A Source Book for Ancient Church History - Mirrors

216 A Source Book for Ancient Church HistoryOrigen's doctrine of “eternal creation” was based upon reasoningsimilar to that employed to show the eternal generationof the Son, but it was rejected by the Church, and figuresamong the heresies known as Origenism. See below, §§ 87,93.[195]As no one can be a father without having a son, nor a masterwithout possessing a servant, so even God cannot be called omnipotent67 unless there exists those over whom He may exerciseHis power; and therefore, that God may be shown to be almightyit is necessary that all things should exist. For if any one assumesthat some ages or portions of time, or whatever else he likesto call them, have passed away, while those things which havebeen made did not yet exist, he would undoubtedly show thatduring those ages or periods God was not omnipotent but becameomnipotent afterward: viz., from the time that He began to havethose over whom He exercised power; and in this way He willappear to have received a certain increase, and to have risen froma lower to a higher condition; since there can be no doubt thatit is better for Him to be omnipotent than not to be so. And,now, how can it appear otherwise than absurd, that when Godpossessed none of those things which it was befitting for Himto possess, He should afterward, by a kind of progress, cometo have them? But if there never was a time when He was notomnipotent, 68 of necessity those things by which He receivesthat title must also exist; and He must always have had thoseover whom He exercised power, and which were governed byHim either as king or prince, of which we shall speak more fullywhen we come to discuss the subject of creatures.(f) Origen, De Principiis, II, 9:6. (MSG, 11:230.)67 I.e., having rule over all, not merely able to do all, and so throughout.68 The Greek is preserved here and throws light on the reasoning. The Latinomnipotens stands for παντοκράτωρ.