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| Of the Son of God, and His Peculiar Designation as the Word.
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Chapter 3.—Of the Son of
God, and His Peculiar Designation as the Word.
—Since this is the case, I
repeat, we believe also in Jesus Christ, the Son
of God the
Only-Begotten of the Father, that
is to say, His Only Son, our Lord. This Word however, we ought not to
apprehend merely in the sense in which we think of our own words,
which are given forth by the voice and the mouth, and strike the
air and pass on, and subsist no longer than their sound continues.
For that Word remains unchangeably: for of this very Word was it
spoken when of Wisdom it was said, “Remaining in herself, she
maketh all things new.”1533
| 1533 Wisdom 7.27" id="iv.iv.iv-p3.1" parsed="|Wis|7|27|0|0" osisRef="Bible:Wis.7.27">Wisd. vii. 27 | Moreover, the reason of His being
named the Word of the Father, is that the Father is made known by
Him. Accordingly, just as it is our intention, when we speak truth,
that by means of our words our mind should be made known to him who
hears us, and that whatever we carry in secrecy in our heart may be
set forth by means of signs of this sort for the intelligent
understanding of another individual; so this Wisdom that God the
Father begot is most appropriately named His Word, inasmuch as the
most hidden Father is made known to worthy minds by the same.1534
| 1534 Adopting the Benedictine version
per ipsam innotescit dignis animis secretissimus Pater.
There is, however, great variety of reading here. Some mss. give ignis for dignis = the
most hidden fire of the Father is made known to minds. Others give
signis = the most hidden Father is made known by signs to
minds. Others have innotescit animus secretissimus Patris,
or innotescit signis secretissimus Pater = the most hidden
mind of the Father is made known by the same, or = the most hidden
Father is made known by the same in signs. |
4. Now there is a very great
difference between our mind and those words of ours, by which we
endeavor to set forth the said mind. We indeed do not beget
intelligible words,1535
| 1535 Sonantia verba
= sounding, vocal words. | but we form them; and in the
forming of them the body is the underlying material. Between mind
and body, however, there is the greatest difference. But God, when
He begot the Word, begot that which He is Himself. Neither out of
nothing, nor of any material already made and founded did He then
beget; but He begot of Himself that which He is Himself. For we too
aim at this when we speak, (as we shall see) if we carefully
consider the inclination1536
of our will; not when we lie, but
when we speak the truth. For to what else do we direct our efforts
then, but to bring our own very mind, if it can be done at all, in
upon the mind of the hearer, with the view of its being apprehended
and thoroughly discerned by him; so that we may indeed abide in our
very selves, and make no retreat from ourselves, and yet at the
same time put forth a sign of such a nature as that by it a
knowledge of us1537
may be
effected in another individual; that thus, so far as the faculty is
granted us, another mind may be, as it were, put forth by the mind,
whereby it may disclose itself? This we do, making the attempt1538
| 1538 Reading conantes et
verbis, etc. Three good mss. give
conante fetu verbi = as the offspring of the word makes the
attempt. The Benedictine editors suggest conantes fetu verbi
= making the attempt by the offspring of the word. | both by
words, and by the simple sound of the voice, and by the
countenance, and by the gestures of the body,—by so many
contrivances, in sooth, desiring to make patent that which is
within; inasmuch as we are not able to put forth aught of this
nature [in itself completely]: and thus it is that the mind of the
speaker cannot become perfectly known; thus also it results that a
place is open for falsehoods. God the Father, on the other hand,
who possessed both the will and the power to declare Himself with
the utmost truth to minds designed to obtain knowledge of Him, with
the purpose of thus declaring Himself begot this [Word] which He
Himself is who did beget; which [Person] is likewise called His
Power and Wisdom,1539
inasmuch as it is by Him that He
has wrought all things, and in order disposed them; of whom these
words are for this reason spoken: “She (Wisdom) reacheth from one
end to another mightily, and sweetly doth she order all
things.”1540
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