{"author":null,"canonical_references":[],"database_sha256":"8cfbe7284c6936871d57c02dc6aa63ebbdfd4722422d539dd9f716e46e91112e","date_end":null,"date_start":null,"edition_year":null,"id":"sermonindex-ecf-3433","native_reference":{"book_number":580,"chapter_from":1,"chapter_to":1,"system":"MyBible module coordinates (mapping unverified)","verse_from":15,"verse_to":15},"public_import_allowed":false,"record_kind":"verse-keyed-module-record","review_required":["English edition and exact text","author/work attribution","dating","verse mapping and citation kind","reuse and attribution","split author quotations and deduplicate"],"review_status":"unreviewed","source_html":"<p><b>Ambrose of Milan</b>: The Apostle saith that Christ is the image of the Father-for he calls Him the image of the invisible God, the first-begotten of all creation. First-begotten, mark you, not first-created, in order that He may be believed to be both begotten, in virtue of His nature, and first in virtue of His eternity.<br/><i>— Exposition of the Christian Faith, Book 1</i></p><p><b>Ambrose of Milan</b>: Be like the image on the coin, unchangeable, keeping the same habits every day. When you see the coin, see the image; when you see the law, see Christ, the image of God, in the law. And because he himself is the image of the invisible and incorruptible God, let him shine for you as in the mirror of the law. Confess him in the law that you may acknowledge him in the gospel.<br/><i>— Letter 7</i></p><p><b>Apostolic Constitutions</b>: Do you therefore, who attend to the laws of God, esteem those laws more honourable than the necessities of this life, and pay a greater respect to them, and run together to the Church of the Lord, \"which He has purchased with the blood of Christ, the beloved, the first-born of every creature.\" For this Church is the daughter of the Highest, which has been in travail of you by the word of grace, and has \"formed Christ in you,\" of whom you are made partakers, and thereby become His holy and chosen members, \"not having spot or wrinkle, or any such thing; but as being holy and unspotted in the faith, ye are complete in Him, after the image of God that created you.\"<br/><i>— Constitutions of the Holy Apostles Book 2</i></p><p><b>Apostolic Constitutions</b>: For Thou art eternal knowledge, everlasting sight, unbegotten hearing, untaught wisdom, the first by nature, and the measure of being, and beyond all number; who didst bring all things out of nothing into being by Thy only begotten Son, but didst beget Him before all ages by Thy will, Thy power, and Thy goodness, without any instrument, the only begotten Son, God the Word, the living Wisdom, \"the First-born of every creature, the angel of Thy Great Counsel,\" and Thy High Priest, but the King and Lord of every intellectual and sensible nature, who was before all things, by whom were all things.<br/><i>— Constitutions of the Holy Apostles Book 8</i></p><p><b>Athanasius of Alexandria</b>: Not then because He was from the Father was He called `First-born,' but because in Him the creation came to be; and as before the creation He was the Son, through whom was the creation, so also before He was called the First-born of the whole creation, not the less was the Word Himself with God and the Word was God. But this also not understanding, these irreligious men go about saying, `If He is First-born of all creation, it is plain that He too is one of the creation.' Senseless men! if He is simply `First-born of the whole creation,' then He is other than the whole creation; for he says not, `He is First-born above the rest of the creatures,' lest He be reckoned to be as one of the creatures, but it is written, `of the whole creation,' that He may appear other than the creation. Reuben, for instance, is not said to be first-born of all the children of Jacob, but of Jacob himself and his brethren; lest he should be thought to be some other beside the children of Jacob. Nay, even concerning the Lord Himself the Apostle says not, `that He may become First-born of all,' lest He be thought to bear a body other than ours, but `among many brethren,' because of the likeness of the flesh. If then the Word also were one of the creatures, Scripture would have said of Him also that He was First-born of other creatures; but in fact, the saints saying that He is `First-born of the whole creation,' the Son of God is plainly shewn to be other than the whole creation and not a creature. For if He is a creature, He will be First-born of Himself. How then is it possible, O Arians, for Him to be before and after Himself? next, if He is a creature, and the whole creation through Him came to be, and in Him consists, how can He both create the creation and be one of the things which consist in Him? Since then such a notion is in itself unseemly, it is proved against them by the truth, that He is called `First-born among many brethren' because of the relationship of the flesh, and `First-born from the dead,' because the resurrection of the dead is from Him and after Him; and `First-born of the whole creation,' because of the Father's love to man, which brought it to pass that in His Word not only `all things consist,' but the creation itself, of which the Apostle speaks, `waiting for the manifestation of the sons of God, shall be delivered' one time `from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.' Of this creation thus delivered, the Lord will be First-born, both of it and of all those who are made children, that by His being called first, those that come after Him may abide, as depending on the Word as a beginning.