NPNF2-08. Basil: Letters and Select Works - Holy Bible Institute

Dogmatic.On Matt. xxiv. 36. Of Knowledge of that Day and of that Hour. 377“If the Son is the Creator of the world, and does not know the time of the judgment,then He does not know what He created. For He said that He was ignorant not of thejudgment, but of the time. How can this be otherwise than absurd?“If the Son has not knowledge of all things whereof the Father has knowledge, then Hespake untruly when He said ‘All things that the Father hath are mine’ 378 and ‘As the Fatherknoweth me so know I the Father.’ 379 If there is a distinction between knowing the Fatherand knowing the things that the Father hath, and if, in proportion as every one is greaterthan what is his, it is greater to know the Father than to know what is His, then the Son,though He knew the greater (for no man knoweth the Father save the Son), 380 did not knowthe less.“This is impossible. He was silent concerning the season of the judgment, because itwas not expedient for men to hear. Constant expectation kindles a warmer zeal for truereligion. The knowledge that a long interval of time was to elapse would have made menmore careless about true religion, from the hope of being saved by a subsequent change oflife. How could He who had known everything up to this time (for so He said) not knowthat hour also? If so, the Apostle vainly said ‘In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdomand knowledge.’ 381“If the Holy Spirit, who ‘searcheth the deep things of God,’ 382 cannot be ignorant ofanything that is God’s, then, as they who will not even allow Him to be equal must contend,the Holy Ghost is greater than the Son.” 383xxxixOn Matt. xxvi. 39. Father, if it be Possible, let this Cup pass from Me.“If the Son really said, ‘Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me,’ He not onlyshewed His own cowardice and weakness, but implied that there might be something impossibleto the Father. The words ‘if it be possible’ are those of one in doubt, and not thoroughlyassured that the Father could save Him. How could not He who gave the boon oflife to corpses much rather be able to preserve life in the living? Wherefore then did not377 cf. Letter viii. p. 118.378 John xv. 16.379 John x. 15.380 Matt. xi. 27.381 Col. ii. 3.382 1 Cor. ii. 10.383 cf. this passage more fully treated of in Letter ccxxxvi. p. 276. The above is rather a tentative memorandumthan an explanation.64