358 NOVATIAN THE ROMAN PRESBYTER himself,and that bodilyflesh;that which is calledholy, itselfisthe Son of God. That alsowhen the Scriptnresays that " holy thing,"we shouldunderstand therebyChristthe man, the Son of man ; and when itplacesbeforeus theSon of God, we ought to perceive,not man, but God. And yet the divineScriptureeasilyconvictsand disclosesthe frauds and artificesof the heretics.For ifitwere thus only,"The Spiritshallcome upon thee,and the power of the Highest shallovershadow thee; thereforethat holy thing whichis born of thee shallbe calledthe Son of God," perchance we shouldhave had to striveagainstthem in anothersort, and to have sought forother arguments,and to have taken up otherweapons,with which to overcome both theirsnares and theirwiles; but sincethe Scriptureitself,aboundingin heavenly fulness,divestsitselfof the calumnies of these heretics,we easilydepend upon thatthatiswritten,and over come thoseerrorswithoutany hesitation.For itsaid,notas we have alreadystated," Thereforetheholythingwhichshall be born of thee;" but added the conjunction,for itsays, " Therefore also that holy thing which shallbe bornof thee,"soastomake itplainthatthatholy thingwhich isborn of her— thatis,thatsubstanceof fleshand body— isnotthe Son of God primarily,but consequently,and in the secondary place;1 but primarily,that the Son of God isthe Word of God, incarnateby that Spirit of whom the angel says, " The Spiritshallcome upon thee,and the power ofthe Highest shallovershadow thee." For He is the legitimate Son of God who is of God Himself ; and He, whileHe assumes that holy thing,and linksto Himself the Son of man, and draws Him and transfersHim to Himself,by His connectionand mingling of associationbecomes responsible forand makes Him the Son of God, which by natureHe was not,sothatthe originalcause*of thatname Son of God isin 1 ["The miraculousgenerationishererepresentedas thenattwL but by no means as theonlycauseforwhichHe who had no hum8a fatherwas to receivethename of God'sSon."— Oostekzee,inloco,on Luke.—Tr.]sPrineipalitas.