Athanasius of Alexandria, Other Questions

incarnate God, and Christ the Son and Word of God and God, because He wore the form of man. Question 18. And what reason, or what need did God have, t

in birth and after birth he kept her a pure virgin. Along with these things, hear also another light-shining and most wonderful image, and a similar l

of the devil, this 793 and this alone might conquer the devil who conquered it. The wise God, therefore, foreknowing again that humanity alone was not

of God? say two. And which are these? The Son and the Spirit. And why are they called caused? Because 785 the Son is begotten, and does not beget; and the Spirit proceeds, and does not cause to proceed. Q. 13. In the Holy Trinity who is first? A. In the Holy Trinity no one is first, and no one is last, but at once Father, at once Son, at once Holy Spirit; and for this reason they are called co-unoriginate, and unoriginate. That which exists before the beginning is called unoriginate. Therefore, the Father is unoriginate, the Son is unoriginate, the Holy Spirit is unoriginate. And not one first, and another last, but the three at once, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. For this reason they both are and are called co-unoriginate. Q. 14. Clarify for us this also, how the Son and Word of God is begotten from the Father; for this amazes us. A. Since God is invisible and ineffable, we are not able to explain this either. For how can one explain what one has not yet seen, or has ever heard from others? But from his works, I mean, of the Word and God, let us speak typologically, as far as is possible. It must be understood that, just as the word of man is born from the soul without seed and incomprehensibly, so also the Word is begotten from the Father. And as fire is begotten from fire, and light from light, so the Son and Word of God is begotten from the Father. Q. 15. And how does the Holy Spirit proceed from the Father? A. You should not ask about this either. For this too is ineffable. But learn about this also. Therefore, as the breath of man proceeds from the soul, so also the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father. And as Eve was neither begotten nor unbegotten, but in-between, so also the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father. For Adam was unbegotten, but Seth was begotten, and Eve proceeded. For Eve was neither begotten, as Seth was begotten, nor was she unbegotten, like Adam; but she proceeded from the side of Adam. And Adam was unbegotten as a type of the unbegotten Father; and Seth was begotten as a type of the begotten Son; and Eve proceeded from the side of Adam as a type of the all-holy Spirit. For the Holy Trinity was prefigured in our forefathers. But Adam, and Seth, and Eve were bodies, and were separate from one another; but God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit are neither bodies, nor are they separate from one another. Only the type of the unbegottenness of the Father is seen in the unbegotten Adam, and the type of the generation of the Son in the begotten Seth, and the type of the procession of the Holy Spirit is seen in the proceeding Eve. And so understand this also. Question 16. Is God contained in one place, or not? A. Apply your mind, and understand that God is a light invisible and uncontained; God is neither seen, nor is he contained anywhere. And since he is not contained in the whole, how is it possible for him to appear or 788 be understood by any? Whom neither Moses the God-seer, nor the disciples of his Word on that mountain of transfiguration, nor anyone else was ever able to see the naked divinity; so that it is clear that he is not contained in one place, but God is present everywhere. And these things concern theology; but from now on we shall begin to speak also about the economy, that is, about the incarnation of the Son and Word of God. Q. 17. Behold, I ask you a question, and you answer me. You have taught us about the Holy Trinity, that God is of three hypostases, and that they are Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Now I ask you: Who is this Christ? I wish to learn about this. A. You have surely heard about the Holy Trinity, that one person is called Father, the other Son, and the other person is called Holy Spirit. Behold, therefore, know that this Son and Word of God the Father clothed himself in the flesh of man, and walked as a man upon the earth. He was therefore named Christ, because he was anointed, that is, he put on the flesh of man. And for this reason he is called

