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Epistles on the Arian Heresy

Alexander of Alexandria

Section 4

About this work

Author: Alexander of Alexandria

4. But that the Son of God was not

‹ Section 3 Section 5 ›

made

“

from

things

which

are

not

,

”

and

that

there

was

no

“

time

when

He

was

not

,

”

the

evangelist

John

sufficiently

shows

,

when

he

thus

writes

concerning

Him

:

“

The

only

-

begotten

Son

,

who

is

in

the

bosom

of

the

Father

.

”

For

since

that

divine

teacher

intended

to

show

that

the

Father

and

the

Son

are

two

things

inseparable

the

one

from

the

other

,

he

spoke

of

Him

as

being

in

the

bosom

of

the

Father

.

Now

that

also

the

Word

of

God

is

not

comprehended

in

the

number

of

things

that

were

created

“

from

things

which

are

not

,

”

the

same

John

says

,

“

All

things

were

made

by

Him

.

”

For

he

set

forth

His

proper

personality

,

saying

,

“

In

the

beginning

was

the

Word

,

and

the

Word

was

with

God

,

and

the

Word

was

God

.

All

things

were

made

by

Him

;

and

without

Him

was

not

anything

made

that

was

made

.

”

For

if

all

things

were

made

by

Him

,

how

comes

it

that

He

who

gave

to

the

things

which

are

made

their

existence

,

at

one

time

Himself

was

not

.

For

the

Word

which

makes

is

not

to

be

defined

as

being

of

the

same

nature

with

the

things

which

are

made

;

since

He

indeed

was

in

the

beginning

,

and

all

things

were

made

by

Him

,

and

fashioned

“

from

things

which

are

not

.

”

Moreover

,

that

which

is

seems

to

be

contrary

to

and

far

removed

from

those

things

which

are

made

“

from

things

which

are

not

.

”

For

that

indeed

shows

that

there

is

no

interval

between

the

Father

and

the

Son

,

since

not

even

in

thought

can

the

mind

imagine

any

distance

between

them

.

But

that

the

world

was

created

“

from

things

which

are

not

,

”

indicates

a

more

recent

and

later

origin

of

substance

,

since

the

universe

receives

an

essence

of

this

sort

from

the

Father

by

the

Son

.

When

,

therefore

,

the

most

pious

John

contemplated

the

essence

of

the

divine

Word

at

a

very

great

distance

,

and

as

placed

beyond

all

conception

of

those

things

that

are

begotten

,

he

thought

it

not

meet

to

speak

of

His

generation

and

creation

;

not

daring

to

designate

the

Creator

in

the

same

terms

as

the

things

that

are

made

.

Not

that

the

Word

is

unbegotten

,

for

the

Father

alone

is

unbegotten

,

but

because

the

inexplicable

subsistence

of

the

only

-

begotten

Son

transcends

the

acute

comprehension

of

the

evangelists

,

and

perhaps

also

of

angels

.

Notes

7
[The two tests, or criteria, of Arianism. The Arians affirmed (1) the formula ἐξ οὐκ ὄντων , and (2) the ἦν ποτε ὅτε οὐκ ἦν.
8
John i. 18.
9
John i. 1–3.