On the Trinity — Book III

The Lord's words, "I in the Father, and the Father in Me" (John 14:11), confuse many minds, and understandably so, because human reason cannot provide any intelligible meaning for them. It seems impossible that one object should be both inside and outside another, or that (since it is established that the Beings we are discussing, though They do not dwell apart, retain their separate existence and condition) these Beings can mutually contain One Another, so that One should permanently surround and also be permanently surrounded by the Other, whom He nevertheless surrounds. This is a problem that human intelligence will never solve, and human investigation will never find an analogy for this condition of Divine existence. But what man cannot understand, God can be. I do not mean that simply because God asserts this, it immediately becomes intelligible to us. We must think for ourselves and come to understand the meaning of the words, "I in the Father, and the Father in Me": but this will depend on our success in grasping the truth that reasoning based on Divine realities can establish its conclusions, even though they seem to contradict the laws of the universe.

1. The words of the Lord, I in the Father, and the Father in Me John 14:11, confuse many minds, and not unnaturally, for the powers of human reason cannot provide them with any intelligible meaning. It seems impossible that one object should be both within and without another, or that (since it is laid down that the Beings of whom we are treating, though They do not dwell apart, retain their separate existence and condition) these Beings can reciprocally contain One Another, so that One should permanently envelope, and also be permanently enveloped by, the Other, whom yet He envelopes. This is a problem which the wit of man will never solve, nor will human research ever find an analogy for this condition of Divine existence. But what man cannot understand, God can be. I do not mean to say that the fact that this is an assertion made by God renders it at once intelligible to us. We must think for ourselves, and come to know the meaning of the words, I in the Father, and the Father in Me: but this will depend upon our success in grasping the truth that reasoning based upon Divine verities can establish its conclusions, even though they seem to contradict the laws of the universe.

In order to solve this very difficult problem as easily as possible, we must first master the knowledge that the Divine Scriptures give us about the Father and the Son, so that we can speak more precisely about familiar and well-known matters. The eternity of the Father, as we concluded after thorough discussion in the last book, goes beyond space, time, appearance, and all forms of human thought. He is outside and inside all things, He contains all things and cannot be contained by anything, cannot be changed by increase or decrease, is invisible, incomprehensible, full, perfect, eternal, not receiving anything He has from another, but even if anything is derived from Him, He remains complete and self-sufficient.

2. In order to solve as easily as possible this most difficult problem, we must first master the knowledge which the Divine Scriptures give of Father and of Son, that so we may speak with more precision, as dealing with familiar and accustomed matters. The eternity of the Father, as we concluded after full discussion in the last Book, transcends space, and time, and appearance, and all the forms of human thought. He is without and within all things, He contains all and can be contained by none, is incapable of change by increase or diminution, invisible, incomprehensible, full, perfect, eternal, not deriving anything that He has from another, but, if ought be derived from Him, still complete and self-sufficing.

The Unbegotten Father begot a Son from Himself before time existed. This was not from any pre-existing matter, because all things exist through the Son. It was not from nothing, because the Son comes from the Father's own self. It was not by way of childbirth, because in God there is no change or emptiness. It was not as a piece of Himself cut off, torn away, or stretched out, because God is passionless and bodiless. Only a being that can suffer and has a body could be treated that way, and as the Apostle says, in Christ dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. In a way beyond comprehension or description, before time or worlds existed, He begot the Only-begotten from His own unbegotten substance, giving through love and power His whole Divinity to that Birth. Therefore He is the Only-begotten, perfect, eternal Son of the unbegotten, perfect, eternal Father. But those properties which He has because of the Body He took on are the result of His good will toward our salvation. For He, being invisible and bodiless and incomprehensible as the Son of God, took upon Himself just enough matter and lowliness to bring Himself within the range of our understanding, perception, and contemplation. This was an accommodation to our weakness rather than a giving up of His own proper attributes.

3. He therefore, the Unbegotten, before time was begot a Son from Himself; not from any pre-existent matter, for all things are through the Son; not from nothing, for the Son is from the Father's self; not by way of childbirth, for in God there is neither change nor void; not as a piece of Himself cut or torn off or stretched out, for God is passionless and bodiless, and only a possible and embodied being could so be treated, and, as the Apostle says, in Christ dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. Colossians 2:9 Incomprehensibly, ineffably, before time or worlds, He begot the Only-begotten from His own unbegotten substance, bestowing through love and power His whole Divinity upon that Birth. Thus He is the Only-begotten, perfect, eternal Son of the unbegotten, perfect, eternal Father. But those properties which He has in consequence of the Body which He took, are the fruit of His goodwill toward our salvation. For He, being invisible and bodiless and incomprehensible, as the Son of God, took upon Him such a measure of matter and of lowliness as was needed to bring Him within the range of our understanding, and perception, and contemplation. It was a condescension to our feebleness rather than a surrender of His own proper attributes.

He, therefore, being the perfect Father's perfect Son, the Only-begotten Offspring of the unbegotten God, who has received all from Him who possesses all, being God from God, Spirit from Spirit, Light from Light, says boldly, "The Father in Me, and I in the Father." For as the Father is Spirit, so is the Son Spirit; as the Father is God, so is the Son God; as the Father is Light, so is the Son Light. Thus those properties which are in the Father are the source of those with which the Son is endowed. That is, He is wholly Son of Him who is wholly Father—not brought in from outside, for before the Son nothing existed; not made from nothing, for the Son is from God; not a son partially, for the fullness of the Godhead is in the Son; not a Son in some respects, but in all. He is a Son according to the will of Him who had the power, in a manner which He alone knows. What is in the Father is in the Son also; what is in the Unbegotten is in the Only-begotten also. The One is from the Other, and they Two are a Unity—not Two made One, yet One in the Other, for that which is in Both is the same. The Father is in the Son, for the Son is from Him; the Son is in the Father, because the Father is His sole Origin; the Only-begotten is in the Unbegotten, because He is the Only-begotten from the Unbegotten. Thus mutually Each is in the Other, for as all is perfect in the Unbegotten Father, so all is perfect in the Only-begotten Son. This is the Unity which is in Son and Father, this the power, this the love. Our hope, and faith, and truth, and way, and life is not to dispute the Father's powers or to diminish the Son, but to reverence the mystery and majesty of His birth—to set the unbegotten Father above all rivalry, and count the Only-begotten Son as His equal in eternity and might, confessing concerning God the Son that He is from God.

4. He, therefore, being the perfect Father's perfect Son, the Only-begotten Offspring of the unbegotten God, who has received all from Him Who possesses all, being God from God, Spirit from Spirit, Light from Light, says boldly, The Father in Me, and I in the Father. John 10:38 For as the Father is Spirit, so is the Son Spirit; as the Father is God, so is the Son God; as the Father is Light, so is the Son Light. Thus those properties which are in the Father are the source of those wherewith the Son is endowed; that is, He is wholly Son of Him Who is wholly Father; not imported from without, for before the Son nothing was; not made from nothing, for the Son is from God; not a son partially, for the fullness of the Godhead is in the Son; not a Son in some respects, but in all; a Son according to the will of Him who had the power, after a manner which He only knows. What is in the Father is in the Son also; what is in the Unbegotten is in the Only-begotten also. The One is from the Other, and they Two are a Unity; not Two made One, yet One in the Other, for that which is in Both is the same. The Father is in the Son, for the Son is from Him; the Son is in the Father, because the Father is His sole Origin; the Only-begotten is in the Unbegotten, because He is the Only-begotten from the Unbegotten. Thus mutually Each is in the Other, for as all is perfect in the Unbegotten Father, so all is perfect in the Only-begotten Son. This is the Unity which is in Son and Father, this the power, this the love; our hope, and faith, and truth, and way, and life is not to dispute the Father's powers or to depreciate the Son, but to reverence the mystery and majesty of His birth; to set the unbegotten Father above all rivalry, and count the Only-begotten Son as His equal in eternity and might, confessing concerning God the Son that He is from God.

