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By Nancy Bilyeau
"Catherine, queen of England, come into the court!"
It was the third call made by the crier, commanded by Henry VIII to stop the queen from leaving the tribunal court convened to inquire into the legality of their 20-year marriage. On that day, June 21, 1529, before a vast room occupied by two scarlet-clad cardinals, nobles of the realm and a throng of spectators, Catherine threw herself at the feet of the man who was desperate to divorce her in order to marry another woman.
Immortalized by Shakespeare, Queen Catherine said:
Sir, I desire you do me right and justice; and to bestow your pity on me; for I am a most poor woman, and a stranger; born out of your dominions; having here no judge indifferent, nor no more assurance of equal friendship and proceedings. Alas, Sir, in what way have I offended you? What cause hath my behavior given to your displeasure, that thus you should proceed to put me off, and take your good grace from me? After finishing her entreaty to an embarrassed and unmoved husband, Catherine rose, ignored the crier, saying, "It matters not, this is no indifferent court for me. I will not tarry." And she left. When the queen reached the sight of the crowd of commoners gathered outside, they cheered for her, the sound of it wafting into the chamber she'd left behind.
It is an unforgettable scene, one that has shaken and moved me each time I read Catherine of Aragon's plea to be spared such a humiliating rejection. Perhaps it was the draw of such high drama-the cheers and cries and arguments of The Great Matter-that led me to search that section of London for the place where the royal confrontation took place: Blackfriars. But there is another reason too.
In my novels, "The Crown" and "The Chalice", I write the stories through the eyes of a Dominican novice who lives at the priory of Dartford, in Kent. It was the sole house of Dominican sisters in the kingdom. But the largest male Dominican establishment in England-and one of the most prestigious in all of Europe-was the monastery of friars dubbed Blackfriars. In its vast complex, the upper frater building, 110 feet long and 52 feet wide with two-foot-thick stonewalls, had a second-storey room called the Parliamentary Chamber. Many important sessions of government were held there.
It's natural to be surprised that a friary would possess such a chamber; the medieval monarchs' respect for the large monastic orders-Dominicans, Benedictines, and Franciscans-is not much written about. The first followers of St Dominic arrived in England in 1221. Over the next 50 years, their influence, and their numbers, grew as, pledged to humility and poverty, they stayed in various churches. They were nicknamed "Blackfriars" because of the color of their robes.
Edward I
Edward I was the principal patron of the new Blackfriars friary in London. He made a gift of 200 marks in 1280 to raise the church; construction of all the buildings-cloister, frater, infirmary, chapel, dormitory, vestry, buttery, brewery-lasted at least 20 years. King Edward took its creation so seriously that he extended the western perimeter wall of the city of London so the friars could have more room. Their property extended from the Thames River to Ludgate; the friars, moreover, were not answerable to the mayor or any governmental officials of the city. They were a city within the city.
After the work was finished, King Edward I conducted state business in Blackfriars and even slept there on occasion. Did nights spent on a friar's pallet afford more peace for Edward Longshanks, the Hammer of the Scots? Perhaps.
The Dominicans were grateful to their patron, so much so that they staunchly defended his son, Edward II, when no one else did. After Edward II was deposed by his French wife and her allies, the Blackfriars were distrusted and blamed for a time and had to go into hiding.
Edward II coronation
There are no more instances of Dominicans' dangerous interference with political affairs. On the property, houses were built and lent to those not affiliated with the friars. It became a fashionable place to live, known for its gardens. Sir William Kingston retired to Blackfriars precinct after his years of service managing the Tower of London, dealing with such prisoners as King Henry's second wife, Anne Boleyn. The Parr family also had a house in Blackfriars, and Henry VIII's sixth wife, also named Catherine, was born there in 1512.
