Gregory Nazianzen the Theologian Third Theological Oration (XXIX), On the Son, Complete

Translated by Ch. Browne and J. Swallow.

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Page 10

XVII. For we have learnt to believe in and to teach the Deity of the Son from their great and lofty utterances. And what utterances are these? These: God—The Word—He That Was In The Beginning and With The Beginning, and The Beginning. "In the Beginning was The Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God," [3523] and "With Thee is the Beginning," [3524] and "He who calleth her The Beginning from generations." [3525] Then the Son is Only-begotten: The only "begotten Son which is in the bosom of the Father, it says, He hath declared Him." [3526] The Way, the Truth, the Life, the Light. "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life;" and "I am the Light of the World." [3527] Wisdom and Power, "Christ, the Wisdom of God, and the Power of God." [3528] The Effulgence, the Impress, the Image, the Seal; "Who being the Effulgence of His glory and the Impress of His Essence," [3529] and "the Image of His Goodness," [3530] and "Him hath God the Father sealed." [3531] Lord, King, He That Is, The Almighty. "The Lord rained down fire from the Lord;" [3532] and "A sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of Thy Kingdom;" [3533] and "Which is and was and is to come, the Almighty" [3534] —all which are clearly spoken of the Son, with all the other passages of the same force, none of which is an afterthought, or added later to the Son or the Spirit, any more than to the Father Himself. For Their Perfection is not affected by additions. There never was a time when He was without the Word, or when He was not the Father, or when He was not true, or not wise, or not powerful, or devoid of life, or of splendour, or of goodness.

[3523] John i. 1.

[3524] Ps. cx. 3.

[3525] Isa. xli. 4.

[3526] John i. 18.

[3527] John vii. 12; ix. 5; xiv. 6.

[3528] 1 Cor. i. 24.

[3529] Heb. i. 3 R.V.

[3530] Wisd. vii. 26.

[3531] John vi. 27.

[3532] Gen. xix. 24.

[3533] Ps. xlv. 6.

[3534] Rev. i. 8.

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