Such powers exist in God—powers that our human reasoning cannot fully grasp, but which our faith is convinced of based on the clear evidence of His actions. We can find examples of this action in both the physical realm and the spiritual realm, demonstrated not through analogies that might illustrate the Birth, but through deeds that are marvelous yet understandable. At the wedding in Galilee, water was turned into wine. Do we have words to explain or senses to detect what process caused the change by which the bland taste of water vanished and was replaced by the full flavor of wine? It was not a mixture; it was a creation, and a creation that was not a beginning but a transformation. A weaker liquid was not produced by blending in a stronger substance; one existing thing ceased to be and a new thing came into existence. The bridegroom was worried, the household was in disarray, the celebration of the wedding feast was in jeopardy. Jesus is asked for help. He does not get up or make any effort; He accomplishes the work without exertion. Water is poured into the jars, wine is drawn out in the cups. What the servers who poured perceive contradicts what those who draw it out perceive. Those who poured expect water to be drawn out; those who draw think that wine must have been poured in. The time between pouring and drawing cannot account for any change in the nature of the liquid. The way this happens defies sight and sense, but the power of God is clearly shown in the outcome.

5. Such powers are there in God; powers which the methods of our reason cannot comprehend, but of which our faith, on the sure evidence of His action, is convinced. We shall find instances of this action in the bodily sphere as well as in the spiritual, its manifestation taking, not the form of an analogy which might illustrate the Birth, but of a deed marvellous yet comprehensible. On the wedding day in Galilee water was made wine. Have we words to tell or senses to ascertain what methods produced the change by which the tastelessness of water disappeared, and was replaced by the full flavour of wine? It was not a mixing; it was a creation, and a creation which was not a beginning, but a transformation. A weaker liquid was not obtained by admixture of a stronger element; an existing thing perished and a new thing came into being. The bridegroom was anxious, the household in confusion, the harmony of the marriage feast imperilled. Jesus is asked for help. He does not rise or busy Himself; He does the work without an effort. Water is poured into the vessels, wine drawn out in the cups. The evidence of the senses of the pourer contradicts that of the drawer. They who poured expect water to be drawn; they who draw think that wine must have been poured in. The intervening time cannot account for any gain or loss of character in the liquid. The mode of action baffles sight and sense, but the power of God is manifest in the result achieved.

A miracle of the same kind astonishes us in the case of the five loaves. Through their multiplication, five thousand men and countless women and children are saved from starvation, though the method escapes our ability to observe it. Five loaves are presented and broken. As the Apostles divide them, a continuous stream of newly created portions passes through their hands in a way they cannot explain. The loaf they are dividing does not grow smaller, yet their hands are constantly full of pieces. The speed of the process is too much for sight to follow. You track with your eye a hand full of portions, and meanwhile you see that what the other hand holds has not decreased, while all the time the pile of pieces grows larger. The servers are busy at their work, the eaters are occupied with eating. The hungry are satisfied, and the leftovers fill twelve baskets. Neither sight nor sense can uncover the method of such a remarkable miracle. What did not exist is created; what we see is beyond our understanding. Our only recourse is faith in God's omnipotence.

6. In the case of the five loaves a miracle of the same type excites our wonder. By their increase five thousand men and countless women and children are saved from hunger; the method eludes our powers of observation. Five loaves are offered and broken; while the Apostles are dividing them a succession of new-created portions passes, they cannot tell how, through their hands. The loaf which they are dividing grows no smaller, yet their hands are continually full of the pieces. The swiftness of the process baffles sight; you follow with the eye a hand full of portions, and meantime you see that the contents of the other hand are not diminished, and all the while the heap of pieces grows. The carvers are busy at their task, the eaters are hard at work; the hungry are satisfied, and the fragments fill twelve baskets. Sight or sense cannot discover the mode of so noteworthy a miracle. What was not existent is created; what we see passes our understanding. Our only resource is faith in God's omnipotence.

There is no deception in these miracles of God, no clever pretense intended to please or mislead. These works of the Son of God were not done from any desire to show off. He whom countless myriads of angels serve never deceived humanity. What could He possibly need from us, when everything we have was created through Him? Did He need praise from us—we who are now weighed down with sleep, now consumed by lust, now burdened with guilt from violence and bloodshed, now drunk from partying? He whom Archangels, Dominions, Principalities, and Powers praise in heaven with eternal and tireless voices, without sleep, pause, or sin? They praise Him because He, the Image of the Invisible God, created all their host in Himself, made the worlds, established the heavens, set the stars in place, fixed the earth, and laid the foundations of the deep. They praise Him because later in time He was born, conquered death, broke down the gates of hell, won for Himself a people to be His fellow-heirs, and lifted flesh from corruption up to the glory of eternity. There was nothing, then, that He could gain from us that would motivate Him to take on the splendor of these mysterious and inexplicable works, as if He needed our praise. But God foresaw how human sin and foolishness would be misled, and knew that disbelief would dare to pass judgment even on the things of God. Therefore He conquered presumption by signs of His power that must give even our boldest thoughts pause.

7. There is no deception in these miracles of God, no subtle pretence to please or to deceive. These works of the Son of God were done from no desire for self-display; He Whom countless myriads of angels serve never deluded man. What was there of ours that He could need, through Whom all that we have was created? Did He demand praise from us who now are heavy with sleep, now sated with lust, now laden with the guilt of riot and bloodshed, now drunken from revelling — He Whom Archangels, and Dominions, and Principalities, and Powers, without sleep or cessation or sin, praise in heaven with everlasting and unwearied voice? They praise Him because He, the Image of the Invisible God, created all their host in Himself, made the worlds, established the heavens, appointed the stars, fixed the earth, laid the foundations of the deep; because in after time He was born, He conquered death, broke the gates of hell, won for Himself a people to be His fellow-heirs, lifted flesh from corruption up to the glory of eternity. There was nothing, then, that He might gain from us, that could induce Him to assume the splendour of these mysterious and inexplicable works, as though He needed our praise. But God foresaw how human sin and folly would be misled, and knew that disbelief would dare to pass its judgment even on the things of God, and therefore He vanquished presumption by tokens of His power which must give pause to our boldest.

There are many who are wise by worldly standards, but whose wisdom God considers foolishness. They reject what we proclaim—God from God, True from True, Perfect from Perfect, One from One—as if we were teaching impossibilities. They hold firmly to certain logical conclusions they have worked out: Nothing can be born from one being alone, since every birth requires two parents. And if this Son is born from One, He must have received a portion of His Begetter. If He is only a part, then neither of the Two is perfect, because something is missing from the One from whom the Son came, and there cannot be fullness in One who consists of merely a portion of Another. Thus neither is perfect—the Begetter has lost His fullness, and the Begotten has not gained it. This is the worldly wisdom that God foresaw even in the prophet's time and condemned through him with these words: I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and reject the understanding of the prudent. And the apostle says: Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the inquirer of this world? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For because in the wisdom of God the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of preaching to save those who believe. For the Jews seek signs, and the Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews indeed a stumbling-block and to the Gentiles foolishness, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

8. For there are many of those wise men of the world whose wisdom is folly with God, who contradict our proclamation of God from God, True from True, Perfect from Perfect, One from One, as though we taught things impossible. They pin their faith to certain conclusions which they have reached by process of logic:– Nothing can be born of one, for every birth requires two parents, and If this Son be born of One He has received a part of His Begetter: if He be a part, then Neither of the Two is perfect, for something is missing from Him from Whom the Son issued, and there cannot be fullness in One Who consists of a portion of Another. Thus Neither is perfect, for the Begetter has lost His fullness, and the Begotten has not acquired it. This is that wisdom of the world which was foreseen by God even in the prophet's days, and condemned through him in the words, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and reject the understanding of the prudent. Isaiah 29:14 And the apostle says: Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the inquirer of this world? Hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For because in the wisdom of God the world through wisdom knew not God, it pleased God through the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. For the Jews seek signs, and the Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews indeed a stumbling-block and to the Gentiles foolishness, but unto them that are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men 1 Corinthians 1:20-25.

