A Source Book for Ancient Church History Part 15

Ch. 22. What else is this voice but the Word of G.o.d, who is also His Son?

Not as the poets and writers of myths talk of the sons of the G.o.ds begotten from intercourse with women, but as the Truth expounds, the Word that always exists, residing within [_endiatheton_] the heart of G.o.d. For before anything came into existence He had Him for His counsellor, being His own mind and thought. But when G.o.d wished to make all that He had determined on, He begat this Word proceeding forth [_prophorikon_], the first-born of all creation, not being Himself emptied of the Word [_i.e._, being without reason], but having begotten Reason and always conversing with His reason.

(B) The Doctrine of the Trinity

The doctrine of the Trinity followed naturally from the doctrine of the Logos. The fuller discussion belongs to the Monarchian controversies. It is considered here as a position resulting from the general position taken by the apologists. (_V. infra_, 40.)

(_a_) Theophilus, _Ad Autolyc.u.m_, II, 15. (MSG, 6:1078.)

The following pa.s.sage is probably the earliest in which the word Trinity, or Trias, is applied to the relation of Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. It is usual in Greek theology to use the word Trias as equivalent to the Latin term Trinity. _Cf._ Tertullian, _Adv.

Praxean_, 2, for first use of the term Trinity in Latin theology.

In like manner, also, the three days, which were before the luminaries(54) are types of the Trinity (Trias) of G.o.d, and His Word, and His Wisdom.

(_b_) Athenagoras, _Supplicatio_, 10, 12. (MSG, 6:910, 914.)

Athenagoras, one of the ablest of the apologists, was, like Justin Martyr and several others, a philosopher before he became a Christian. His apology, known as _Supplicatio_, or _Legatio pro Christianis_, is his most important work. Its date is probably 177, as it is addressed to the Emperors Marcus Aurelius and Commodus.

Ch. 10. If it occurs to you to inquire what is meant by the Son, I will briefly state that He is the first product of the Father, not as having been brought into existence (for from the beginning G.o.d, who is the eternal mind [_Nous_], had the Logos in Himself, being eternally reasonable [???????]), but inasmuch as He came forth to be idea and energizing power of all material things, which lay like a nature without attributes, and an inactive earth, the grosser particles being mixed up with the lighter. The prophetic Spirit also agrees with our statements: The Lord, it says, created me the beginning of His ways to His works.

The Holy Spirit himself, also, which operates in the prophets we say is an effluence of G.o.d, flowing from Him and returning back again as a beam of the sun.

Ch. 12. Are, then, those who consider life to be this, Let us eat and drink, for to-morrow we die [_cf._ I Cor. 15:32], and who regard death as a deep sleep and forgetfulness [_cf._ Hom., _Iliad_, XVI. 672], to be regarded as living piously? But men who reckon the present life as of very small worth indeed, and are led by this one thing alongthat they know G.o.d and with Him His Logos, what is the oneness of the Son with the Father, what the communion of the Father with the Son, what is the Spirit, and what is the unity of these and their distinction, the Spirit, the Son, and the Fatherand who know that the life for which we look is far better than can be described in word, provided we arrive at it pure from all wrong-doing, and who, moreover, carry our benevolence to such an extent that we not only love our friends shall we, I say, when such we are and when we thus live that we may escape condemnation, not be regarded as living piously?

(C) Moralistic Christianity

The moralistic conception of Christianity, _i.e._, the view of Christianity as primarily a moral code by the observance of which eternal life was won, remained fixed in Christian thought along with the philosophical conception of the faith as formulated by the apologists.

This moralism was the opposite pole to the conceptions of the Asia Minor school, the Augustinian theology, and the whole mystical conception of Christianity.

For additional source material, see above, 16.

Theophilus, _Ad Autolyc.u.m_, II, 27. (MSG, 6:27.)

G.o.d made man free and with power over himself. That [death], man brought upon himself through carelessness and disobedience, this [life], G.o.d vouchsafes to him as a gift through His own love for man and pity when men obey Him. For as man, disobeying, drew death upon himself, so, obeying the will of G.o.d, he who desires is able to procure for himself everlasting life. For G.o.d has given us a law and holy commandments; and every one who keeps these can be saved, and obtaining the resurrection, can inherit incorruption.

(D) Argument from Hebrew Prophecy

The appeal to the fulfilment of Hebrew prophecy was the main argument of the apologists for the divine character of the mission of Christ. The exegesis of the prophetic writings was in the spirit of the times. Hebrew prophecy was also regarded as the source of all knowledge of G.o.d outside of Israel. The theory that the Greeks and other nations borrowed was employed to show the connection; in this the apologists followed Philo Judus. No attempt was made either by them or by Clement of Alexandria to remove the inconsistency of this theory of borrowing with the doctrine of the Logos; see above, under Logos Doctrine; also 20.

Justin Martyr, _Apol._, I, 30, 44. (MSG, 6:374, 394.)

Additional source material: Justin Martyr, _Dial. c. Tryph._, _pa.s.sim_.

Ch. 30. But lest any one should say in opposition to us: What should prevent that He whom we call Christ, being a man born of men, performed what we call His mighty works by magical art, and by this appeared to be the Son of G.o.d? We will offer proof, not trusting to mere a.s.sertions, but being of necessity persuaded by those who prophesied of Him before these things came to pa.s.s.

