Titles Of The Son

Δοκεῖ γάρ μοι λέγεσθαι Υἱὸς μέν, ὅτι ταὐτόν ἐστι τῷ Πατρὶ κατ᾿ οὐσίαν; καὶ οὐκ ἐκεῖνο μόνον, ἀλλὰ κἀκεῖθεν. Μονογενὴς δέ, οὐχ ὅτι μόνος ἐκ μόνου καὶ μόνον, ἀλλ᾿ ὅτι καὶ μονοτρόπως, οὐχ ὡς τὰ σώματα. Λόγος δέ, ὅτι οὕτως ἔχει πρὸς τὸν Πατέρα, ὡς πρὸς νοῦν λόγος· οὐ μόνον διὰ τὸ ἀπαθὲς τῆς γεννήσεως, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ συναφές, καὶ τὸ ἐξαγγελτικόν. τάχα δ᾿ ἂν εἴποι τις, ὅτι καὶ ὡς ὅρος πρὸς τὸ ὁριζόμενον, ἐπειδὴ καὶ τοῦτο λέγεται λόγος. ὁ γὰρ νενοηκώς, φησι, τὸν Υἱόν, τοῦτο γάρ ἐστι τὸ ἑωρακώς, νενόηκε τὸν Πατέρα· καὶ σύντομος ἀπόδειξις καὶ ῥᾳδία τῆς τοῦ Πατρὸς φύσεως ὁ Υἱός. Γέννημα γὰρ ἅπαν τοῦ γεγεννηκότος σιωπῶν λόγος. Eἰ δὲ καὶ διὰ τὸ ἐνυπάρχειν τοῖς οὖσι λέγοι τις, οὐχ ἁμαρτήσεται τοῦ λόγου. Tί γάρ ἐστιν, ὃ μὴ λόγῳ συνέστηκεν; σοφία δέ, ὡς ἐπιστήμη θείων τε καὶ ἀνθρωπίνων πραγμάτων. Πῶς γὰρ οἷόν τε τὸν πεποιηκότα τοὺς λόγους ἀγνοεῖν ὧν πεποίηκεν; δύναμις δέ, ὡς συντηρητικὸς τῶν γενομένων, καὶ τὴν τοῦ συνέχεσθαι ταῦτα χορηγῶν δύναμιν. Ἀλήθεια δέ, ὡς ἕν, οὐ πολλὰ τῇ φύσει· τὸ μὲν γὰρ ἀληθὲς ἕν, τὸ δὲ ψεῦδος πολυσχιδές· καὶ ὡς καθαρὰ τοῦ Πατρὸς σφραγίς, καὶ χαρακτὴρ ἀψευδέστατος. Εἰκὼν δέ, ὡς ὁμοούσιον, καὶ ὅτι τοῦτο ἐκεῖθεν, ἀλλ᾿ οὐκ ἐκ τούτου Πατήρ. Αὕτη γὰρ εἰκόνος φύσις, μίμημα εἶναι τοῦ ἀρχετύπου, καὶ οὗ λέγεται· πλὴν ὅτι καὶ πλέον ἐνταῦθα. Ἐκεῖ μὲν γὰρ ἀκίνητος κινουμένου· ἐνταῦθα δὲ ζῶντος καὶ ζῶσα, καὶ πλέον ἔχουσα τὸ ἀπαράλλακτον, ἢ τοῦ Ἀδὰμ ὁ Σήθ, καὶ τοῦ γεννῶντος παντὸς τὸ γεννώμενον. Τοιαύτη γὰρ ἡ τῶν ἁπλῶν φύσις, μὴ τῷ μὲν ἐοικέναι, τῷ δὲ ἀπεοικέναι, ἀλλ᾿ ὅλον ὅλου τύπον εἶναι, καὶ ταὐτὸν μᾶλλον, ἢ ἀφομοίωμα. Φῶς δέ, ὡς λαμπρότης ψυχῶν καὶ λόγῳ καὶ βίῳ καθαιρομένων. Eἰ γὰρ σκότος ἡ ἄγνοια καὶ ἡ ἁμαρτία, φῶς ἂν εἴη ἡ γνῶσις, καὶ ὁ βίος ὁ ἔνθεος. Ζωὴ δέ, ὅτι φῶς, καὶ πάσης λογικῆς φύσεως σύστασις καὶ οὐσίωσις. ἐν αὐτῷ γὰρ ζῶμεν, καὶ κινούμεθα, καὶ ἐσμέν, κατὰ τὴν διπλῆν τοῦ ἐμφυσήματος δύναμιν, καὶ πνοὴν ἐκεῖθεν ἐμφυσώμενοι πάντες, καὶ πνεῦμα ἅγιον ὅσοι χωρητικοί, καὶ τοσοῦτον, καθ᾿ ὅσον ἂν τὸ στόμα τῆς διανοίας ἀνοίξωμεν.Δικαιοσύνη δέ, ὅτι τοῦ πρὸς ἀξίαν διαιρέτης, καὶ διαιτῶν δικαίως τοῖς ὑπὸ νόμον καὶ τοῖς ὑπὸ χάριν, ψυχῇ καὶ σώματι, ὥστε τὸ μὲν ἄρχειν, τὸ δὲ ἄρχεσθαι, καὶ τὴν ἡγεμονίαν ἔχειν τὸ κρεῖττον κατὰ τοῦ χείρονος, ὡς μὴ τὸ χεῖρον ἐπανίστασθαι τῷ βελτίονι. Ἁγιασμὸς δέ, ὡς καθαρότης, ἵνα χωρῆται τὸ καθαρὸν καθαρότητι. Ἀπολύτρωσις δέ, ὡς ἐλευθερῶν ἡμᾶς ὑπὸ τῆς ἁμαρτίας κατεχομένους, καὶ λύτρον ἑαυτὸν ἀντιδιδοὺς ἡμῶν τῆς οἰκουμένης καθάρσιον. Ἀνάστασις δέ, ὡς ἐντεῦθεν ἡμᾶς ἀπανιστάς, καὶ πρὸς τὴν ζωὴν ἐπανάγων νενεκρωμένους ὑπὸ τῆς ἁμαρτίας. Ταῦτα μὲν οὖν ἔτι κοινὰ τοῦ τε ὑπὲρ ἡμᾶς καὶ τοῦ δι᾿ ἡμᾶς. Ἃ δὲ ἰδίως ἡμέτερα καὶ τῆς ἐντεῦθεν προσλήψεως· Ἂνθρωπος μέν, οὐχ ἵνα χωρηθῇ μόνον διὰ σώματος σώμασιν, ἄλλως οὐκ ἂν χωρηθεὶς διὰ τὸ τῆς φύσεως ἄληπτον· ἀλλ᾿ ἵνα καὶ ἁγιάσῃ δι᾿ ἑαυτοῦ τὸν ἄνθρωπον, ὥσπερ ζύμη γενόμενος τῷ παντὶ φυράματι, καὶ πρὸς ἑαυτὸν ἑνώσας τὸ κατακριθὲν ὅλον λύσῃ τοῦ κατακρίματος, πάντα ὑπὲρ πάντων γενόμενος, ὅσα ἡμεῖς, πλὴν τῆς ἁμαρτίας, σῶμα, ψυχή, νοῦς, δι᾿ ὅσων ὁ θάνατος· τὸ κοινὸν ἐκ τούτων, ἄνθρωπος, θεὸς ὁρώμενος, διὰ τὸ νοούμενον. Υἱὸς δὲ ἀνθρώπου, καὶ διὰ τὸν Ἀδάμ, καὶ διὰ τὴν παρθένον, ἐξ ὧν ἐγένετο· τοῦ μέν, ὡς προπάτορος, τῆς δέ, ὡς μητρός, νόμῳ καὶ οὐ νόμῳ γεννήσεως. Χριστὸς δέ, διὰ τὴν θεότητα· χρίσις γὰρ αὕτη τῆς ἀνθρωπότητος, οὐκ ἐνεργείᾳ κατὰ τοὺς ἄλλους χριστοὺς ἁγιάζουσα, παρουσίᾳ δὲ ὅλου τοῦ χρίοντος· ἧς ἔργον ἄνθρωπον ἀκοῦσαι τὸ χρίον, καὶ ποιῆσαι θεὸν τὸ χριόμενον. Ὁδὸς δέ, ὡς δι᾿ ἑαυτοῦ φέρων ἡμᾶς. Θύρα δέ, ὡς εἰσαγωγεύς. Ποιμὴν δέ, ὡς εἰς τόπον χλόης κατασκηνῶν, καὶ ἐκτρέφων ἐπὶ ὕδατος ἀναπαύσεως, καὶ ἐντεῦθεν ὁδηγῶν, καὶ προπολεμῶν κατὰ τῶν θηρίων· τὸ πλανώμενον ἐπιστρέφων, τὸ ἀπολωλὸς ἐπανάγων, τὸ συντετριμμένον καταδεσμῶν, τὸ ἰσχυρὸν φυλάσσων, καὶ πρὸς τὴν ἐκεῖθεν μάνδραν συνάγων λόγοις ποιμαντικῆς ἐπιστήμης. Πρόβατον δέ, ὡς σφάγιον· ἀμνὸς δέ, ὡς τέλειον. ἀρχιερεὺς δέ, ὡς προσαγωγεύς. Μελχισεδὲκ δέ, ὡς ἀμήτωρ τὸ ὑπὲρ ἡμᾶς, καὶ ἀπάτωρ τὸ καθ᾿ ἡμᾶς· καὶ ὡς ἀγενεαλόγητος τὸ ἄνω· Τὴν γὰρ γενεὰν αὐτοῦ, φησί, τίς διηγήσεται; καὶ ὡς βασιλεὺς Σαλήμ, εἰρήνη δὲ τοῦτο, καὶ ὡς βασιλεὺς δικαιοσύνης, καὶ ὡς ἀποδεκατῶν πατριάρχας κατὰ τῶν πονηρῶν δυνάμεων ἀριστεύοντας. Ἔχεις τὰς τοῦ Υἱοῦ προσηγορίας. Βάδιζε δι᾿ αὐτῶν, ὅσαι τε ὑψηλαί, θεικῶς, καὶ ὅσαι σωματικαί, συμπαθῶς· μᾶλλον δὲ ὅλον θεικῶς, ἵνα γένῃ θεὸς κάτωθεν ἀνελθών, διὰ τὸν κατελθόντα δι᾿ ἡμᾶς ἄνωθεν. Ἐπὶ πᾶσι, καὶ πρὸ πάντων, ἐκεῖνο τήρει, καὶ οὐκ ἂν σφαλείης ἐν τοῖς ὑψηλοτέροις ἢ ταπεινοτέροις ὀνόμασιν· Ἰησοῦς Χριστός, χθὲς καὶ σήμερον σωματικῶς, ὁ αὐτὸς πνευματικῶς, καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν. Ἅγιος Γρηγόριος ὁ Ναζιανζηνός, Λογος Λ' Source: Migne PG 35.127d-133a

For it seems to me that He is called 'Son' because of identical essence with the Father, and not for this alone, but because He is from Him. And 'Only-Begotten', not because He is the only one of the Father and the Son alone, but also because He is singular, not as corporeal things. And He is called 'The Word', because He is related to the Father as Word to Mind, not only by His passionless Generation but also because of the Union and of His role as declarer, and perhaps one might say that this is like the definition and the thing defined, since this also is called Logos. For, it says, he