John Chrysostom, Against Jews, Gentiles, and Heretics

Such a Son does not exist. Why then do we contend? No, may it not be! Let us see then to whom Paul was speaking, and for whose sake this was said. But pay close attention to my words. Since the Greeks worshipped polytheism, and the Jews monarchy, in order that he might abolish both polytheism and monarchy, for this reason he said: For whether there are many gods, and many lords, whether in heaven, or on earth, yet for us there is one God, the Father. And by saying “one,” he abolished polytheism; for where there is one, there are not many; and by saying “Father,” he abolished monarchy; for where there is a father, it is clear there is also a son. For this reason, then, he said: One God the Father, from whom are all things, and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things. You see that Paul was arguing against Greeks and Jews; for this reason he said: One Lord Jesus Christ through whom are all things; since all things came to be through the Son, things visible and invisible. And hear John saying: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him nothing came into being. You see that he is the creator of all things. Do you dare to show me that the Son is numbered among all things? But you foolish ones, how long will you go about culling from the Scriptures, that you might somewhere call the Son a creature and a thing made? Do you wish to learn? If they hear a lofty or god-befitting saying about the Son, they go mad; they think that someone is throwing dung into their mouths. I wish to give you an example. Just as if someone were burning with sickness and many fevers, and when he has a little relief, the doctors order his mouth to be smeared with honey; and they do so as the doctors order; and while the sick man is being cared for by the attendants, the sick one thinks that the honey is bitter; and then those present say, “It is honey, sir, it is good,” urging the sick man; but the honey seems bitter in the mouth of the sick one, not because the honey is bitter; for what is sweeter than honey? therefore it is not because of the nature of the honey, but because of the sickness of the one not receiving it; so also it is in their case; if they hear “of one substance,” they think they are being made to drink bitterness, and it is not because of the word of the speaker, but because of the weak hearing of the one not receiving it. The Father calls him Son; the apostles likewise, and these people call him a creature and a thing made. How a creature? Are begetting and creating the same thing? If everyone who begets creates, and everyone who creates begets, we find all created things to be offspring of God; for since all things came to be through the Son, therefore in creating them he also begot them.

