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Epistles on the Arian Heresy

Alexander of Alexandria

Section 8

About this work

Author: Alexander of Alexandria

8. And His proper and peculiar, natural and

‹ Section 7 Section 9 ›

excellent

Sonship

,

St

.

Paul

has

declared

,

who

thus

speaks

of

God

:

“

Who

spared

not

His

own

Son

,

but

for

us

,

”

who

were

not

His

natural

sons

,

“

delivered

Him

up

.

”

For

to

distinguish

Him

from

those

who

are

not

properly

sons

,

He

said

that

He

was

His

own

Son

.

And

in

the

Gospel

we

read

:

“

This

is

My

beloved

Son

,

in

whom

I

am

well

pleased

.

”

Moreover

,

in

the

Psalms

the

Saviour

says

:

“

The

Lord

hath

said

unto

Me

,

Thou

art

my

Son

.

”

Where

,

showing

that

He

is

the

true

and

genuine

Son

,

He

signifies

that

there

are

no

other

genuine

sons

besides

Himself

.

And

what

,

too

,

is

the

meaning

of

this

:

“

From

the

womb

before

the

morning

I

begat

thee

”

?

Does

He

not

plainly

indicate

the

natural

sonship

of

paternal

bringing

forth

,

which

he

obtained

not

by

the

careful

framing

of

His

manners

,

not

by

the

exercise

of

and

increase

in

virtue

,

but

by

property

of

nature

?

Wherefore

,

the

only

-

begotten

Son

of

the

Father

,

indeed

,

possesses

an

indefectible

Sonship

;

but

the

adoption

of

rational

sons

belongs

not

to

them

by

nature

,

but

is

prepared

for

them

by

the

probity

of

their

life

,

and

by

the

free

gift

of

God

.

And

it

is

mutable

as

the

Scripture

recognises

:

“

For

when

the

sons

of

God

saw

the

daughters

of

men

,

they

took

them

wives

,

”

etc

.

And

in

another

place

:

“

I

have

nourished

and

brought

up

children

,

but

they

have

rebelled

against

Me

,

”

as

we

find

God

speaking

by

the

prophet

Isaiah

.

Notes

19
Rom. viii. 32.
20
Matt. iii. 17.
21
Ps. xi. 7.
22
Ps. cx. 3 (LXX.).
23
Gen. vi. 2.
24
Isa. i. 2.