The Wonderworker on Christ’s Deity
- samshmn
- 22 hours ago
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I will be citing from Life and Works (Fathers of the Church Patristic Series), translated by Michael Slusser, published by The Catholic University of America Press in 1998. All emphasis will be mine.
ADDRESS OF THANKSGIVING TO ORIGEN
An address of St. Gregory the Wonderworker to Origen, which he spoke in Caesarea in Palestine, after studying with him for many years, and just before he departed for his own country.1
1. Although this treatise has been known also as “The Panegyric to Origen” (Migne, Quasten, Fouskas), the modern preference is for “Address of Thanksgiving” (Koetschau, Altaner, Crouzel, Marotta), a title based on 3.31 and 4.40. (P. 91)
4. (35) But the praises and hymns to the universal king and guardian, the continual fountain of all good things, we shall transfer to one who even in this respect heals our weakness and who alone is able to make up our shortcomings, our souls’ champion and Savior, his first-begotten Word, the Demiurge and Pilot10 of all things. (36) He alone can send up continuous and unfailing thanksgivings to the Father for himself and for the universe, each individually and all together. He is the truth, and both the WISDOM and the POWER of the Father of the universe11 himself, and is also with and IN HIM and united to him completely; so there is no way that, either through lack of attention or wisdom, or some weakness, like someone estranged from himself, he might either lack the power to praise, or have it but deliberately (which is blasphemous to say) allow the Father to go unpraised. (37) He alone is able to fulfill most perfectly the full worth of the praises he deserves. The Father of the universe, who made him one with himself, and by means of him all but12 self-describes himself, would both honor and be honored, in a way, with a power entirely equal to his own; this13 it fell to his only-begotten to possess, first and only out of all that exists, the God-Word who is IN HIM. (38) All other things are able to give thanks and true worship only if, when we make our offering for all the good things the Father has given us, we attribute the power of worthy thanksgiving to him14 alone, confessing that the only way of true piety is to remember the cause of all things entirely through him. (39) Therefore, since the boundless providence over all, which protects us in great things and small, has also brought us to this point, let him, the enduring Word, be confessed worthy of thanks and hymnody, since he is most perfect and living, and the animate Word of the first Mind itself. (Pp. 96-97)
11. This expression, which ought not to be confused with the “intratrinitarian” Father, is very frequent in earlier writers. One of the most instructive parallels is Justin 1 Apol. 63.11–15...
14. Here and in the rest of this paragraph “he” and “him” refer to the Word. (P. 97)
By identifying Jesus as the Wisdom and Power of God who remains in God, Gregory clearly did not think for a moment that Christ is a creature. This is because the Wonderworker would know that God's Wisdom and Power are both uncreated and infinite.
And here is the citation from St. Justin Martyr’s First Apology:
Chapter 63. How God appeared to Moses
And all the Jews even now teach that the nameless God spoke to Moses; whence the Spirit of prophecy, accusing them by Isaiah the prophet mentioned above, said The ox knows his owner, and the ass his master's crib; but Israel does not know Me, and My people do not understand. Isaiah 1:3 And Jesus the Christ, because the Jews knew not what the Father was, and what the Son, in like manner accused them; and Himself said, No one knows the Father, but the Son; nor the Son, but the Father, and they to whom the Son reveals Him. Matthew 11:27 Now the Word of God is His Son, as we have before said. And He is called Angel and Apostle; for He declares whatever we ought to know, and is sent forth to declare whatever is revealed; as our Lord Himself says, He that hears Me, hears Him that sent Me. Luke 10:16 From the writings of Moses also this will be manifest; for thus it is written in them, And the Angel of God spoke to Moses, in a flame of fire out of the bush, and said, I am that I am, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob, the God of your fathers; go down into Egypt, and bring forth My people. Exodus 3:6 And if you wish to learn what follows, you can do so from the same writings; for it is impossible to relate the whole here. But so much is written for the sake of proving that Jesus the Christ is the Son of God and His Apostle, being of old the Word, and appearing sometimes in the form of fire, and sometimes in the likeness of angels; but now, by the will of God, having become man for the human race, He endured all the sufferings which the devils instigated the senseless Jews to inflict upon Him; who, though they have it expressly affirmed in the writings of Moses, And the angel of God spoke to Moses in a flame of fire in a bush, and said, I am that I am, the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, yet maintain that He who said this was the Father and Creator of the universe. Whence also the Spirit of prophecy rebukes them, and says, Israel does not know Me, my people have not understood Me. Isaiah 1:3 And again, Jesus, as we have already shown, while He was with them, said, No one knows the Father, but the Son; nor the Son but the Father, and those to whom the Son will reveal Him. Matthew 11:27 The Jews, accordingly, being throughout of opinion that it was the Father of the universe who spoke to Moses, though He who spoke to him was indeed the Son of God, who is called both Angel and Apostle, are justly charged, both by the Spirit of prophecy and by Christ Himself, with knowing neither the Father nor the Son. For they who affirm that the Son is the Father, are proved neither to have become acquainted with the Father, nor to know that the Father of the universe has a Son; who also, being the first-begotten Word of God, is even God. And of old He appeared in the shape of fire and in the likeness of an angel to Moses and to the other prophets; but now in the times of your reign, having, as we before said, become Man by a virgin, according to the counsel of the Father, for the salvation of those who believe in Him, He endured both to be set at nought and to suffer, that by dying and rising again He might conquer death. And that which was said out of the bush to Moses, I am that I am, the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, and the God of your fathers, Exodus 3:6 this signified that they, even though dead, are yet in existence, and are men belonging to Christ Himself. For they were the first of all men to busy themselves in the search after God; Abraham being the father of Isaac, and Isaac of Jacob, as Moses wrote. (Emphasis mine)
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