11 July 2006
Patristic Quote for the Day
But if you are left speechless, hearing how a Son and one who's not Son share one Godhead, as though being swayed two ways, by two good arguments, God himself, I trust, shall come forth next to give a reason. From the one first father sprang a wife and Seth, she a half-slice, he a second child by marriage bonds, one not by birth, the other by birth, but both being equally human. Remembring these, don't you belittle any within the Godhead, putting this one above, this one below. One is the nature, immeasurable, uncreated, a-temporal, free, and co-venerable, one God in three refulgencies, making the world go round. By these I am awakened, another new young man, when in the font death gets buried, and I come racing back to life. - St. Gregory of Nazianzus, *On God and Man* Poem 1.1.3
The "half slice" thing is kinda weird :).
ReplyDeleteMost definitely...
ReplyDeleteActually, it is the "weirdness" that affords it the ring of truth. The infinite God contained in a cradle is weird. Many can't see it, for the weirdness.
ReplyDeleteThe Angel OF the Lord is respectfully addressed by the ancient Hebrew AS Lord, is weird. But it speaks to a primitive yet effective grasp, or acceptance, of a Composite One (as opposed to an Absolute One). It is monotheism carried into weirdness. But it is the true monotheism.
Jesus endorses the weird. "David's son is David's Lord," He insisted once. He pointed out that weirdness, and left His hearers speechless.
The groundlings (spluttering): Like You Yourself say, how can David address his son ... as Lord? That relational "splice" thing is kinda weird ;-) .
Jesus (nodding knowingly): Most definitely ...
Doc!!!!
ReplyDeleteIt's so good to see a posting from you, my friend. I hope you are doing well.
I should have known that Doc Anderson would not find Gregory of Nazianzus' poetry the least bit off-putting.
As for half-slice, I suspect the thing that troubled Cheryl and raised my eye-brow is that a half-slice seems to imply that Eve was somehow less than human. Of course, Gregory's point IS the exact opposite. By slicing in half, the whole remained, now in two hypostases. I think Gregory's use of poetry (I didn't write it out in verse, but that is what it is) gives him a tad of leeway, and certainly your words, Doc, are apt.
Pax!