Chapter XII.

Do the Catholics or the Arians take the better course to assure themselves of the favour of Christ as their Judge? An objection grounded on Ps. cx. 1is disposed of, it being shown that when the Son is invited by the Father to sit at His right hand, no subjection is intended to be signified—nor yet any preferment, in that the Son sits at the Father’s right hand. The truth of the Trinity of Persons in God, and of the Unity of their Nature, is shown to be proved by the angelic Trisagion.

100. Howbeit, if our adversaries cannot be turned by kindness, let us summon them before the Judge. To what Judge, then, shall we go? Surely to Him Who hath the Judgment. To the Father, then? Nay, but “the Father judgeth no man, for He hath given all judgment to the Son.”389    S. John v. 22. He hath given, that is to say, not as of largess, but in the act of generation. See, then, how unwilling He was that thou shouldst dishonour His Son—even so that He gave Him to be thy Judge.

101. Let us see, then, before the judgment which hath the better cause, thou or I? Surely it is the care of a prudent party to a suit to gain first the favourable regard of the judge. Thou dost honour man,—dost thou not honour God? Which of the two, I ask, wins the favour of the magistrate—respect or contempt? Suppose that I am in error—as I certainly am not: is Christ displeased with the honour shown Him? We are all sinners—who, then, will deserve forgiveness, he who renders worship, or he who displays insolence?

102. If reasoning move thee not, at least let the plain aspect of the judgment move thee! Raise thine eyes to the Judge, see Who it is that is seated, with Whom He is seated, and where. Christ sitteth at the right hand of the Father. If with thine eyes thou canst not perceive this, hear the words of the prophet: “The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit Thou on My right hand.”390    Ps. cx. 1. The Son, therefore, sitteth at the right hand of the Father. Tell me now, thou who holdest that the things of God are to be judged of from the things of this world—say whether thou thinkest Him Who sits at the right hand to be lower? Is it any dishonour to the Father that He sits at the Son’s left hand? The Father honours the Son, and thou makest it to be insult! The Father would have this invitation to be a sign of love and esteem, and thou wouldst make it an overlord’s command! Christ hath risen from the dead, and sitteth at the right hand of God.

103. “But,” you object, “the Father said.” Good, hear now a passage where the Father doth not speak, and the Son prophesies: “Hereafter ye shall see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of power.”391    S. Matt. xxvi. 64. This He said with regard to taking back to Himself His body—to Him392    i.e. to the risen Christ. Eph. i. 20. the Father said: “Sit Thou at My right hand.” If indeed you ask of the eternal abode of the Godhead, He said—when Pilate asked Him whether He were the King of the Jews—“For this I was born.”393    St. Ambrose’s words are: “In hoc sum natus.” It is possible that St. Ambrose understands “in hoc” as meaning “ὧδε,” “here;” sc. “at God’s right hand.” And so indeed the Apostle shows that it is good for us to believe that Christ sitteth at the right hand of God, not by command, nor of any boon, but as God’s most dearly beloved Son. For it is written for you: “Seek the things that are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God; savour the things that are above.”394    Col. iii. 2. This is to savour the things that be above—to believe that Christ, in His sitting, does not obey as one who receives a command, but is honoured as the well-beloved Son. It is with regard, then, to Christ’s Body that the Father saith: “Sit Thou at My right hand, until I make Thine enemies Thy footstool.”

104. If, again, you seek to pervert the sense of these words, “I will make Thine enemies Thy footstool,” I answer that the Father also bringeth to the Son such as the Son raiseth up and quickeneth. For “No man,” saith Christ, “can come to Me, except the Father, Which hath sent Me, draw him, and I will raise him up at the last day.”395    S. John vi. 44. And you say that the Son of God is subject by reason of weakness—the Son, to Whom the Father bringeth men that He may raise them up in the last day. Seemeth this in your eyes to be subjection, I pray you, where the kingdom is prepared for the Father, and the Father bringeth to the Son and there is no place for perversion of words, since the Son giveth the kingdom to the Father, and none is preferred before Him?396    This prerogative—viz. of sitting at the right hand of the Father—in itself is sufficient to exclude any dishonourable suspicion that the Son is a subject and servant. (Hurter.) For inasmuch as the Father rendereth to the Son, and the Son, again, to the Father, here are plain proofs of love and regard: seeing that They so render, the One to the Other, that neither He Who receiveth obtaineth as it were what was another’s, nor He That rendereth loseth.

