亚他那修 《Contra Arianos》 2.21

《Contra Arianos》 2.21

亚他那修

61. Such then being the difference between ‘created’ and ‘begat me,’ and between ‘beginning of ways’ and ‘before all,’ God, being first Creator, next, as has been said, becomes Father of men, because of His Word dwelling in them. But in the case of the Word the reverse; for God, being His Father by nature, becomes afterwards both His Creator and Maker, when the Word puts on that flesh which was created and made, and becomes man. For, as men, receiving the Spirit of the Son, become children through Him, so the Word of God, when He Himself puts on the flesh of man, then is said both to be created and to have been made. If then we are by nature sons, then is He by nature creature and work; but if we become sons by adoption and grace, then has the Word also, when in grace towards us He became man, said, ‘The Lord created me.’ And in the next place, when He put on a created nature and became like us in body, reasonably was He therefore called both our Brother and ‘First­born[1] (file:///C:/UDrive%20Backup/Four%20Orations/208%20Texts%20Explained;%20Sixthly,%20Proverbs%20viii.%2022,%20Continued.%20Our%20L For though it was after us[2] (file:///C:/UDrive%20Backup/Four%20Orations/208%20Texts%20Explained;%20Sixthly,%20Proverbs%20viii.%2022,%20Continued.%20Our%20L that He was made man for us, and our brother by similitude of body, still He is therefore called and is the ‘First­born’ of us, because, all men being lost, according to the transgression of Adam, His flesh before all others was saved and liberated, as being the Word’s body[3] (file:///C:/UDrive%20Backup/Four%20Orations/208%20Texts%20Explained;%20Sixthly,%20Proverbs%20viii.%2022,%20Continued.%20Our%20L and henceforth we, becoming incorporate with It, are saved after Its pattern. For in It the Lord becomes our guide to the Kingdom of Heaven and to His own Father, saying, ‘I am the way’ and ‘the door[4] (file:///C:/UDrive%20Backup/Four%20Orations/208%20Texts%20Explained;%20Sixthly,%20Proverbs%20viii.%2022,%20Continued.%20Our%20Lord% and ‘through Me all must enter.’ Whence also is He said to be ‘First­born from the dead[5] (file:///C:/UDrive%20Backup/Four%20Orations/208%20Texts%20Explained;%20Sixthly,%20Proverbs%20viii.%2022,%20Continued.%20Our%20Lord% not that He died before us, for we had died first; but because having undergone death for us and abolished it, He was the first to rise, as man, for our sakes raising His own Body. Henceforth He having risen, we too from Him and because of Him rise in due course from the dead.

这就是在‘造了’和‘生了我’,‘造化的起头’和‘万有之先’的不同,神,先是创造者,然后因着祂的道住在人里面,而被成为人的父(Father)。然而,在道的身上就相反;因为神,在本质上是祂的父,之后,在道披上了那个为祂而造而制造的肉身,成为人的时候,却成为了祂的创造者(Creator)和制造者(Maker)。如同人类接受了儿子的灵后,借由祂成为儿女一样,神的道在披上人的肉身的时候,也被称为被造(created)的和被制造的(have been made)。若我们从本质上而言都是儿子,那么祂从本质上而言,就成了被造之物和作品。当在恩典中他向着我们成为人,并说,‘耶和华造了我(the Lord created me)’的时候,若我们借由认养和恩典成为儿子(sons),道岂不也是一样。接着,当祂披上了被造的本性而在身体中成为与我们一样的,祂当然应当被称为(我们的)弟兄和‘首生的(Frist­born)。’虽然祂是照着我们,为我们被造为人,并在身体的外观上成为我的的弟兄,然而,祂仍然被称为,也是我们中‘首生的(Frist­born)。’因为世人都在亚当的过犯中失丧了,祂的肉体乃是第一个被救赎和被释放的,而成为道的身体。从此以后,我们就能够与它合并(incorporate)并照着它的样式得救(译者:请读者参考《基督教要义》中关于信徒与基督人性联合,以至于得救的部分)。因为在它里面,主成为我们前往天国(Kingdom of Heaven)和祂自己之父的向导,说‘我就是道路,’和‘(我就是)门,’和‘借由我都要进入。’故此祂也被称为‘从死人中首生的,’不是因为祂在我们之前就死了,而是为我们必须先死过。然而因为为了我们经过死并废除死,作为人,祂也是第一个复活的,为了我们的缘故复活了祂自己的身体。在祂复活以后,我们也要从祂复活,因为祂在死后没多久就复活了。