<br/><i>— Discourses Against the Arians 2.63</i></p><p><b>Athanasius of Alexandria</b>: But though He is Word, He is not, as we said, after the likeness of human words, composed of syllables; but He is the unchanging Image of His own Father. For men, composed of parts and made out of nothing, have their discourse composite and divisible. But God possesses true existence and is not composite, wherefore His Word also has true Existence and is not composite, but is the one and only-begotten God, Who proceeds in His goodness from the Father as from a good Fountain, and orders all things and holds them together. But the reason why the Word, the Word of God, has united Himself with created things is truly wonderful, and teaches us that the present order of things is none otherwise than is fitting. For the nature of created things, inasmuch as it is brought into being out of nothing, is of a fleeting sort, and weak and mortal, if composed of itself only. But the God of all is good and exceeding noble by nature,—and therefore is kind. For one that is good can grudge nothing: for which reason he does not grudge even existence, but desires all to exist, as objects for His loving-kindness. Seeing then all created nature, as far as its own laws were concerned, to be fleeting and subject to dissolution, lest it should come to this and lest the Universe should be broken up again into nothingness, for this cause He made all things by His own eternal Word, and gave substantive existence to Creation, and moreover did not leave it to be tossed in a tempest in the course of its own nature, lest it should run the risk of once more dropping out of existence; but, because He is good He guides and settles the whole Creation by His own Word, Who is Himself also God, that by the governance and providence and ordering action of the Word, Creation may have light, and be enabled to abide alway securely. For it partakes of the Word Who derives true existence from the Father, and is helped by Him so as to exist, lest that should come to it which would have come but for the maintenance of it by the Word,—namely, dissolution,—\"for He is the Image of the invisible God, the first-born of all Creation, for through Him and in Him all things consist, things visible and things invisible, and He is the Head of the Church,\" as the ministers of truth teach in their holy writings.<br/><i>— Against the Heathen 41</i></p><p><b>Augustine of Hippo</b>: For, according to the form of God, He is the beginning, that also speaketh unto us, in which \"beginning\" God created the heaven and the earth; but according to the form of a servant, \"He is a bridegroom coming out of His chamber.\" According to the form of God, \"He is the first-born of every creature, and He is before all things and by Him all things consist;\" according to the form of a servant, \"He is the head of the body, the Church.\" According to the form of God, \"He is the Lord of glory.\"<br/><i>— On the Trinity, Book 1</i></p><p><b>Augustine of Hippo</b>: In parents and children there would be found an image and an equality and a likeness if the age difference were lacking. For the child's likeness has been derived from the parent, so that the likeness may rightly be called an image…. In God, however, the conditions of time do not obtain, for God cannot be thought of as having begotten in time the Son through whom he has created the times. Hence it follows that not only is [the Son] his image, because he is from [God], and the likeness, because the image, but also the equality is so great that there is not even a temporal distinction standing in the way between them.</p><p><b>Basil of Caesarea</b>: Listen to the continuation. \"In our image.\" What have you to reply? Is there one image of God and the angels? Father and Son have by absolute necessity the same form, but the form is here understood as becomes the divine, not in bodily shape, but in the proper qualities of Godhead. Hear also, you who belong to the new concision and who, under the appearance of Christianity, strengthen the error of the Jews. To Whom does He say, \"in our image,\" to whom if it is not to Him who is \"the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person,\" \"the image of the invisible God\"? It is then to His living image, to Him Who has said \"I and my Father are one,\" \"He that hath seen me hath seen the Father,\" that God says \"Let us make man in our image.\" Where is the unlikeness in these Beings who have only one image?<br/><i>— The Hexaemeron, Homily 9</i></p><p><b>Cosmas Indicopleustes</b>: Adam also was the first who had the honour to be, and to be called, the image of God, but with respect to the Lord Christ, this is in a still higher degree the case, as the Apostle says: Who is the image of the invisible God. Adam again was the first and only one of men who from his side, through God, produced the female without seed, and the Lord Christ according to the flesh was, as a male, produced from the female without seed, thus preserving the equality of privilege and satisfying the debt of nature.