Church History, Volume 1 (of 3)Kurtz, J. H. (Johann Heinrich)
Religion
Church History, Volume 1 (of 3)
Kurtz, J. H. (Johann Heinrich)
Church history
§ 33.6. =Beryllus and Origen.=--=Beryllus of Bostra=[93] in
Arabia also belonged to the Patripassians; but he marks the
transition to a nobler Modalism, for though he refuses to the
deity of Christ the ἰδία θεότης, he designates it πατρικὴ θεότης,
and sees in it a new form of the manifestation (πρόσωπον) of
God. In regard to him an Arabian Synod was held in A.D. 244,
to which =Origen= was invited. Convinced by him of his error,
Beryll [Beryllus] retracted.--All previous representatives of
the hypostasis of the Logos had understood his hypostatizing
as happening in time for the purpose of the creation and the
incarnation. =Origen= removed this restriction when he enunciated
the proposition: The Son is from eternity begotten of the Father
and so from eternity an hypostasis. The generation of the Son
took not place simply as the condition of creation, but as of
itself necessary, for where there is light there must be the
shedding forth of rays. But because the life of God is bound
to no time, the objectivizing of His life in the Son must also
lie outside of all time. It is not therefore an act of God
accomplished once and for ever, but an eternally continued
exercise of living power (ἀεὶ γεννᾲ τὸν υἱόν). Origen did not
indeed get beyond subordinationism, but he restricted it within
the narrowest possible limits. He condemns the expression that
the Son is ἐκ τῆς οὐσίας τοῦ πατρός, but only in opposition
to the Gnostic theories of emanation. He maintained a ἑτερότης
τῆς οὐσίας, but only in opposition to the ὁμοούσιος in the
Patripassian sense. He teaches a generation of the Son ἐκ τοῦ
θελήματος θεοῦ, but only because he sees in Him the objectified
divine will. He calls Him a κτίσμα, but only in so far as He is
θεοποιούμενος, not αὐτόθεος, though indeed the Son is αὐτοσοφία,
αὐτοαλήθεια, δεύτερος θεός. Thus what he teaches is not a
subordination of essence or nature, but only of existence or
origin.
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