Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Second Series • VOLUME 11
Sulpitius Severus, Vincent of Lerins & John Cassian
SECTION 441
Chapter II.
Chapter II. Proof that the Virgin Mother of God was not only Christotocos but also Theotocos, and that Christ is truly God. And so you say, O heretic, whoever you may be, who deny that God was born of the Virgin, that Mary the Mother of our Lord Jesus Christ ought not to be called Theotocos, i.e., Mother of God, but Christotoc…
1,352 wordsSECTION 442Chapter III.
Chapter III. Follows up the same argument with passages from the Old Testament. But as there is an abundant supply of witnesses to the holy nativity; viz., all that has been on this account written, to hear witness to it, let us examine in some slight degree an announcement about God even in the Old Testament, that you may kno…
1,791 wordsSECTION 443Chapter IV.
Chapter IV. He produces testimonies to the same doctrine from the Apostle Paul. But passing over these things which cannot possibly be unfolded because there would be no limit to the telling of them, as the blessings which he gives are without stint, it is time for us to consult the Apostle Paul, the stoutest and clearest witn…
1,190 wordsSECTION 444Chapter V.
Chapter V. From the gifts of Divine grace which we receive through Christ he infers that He is truly God. Although we began to speak some time back on this Divine grace of our Lord and Saviour, I want to say somewhat more on the same subject from the Holy Scriptures. We read in the Acts of the Apostles that the Apostle James […
970 wordsSECTION 445Chapter VI.
Chapter VI. That the power of bestowing Divine grace did not come to Christ in the course of time, but was innate in Him from His very birth. But perhaps you will say that this grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, of which the Apostle writes, was not born with Him, but was afterwards infused into Him by the descent of Divinity upon…
882 wordsSECTION 446Chapter VII.
Chapter VII. How in Christ the Divinity, Majesty, Might and Power have existed in perfection from eternity, and will continue. Therefore all grace, power, might, Divinity, aye, and the fulness of actual Divinity and glory have ever existed together with Him and in Him, whether in heaven or in earth or in the womb or at His bir…
910 wordsSECTION 447Chapter II.
Chapter II. The title of God is given in one sense to Christ, and in another to men. The name of God would for the faithful be amply sufficient to denote the glory of His Divinity, but by adding "over all, God blessed," he excludes a blasphemous and perverse interpretation of it, for fear that some evil-disposed person to depr…
1,182 wordsSECTION 448Chapter IV.
Chapter IV. From the Epistle to the Galatians he brings forward a passage to show that the weakness of the flesh in Christ was absorbed by His Divinity. The Apostle indeed declares this in the whole body of his writings, and admirably says in writing to the Galatians: "Paul an Apostle not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus C…
1,729 wordsSECTION 449Chapter VII.
Chapter VII. He shows once more by other passages of the Apostle that Christ is God. I want you to tell me, you heretic, whether in this passage He who, as the Apostle tells us, speaks in him, is man or God. If He is man, how can another's body speak in his heart? If God, then Christ is not a man but God; for since Christ spok…
830 wordsSECTION 450Chapter VIII.
Chapter VIII. When confessing the Divinity of Christ we ought not to pass over in silence the confession of the cross. But let us see what else follows. In writing to the church of Corinth, he whom we spoke of above, the instructor of all the churches viz. Paul, speaks thus: "The Jews," says he, "seek signs, and the Greeks ask…
756 wordsSECTION 451Chapter X.
Chapter X. How the apostle maintains that Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God. But let us see something more on the subject. Christ then, according to the Apostle, is the power of God and the wisdom of God. What have you to say to this? How can you get out of it? There is no place for you to escape and fly to. Chr…
1,058 wordsSECTION 452Chapter XI.
Chapter XI. He supports the same doctrine by proofs from the gospel. But perhaps it is a difficulty to you that all this time I am chiefly using the witness of the Apostle Paul alone. He is good enough for me, whom God chose, nor do I blush to call as the witness to my faith, the man whom God willed to be the teacher of the wh…
1,016 wordsSECTION 453Chapter XIII.
Chapter XIII. The confession of the blessed Peter receives a testimony to its truth from Christ Himself. But still, as I have made use of the testimony of the chief Apostle, in which he openly confessed the Lord Jesus Christ as God, let us see how He whom he confessed approved of his confession; for of far more value than the …
1,513 wordsSECTION 454Chapter XVI.
