An Exact Exposition of the Orthodox Faith. John of Damascus
Cyril, Thes., assert. 32: Dionys., De divin. nom., c. 1.
49 In the first Book of his Contra Arianos Athanasius refers to Christ’s word in St. John xiv. 28. He remarks that He does not say “the Father is better (κρείσσων) than I,” lest it should be inferred that the Son is not equal to the Father in Divine nature, but of another nature; but “the Father is greater (μείζων) than I,” that is to say, not in dignity or age, but as being begotten of the Father. And further, that by the word “greater” He indicates the peculiar property of the substance (τῆς οὐσίας τὴν ἰδιότητα). This declaration of our Lord’s was understood in the same way by Basil, Gregory Nazianzenus, Cyril and others of the Greek Fathers, and by Hilary among the Latin Fathers. In the ixth and xth Books of his De Trinitate Hilary refers to this, and says that the Father is called ‘greater’ propter auctoritatem, meaning by auctoritas not power, but what the Greeks understand by αἰτιότης, causation, principle or authorship of being. So also Soebadius says that the Father is rightly called ‘greater,’ because He alone is without an author of His being. But Latin theologians usually spoke of the Father as ‘greater,’ not because He is Father, but because the Son was made Man. To this effect also Athanasius expresses himself in his De hum. carne suscepta, while Gregory Nazianzenus speaks otherwise in his Orat. 36.
50 St. John xiv. 28.
51 τοὺς αἰ& 242·νας; Heb. i. 3.
52 Greg. Naz., Orat. 37; Athan., Contr. Arian., bk. i.
53 φαίνειν, shines.
54 See Cyril, Ad Herm., dial. 2; Irenæus. iv. 14, v. 6, and John of Damascus, himself in his Dial. Contr. Manich.
55 Greg. Naz., Orat. 13, 31 and 37.
56 St. John v. 19.
57 τέλεια ὑπόστασις; a perfect hypostasis.
58 Greg. Naz., Orat. 37.
59 ἡγεμονικόν.
60 Greg. Naz., Orat. 49.
61 θεοῦν οὐ θεούμενον.
62 Text οὐ γὰρ ἔκ τινος· ἐξ ἑαυτοῦ γὰρ τὸ εἶναι ἔχει, οὐδέ τι τῶν ὅσαπερ ἔχει ἐξ ἑτέρου ἔχει· Another reading is, οὐ γὰρ ἔκ τινος τὸ ειναι ἔχει, οὐδέ τι τῶν οσα ἔχει, i.e. or He does not derive His being nor any one of His qualities from any one.
63 See Greg. Naz., Orat. 29, 35; Thomas Aquin., I. Quæst. 35, art. 1.
64 Greg. Naz., Orat. 25.
65 See Athan., Contra Arian., Orat. 3; Greg. Naz., Orat. 35. So Augustine (Contr. Max. iii. 14, De Trin. xv.). Epiphanius (Anchor.), and Gregory of Nyssa (Epist. ad Ablab.) teach that the Spirit proceeds, and is not begotten, because He is both of the Father and the Son, while the Son is only of the Father.
66 Reading, διὰ τὸ εἶναι τὸν Πατέρα: a variant is, διὰ τὸ εἶναι αὐτὸν Πατέρα, as also in Cyrilli, De Trinitate.
67 Greg. Naz., Orat. 23.
68 Ibid., Orat., 25.
69 ὑπόστασεις; hypostases.
70 See Athan., Contra Arian., Orat. 5.
71 Greg. Naz., Orat. 13 and 29: Athan., Orat. Contr. Arian.
72 The Greek is ὅθεν οὐδὲ λέγομεν τὸ εἶδος ἐξ ὑποστάσεων, ἀλλ᾽ ἐν ὑποστάσεσιν. See Basil., Orat. Contr. Sabell., Ar. et Eunom.
73 See Greg. Naz., Orat. 1 and 37.
74 Greg. Naz., Orat. 29, 34 and 40.
75 Greg. Naz., Orat. 37.
76 Ibid. 32.
77 τὴν τῆς γνώμης σύμπνοιαν; co-operation of judgment, or, disposition.
78 Greg. Naz., Orat. 40. The Greek is singular and difficult: τὸ ἕν ἔξαλμα τῆς κινήσεως; the one forthleaping of the motion, or movement. Origen speaks of ἡ ἀπ᾽ αὐτοῦ κίνησις (I. 436 A.). In Athanasius (I. 253 C.) κίνησις has the metaphorical sense of indignation.
79 Greg. Naz., Orat. 37; Greg. Nyss., Epist. ad Ablab. et Orat. 32.
80 Basil., Epist. 43.
81 St. John xiv. 11.
82 εἰς ἓν αἴτιον. So elsewhere it is put, ὥσπερ μία ἀρχή, κατὰ τοῦτο εἷς Θεός. The three Persons or Subsistences are yet One God, because of the one Principle of Being whence Son and spirit derive. So the Father is said to be the ἕνωσις ἐξ οὗ καὶ πρὸς ὃν ἄναγεται τὰ ἑξῆς.