The Son of God, therefore, having been given responsibility for humanity, first became human so that people might believe in him. He became a witness to divine things who came from among us, and he preached to us—weak and fleshly as we are—about God the Father through the weakness of the flesh, thus fulfilling the Father's will. As he himself says, "I came not to do my own will, but the will of him that sent me." This does not mean he himself was unwilling, but rather that he wanted to show his obedience as flowing from his Father's will, since his own will is to do his Father's will. This is the will to carry out the Father's will that he testifies to in these words: "Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you; even as you have given him power over all flesh, that whatever you have given him, he should give it eternal life. And this is life eternal, that they should know you the only true God, and him whom you sent, Jesus Christ. I have glorified you upon earth, having accomplished the work which you gave me to do. And now, O Father, glorify me with your own self with the glory which I had with you before the world was. I have manifested your name unto the men whom you have given me." In words that are short and few, he has revealed the entire task to which he was appointed and assigned. Yet those words, short and few as they are, provide the true faith's protection against every suggestion of the devil's cunning. Let us briefly consider the force of each separate phrase.

9. The Son of God, therefore, having the charge of mankind, was first made man, that men might believe in Him; that He might be to us a witness, sprung from ourselves, of things Divine, and preach to us, weak and carnal as we are, through the weakness of the flesh concerning God the Father, so fulfilling the Father's will, even as He says, I came not to do My own will, but the will of Him that sent Me. John 6:38 It was not that He Himself was unwilling, but that He might manifest His obedience as the result of His Father's will, for His own will is to do His Father's. This is that will to carry out the Father's will of which He testifies in the words: Father, the hour has come; glorify Your Son, that Your Son may glorify You; even as You have given Him power over all flesh, that whatsoever You have given Him, He should give it eternal life. And this is life eternal, that they should know You the only true God, and Him Whom You sent, Jesus Christ. I have glorified You upon earth, having accomplished the work which You gave Me to do. And now, O Father, glorify Me with Your own Self with the glory which I had with You before the world was. I have manifested Your Name unto the men whom You have given Me. In words short and few He has revealed the whole task to which He was appointed and assigned. Yet those words, short and few as they are, are the true faith's safeguard against every suggestion of the devil's cunning. Let us briefly consider the force of each separate phrase.

He says, Father the hour has come; glorify Your Son, that Your Son may glorify You. He says that the hour, not the day or the time, has come. An hour is a part of a day. What hour must this be? The hour, of course, of which He speaks to strengthen His disciples at the time of His passion: Look, the hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified. This then is the hour in which He prays to be glorified by the Father, so that He Himself may glorify the Father. But what does He mean? Does One who is about to give glory look to receive it? Does One who is about to confer honor make request for Himself? Is He lacking the very thing which He is about to give back? Here let the world's philosophers, the wise men of Greece, block our path and spread their logical traps to ensnare the truth. Let them ask How? And From where? And Why? When they can find no answer, let us tell them that it is because God has chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise. That is the reason why we in our foolishness understand things incomprehensible to the world's philosophers. The Lord had said, Father, the hour has come; He had revealed the hour of His passion, for these words were spoken at that very moment; and then He added, Glorify Your Son. But how was the Son to be glorified? He had been born of a virgin, from cradle and childhood He had grown to adulthood, through sleep and hunger and thirst and weariness and tears He had lived a human life: even now He was to be spat on, scourged, crucified. And why? These things were ordained for our assurance that in Christ is true man. But the shame of the cross is not ours; we are not sentenced to the scourge, nor defiled by spitting. The Father glorifies the Son; how? He is next nailed to the cross. Then what followed? The sun, instead of setting, fled. How so? It did not retreat behind a cloud, but abandoned its appointed path, and all the elements of the world felt that same shock of the death of Christ. The stars in their courses, to avoid being accomplices in the crime, escaped by putting themselves out from beholding the scene. What did the earth do? It trembled beneath the weight of the Lord hanging on the tree, protesting that it was powerless to confine Him who was dying. Yet surely rock and stone will not refuse Him a resting-place. Yes, they are split and broken, and their strength fails. They must confess that the rock-hewn tomb cannot imprison the Body which awaits its burial.

10. He says, Father the hour has come; glorify Your Son, that Your Son may glorify You. He says that the hour, not the day nor the time, has come. An hour is a fraction of a day. What hour must this be? The hour, of course, of which He speaks, to strengthen His disciples, at the time of His passion:– Lo, the hour has come that the Son of Man should be glorified. John 12:23 This then is the hour in which He prays to be glorified by the Father, that He Himself may glorify the Father. But what does He mean? Does One who is about to give glory look to receive it? Does One who is about to confer honour make request for Himself? Is He in want of the very thing which He is about to repay? Here let the world's philosophers, the wise men of Greece, beset our path, and spread their syllogistic nets to entangle the truth. Let them ask How? And Whence? And Why? When they can find no answer, let us tell them that it is because God has chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise. 1 Corinthians 1:27 That is the reason why we in our foolishness understand things incomprehensible to the world's philosophers. The Lord had said, Father, the hour has come; He had revealed the hour of His passion, for these words were spoken at the very moment; and then He added, Glorify Your Son. But how was the Son to be glorified? He had been born of a virgin, from cradle and childhood He had grown to man's estate, through sleep and hunger and thirst and weariness and tears He had lived man's life: even now He was to be spitted on, scourged, crucified. And why? These things were ordained for our assurance that in Christ is pure man. But the shame of the cross is not ours; we are not sentenced to the scourge, nor defiled by spitting. The Father glorifies the Son; how? He is next nailed to the cross. Then what followed? The sun, instead of setting, fled. How so? It did not retire behind a cloud, but abandoned its appointed orbit, and all the elements of the world felt that same shock of the death of Christ. The stars in their courses, to avoid complicity in the crime, escaped by self-extinction from beholding the scene. What did the earth? It quivered beneath the burden of the Lord hanging on the tree, protesting that it was powerless to confine Him who was dying. Yet surely rock and stone will not refuse Him a resting-place. Yes, they are rent and cloven, and their strength fails. They must confess that the rock-hewn sepulchre cannot imprison the Body which awaits its burial.

And next? The centurion of the cohort, the guardian of the cross, cries out, "Truly this was the Son of God." Creation is set free by the mediation of this sin-offering; the very rocks lose their solidity and strength. Those who had nailed Him to the cross confess that truly this is the Son of God. The outcome justifies the assertion. The Lord had said, "Glorify Your Son." He had asserted, by that word "Your," that He was God's Son not in name only, but in nature. Many of us are sons of God; He is Son in another sense. For He is God's true and own Son, by origin and not by adoption, not by name only but in truth, born and not created. So, after He was glorified, that confession touched the truth; the centurion confessed Him the true Son of God, so that no believer might doubt a fact which even the servant of His persecutors could not deny.

11. And next? The centurion of the cohort, the guardian of the cross, cries out, Truly this was the Son of God. Matthew 27:54 Creation is set free by the mediation of this Sin-offering; the very rocks lose their solidity and strength. They who had nailed Him to the cross confess that truly this is the Son of God. The outcome justifies the assertion. The Lord had said, Glorify Your Son. He had asserted, by that word Your, that He was God's Son not in name only, but in nature. Multitudes of us are sons of God; He is Son in another sense. For He is God's true and own Son, by origin and not by adoption, not by name only but in truth, born and not created. So, after He was glorified, that confession touched the truth; the centurion confessed Him the true Son of God, that no believer might doubt a fact which even the servant of His persecutors could not deny.

But perhaps some people may think that He lacked the glory for which He prayed, and that His desire to be glorified by a Greater shows a lack of power. Who would deny that the Father is the greater—the Unbegotten greater than the Begotten, the Father than the Son, the Sender than the Sent, He who wills than He who obeys? He Himself shall be His own witness: The Father is greater than I. This is a fact we must recognize, but we must be careful that unskilled thinkers do not let the majesty of the Father obscure the glory of the Son. Such obscuring is forbidden by this very glory for which the Son prays, because the prayer, Father glorify Your Son, is completed by, That the Son may glorify You. So there is no lack of power in the Son, who, when He has received this glory, will return it in glory. But why, if He were not lacking, did He make the prayer? No one makes a request except for something he needs. Or can it be that the Father is also lacking? Or has He given His glory away so carelessly that He needs to have it returned to Him by the Son? No—the One has never been lacking, nor has the Other needed to ask, and yet Each shall give to the Other. So the prayer for glory to be given and paid back is neither a robbery of the Father nor a lessening of the Son, but a demonstration of the power of one Godhead present in Both. The Son prays that He may be glorified by the Father; the Father considers it no humiliation to be glorified by the Son. The exchange of glory given and received proclaims the unity of power in Father and in Son.

