The omnipotence of the Son of God, demonstrated on the authority of the Old and the New Testament. 34. Seeing, then, that the Son of God is true and good, surely He is Almighty God. Can there be yet any doubt on this point? We have already cited the place where it is read that "the Lord Almighty is His Name." [1942] Because, then, the Son is Lord, and the Lord is Almighty, the Son of God is Almighty. 35. But hear also such a passage as you can build no doubts upon: [1943] "Behold, He cometh," saith the Scripture, "with the clouds, and every eye shall see Him, and they which pierced Him, and all the tribes of the earth shall mourn because of Him. Yea, amen. I am Alpha and Omega, saith the Lord God, Who is, and Who was, and Who is to come, the Almighty." [1944] Whom, I ask, did they pierce? For Whose coming hope we but the Son's? Therefore, Christ is Almighty Lord, and God. 36. Hear another passage, your sacred Majesty, -- hear the voice of Christ. "Thus saith the Lord Almighty: After His glory [1945] hath He sent me against the nations which have made spoil of you, forasmuch as he that toucheth you is as he that toucheth the pupil of His eye. For lo, I lay my hand upon them which despoiled you, and I will save you, and they shall be for a spoil, which made spoil of you, and they shall know that the Lord Almighty hath sent Me." Plainly, He Who speaks is the Lord Almighty, and He Who hath sent is the Lord Almighty. By consequence, then, almighty power appertains both to the Father and to the Son; nevertheless, it is One Almighty God, for there is oneness of Majesty. 37. Moreover, that your most excellent Majesty may know that it is Christ which hath spoken as in the Gospel, so also in the prophet, He saith by the mouth of Isaiah, as though foreordaining the Gospel: "I Myself, Who spake, am come," [1946] that is to say, I, Who spake in the Law, am present in the Gospel. 38. Elsewhere, again, He saith: "All things that the Father hath are Mine." [1947] What meaneth He by "all things"? Clearly, not things created, for all these were made by the Son, but the things that the Father hath -- that is to say, Eternity, Sovereignty, Godhead, which are His possession, as begotten of the Father. We cannot, then, doubt that He is Almighty, Who hath all things that the Father hath (for it is written: "All things that the Father hath are Mine"). Footnotes: [1942] Bk. I. ch. i. [1943] No doubts, because (1) the meaning of the passage is plain; (2) it is taken from an inspired Book. [1944] Revelation 1:8. [1945] The quotation is from Zechariah 2:8-"after His glory." Lat.--"Post honorem." LXX.--opiso doxes. Vulg.--"Post gloriam." A.V.--" After the glory." [1946] Isaiah 52:6. The Vulg. agrees with St. Ambrose. The A.V. has--"They shall know in that day that I am He that doth speak: behold, it is I." R.V. margin--"here I[am." [1947] S. John 16:25. |
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