Logos 7 opening: against unwilling-or-by-will dilemmas
Seventh discourse. Against those who pose: “Did he beget the Son unwillingly or by will?”
The dilemma is rejected as a trap. The Father’s will is not a third thing between Father and Son that makes the Son later or lesser.
Greek
ΛΟΓΟΣ Ζʹ. Πρὸς τοὺς προτείνοντας τό· Ἀβουλήτως ἢ κατὰ βούλησιν ἐγέννησε τὸν Υἱὸν ὁ Πατήρ; Ἐρώτησις ὡς ἐκ τῶν αἱρετικῶν. Ἀβουλήτως ἄρα, φασὶ, καὶ ἀσκέπτως ἐγέννησεν ἤτοι πεποίηκε τὸν Υἱὸν ὁ Πατὴρ, ἢ κατὰ βούλησιν οἰκείαν; Εἰ μὲν οὖν ἀβουλήτως ἐγέννησεν αὐτὸν, πέπονθέ τι τῶν παρὰ γνώμην· εἰ δὲ κατὰ βούλησιν, προϋπάρχειν δὲ τῶν γινομένων ἀνάγκη τὴν περὶ αὐτῶν σκέψιν, προῆν ἄρα τοῦ Υἱοῦ ὁ Πατὴρ, μεσολαβούσης τὴν γέννησιν τῆς περὶ αὐτοῦ βουλήσεως. Ἀπολογία πρὸς τοῦτο. Πόθεν ὑμεῖς, ὦ οὗτοι, κατὰ βούλησιν ἢ ἀβουλήτως γεγεννῆσθαι λέγειν τὸν Υἱὸν, ἢ καὶ ὅλως τοιαύτας τοῖς ἐντυγχάνουσι τὰς πεύσεις προσάγειν, ἀπὸ ποίας τοῦτο μεμαθήκατε Γραφῆς; Τίς δὲ τῶν ἁγίων ἢ κατὰ βούλησιν ἢ ἀβουλήτως αὐτὸν ἔφησεν ἐκ τοῦ Πατρὸς προελθεῖν; Παρὰ τίνι δὲ ὠνόμασται τὰ τοιαῦτα ῥήματα; Ὅτι μὲν γὰρ ἦν καὶ ἔστιν ὁ τοῦ Θεοῦ Λόγος, ἔγνωμεν ἀπὸ τῆς θείας Γραφῆς. Τὸ δὲ, ἀβουλήτως ἢ μὴ, παρὰ μόνων ὑμῶν ἠκούσαμεν. Ἀποκαλύπτει μὲν γὰρ τὸν Υἱὸν ὁ Πατὴρ ἐξ οὐρανοῦ, καί φησιν· Οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ Υἱός μου ὁ ἀγαπητός· καὶ διὰ τοῦ ∆αβὶδ λέγει· Ἐξηρεύξατο ἡ καρδία μου Λόγον ἀγαθόν· καὶ ὁ σοφώτατος Ἰωάννης· Ἐν ἀρχῇἦν, φησὶν, ὁ Λόγος, καὶ ὁ Λόγος ἦν πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν, καὶ Θεὸς ἦν ὁ Λόγος· ὁ Ψαλμῳδὸς ὡς πρὸς τὸν Πατέρα πάλιν φησί· Παρὰ σοὶ πηγὴ ζωῆς, καὶ ἐν τῷ φωτί σου ὀψόμεθα φῶς. Ὁ Παῦλος ἀπαύγασμα, καὶ μορφὴν, καὶ εἰκόνα τοῦ Θεοῦ ἀοράτου καλεῖ. Καὶ τούτων οὐδεὶς εὑρίσκεται λέγων ἀβουλήτως ἢ κατὰ βούλησιν γεγεννῆσθαι τὸν Υἱόν. Ἀλλὰ τὸ, ἦν, εἰπόντες, καὶ τὸ, ἔστιν, οὐδεμίαν ἀρχὴν τὴν ἐν χρόνῳ δεδώκασι τῷ τῶν χρόνων ποιητῇ. Πόθεν οὖν ὑμεῖς τὰ τοιαῦτά φατε; Ἀπὸ καρδίας τῆς ἑαυτῶν λαλοῦντες, καθά φησιν ὁ προφήτης, καὶ οὐκ ἀπὸ στόματος Κυρίου. ΑΛΛΟ. Εἰ βουλήσει γεγεννῆσθαί φατε τὸν Υἱὸν, καὶ βιάζεσθε τὴν περὶ αὐτοῦ θέλησιν προϋπάρχειν τῆς γεννήσεως αὐτοῦ, τί μὴ ταῦτά φησιν ἡ Γραφὴ περὶ αὐτοῦ, ἃ δὴ καὶ περὶ τῶν ἄλλων ποιημάτων λέγουσα φαίνεται; Ἐπὶ μὲν γὰρ τῶν γεγονότων παρὰ Θεοῦ, προηγεῖται θέλησις, ὡς ἐν τῷ, Ποιήσωμεν ἄνθρωπον, Καὶ ἐν τῷ, Πάντα ὅσα ἠθέλησεν, ἐποίησεν. Ἐπὶ δὲ τοῦ Θεοῦ Λόγου οὐδαμοῦ θέλησις ἤτοι βούλησις προηγησαμένη φαίνεται. Ἀλλ' ὅτι μόνον ἦν καὶ ἔστιν ἀκούομεν. Καὶ, ἵν' οὕτως εἴπω, τόπος αὐτῷ φυσικὸς ὁ Πατήρ.
About this text
Cyril of Alexandria, Thesaurus on the Holy and Consubstantial Trinity (Greek). SERIES on this page: prologue + Logos I–XXXV CLOSEOUT.
English follows PG 75 Greek (CPG 5215). Greystone / Durand SC / modern English syncs were not used as wording. Thesaurus SERIES CLOSEOUT prologue + Logos I–XXXV.
Witnesses
- Copy-text PG 75 — Thesaurus de sancta et consubstantiali Trinitate (Greek)
English is newly prepared for study from the stated edition. Open Greek on each section for the source text. This is not a complete critical edition.