A Beloved Son

Οὐκ αὐτὸ τὸ βάπτισμα τῷ βαπτιστῇ τὸ κρεῖττον προσμαρτυρεῖ; Οὐκ ὁ μὲν ἐβαπτισεν, ὡς ὑπερέχων, ὁ δὲ βεβάπτισται, ὡς ἐλάττων; Τοιαῦτα θρυλλούντων τῶν ἀγνοούτων τὸ τῆς οἰκονομίας μυστήριον, ὁ μόνος Κύτιος καὶ φύσεν Πατὴρ τοῦ Μονογενοῦς, ὁ μόνος εἰδὼς ἀκριβῶς ὄν μόνος ἐγέννησεν ἀπαθῶς, διορθούμενος τὴν ἐσφαλμένην τῶν Ἰουδαίων ὑπόνοιαν ἀνέῳξε τὰς πύλας τῶν οὐρανῶν, καὶ κατέπεμψε τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον ἐν εἴδει περιστερᾶς, ἐπὶ τὴν κεφαλὴν τοῦ Ἰησου, δακτυλοδεικτῶν τὸν νέον Νῶε, καὶ δημιουργὸν τοῦ Νῶε, καὶ τῆς ναυαγούσης φύσεως ἀγαθὸν κυβερνήτην. Καὶ αὐτὸς οὐρανόθεν ἐπιβοᾷ φαιδρῶς λέγων· Οὕτός ἐστιν ὁ Υἱος μου ὁ ἀγαπητός. Ἐκεῖνος ὁ Ἰησοῦς, οὐχ ὁ Ἰωάννης· ὁ βαπτισθεὶς, οὐχ ὁ βαπτίσας· ὁ ἐξ ἐμοῦ γεννηθεὶς, πρὸ πάντος χρονικοῦ διαστήματος, οὐχ ὁ ἐκ Ζαχαρίου· ὁ ἐκ τῆς Μαρίας γεννηθεὶς κατὰ σάρκα, οὐχ ὁ ἐκ τῆς Ἐλισάβετ φανεὶς παρ' ἐλπίδα· ὁ τῆς μὴ λυθείσης παρθενίας ἀγεώργητος καρπὸς, οὐχ ὁ τῆς μὴ λυθείσης στειρώσεως κλάδος· ὁ μεθ' ὑμῶν ἀναστραφεὶς, οὐχ ὁ ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ τραφείς. Οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ Υἱος μου ὁ αγαπητὸς, ἐν ᾦ ηὑδόκησα· Υἱος ὁμούσιος, οὐχ ἑτεροούσιος· ὁμοούσιος ἐμοὶ κατὰ τὸ ἀόρατον, καὶ ὁμοούσιος ὑμῖν κατὰ τὸ ὁρώμενον, χωρὶς ἁμαρτίας. Οὗτός ἐστιν, ὁ συν ἐμοὶ πλάσας τὸν ἄνθρωπον. Οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ Υἱος μου ὁ αγαπητὸς, ἐν ᾦ ηὑδόκησα·. Οὐκ ἄλλος ἐστὶν οὗτος ὁ ἐμὸς Υἱος, καὶ ἄλλος ὁ Μαρίας υἱός· ἀλλ' οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ Υἱος μου ὁ ἀγαπητὸς, ὁ βλεπόμενος καὶ νοούμενος. Ἅγιος Γρηγόριος ὁ θαυματουργός, Λόγος Εἰς Τὰ  Ἅγια Θεοφάνια Migne PG 10 1188

'Is not the baptizer presented as greater than the baptized? Is not he who baptised superior and he who was baptised inferior?' But while they babbled such things in ignorance of the mystery of the dispensation, He who alone is Lord and by nature the Father of the Only-begotten, He who alone knows exactly Him whom He alone begot without passion, that He correct the mental stumblings of the Jews, He opened the gates of the heavens, and sent down the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove, upon the head of Jesus, pointing out the new Noah, and the maker of Noah, and the good pilot of shipwrecked nature. And He Himself calls out clearly from heaven, and says: 'This is my beloved Son.' 1 Jesus, not John; He who was baptized, not he who baptized; He who was begotten of me before all periods of time and not he who was begotten of Zacharias; He who was born of Mary according to the flesh, and not he who was brought forth by Elisabeth beyond all hope; He who was the fruit brought forth from virginity preserved, and not he who was a shoot brought forth from sterility; He who has had His conversation with you, and not he who was brought up in the wilderness. 'This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased' 1 my Son, of the same substance with myself and not of a different substance; of one substance with me according to what is unseen, and of one substance with you according to what is seen, without sin. This is He who with me made man. This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. This Son of mine and this son of Mary are not different; but this is my beloved Son, this one who is seen and apprehended with the mind. Saint Gregory Thaumaturgus, from a Homily on the Theophania 1 Mt 3.17