The Names of the Word

… at once in these words the mystery, deep and great, which needs to be taught from above. For it was revealed in this way to the divine Peter (compare Matthew 16:16–17). For the Word was and is God, equal in glory with God the Father and sharing His throne, existing with Him and coeternal with Him. His names before the incarnation, those that are in some way proper to His nature, are God, Wisdom, Light, Life and Power, and besides these, others that are found in the sacred Scriptures.

But since He lowered Himself into self-emptying, being made in the likeness of man and found in form as a man (Philippians 2:7), He receives the common name, that is, Christ and Jesus, or else “God with us”; for “with us” means being in our condition. For it is written: “Behold, the virgin shall conceive in her womb and bear a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel” (Matthew 1:23; Isaiah 7:14). And the blessed Gabriel, revealing the mystery to the holy virgin, the Mother of God, says: “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will call his name Jesus” (Luke 1:30–31). “For he will save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21).

Have the blessed angel and the prophet, then, spoken words that cannot be reconciled with each other? Not at all. For the divine prophet, speaking mysteries in the Spirit, announced beforehand God made to be with us, giving Him this name from His nature and from His dispensation in the flesh. The blessed angel, for his part, gave Him the name from what He does; for He has saved His own people. That is why He has been called Savior. Indeed, when He underwent birth according to the flesh for our sake, the hosts of angels brought the shepherds the good news of the birth, saying: “Do not be afraid; for behold, we bring you good news today of a great joy, which is for all the people: today a Savior has been born, who is Christ the Lord, in the city of David” (Luke 2:10–11).

So He is Emmanuel because, being God by nature, He came to be with us, that is, became man; and Jesus because, being God and having become man, He was to save the world under heaven. When, then, He came forth from His own mother’s womb (for He was born of her according to the flesh), then His name was also called (Isaiah 49:1). So I say that the name Christ does not suit God the Word before His birth according to the flesh. For if He had not yet been anointed, how could He be called Christ? When He came forth as man from His mother’s womb, then He receives the name, together with His birth according to the flesh.

He says that His mouth was made like a sharp sword (Isaiah 49:2). This too is true. For it is written somewhere about Him, or rather the prophet Isaiah himself says: “And He shall be girded about the waist with righteousness, and wrapped in truth about the …” (Isaiah 11:5).