12. But perhaps some may suppose that He was destitute of that glory for which He prayed, and that His looking to be glorified by a Greater is evidence of want of power. Who, indeed, would deny that the Father is the greater; the Unbegotten greater than the Begotten, the Father than the Son, the Sender than the Sent, He that wills than He that obeys? He Himself shall be His own witness:– The Father is greater than I. It is a fact which we must recognise, but we must take heed lest with unskilled thinkers the majesty of the Father should obscure the glory of the Son. Such obscuration is forbidden by this same glory for which the Son prays; for the prayer, Father glorify Your Son, is completed by, That the Son may glorify You. Thus there is no lack of power in the Son, Who, when He has received this glory, will make His return for it in glory. But why, if He were not in want, did He make the prayer? No one makes request except for something which he needs. Or can it be that the Father too is in want? Or has He given His glory away so recklessly that He needs to have it returned Him by the Son? No; the One has never been in want, nor the Other needed to ask, and yet Each shall give to the Other. Thus the prayer for glory to be given and to be paid back is neither a robbery of the Father nor a depreciation of the Son, but a demonstration of the power of one Godhead resident in Both. The Son prays that He may be glorified by the Father; the Father deems it no humiliation to be glorified by the Son. The exchange of glory given and received proclaims the unity of power in Father and in Son.

We must next determine what this glorifying is and where it comes from. God, I am certain, cannot change. His eternity does not allow for any defect or improvement, any gain or any loss. It belongs to Him alone that what He is, He has been from all eternity. What He has been from all eternity, His nature makes it impossible for Him ever to cease being. How then can He receive glory—something He fully possesses and whose supply does not decrease—when there is no new glory He can obtain and none that He has lost and can recover? We reach an impasse. But the Evangelist does not leave us stranded, even though our reason has shown itself powerless. To tell us what return of glory the Son would make to the Father, he gives these words: Even as You have given Him power over all flesh, that whatsoever You have given Him He may give it eternal life. And this is life eternal that they should know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ Whom You have sent. The Father, then, is glorified through the Son by being made known to us. And this was the glory: that the Son, being made flesh, received from Him power over all flesh and the responsibility of restoring eternal life to us—temporary beings weighed down by the body. Eternal life for us resulted not from work accomplished but from inherent power; not through a new creation but simply through knowledge of God was the glory of that eternity to be obtained. Nothing was added to God's glory; it had not decreased and so could not be refilled. But He is glorified through the Son in the sight of us who are ignorant, exiled, defiled, dwelling in hopeless death and lawless darkness—glorified because the Son, by virtue of that power over all flesh which the Father gave Him, was to give us eternal life. It is through this work of the Son that the Father is glorified. So when the Son received all things from the Father, the Father glorified Him; and conversely, when all things were made through the Son, He glorified the Father. The return of glory given lies in this: all the glory which the Son has is the glory of the Father, since everything He has is the Father's gift. For the glory of the one who carries out a charge reflects back to the glory of the one who gave it, the glory of the Begotten to the glory of the Begetter.

13. We must next ascertain what and whence this glorifying is. God, I am sure, is subject to no change; His eternity admits not of defect or amendment, of gain or of loss. It is the character of Him alone, that what He is, He is from everlasting. What He from everlasting is, it is by His nature impossible that He should ever cease to be. How then can He receive glory, a thing which He fully possesses, and of which His store does not diminish; there being no fresh glory which He can obtain, and none that He has lost and can recover? We are brought to a standstill. But the Evangelist does not fail us, though our reason has displayed its helplessness. To tell us what return of glory it was that the Son should make to the Father, he gives the words: Even as You have given Him power over all flesh, that whatsoever You have given Him He may give it eternal life. And this is life eternal that they should know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ Whom You have sent. The Father, then, is glorified through the Son, by His being made known to us. And the glory was this, that the Son, being made flesh, received from Him power over all flesh, and the charge of restoring eternal life to us, ephemeral beings burdened with the body. Eternal life for us was the result not of work done, but of innate power; not by a new creation, but simply by knowledge of God, was the glory of that eternity to be acquired. Nothing was added to God's glory; it had not decreased, and so could not be replenished. But He is glorified through the Son in the sight of us, ignorant, exiled, defiled, dwelling in hopeless death and lawless darkness; glorified inasmuch as the Son, by virtue of that power over all flesh which the Father gave Him, was to bestow on us eternal life. It is through this work of the Son that the Father is glorified. So when the Son received all things from the Father, the Father glorified Him; and conversely, when all things were made through the Son, He glorified the Father. The return of glory given lies herein, that all the glory which the Son has is the glory of the Father, since everything He has is the Father's gift. For the glory of Him who executes a charge redounds to the glory of Him Who gave it, the glory of the Begotten to the glory of the Begetter.

Eternal life consists of what? His own words tell us: "That they may know You the only true God, and Jesus Christ Whom You have sent." Is there any doubt or difficulty here, or any inconsistency? Life consists in knowing the true God; but simply knowing Him does not grant it. What, then, does He add? "And Jesus Christ Whom You have sent." In "You, the only true God," the Son gives the honor due to His Father; by adding "And Jesus Christ Whom You have sent," He joins Himself with the true Godhead. The believer in his confession draws no line between the Two, for his hope of life rests in Both, and indeed, the true God is inseparable from Him Whose Name follows in the creed. Therefore when we read "That they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ Whom You have sent," these terms of Sender and Sent are not meant, under any appearance of distinction or separation, to convey a difference between the true Godhead of Father and Son, but to guide the devout confession of Them as Begetter and Begotten.

14. But in what does eternity of life consist? His own words tell us:– That they may know You the only true God, and Jesus Christ Whom You have sent. Is there any doubt or difficulty here, or any inconsistency? It is life to know the true God; but the bare knowledge of Him does not give it. What, then, does He add? And Jesus Christ Whom You have sent. In You, the only true God, the Son pays the honour due to His Father; by the addition, And Jesus Christ Whom You have sent, He associates Himself with the true Godhead. The believer in his confession draws no line between the Two, for his hope of life rests in Both, and indeed, the true God is inseparable from Him Whose Name follows in the creed. Therefore when we read, That they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ Whom You have sent, these terms of Sender and of Sent are not intended, under any semblance of distinction or discrimination, to convey a difference between the true Godhead of Father and of Son, but to be a guide to the devout confession of Them as Begetter and Begotten.

15. And so the Son glorifies the Father fully and finally in the words that follow: "I have glorified You on the earth, having accomplished the work which You have given Me to do." All the Father's praise comes from the Son, for every praise given to the Son is praise of the Father, since everything He accomplished is what the Father had willed. The Son of God is born as man, but the power of God is in the virgin birth. The Son of God is seen as man, but God is present in His human actions. The Son of God is nailed to the cross, but on the cross God conquers human death. Christ, the Son of God, dies, but all flesh is made alive in Christ. The Son of God is in hell, but man is carried back to heaven. The degree to which we praise Christ for these His works will match the praise we bring to Him from Whom Christ's Godhead comes. These are the ways in which the Father glorifies the Son on earth, and in return the Son reveals by works of power—to the ignorance of the heathen and to the foolishness of the world—Him from Whom He is. This exchange of glory, given and received, implies no increase in the Godhead, but means the praises rendered for the knowledge granted to those who had lived in ignorance of God. What, indeed, could there be which the Father, from Whom are all things, did not richly possess? In what was the Son lacking, in Whom all the fullness of the Godhead had been pleased to dwell? The Father is glorified on earth because the work which He had commanded is finished.

15. And so the Son glorifies the Father fully and finally in the words which follow, I have glorified You on the earth, having accomplished the work which You have given Me to do. All the Father's praise is from the Son, for every praise bestowed upon the Son is praise of the Father, since all that He accomplished is what the Father had willed. The Son of God is born as man; but the power of God is in the virgin-birth. The Son of God is seen as man; but God is present in His human actions. The Son of God is nailed to the cross; but on the cross God conquers human death. Christ, the Son of God, dies; but all flesh is made alive in Christ. The Son of God is in hell; but man is carried back to heaven. In proportion to our praise of Christ for these His works, will be the praise we bring to Him from Whom Christ's Godhead is. These are the ways in which the Father glorifies the Son on earth; and in return the Son reveals by works of power to the ignorance of the heathen and to the foolishness of the world, Him from Whom He is. This exchange of glory, given and received, implies no augmentation of the Godhead, but means the praises rendered for the knowledge granted to those who had lived in ignorance of God. What, indeed, could there be which the Father, from Whom are all things, did not richly possess? In what was the Son lacking, in Whom all the fullness of the Godhead had been pleased to dwell? The Father is glorified on earth because the work which He had commanded is finished.