When the end came in the 1530s and Henry VIII, denied his divorce by Rome, declared himself head of the Church of England, the Dominicans did not martyr themselves, like the Carthusian monks. The prior, John Hilsey, surrendered Blackfriars without any known objection in November 1538. The 15 friars living there were ejected and the friary officially closed. For his cooperation, Prior Hilsey received a pension of 60 pounds for the rest of his life and could stay in prior's lodgings, which included larders, buttery, kitchen, storeroom, cellar, gallery and other parcels.
Blackfriars as Elizabethan playhouse
Throughout the rest of the 16th century, the buildings and gardens of Blackfriars were sold to various courtiers. Large structures were broken up; later, some of the halls were put back together to become a playhouse for Shakespeare and other Elizabeth playwrights. In the Great Fire of London, that building was destroyed.
I knew very well that nothing of Blackfriars remained when I visited London in the summer of 2011 to research my novel, "The Chalice". But it was hard to believe. It had functioned as more than a friary and parliamentary-session house, it was a palace. When Charles V, the Holy Roman Emperor, visited his aunt, Catherine of Aragon, he stayed not in any of Henry VIII's castles but in the guesthouse of Blackfriars.
I bought some historical maps and guide
Tired and hungry, I was about to give up when I heard something very strange on a deserted side street. It was singing, a beautiful hymn of some sort. I followed the sound of their voices to a set of stairs leading up. At the top was a small, leafy courtyard park, and a group of 20 middle-aged men and women gathered, singing. A priest stood by.
I learned that this day, July 26, was St Anne's Day, and they sang to honor her, the mother of the Virgin Mary. I sat on a bench and listened to their program. At twilight, I got up to leave, and saw a scrap of low stone wall and near it a line of centuries' old tombstones on the edge of the park pavement.
They were the graves of friars of the Dominican Order. The Church of St. Anne was built in 1550, twelve years after the surrender, to serve as the house of worship for those still living in the precinct. One thing they did was gather and protect some of the graves.
I had found Blackfriars.
"
Touchstone/US
Orion
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652 Codrus the Sneak (level 6, -1/37 HPs)
Began as an Octopode Enchanter on Aug 15, 2012.
Slain by a phantom (4 damage)
... on Level 6 of the Dungeon.
The game lasted 01:05:10 (6969 turns).
Codrus the Sneak (Octopode Enchanter) Turns: 6969, Time: 01:05:10
HP -1/37 AC 1 Str 7 XL: 6 Next: 79%
MP 6/11 EV 13 Int 25 God:
Gold 260 SH 0 Dex 12 Spells: 3 memorised, 3 levels left
Res.Fire :... See Invis. : + a - +4,+1 dagger (drain) {=f}
Res.Cold :... Warding :. (no shield)
Life Prot.:... Conserve :. (helmet restricted)
Res.Poison:. Res.Corr. :. (no amulet)
Res.Elec. :. Clarity :. R - ring of see invisible {unknown}
Sust.Abil.:.. Spirit.Shd :. (no ring)
Res.Mut. :. Stasis :. (no ring)
Res.Rott. :. Ctrl.Telep.:. (no ring)
Saprovore :... Levitation :. (no ring)
Ctrl.Flight:. (no ring)
(no ring)
(no ring)
@: confused, brilliant, hasted, very quick, slightly resistant to hostile enchantments, fairly stealthy
A: almost no armour, amphibious, 8 rings, constrict 8, camouflage 1, AC +1 a: no special abilities
You were on level 6 of the Dungeon.
You were not hungry.
You visited 1 branch of the dungeon, and saw 6 of its levels.
You collected 240 gold pieces.