<br/><i>— The Christian Topography, Book 5</i></p><p><b>Cyprian</b>: Also Paul to the Colossians: \"Who is the image of the invisible God, and the first-born of every creature.\"<br/><i>— Treatise XII Three Books of Testimonies Against the Jews</i></p><p><b>Dionysius of Alexandria</b>: For since of the doctrine, which lately has been set on foot at Ptolemais, a city of Pentapolis, implores and full of blasphemy against Almighty God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ; full of unbelief and perfidy towards His only begotten Son and the first-born of every creature, the Word made man, and which takes away the perception of the Holy Spirit,-on either side both letters were brought to me, and brethren had come to discuss it, setting forth more plainly as much as by God's gift I was able,-I wrote certain letters, copies of which I have sent to thee.<br/><i>— Epistle VI.-To Xystus II., Bishop of Rome</i></p><p><b>Gregory of Nazianzus</b>: And the Image as of one substance with Him, and because He is of the Father, and not the Father of Him. For this is of the Nature of an Image, to be the reproduction of its Archetype, and of that whose name it bears; only that there is more here. For in ordinary language an image is a motionless representation of that which has motion; but in this case it is the living reproduction of the Living One, and is more exactly like than was Seth to Adam, or any son to his father. For such is the nature of simple Existences, that it is not correct to say of them that they are Like in one particular and Unlike in another; but they are a complete resemblance, and should rather be called Identical than Like.<br/><i>— THE FOURTH THEOLOGICAL ORATION, ORATION 30.20</i></p><p><b>Gregory of Nyssa</b>: If these passages, then, have been rightly understood, neither will the signification of the \"creation,\" of which He is first-born, be unknown to us. For we recognize a twofold creation of our nature, the first that whereby we were made, the second that whereby we were made anew. But there would have been no need of the second creation had we not made the first unavailing by our disobedience. Accordingly, when the first creation had waxed old and vanished away, it was needful that there should be a new creation in Christ, (as the Apostle says, who asserts that we should no longer see in the second creation any trace of that which has waxed old, saying, \"Having put off the old man with his deeds and his lusts, put on the new man which is created according to God,\" and \"If any man be in Christ,\" he says, \"he is a new creature: the old things are passed away, behold all things are become new:\") — for the maker of human nature at the first and afterwards is one and the same. Then He took dust from the earth and formed man: again, He took dust from the Virgin, and did not merely form man, but formed man about Himself: then, He created; afterwards, He was created: then, the Word made flesh; afterwards, the Word became flesh, that He might change our flesh to spirit, by being made partaker with us in flesh and blood. Of this new creation therefore in Christ, which He Himself began, He was called the first-born, being the first-fruits of all, both of those begotten into life, and of those quickened by resurrection of the dead, \"that He might be Lord both of the dead and of the living,\" and might sanctify the whole lump by means of its first-fruits in Himself.<br/><i>— Against Eunomius, Book 4.3</i></p><p><b>Hilary of Poitiers</b>: But, as it is, neither did the Lord leave us in doubt: \"He who hath seen Me, hath seen the Father also;\" nor was the Apostle silent as to His nature, \"Who is the image of the invisible God.\" For the Lord had said, \"If I do not the works of My Father, believe Me not,\" teaching them to see the Father in Himself in that He did the works of the Father; that through perceiving the power of His nature they might understand the nature of that power which they perceived. Wherefore the Apostle proclaiming that this is the image of God, says, \"Who is the image of the invisible God, the first-born of all creation; for in Him were all things made in the heavens and upon the earth, things visible and things invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers; all things have been created through Him and in Him, and He is before all, and for Him all things consist. And He is the head of the body, the Church, Who is the beginning, the first-born from the dead, that in all things He might have the pre-eminence. For it was the good pleasure of the Father that in Him should all the fulness dwell, and through Him all things should be reconciled to Him.\" So through the power of these works He is the image of God. For assuredly the Creator of things invisible is not compelled by any necessity inherent in His nature to be the visible image of the invisible God. And lest He should be regarded as the likeness of the form and not of the nature, He is styled the likeness of the invisible God in order that we may understand by His exercise of the powers (not the invisible attributes) of the Divine nature, that that nature is in Him.