Now let us examine what glory the Son expects to receive from the Father, and then our explanation will be complete. The passage continues: I have glorified You on the earth, having accomplished the work which You have given Me to do. And now, O Father, glorify Thou Me with Your own Self with the glory which I had with You before the world was. I have manifested Your name unto men. The Father is glorified through the Son's works, because through them He is recognized as God, as Father of God the Only-begotten, who for our salvation willed that His Son should be born as man, even from a virgin. That Son's entire life, completed in the Passion, was consistent with the humiliation of the virgin birth. Therefore, because the Son of God, completely perfect and born from everlasting in the fullness of the Godhead, had now through incarnation become Man and was ready for His death, He prays that He may be glorified with God, just as He was glorifying His Father on earth. At that moment the powers of God were being glorified in the flesh before the eyes of a world that did not know Him. But what is this glory with the Father for which He asks? It is, of course, the glory which He had with Him before the world existed. He had the fullness of the Godhead and still has it, for He is God's Son. But He who was the Son of God had also become the Son of man, for The Word was made flesh. He had not lost His former being, but He had become what He was not before. He had not abandoned His own position, yet He had taken ours. He prays that the nature which He had assumed may be raised to the glory which He had never given up. Therefore, since the Son is the Word, and the Word was made flesh, and the Word was God, and was in the beginning with God, and the Word was Son before the foundation of the world, this Son, now incarnate, prayed that flesh might be to the Father what the Son had been. He prayed that flesh, born in time, might receive the splendor of the everlasting glory, that the corruption of the flesh might be swallowed up and transformed into the power of God and the purity of the Spirit. This is His prayer to God, the Son's confession of the Father, the entreaty of that flesh in which all will see Him on the Judgment-day, pierced and bearing the marks of the cross. This is the flesh in which His glory was shown beforehand on the Mount, in which He ascended to heaven and is seated at the right hand of God, in which Paul saw Him and Stephen worshiped Him.

16. Next let us see what this glory is which the Son expects to receive from the Father; and then our exposition will be complete. The sequel is, I have glorified You on the earth, having accomplished the work which You have given Me to do. And now, O Father, glorify Thou Me with Your own Self with the glory which I had with You before the world was. I have manifested Your name unto men. It is, then, by the Son's works that the Father is glorified, in that He is recognised as God, as Father of God the Only-begotten, Who for our salvation willed that His Son should be born as man, even of a virgin; that Son Whose whole life, consummated in the Passion, was consistent with the humiliation of the virgin birth. Thus, because the Son of God, all-perfect and born from everlasting in the fullness of the Godhead, had now by incarnation become Man and was ready for His death, He prays that He may be glorified with God, even as He was glorifying His Father on the earth; for at that moment the powers of God were being glorified in the flesh before the eyes of a world that knew Him not. But what is this glory with the Father, for which He looks? It is that, of course, which He had with Him before the world was. He had the fullness of the Godhead; He has it still, for He is God's Son. But He Who was the Son of God had become the Son of man also, for The Word was made flesh. He had not lost His former being, but He had become what He was not before; He had not abdicated His own position, yet He had taken ours; He prays that the nature which He had assumed may be promoted to the glory which He had never renounced. Therefore, since the Son is the Word, and the Word was made flesh, and the Word was God, and was in the beginning with God, and the Word was Son before the foundation of the world; this Son, now incarnate, prayed that flesh might be to the Father what the Son had been. He prayed that flesh, born in time, might receive the splendour of the everlasting glory, that the corruption of the flesh might be swallowed up, transformed into the power of God and the purity of the Spirit. It is His prayer to God, the Son's confession of the Father, the entreaty of that flesh wherein all shall see Him on the Judgment-day, pierced and bearing the marks of the cross; of that flesh wherein His glory was foreshown upon the Mount, wherein He ascended to heaven and is set down at the right hand of God, wherein Paul saw Him, and Stephen paid Him worship.

The name Father has been revealed to people in this way. Now we need to ask: What is this Father's own name? But surely the name of God has never been unknown. Moses heard it from the bush, Genesis announces it at the beginning of the creation story, the Law proclaimed it and the prophets praised it, world history has made humanity familiar with it—even the pagans have worshiped it, though wrapped in falsehood. People have never been left ignorant of God's name. And yet they truly were ignorant. For no one knows God unless he confesses Him as Father, Father of the Only-begotten Son, and also confesses the Son as Son—not by division or expansion or emanation, but born of Him as Son of Father, ineffably and incomprehensibly, keeping the fullness of that Godhead from which and in which He was born as true and infinite and perfect God. This is what the fullness of the Godhead means. If any of these things is missing, there will not be that fullness which was pleased to dwell in Him. This is the Son's message, His revelation to people in their ignorance. The Father is glorified through the Son when people recognize that He is Father of a Son so divine.

17. The name Father has thus been revealed to men; the question arises, What is this Father's own name? Yet surely the name of God has never been unknown. Moses heard it from the bush, Genesis announces it at the beginning of the history of creation, the Law has proclaimed and the prophets extolled it, the history of the world has made mankind familiar with it; the very heathen have worshipped it under a veil of falsehood. Men have never been left in ignorance of the name of God. And yet they were, in very truth, in ignorance. For no man knows God unless He confess Him as Father, Father of the Only-begotten Son, and confess also the Son a Son by no partition or extension or procession, but born of Him, as Son of Father, ineffably and incomprehensibly, and retaining the fullness of that Godhead from which and in which He was born as true and infinite and perfect God. This is what the fullness of the Godhead means. If any of these things be lacking, there will not be that fullness which was pleased to dwell in Him. This is the message of the Son, His revelation to men in their ignorance. The Father is glorified through the Son when men recognise that He is Father of a Son so Divine.

The Son, wanting to assure us of the truth of His divine birth, has appointed His works to serve as an illustration, so that from the ineffable power displayed in ineffable deeds we may learn the lesson of the ineffable birth. For instance, when water was made wine, and five loaves satisfied five thousand men, besides women and children, and twelve baskets were filled with the fragments, we see a fact though we cannot understand it; a deed is done though it baffles our reason; the process cannot be followed, though the result is obvious. It is foolish to intrude in a spirit of criticism when the matter we are investigating is such that we cannot probe it to the bottom. For just as the Father is ineffable because He is Unbegotten, so is the Son ineffable because He is the Only-begotten, since the Begotten is the Image of the Unbegotten. Now it is by the use of our senses and of language that we have to form our conception of an image; and it must be by the same means that we form our idea of what the image represents. But in this case we, whose faculties can deal only with visible and tangible things, are straining after the invisible and striving to grasp the impalpable. Yet we take no shame to ourselves, we reproach ourselves with no irreverence, when we doubt and criticize the mysteries and powers of God. How is He the Son? Where is He from? What did the Father lose by His birth? Of what portion of the Father was He born? So we ask; yet all the while there has been confronting us the evidence of works done to assure us that God's action is not limited by our power of comprehending His methods.

18. The Son, wishing to assure us of the truth of this, His Divine birth, has appointed His works to serve as an illustration, that from the ineffable power displayed in ineffable deeds we may learn the lesson of the ineffable birth. For instance, when water was made wine, and five loaves satisfied five thousand men, beside women and children, and twelve baskets were filled with the fragments, we see a fact though we cannot understand it; a deed is done though it baffles our reason; the process cannot be followed, though the result is obvious. It is folly to intrude in the spirit of carping, when the matter into which we enquire is such that we cannot probe it to the bottom. For even as the Father is ineffable because He is Unbegotten, so is the Son ineffable because He is the Only-begotten, since the Begotten is the Image of the Unbegotten. Now it is by the use of our senses and of language that we have to form our conception of an image; and it must be by the same means that we form our idea of that which the image represents. But in this case we, whose faculties can deal only with visible and tangible things, are straining after the invisible, and striving to grasp the impalpable. Yet we take no shame to ourselves, we reproach ourselves with no irreverence, when we doubt and criticise the mysteries and powers of God. How is He the Son? Whence is He? What did the Father lose by His birth? Of what portion of the Father was He born? So we ask; yet all the while there has been confronting us the evidence of works done to assure us that God's action is not limited by our power of comprehending His methods.

