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De la foi et du symbole

6.

Mais comme « le Verbe a été fait chair et a habité parmi nous ¹, » cette même Sagesse qui a été engendrée de Dieu a daigné être créée parmi les hommes. C'est à cela que se rapportent ces paroles:« Le Seigneur m'a créée au commencement de ses voies. » Or ce commencement de ses voies c'est le chef de l'Eglise, c'est-à-dire le Christ revêtu de l'humanité, lequel devait nous donner un modèle de vie, c'est-à-dire une voie assurée pour parvenir à Dieu. En effet l'humilité seule a pu nous relever de la chute que nous avons faite par orgueil au jour. où l'on dit à nos parents : «Goutez-en, et vous serez comme des Dieux ². » Cet exemple d'humilité, c'est-à-dire de retour dans la voie, c'est notre Rédempteur qui a bien voulu nous l'offrir en sa personne : « Lui qui n'a pas cru que ce fût une usurpation « de se faire égal à Dieu, mais s'est anéanti, prenant la forme d'esclave ³ ; » afin que Verbe par qui tout a été fait, il fût créé homme au commencement des voies de Dieu. Ainsi donc, en tant que Fils unique, il n'a pas de frères ; mais en tant que premier-né, il a bien voulu appeler frères tous ceux qui, après et par sa primogéniture, renaissent à la grâce en qualité d'enfants d'adoption ⁴, selon l'enseignement de l'Apôtre ⁵. Donc aussi, comme Fils, par nature il est Fils unique, issu de la substance même du Père, étant .ce qu'est le Père, Dieu de Dieu, Lumière de Lumière; et nous nous ne sommes point lumière, mais éclairés par cette lumière, afin de pouvoir briller de l'éclat de la Sagesse. Car, dit l'Evangile,« il,était « la vraie lumière qui illumine tout homme venant en ce monde ⁶.» A la foi aux choses éternelles, nous ajoutons donc la croyance à l'incarnation de Notre-Seigneur dans le temps, à la forme humaine qu'il a daigné prendre et employer pour notre salut. Car en tant qu'il est Fils unique de Dieu, on ne peut dire de lui: Il a été, ni : Il sera, mais seulement : Il est ; parce que ce qui a été n'est déjà plus, et que ce qui sera n'est pas encore. Il est donc immuable, sans aucune condition ni différence de temps. Voilà, je pense, pourquoi et en quel sens il a indiqué son nom à son serviteur Moïse. Car celui-ci lui demandant par qui il devrait se dire envoyé, dans le cas où le peuple à qui on l'adressait, refuserait de croire à sa mission, il reçut cette réponse : « Je suis celui qui suis. » Puis aussitôt après : « Voici ce que tu diras aux enfants d'Israël : Celui qui est m'a envoyé vers vous ⁷. »

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A Treatise on Faith and the Creed

6.

But as "the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us," ¹ the same Wisdom which was begotten of God condescended also to be created among men. ² There is a reference to this in the word, "The Lord created me in the beginning of His ways." ³ For the beginning of His ways is the Head of the Church, which is Christ ⁴ endued with human nature (homine indutus), by whom it was purposed that there should be given to us a pattern of living, that is, a sure ⁵ way by which we might reach God. For by no other path was it possible for us to return but by humility, who fell by pride, according as it was said to our first creation, "Taste, and ye shall be as gods." ⁶ Of this humility, therefore, that is to say, of the way by which it was needful for us to return, our Restorer Himself has deemed it meet to exhibit an example in His own person, "who thought it not robbery to be equal with God, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant;" ⁷ in order that He might be created Man in the beginning of His ways, the Word by whom all things were made. Wherefore, in so far as He is the Only-begotten, He has no brethren; but in so far as He is the First-begotten, He has deemed it worthy of Him to give the name of brethren to all those who, subsequently to and by means of His pre-eminence, ⁸ are born again into the grace of God through the adoption of sons, according to the truth commended to us by apostolic teaching. ⁹ Thus, then, the Son according to nature (naturalis filius) was born of the very substance of the Father, the only one so born, subsisting as that which the Father is, ¹⁰ God of God, Light of Light. We, on the other hand, are not the light by nature, but are enlightened by that Light, so that we may be able to shine in wisdom. For, as one says, "that was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world." ¹¹ Therefore we add to the faith of things eternal likewise the temporal dispensation ¹² of our Lord, which He deemed it worthy of Him to bear for us and to minister in behalf of our salvation. For in so far as He is the only-begotten Son of God, it cannot be said of Him that He was and that He shall be, but only that He is; because, on the one hand, that which was, now is not; and, on the other, that which shall be, as yet is not. He, then, is unchangeable, independent of the condition of times and variation. And it is my opinion that this is the very consideration to which was due the circumstance that He introduced to the apprehension of His servant Moses the kind of name [which He then adopted]. For when he asked of Him by whom he should say that he was sent, in the event of the people to whom he was being sent despising him, he received his answer when He spake in this wise: "I Am that I Am." Thereafter, too, He added this: "Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, He that is (Qui est) has sent me unto you." ¹³

= amongst all.

= the beginning of His ways and the Head of the Church is Christ.