{"collection":"chr","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/browse/chr/ecf/205/2050067.htm","path":"chr/ecf/205/2050067.htm","source_url":"https://sacred-texts.com/chr/ecf/205/2050067.htm","text":"\u00a78. He further very appositely expounds the meaning of the term \u201cOnly-Begotten,\u201d and of the term \u201cFirst born,\u201d four times used by the Apostle.\nThe mighty Paul, knowing that the Only-begotten God, Who has the pre-eminence in all things 327 , is the author and cause of all good, bears witness to Him that not only was the creation of all existent things wrought by Him, but that when the original creation of man had decayed and vanished away 328 , to use his own language, and another new creation was wrought in Christ, in this too no other than He took the lead, but He is Himself the first-born of all that new creation of men which is effected by the Gospel. And that our view about this may be made clearer let us thus divide our argument. The inspired apostle on four occasions employs this term, once as here, calling Him, \u201cfirst-born of all creation 329 ,\u201d another time, \u201cthe first-born among many brethren 330 ,\u201d again, \u201cfirst-born from the dead 331 ,\u201d and on another occasion he employs the term absolutely, without combining it with other words, saying, \u201cBut when again He bringeth the first-born into the world, He saith, And let all the angels of God worship Him 332 .\u201d Accordingly whatever view we entertain concerning this title in the other combinations, the same we shall in consistency apply to the phrase \u201cfirst-born of all creation.\u201d For since the title is one and the same it must needs be that the meaning conveyed is also one. In what sense then does He become \u201cthe first-born among many brethren?\u201d in what sense does He become \u201cthe first-born from the dead?\u201d Assuredly this is plain, that because we are by birth flesh and blood, as the Scripture saith, \u201cHe Who for our sakes was born among us and was partaker of flesh and blood 333 ,\u201d purposing to change us from corruption to incorruption by the birth from above, the birth by water and the Spirit, Himself led the way in this birth, drawing down upon the water, by His own baptism, the Holy Spirit; so that in all things He became the first-born of those who are spiritually born again, and gave the name of brethren to those who partook in a birth like to His own by water and the Spirit. But since it was also meet that He should p. CXIII implant in our nature the power of rising again from the dead, He becomes the \u201cfirst-fruits of them that slept 334 \u201d and the \u201cfirst-born from the dead 335 ,\u201d in that He first by His own act loosed the pains of death 336 , so that His new birth from the dead was made a way for us also, since the pains of death, wherein we were held, were loosed by the resurrection of the Lord. Thus, just as by having shared in the washing of regeneration 337 He became \u201cthe first-born among many brethren,\u201d and again by having made Himself the first-fruits of the resurrection, He obtains the name of the \u201cfirst-born from the dead,\u201d so having in all things the pre-eminence, after that \u201call old things,\u201d as the apostle says, \u201chave passed away 338 ,\u201d He becomes the first-born of the new creation of men in Christ by the two-fold regeneration, alike that by Holy Baptism and that which is the consequence of the resurrection from the dead, becoming for us in both alike the Prince of Life 339 , the first-fruits, the first-born. This first-born, then, hath also brethren, concerning whom He speaks to Mary, saying, \u201cGo and tell My brethren, I go to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God 340 .\u201d In these words He sums up the whole aim of His dispensation as Man. For men revolted from God, and \u201cserved them which by nature were no gods 341 ,\u201d and though being the children of God became attached to an evil father falsely so called. For this cause the mediator between God and man 342 having assumed the first-fruits of all human nature 343 , sends to His brethren the announcement of Himself not in His divine character, but in that which He shares with us, saying, \u201cI am departing in order to make by My own self that true Father, from whom you were separated, to be your Father, and by My own self to make that true God from whom you had revolted to be your God, for by that first-fruits which I have assumed, I am in Myself presenting all humanity to its God and Father.\u201d\nSince, then, the first-fruits made the true God to be its God, and the good Father to be its Father, the blessing is secured for human nature as a whole, and by means of the first-fruits the true God and Father becomes Father and God of all men. Now \u201cif the first-fruits be holy, the lump also is holy 344 .\u201d But where the first-fruits, Christ, is (and the first-fruits is none other than Christ), there also are they that are Christ\u2019s, as the apostle says. In those passages therefore where he makes mention of the \u201cfirst-born\u201d in connexion with other words, he suggests that we should understand the phrase in the way which I have indicated: but where, without any such addition, he says, \u201cWhen again He bringeth the first-born into the world 345 ,\u201d the addition of \u201cagain\u201d asserts that manifestation of the Lord of all which shall take place at the last day. For as \u201cat the name of Jesus every knee doth bow, of things in heaven and things in earth and things under the earth 346 ,\u201d although the human name does not belong to the Son in that He is above every name, even so He says that the First-born, Who was so named for our sakes, is worshipped by all the supramundane creation, on His coming again into the world, when He \u201cshall judge the world with righteousness and the people with equity 347 .\u201d Thus the several meanings of the titles \u201cFirst-born\u201d and \u201cOnly begotten\u201d are kept distinct by the word of godliness, its respective significance being secured for each name. But how can he who refers the name of \u201cfirst-born\u201d to the pre-temporal existence of the Son preserve the proper sense of the term \u201cOnly-begotten\u201d? Let the discerning reader consider whether these things agree with one another, when the term \u201cfirst-born\u201d necessarily implies brethren, and the term \u201cOnly-begotten\u201d as necessarily excludes the notion of brethren. For when the Scripture says, \u201cIn the beginning was the Word 348 ,\u201d we understand the Only-begotten to be meant, and when it adds \u201cthe Word was made flesh 349 \u201d we thereby receive in our minds the idea of the first-born, and so the word of godliness remains without confusion, preserving to each name its natural significance, so that in \u201cOnly-begotten\u201d we regard the pre-temporal, and by \u201cthe first-born of creation\u201d the manifestation of the pre-temporal in the flesh.\nCf. Col. i. 18\nCXII:328\nCf. Heb. viii. 13, whence the phrase is apparently adapted.\nCXII:329 CXII:330 CXII:331\nCol. 1:18, Rev. 1:5Col. i. 18 (cf. Rev. i. 5).\nCXII:332 CXII:333\nCf. Heb. i. 14\nCXIII:334 CXIII:335 CXIII:336\nCf. Acts ii. 24. See note 2, p. 104, supra.\nCXIII:337\nThe phrase is not verbally the same as in Tit. iii. 5.\nCXIII:338\nCf. 2 Cor. v. 17\nCXIII:339\nCf. Acts iii. 15\nCXIII:340\nCf. S. John xx. 17: the quotation is not verbal.\nCXIII:341\nCf. Gal. iv. 8\nCXIII:342\nCf. 1 Tim. ii. 5\nCXIII:343\nThe Humanity of Christ being regarded as this \u201cfirst-fruits:\u201d unless this phrase is to be understood of the Resurrection, rather than of the Incarnation, in which case the first-fruits will be His Body, and \u1f00\u03bd\u03b1\u03bb\u03b1\u03b2\u1f7c\u03bd should be rendered by \u201chaving resumed.\u201d\nCXIII:344\nRom. ix. 16. The reference next following may be to S. John 12:26, John 14:3, Col. 3:3.\nCXIII:345 CXIII:346\nPhil. 2:10, 11.\nCXIII:347\nCf. Ps. xcviii. 10.\nCXIII:348\nS. John i. 1\nCXIII:349\nS. John i. 14","title":"Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Ser. II, Vol. V: Dogmatic...","type":"page"}