19. You ask how the Son was born, as the Spirit teaches? I will ask you a question about physical things. I am not asking how He was born of a virgin; I am only asking whether her flesh, while preparing His flesh for birth, experienced any loss. Certainly she did not conceive Him in the ordinary way, or endure the shame of human sexual relations, in order to bear Him. Yet she bore Him, complete in His human body, without losing any of her own completeness. Surely faithfulness requires that we should regard as possible with God something which we see became possible through His power in the case of a human being.

19. You ask what was the manner in which, as the Spirit teaches, the Son was born? I will put a question to you as to things corporal. I ask not in what manner He was born of a virgin; I ask only whether her flesh, in the course of bringing His flesh to readiness for birth, suffered any loss. Assuredly she did not conceive Him in the common way, or suffer the shame of human intercourse, in order to bear Him: yet she bore Him, complete in His human Body, without loss of her own completeness. Surely piety requires that we should regard as possible with God a thing which we see became possible through his power in the case of a human being.

But you, whoever you are who would investigate the unsearchable and seriously form an opinion about the mysteries and powers of God—I turn to you for advice and ask you to enlighten me, an unskilled and simple believer of everything God says, about a situation I am going to mention. I listen to the Lord's words and, since I believe what is recorded, I am certain that after His Resurrection He repeatedly offered Himself in the Body to the sight of crowds of unbelievers. He certainly did so to Thomas, who had insisted that he would not believe unless he handled His wounds. His words are, "Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the place of the nails, and thrust my hand into His side, I will not believe." The Lord descends to the level even of our weak understanding; to satisfy the doubts of unbelieving minds He performs a miracle of His invisible power. You, my critic of the ways of heaven, explain His action if you can. The disciples were in a locked room; they had met and held their gathering in secret since the Passion of the Lord. The Lord presents Himself to strengthen Thomas's faith by meeting his challenge; He gives him His Body to feel, His wounds to handle. He who would be recognized as having suffered wounds must necessarily produce the body in which those wounds were received. I ask at what point in the walls of that locked house the Lord bodily entered. The Apostle has recorded the circumstances with careful precision: Jesus came when the doors were shut, and stood in the midst. Did He penetrate through bricks and mortar, or through solid woodwork, substances whose very nature is to block passage? For there He stood in bodily presence; there was no suggestion of deception. Let the eye of your mind follow His path as He enters; let your intellectual vision accompany Him as He passes into that locked dwelling. There is no breach in the walls, no door has been unbarred; yet look, He stands in the midst, He whose power no barrier can resist. You are a critic of things invisible; I ask you to explain a visible event. Everything remains solid as it was; no body is capable of working itself through the gaps in wood and stone. The Body of the Lord does not scatter itself, to come together again after a disappearance; yet where does He come from, He who is standing in the midst? Your senses and your words are powerless to account for it; the fact is certain, but it lies beyond the realm of human explanation. If, as you say, our account of the Divine birth is a lie, then prove that this account of the Lord's entrance is a fiction. If we assume that an event did not happen because we cannot discover how it was done, we make the limits of our understanding into the limits of reality. But the certainty of the evidence proves the falsehood of our denial. The Lord stood in a locked house in the midst of the disciples; the Son was born of the Father. Do not deny that He stood because your limited intelligence cannot determine how He came there; renounce a disbelief in God the Only-begotten and perfect Son of God the Unbegotten and perfect Father, which is based only on the inability of sense and speech to comprehend the transcendent miracle of that birth.

20. But you, whoever you are that would seek into the unsearchable, and in all seriousness form an opinion upon the mysteries and powers of God — I turn to you for counsel, and beg you to enlighten me, an unskilled and simple believer of all that God says, as to a circumstance which I am about to mention. I listen to the Lord's words and, since I believe what is recorded, I am sure that after His Resurrection He offered Himself repeatedly in the Body to the sight of multitudes of unbelievers. At any rate, He did so to Thomas who had protested that he would not believe unless he handled His wounds. His words are, Unless I shall see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the place of the nails, and thrust my hand into His side, I will not believe. John 20:25 The Lord stoops to the level even of our feeble understanding; to satisfy the doubts of unbelieving minds He works a miracle of His invisible power. Do you, my critic of the ways of heaven, explain His action if you can. The disciples were in a closed room; they had met and held their assembly in secret since the Passion of the Lord. The Lord presents Himself to strengthen the faith of Thomas by meeting his challenge; He gives him His Body to feel, His wounds to handle. He, indeed, who would be recognised as having suffered wounds must needs produce the body in which those wounds were received. I ask at what point in the walls of that closed house the Lord bodily entered. The Apostle has recorded the circumstances with careful precision; Jesus came when the doors were shut, and stood in the midst. Did He penetrate through bricks and mortar, or through stout woodwork, substances whose very nature it is to bar progress? For there He stood in bodily presence; there was no suspicion of deceit. Let the eye of your mind follow His path as He enters; let your intellectual vision accompany Him as He passes into that closed dwelling. There is no breach in the walls, no door has been unbarred; yet lo, He stands in the midst Whose might no barrier can resist. You are a critic of things invisible; I ask you to explain a visible event. Everything remains firm as it was; no body is capable of insinuating itself through the interstices of wood and stone. The Body of the Lord does not disperse itself, to come together again after a disappearance; yet whence comes He Who is standing in the midst? Your senses and your words are powerless to account for it; the fact is certain, but it lies beyond the region of human explanation. If, as you say, our account of the Divine birth is a lie, then prove that this account of the Lord's entrance is a fiction. If we assume that an event did not happen, because we cannot discover how it was done, we make the limits of our understanding into the limits of reality. But the certainty of the evidence proves the falsehood of our contradiction. The Lord stood in a closed house in the midst of the disciples; the Son was born of the Father. Deny not that He stood, because your puny wits cannot ascertain how He came there; renounce a disbelief in God the Only-begotten and perfect Son of God the Unbegotten and perfect Father, which is based only on the incapacity of sense and speech to comprehend the transcendent miracle of that birth.

Indeed, the entire structure of nature itself supports us against the irreverence of doubting God's works and powers. Yet our unbelief strikes out even against obvious truth. In our rage, we attempt to tear even God down from His throne. If we could, we would climb to heaven by physical strength, throw the orderly movements of the sun and stars into chaos, disrupt the rising and falling of the tides, stop rivers at their sources or reverse the flow of their waters, shake the very foundations of the world—all in the complete irreverence of our rage against God's fatherly work. It is fortunate that our physical limitations keep us within more restrained boundaries. Certainly, we do not hide the harm we would cause if we were able. In one area we are free, and so with blasphemous arrogance we twist the truth and turn our weapons against the words of God.

21. Nay more, the whole constitution of nature would bear us out against the impiety of doubting the works and powers of God. And yet our disbelief tilts even against obvious truth; we strive in our fury to pluck even God from His throne. If we could, we would climb by bodily strength to heaven, would fling into confusion the ordered courses of sun and stars, would disarrange the ebb and flow of tides, check rivers at their source or make their waters flow backward, would shake the foundations of the world, in the utter irreverence of our rage against the paternal work of God. It is well that our bodily limitations confine us within more modest bounds. Assuredly, there is no concealment of the mischief we would do if we could. In one respect we are free; and so with blasphemous insolence we distort the truth and turn our weapons against the words of God.

