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

Dogmatic.‘Create in me a clean heart, O God,’ 424 not asking for another, but for the cleansing of theheart he had. And a new creature is spoken of, not as though another creation came intobeing, but because the enlightened are established in better works. If the Father created theSon 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 Saviourwill then be either a part of the creature, or inferior to the creature. We must understandthe passage of the manhood. And it might be said that Solomon uttered these words of thesame wisdom whereof the Apostle makes mention in the passage ‘For after that in the wisdomof God, the world by wisdom knew not God.’ 425 It must moreover be borne in mind thatthe speaker is not a prophet, but a writer of proverbs. Now proverbs are figures of otherthings, not the actual things which are uttered. If it was God the Son Who said, ‘The Lordcreated me,’ He would rather have said, ‘The Father created me.’ Nowhere did He call HimLord, but always Father. The word ‘begot,’ then, must be understood in reference to Godthe 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), butin thought we take into account the nature of each. Peter had not two in his mind when hesaid, ‘Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh.’ 426 If, they argue, the Son is a thing begottenand not a thing made, how does Scripture say, ‘Therefore let all the house of Israel knowassuredly that God hath made that same Jesus, Whom ye have crucified, both Lord andChrist’? 427 We must also say here that this was spoken according to the flesh about the Sonof Man; just as the angel who announced the glad tidings to the shepherds says, ‘To you isborn to-day a Saviour, Who is Christ the Lord.’ 428 The word ‘to-day’ could never be understoodof Him Who was before the ages. This is more clearly shewn by what comes afterwardswhere it is said, ‘That same Jesus whom ye have crucified.’ 429 If when the Son was born 430He was then made wisdom, it is untrue that He was ‘the power of God and the wisdom ofGod.’ 431 His wisdom did not come into being, but existed always. And so, as though ofthe Father, it is said by David, ‘Be thou, God, my defender,’ 432 and again, ‘thou art becomexlii424 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.70