<br/><i>— ON THE TRINITY 8.49</i></p><p><b>Ignatius of Antioch</b>: Stand fast, brethren, in the faith of Jesus Christ, and in His love, in His passion, and in His resurrection. Do ye all come together in common, and individually, through grace, in one faith of God the Father, and of Jesus Christ His only-begotten Son, and \"the first-born of every creature,\" but of the seed of David according to the flesh, being under the guidance of the Comforter, in obedience to the bishop and the presbytery with an undivided mind, breaking one and the same bread, which is the medicine of immortality, and the antidote which prevents us from dying, but a cleansing remedy driving away evil, [which causes] that we should live in God through Jesus Christ.<br/><i>— Epistle of Ignatius to the Ephesians</i></p><p><b>Ignatius of Antioch</b>: I Glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who by Him has given you such wisdom. For I have observed that ye are perfected in an immoveable faith, as if ye were nailed to the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, both in the flesh and in the spirit, and are established in love through the blood of Christ, being fully persuaded, in very truth, with respect to our Lord Jesus Christ, that He was the Son of God, \"the first-born of every creature,\" God the Word, the only-begotten Son, and was of the seed of David according to the flesh, by the Virgin Mary; was baptized by John, that all righteousness might be fulfilled by Him; that He lived a life of holiness without sin, and was truly, under Pontius Pilate and Herod the tetrarch, nailed [to the cross] for us in His flesh. From whom we also derive our being, from His divinely-blessed passion, that He might set up a standard for the ages, through His resurrection, to all His holy and faithful [followers], whether among Jews or Gentiles, in the one body of His Church.<br/><i>— Epistle of Ignatius to the Smyrnaeans</i></p><p><b>John Chrysostom</b>: \"Who is the image of the invisible God, the First-born of all creation.\"</p><p>We light here upon a question of heresy. So it were well we should put it off to-day and proceed with it to-morrow, addressing it to your ears when they are fresh.<br/><i>— Homily on Colossians 2</i></p><p><b>John Chrysostom</b>: Paul, discoursing as we showed of the dignity of the Son, says these words: \"Who is the Image of the invisible God.\" Whose image then wilt thou have Him be? God's? Then he is exactly like the one to whom you assign Him. For if as a man's image, say so, and I will have done with you as a madman. But if as God and God's Son, God's image, he shows the exact likeness. Wherefore hath no Angel anywhere been called either \"image\" or \"son,\" but man both? Wherefore? Because in the former case indeed the exaltedness of their nature might presently have thrust the many into this impiety; but in the other case the mean and low nature is a pledge of security against this, and will not allow any, even should they desire it, to suspect anything of the kind, nor to bring down the Word so low. For this cause, where the meanness is great, the Scripture boldly asserts the honor, but where the nature is higher, it forbears. \"The Image of the Invisible\" is itself also invisible, and invisible in like manner, for otherwise it would not be an image. For an image, so far as it is an image, even amongst us, ought to be exactly similar, as, for example, in respect of the features and the likeness. But here indeed amongst us, this is by no means possible; for human art fails in many respects, or rather fails in all, if you examine with accuracy. But where God is, there is no error, no failure.</p><p>But if a creature: how is He the Image of the Creator? For neither is a horse the image of a man. If \"the Image\" mean not exact likeness to the Invisible, what hinders the Angels also from being His Image? for they too are invisible; but not to one another: but the soul is invisible: but because it is invisible, it is simply on that account an image, and not in such sort as he and angels are images. \"The Firstborn of all creation.\" \"What then,\" saith one, \"Lo, He is a creature.\" Whence? tell me. \"Because he said Firstborn.\" However, he said not \"first created,\" but \"firstborn.\" Then it is reasonable that he should be called many things. For he must also be called a brother \"in all things.\" And we must take from Him His being Creator; and insist that neither in dignity nor in any other thing is He superior to us? And who that hath understanding would say this? For the word \"firstborn\" is not expressive of dignity and honor, nor of anything else, but of time only. What does \"the firstborn\" signify? That he is created, is the answer. Well. If then this be so, it has also kindred expressions. But otherwise the firstborn is of the same essence with those of whom he is firstborn. Therefore he will be the firstborn son of all things-for it said \"of every creature\"; therefore of stones also, and of me, is God the Word firstborn. But again, of what, tell me, are the words \"firstborn from the dead\" declaratory? Not that He first rose; for he said not simply, \"of the dead,\" but \"firstborn from the dead,\" nor yet, \"that He died first,\" but that He rose the firstborn from the dead. So that they declare nothing else than this, that He is the Firstfruits of the Resurrection.