Bad Advertisement?
Are you a Christian?
Online Store:Visit Our Store
| From the Same First Book.
PREVIOUS SECTION - NEXT SECTION - HELP 
From the Same First
Book.
6. But when I spoke of things created, and
certain works to be considered, I hastily put forward illustrations of
such things, as it were little appropriate, when I said neither is the
plant the same as the husbandman, nor the boat the same as the
boatbuilder.728
| 728
From Athan., Ep. de decret. Nic. Syn., 4. 18. [See
remarks on inevitable discrepancies of language and figurative
illustrations at this formative period, vol. iv. p. 223.] | But then
I lingered rather upon things suitable and more adapted to the nature
of the thing, and I unfolded in many words, by various carefully
considered arguments, what things were more true; which things,
moreover, I have set forth to you in another letter. And in these
things I have also proved the falsehood of the charge which they bring
against me—to wit, that I do not maintain that Christ is
consubstantial with God. For although I say that I have never
either found or read this word in the sacred Scriptures, yet other
reasonings, which I immediately subjoined, are in no wise discrepant
from this view, because I brought forward as an illustration human
offspring, which assuredly is of the same kind as the begetter; and I
said that parents are absolutely distinguished from their children by
the fact alone that they themselves are not their children, or that it
would assuredly be a matter of necessity that there would neither be
parents nor children. But, as I said before, I have not the
letter in my possession, on account of the present condition of
affairs; otherwise I would have sent you the very words that I then
wrote, yea, and a copy of the whole letter, and I will send it if at
any time I shall have the opportunity. I remember, further, that
I added many similitudes from things kindred to one another. For
I said that the plant, whether it grows up from seed or from a root, is
different from that whence it sprouted, although it is absolutely of
the same nature; and similarly, that a river flowing from a spring
takes another form and name: for that neither is the spring
called the river, nor the river the spring, but that these are two
things, and that the spring indeed is, as it were, the father, while
the river is the water from the spring. But they feign that they
do not see these things and the like to them which are written, as if
they were blind; but they endeavour to assail me from a distance with
expressions too carelessly used, as if they were stones, not observing
that on things of which they
are ignorant, and which require interpretation to be understood,
illustrations that are not only remote, but even contrary, will often
throw light.E.C.F. INDEX & SEARCH
|
