read here Ιησοῦ. In Ep. 210. 4, St. Basil writes that the
name above every name is αὐτὸ τὸ καλεῖσθαι αὐτὸν Υιον τοῦ Θεοῦ.
835 cf. Matt. xiv. 33, and xxvii. 54.
836 John i. 18. cf. note on p. .
837 1 Cor. i. 24, and possibly Rom. i. 16, if with D. we read gospel of Christ.
838 1 Cor. i. 24.
839 e.g., John i. 1. cf. Ps. cvii. 20; Wisdom ix. 1, xviii. 15; Ecclesiasticus xliii. 20.
840 Τὸ πολύτροπον. cf. Heb. i. 1.
841 Τὸν πλοῦτον τῆς ἀγαθότητος. cf. Rom. ii. 4, τοῦ πλούτου τῆς χρηστότητος.
842 Eph. iii. 10.
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