105. Moreover, the sitting at the right hand is no preferment, nor doth that at the left hand betoken dishonour, for there are no degrees in the Godhead, Which is bound by no limits of space or time, which are the weights and measures of our puny human minds. There is no difference of love, nothing that divideth the Unity.

106. But wherefore roam so far afield? Thou hast looked upon all around thee, thou hast seen the Judge, thou hast remarked the angels proclaiming Him. They praise, and thou revilest Him! Dominations and powers fall down before Him—thou speakest evil of His Name! All His Saints adore Him, but the Son of God adores not, nor the Holy Spirit. The seraphim say: “Holy, Holy, Holy!”397    Isa. vi. 3.

107. What meaneth this threefold utterance of the same name “Holy”? If thrice repeated, why is it but one act of praise? If one act of praise, why a threefold repetition? Why the threefold repetition, unless that the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit are one in holiness? The seraph spake the name, not once, lest he should exclude the Son; not twice, lest he should pass by the Holy Spirit; not four times, lest he should conjoin created beings [in the praise of the Creator]. Furthermore, to show that the Godhead of the Trinity is One, he, after the threefold “Holy,” added in the singular number “the Lord God of Sabaoth.” Holy, therefore, is the Father, holy the Son, holy likewise the Spirit of God, and therefore is the Trinity adored, but adores not, and is praised, but praises not. As for me, I will rather believe as the seraphim, and adore after the manner of all the principalities and powers of heaven.

CAPUT XII.

0581B

Christum in persona judicis consideratum Catholici an Ariani melius sibi concilient, inquiritur. Objectio propter judicis sessionem ac Patris voces exorta dissolvitur; demonstraturque nullam in Filio nec subjectionem significari, quod sedeat a Patre invitatus: nec praelationem, quod ad ejus dextram sedeat. Denique ex Angelico Trisagio personarum in Deo Trinitatem, ac simul unitatem naturae significari declaratur.

100. Sed si moralibus flecti non queunt, provocemus ad judicem. Ad quem tandem ibimus? Nempe ad eum qui judicium habet. Numquid ad Patrem? Sed Pater non judicat quemquam; omne enim judicium 0581C dedit Filio (Joan. V, 22). Dedit utique generando, non largiendo. Vide quam te noluerit Filio suo derogare, ut tibi ipsum judicem daret.

490 101. Videamus ergo ante judicium quis causam meliorem habeat; ego, an tu. Nempe prudentis actoris est prius conciliare sibi judicem. Hominem honoras, Deum non honoras? Quid ergo conciliat cognitorem, honorificentia, an injuria? Pone me peccasse, quod non est; num offenditur honore suo Christus? Peccamus omnes: quis ergo veniam promerebitur, qui defert honorificentiam, an qui irrogat contumeliam?

102. Aut si te ratio non movet, species saltem judicii ipsa commoveat. Attolle oculos ad judicem tuos, intuere qui sedeat, cum quo sedeat, ubi sedeat. Sedet 0581D Christus ad dexteram Patris. Aut si oculis hoc non potes comprehendere, audi dicentem Prophetam: Dixit Dominus Domino meo, sede ad dexteram meam (Psal. CIX, 1). Sedet ergo ad dexteram Patris Filius. Dic nunc qui de saecularibus arbitraris aestimanda divina, num tibi videatur inferior qui ad dexteram sedet? num injuria Patris, quia ad sinistram sedet? Pater honorat, et tu injuriam putas? Pater mavult id esse pietatis exemplum, et tu putas praeceptionis imperium? De morte surrexit, et ad dexteram Dei sedet.