The Son has said, "Father, I have manifested Your Name unto men." What reason is there for denunciation or fury here? Do you deny the Father? The Son's primary purpose was to enable us to know the Father. But in fact you do deny Him when you claim the Son was not born of Him. Yet why should He have the name of Son if He is, like others, simply an arbitrary creation of God? I could feel awe of God as Creator of Christ just as much as Founder of the universe. It would be an exercise of power worthy of Him to be the Maker of Him Who made Archangels and Angels, things visible and things invisible, heaven and earth and the whole creation around us. But the work the Lord came to do was not to enable you to recognize God's omnipotence as Creator of all things, but to enable you to know Him as the Father of that Son Who addresses you. In heaven there are Powers beside Himself, Powers mighty and eternal. There is but one Only-begotten Son, and the difference between Him and them is not merely one of degree of might, but that they all were made through Him. Since He is the true and only Son, let us not make Him a bastard by asserting that He was made out of nothing. You hear the name Son—believe that He is the Son. You hear the name Father—fix it in your mind that He is the Father. Why surround these names with doubt and ill will and hostility? The things of God are provided with names which give a true indication of the realities. Why force an arbitrary meaning upon their obvious sense? Father and Son are spoken of—doubt not that the words mean what they say. The end and aim of the revelation of the Son is that you should know the Father. Why frustrate the labors of the Prophets, the Incarnation of the Word, the Virgin's travail, the effect of miracles, the cross of Christ? It was all spent upon you, it is all offered to you, that through it all Father and Son may be manifest to you. And you replace the truth by a theory of arbitrary action, of creation or adoption. Turn your thoughts to the warfare, the conflict waged by Christ. He describes it thus: "Father, I have manifested Your Name unto men." He does not say, "You have created the Creator of all the heavens," or "You have made the Maker of the whole earth." He says, "Father, I have manifested Your Name unto men." Accept your Savior's gift of knowledge. Be assured that there is a Father Who begot, a Son Who was born—born in the truth of His Nature of the Father, Who is. Remember that the revelation is not of the Father manifested as God, but of God manifested as the Father.

22. The Son has said, Father, I have manifested Your Name unto men. What reason is there for denunciation or fury here? Do you deny the Father? Why, it was the primary purpose of the Son to enable us to know the Father. But in fact you do deny Him when, according to you, the Son was not born of Him. Yet why should He have the name of Son if He be, as others are, an arbitrary creation of God? I could feel awe of God as Creator of Christ as well as Founder of the universe; it were an exercise of power worthy of Him to be the Maker of Him Who made Archangels and Angels, things visible and things invisible, heaven and earth and the whole creation around us. But the work which the Lord came to do was not to enable you to recognise the omnipotence of God as Creator of all things, but to enable you to know Him as the Father of that Son Who addresses you. In heaven there are Powers beside Himself, Powers mighty and eternal; there is but one Only-begotten Son, and the difference between Him and them is not one of mere degree of might, but that they all were made through Him. Since He is the true and only Son, let us not make Him a bastard by asserting that He was made out of nothing. You hear the name Son; believe that He is the Son. You hear the name Father; fix it in your mind that He is the Father. Why surround these names with doubt and illwill and hostility? The things of God are provided with names which give a true indication of the realities; why force an arbitrary meaning upon their obvious sense? Father and Son are spoken of; doubt not that the words mean what they say. The end and aim of the revelation of the Son is that you should know the Father. Why frustrate the labours of the Prophets, the Incarnation of the Word, the Virgin's travail, the effect of miracles, the cross of Christ? It was all spent upon you, it is all offered to you, that through it all Father and Son may be manifest to you. And you replace the truth by a theory of arbitrary action, of creation or adoption. Turn your thoughts to the warfare, the conflict waged by Christ. He describes it thus:– Father, I have manifested Your Name unto men. He does not say, You have created the Creator of all the heavens, or You have made the Maker of the whole earth. He says, Father, I have manifested Your Name unto men. Accept your Saviour's gift of knowledge. Be assured that there is a Father Who begot, a Son Who was born; born in the truth of His Nature of the Father, Who is. Remember that the revelation is not of the Father manifested as God, but of God manifested as the Father.

You hear the words, "I and the Father are one." Why do you tear the Son away from the Father? They are a unity: an absolute Existence having all things in perfect communion with that absolute Existence from whom He comes. When you hear the Son saying, "I and the Father are one," match your understanding of the facts to the Persons. Accept the statement that the Begetter and the Begotten make about themselves. Believe that they are one, even as they are also Begetter and Begotten. Why deny their common nature? Why attack their true divinity? You hear again, "The Father in me, and I in the Father." That this is true of the Father and the Son is demonstrated by the Son's works. Our science cannot wrap one body inside another or pour one into another, like water into wine. But we confess that in both there is equality of power and fullness of the Godhead. For the Son has received all things from the Father. He is the likeness of God, the image of His substance. The words "image of His substance" distinguish between Christ and the one from whom He comes, but only to establish their distinct existence, not to teach a difference of nature. And the meaning of "Father in Son and Son in Father" is that there is the perfect fullness of the Godhead in both. The Father is not diminished by the Son's existence, nor is the Son a broken-off piece of the Father. An image implies its original; likeness is a relative term. Now nothing can be like God unless it has its source in Him. A perfect likeness can be reflected only from what it represents. An accurate resemblance forbids the assumption of any element of difference. Do not disturb this likeness. Make no separation where truth shows no difference, for He who said, "Let us make man after our image and likeness," by those words "our likeness" revealed the existence of Beings, each like the other. Do not touch, do not handle, do not pervert. Hold fast to the names that teach the truth. Hold fast to the Son's declaration about Himself. I do not want you to flatter the Son with praises of your own invention. It is well with you if you are satisfied with the written word.

23. You hear the words, I and the Father are one. John 10:30 Why do you rend and tear the Son away from the Father? They are a unity: an absolute Existence having all things in perfect communion with that absolute Existence, from Whom He is. When you hear the Son saying, I and the Father are one, adjust your view of facts to the Persons; accept the statement which Begetter and Begotten make concerning Themselves. Believe that They are One, even as They are also Begetter and Begotten. Why deny the common nature? Why impugn the true Divinity? You hear again, The Father in Me, and I in the Father. John 10:38 That this is true of Father and of Son is demonstrated by the Son's works. Our science cannot envelope body in body, or pour one into another, as water into wine; but we confess that in Both is equivalence of power and fullness of the Godhead. For the Son has received all things from the Father; He is the Likeness of God, the Image of His substance. The words, Image of His substance Hebrews 1:3, discriminate between Christ and Him from Whom He is, but only to establish Their distinct existence, not to teach a difference of nature; and the meaning of Father in Son and Son in Father is that there is the perfect fullness of the Godhead in Both. The Father is not impaired by the Son's existence, nor is the Son a mutilated fragment of the Father. An image implies its original; likeness is a relative term. Now nothing can be like God unless it have its source in Him; a perfect likeness can be reflected only from that which it represents; an accurate resemblance forbids the assumption of any element of difference. Disturb not this likeness; make no separation where truth shows no variance, for He Who said, Let us make man after our image and likeness Genesis 1:26, by those words Our likeness revealed the existence of Beings, Each like the Other. Touch not handle not, pervert not. Hold fast the Names which teach the truth, hold fast the Son's declaration of Himself. I would not have you flatter the Son with praises of your own invention; it is well with you if you be satisfied with the written word.

Again, we must not place such blind confidence in human reasoning that we imagine we have complete knowledge of the things we think about, or that the ultimate problem is solved as soon as we have formed a neat and consistent theory. Finite minds cannot conceive the Infinite. A being that depends on another for its existence cannot attain perfect knowledge either of its Creator or of itself, because its self-awareness is shaped by its circumstances, and there are limits its perception cannot cross. Its activity is not self-caused but comes from the Creator, and a being dependent on a Creator has complete possession of none of its faculties, since its origin lies outside itself. Therefore, by an unavoidable law, it is foolish for such a being to claim perfect knowledge of anything. Its powers have limits it cannot change, and only while it is under the delusion that its tiny boundaries extend as far as infinity can it make the empty boast of possessing wisdom. For it is incapable of wisdom, since its knowledge is limited to the range of its perception and shares the weakness of its dependent existence. And so this pretense of a finite nature boasting that it possesses the wisdom that springs only from infinite knowledge earns the scorn and ridicule of the Apostle, who calls its wisdom foolishness. He says, "For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the Gospel, not in the language of wisdom, lest the cross of Christ should be made void. For the word of the cross is foolishness to them that are perishing, but unto them that are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and the understanding of the prudent I will reject. Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the enquirer of this world? Hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For seeing that in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom knew not God, God decreed through the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. For the Jews ask for signs and the Greeks seek after wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, unto Jews indeed a stumbling-block and to Gentiles foolishness, but unto them that are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. Because the weakness of God is stronger than men, and the foolishness of God is wiser than men." Thus all unbelief is foolishness, for it takes whatever wisdom its own finite perception can reach and, measuring infinity by that small scale, concludes that what it cannot understand must be impossible. Unbelief is the result of limited capacity engaged in argument. People are certain that an event never happened because they have decided it could not happen.

