A Cloud of Witnesses from the Catalogue of Testimonies

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ATHANASIUS, On the Arian and Catholic Confession (t. 2, op. p. 579, ed. Colon.): "God was not changed into human flesh or substance, but in Himself glorified the nature which He assumed, so that the human, weak, and mortal flesh and nature advanced to [obtained] divine glory, so as to have all power in heaven and in earth, which it did not have before it was assumed by the Word." I'm HILARY, lib. 9 (p. 136): "That thus the man Jesus remained in the glory of God the Father, if the flesh had been united to the glory of the Word, and the assumed flesh possessed the glory of the Word." (Concrete for abstract.) BASIL THE GREAT, On the Holy Nativity of Christ (p. 231): "In what manner is the Deity in the flesh? Just as fire in iron, not by transition, but by impartation. For fire does not run out to the iron, but, remaining in its place, imparts to it its own peculiar power, which is not diminished by the impartation, and fills the entire mass that becomes partaker of it. GREGORY OF NYSSA, quoted by Gelasius and Theodoret, Dialog 2 (t. 2., p. 333): "'Therefore, being exalted to the right hand of God' [ Acts 2:33]. Who, then, was exalted? The lowly one or the Highest? But what is lowly if not the human? What else besides the divine is the Highest? But God, being the Highest, does not need to be exalted. Therefore, the apostle says that the human [nature] was exalted, and that it was exalted by becoming Lord and Christ. Therefore, by the words He has made the apostle does not express the premundane [eternal] subsistence of the Lord, but the advancement of that which is low to the Highest, namely, to the right hand of God." CYRIL, On the Incarnation, cap. 11 (t. 4, p. 241; t. 5, p. 695): "The Word introduced Himself into that which He was not, in order that the nature of man also might become what it was not, resplendent, by its union, with the grandeur of divine majesty, which has been raised beyond nature rather than that it has cast the unchangeable God beneath [its] nature." CHRYSOSTOM, on Heb. 2 (p. 125): "For it is really great and wonderful and full of awe that our flesh should be seated above, and be worshiped by angels and archangels and by the seraphim and cherubim. Reflecting upon this, I am often entranced [seem to be beside myself]." 87] The same on I Cor. 10 (p. 174, t. 6, p. 740, and t. 5, p. 261, ed. Frankf.): "This body, even when lying in the manger, the Magi worshiped, etc.; and they took a long journey; and having come, they worshiped with much fear and trembling." 88] The same, in Epist. 65 to Leo: "Let us learn to know which nature it is to which the Father said, Share My seat. It is that nature to which it has been said, 'Dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.'" AMBROSE, lib. 5 De Fide, cap. 6 (tom. 2, p. 109): "You have learned that He can subject all things to Himself undoubtedly according to the operation of Deity. Learn now that He receives, according to His flesh, all things as subjected to Him, as it is written, Eph. 1: According to the flesh, therefore, all things are delivered to Him as subject." 48] The same, lib. 5, cap. 2 (p.99): "For God does not give to the apostles participation in His seat, but to Christ, according to His humanity, is given participation in the divine seat." 49] And cap. 6 (p. 108): "In Christ our common [human] nature, according to the flesh, has obtained the prerogative of the heavenly seat." AUGUSTINE, Of the Words of the Lord, Discourse 58 (t. 10, p. 217): "If Christ is not God by nature, but a creature, He is neither to be worshiped nor adored as God. But to these things they will reply and say: Why, then, is it that you adore with His divinity His flesh, which you do not deny to be a creature, and are no less devoted to it than to Deity?  LEO, Epist. 23 (fol. 99; Ep. [ 23 and 83 ] 46 and 97, ff. 261 and 317, ed. Lugd., 1700), treating of Eph 1, says: "Let the adversaries of the truth declare when or according to what nature the almighty Father raised His Son above all things, or to what substance [nature] He subjected to all things. For to the Deity, as to the Creator, all things have always been subject. If power was added to Him, if Sublimity was exalted, it was inferior to Him who exalted, and did not have the riches of that nature of whose liberality it stood in need. But a person holding such views Arius receives into his fellowship."

Topics

• Evangelism
• Encouragement