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1. Some think themselves hindered from admitting the equality of the
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, because it is written, "Christ,
the power of God, and the wisdom of God;" in that, on this
ground, there does not appear to be equality; because the Father is
not Himself power and wisdom, but the begetter of power and wisdom.
And, in truth, the question is usually asked with no common
earnestness, in what way God can be called the Father of power and
wisdom. For the apostle says, "Christ the power of God, and the
wisdom of God." And hence some on our side have reasoned in this way
against the Arians, at least against those who at first set themselves
up against the Catholic faith. For Arius himself is reported to have
said, that if He is a Son, then He was born; if He was born,
there was a time when the Son was not: not understanding that even to
be born is, to God, from all eternity; so that the Son is
co-eternal with the Father, as the brightness which is produced and
is spread around by fire is co-eval with it, and would be
co-eternal, if fire were eternal. And therefore some of the later
Arians have abandoned that opinion, and have confessed that the Son
of God did not begin to be in time. But among the arguments which
those on our side used to hold against them who said that there was a
time when the Son was not, some were wont to introduce such an
argument as this: If the Son of God is the power and wisdom of
God, and God was never without power and wisdom, then the Son is
co-eternal with God the Father; but the apostle says, "Christ the
power of God, and the wisdom of God;" and a man must be senseless
to say that God at any time had not power or wisdom; therefore there
was no time when the Son was not.
2. Now this argument compels us to say that God the Father is not
wise, except by having the wisdom which He begat, not by the Father
in Himself being wisdom itself. Further, if it be so, just as the
Son also Himself is called God of God, Light of Light, we must
consider whether He can be called wisdom of wisdom, if God the
Father is not wisdom itself, but only the begetter of wisdom. And if
we hold this, why is He not the begetter also of His own greatness,
and of His own goodness, and of His own eternity, and of His own
omnipotence; so that He is not Himself His own greatness, and His
own goodness, and His own eternity, and His own omnipotence; but is
great with that greatness which He begat, and good with that
goodness, and eternal with that eternity, and omnipotent with that
omnipotence, which was born of Him; just as He Himself is not His
own wisdom, but is wise with that wisdom which was born of Him? For
we need not be afraid of being compelled to say that there are many sons
of God, over and above the adoption of the creature, co-eternal with
the Father, if He be the begetter of His own greatness, and
goodness, and eternity, and omnipotence. Because it is easy to reply
to this cavil, that it does not at all follow, because many things are
named, that He should be the Father of many co-eternal sons; just
as it does not follow that He is the Father of two sons, because
Christ is said to be the power of God, and the wisdom of God. For
that certainly is the power which is the wisdom, and that is the wisdom
which is the power; and in like manner, therefore, of the rest also;
so that that is the greatness which is the power, or any other of those
things which either have been mentioned above, or may hereafter be
mentioned.
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