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| How the Only-begotten Son of God is called first-born.
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Chapter
VIII.—How the Only-begotten Son of God is called
first-born.
He who is first begotten is called
first-born2281
| 2281 See the
Scholiast on Gregory Nyssenus in Cod. Reg. 3451. | , whether he
is only-begotten or the first of a number of brothers. If then
the Son of God was called first-born, but was not called Only-begotten,
we could imagine that He was the first-born of creatures, as being a
creature2282
| 2282 Vid. apud
Greg. Nyss., bk. iii., contr. Eunom. | . But
since He is called both first-born and Only-begotten, both senses must
be preserved in His case. We say that He is first-born of all
creation2283
since both He
Himself is of God and creation is of God, but as He Himself is born
alone and timelessly of the essence of God the Father, He may with
reason be called Only-begotten Son, first-born and not
first-created. For the creation was not brought into being out of
the essence of the Father, but by His will out of nothing2284
| 2284 Athan., Expos.
Fidei. | . And He is called First-born
among many brethren2285
, for although
being Only-begotten, He was also born of a mother. Since, indeed,
He participated just as we ourselves do in blood and flesh and became
man, while we too through Him became sons of God, being adopted through
the baptism, He Who is by nature Son of God became first-born amongst
us who were made by adoption and grace sons of God, and stand to Him in
the relation of brothers. Wherefore He said, I ascend unto My
Father and your Father2286
. He
did not say “our Father,” but “My Father,”
clearly in the sense of Father by nature, and “your
Father,” in the sense of Father by grace. And “My God
and your God2287
.” He did not say
“our God,” but “My God:” and if you
distinguish with subtle thought that which is seen from that which is
thought, also “your God,” as Maker and
Lord.E.C.F. INDEX & SEARCH
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