Ch. 44. Whatever both philosophers and poets have said concerning the immortality of the soul, or punishments after death, or contemplation of things heavenly, or doctrines of the like kind, they have received such suggestions from the prophets as have enabled them to understand and interpret these things. And hence there seem to be seeds of truth among all men.

33. The Asia Minor Conception of Christianity

The Asia Minor school regarded Christianity primarily as redemption, salvation, the imparting of new power, life, and incorruptibility by union with divinity in the Incarnation. Its leading representative was Irenus, a native of Asia Minor, but many of his leading ideas had been antic.i.p.ated by Ignatius of Antioch, and they were shared by many others.

The theology of Irenus influenced Tertullian to some extent, but its essential points were reproduced by Athanasius, who was directly indebted to Irenus, and through him it superseded in the Neo-Alexandrian school the tradition derived through Origen and Clement from the apologists.

Characteristic features of the Asia Minor theology are the place a.s.signed to the Incarnation as itself effecting redemption or salvation, the idea of recapitulation whereby Christ becomes the head of a new race of redeemed men, a second Adam, and of the eucharist as imparting the incorruptibility of Christs immortal flesh which is received by the faithful.

(_a_) Irenus, _Adv. Hr._, V, 1. (MSG, 7:1119.)

The position of the Incarnation in the system and its relation to redemption.

In no other way could we have learned the things of G.o.d, if our Master, existing previously as the Word, had not been made man. For no one else could have declared to us the truths of the Father than the Fathers own Word. For who else knew the mind of the Lord or who else has been his counsellor? [Rom. 11:34]. Nor again in any other way could we have learned except by seeing our Master with our eyes and hearing His voice with our ears; that so as imitators of His acts and doers of His words we might have fellowship with Him and receive of the fulness of Him who is perfect and who was before all creation. All this we have been made in these latter days by Him who only is supremely good and who has the gift of incorruptibility; inasmuch as we are conformed to His likeness and predestinated to become what we never were before, according to the foreknowledge of the Father, made a first-fruit of His workmanship, we have, therefore, received all this at the foreordained season, according to the dispensation of the Word, who is perfect in all things. For He, who is the mighty Word and very man, redeeming us by His blood in a reasonable manner, gave Himself as a ransom for those who had been led into captivity. And since apostasy tyrannized over us unjustly, for though by nature we were G.o.ds possession, it yet alienated us contrary to nature, making us its own disciples, the Word of G.o.d, powerful in all things and constant in His justice, dealt justly even with apostasy itself, redeeming from it what was His own property. Not by force, the way in which the apostasy had originally gained its mastery over us, greedily grasping at that which was not its own; but by moral force [_secundum suadelam_] as became G.o.d, by persuasion and not by force, regaining what He wished; so that justice might not be violated and G.o.ds ancient handiwork might not perish. Therefore, since by His own blood the Lord redeemed us and gave His soul for our soul, and His flesh for our flesh, and shed on us His Fathers spirit to unite and join us in communion G.o.d and man, bringing G.o.d down to men by the descent of the Spirit, and raising up man to G.o.d by His incarnation, and by a firm and true promise giving us at His advent incorruptibility by communion with Him, and thus all the errors of the heretics are destroyed.

(_b_) Irenus. _Adv. Hr._, III. 18:1, 7. (MSG, 6:932, 937.)

The following is a statement by Irenus of his doctrine of recapitulation, which combines the idea of the second Adam of Paul and the Johannine theology.

Ch. 1. Since it has been clearly demonstrated that the Word, who existed in the beginning with G.o.d, and by whom all things were made, who also was present with the human race, was in these last days, according to the time appointed by the Father, united to His own workmanship, having been made a man liable to suffering, every objection is set aside of those who say: If Christ was born at that time, He did not exist before that time. For I have shown that the Son of G.o.d did not then begin to be, since He existed with His Father always; but when He was incarnate, and was made man, He commenced afresh [_in seipso recapitulavit_] the long line of human beings, and furnished us in a brief and comprehensive manner with salvation; so that what we had lost in Ad.a.m.namely, to be according to the image and likeness of G.o.dthat we might recover in Christ Jesus.

Ch. 7. He caused human nature to cleave to and to become one with G.o.d, as we have said. For if man had not overcome the adversary of man, the enemy would not have been legitimately overcome. And again, if G.o.d had not given salvation, we could not have had it securely. And if man had not been united to G.o.d, he could never have become a partaker of incorruptibility.

For it was inc.u.mbent upon the Mediator between G.o.d and man, by His relationship to both, to bring about a friendship and concord, and to present man to G.o.d and to reveal G.o.d to man. For in what way could we be partakers of the adoption of sons, if we had not received from Him, through the Son, that fellowship which refers to Himself, if the Word, having been made flesh, had not entered into communion with us? Wherefore He pa.s.sed also through every stage of life restoring to all communion with G.o.d.

(_c_) Irenus, _Adv. Hr._, IV, 18:5. (MSG, 6:1027 _f._)

The conception of redemption as the imparting of incorruptibility connected itself easily with the doctrine of the eucharist, which had been called by Ignatius of Antioch the medicine of immortality (_v. supra_, 12). With this pa.s.sage compare Irenus, _Adv. Hr._, IV, 17:5.