Cyril of Jerusalem: Catechetical Lectures

On the Words, the Only-Begotten Son of God, Begotten of the Father Very God Before All Ages, by Whom All Things Were Made.

Hebrews i. 1

God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in times past unto the Fathers by the Prophets, hath in these last days spoken unto us by His Son.

1. That we have hope in Jesus Christ has been sufficiently shewn, according to our ability, in what we delivered to you yesterday. But we must not simply believe in Christ Jesus nor receive Him as one of the many who are improperly called Christs^{Edition note 2}. For they were figurative Christs, but He is the true Christ; not having risen by advancement^{Edition note 3} from among men to the Priesthood, but ever having the dignity of the Priesthood from the Father^{Edition note 4}. And for this cause the Faith guarding us beforehand lest we should suppose Him to be one of the ordinary Christs, adds to the profession of the Faith, that we believe In One Lord Jesus Christ, the Only-Begotten Son of God.

2. And again on hearing of a “Son,” think not of an adopted son but a Son by nature^{Edition note 5}, an Only-begotten Son, having no brother. For this is the reason why He is called “Only-begotten,” because in the dignity of the Godhead, and His generation from the Father, He has no brother. But we call Him the Son of God, not of ourselves, but because the Father Himself named Christ^{Edition note 6} His Son[^n1237]: and a true name is that which is set by fathers upon their children^{Edition note 7}.

3. Our Lord Jesus Christ erewhile became Man, but by the many He was unknown. Wishing, therefore, to teach that which was not known, He called together His disciples, and asked them, Whom do men say that I, the Son of Man, am^{Edition note 8}? —not from vain-glory, but wishing to shew them the truth, lest dwelling with God, the Only-begotten of God^{Edition note 9}, they should think lightly of Him as if He were some mere man. And when they answered that some said Elias, and some Jeremias, He said to them, They may be excused for not knowing, but ye, My Apostles, who in My name cleanse lepers, and cast out devils, and raise the dead, ought not to be ignorant of Him, through whom ye do these wondrous works.

And when they all became silent (for the matter was too high for man to learn), Peter, the foremost of the Apostles and chief herald^{Edition note 10} of the Church, neither aided by cunning invention, nor persuaded by human reasoning, but enlightened in his mind from the Father, says to Him, Thou art the Christ, not only so, but the Son of the living God. And there follows a blessing upon his speech (for in truth it was above man), and as a seal upon what he had said, that it was the Father who had revealed it to him.

For the Saviour says, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona, for flesh and blood hath not revealed it to thee, but My Father which is in heaven^{Edition note 11}. He therefore who acknowledges our Lord Jesus Christ the Son of God, partakes of this blessedness; but he who denies the Son of God is a poor and miserable man.

4. Again, I say, on hearing of a Son, understand it not merely in an improper sense, but as a Son in truth, a Son by nature, without beginning^{Edition note 12}; not as having come out of bondage into a higher state of adoption^{Edition note 13}, but a Son eternally begotten by an inscrutable and incomprehensible generation. And in like manner on hearing of the First-born^{Edition note 14}, think not that this is after the manner of men; for the first-born among men have other brothers also. And it is somewhere written, Israel is My son, My first-born^{Edition note 15}. But Israel is, as Reuben was, a first-born son rejected: for Reuben went up to his father’s couch; and Israel cast his Father’s Son out of the vineyard, and crucified Him.

To others also the Scripture says, Ye are the sons of the Lord your God[^n1247]: and in another place, I have said, Ye are gods, and ye are all sons of the Most High^{Edition note 16}. I have said, not, “I have begotten.” They, when God so said, received the sonship, which before they had not: but He was not begotten to be other than He was before; but was begotten from the beginning Son of the Father, being above all beginning and all ages, Son of the Father, in all things like^{Edition note 17} to Him who begat Him, eternal of a Father eternal, Life of Life begotten, and Light of Light, and Truth of Truth, and Wisdom of the Wise, and King of King, and God of God, and Power of Power^{Edition note 18}.

