He who has seen me has seen the Father
Moreover, when Plato says that “having found” “the maker and father of the universe”, it is “impossible to declare him to all”, he does not say that he is beyond speech and nameless, but that, being expressible, he can be spoken of to a few. Then Celsus, as though he had forgotten the words of Plato that he quoted, says that God is nameless, in these words: “But since, for this reason, wise men have devised a means by which we might grasp some idea of the Nameless and First.”
We, however, say that not only God is beyond speech, but also other things that come after him. Paul, straining to point to these, says: “He heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter” (2 Corinthians 12:4). He uses “heard” in place of “understood”, as in the saying, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear” (Luke 8:8; Matthew 11:15).
As for “the maker and father of the universe”, we say that to see him is “a hard task”. Yet he is seen, not only in keeping with the words, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God” (Matthew 5:8), but also in keeping with what is said by the image “of the invisible God” (Colossians 1:15): “He who has seen me has seen the Father who sent me” (John 14:9; John 12:45). For no one with any sense would say that in these words Jesus was referring to his body, which could be perceived by the senses and was visible to men, when he said, “He who has seen me has seen the Father who sent me.” For on that reading all who said, “Crucify, crucify him” (Luke 23:21), would have seen God the Father, and so would Pilate, who received authority over his human nature; and that is absurd.
That the words “He who has seen me has seen the Father who sent me” are not to be taken in the commoner sense is clear from what was said to Philip: “Have I been with you so long, and you have not known me, Philip?” (John 14:9). He said this to him when he made the request, “Show us the Father, and it is enough for us” (John 14:8). Whoever, then, has understood how we must take what is said about the only-begotten God (John 1:18), the Son of God, “the firstborn of all creation” (Colossians 1:15), inasmuch as “the Word” became “flesh” (John 1:14), will see how anyone who has seen the image “of the invisible God” (Colossians 1:15) will know “the Father and maker of this universe”.
Greek
Ἀλλὰ καὶ λέγων ὁ Πλάτων ὅτι τὸν „εὑρόντα ἀδύνατόν“ ἐστιν „εἰς πάντας λέγειν“ „τὸν ποιητὴν καὶ πατέρα τοῦ παντὸς,“ ἄῤῥητον μὲν καὶ ἀκατονόμαστον οὔ φησιν αὐτὸν εἶναι ῥητὸν δ᾿ ὄντα εἰς ὀλίγους δύνασθαι λέγεσθαι. εἶθ᾿ ὥσπερ ἐπιλαθόμενος ὧν παρέθετο Πλάτωνος λέξεων ὁ Κέλσος φησὶν ἀκατονόμαστον εἶναι θεὸν τούτοις· ἐπειδὴ δὲ τούτου χάριν ἐξηύρηται σοφοῖς ἀνδράσιν, ὡς ἂν τοῦ ἀκατονομάστου καὶ πρώτου λάβοιμέν τινα ἐπίνοιαν. ἡμεῖς δὲ οὐ μόνον τὸν θεὸν ἄῤῥητον εἶναί φαμεν ἀλλὰ καὶ ἕτερα τῶν μετ᾿ αὐτόν· ἅπερ βιασάμενος ὁ Παῦλος σημῆναί φησι τό· „ἤκουσεν ἄῤῥητα ῥήματα, ἃ οὐκ ἐξὸν ἀνθρώπῳ λαλῆσαι,“ τῷ „ἤκουσεν“ ἀντὶ τοῦ συνῆκε χρησάμενος ἀνάλογον τῷ „ὁ ἔχων ὦτα ἀκούειν ἀκουέτω.“ „τὸν ποιητὴν“ δὴ „καὶ πατέρα τοῦ παντὸς“ ἡμεῖς φαμεν ἰδεῖν „ἔργον.“ βλέπεται δὲ οὐ μόνον κατὰ τὸ „μακάριοι οἱ καθαροὶ τῇ καρδίᾳ, ὅτι αὐτοὶ τὸν θεὸν ὄψονται,“ ἀλλὰ καὶ κατὰ τὸ λεγόμενον ὑπὸ τῆς εἰκόνος „τοῦ ἀοράτου θεοῦ“ ἐν τῷ „ὁ ἑωρακὼς ἐμὲ ἑώρακε τὸν πατέρα τὸν πέμψαντά με.“ ἐν τούτοις γὰρ οὐδεὶς ἂν νοῦν ἔχων φήσειεν ὅτι ἀναφέρων ταῦτα ὁ Ἰησοῦς ἐπὶ τὸ αἰσθητὸν αὐτοῦ καὶ βλεπόμενον τοῖς ἀνθρώποις σῶμα εἶπε τό· „ὁ ἑωρακὼς ἐμὲ ἑώρακε τὸν πατέρα τὸν πέμψαντά με“· ἔσονται γὰρ κατὰ τοῦτο ἑωρακότες τὸν πατέρα θεὸν καὶ πάντες οἱ λέγοντες· „σταύρου σταύρου αὐτὸν“ καὶ ὁ ἐξουσίαν κατὰ τοῦ ἀνθρωπίνου αὐτοῦ Πιλᾶτος λαβὼν, ὅπερ ἐστὶν ἄτοπον. ὅτι δὲ τὸ „ὁ ἑωρακὼς ἐμὲ ἑώρακε τὸν πατέρα τὸν πέμψαντά με“ οὐκ ἐπὶ τὴν κοινοτέραν ἐκδοχὴν ἀναφέρεται, δῆλον ἐκ τοῦ εἰρῆσθαι τῷ Φιλίππῳ· „τοσούτῳ χρόνῳ μεθ᾿ ὑμῶν εἰμι, καὶ οὐκ ἔγνωκάς με, Φίλιππε;“ τοῦτο δ᾿ εἴρηκεν αὐτῷ ἀξιώσαντι καὶ λέγοντι· „δεῖξον ἡμῖν τὸν πατέρα, καὶ ἀρκεῖ ἡμῖν.“ νοήσας τις οὖν πῶς δεῖ ἀκούειν περὶ μονογενοῦς θεοῦ υἱοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ, τοῦ πρωτοτόκου „πάσης κτίσεως,“ καθότι „ὁ λόγος“ γέγονε „σὰρξ,“ ὄψεται πῶς ἰδών τις τὴν εἰκόνα „τοῦ ἀοράτου θεοῦ“ γνώσεται „τὸν πατέρα καὶ ποιητὴν τοῦδε τοῦ παντός.“