Inventory:
Hand weapons
a - a +4,+1 dagger of draining (weapon) {=f}
b - a +0,+0 sling
j - a +2,+2 orcish dagger
k - a +1,+1 dagger
Missiles
c - 8 javelins (quivered)
t - a dart of frost
v - 34 sling bullets
w - 63 arrows
I - 13 stones
Armour
z - a +0 buckler
Comestibles
f - 2 bread rations
H - 3 meat rations
S - a chunk of rat flesh
Scrolls
g - a scroll of curse weapon {unknown}
s - a scroll of amnesia
u - 3 scrolls of identify {unknown}
E - a scroll of blinking {!r}
L - 3 scrolls of remove curse
Q - a scroll of fear {unknown}
T - a scroll of fog {unknown}
Jewellery
R - a ring of see invisible (left tentacle) {unknown}
Potions
e - a potion of restore abilities {!q}
l - 2 potions of confusion {!q}
D - a potion of resistance {unknown}
K - a potion of heal wounds {unknown}
You knew the following spells:
Your Spells Type Power Failure Level Hunger
a - Corona Hex ######.. 1% 1 None
c - Confuse Hex ######... 1% 3 ###...
h - Ensorcelled Hibernat Hex/Ice #####.. 1% 2 ##...
Dungeon Overview and Level Annotations
Branches:
Dungeon (6/27)
Temple: D:4-7 Orc: D:6-11
Altars:
the Shining One
Annotations
D:4 spellbook, exclusions: 2 doors, scorpion, troll, water moccasin and 1 more exclusion, Duvessa, Sigmund
Innate Abilities, Weirdness & Mutations
You cannot wear most types of armour.
You are amphibious.
You can wear up to eight rings at the same time.
You can use your tentacles to constrict many enemies at once.
Your skin changes colour to match your surroundings (Stlth).
Your rubbery body absorbs attacks (AC +1).
Message History
Yer too confused.
Enter note: worst f'in ggame
Drink which item? (? fer menu, 'sc ta quit)
It has a very clean taste.
Yer urge ta shout disappears. Ye feel robust.
It was a potion o' cure mutation. Tha phantom blinks!
Drink which item? (? fer menu, 'sc ta quit)
Ye feel more cle'er all o' a sudd'n.
It was a potion o' brilliance. Tha phantom hits ye.
* * * LOW HITPOINT WARNIN' * * *
Tha phantom blinks!
Drink which item? (? fer menu, 'sc ta quit)
Ye feel yerself speed up. It was a potion o' speed.
Unknown command.
Unknown command.
Unknown command.
Unknown command.
Unknown command.
Tha phantom hits ye.
Ye die...
###################
...(...#
#############...#
#..p..#
#
Origin: http://candle-magic.blogspot.com
"
HULK ( 2003" ) - movie poster.
In THE POPULAR 2003 MOVIE: " HULK " - written by: JAMES SCHAMUS [ that means: " THE SUPPLANTER IS THE VOICE IN THE OCEAN " ], MICHAEL FRANCE [ that means: " THE TRUE VOICE OF GOD IS THE FREE MAN " ], and JOHN TURMAN [ that means: " GOD HAS PROVIDED THE MAN FROM HIS TOWER " ] and directed by ANG LEE [ which means: " THE MESSENGER OF GOD TO THE MEADOW " ] - we have been provided "ANOTHER EXCELLENT PROPHETICAL ALLEGORY". After all, dear brothers and sisters, ' ALL OF YOUR DREAMS ARE QUITE TIGHTLY INTERCONNECTED '... and, they were provided as "A Most Valuable Conduit Into Our Own Future"!
"
It's all in: " UNDERSTANDING THE CARDS "...
What, you don't believe me? Then, why not just watch THE FOLLOWING MOVIE TRAILER for: " HULK " - because, ' REAL LIFE IS FAR STRANGER THAN FICTION '. And, in the much grander scheme of things, You Just Might Be Glad That You Did"...
America In Prophecy
THE HULK [ 2003 ] - BY:" ANG LEE"."
HULK: "Is A Prophetical Allegory"
"
Like a big pizza pie: " THE MOON HITS YOUR EYE "!
You see, dear brothers and sisters, ' THERE IS FAR MORE GOING ON AROUND YOU THAN YOU EVER HONESTLY SUSPECTED '... and, as your own foundations are growing increasingly unstable, The Mighty One Has Already Provided Your Own Pathway Forward". Alas, however, YOU'LL HAVE TO BE WISE ENOUGH TO ACTUALLY FIND IT. And, goodness knows, it's probably just another: " SMALL LITTLE NEEDLE IN THE HAYSTACK "!