5. If then thou hear the Gospel saying, The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham^{Edition note 19}, understand “according to the flesh.” For He is the Son of David at the end of the ages^{Edition note 20}, but the Son of God Before All Ages, without beginning^{Edition note 21}. The one, which before He had not, He received; but the other, which He hath, He hath eternally as begotten of the Father. Two fathers He hath: one, David, according to the flesh, and one, God, His Father in a Divine manner^{Edition note 22}.

As the Son of David, He is subject to time, and to handling, and to genealogical descent: but as Son according to the Godhead^{Edition note 23}, He is subject neither to time nor to place, nor to genealogical descent: for His generation who shall declare^{Edition note 24}? God is a Spirit^{Edition note 25}; He who is a Spirit hath spiritually begotten, as being incorporeal, an inscrutable and incomprehensible generation. The Son Himself says of the Father, The Lord said unto Me, Thou art My Son, to-day have I begotten Thee^{Edition note 26}. Now this to-day is not recent, but eternal: a timeless to-day, before all ages. From the womb, before the morning star, have I begotten Thee^{Edition note 27}.

6. Believe thou therefore on Jesus Christ, Son of the living God, and a Son Only-Begotten, according to the Gospel which says, For God so loved the world, that He gave His Only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth on Him should not perish, but have everlasting life^{Edition note 28}. And again,He that believeth on the Son is not judged, but hath passed out of death into life^{Edition note 29}. But he that believeth not the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him^{Edition note 30}. And John testified concerning Him, saying, And we beheld His glory, glory as of the only-begotten from the father,—full of grace and truth[^n1263]: at whom the devils trembled and said, Ah! what have we to do with Thee, Jesus, Thou Son of the living God^{Edition note 31}.

7. He is then the Son of God by nature and not by adoption^{Edition note 32}, begotten of the Father. And he that loveth Him that begat, loveth Him also that is begotten of Him^{Edition note 33}; but he that despiseth Him that is begotten casts back the insult upon Him who begat. And whenever thou hear of God begetting, sink not down in thought to bodily things, nor think of a corruptible generation, lest thou be guilty of impiety. God is a Spirit^{Edition note 34}, His generation is spiritual: for bodies beget bodies, and for the generation of bodies time needs must intervene; but time intervenes not in the generation of the Son from the Father.

And in our case what is begotten is begotten imperfect: but the Son of God was begotten perfect; for what He is now, that is He also from the beginning^{Edition note 35}, begotten without beginning. We are begotten so as to pass from infantile ignorance to a state of reason: thy generation, O man, is imperfect, for thy growth is progressive. But think not that it is thus in His case, nor impute infirmity to Him who hath begotten. For if that which He begot was imperfect, and acquired its perfection in time, thou art imputing infirmity to Him who hath begotten; if so be, the Father did not bestow from the beginning that which, as thou sayest, time bestowed afterwards^{Edition note 36}.

8. Think not therefore that this generation is human, nor as Abraham begat Isaac. For in begetting Isaac, Abraham begat not what he would, but what another granted. But in God the Father’s begetting there is neither ignorance nor intermediate deliberation^{Edition note 37}. For to say that He knew not what He was begetting is the greatest impiety; and it is no less impious to say, that after deliberation in time He then became a Father. For God was not previously without a Son, and afterwards in time became a Father; but hath the Son eternally, having begotten Him not as men beget men, but as Himself only knoweth, who begat Him before all ages Very God.

9. For the Father being Very God begat the Son like unto Himself, Very God^{Edition note 38}; not as teachers beget disciples, not as Paul says to some, For in Christ Jesus I begat you through the Gospel^{Edition note 39}. For in this case he who was not a son by nature became a son by discipleship, but in the former case He was a Son by nature, a true Son. Not as ye, who are to be illuminated, are now becoming sons of God: for ye also become sons, but by adoption of grace, as it is written, But as many as received Him, to them gave He the right to become children of God, even to them that believe on His name: which were begotten not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God^{Edition note 40}.

And we indeed are begotten of water and of the Spirit, but not thus was Christ begotten of the Father. For at the time of His Baptism addressing Him, and saying, This is My Son^{Edition note 41}, He did not say, “This has now become My Son,” but, This is My Son; that He might make manifest, that even before the operation of Baptism He was a Son.

