A scene from The Canterbury Psalter (12th century)
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Cyril’s Treasury: John 3:16
Look at this from Cyril of Alexandria:
| PG 75:543–44 | ET |
| «Οὕτως γὰρ ἠγάπησεν ὁ Θεὸς τὸν κόσμον, ὥστε τὸν μονογενῆ αὐτοῦ Υἱὸν ἔδωκεν, ἵνα πᾶς ὁ πιστεύων εἰς αὐτὸν, μὴ ἀπόληται, ἀλλ’ ἔχῃ ζωὴν αἰώνιον.» | “For God so loved the world that He gave His only-begotten Son, so that everyone who believes in Him should not perish, but have eternal life.” |
| Εἰ τὸ μέγα καὶ ὑπερφυὲς τῆς ἀγάπης τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ Πατρὸς Κύριος ἔχει περὶ τὸν κόσμον, ἐν τούτῳ διαγινώσκεται, ἐν τῷ εἶναι Υἱὸν τὸν ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ καὶ δι’ αὐτὸν σαρκὶ κινδυνεύσαντα, | If the greatness and surpassing excellence of the love that God and Father has toward the world is recognized in this, that the one who put himself at risk in the flesh on the world’s behalf and for its sake is a Son, |
| σμικρὸν ἄρα φαίνεται τὸ πρᾶγμα, καὶ τοῦ μηδενὸς ἄξιον, εἰ μὴ Υἱός ἐστιν, ἀλλὰ ποίημα τὸ δοθὲν ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ. | then the matter appears small and worth nothing if the one given on its behalf is not a Son but a created thing. |
| Εἴη δ’ ἂν καὶ ἑτέρως τὸ τοῦ Μονογενοῦς ὄνομα πεπλασμένον τε καὶ οὐκ ἀληθές. Εἰ γὰρ ἔστι τῶν ποιηθέντων ὁ Υἱὸς, πῶς ἂν νοοῖτο μονογενής; | In another way, too, the name “Only-begotten” would be fabricated and untrue. For if the Son is among the things that were made, how could he be conceived of as only-begotten? |
| Ἐπειδὴ δὲ μεγάλη τε καὶ ἐξαίρετος ἡ ἀγάπη τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ Πατρὸς, Υἱὸς ἄρα ἐστὶν ὁ ὑπὲρ τῆς τοῦ κόσμου δοθεὶς σωτηρίας. | But since the love of God and Father is great and exceptional, the one given for the salvation of the world is therefore a Son. |
| Ἐν τούτῳ γὰρ ὄντως ἐστὶ τοῦ πράγματος τὸ ἀξίωμα. | For in this lies the true worth of the matter. |
| Ἔστι δὲ καὶ μονογενής· οὐκ ἄρα τῶν ποιημάτων εἷς, ἀλλ’ ὡς μόνος ἐκ Πατρὸς γεννηθείς. | And he is also only-begotten. He is therefore not one among the creatures, but is the only one begotten of the Father. |
| Τοῦτο γὰρ πάντως σημαίνει τὸ τοῦ μονογενοῦς ὄνομά τε καὶ πρᾶγμα. | For this is surely what the name “only-begotten”, and the reality behind it, signifies. |
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About This Blog
Fred Sanders is a theologian who tried to specialize in the doctrine of the Trinity, but found that everything in Christian life and thought is connected to the triune God.