24. Again, we must not repose so blind a confidence in human intellect as to imagine that we have complete knowledge of the objects of our thought, or that the ultimate problem is solved as soon as we have formed a symmetrical and consistent theory. Finite minds cannot conceive the Infinite; a being dependent for its existence upon another cannot attain to perfect knowledge either of its Creator or of itself, for its consciousness of self is colored by its circumstances, and bounds are set which its perception cannot pass. Its activity is not self-caused, but due to the Creator, and a being dependent on a Creator has perfect possession of none of its faculties, since its origin lies outside itself. Hence by an inexorable law it is folly for that being to say that it has perfect knowledge of any matter; its powers have limits which it cannot modify, and only while it is under the delusion that its petty bounds are coterminous with infinity can it make the empty boast of possessing wisdom. For of wisdom it is incapable, its knowledge being limited to the range of its perception, and sharing the impotence of its dependent existence. And therefore this masquerade of a finite nature boasting that it possesses the wisdom which springs only from infinite knowledge earns the scorn and ridicule of the Apostle, who calls its wisdom folly. He says, For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the Gospel, not in the language of wisdom, lest the cross of Christ should be made void. For the word of the cross is foolishness to them that are perishing, but unto them that are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written, I will destroy the wisdom of the wise and the understanding of the prudent I will reject. Where is the wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the enquirer of this world? Hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world? For seeing that in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom knew not God, God decreed through the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe. For the Jews ask for signs and the Greeks seek after wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, unto Jews indeed a stumbling-block and to Gentiles foolishness, but unto them that are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. Because the weakness of God is stronger than men, and the foolishness of God is wiser than men. 1 Corinthians 1:17-25 Thus all unbelief is foolishness, for it takes such wisdom as its own finite perception can attain, and, measuring infinity by that petty scale, concludes that what it cannot understand must be impossible. Unbelief is the result of incapacity engaged in argument. Men are sure that an event never happened, because they have made up their minds that it could not happen.

The Apostle understood that human thinking narrowly assumes that whatever it does not know cannot be truth. That is why he says he does not speak in the language of knowledge, to prevent his preaching from being in vain. To avoid being seen as a preacher of foolishness, he adds that the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing. He knew that unbelievers believe the only true knowledge is what forms their own wisdom, and since their wisdom only recognizes things within their limited view, the other wisdom—which alone is divine and perfect—appears foolish to them. So their foolishness actually lies in that weak imagination they mistake for wisdom. This is why the very things that seem foolish to those who are perishing are the power of God to those who are being saved. Those who are saved never use their own inadequate abilities as a standard but instead attribute to God's actions the omnipotence of heaven. God rejects the wisdom of the wise and the understanding of the prudent in this sense: precisely because they recognize their own foolishness, salvation is granted to those who believe. Unbelievers declare everything beyond their understanding to be foolish, while believers leave to God's power and majesty the choice of the mysteries through which salvation is given. There is no foolishness in the things of God. The foolishness lies in that human wisdom which demands signs and wisdom from God as a condition for belief. It is the foolishness of the Jews to demand signs—they have some knowledge of God's Name through long familiarity with the Law, but the offense of the cross repels them. The foolishness of the Greeks is to demand wisdom—with Gentile folly and human philosophy they seek the reason why God was lifted up on the cross. And because these things have been hidden in a mystery out of consideration for the weakness of our mental powers, this foolishness of Jews and Greeks turns into unbelief. They denounce as unworthy of reasonable belief truths that their minds are inherently incapable of understanding. But because the world's wisdom was so foolish—for previously, through God's wisdom it did not know God, meaning the splendor of the universe and the wonderful order He planned for His handiwork taught it no reverence for its Creator—God was pleased to save those who believe through the preaching of foolishness. That is, through faith in the cross He makes everlasting life the destiny of mortals, so that the self-confidence of human wisdom might be put to shame and salvation found where people thought foolishness lived. For Christ, who is foolishness to Gentiles and offense to Jews, is the Power of God and the Wisdom of God, because what seems weak and foolish to human understanding in the things of God surpasses in true wisdom and might the thoughts and powers of earth.

25. Hence the Apostle, familiar with the narrow assumption of human thought that what it does not know is not truth, says that he does not speak in the language of knowledge, lest his preaching should be in vain. To save himself from being regarded as a preacher of foolishness he adds that the word of the cross is foolishness to them that perish. He knew that the unbelievers held that the only true knowledge was that which formed their own wisdom, and that, since their wisdom was cognisant only of matters which lay within their narrow horizon, the other wisdom, which alone is Divine and perfect, seemed foolishness to them. Thus their foolishness actually consisted, in that feeble imagination which they mistook for wisdom. Hence it is that the very things which to them that perish are foolishness are the power of God to them that are saved; for these last never use their own inadequate faculties as a measure, but attribute to the Divine activities the omnipotence of heaven. God rejects the wisdom of the wise and the understanding of the prudent in this sense, that just because they recognise their own foolishness, salvation is granted to them that believe. Unbelievers pronounce the verdict of foolishness on everything that lies beyond their ken, while believers leave to the power and majesty of God the choice of the mysteries wherein salvation is bestowed. There is no foolishness in the things of God; the foolishness lies in that human wisdom which demands of God, as the condition of belief, signs and wisdom. It is the foolishness of the Jews to demand signs; they have a certain knowledge of the Name of God through long acquaintance with the Law, but the offense of the cross repels them. The foolishness of the Greeks is to demand wisdom; with Gentile folly and the philosophy of men they seek the reason why God was lifted up on the cross. And because, in consideration for the weakness of our mental powers, these things have been hidden in a mystery, this foolishness of Jews and Greeks turns to unbelief; for they denounce, as unworthy of reasonable credence, truths which their mind is inherently incapable of comprehending. But, because the world's wisdom was so foolish — for previously through God's wisdom it knew not God, that is, the splendour of the universe, and the wonderful order which He planned for His handiwork, taught it no reverence for its Creator — God was pleased through the preaching of foolishness to save them that believe, that is, through the faith of the cross to make everlasting life the lot of mortals; that so the self-confidence of human wisdom might be put to shame, and salvation found where men had thought that foolishness dwelt. For Christ, Who is foolishness to Gentiles, and offense to Jews, is the Power of God and the Wisdom of God; because what seems weak and foolish to human apprehension in the things of God transcends in true wisdom and might the thoughts and the powers of earth.

Therefore, we must not judge God's actions by human abilities. Those who are His creation must not sit in judgment over their Creator. We must embrace foolishness in order to gain wisdom—not the foolishness of reckless conclusions, but the foolishness of a humble awareness of our own weakness. In this way, the evidence of God's power will teach us truths that earthly philosophy's arguments cannot reach. For when we become fully aware of our own foolishness and have experienced the helplessness and poverty of our reason, then through the guidance of Divine Wisdom we will be taught the wisdom of God. We will set no limits on His limitless majesty and power, nor will we confine the Lord of nature to nature's laws. We can be certain that for us the one true faith concerning God is that which He is both the Author and the Witness of.

26. And therefore the action of God must not be canvassed by human faculties; the Creator must not be judged by those who are the work of His hands. We must clothe ourselves in foolishness that we may gain wisdom; not in the foolishness of hazardous conclusions, but in the foolishness of a modest sense of our own infirmity, that so the evidence of God's power may teach us truths to which the arguments of earthly philosophy cannot attain. For when we are fully conscious of our own foolishness, and have felt the helplessness and destitution of our reason, then through the counsels of Divine Wisdom we shall be initiated into the wisdom of God; setting no bounds to boundless majesty and power, nor tying the Lord of nature down to nature's laws; sure that for us the one true faith concerning God is that of which He is at once the Author and the Witness.