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23. The Word of God, then, the only-begotten Son of the
Father, in all things like and equal to the Father, God of God,
Light of Light, Wisdom of Wisdom, Essence of Essence, is
altogether that which the Father is, yet is not the Father, because
the one is Son, the other is Father. And hence He knows all that
the Father knows; but to Him to know, as to be, is from the
Father, for to know and to be is there one. And therefore, as to be
is not to the Father from the Son, so neither is to know.
Accordingly, as though uttering Himself, the Father begat the Word
equal to Himself in all things; for He would not have uttered
Himself wholly and perfectly, if there were in His Word anything
more or less than in Himself. And here that is recognized in the
highest sense, "Yea, yea; nay, nay." And therefore this Word
is truly truth, since whatever is in that knowledge from which it is
born is also in itself and whatever is not in that knowledge is not in
the Word. And this Word can never have anything false, because it
is unchangeable, as He is from whom it is. For "the Son can do
nothing of Himself, but what He seeth the Father do." Through
power He cannot do this; nor is it infirmity, but strength, by which
truth cannot be false. Therefore God the Father knows all things in
Himself, knows all things in the Son; but in Himself as though
Himself, in the Son as though His own Word which Word is spoken
concerning all those things that are in Himself. Similarly the Son
knows all things, viz. in Himself, as things which are born of those
which the Father knows in Himself, and in the Father, as those of
which they are born, which the Son Himself knows in Himself. The
Father then, and the Son know mutually; but the one by begetting,
the other by being born. And each of them sees simultaneously all
things that are in their knowledge, in their wisdom, in their
essence: not by parts or singly, as though by alternately looking from
this side to that, and from that side to this, and again from this or
that object to this or that object, so as not to be able to see some
things without at the same time not seeing others; but, as I said,
sees all things simultaneously, whereof there is not one that He does
not always see.
24. And that word, then, of ours which has neither sound nor
thought of sound, but is of that thing in seeing which we speak
inwardly, and which therefore belongs to no tongue; and hence is in
some sort like, in this enigma, to that Word of God which is also
God; since this too is born of our knowledge, in such manner as that
also is born of the knowledge of the Father: such a word, I say, of
ours, which we find to be in some way like that Word, let us not be
slow to consider how unlike also it is, as it may be in our power to
utter it.
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