Fragments on the Psalms · §204

The distinction between making and begetting

He sits. But those who have rushed toward wickedness and malice are enemies of the Word and the truth. But the Father also wills these to be changed through repentance, making them followers of the path and the feet of the Word, since having become his footstool, they fall from his feet; but with a turning toward virtue and wisdom, becoming more mobile, they themselves shall become a throne from being a footstool. Therefore Paul says, 'For he must reign until he has put all enemies under his feet' (Ps 110:1). And there God says, 'Until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet' (Ps 110:1). For he indeed sits at the right hands of the Father reigning, while the enemies oppose him. But having set for them the beginning of benefit by subduing them and making them his footstool, he raises their desiring hand, so that they themselves might be counted among the right-handed, no longer in the wickedness through which they happened to be on the left; so that in the end, the Father is in the Son and the Son in the Father, and all the rational beings, having been perfected, become toward the Father and the Son of God, all things becoming in all things.

Thoughts and not thus: the name of the beginning, 'kingdom,' here signifies not as with the Savior in the day of his power, but after the resurrection in which he rose from the dead; for if he was crucified out of weakness, but lives by the power of God. It signifies the beginning kindred to him which is coming, through which he holds and rules (that is, the day of his power), not in things happening by chance, but in the brightness of the saints through which they possess light, being illuminated and made bright by the true light, as one might say, 'Let the brightness of the Lord our God be upon us.' If, however, he says 'beginning' regarding those who are beginning, according to what is signified, it is said that God prevails over every beginning, and his beginning was made at his own time; and you do not say thus, but rather those who are beginning are under him in the day of his power, when the sun of righteousness shines (Mal 4:2). For he himself says concerning those being ruled by him toward the Father, 'I want that where I am, they also may be, that they may see my glory' (Ps 110:3). All the ecclesiastics were not before now...

But they also always say that the appointed voice is said towards the Father, joined to the beginning of the psalm thus: 'The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at my right hand, so that I may make your enemies a footstool for your feet; from the womb before the dawn I begot you' (Psalm 110:1; Psalm 89:12)—through the middle of the other half-verses.

And indeed the apostle, having followed this thought, has said: 'For which of the angels did he ever say, Sit at my right hand?' (Hebrews 1:5) saying only once. Not to any of the born, but to his only-begotten Son alone: 'Sit at my right hand,' since he himself is alone the only-begotten who is in the bosom of the Father.

Let us see also what this very word intends. And it must be said that God is indeed simple and undivided; and even while he is thus, if the divine Word wishes to truly present himself as a maker, from whom we are, he says, speaking of his hands, that the heavens and the rest of creation are the work of his hands.

Just so, with genuine parents, whom we call a star, if we mean not the adoptive ones but the genuine ones, since some are truly sons and others are adoptive and placed; if we do not mean the placed ones but the genuine ones, we say they are the offspring of the womb of those who bore them. And God, wishing to present a genuine Son and the only-begotten from himself, remembers the womb.

But just as he makes it with hands in a God-befitting way, so also we hear 'to have been begotten from the womb.' But the works of the hands are many, while the only-begotten offspring of the womb is one; therefore, it is not to be said of God that creating and begetting are the same, as some say.

For all things were made through the Word and in wisdom (John 1:3), and the wisdom and the Word were not through something, but were begotten from God. Therefore, begetting is not the same as making; for if there were no difference, nothing would prevent saying: 'My hands made you, and the heavens are the work of my womb.'

But just as the word has many variations, so also the things signified by it. But the Father does not say these things to the Son in ignorance, but so that we might know the intimacy of the Father toward the Son and of the Son toward the Father, these things were written. Just as what was said by that same only-begotten Wisdom: 'Before all mountains he begets me' (Proverbs 8:25), therefore also there, before the dawn...