who perceives the Son, and this is the 'having seen', has also perceived the Father, 1 the Son being a concise and easy demonstration of the nature of the Father. For every thing that is begotten is a silent word of that which begot it. And if someone should say it is by His presence in all things that are, he would not err in his word. For what is there that coheres but by the Word? He is also called 'Wisdom', as the Knowledge of things Divine and human. For how is it possible that having made, He should be ignorant of the reasons of what He has made? And He is named 'Power', as the sustainer of all created things, and as He who gives them the power to maintain themselves. And He is 'Truth', as being one and not many in nature, for truth is one and falsehood is manifold, and He is as the pure Seal of the Father and His faithful impression. And He is 'The Image' as of one substance with Him, and because He is from Him and not the Father from Him. For this is of the nature of an image, that it is the copy of its archetype, and of that it tells. But there is somewhat more here. For commonly an image is a motionless copy of that which has motion, but here it is the living copy of the living one, and has much more likeness than Seth to Adam, or any thing begotten to its begetter. For such is the nature of simple natures, that they are not like in one respect and unlike in another, but are wholly so, and so it is here, or with this copy. Moreover he is called 'Light' as the brightness of souls cleansed by word and life. For if darkness is ignorance or sin, then light is knowledge and a holy life. And He is called 'Life', for He is Light and He constitutes and establishes every reasonable nature. 'For in Him we live and move and have our being,' 2 according to the double power of inspiration; for all are inspired by Him with breath, even the Holy Spirit as much as one is able, and as much as we open the mouth of our mind. He is Righteousness, because according to worth he distributes, and He is a righteous Arbiter both for those under the Law and for those under Grace, for soul and body, so that the former rules, and the latter is ruled, and that which is better has leadership over that which is worse, so that the worse may not rebel against the better. And He is 'Sanctification', as Purity, that the Pure may be contained by Purity. And He is 'Redemption', because He liberates us who were held captive under sin, giving Himself as our purifying ransom from the world. And Resurrection, because raising us up from there, He brings us to life who were slain by sin. These