Θεοῦ; εἰπὲ δύο. Ποῖα δὲ ταῦτα; Ὁ Υἱὸς καὶ τὸ Πνεῦμα. Καὶ διὰ τί λέγονται αἰτιατά; ∆ιότι 785 γεννᾶται ὁ Υἱὸς, καὶ οὐ γεννᾷ· ἐκπορεύεται δὲ καὶ τὸ Πνεῦμα, καὶ οὐκ ἐκπορεύει. Ἐρώτ. ιγʹ. Ἐπὶ τῆς ἁγίας Τριάδος τίς πρῶτος; Ἀπόκ. Ἐπὶ τῆς ἁγίας Τριάδος οὐδεὶς πρῶτος, καὶ οὐδεὶς ὕστερος, ἀλλ' ἅμα Πατὴρ, ἅμα Υἱὸς, ἅμα Πνεῦμα ἅγιον· καὶ διὰ τοῦτο καὶ συνάναρχοι λέγον ται, καὶ ἄναρχοι. Ἄναρχον δὲ λέγεται τὸ πρὸ τῆς ἀρχῆς ὄν. Ἄναρχος λοιπὸν ὁ Πατὴρ, ἄναρχος ὁ Υἱὸς, ἄναρχον τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον. Καὶ οὐχ ὁ μὲν πρῶτος, ὁ δ' ὕστερος, ἀλλ' ἅμα οἱ τρεῖς, Πατὴρ, Υἱὸς καὶ Πνεῦμα ἅγιον. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ συνάναρχοι καὶ εἰσὶ καὶ ὀνομάζονται. Ἐρώτ. ιδʹ. Σαφήνισον ἡμῖν καὶ τοῦτο, πῶς ὁ Υἱὸς καὶ Λόγος τοῦ Θεοῦ γεννᾶται ἐκ Πατρός· τοῦτο γὰρ ἐκπλήττει ἡμᾶς. Ἀπόκ. Ἐπεὶ ὁ Θεὸς ἀθεώρητός ἐστι καὶ ἀνερμή νευτος, οὐδὲ τοῦτο ἑρμηνεῦσαι δυνάμεθα. Πῶς γάρ τις ἑρμηνεῦσαι δύναται, ὃ οὐδέπω αὐτὸς ἐθεάσατο, ἢ παρ' ἄλλων ἀκήκοε πώποτε; Πλὴν ἐκ τῶν ποιημά των αὐτοῦ, φημὶ, τοῦ Λόγου καὶ Θεοῦ τυπικῶς εἴπω μεν, ὅσον τὸ κατὰ δύναμιν. Νοητέον μὲν, ὅτι, ὥσπερ ὁ λόγος τοῦ ἀνθρώπου γεννᾶται ἀπὸ τῆς ψυχῆς ἀσπόρως καὶ ἀκατανοήτως, οὕτως γεννᾶται καὶ ὁ Λόγος ἀπὸ τοῦ Πατρός. Καὶ ὡς γεννᾶται πῦρ ἐκ τοῦ πυρὸς, καὶ φῶς ἐκ τοῦ φωτὸς, οὕτως γεννᾶται ὁ Υἱὸς καὶ Λόγος τοῦ Θεοῦ ἀπὸ τοῦ Πατρός. Ἐρώτ. ιεʹ. Καὶ τὸ ἅγιον Πνεῦμα πῶς ἐκπορεύεται ἀπὸ τοῦ Πατρός; Ἀπόκ. Πρέπει σε καὶ περὶ τούτου μὴ ἐρωτᾷν. Καὶ τοῦτο γὰρ ἀνερμήνευτον. Πλὴν μάνθανε καὶ περὶ τούτου. Ὥσπερ οὖν ἡ ἀναπνοὴ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἐκ τῆς ψυχῆς ἐκπορεύεται, οὕτως καὶ τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον παρὰ τοῦ Πατρὸς ἐκπορεύεται. Καὶ ὡς ἡ Εὔα οὔτε γεννητὴ οὔτε ἀγέννητος, ἀλλὰ μέσως, οὕτως καὶ τὸ ἅγιον Πνεῦμα παρὰ τοῦ Πατρὸς ἐκπορεύεται. Καὶ γὰρ ὁ Ἀδὰμ ἀγέννητος, ὁ δὲ Σὴθ γεννητὸς, καὶ ἡ Εὔα ἐκπορευτή. Ἡ γὰρ Εὔα οὔτε ἐγεννήθη, ὡς ἐγεννήθη ὁ Σὴθ, οὔτε ἀγέννητος ἦν, ὥσπερ ὁ Ἀδάμ· ἀλλ' ἐπορεύθη ἐκ τῆς πλευρᾶς τοῦ Ἀδάμ. Καὶ ἦν ὁ Ἀδὰμ ἀγέννητος εἰς τύπον τοῦ ἀγεννήτου Πατρός· ὁ δὲ Σὴθ γεννητὸς εἰς τύπον τοῦ γεννητοῦ Υἱοῦ· καὶ ἡ Εὔα ἐκπορευτὴ ἐκ τῆς πλευρᾶς τοῦ Ἀδὰμ εἰς τύπον τοῦ παναγίου Πνεύματος. Εἰς γὰρ τοὺς προ πάτορας ἡμῶν ἐτυπώθη ἡ ἁγία Τριάς. Ἀλλ' ὁ μὲν Ἀδὰμ, καὶ ὁ Σὴθ, καὶ ἡ Εὔα σώματα ἦσαν, καὶ χωριστοὶ ἦσαν ἀπ' ἀλλήλων· ὁ δὲ Θεὸς καὶ Πατὴρ, ὁ Υἱὸς, καὶ τὸ ἅγιον πνεῦμα, οὔτε σώματά εἰσιν, οὔτε χωριστοί εἰσιν ἀπ' ἀλλήλων. Μόνος δὲ ὁ τύπος τῆς ἀγεννησίας τοῦ Πατρὸς θεωρεῖται εἰς τὸν ἀγέννητον Ἀδὰμ, καὶ ὁ τύπος τῆς γεννήσεως τοῦ Υἱοῦ εἰς τὸν γεννητὸν Σὴθ, καὶ ὁ τύπος τῆς ἐκπορεύσεως τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος θεωρεῖται εἰς τὴν ἐκπορευτὴν Εὔαν. Καὶ οὕτως νόει καὶ περὶ τούτου. Ἐρώτησις ιʹ. Ἆρα χωρεῖται ὁ Θεὸς ἐν ἑνὶ τόπῳ, ἢ οὔ; Ἀπόκ. Πρόσθες τὸν νοῦν σου, καὶ νόησον, ὅτι ὁ Θεὸς φῶς ἐστιν ἀθεώρητον καὶ ἀχώρητον· οὔτε θεωρεῖται ὁ Θεὸς, οὔτε χωρεῖταί που. Καὶ ἐπεὶ οὐ χωρεῖται εἰς τὸ πᾶν, πῶς ἔνι δυνατὸν φανῆναι ἢ 788 νοηθῆναί τισιν; Οὗτινος οὐδὲ Μωσῆς ὁ θεόπτης, οὐδὲ οἱ μαθηταὶ τοῦ Λόγου αὐτοῦ ἐν τῷ τῆς μετα μορφώσεως ἐκείνου ὄρει, οὐκ ἄλλος τίς ποτε ἠδυ νήθη γυμνὴν τὴν θεότητα θεωρῆσαι· ὥστε δῆλον, ὅτι οὐκ ἐν ἑνὶ τόπῳ χωρεῖται, ἀλλὰ πανταχοῦ πάρεστιν ὁ Θεός. Καὶ ταῦτα μὲν περὶ θεολογίας· ἀπάρτι δὲ ἀρξόμεθα λέξαι καὶ περὶ τῆς οἰκονομίας, ἤτοι περὶ τῆς σαρκώσεως τοῦ Υἱοῦ καὶ Λόγου τοῦ Θεοῦ. Ἐρώτ. ιζʹ. Ἰδοὺ ἐρώτημά σοι ἐρωτῶ, σὺ δέ μοι ἀποκρίθητι. Ἐδίδαξας ἡμῖν περὶ τῆς ἁγίας Τριάδος, ὅτι ὁ Θεὸς τρισυπόστατος ἔνι, καὶ ὅτι Πατὴρ, Υἱὸς, καὶ Πνεῦμα ἅγιον. Νῦν δὲ ἐρωτῶ σε· Οὗτος ὁ Χριστὸς τίς ἐστι; Περὶ τούτου θέλω μαθεῖν. Ἀπόκ. Πάντως ἤκουσας περὶ τῆς ἁγίας Τριάδος, ὅτι ἓν πρόσωπον καλεῖται Πατὴρ, τὸ δὲ ἕτερον Υἱὸς, καὶ τὸ ἄλλο πρόσωπον λέγεται Πνεῦμα ἅγιον. Ἰδοὺ λοιπὸν γίνωσκε, ὅτι οὗτος ὁ Υἱὸς καὶ Λόγος τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ Πατρὸς ἐνεδύθη σάρκα ἀνθρώπου, καὶ περιεπά τησεν ὡς ἄνθρωπος ἐν τῇ γῇ. Ὠνομάσθη οὖν Χρι στὸς, διότι ἐχρίσθη, ἤτοι ἐφόρεσε τὴν σάρκα τοῦ ἀνθρώπου. Καὶ διὰ τοῦτο λέγεται