Pure Father, Pure Son
In the course of demonstrating that Christ is not a creature, Athanasius pointed to the difference between human and divine fatherhood and sonship. Human sons have the potential to become fathers, and often do become fathers. But God the Father is unbegotten, and God the Son begets no other. That is to say, the Father is pure, unmixed Father, not filial; the Son is pure, unmixed Son, not paternal.
Cool, but: What does it mean? One: The Son has pure Son does not attend to a son of His own, but attends only to the Father. The Son is a transparent revelation of the Father because He is pure Son, pure filial love and obedience. Two: The Father as pure Father does not honor a father, but does all out of love for His Son.
Peter Leithart
Peter J. Leithart is President of Theopolis Institute. He is the author of numerous books on theology, literature, and culture, including Theopolitan, Defending Constantine, and Baptized Body.
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