names, however, are yet common to Him who is above us and who came for our sake. But others are peculiarly our own, and are of what He assumed here. And so 'Man', not only that through His body He may be apprehended by bodily creatures, which would otherwise be impossible because of His incomprehensible nature, but also that by Himself He may sanctify man, and be as it were the leaven of the whole lump, and by uniting Himself to that which has been condemned He might release from all condemnation, becoming for all men all things, being that which we are, except in sin; in body and soul and mind, and all through that which death touches, and thus with all these things He became Man, God visible by contemplation. And He is 'Son of Man', both because of Adam and of the Virgin from whom He came; from the one as a forefather, from the other as mother, by the law of generation and apart from it. And He is 'Christ' by His Godhead. For this is the Anointing of His humanity, which does not by the action sanctify, as with others, but by the Presence of the fullness of the Anointing One, the anointing work of which is called Man, and makes God that which is anointed. And He is 'The Way', because through Himself He bears us. And 'The Door', as admitting us. And 'The Shepherd', as giving us place in green pastures, and bringing us up to the waters of rest, 3 and leading us there, and protecting us from wild beasts, and correcting those who wander, and bringing back the lost, and binding up the broken, and guarding the strong, and bringing them together in the fold beyond with words of pastoral knowledge. And He is 'The Sheep', as victim, and 'The Lamb', as perfect: and 'High Priest', as the offerer, and 'Melchisedek', as motherless in that nature above us, and Fatherless in ours, and without genealogy above, for 'Who,' it says, 'shall tell His generation?' 4 And as King of Salem, which means Peace, and as King of Righteousness, and as He who receives from patriarchs according to their triumphs over the powers of evil. 5 So you have the titles of the Son. Walk through them, through those that are lofty, divinely, threough those that are of the body, as suits them; or rather wholly divinely, that you may become divine, rising from below, for Him who came down from on high for us. In all and above all hold to this, and you shall never stumble either in the higher or more humble names; Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today in the body and in the spirit for ever and ever. Saint Gregory Nazianzus, from Oration 30. 20-21 1 Jn 14.9 2 Acts 17.28 3 Ps 22.2 4 Isaiah 53.8 4 Gen 14