Chapter XVI. He brings forward the witness of God the Father to the Divinity of the Son. What do you say now, you heretic? Are these evidences of the faith, aye and of all your unbelief, enough for you: or would you like some more to be added to them? but what can be added after Prophets and Apostles? unless perhaps--as the Je…
1,356 wordsSECTION 455Book IV.
Book IV. Chapter I. That Christ was before the Incarnation God from everlasting. As we have finished three books with the most certain and the most valuable witnesses, whose truth is substantiated not only by human but also by Divine evidences, they would abundantly suffice to prove our case by Divine authority, especially as…
922 wordsSECTION 456Chapter III.
Chapter III. He proves from the Epistle to the Romans the eternal Divinity of Christ. And so as it is clear from the above testimony that God sent His own Son, and that He who was ever the Son of God became the Son of man, let us see whether the same Apostle gives any other testimony of the same sort elsewhere, that the truth …
985 wordsSECTION 457Chapter V.
Chapter V. How in virtue of the hypostatic union of the two natures in Christ the Word is rightly termed the Saviour, or incarnate man, and the Son of God. And so it is clear that through the mystery of the Word of God joined to man, the Word, which was sent to save men, can be termed Saviour, and the Saviour, who was born in …
1,594 wordsSECTION 458Chapter VII.
Chapter VII. He returns to the former subject, in order to show against the Nestorians that those things are said of the man, which belong to the Divine nature as it were of a Person of Divine nature, and conversely that those things are said of God, which belong to the human nature as it were of a Person of human nature, becau…
812 wordsSECTION 459Chapter IX.
Chapter IX. He corroborates this statement by the authority of the old prophets. But since up to this point we have made use more particularly of the witness, comparatively new, of evangelists and apostles, now let us bring forward the testimony of the old prophets, intermingling at times new things with old, that everybody ma…
1,200 wordsSECTION 460Chapter X.
Chapter X. He proves Christ's Divinity from the blasphemy of Judaizing Jews as well as from the confession of converts to the faith of Christ. But if you would like to have this proved to you rather from representatives of the Jews, consider the Jewish people when after their unhappy ignorance and wicked persecution they were …
731 wordsSECTION 461Chapter XII.
Chapter XII. How the title of Saviour is given to Christ in one sense, and to men in another. "Thou," he says, "art our God, and we knew Thee not, O God of Israel the Saviour." Although holy Scripture has already shown by many and clear tokens, who is here spoken of, yet it has most plainly pointed to the name of Christ by usi…
829 wordsSECTION 462Book V.
Book V. Chapter I. He vehemently inveighs against the error of the Pelagians, who declared that Christ was a mere man. We said in the first book that that heresy which copies and follows the lead of Pelagianism, strives and contends in every way to make it believed that the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, when born of the …
848 wordsSECTION 463Chapter II.
Chapter II. That the doctrine of Nestorius is closely connected with the error of the Pelagians. You say then that Christ was born a mere man. But certainly this was asserted by that wicked heresy of Pelagius, as we clearly showed in the first book; viz., that Christ was born a mere man. You add besides, that Jesus Christ the …
1,451 wordsSECTION 464Chapter V.
Chapter V. That before His birth in time Christ was always called God by the prophets. He it is then of whom the Prophet says: "For in Thee is God, and there is no God beside Thee. For Thou art our God and we knew Thee not, O God of Israel the Saviour." [2503] Who "afterwards appeared on earth and conversed with men." [2504] O…
945 wordsSECTION 465Chapter VI.
Chapter VI. He illustrates the same doctrine by passages from the New Testament. "That," says the Apostle John, "which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the word of the life: for the life was manifested: and we have seen, and…
765 wordsSECTION 466Chapter VII.
Chapter VII. He shows again from the union in Christ of two natures in one Person that what belongs to the Divine nature may rightly be ascribed to man, and what belongs to the human nature to God. And how was it the same Person before the origin of the world, who was but recently born? Because it was the same Person, who was …
1,225 wordsSECTION 467Chapter VIII.
Chapter VIII. He confirms the judgment of the Apostle by the authority of the Lord. And though this is the saying of an Apostle, yet it is the very doctrine of the Lord. For the same Person says this to Christians by His Apostle, who had Himself said something very like it to Jews in the gospel, when He said: "But now ye seek …
1,280 wordsSECTION 468Chapter X.
