24. 530 With Him is an everlasting Now. HOMIL. thou wilt find Is, where Hath been and Will be cannot be. XXXVIII. Then that thou also mayest be, mount beyond time. But who shall mount beyond it by his own strength? Thither John 17, let Him lift us up, Who said to the Father, I will that where I am, they also may be with Me. Therefore, in promising this, that we may not die in our sins, methinks our Lord Jesus Christ meant none other in these words, Unless ye believe that I AM, I say, He meant nothing short of this-Except ye believe that I AM GOD, ye shall die in your sins. It is well for us, thank God, that He said, Except ye believe, not, Except ye understand. For who can understand this? Or, in truth, because I have dared to speak, and ye have seemed to understand, have ye really taken in ought of this so mighty unspeakableness? If then thou understandest not, faith delivereth thee. Therefore the Lord said not, Except ye understand that I AM; but what they had power to do, that said He, Except ye believe that I AM, ye shall die in your sins. v. 25. 11. And they, always savouring the things of earth, and always hearing and answering after the flesh, what said they to Him? What art Thou? For when Thou saidst, Except ye believe that I AM, thou didst not add, what Thou art. Who art Thou, that we may believe? And He said, The Beginning. Lo, what To Be is! The Beginning, or First Principle, cannot be changed; the Beginning abideth in itself, and maketh all things new; the Beginning is He Ps. 102, to Whom is said, But Thou art the Same, and Thy years shall not fail. The Beginning, saith He; because also Believe Me to be the Beginning, that ye sins. For just as if in saying, Who art Thou, they had said none other than, What believe we Thee to be? He answered, The Beginning; i. e. believe Me to be the Beginning. 28. de Gen. I speak to you. ad litt. die not in your 1, 10. For in the Greek there is a all hearing (Toû öλws àkove) My words, much more of learning Who I am for in all that ye speak, ye tempt, and attend to nothing that I say and of all this I might convict you even now:" whence it would seem that he read 371, not 8, 71, and connected v. 26. with 25: "That I at all (Tǹν åρxǹν) even open My lips to you, I have much whereof to accuse and Christ, as God, the Beginning; Incarnate, d 531 VIII. distinction which cannot be expressed in the Latin. In JOHN Greek, "beginning," [which with us is neuter,] is a word 25. of feminine gender, just as with us Lex, "law," is feminine, but with them masculine; as "wisdom" both with us and them is feminine. The custom of speech in different languages varieth the genders of words, because thou findest not sex in the things themselves. For Wisdom, "Sapientia," is not truly female, seeing Christ is the Wisdom of God, and Christ is a name of masculine gender, "Sapientia" of feminine. When therefore the Jews said, Who art Thou? He, Who knew there were among them some that would believe, and that those in asking, Who art Thou? wanted to know what they ought to believe Him to be, answered, The Beginning: not as if He should say, I am the Beginning, [using a word of nominative case,] but as much as to say, Believe Me to be the Beginning [using the accusative case]. Which thing, as I said, evidently appeareth in the Greek, where the word "beginning" is of feminine gender, [and so hath its accusative differing from its nominative, which with us is not so.] Just as if He should wish to say that He was Truth; and upon their saying, Who art Thou, should reply, [using the accusative,]" Veritatem," when it should seem that He should have answered, [in the nominative,]" Veritas," i. e. I am the Truth. But He gave a deeper answer, when He saw that in saying, Who art Thou, it was as if they had said, Since we have been told by Thee, Except ye believe that I am, what shall we believe Thee to be? to this then He made answer, The Beginning, as much as to say, Believe Me to be the Beginning. And He added, Because also I speak to you: i. e. because, being humbled for your sakes, I have descended to these words. For if the Beginning, as It is, should so remain with the Father, as not to take the form of a servant, and speak as Man to men; opened My lips to you in the first condemn you." S. Cyrill. Alex. takes XXXVIII. 532 that He might speak as Man to men. HOMIL. how should they believe Him, seeing it was not possible for weak hearts to hear the Intelligible Word without sensible voice? Therefore, saith He, believe Me to be the Beginning; because, that ye may believe, I am not alone, but also speak unto you. But of this matter there is too much to speak to you now: therefore let it please you, my beloved, that what remaineth we with His aid keep, to pay you to-morrow. HOMILY XXXIX. JOHN viii. 26, 27. I have many things to say and to judge of you: but He That sent Me is true; and I speak to the world those things which I have heard of Him. They understood not that He spake to them of the Father. 1. THE words of our Lord Jesus Christ which He had with the Jews, so measuring His speech, that the blind should not see, and the faithful should open their eyes, which words have to-day been recited from the Holy Gospel, are these: The Jews therefore said, Who art Thou? Because the Lord had said above, Unless ye believe that I am, ye v.24,24. shall die in your sins. To this therefore said they, Who art Thou? and He said, The Beginning, because also I speak to you. If the Lord affirmed Himself to the Beginning, or First Principle, it may be asked, whether the Father also is the Beginning. For, if the Son, Who hath a Father, is the Beginning, how much more easily may we understand God. the Father to be the Beginning, Who hath indeed a Son to Whom He may be Father, but is Himself of none? For the Son is Son of the Father, and the Father is of course Father of the Son but the Son is called God of God; Light of Light the Son is called: the Father is called Light, but not of Light; the Father is called God, but not of God. If then God of God, Light of Light, be the Beginning, how much more easily do we understand Him to be the Beginning, Who is "Light of Whom Light, and God of Whom God"? It seems absurd then, my beloved, that we should affirm the 534 The Father is God, the Son God, and the Holy Ghost God, HOMIL. Son to be the Beginning, and not affirm the Father to be XXXIX. this. 2. But what shall we be doing? Shall there be two Beginnings, two First Principles? We must beware how we say this. How then? If both Father is Beginning and Son is Beginning, how are there not two Beginnings? Just how we affirm the Father to be God, and the Son God, and yet affirm not two Gods. For it is impious to say that there be two Gods, impious to say that there be three Gods: and yet He Who is Father is not Son, He Who is Son is not Father, while the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of the Father and the Son, is neither Father nor Son. Albeit therefore, as Catholic ears are taught in the bosom of our Mother the Church, neither He Who is Father be Son, nor He Who is Son be Father, nor the Holy Spirit of the Father and the Son be either Son or Father, yet that there be three Gods, we say not: albeit if of Each severally we be asked, needs must we, of whomsoever we be interrogated, confess Him to be God. 3. And these things seem absurd to men who draw things wonted to things unwonted, visible to invisible, comparing the creature to the Creator. For now and then the unbelievers question us, and say, Whom ye call Father, call ye God?' We answer, God. 'Whom ye call Son, call ye God?' We answer, God. Whom ye call Holy Spirit, call ye God? We answer, God. Then,' say they, 'are Father, Son, and Holy Spirit three Gods? We answer, No. They are confounded, because not enlightened: their heart is shut, because they have not the key of faith. For us then, 6 The Theology of the Eastern Ep.38. The Latin Church having formed its dogmatic language in the conflict with Arians, especially through St. Augustine, maintained against these he retics that the Son being coequal, is also Principium, and consequently that the Holy Ghost proceeds from the Fa ther and the Son: v. infra, Hom. 100, § 8.9. Comp. de Trin. 6, 15. fatendum est Patrem et Filium principium esse Spiritus Sancti, non duo principia : sed sicut Pater et Filius unus Deus, et ad creaturam relative unus Creator, sic relative ad Spiritum Sanctum unum principium. |