Chap. VII.—Of the Name of Son, and Whence He is Called Jesus and Christ.

Some one may perhaps ask who this is who is so powerful, so beloved by God, and what name He has, who was not only begotten at first before the world,503    Literally, “whose first nativity not only preceded the world.” He speaks of the eternal generation of the Son, as distinguished from His incarnation, which he afterwards speaks of as His second nativity. [See vol. vi. p. 7.]   but who also arranged it by His wisdom and constructed it by His might. First of all, it is befitting that we should know that His name is not known even to the angels who dwell in heaven, but to Himself only, and to God the Father; nor will that name be published, as the sacred writings relate, before that the purpose of God shall be fulfilled. In the next place, we must know that this name cannot be uttered by the mouth of man, as Hermes teaches, saying these things: “Now the cause of this cause is the will of the divine good which produced God, whose name cannot be uttered by the mouth of man.” And shortly afterwards to His Son: “There is, O Son, a secret word of wisdom, holy respecting the only Lord of all things, and the God first perceived504    Or, perceiving.   by the mind, to speak of whom is beyond the power of man.” But although His name, which the supreme Father gave Him from the beginning, is known to none but Himself, nevertheless He has one name among the angels, and another among men, since He is called Jesus505    Jesus, that is, [Joshua = ] Saviour.   among men: for Christ is not a proper name, but a title of power and dominion; for by this the Jews were accustomed to call their kings. But the meaning of this name must be set forth, on account of the error of the ignorant, who by the change of a letter are accustomed to call Him Chrestus.506    Suetonius speaks of Christ as Chrestus. The Christians also were called Chrestians, as Tertullian shows in his Apology. The word χρηστός has the signification of kind, gentle, good. [Vol. i. p. 163.]   The Jews had before been directed to compose a sacred oil, with which those who were called to the priesthood507    Each has reference to Christ, as He is King and Priest. Of the anointing of kings, see 1 Sam., and of priests, Lev. viii. [Of prophets, 1 Kings xix. 16.] The priesthood of Christ is most fully set forth in the Epistle to the Hebrews.   or to the kingdom might be anointed. And as now the robe of purple508    Thus Horatius, Carm., i. 35, “Purpurei metuunt tyranni;” and Gray, Ode to Adversity, “Purple tyrants vainly groan.”   is a sign of the assumption of royal dignity among the Romans, so with them the anointing with the holy oil conferred the title and power of king. But since the ancient Greeks used the word χρίεσθαι to express the art of anointing, which they now express by ἀλείφεσθαι, as the verse of Homer shows,  

on this account we call Him Christ, that is, the Anointed, who in Hebrew is called the Messias. Hence in some Greek writings, which are badly translated510    Interpretatæ sunt, used here in a passive sense.   from the Hebrew, the word eleimmenos511    ἠλειμμένος.   is found written, from the word aleiphesthai,512    ἀλείφεσθαι.   anointing. But, however, by either name a king is signified: not that He has obtained this earthly kingdom, the time for receiving which has not yet arrived, but that He sways a heavenly and eternal kingdom, concerning which we shall speak in the last book. But now let us speak of His first nativity.  

CAPUT VII. De nomine Filii; atque unde Jesus et Christus appellatur.

Fortasse quaerat aliquis hoc loco, quis sit iste tam potens, tam Deo carus, et quod nomen habeat, cujus prima nativitas non modo antecesserit mundum, verum etiam prudentia disposuerit, virtute construxerit. Primum scire nos convenit, nomen ejus ne Angelis quidem notum esse, qui morantur in coelo, sed 0463B ipsi soli, ac Deo Patri; nec ante id publicabitur, ut est sanctis litteris traditum, quam dispositio Dei fuerit impleta. Deinde nec enuntiari posse hominis ore; sicut Hermes docet, haec dicens:

0464A Αἰτία δὲ τούτου τοῦ αἰτίου ἡ τοῦ θείου ἀγαθοῦ βούλησις, ἣ θεὸν προήνεγκεν, οὗ τὸ ὄνομα οὐ δύναται ἀνθρωπίνῳ στόματι λαληθῆναι. Et paulo post ad filium:

Ἔστι τις, ὦ τέκνον, ἀπόῤῥητος λόγος σοφίας, ὅσιος περὶ τοῦ μόνου κυρίου πάντων, καὶ προεννοουμένου Θεοῦ, ὃν εἰπεῖν ὑπὲρ ἄνθρωπόν ἐστι. Sed quamvis nomen ejus, quod ei a principio pater summus imposuit, nullus alius praeter ipsum sciat, habet tamen et inter Angelos aliud vocabulum, et inter homines aliud. Jesus quippe inter homines nominatur: nam Christus non proprium nomen est, sed nuncupatio potestatis et regni; sic enim Judaei reges suos appellabant. Sed exponenda hujus nominis ratio est propter ignorantium errorem, qui eum immutata littera Chrestum 0464B solent dicere. Erat Judaeis ante praeceptum, ut sacrum conficerent unguentum, quo perungi possent ii, qui vocabantur ad sacerdotium, vel ad regnum. Et sicut nunc Romanis indumentum purpurae insigne est regiae 0465A dignitatis assumptae: sic illis unctio sacri unguenti nomen ac potestatem regiam conferebat. Verum, quoniam Graeci veteres χρίεσθαι dicebant ungi, quod nunc ἀλείφεσθαι, sicut indicat Homericus versus ille: Αὐτοὺς δὲ δμωαί λοῦσαν, καὶ χρῖσαν ἐλαίῳ;ob hanc rationem nos eum Christum nuncupamus, id est, unctum, qui hebraice Messias dicitur. Unde in quibusdam graecis scripturis, quae male de Hebraicis interpretatae sunt, 0465A ἠλειμμένος scriptum invenitur, ἀπὸ τοῦ ἀλείφεσθαι. Sed tamen utrolibet nomine rex significatur: non quod ille regnum hoc terrenum fuerit adeptus, cujus capiendi nondum tempus advenit; sed quod coeleste ac sempiternum, de quo 0465B disseremus in ultimo libro. Nunc vero de prima ejus nativitate dicamus.