23. But let us now recur to our profession
of the Faith, and so for the present finish our discourse. Christ
made all things, whether thou speak of Angels, or Archangels, of
Dominions, or Thrones. Not that the Father wanted strength to
create the works Himself, but because He willed that the Son should
reign over His own workmanship, God Himself giving Him the design of
the things to be made. For honouring His own Father the
Only-begotten saith, The Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He
seeth the Father do; for what things soever He doeth, these also doeth
the Son likewise John v. 19.. And again,
My Father worketh hitherto, and I work Ib. v.
17.,
there being no opposition in those who work. For all Mine are
Thine, and Thine are Mine, saith the Lord in the Gospels Ib. xvii.
10.. And this we may certainly know from
the Old and New Testaments. For He who said, Let us make man
in our image and after our likeness Gen. i. 26.,
was certainly speaking to some one present. But clearest of all
are the Psalmist’s words, He spake and they were made; He
commanded, and they were created Ps. cxlviii. 5., as if the
Father commanded and spake, and the Son made all things at the
Father’s bidding. And this Job said mystically, Which
alone spread out the heaven, and walketh upon the sea as on firm
ground Job ix. 8.; signifying to
those who understand that He who when present here walked upon the sea
is also He who aforetime made the heavens. And again the Lord
saith, Or didst Thou take earth, and fashion clay into a living
being Ib. xxxviii.
14.? then afterwards,
Are the gates of death opened to Thee through fear, and did the
door-keepers of hell shudder at sight of Thee Ib. xxxviii.
17.? thus signifying that He who through
loving-kindness descended into hell, also in the beginning made man out
of clay.