On the Trinity 20
Summary: If angels, unjust judges, and Moses can be called “gods” without blasphemy, much more can Christ, who is Lord over them all and received the divine name without measure.
Latin text · PL 3:953d–955a
At si aliquis haereticus, pertinaciter obluctans adversus veritatem, voluerit in his omnibus exemplis proprie Angelum aut intelligere, aut intelligendum esse contenderit, in hoc quoque viribus veritatis frangatur necesse est. Nam si omnibus coelestibus, terrenis et infernis Christo subditis, etiam ipsi Angeli cum omnibus caeteris quaecunque subjecta sunt Christo dicuntur dii, jure et Deus Christus. Et si quivis Angelus subditus Christo deus potest dici; et hoc si dicitur et sine blasphemia profertur: multo magis utique et hoc ipsi Dei Filio Christo competere potest, ut Deus pronuntietur. Si enim qui subjectus Christo Angelus, Deus promitur; multo magis et constantius Christus, cui sunt omnes Angeli subjecti, Deus esse dicetur. Nec enim naturae congruit, ut quae minoribus concessa sunt, majoribus denegentur. Ita si Angelus Christo minor est, Angelus autem deus dicitur, magis consequenter Christus Deus esse dicitur, qui non uno, sed omnibus Angelis et major et melior invenitur. Ac si stetit Deus in synagoga deorum, in medio autem Deus deos discernit; in synagoga autem aliquotiens Christus stetit; Christus ergo in synagoga Deus stetit, dijudicans scilicet deos quibus dicit: Usquequo personas hominum accipitis? accusans scilicet consequenter homines synagogae non exercentes justa judicia. Porro si illi qui reprehenduntur atque culpantur, propter aliquam tamen causam hoc nomen adipisci sine blasphemia videntur, ut dii nuncupentur: multo magis utique hic Deus habebitur qui non tantum Deus in synagoga deorum stetisse dicitur, sed etiam deos discernens et dijudicans, ex eadem lectionis auctoritate aperitur. At si illi, qui tanquam unus de principibus cadunt, dii tamen nuncupantur, multo magis Deus esse dicetur, qui non tantum tanquam unus ex principibus non cadit, sed ipsum quoque malitiae et auctorem et principem vincit. Quae autem, malum, ratio est, ut cum legant hoc etiam Moysi nomen datum, dum dicitur, Deum te posui Pharaoni, Christo negetur, qui non Pharaoni Deus, sed universae creaturae et Dominus et Deus constitutus esse reperitur? Et in illo quidem hoc nomen temperate datum, in hoc profuse: in illo ad mensuram, in hoc supra omnem omnino mensuram. Non enim ad mensuram, inquit, dat Filio Pater: Pater enim, inquit, diligit Filium. In illo ad tempus, in hoc sine tempore; divini enim nominis potestatem et super omnia et in omne tempus accepit. Quod si qui unius hominis accepit potestatem, in hac exiguitate hujus datae potestatis nomen tamen istud Dei incunctanter consequitur; quanto magis qui in ipsum quoque Moysen habet potestatem, nominis istius auctoritatem consecutus esse credetur?
English · Claude translation
But if some heretic, stubbornly struggling against the truth, should wish to understand an angel in the proper sense in all these examples, or contend that it must be so understood, he too must be broken by the strength of the truth on this point. For if, since all things in heaven, on earth, and under the earth are subject to Christ, even the angels themselves, together with all the other things that are subject to Christ, are called gods, then by right Christ is also God. And if any angel subject to Christ can be called a god, and if this is said and uttered without blasphemy, much more surely can this belong to Christ himself, the Son of God, that he be declared God. For if an angel who is subject to Christ is proclaimed a god, much more, and more firmly, will Christ, to whom all the angels are subject, be said to be God. For it does not fit nature that what is granted to the lesser should be denied to the greater. So if an angel is less than Christ, and an angel is called a god, more consequently is Christ said to be God, who is found greater and better not than one angel but than all the angels.
And if God stood in the assembly of gods, and in their midst God judges between gods; and Christ several times stood in the synagogue; then Christ stood in the synagogue as God, judging, that is, the gods to whom he says, “How long will you accept the persons of men?”, accusing, that is, the men of the synagogue who did not exercise just judgments. Further, if those who are rebuked and blamed are nevertheless seen for some reason to obtain this name without blasphemy, so as to be called gods, much more will he be held to be God who, by the authority of the same reading, is shown not only to have stood as God in the assembly of gods, but also to judge and decide between gods. And if those who fall like one of the princes are nevertheless called gods, much more will he be said to be God who not only does not fall like one of the princes, but even conquers the author and prince of wickedness himself. What reason is there, in the name of mischief, that, when they read that this name was given even to Moses, where it is said, “I have set you as God to Pharaoh”, it should be denied to Christ, who is found to have been appointed not God to Pharaoh, but Lord and God of the whole creation? And to Moses this name was given sparingly, to Christ lavishly; to Moses by measure, to Christ above all measure altogether. “For the Father,” it says, “does not give by measure to the Son: for the Father loves the Son.” To Moses for a time, to Christ without time; for he received the power of the divine name both over all things and for all time. And if one who received power over a single man nonetheless obtains this name of God without hesitation, in the smallness of the power given him, how much more will he be believed to have obtained the authority of this name who has power even over Moses himself?
About this passage
Notes
Translation notes
- The quotations and allusions are Phil 2:10; Ps 82:1–2, 7 (81:1–2, 7 Vulg.); Exod 7:1; John 3:34–35. Novatian reads Psalm 82's “God in the assembly of gods” as Christ standing in the synagogue.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (OCR: u for o; stray bracket): Moysi [nomen → Moysi nomen; Pharauni → Pharaoni.
Cite this passage
Novatian, Trin. 20 (PL 3:953d–955a; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/novatian-trinitate/20/).
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Plain text
Novatian, Trin. 20 (PL 3:953d–955a; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/novatian-trinitate/20/).
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