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AND THEIR REFUTATION. 117
36.- They object, fifthly, that St. Paul says of Christ, in his
" Who is the image of the
Epistle to the Colossians (i, 15) :
"
invisible God, the first-born of every creature.
Hence, they
infer that Christ is the most excellent of creatures, but still only
a creature. We may here reply, that the Apostle speaks of
Christ in this text, according to his human nature, as St. Cyril
explains it (5). But it is generally interpreted of the Divine
Nature, and he is called the first-born of all creatures, because
by him all creatures were made, as St. Basil explains it : (6)
"
Since in him were made all things in heaven and on earth."
In the same manner, he is called, in the Apocalypse,
"
the first
born of the dead" (Apoc. i, 5) ; because, as St. Basil again
explains it, he was the cause of the resurrection of the dead.
Or he may be called the first-born, because he was generated
before all things,
as Tertullian (7) it :
explains
" The first-born,
because he was born before all things ; the only-begotten, as the
only-begotten of God." St. Ambrose (8) says the same thing.
We read the first-born we read the only-begotten; the first
born, because there was none before him the only-begotten,
because there was none after him.
37. They object, sixthly, that expression of St. John the
" He that shall come after me is pre
Baptist (John, i, 15) :
ferred before me" (ante me factus est) ; therefore, say they,
the Word was created. St. Ambrose (9) answers, that all that
St. John meant by the expression,
" was made before me" (ante
me factus est), was, that he was preferred or placed before him,
for he immediately assigns the reason :
"
Because he was before
me," that is, because he preceded him for all eternity, and he
was, therefore, not even worthy to
"
unloose the latchet of his
shoe." The same answer meets the passage of St. Paul:
"
Being
made so much better than the angels" (Heb. i, 4), that is, he
was honoured so much more than the angels.
" Now
38. They object, seventhly, that text of St. John (17, 3) :
this is eternal life, that they may know thee the only
true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent." Hence it is
declared, say they, that the Father only is true God ; but we
(5) St. Cyril, /. 25 ; Thesaur. (8) St. Ambrose, /. 1, de Fide.
(6) St. Basil, /. 4, con. Eunom. (9) St. Ambrose, /. 3, de Fide.
(7) Tertul. con. Frax. c. 7.