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

‘Create in me a clean heart, O God,’ 424 not asking for another, but for the cleansing of the
heart he had. And a new creature is spoken of, not as though another creation came into
being, but because the enlightened are established in better works. If the Father created the
Son for works, He created Him not on account of Himself, but on account of the works.
But that which comes into being on account of something else, and not on its own account,
is either a part of that on account of which it came into being, or is inferior. The Saviour
will then be either a part of the creature, or inferior to the creature. We must understand
the passage of the manhood. And it might be said that Solomon uttered these words of the
same wisdom whereof the Apostle makes mention in the passage ‘For after that in the wisdom
of God, the world by wisdom knew not God.’ 425 It must moreover be borne in mind that
the speaker is not a prophet, but a writer of proverbs. Now proverbs are figures of other
things, not the actual things which are uttered. If it was God the Son Who said, ‘The Lord
created me,’ He would rather have said, ‘The Father created me.’ Nowhere did He call Him
Lord, but always Father. The word ‘begot,’ then, must be understood in reference to God
the Son, and the word created, in reference to Him who took on Him the form of a servant.
In all these cases we do not mention two, God apart and man apart (for He was One), but
in thought we take into account the nature of each. Peter had not two in his mind when he
said, ‘Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh.’ 426 If, they argue, the Son is a thing begotten
and not a thing made, how does Scripture say, ‘Therefore let all the house of Israel know
assuredly that God hath made that same Jesus, Whom ye have crucified, both Lord and
Christ’? 427 We must also say here that this was spoken according to the flesh about the Son
of Man; just as the angel who announced the glad tidings to the shepherds says, ‘To you is
born to-day a Saviour, Who is Christ the Lord.’ 428 The word ‘to-day’ could never be understood
of Him Who was before the ages. This is more clearly shewn by what comes afterwards
where it is said, ‘That same Jesus whom ye have crucified.’ 429 If when the Son was born 430
He was then made wisdom, it is untrue that He was ‘the power of God and the wisdom of
God.’ 431 His wisdom did not come into being, but existed always. And so, as though of
the Father, it is said by David, ‘Be thou, God, my defender,’ 432 and again, ‘thou art become
424 Ps. li. 10 καρδίαν καθαρὰν κτίσον.
425 1 Cor. i. 21.
426 1 Pet. iv. 1.
427 Acts ii. 36.
428 Luke ii. 11.
429 Acts ii. 36.
430 ἐγεννήθη. But it seems to refer to the birth from Mary.
431 1 Cor. i. 24.
432 Ps. xxxi. 2, LXX.
Dogmatic.
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