I wonder, where we should be looking... WHAT DO, YOU THINK?
THE CHARACTERS IN HULK [ include ]:
DR. BRUCE BANNER ( aka, BRUCE KRENZLER ) [ " THE HEALER ( OR, EDUCATED ONE ) IS: "THE FLAG IN THE WILLOWLANDS" AND "THE DWELLER AT THE BOUNDARY ]
BETTY ROSS [ " THE ONE PROMISED BY GOD IS: "THE HEAD OF THE LAND" AND "THE COVERING ]
GEN. THADDEUS ' THUNDERBOLT ' ROSS [ " THE ARMY COMMANDER IS GOD'S OWN GIFT: "HIS LIGHTENING FROM HEAVEN", "THE HEAD OF YOUR LAND", AND "THE CAPSTONE ]
MAJOR GLENN TALBOT [ " THE IMPORTANT ONE OF THE MEADOW IS MY MESSENGER OF DESTRUCTION " ]
DR. DAVID BANNER [ " THE HEALER ( OR, EDUCATED ONE ) IS: "MY BELOVED ONE" AND "THE FLAG OVER MY OWN ARMY " ]
EDITH BANNER [ " THE ONE WHO PROSPERS IN WAR IS THE FLAG OVER MY OWN ARMY " ]
MRS. KRENZLER [ " THE WIFE TO MY DWELLER AT THE BOUNDARY " ]
THE CAST OF HULK [ includes ]:
ERIC BANA [ " THE ETERNAL RULER IS: "THE SLAYER" AND "ANGEL OF DEATH ]
JENNIFER CONNELLY [ " THE: WHITE, FAIR, AND PURE MINDED ONE - THE VALIANT ONE FROM CONN " ]
SAM ELLIOT [ " THE ONE WHO LISTENS TO GOD; BECAUSE GOD IS HIS LORD " ]
JOSH LUCAS [ " YAHWEH IS SALVATION TO HIS SON ' THE EXTREMELY POWERFUL WOLF ' " ]
NICK NOLTE [ " THE VICTORY TO MY OWN PEOPLE IS THE RULER OVER THE EAGLE " ]
CARA BUONO [ " MY OWN BELOVED FRIEND IS THE BENEVOLENT ONE " ]
CELIA WESTON [ " THE HEAVENLY ONE AND MY CITY OF THE WEST " ]
"
OSCAR DIGGS is : " THE DIVINE SPEAR HOLDER "!
And, BASED UPON THAT COMBINED INFORMATION we can: Readily Extrapolate" and/or "Spiritually Decipher" - THE FOLLOWING ACCURATE SPIRITUAL MESSAGE:
" THE HEALER ( or, MY EDUCATED ONE ) is: "The Flag In The Willowlands" and "The Dweller At The Boundary" - because, THE ETERNAL RULER IS MY SLAYER and THE ANGEL OF DEATH. After all, dear children, ' THE ONE PROMISED BY GOD IS THE HEAD OF YOUR LAND AND THE COVERING ' - the: "White", "Fair", and "Pure Minded One" - and, THE VALIANT ONE FROM CONN.
You see, THE ARMY COMMANDER is: "God's Own Gift To Humanity", "His Lightening From Heaven", "The Head Of Your Land", and "Your Own Necessary Capstone" - since, you might as well face it, ' HE IS THE ONE WHO LISTENS TO GOD AND GOD IS HIS LORD '! Indeed, dear children, ' THE IMPORTANT ONE OF THE MEADOW IS MY MESSENGER OF DESTRUCTION '... and, YAHWEH is salvation to HIS OWN SON - "The Extremely Powerful Wolf".