Greek

κάθηται. οἱ δὲ πρὸς κακίαν καὶ κακοδοξίαν ἑλάσαντες ἐχθροὶ τοῦ λόγου καὶ τῆς ἀληθείας εἰσί. βούλεται δὲ καὶ τούτους ὁ πατὴρ διὰ μετανοίας ε λκων ὑπὸ τὴν πορείαν καὶ τοὺς πόδας τοῦ λόγου ποιῆσαι, ι ν' ὑποπόδιον αὐτοῦ γεγενημένοι κατὰ τὸ ἐγχωροῦν α πτωνται τῶν ποδῶν αὐτοῦ· μεθ' η ν ἁφὴν πρὸς ἀρετὴν καὶ σοφίαν εὐκινητότεροι γινόμενοι ἐξ ὑποποδίου καὶ αὐτοὶ θρόνος ε σονται. διό φησιν ὁ Παῦλος ∆εῖ γὰρ αὐτὸν βασιλεύειν, α χρις ου θῇ πάντας τοὺς ἐχθροὺς ὑπὸ τοὺς πόδας αὐτοῦ. καὶ ἐνταῦθα ου ν ὁ θεός φησιν Εως α ν θῶ τοὺς ἐχθρούς σου ὑποπόδιον τῶν ποδῶν σου. κάθηται μὲν γὰρ ἐκ δεξιῶν τοῦ πατρὸς βασιλεύων εἰς ο σον οἱ ἐχθροὶ ἀντιτείνουσιν. ο ταν δὲ αὐτοὺς ὑποτάξῃ καὶ ὑποπόδιον ἑαυτοῦ ποιῆσαι ἀρχὴν ὠφελείας ἐν αὐτοῖς τεθεικώς, ὀρέγων χεῖρα ἀνάγει αὐτούς, ο πως καὶ αὐτοὶ ἐν δεξιοῖς ἀριθμηθεῖεν, οὐκέτι ου σης κακίας τότε δι' η ν ἐτύγχανον ἀριστεροί, ὡς λοιπὸν τὸν πατέρα ἐν υἱῷ καὶ τὸν υἱὸν ἐν πατρὶ ε ν ει ναι καὶ πάντας τελειωθέντας τοὺς λογικοὺς ε ν γενέσθαι πρὸς τὸν πατέρα καὶ τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ θεοῦ πάντα ἐν πᾶσι γινομένου. 1039 Ps 109,3ab Νοήσεις καὶ ου τως· τὸ τῆς ἀρχῆς ο νομα βασιλείαν ἐνταῦθα σημαίνει ου σαν μετὰ τοῦ σωτῆρος ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῆς δυνάμεως αὐτοῦ η μετὰ ἀνάστασιν η ν ἀνέστη ἐκ νεκρῶν· εἰ γὰρ ἐσταυρώθη ἐξ ἀσθενείας, ἀλλὰ ζῇ ἐκ 220 δυνάμεως θεοῦ. η σημαίνων τὴν προσοῦσαν αὐτῷ σύμφυτον ἀρχήν, καθ' η ν κρατεῖ καὶ δυναστεύει (αυ τη δὲ ἡ τῆς δυνάμεως ἡμέρα) οὐκ ἐν τοῖς τυχοῦσιν ἀλλ' ἐν ταῖς λαμπρότησι τῶν ἁγίων καθ' α ς ε ξουσιν ὑπὸ τοῦ ἀληθινοῦ φωτὸς φωτιζόμενοι καὶ λαμπρυνόμενοι ω στ' α ν εἰπεῖν Εστω ἡ λαμπρότης κυρίου τοῦ θεοῦ ἡμῶν ἐφ' ἡμᾶς. ̓Εὰν δὲ ἀρχὴν τοὺς ἀρχομένους λέγῃ, καθ' ο σημαινόμενον ει ρηται ̔Ο θεὸς πάσης ἀρχῆς ἐπικρατῶν, καὶ τὸ ̓Εγενήθη ἡ ἀρχὴ αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ τοῦ ω μου αὐτοῦ, καὶ ου τως ἐρεῖς μετὰ τοῦ ει ναι τοὺς ἀρχομένους ὑπ' αὐτοῦ ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῆς δυνάμεως αὐτοῦ η καταυγάζει η λιος δικαιοσύνης ω ν. λέγει γοῦν αὐτὸς περὶ τῶν ὑπ' αὐτοῦ βασιλευομένων πρὸς τὸν πατέρα Θέλω ι να ο που εἰμὶ ἐγὼ καὶ αὐτοί εἰσι μετ' ἐμοῦ, ι να θεωρῶσι τὴν δόξαν τὴν ἐμήν. 1040 Ps 109,3c Πάντες