Chapter X. He explains what it means to confess, and what it means to dissolve Jesus. For this it is which John, the man so dear to God, foresaw from the Lord's own revelation to him and so spoke of Him, who was speaking in him. "Every spirit," he says, "which confesseth Jesus come in the flesh is of God, and every spirit that…
880 wordsSECTION 469Chapter XI.
Chapter XI. The mystery of the Lord's Incarnation clearly implies the Divinity of Christ. And so to every man who breaks out into this mad blasphemy, the Lord Jesus in the gospel Himself repeats what He said to the Pharisees, and declares: "What God hath joined together, let not man put asunder." [2529] For although where it w…
1,307 wordsSECTION 470Chapter XIII.
Chapter XIII. Of the longing with which the old patriarchs desired to see the revelation of that mystery. This mystery then, which was manifested in the flesh and appeared in the world, and was preached to the Gentiles, many of the saints of old longed to see in the flesh, as they foresaw it in the spirit. For "Verily," saith …
1,084 wordsSECTION 471Book VI.
Book VI. Chapter I. From the miracle of the feeding of the multitude from five barley loaves and two fishes he shows the majesty of Divine Power. We read in the gospel that when five loaves were at the Lord's bidding brought to Him an immense number of God's people were fed with them. But how this was done it is impossible to…
885 wordsSECTION 472Chapter III.
Chapter III. He refutes his opponent by the testimony of the Council of Antioch. Therefore since we have, as I fancy, already in all the former books with the weight of sacred testimonies, given a complete answer to the heretic who denies God, now let us come to the faith of the Creed of Antioch and its value. For as he [2547]…
1,293 wordsSECTION 473Chapter IV.
Chapter IV. How the Creed has authority Divine as well as human. You see then that the Creed has the authority of God: for "a short word will the Lord make upon the earth." But perhaps you want the authority of men: nor is that wanting, for God made it by means of men. For as He fashioned the whole body of the sacred Scripture…
1,049 wordsSECTION 474Chapter VI.
Chapter VI. Once more he challenges him to the profession of the Creed of Antioch. The Creed then, O you heretic, of which we gave the text above, though it is that of all the churches (for the faith of all is but one) is yet specially that of the city and Church of Antioch, i.e., of that Church in which you were brought up, i…
845 wordsSECTION 475Chapter VII.
Chapter VII. He continues the same line of argument drawn from the Creed of Antioch. But there follows in the Creed: "Very God of Very God; Being of one substance with the Father; by whom both the worlds were framed, and all things were made." And when you said all this, remember that you said it all of the Lord Jesus Christ. …
913 wordsSECTION 476Chapter IX.
Chapter IX. Again he convicts his opponent of deadly heresy by his own confession. But why are we arguing about words, when the facts are clear enough? and seeking for a determination of the matter from the terms of the Creed, when the Creed itself deals with the question. Let us repeat the confession of the Creed, and of you …
1,475 wordsSECTION 477Chapter XI.
Chapter XI. He removes the silent objection of heretics who want to recant the profession of their faith made in childhood. But perhaps you say that you were a baby when you were regenerated, and so were not then able to think or to contradict. It is true: that your infancy did prevent you from contradicting, when if you had b…
934 wordsSECTION 478Chapter XIII.
Chapter XIII. He replies to the objection in which they say that the child born [2563] ought to be of one substance with the mother. But indeed in your deceit and blasphemy you use a grand argument for denying and attacking the Lord God, when you say that "the child born ought to be of one substance with the mother." [2564] I …
943 wordsSECTION 479Chapter XVI.
Chapter XVI. He shows further that this teaching is destructive of the confession of the Trinity. But still even if your obstinacy and dishonesty are not restrained by this faith of the Creed, are you not, I ask you, overwhelmed by an appeal to reason and the light of truth? Tell me, I ask, whoever you are, O you heretic--At l…
976 wordsSECTION 480Chapter XVIII.
Chapter XVIII. He directs his discourse upon his antagonist with whom he is disputing, and begs him to return to his senses. The sacrament of reconciliation is necessary for the lapsed for their salvation. And so, you wretched, insane, obstinate creature, you see that you have utterly upset the whole faith of the Creed, and al…
786 wordsSource & rights
Historical text source: Christian Classics Ethereal Library. The downloaded text itself records Public Domain.