After all, THE HEALER ( or, MY EDUCATED ONE ) is both: "My Beloved One" and "The Flag Over My Own Army" - and, indeed, you shall very soon see that ' THE VICTORY TO MY PEOPLE IS MY OWN RULER OVER THE EAGLE '. Because, THE ONE WHO PROSPERS IN WAR has always invariably been: "The Flag Over My Own Army", "My Own Personal Friend", and "The Benevolent One"!
Meanwhile, of course, THE NEW WIFE TO MY DWELLER AT THE BOUNDARY shall ( truthfully ) be: "The Heavenly One" and "My New City Of The West"... "
Simply amazing, isn't it...
So, Where Is HULK Mentioned In The Scriptures...
Well, among other scriptures, PSALM 2 ( actually ) says:
" WHY DO THE NATIONS CONSPIRE AND THE PEOPLES PLOT IN VAIN [ SINCE, THERE IS NOTHING THAT THEY CAN DO ]? The kings of the earth rise up and the rulers band together against THE MIGHTY ONE [ YAHWEH, THEIR CREATOR ] and against his anointed [ MICHAEL, HIS SON ], saying:' LET US BREAK THEIR CHAINS AND THROW OFF THEIR SHACKLES.' THE ONE ENTHRONED IN HEAVEN LAUGHS [ WITH UTTER DERISION ]; THE MIGHTY ONE scoffs at them [ AS THEY, PREVIOUSLY, SCOFFED AT HIM ]. "HE" [ THE PRINCE OF MY OWN SPIRITUAL COVENANT ] rebukes them in "HIS ANGER" and terrifies them in "HIS WRATH" [ FOR, HE IS COMPLETELY UNSTOPPABLE ], saying:' I HAVE INSTALLED MY KING [ YAHSHUA, THE SAVIOR ] upon ZION [ IN JERUSALEM ], MY HOLY MOUNTAIN [ AS, SO LONG AGO, PROPHESIED ]. I will proclaim THE MIGHTY ONE'S DECREE:HE [ YAHWEH ] said to "ME "[ MICHAEL, THE ARCHANGEL ], ' You Are My Son; Today I Have Become Your Father. Ask me, and I will make the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession [ THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NOTHING, THAT I WILL NOT LOVINGLY PROVIDE YOU ]. You will break them with a rod of iron [ FOR YOU ARE MY OWN PHYSICAL HAMMER ]; you will dash them to pieces like pottery [ SINCE, NONE OF THEM COULD STAND AGAINST YOU IN BATTLE ]. 'THEREFORE, YOU KINGS, BE WISE [ TURN AWAY FROM YOUR OWN SERVICE TO LUCIFER ]; be warned [ MICHAEL IS COMPLETELY UNSTOPPABLE ], you rulers of the earth [ LEST, HE SHOULD GROW ANGERED AGAINST YOU ]. Serve The Mighty One with fear [ IN PROPER SPIRITUAL HUMILITY ] and celebrate his rule with trembling [ FOR, HE IS A TRUE GOD AMONG MEN ]. KISS THE SON [ WHOM I HAVE PROVIDED TO YOU ], OR HE WILL BE ANGRY [ AND, THAT ISN'T THE WISEST OF OPTIONs ] and your way will lead to your destruction [ HE IS MY OWN: "MILITARY CHAMPION" AND "ARMY COMMANDER" ], for his wrath can flare up in a moment [ AND, HIS OWN PATIENCE ISN'T UNLIMITED ]. Blessed are all who take refuge in him [ SINCE, THEY WILL NEVER BE SHAKEN ]. " - "PSALM 2:1-12".
Does it, not? Well, it sure reads that way to me...
Ahava and Shalom.
May YAHWEH'S Own: "Love" and "Peace" - be, continually, upon you!
Origin: http://spellscasting.blogspot.com
Sathya Sai Baba, born Sathyanarayna Raju (23 November 1926 to 24 April 2011), has passed away. This story would have probably passed me by if it wasn't for the fact that a friend of mine (not a member of Bast Temple) has a picture of him in her temple room. While he was alive, there was some debate on whether he was a fraud or not.