103. Sed dixit, inquis, Pater. Accipe etiam ubi 0582A non dicit Pater, et praedicit Filius: Amodo videbitis Filium hominis sedentem ad dexteram virtutis (Matth. XXVI, 64). Et hoc de assumptione corporis dicit; huic dicit: Sede ad dexteram meam (Psal. CIX, 1). Nam si de aeterna sede divinitatis inquiris, interrogatus a Pilato si ipse esset rex Judaeorum, ait: In hoc sum natus (Joan. XVIII, 37). Unde et Apostolus monet hoc esse nobis utile, si Christum non ex praecepto, neque ex gratia, sed quasi dilectissimum Filium ad dexteram Dei sedere credamus. Sic enim habes: Quae sursum sunt, quaerite, ubi Christus est ad dexteram Dei sedens: quae sursum sunt, sapite (Coloss. III, 1, 2). Hoc est enim superiora sapere, credere quia Christus ut sedeat, non quasi jussus obsequitur, sed quasi Filius dilectissimus honoratur. Propter rationem 0582B ergo corporis dicit: Sede ad dexteram meam, donec ponam inimicos tuos scabellum pedum tuorum (Psal. CIX, 1, 2.)

104. Quod si et hoc ad calumniam trahis, quia Pater dixit: Ponam inimicos tuos; etiam Pater trahit ad Filium, quos Filius suscitet atque vivificet: Nemo enim, inquit, potest venire ad me, nisi Pater qui misit me, attraxerit eum: et ego resuscitabo eum in novissimo die (Joan. VI, 44). Et tu Filium Dei pro infirmitate dicis esse subjectum, cui Pater attrahit, quos ille in novissimo die suscitet? Haeccine tibi videtur esse subjectio, in qua regnum Patri paratur, cum Pater ad Filium trahat, et calumniae locus non sit, cum Patri regnum Filius tradat, nec aliquid praeferatur? Haec enim documenta pietatis sunt, quod 0582C et Pater Filio, et Filius Patri tradat; ita enim sibi tradunt, ut neque ille qui accipit, quasi alienum acquirat: nec qui tradit, amittat.

105. Ad dexteram quoque sedere nulla praelatio est, neque ad sinistram injuria; divinitas enim gradum nescit, nec loco aliquo circumscribitur, nec temporibus definitur. Angustis animis homines ista pensamus. Nulla differentia charitatis, nullum discrimen est unitatis.

491 106. Sed cur longius evagamur? Circumspectasti omnia, vidisti judicem, advertisti Angelos praedicantes. Illi laudant, et tu vituperas! Dominationes et Potestates venerantur, et tu calumniaris! Adorant omnes sancti ejus: non adorat Dei Filius, non adorat Spiritus sanctus. Seraphim dicunt: 0582D Sanctus, sanctus, sanctus (Esai. VI, 3).

107. Quid sibi vult sub uno nomine sanctitatis trina repetitio? Si trina repetitio, cur una laudatio? Si una laudatio, cur trina repetitio? Trina repetitio cur, nisi quia Pater et Filius et Spiritus sanctus sanctitate unum sunt? Non dixit semel, ne Filium sequestraret: non bis, ne Spiritum praeteriret: non quater, ne creaturas conjungeret. Et ut ostenderet Trinitatis unam esse deitatem, cum tertio dixisset: Sanctus, sanctus, sanctus; addidit singulariter: Dominus Deus sabaoth (Esai. VI, 3). Sanctus igitur Pater, sanctus Filius, sanctus et Dei Spiritus. 0583A Adoratur igitur Trinitas, non adorat: laudatur Trinitas, non laudat. Ego malo sicut Seraphim credere, et sicut omnes Potestates Virtutesque coelestes adorare.