οἱ ἐκκλησιαστικοὶ οὐ νῦν πρότερον ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀεὶ πρὸς τοῦ πατρὸς τὴν προκειμένην λέγουσι φωνὴν εἰρῆσθαι συναπτομένην τῇ ἀρχῇ τοῦ ψαλμοῦ ου τως· Ει πεν ὁ κύριος τῷ κυρίῳ μου Κάθου ἐκ δεξιῶν μου, ε ως α ν θῶ τοὺς ἐχθρούς σου ὑποπόδιον τῶν ποδῶν σου· ἐκ γαστρὸς πρὸ ἑωσφόρου ἐγέννησά σε, –τῶν α λλων ἡμιστίχων διὰ μέσου εἰρημένων. καὶ ε οικέ γε καὶ ὁ ἀπόστολος ταύτῃ τῇ διανοίᾳ ἠκολουθηκὼς εἰρηκέναι Τίνι γὰρ τῶν ἀγγέλων ει ρηκέ ποτε Κάθου ἐκ δεξιῶν μου; μονονουχὶ λέγων· Οὐδενὶ τῶν γεννητῶν ἀλλὰ τῷ μονογενεῖ υἱῷ ἑαυτοῦ μόνῳ ει πε Κάθου ἐκ δεξιῶν μου, ἐπεὶ καὶ μόνος αὐτός ἐστι μονογενὴς ω ν ἐν κόλποις τοῦ πατρός. Ιδωμεν δὲ καὶ αὐτὴν τὴν λέξιν τί βούλεται. καὶ ῥητέον γε ο τι ὁ θεὸς ἁπλοῦς μὲν καὶ ἀσύνθετός ἐστι· καὶ ο μως ου τως αὐτοῦ ὑπάρχοντος, ὁ θεῖος λόγος, ἐὰν δημιουργὸν αὐτὸν γνησίως παραστῆσαι βούλεται, ἀφ' ω ν ι σμεν, ὁμιλῶν τῶν χειρῶν αὐτοῦ λέγει ε ργα ει ναι τοὺς οὐρανοὺς καὶ τὴν α λλην κτίσιν. ου τω καὶ γνησίας γονεῖς, ο ταν λόγον ποιώμεθα, γαστέρα ὀνομάζομεν. ἐπεὶ γάρ εἰσι κυρίως τινῶν υἱοί, α λλοι δὲ εἰσποιητοὶ καὶ θετοί, ο ταν μὴ τοὺς θετοὺς ἀλλὰ τοὺς κυρίως σημαίνωμεν, λέγομεν γεννήματα γαστρὸς αὐτοὺς τῶν τεκόντων. καὶ θεὸς ου ν γνήσιον υἱὸν καὶ ἐξ ἑαυτοῦ τὸν μονογενῆ παραστῆσαι θέλων γαστρὸς μνημονεύει. ἀλλ' ω σπερ τὸ ποιεῖν αὐτὸν χερσὶ θεοπρεπῶς, ου τω καὶ τὸ γεγεννηκέναι ἐκ γαστρὸς ἀκούωμεν. ̓Αλλὰ πολλὰ μὲν τὰ χειρῶν ε ργα, ε ν δὲ τὸ μονογενὲς γέννημα γαστρός· ο θεν οὐ ταὐτὸν τὸ κτίζειν καὶ τὸ γεννᾶν ἐπὶ θεοῦ ῥητέον, ὡς οι ονταί τινες. πάντα μὲν γὰρ διὰ τοῦ λόγου καὶ ἐν σοφίᾳ γεγένηται, ἡ σοφία δὲ καὶ ὁ λόγος οὐ διά τινος ἀλλ' ἐκ θεοῦ γεγέννηται. διὸ οὐ ταὐτὸν τὸ γεννᾶν τῷ ποιεῖν· εἰ γὰρ μὴ ει χε διαφοράν, οὐδὲν ἐκώλυεν εἰπεῖν· Αἱ χεῖρές μου ἐποίησάν σε, καὶ γαστρός μου ε ργα οἱ οὐρανοί. ἀλλ' ω σπερ ἡ λέξις πολλὴν ε χει παραλλαγήν, ου τω καὶ τὰ σημαινόμενα ὑπ' αὐτῆς. ̓Αλλ' οὐκ ἀγνοοῦντι τῷ υἱῷ ταῦθ' ὁ πατὴρ λέγει, ἀλλ' ι ν' ἡμεῖς γνῶμεν τὴν οἰκειότητα τοῦ πατρὸς πρὸς τὸν υἱὸν καὶ τοῦ υἱοῦ πρὸς τὸν πατέρα, ἀνεγράφη ταῦτα. Ωσπερ καὶ τὸ ὑπ' αὐτῆς τῆς μονογενοῦς σοφίας εἰρημένον Πρὸ δὲ πάντων βουνῶν γεννᾷ με, διὸ καὶ ἐνταῦθα πρὸ ἑωσφόρου

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