I am not sure that practicing sleight of hand makes the message corrupt or not. After all, I have seen worse from others. My favorite quote from the man is something that he said about the Narasimhaiah Committee, which was created to study miracles and other superstitions. Being challenged to perform his miracles under controlled scientific conditions, Sathya Sai Baba replied, "Science must confine its inquiry only to things belonging to the human senses, while spiritualism transcends the senses.
If you want to understand the nature of spiritual power, you can do so only through the path of spirituality and not science. What science has been able to unravel is merely a fraction of the cosmic phenomena." Whether you take that statement as a spiritual lesson or the statement of someone who does not want to be tested because he is conning people depends upon your faith and your opinion of the man and his message.
Personally, having not dealt with the man or his organization, my opinion is still on the fence. Rest in Peace Sathya Sai Baba.
Reference: http://crafty-witch.blogspot.com
Will Paganism be able to run with the other "big dogs" of religion or will they only be seen as heathens and satanists? Mr. Charles Colson gives his opinion.
Paganism, especially Wicca, has been a hot topic as of lately. One of the more recent topics of discussion included the federal government and the wives of deceased military personnel fighting over the right to show a Wiccan symbol on a headstone. However, the average topic you read about Paganism and Wicca speaks of such things as sacrifice, killing, and of course Satan worship. This is why it is not a shock to know that even the Washington Post has jumped on the non-Christian bashing bandwagon by allowing one of their religious contributors throw his Christianized "two cents" into the ring.
The question that is being brought up currently is whether Paganism will be able to run with the other "big dogs" of religion. Of course, when there are backwards thinking individuals such as Charles Colson, founder of the Prison Fellowship and "On Faith" contributor for the Washington Post, it may make Paganism's rise begin to decline once again; or at least shove more "witches" back into the broom closet from whence they emerged. In a nation of free speech and beliefs, it is hard to believe that such hatred and lies are allowed to be released into society about one religious group or another.
According to Mr. Colson, "Those who publicly identify themselves as pagans are at best a marginal number and are basically no different from dozens of other cults." He also has decided to lump Pagans and Witchcraft with nature worship and human sacrifice. People that are as close-minded as Mr. Colson should be pitied. After all, this is the 21st century and there are hundreds if not thousands of different beliefs and thought systems in the United States and around the world. It is extremely painful to know that people, like Mr. Colson, speak out on topics that they are not rightfully educated in only to leave it to educated writers to come forth and offer the truth.
So after several different new accusations against Pagans and other alternative religions, how will they be able to withstand the brow-beating and negativity? Well, there is an easy answer to this question. The "alternative" religions will be able to withstand the verbal abuse and public assumptions because they tend to be more peaceful, loving, and forgiving creatures. Everyone can recall certain passages from the Bible that tell us to "turn the other cheek" or "love thy neighbor". The funny thing about these sayings and passages is that the people that live by these laws are the "alternative" or "bad" religions. Pagans, Sikhs, Hindus, Wiccans, Druids, Buddhists, and many other "alternative" religious beliefs are based on the concept of not harming others both physically or verbally. So why is it that they are the ones that tend to get a bad wrap when it comes to things like this then? Well that really is the million dollar question isn't it?
In the end will Paganism and other alternative religions be able to weather through the extreme waves of persecution? That is something you have to ask yourself as a religious person, whether Christian or non-Christian. It is up to us as a nation to stand for the beliefs of everyone in this country, not just our own. Nowhere is it written that united we stand, but only if everyone believes the same way. The true saying is "United we stand, together we fall", and that is how it should be. So instead of living in the Segregated States of America, let's go back to living in the United States of America.
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WICCAN PROTECTION BALL
By D.J. Conway
Witch balls have been around for centuries, but is nearly impossible (and very costly) to buy one. These silvery balls were once common fixtures in windows, particularly in England, where they were said to repel evil thoughts and curses.