10. The Father begat the Son, not as among men mind begets word. For the mind is substantially existent in us; but the word when spoken is dispersed into the air and comes to an end^{Edition note 42}. But we know Christ to have been begotten not as a word pronounced^{Edition note 43}, but as a Word substantially existing^{Edition note 44} and living; not spoken by the lips, and dispersed, but begotten of the Father eternally and ineffably, in substance^{Edition note 45}. For, In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God^{Edition note 46}, sitting at God’s right hand;—the Word understanding the Father’s will, and creating all things at His bidding: the Word, which came down and went up; for the word of utterance when spoken comes not down, nor goes up; the Word speaking and saying, The things which I have seen with My Father, these I speak[^n1280]: the Word possessed of power, and reigning over all things: for the Father hath committed all things unto the Son^{Edition note 47}.

11. The Father then begat Him not in such wise as any man could understand, but as Himself only knoweth. For we profess not to tell in what manner He begat Him, but we insist that it was not in this manner. And not we only are ignorant of the generation of the Son from the Father, but so is every created nature. Speak to the earth, if perchance it may teach thee[^n1282]: and though thou inquire of all things which are upon the earth, they shall not be able to tell thee. For the earth cannot tell the substance of Him who is its own potter and fashioner.

Nor is the earth alone ignorant, but the sun also[^n1283]: for the sun was created on the fourth day, without knowing what had been made in the three days before him; and he who knows not the things made in the three days before him, cannot tell forth the Maker Himself. Heaven will not declare this: for at the Father’s bidding the heaven also was like smoke established^{Edition note 48} by Christ. Nor shall the heaven of heavens declare this, nor the waters which are above the heavens^{Edition note 49}. Why then art thou cast down, O man, at being ignorant of that which even the heavens know not?

Nay, not only are the heavens ignorant of this generation, but also every angelic nature. For if any one should ascend, were it possible, into the first heaven, and perceiving the ranks of the Angels there should approach and ask them how God begat His own Son, they would say perhaps, “We have above us beings greater and higher; ask them.” Go up to the second heaven and the third; attain, if thou canst, to Thrones, and Dominions, and Principalities, and Powers: and even if any one should reach them, which is impossible, they also would decline the explanation, for they know it not.

12. For my part, I have ever wondered at the curiosity of the bold men, who by their imagined reverence fall into impiety. For though they know nothing of Thrones, and Dominions, and Principalities, and Powers, the workmanship of Christ, they attempt to scrutinise their Creator Himself. Tell me first, O most daring man, wherein does Throne differ from Dominion, and then scrutinise what pertains to Christ. Tell me what is a Principality, and what a Power, and what a Virtue, and what an Angel: and then search out their Creator, for all things were made by Him^{Edition note 50}.

But thou wilt not, or thou canst not ask Thrones or Dominions. What else is there that knoweth the deep things of God^{Edition note 51}, save only the Holy Ghost, who spake the Divine Scriptures? But not even the Holy Ghost Himself has spoken in the Scriptures concerning the generation of the Son from the Father. Why then dost thou busy thyself about things which not even the Holy Ghost has written in the Scriptures? Thou that knowest not the things which are written, busiest thou thyself about the things which are not written? There are many questions in the Divine Scriptures; what is written we comprehend not, why do we busy ourselves about what is not written? It is sufficient for us to know that God hath begotten One Only Son.

13. Be not ashamed to confess thine ignorance, since thou sharest ignorance with Angels. Only He who begat knoweth Him who was begotten, and He who is begotten of Him knoweth Him who begat. He who begat knoweth what He begat: and the Scriptures also testify that He who was begotten is God^{Edition note 52}. For as the Father hath life in Himself, so also hath He given to the Son to have life in Himself^{Edition note 53}; and, that all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father^{Edition note 54}; and, as the Father quickeneth whom He will, even so the Son quickeneth whom He will^{Edition note 55}. Neither He who begat suffered any loss, nor is anything lacking to Him who was begotten (I know that I have said these things many times, but it is for