Do you see that they are offspring of God, as you say? How long will you be foolish? Tell me, in what way is the Son honored? Because he is called Son? You too. But what? Because God? You too. But you have to tell me: He in reality, but you in name. If in reality? Then he is a Son. You see that your mouth convicts you? not a creature, not a thing made. For he is Son by nature, but you by appellation; he was begotten from the eternal Father, but you were made from pre-existing matter. These things have been said by me against Jews and Greeks and heretics. But let us glorify the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Υἱὸν τοιοῦτος οὐκ ἔστι. Τί οὖν φιλονεικοῦμεν; Οὐχὶ, μὴ γένοιτο! Ἴδωμεν οὖν τίσι διελέγετο ὁ Παῦλος, καὶ διὰ τίνας τοῦτο εἴρηται. Ἀλλὰ προσέχετέ μου μετὰ ἀκριβείας τῷ λόγῳ. Ἐπειδὴ Ἕλληνες πολυθεΐαν ἐσέβοντο, οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι δὲ μοναρχίαν, ἵνα δὴ καὶ τὴν πολυθεΐαν ἀνέλῃ καὶ τὴν μοναρχίαν, διὰ τοῦτο ἔλεγεν· Εἴτε γάρ εἰσι θεοὶ πολλοὶ, καὶ κύριοι πολλοὶ, εἴτε ἐν οὐρανῷ, εἴτε ἐπὶ γῆς, ἀλλ' ἡμῖν εἷς Θεὸς ὁ Πατήρ. Καὶ εἰπὼν τὸ, εἷς, ἀνεῖλε τὴν πολυθεΐαν· ὅπου γὰρ εἷς, οὐκ εἰσὶ πολλοί· καὶ εἰπὼν Πατέρα, ἀνεῖλε τὴν μοναρχίαν· ὅπου γὰρ πατὴρ, δῆλον ὅτι καὶ υἱός. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο γοῦν εἶπεν· Εἷς Θεὸς ὁ Πατὴρ, ἐξ οὗ τὰ πάντα, καὶ εἷς Κύριος Ἰησοῦς Χριστὸς, δι' οὗ τὰ πάντα. Ὁρᾷς ὅτι πρὸς Ἕλληνας καὶ Ἰουδαίους ἀπεδιδύσκετο ὁ Παῦλος· διὰ τοῦτο εἶπεν· Εἷς Κύριος Ἰησοῦς Χριστὸς δι' οὗ τὰ πάντα· ἐπειδὴ τὰ πάντα διὰ τοῦ Υἱοῦ γεγόνασιν, τὰ ὁρατὰ καὶ τὰ ἀόρατα. Καὶ ἄκουε Ἰωάννου λέγοντος· Ἐν ἀρχῇ ἦν ὁ Λόγος, καὶ ὁ Λόγος ἦν πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν, καὶ Θεὸς ἦν ὁ Λόγος. Οὗτος ἦν ἐν ἀρχῇ πρὸς τὸν Θεόν. Πάντα δι' αὐτοῦ ἐγένετο, καὶ χωρὶς αὐτοῦ ἐγένετο οὐδέν. Ὁρᾷς ὅτι οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ τῶν ἁπάντων δημιουργός. Μὴ τολμᾷς μοι δεῖξαι ὅτι ὁ Υἱὸς σὺν τοῖς πᾶσιν ἀριθμεῖται; Ἀλλ' ἀγνώμονες, ἕως πότε περιέρχεσθε τὰς Γραφὰς ἀνθολογοῦντες, ἵνα που τὸν Υἱὸν εἴπητε κτίσμα καὶ ποίημα; Θέλετε μαθεῖν; Ἐὰν ἀκούσωσι περὶ τοῦ Υἱοῦ ὑψηλὸν ῥῆμα ἢ θεοπρεπὲς, μαίνονται· νομίζουσιν ὅτι κοπρίαν τις βάλλει εἰς τὸ στόμα αὐτῶν. Βούλομαι ὑμῖν ὑπόδειγμα εἰπεῖν. Ὥσπερ ἄν τις ἀῤῥωστίᾳ καὶ πυρετοῖς πολλοῖς φλέγηται, ὀλίγον δὲ αὐτοῦ ἐν ἀνέσει ἐλθόντος προστάττωσιν οἱ ἰατροὶ μέλιτος περιχρίεσθαι τὸ στόμα αὐτοῦ· ποιοῦσι δὲ οὕτω καθὼς προστάττουσιν οἱ ἰατροί· ἐπιμελουμένου δὲ τοῦ ἀῤῥωστοῦντος ὑπὸ τῶν ὑπηρετῶν, νομίζει ὁ ἀῤῥωστῶν, ὅτι πικρόν ἐστι τὸ μέλι· καὶ λοιπὸν λέγουσιν οἱ παρεστῶτες, μέλι ἐστὶ, κύριε, καλόν ἐστι, προτρεπόμενοι τὸν ἀῤῥωστοῦντα· πικρὸν δὲ φαίνεται τὸ μέλι εἰς τὸ στόμα τοῦ ἀσθενοῦντος, οὐχ ὅτι πικρόν ἐστι τὸ μέλι· τί γὰρ γλυκύτερον μέλιτος; οὐκοῦν οὐ παρὰ τὴν φύσιν τοῦ μέλιτος, ἀλλὰ παρὰ τὴν ἀσθένειαν τοῦ μὴ ὑποδεχομένου· οὕτω καὶ ἐπὶ τούτων γίνεται· ἐὰν ἀκούσωσιν ὁμοούσιον, νομίζουσι πικρίαν ποτίζεσθαι, καὶ οὐ παρὰ τὸν λόγον τοῦ λέγοντος, ἀλλὰ παρὰ τὴν ἀσθενῆ ἀκοὴν τοῦ μὴ ὑποδεχομένου. Ὁ Πατὴρ Υἱὸν καλεῖ· οἱ ἀπόστολοι ὁμοίως, καὶ οὗτοι κτίσμα καὶ ποίημα. Πῶς κτίσμα; τὸ γεννᾷν καὶ τὸ κτίζειν τὸ αὐτό ἐστιν; Εἰ πᾶς ὁ γεννῶν κτίζει, καὶ πᾶς ὁ κτίζων γεννᾷ, εὑρίσκομεν πάντα τὰ κτίσματα ἔγγονα τυγχάνοντα τοῦ Θεοῦ· ἐπειδὴ γὰρ πάντα διὰ τοῦ Υἱοῦ γεγόνασιν, οὐκοῦν κτίσας αὐτὰ καὶ ἐγέννησεν.

Ὁρᾷς ὅτι ἔγγονα τυγχάνουσι τοῦ Θεοῦ, καθὼς σὺ λέγεις; Ἕως πότε ἀγνώμονές ἐστε; Εἴπατέ μοι, κατὰ τίνα τρόπον τιμᾶται ὁ Υἱός; Ἐπειδὴ Υἱὸς λέγεται; Καὶ σύ. Ἀλλὰ τί; ἐπειδὴ Θεός; Καὶ σύ. Ἀλλ' ἔχεις μοι εἰπεῖν· Ἐκεῖνος πράγματι, σὺ δὲ ὀνόματι. Εἰ πράγματι; οὐκοῦν Υἱός. Ὁρᾷς, ὅτι τὸ στόμα σου ἐλέγχει σε; μήτι κτίσμα, μήτι ποίημα. Ἐκεῖνος γὰρ φύσει Υἱός ἐστι, σὺ δὲ προσηγορίᾳ· ἐκεῖνος ἐξ ἀϊδίου Πατρὸς ἐγεννήθη, σὺ δὲ ἐξ ὑποκειμένης ὕλης ἐποιήθης. Ταῦτα δέ μοι εἴρηται πρὸς Ἰουδαίους καὶ Ἕλληνας καὶ αἱρετικούς. Ἀλλ' ἡμεῖς δοξάσωμεν Πατέρα καὶ Υἱὸν καὶ ἅγιον Πνεῦμα, εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.