69. Again, if the Son were a creature, man had remained mortal as before, not being joined to God; for a creature had not joined creatures to God, as seeking itself one to join it[1] (file:///C:/UDrive%20Backup/Four%20Orations/208%20Texts%20Explained;%20Sixthly,%20Proverbs%20viii.%2022,%20Continued.%20Our%20L nor would a portion of the creation have been the creation’s salvation, as needing salvation itself. To provide against this also, He sends His own Son, and He becomes Son of Man, by taking created flesh; 。。

再者,若子只是一个被造之物,人就不能联于神,只能像过去一样,继续是会修坏的。因为一个被造之物不能将其他的 被造之物联于神,好像尝试将他们与自己联合一样。被造之物的一部分也不能成为其救赎,因为它自己也需要救赎。为 了反对这点,祂差遣了自己的儿子,借由取了一个被造的肉身,成为人子。。。

70. But this would not have come to pass, had the Word been a creature; for with a creature, the devil, himself a creature, would have ever continued the battle, and man, being between the two, had been ever in peril of death, having none in whom and through whom he might be joined to God and delivered from all fear. Whence the truth shews us that the Word is not of things originate, but rather Himself their Framer. For therefore did He assume the body originate and human, that having renewed it as its Framer, He might deify it[1] (file:///C:/UDrive%20Backup/Four%20Orations/208%20Texts%20Explained;%20Sixthly,%20Proverbs%20viii.%2022,%20Continued.%20Our%20L in Himself, and thus might introduce us all into the kingdom of heaven after His likeness. For man had not been deified if joined to a creature, or unless the Son were very God; nor had man been brought into the Father’s presence, unless He had been His natural and true Word who had put on the body. And as we had not been delivered from sin and the curse, unless it had been by nature human flesh, which the Word put on (for we should have had nothing common with what was foreign), so also the man had not been deified, unless the Word who became flesh had been by nature from the Father and true and proper to Him. For therefore the union was of this kind, that He might unite what is man by nature to Him who is in the nature of the Godhead, and his salvation and deification might be sure. Therefore let those who deny that the Son is from the Father by nature and proper to His Essence, deny also that He took true human flesh[2] (file:///C:/UDrive%20Backup/Four%20Orations/208%20Texts%20Explained;%20Sixthly,%20Proverbs%20viii.%2022,%20Continued.%20Our%20Lord% of Mary Ever­Virgin[3] (file:///C:/UDrive%20Backup/Four%20Orations/208%20Texts%20Explained;%20Sixthly,%20Proverbs%20viii.%2022,%20Continued.%20Our%20Lord% for in neither case had it been of profit to us men, whether the Word were not true and naturally Son of God, or the flesh not true which He assumed. But surely He took true flesh, though Valentinus rave; yea the Word was by nature Very God, though Ario­maniacs rave[4] (file:///C:/UDrive%20Backup/Four%20Orations/208%20Texts%20Explained;%20Sixthly,%20Proverbs%20viii.%2022,%20Continued.%20Our%20Lord% and in that flesh has come to pass the beginning[5] (file:///C:/UDrive%20Backup/Four%20Orations/208%20Texts%20Explained;%20Sixthly,%20Proverbs%20viii.%2022,%20Continued.%20Our%20Lord% of our new creation, He being created man for our sake, and having made for us that new way, as has been said.

若道只是一个被造之物,这些都不会发生。因为魔鬼自己就是一个被造之物,会继续抗争。人们只能在两者之间堕落到死亡之中,他们也不可能在谁或经由谁而联于神,并从恐惧中被拯救出来。由此,真理告诉我们道并不是一个有起源之物,而是它们的塑造者。故此,祂为了它们披上了一个有起源的人类身体,并以塑造者的身份更新它,让祂能在祂自己里面神化(deify)它,好根据祂自己的形像,把我们带入属天的国里面。因为若人与一个被造之物联合,是不能被神化的,除非子就是神;除非那位具有祂(父)的本质和祂的真道披上身体,没有人能够被带到父的面前。除非道披上的是具有人性本质的肉身(若这肉身与我们不同,我们跟它就没有共同点),我们就无法从罪和咒诅中被拯救出来。除非那位有从父而来本质,并与祂(父)同质之道成为人,人就无法被神化。故此,那个联合乃是这样的,让祂能够把那些本质是人的与那位本质是神格的祂,联合起来,以确立祂的救赎和神化(的工作)。所以,让那些否认子的本质是从父而来,并于祂同质的人,也否认祂从永远童贞的玛利亚取得了人类的肉体。否则,不论道的本质不是神的真儿子,或祂穿上的不是真正的肉体,对人类都没有益处。然而,祂当然取了一个真实的肉体,虽然瓦伦天奴(Valentinus)在那里胡言乱语。如同我们已经说过的,在那个肉体里面产生了我们新造的开始,祂为我们的缘故成了一个被造的人,并为我们被造,成为那条新路。