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Translated by Cardinal Newman.
St Athanasius the Great Resources Online and in Print
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This Part: 130 Pages
Page 104
S:S:6, 7. When the Word and Son hungered, wept, and was wearied, He acted as our Mediator, taking on Him what was ours, that He might impart to us what was His.
6. But in answer to the weak and human notion of the Arians, their supposing that the Lord is in want, when He says, 'Is given unto Me,' and 'I received,' and if Paul says, 'Wherefore He highly exalted Him,' and 'He set Him at the right hand [3304] ,' and the like, we must say that our Lord, being Word and Son of God, bore a body, and became Son of Man, that, having become Mediator between God, and men, He might minister the things of God to us, and ours to God. When then He is said to hunger and weep and weary, and to cry Eloi, Eloi, which are our human affections, He receives them from us and offers to the Father [3305] , interceding for us, that in Him they may be annulled [3306] . And when it is said, 'All power is given unto Me,' and 'I received,' and 'Wherefore God highly exalted Him,' these are gifts given from God to us through Him. For the Word was never in want [3307] , nor has come into being [3308] ; nor again were men sufficient to minister these things for themselves, but through the Word they are given to us; therefore, as if given to Him, they are imparted to us. For this was the reason of His becoming man, that, as being given to Him, they might pass on to us [3309] . For of such gifts mere man had not become worthy; and again the mere Word had not needed them [3310] ; the Word then was united to us, and then imparted to us power, and highly exalted us [3311] . For the Word being in man, highly exalted man himself; and, when the Word was in man, man himself received. Since then, the Word being in flesh, man himself was exalted, and received power, therefore these things are referred to the Word, since they were given on His account; for on account of the Word in man were these gifts given. And as 'the Word became flesh [3312] ,' so also man himself received the gifts which came through the Word. For all that man himself has received, the Word is said to have received [3313] ; that it might be shewn, that man himself, being unworthy to receive, as far as his own nature is concerned, yet has received because of the Word become flesh. Wherefore if anything be said to be given to the Lord, or the like, we must consider that it is given, not to Him as needing it, but to man himself through the Word. For every one interceding for another, receives the gift in his own person, not as needing, but on his account for whom he intercedes.
[3304] Matt. xxviii. 18; John x. 18; Phil. ii. 9; Eph. i. 20.
[3305] De Decr. 14; Or. ii. 8, 9.
[3306] Or. iii. 33, n. 6, and 34.
[3307] Or. i. 43.
[3308] Or. i. 43; ii. 65, 67.
[3309] Or. i. 42, 45.
[3310] Or. i. 48; iii. 38.
[3311] Or. i. 41, 42.
[3312] John i. 14.
[3313] iii. 38.
Reference address : https://www.elpenor.org/athanasius/discourses-against-arians-2.asp?pg=104
