{"author":"Historical editor/translator (individual note author unspecified)","date_end":1892,"date_label":"1892 (historical English edition; transcription printing date uncertain)","date_start":1892,"edition_year":1892,"edition_year_basis":"Historical NPNF II IV copyright 1892; original printed default and per-work translation credits replayed; transcription printing date and individual note authors uncertain","id":"ws-library-full-note:833770de63b0763fe382:cite_note-38","is_genuine_commentary_verified":false,"license_url":"https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Wikisource:Reusing_Wikisource_content","public_import_allowed":true,"publication_location":"source-library","record_type":"editorial-footnote","references":[],"rights_approved":true,"section":"Chapter XXI.—Texts Explained; Sixthly, Proverbs viii. 22, Continued. Our Lord not said in Scripture to be ‘created,’ or the works to be ‘begotten.’ ‘In the beginning’ means in the case of the works ‘from the beginning.’ Scripture passages explained. We are made by God first, begotten next; creatures by nature, sons by grace. Christ begotten first, made or created afterwards. Sense of ‘First-born of the dead;’ of ‘First-born among many brethren;’ of ‘First-born of all creation,’ contrasted with ‘Only-begotten.’ Further interpretation of ‘beginning of ways,’ and ‘for the works.’ Why a creature could not redeem; why redemption was necessary at all. Texts which contrast the Word and the works.; original source section: Chapter 8, editorial note cite_note-38","semantic_kind_reviewed":false,"source_context":["62. But if He is also called ‘First-born of the creation,’ still this is not as if He were levelled to the creatures, and only first of them in point of time (for how should that be, since He is ‘Only-begotten?’), but it is because of the Word’s condescension to the creatures, according to which He has become the ‘Brother’ of ‘many.’ For the term ‘Only-begotten’ is used where there are no brethren, but ‘First-born’ because of brethren. Accordingly it is nowhere written in the Scriptures, ‘the first-born of God,’ nor ‘the creature of God;’ but ‘Only-begotten’ and ‘Son’ and ‘Word’ and ‘Wisdom,’ refer to Him as proper to the Father. Thus, ‘We have seen His glory, the glory as of the Only-begotten of the Father;’ and ‘God sent His Only-begotten Son;’ and ‘O Lord, Thy Word endureth for ever;’ and ‘In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God;’ and ‘Christ the Power of God and the Wisdom of God;’ and ‘This is My beloved Son;’ and ‘Thou art the Christ, the Son of the Living God.’ But ‘first-born’ implied the descent to the creation; for of it has He been called first-born; and ‘He created’ implies His grace towards the works, for for them is He created. If then He is Only-begotten, as indeed He is, ‘First-born’ needs some explanation; but if He be really First-born, then He is not Only-begotten. For the same cannot be both Only-begotten and First-born, except in different relations;—that is, Only-begotten, because of His generation from the Father, as has been said; and First-born, because of His condescension to the creation and His making the many His brethren. Certainly, those two terms being inconsistent with each other, one should say that the attribute of being Only-begotten has justly the preference in the instance of the Word, in that there is no other Word, or other Wisdom, but He alone is very Son of the Father. Moreover, as was before said, not in connection with any reason, but absolutely it is said of Him, ‘The Only-begotten Son which is in the bosom of the Father;’ but the word ‘First-born’ has again the creation as a reason in connection with it, which Paul proceeds to say, ‘for in Him all things were created.’ But if all the creatures were created in Him, He is other than the creatures, and is not a creature, but the Creator of the creatures."],"source_library_url":"/library/833770de63b0763fe382/#ws-library-full-note:833770de63b0763fe382:cite_note-38","source_url":"https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Nicene_and_Post-Nicene_Fathers:_Series_II/Volume_IV/Against_the_Arians/Against_the_Arians/Discourse_II/Chapter_8#cite_note-38","translator":"John Henry Newman (translation and notes), Archibald Robertson (revision and introductions)","verification":{"proof_file":"raw/review/source-library-note-batch-0063/proof-records.jsonl","proof_file_sha256":"7ea58a3a636042cb9a479725b70a7c60b8b607c9d28864957d21ef1237735f5d","proof_record_id":"ws-library-full-note:833770de63b0763fe382:cite_note-38"},"verified":true,"work":"Against the Arians","work_id":"ws-athanasius-supported-1892-833770de63b0763fe382"}