On Faith and the Creed · §5 · Augustine of Hippo

The Son is not made, not temporal, not unequal, not a creature

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Augustine is explaining the first article of the creed about God the Father almighty, and here he argues that the only Son of God is neither made nor a creature, but is equal to the Father.

For this reason the only Son of God was neither made by the Father—since, as the evangelist says, all things were made through him (John 1:3)—nor begotten in time, because God is eternally wise and has his wisdom with him eternally. Nor is he unequal to the Father, that is, less than him in any way, because the apostle also says: though he was in the form of God, he did not think it robbery to be equal to God (Philippians 2:6). By this catholic faith, then, those are shut out who say the Son is the same as the Father, because this Word could not be with God unless it was with God the Father, and he who alone exists has no equal. Also shut out are those who say the Son is a creature, even if not such a creature as the rest of creatures are. For however great a creature they say he is, if he is a creature, he was created and made. To found is the same as to create. Although in Latin usage we sometimes say 'create' for what is really 'beget,' Greek distinguishes the two. What we call a creature they call ktisma or ktisis. And when we want to speak without ambiguity, we do not say 'create' but 'found.' Therefore if the Son is a creature, however great he may be, he was made. But we believe in him through whom all things were made, not in him through whom the other things were made. For here we cannot understand 'all things' in any other way than as whatever things have been made.

Latin

Quamobrem unigenitus filius dei neque factus est a patre, quia, sicut dicit euangelista, omnia per ipsum facta sunt, neque ex tempore genitus, quoniam sempiterne deus sapiens sempiternam secum habet sapientiam suam; neque inpar est patri, id est in aliquo minor, quia et apostolus dicit: qui cum in forma dei esset constitutus, non rapinam arbitratus est esse aequalis deo. hac igitur fide catholica et illi excluduntur, qui eundem dicunt filium esse, qui pater est, quia et hoc uerbum apud deum esse non posset nisi apud patrem deum et nulli est aequalis qui solus est; excluduntur etiam illi, qui creaturam dicunt esse filium, quamuis non talem, quales sunt ceterae creaturae. quantamcumque enim creaturam dicant, si creatura est, condita et facta est; nam idem est condere, quod creare. quamquam in latinae linguae consuetudine dicatur aliquando creare pro eo, quod est gignere; sed graeca discernit. hoc enim dicimus creaturam, quod illi xtfofwi uel xtlatv uocant; et cum sine ambiguitate loqui uolumus, non dicimus creare, sed condere. ergo si creatura est filius, quamlibet magna sit, facta est. nos autem in eum credimus, per quem facta sunt omnia, non in eum, per quem facta sunt cetera; neque enim aliter hic possumus accipere omnia, nisi quaecumque sunt facta.