Most Pagans don't feel they can spend several hundred dollars to purchase such a ball, even if they could find one, but there is no reason you can't make one.
You will need a clear glass ball or Yule ornament with an opening in one end. If the glass ball has some kind of design, choose one you like or one you can change with further decoration. You will also need a bottle of silver paint found in hobby stores, a few drops of frankincense or patchouli oil, a spool of red thread, and a pair of scissors.
Cover you working space with newspaper to protect against spills. Take the metal cap off the ornament. Carefully pour a little of the silver paint inside the ball and swish it around until the inside is completely covered with the silver.
Set it aside to dry.
When the paint is totally dry, cut the red thread into three inch-lengths.
Carefully poke this thread into the open end of the ball. Continue cutting and putting the thread into the ball until the ball is nearly full. Put in a few drops of oil. Then put the end back on the ornament. If it has no end, seal it with candle wax.
When you hang the protection ball, chant:
Symbol of the Moon, symbol of the Lady divine,
Reject all negativity, defend this home (car), me and mine.
This protection ball can be hung in the window of your home or in your car. Any negative thoughts or ill-wishes directed against you are reflected back to the sender. You can also decorate the outside with appropriate designs. You can put them onto wreaths or make them part of a dried flower arrangement. Programmed for protection, these little Witch balls do a very good job.
Reference: http://wicca-teachings.blogspot.com
1. We believe in one Unbegotten God, Father Almighty, maker of all things both visible and invisible, that hath His being from Himself. And in one Only-begotten Word, Wisdom, Son, begotten of the Father without beginning and eternally; word not pronounced nor mental, nor an effluence of the Perfect, nor a dividing of the impassible Essence, nor an issue (Gr.
); but absolutely perfect Son, living and powerful (Heb. iv. 12), the true Image of the Father, equal in honour and glory. For this, he says, 'is the will of the Father, that as they honour the Father, so they may honour the Son also' (Joh. v. 23): very God of very God, as John says in his general Epistles, 'And we are in Him that is true, even in His Son Jesus Christ: this is the true God and everlasting life' (1 Joh.
V. 20): Almighty of Almighty. For all things which the Father rules and sways, the Son rules and sways likewise: wholly from the Whole, being like the Father as the Lord says, 'he that hath seen Me hath seen the Father' (Joh. xiv. 9). But He was begotten ineffably and incomprehensibly, for 'who shall declare his generation?
' (Isa. liii. 8), in other words, no one can. Who, when at the consummation of the ages (Heb. ix. 26), He had descended from the bosom of the Father, took from the undefiled Virgin Mary our humanity (), Christ Jesus, whom He delivered of His own will to suffer for us, as the Lord saith: 'No man taketh My life from Me.
I have power to lay it down, and have power to take it again' (Joh. x. 18). In which humanity He was crucified and died for us, and rose from the dead, and was taken up into the heavens, having been created as the beginning of ways for us (Prov. viii. 22), when on earth He shewed us light from out of darkness, salvation from error, life from the dead, an entrance to paradise, from which Adam was cast out, and into which he again entered by means of the thief, as the Lord said, 'This day shalt thou be with Me in paradise' (Luke xxiii.
43), into which Paul also once entered. [He shewed us] also a way up to the heavens, whither the humanity of the Lord ( ) in which He will judge the quick and the dead, entered as precursor for us. We believe, likewise, also in the Holy Spirit that searcheth all things, even the deep things of God (1 Cor.
Ii. 10), and we anathematise doctrines contrary to this.
2. For neither do we hold a Son-Father, as do the Sabellians, calling Him of one but not of the same ( ) essence, and thus destroying the existence of the Son. Neither do we ascribe the passible body which He bore for the salvation of the whole world to the Father.
Neither can we imagine three Subsistences separated from each other, as results from their bodily nature in the case of men, lest we hold a plurality of gods like the heathen. But just as a river, produced from a well, is not separate, and yet there are in fact two visible objects and two names. For neither is the Father the Son, nor the Son the Father.
