Chapter VIII.—How the Only-begotten Son of God is called first-born.

He who is first begotten is called first-born875    See the Scholiast on Gregory Nyssenus in Cod. Reg. 3451., whether he is only-begotten or the first of a number of brothers. If then the Son of God was called first-born, but was not called Only-begotten, we could imagine that He was the first-born of creatures, as being a creature876    Vid. apud Greg. Nyss., bk. iii., contr. Eunom.. But since He is called both first-born and Only-begotten, both senses must be preserved in His case. We say that He is first-born of all creation877    Col. i. 15. since both He Himself is of God and creation is of God, but as He Himself is born alone and timelessly of the essence of God the Father, He may with reason be called Only-begotten Son, first-born and not first-created. For the creation was not brought into being out of the essence of the Father, but by His will out of nothing878    Athan., Expos. Fidei.. And He is called First-born among many brethren879    Rom. viii. 29., for although being Only-begotten, He was also born of a mother. Since, indeed, He participated just as we ourselves do in blood and flesh and became man, while we too through Him became sons of God, being adopted through the baptism, He Who is by nature Son of God became first-born amongst us who were made by adoption and grace sons of God, and stand to Him in the relation of brothers. Wherefore He said, I ascend unto My Father and your Father880    St. John xx. 17.. He did not say “our Father,” but “My Father,” clearly in the sense of Father by nature, and “your Father,” in the sense of Father by grace. And “My God and your God881    Ibid.” He did not say “our God,” but “My God:” and if you distinguish with subtle thought that which is seen from that which is thought, also “your God,” as Maker and Lord.

Πῶς πρωτότοκος λέγεται ὁ μονογενὴς υἱὸς τοῦ θεοῦ

Πρωτότοκός ἐστιν ὁ πρῶτος γεννηθεὶς εἴτε μονογενής, εἴτε καὶ πρὸ ἄλλων ἀδελφῶν. Εἰ μὲν οὖν ἐλέγετο ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ θεοῦ πρωτότοκος, μονογενὴς δὲ οὐκ ἐλέγετο, ὑπενοήσαμεν ἂν κτισμάτων αὐτὸν εἶναι πρωτότοκον ὡς κτίσμα ὑπάρχοντα. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ καὶ πρωτότοκος καὶ μονογενὴς λέγεται, δεῖ δὲ καὶ ἀμφότερα τηρῆσαι ἐπ' αὐτοῦ. «Πρωτότοκον» μὲν αὐτόν φαμεν «πάσης κτίσεως», ἐπειδὴ καὶ αὐτὸς ἐκ τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ ἡ κτίσις ἐκ τοῦ θεοῦ, ἀλλ' αὐτὸς μὲν ἐκ τῆς οὐσίας τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ πατρὸς μόνος ἀχρόνως γεγεννημένος εἰκότως υἱὸς μονογενὴς πρωτότοκος καὶ οὐ πρωτόκτιστος λεχθήσεται: ἡ γὰρ κτίσις οὐκ ἐκ τῆς οὐσίας τοῦ πατρός, ἀλλὰ θελήματι αὐτοῦ ἐκ τοῦ μὴ ὄντος εἰς τὸ εἶναι παρήχθη. «Πρωτότοκος δὲ ἐν πολλοῖς ἀδελφοῖς»: μονογενὴς γὰρ ὢν καὶ ἐκ μητρὸς ἐπειδήπερ μετέσχηκεν αἵματος καὶ σαρκὸς παραπλησίως ἡμῖν καὶ ἄνθρωπος γέγονε. Γεγόναμεν δὲ καὶ ἡμεῖς δι' αὐτοῦ υἱοὶ θεοῦ υἱοθετηθέντες διὰ τοῦ βαπτίσματος: αὐτὸς ὁ φύσει υἱὸς τοῦ θεοῦ πρωτότοκος ἐν ἡμῖν τοῖς θέσει καὶ χάριτι υἱοῖς θεοῦ γενομένοις καὶ ἀδελφοῖς αὐτοῦ χρηματίσασι γέγονεν. Ὅθεν ἔλεγεν: «Ἀναβαίνω πρὸς τὸν πατέρα μου καὶ πατέρα ὑμῶν.» Οὐκ εἶπε: πατέρα ἡμῶν, ἀλλὰ «πατέρα μου», φύσει δῆλον, καὶ «πατέρα ὑμῶν» χάριτι, καὶ «θεόν μου καὶ θεὸν ὑμῶν». Καὶ οὐκ εἶπε θεὸν ἡμῶν, ἀλλὰ «θεόν μου», ἂν διέλῃς λεπταῖς ἐπινοίαις τὸ ὁρώμενον ἐκ τοῦ νοουμένου, καὶ «θεὸν ὑμῶν» ὡς δημιουργὸν καὶ κύριον.

Expositio in MN, sed add. Ἡελιονίκης (Ἡέλιον νίκης N) ἐτεὸς (ἐτέος N) νόος (νοὸς N) ἡδὺ φαεινὸν αἰὲν ἀπαστράπτων βροτοφεγγέα (-φ/εγM; -φαγN) πάνσοφον αἴγλην ἡδυφαῆ χαρίεσσαν ἀπαστράπτουσαν ἀδύτως MN; continuat Ἀρξάμενος πόθῳ καὶ πίστει ἀδιστάκτῳ θεοῦ πατρός, υἱοῦ καὶ ἁγίου πνεύματος πίστει ὁ ταπεινὸς Ἰωάννης τῆν φιλόσωφον ταῦτην καὶ ψυχώφεγγον δέλτον διμήνεον ταύτην οὖν Ἰουλίῳ τὲ καὶ Ἰουνίῳ γράψας καὶ κυρίῳ δόξις γὰρ τῷ δυναμώσαντι με τὴν ἐπάξιον εὐχαριστίαν ἄγω. Κύριε Ἰησοῦ Χριστὲ ἡμῶν, ὁ θεός, σῶσον σὺν τῷ γράψαντι καὶ τοῖς ἀναγινώσκουσι ποθουμαι N