<br/><i>— Homily on Colossians 3</i></p><p><b>John Damascene</b>: He who is first begotten is called first-born, whether he is only-begotten or the first of a number of brothers. If then the Son of God was called first-born, but was not called Only-begotten, we could imagine that He was the first-born of creatures, as being a creature. But since He is called both first-born and Only-begotten, both senses must be preserved in His case. We say that He is first-born of all creation since both He Himself is of God and creation is of God, but as He Himself is born alone and timelessly of the essence of God the Father, He may with reason be called Only-begotten Son, first-born and not first-created. For the creation was not brought into being out of the essence of the Father, but by His will out of nothing. And He is called First-born among many brethren, for although being Only-begotten, He was also born of a mother. Since, indeed, He participated just as we ourselves do in blood and flesh and became man, while we too through Him became sons of God, being adopted through the baptism, He Who is by nature Son of God became first-born amongst us who were made by adoption and grace sons of God, and stand to Him in the relation of brothers.<br/><i>— An Exact Exposition of the Orthodox Faith, Book IV</i></p><p><b>Leo the Great</b>: They then who \"are born not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man but of God,\" must offer to the Father the unanimity of peace-loving sons, and all the members of adoption must meet in the First-begotten of the new creation, Who came to do not His own Will but His that sent Him; inasmuch as the Father in His gracious favour has adopted as His heirs not those that are discordant nor those that are unlike Him, but those that are in feeling and affection one. They that are re-modelled after one pattern must have a spirit like the model. The birthday of the Lord is the birthday of peace: for thus says the Apostle, \"He is our peace, who made both one;\" since whether we be Jew or Gentile, \"through Him we have access in one Spirit to the Father.\"<br/><i>— Sermon XXVI. On the Feast of the Nativity, VI.</i></p><p><b>Methodius of Olympus</b>: For how shall he be considered \"the first-born of every creature\"<br/><i>— Methodius Discourse III. Thaleia</i></p><p><b>Severian of Gabala</b>: Paul wishes to say and show that Christ is before all. For if he is not before all, how could all things be created in him? In him, Paul says, all things were created, so that denying that our hope is in angels, we may put our hope in Christ. .</p><p><b>Shepherd of Hermas</b>: The Son of God is older than all His creatures, so that He was a fellow-councillor with the Father in His work of creation: for this reason is He old.<br/><i>— Shepherd of Hermas, Similitude 9</i></p><p><b>Tertullian</b>: For God the Father none ever saw, and lived. And accordingly it is agreed that the Son of God Himself spake to Moses, and said to the people, \"Behold, I send mine angel before thy\"-that is, the people's-\"face, to guard thee on the march, and to introduce thee into the land which I have prepared thee: attend to him, and be not disobedient to him; for he hath not escaped thy notice, since my name is upon him.<br/><i>— An Answer to the Jews</i></p><p><b>Tertullian</b>: He calls Christ \"the image of the invisible God.\" We in like manner say that the Father of Christ is invisible, for we know that it was the Son who was seen in ancient times (whenever any appearance was vouchsafed to men in the name of God) as the image of (the Father) Himself.<br/><i>— Against Marcion Book V</i></p><p><b>Tertullian</b>: If Christ is not \"the first-begotten before every creature,\" as that \"Word of God by whom all things were made, and without whom nothing was made; \" if \"all things were\" not \"in Him created, whether in heaven or on earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones or dominions, or principalities, or powers; \"if \"all things were\" not \"created by Him and for Him\" (for these truths Marcion ought not to allow concerning Him), then the apostle could not have so positively laid it down, that \"He is before all.<br/><i>— Against Marcion Book V</i></p><p><b>Tertullian</b>: It is well for us that in another passage (the apostle) calls Christ \"the image of the invisible God.\" For will it not follow with equal force from that passage, that Christ is not truly God, because the apostle places Him in the image of God, if, (as Marcion contends, ) He is not truly man because of His having taken on Him the form or image of a man? For in both cases the true substance will have to be excluded, if image (or \"fashion\") and likeness and form shall be claimed for a phantom.<br/><i>— Against Marcion Book V</i></p><p><b>Tertullian</b>: Thus does He make Him equal to Him: for by proceeding from Himself He became His first-begotten Son, because begotten before all things; and His only-begotten also, because alone begotten of God, in a way peculiar to Himself, from the womb of His own heart-even as the Father Himself testifies: \"My heart,\" says He, \"hath emitted my most excellent Word.<br/><i>— Against Praxeas</i></p>","source_html_sha256":"6de0b03660f46749570673d79380f87b1ecc63340ebae0728d3a36de853616c9","source_module":"ECF","source_row_id":3433,"source_url":"https://www.sermonindex.net/commentary/ecf/","text_sha256":"0542f13a17caeebe35f1cc74958febff0d609ae1238b551ed04b0eaa22c1c6fb","translator":null,"work":null}