For the Father is Father of the Son, and the Son, Son of the Father. For like as the well is not a river, nor the river a well, but both are one and the same water which is conveyed in a channel from the well to the river, so the Father's deity passes into the Son without flow and without division. For the Lord says, 'I came out from the Father and am come' (Joh.
Xvi. 28). But He is ever with the Father, for He is in the bosom of the Father, nor was ever the bosom of the Father void of the deity of the Son. For He says, 'I was by Him as one setting in order' (Prov. viii. 30). But we do not regard God the Creator of all, the Son of God, as a creature, or thing made, or as made out of nothing, for He is truly existent from Him who exists, alone existing from Him who alone exists, in as much as the like glory and power was eternally and conjointly begotten of the Father.
For 'He that hath seen' the Son 'hath seen the Father (Joh. xiv. 9). All things to wit were made through the Son; but He Himself is not a creature, as Paul says of the Lord: 'In Him were all things created, and He is before all' (Col. i. 16). Now He says not, 'was created' before all things, but 'is' before all things.
To be created, namely, is applicable to all things, but 'is before all' applies to the Son only.
3. He is then by nature an Offspring, perfect from the Perfect, begotten before all the hills (Prov. viii. 25), that is before every rational and intelligent essence, as Paul also in another place calls Him 'first-born of all creation' (Col.
I. 15). But by calling Him First-born, He shews that He is not a Creature, but Offspring of the Father. For it would be inconsistent with His deity for Him to be called a creature. For all things were created by the Father through the Son, but the Son alone was eternally begotten from the Father, whence God the Word is 'first-born of all creation,' unchangeable from unchangeable.
However, the body which He wore for our sakes is a creature: concerning which Jeremiah says, according to the edition of the seventy translators 'The Lord created for us for a planting a new salvation, in which salvation men shall go about:' but according to Aquila the same text runs: 'The Lord created a new thing in woman.
' Now the salvation created for us for a planting, which is new, not old, and for us, not before us, is Jesus, Who in respect of the Saviour was made man, and whose name is translated in one place Salvation, in another Saviour. But salvation proceeds from the Saviour, just as illumination does from the light.
The salvation, then, which was from the Saviour, being created new, did, as Jeremiah says, 'create for us a new salvation,' and as Aquila renders: 'The Lord created a new thing in woman,' that is in Mary. For nothing new was created in woman, save the Lord's body, born of the Virgin Mary without intercourse, as also it says in the Proverbs in the person of Jesus: 'The Lord created me, a beginning of His ways for His works' (Prov.
Viii. 22). Now He does not say, 'created me before His works,' lest any should take the text of the deity of the Word.
4. Each text then which refers to the creature is written with reference to Jesus in a bodily sense. For the Lord's Humanity was created as 'a beginning of ways,' and He manifested it to us for our salvation.
For by it we have our access to the Father. For He is the way (Joh. xiv. 6) which leads us back to the Father. And a way is a corporeal visible thing, such as is the Lord's humanity. Well, then, the Word of God created all things, not being a creature, but an offspring. For He created none of the created things equal or like unto Himself.
But it is the part of a Father to beget, while it is a workman's part to create. Accordingly, that body is a thing made and created, which the Lord bore for us, which was begotten for us, as Paul says, 'wisdom from God, and sanctification and righteousness, and redemption;' while yet the Word was before us and before all Creation, and is, the Wisdom of the Father.
But the Holy Spirit, being that which proceeds from the Father, is ever in the hands of the Father Who sends and of the Son Who conveys Him, by Whose means He filled all things. The Father, possessing His existence from Himself, begat the Son, as we said, and did not create Him, as a river from a well and as a branch from a root, and as brightness from a light, things which nature knows to be indivisible; through whom to the Father be glory and power and greatness before all ages, and unto all the ages of the ages.
Amen.
From Volume 4, Second Series of the NPNF
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