Logos 16 opening: eternity of the Son; undivided from Father’s substance
Sixteenth discourse. On the Son’s eternity, and that he came forth undividedly from the Father’s substance.
No cut in the simple nature; generation without partition.
Greek
ΛΟΓΟΣ Ις ʹ. Περὶ ἀϊδιότητος Υἱοῦ, καὶ ὅτι ἀμερίστως προῆλθεν ἐκ τῆς οὐσίας τοῦ Πατρός. Ἀντίθεσις Ἀρειανῶν· πρὸς ἢν αἱ λύσεις ἐφεξῆς. Καὶ πῶς ἂν δύναιτο, φασὶν, ἀΐδιος εἶναι ὁ Υἱός; πῶς δὲ προελθὼν ἐκ Πατρὸς, οὐ πάντως αὐτοῦ καὶ μεμέρισται;Τὸ γὰρ ἔκ τινος προελθὸν, μέρος ἂν εἴη τῆς οὐσίας, ἀφ' ἧς καὶ προελήλυθε. Τὸ δὲ ἅπαξ ἀπομερισθὲν, οὐκ ἂν ὁλόκληρον εἶναι νοοῖτο. Ἐξ ὑποδείγματος ἡ λύσις. Τί οὖν ἄρα φήσουσι συμβαίνειν περὶ τὸν ἥλιον, ὅταν ἐκπέμπῃ τὸ ἴδιον ἀπαύγασμα; Τί δὲ περὶ τὸ πῦρ νομίζουσι γίνεσθαι, ὅταν ἐξ ἑαυτοῦ τὴν θερμασίαν ἐκπέμπῃ; Μερισμοὺς ἆρα καὶ ἀποκοπὰς ἐν ταῖς τοιαύταις οὐσίαις ὑπολαμβάνουσι γίνεσθαι; Καὶ μὴ λάμπει μὲν ὁ ἥλιος κατ' οὐδένα τρόπον ἐλαττούμενος; ∆ιέλοι δ' ἂν οὐδεὶς τοπικῶς τὸ ἀπαύγασμα ἀπ' αὐτοῦ. Ἀπὸ δέ γε τοῦ πυρὸς, οὐ μεμερισμένως ὁρῶμεν τὴν θερμασίαν ἐκτρέχουσαν, ἀλλ' ἔστι τῆς τοῦ πυρὸς οὐσίας καρπὸς ἀμερίστως ἐξ αὐτῆς προϊὼν, ὥσπερ καὶ τὸ ἀπαύγασμα τοῦ φωτός. Καὶ οὐκ ἂν εἴη τὸ φῶς ποτε χωρὶς ἀπαυγάσματος, οὐδὲ τὸ πῦρ χωρὶς τοῦ θερμαίνειν. Ἀεὶ γὰρ παραπέφυκε ταῖς τοιαύταις οὐ σίαις τὰ ἐξ αὐτῶν τικτόμενα. Οὕτω μοι νόει τὸν Υἱὸν ἐκ τῆς τοῦ Πατρὸς οὐσίας προερχόμενον, ἀϊδίως τε ὄντα ἐν αὐτῷ, καὶ ἐν ἰδίᾳ νοούμενον ὑποστάσει, καὶ κατ' οὐδένα τρόπον ἐλαττοῦντα τὴν τοῦ Πατρὸς οὐσίαν, ἢ αὐτὸν ταύτης ἀπομεριζόμενον· ἀλλ' εἶναί τε αὐτὸν ἐν Πατρὶ, καὶ ἔχειν ἐν ἑαυτῷ τὸν Πατέρα, ὡς καὶ ἀληθεύειν λέγοντα· Ἐγὼ ἐν τῷ Πατρὶ, καὶ ὁ Πατὴρ ἐν ἐμοί· καὶ διὰ τὸ τῆς οὐσίας ἀπαράλλακτον, αὐτόν τε ἐν τῷ Πατρὶ, καὶ ἐν αὐτῷ φαίνεσθαι τὸν Πατέρα, οὕτω τε δύνασθαι λέγειν· Ἐγὼ καὶ ὁ Πατὴρ ἕν ἐσμεν· Ὁ ἑωρακὼς ἐμὲ, ἑώρακε τὸν Πατέρα. ΑΛΛΟ. Οἱ λέγοντες ἀποκεκόφθαι τῆς τοῦ Πατρὸς οὐσίας τὸν Υἱὸν, διὰ τὸ ἐξ αὐτῆς προελθεῖν, καὶ εἶναι μέρος λοιπὸν οὐχ ὁλόκληρον, λεγέτωσαν ἀποκεκόφθαι καὶ τοῦ φωτὸς τὸ ἀπαύγασμα, καὶ τοῦ πυρὸς τὴν ἐξ αὐτοῦ προϊοῦσαν θερμασίαν, καὶ τοῦ νοῦ τὸν λόγον· καὶ δεικνύτωσαν ὅτι μέρη ταῦτα διῃρημένως ἐστὶ τῶν οὐσιῶν, ἐξ ὦν καὶ προέρχονται, ἢ ὅτι χωρὶς μὲν ἀπαυγάσματος ἦν ποτε τὸ φῶς, χωρὶς δὲ θερμασίας τὸ πῦρ, ἄλογος δὲ ὁ νοῦς. Καὶ τότε φανταζέσθωσαν τοιαῦτά τινα καὶ περὶ τὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ Λόγον.
About this text
Cyril of Alexandria, Thesaurus on the Holy and Consubstantial Trinity (Greek). SERIES on this page: prologue + Logos I–XXXV CLOSEOUT.
English follows PG 75 Greek (CPG 5215). Greystone / Durand SC / modern English syncs were not used as wording. Thesaurus SERIES CLOSEOUT prologue + Logos I–XXXV.
Witnesses
- Copy-text PG 75 — Thesaurus de sancta et consubstantiali Trinitate (Greek)
English is newly prepared for study from the stated edition. Open Greek on each section for the source text. This is not a complete critical edition.