Begotten ??

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NoelFitz

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I see in the Nicene Creed “the Only Begotten Son of God, born of the Father before all ages”.

What does begotten mean? How does “born of the Father” imply equality with the Father? What does “before all ages” mean?
 
NoelFitz said:
I see in the Nicene Creed “the Only Begotten Son of God, born of the Father before all ages”.

What does begotten mean? How does “born of the Father” imply equality with the Father? What does “before all ages” mean?
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‘Before all ages’ means ‘before time began.’ The Father, before time began, knows himself, and in knowing himself, begets the Son, in eternity, not in time, and in person, not in essence. Father and Son possess exactly the same essence–the one essence of God, the one divine nature, as does the Holy Spirit.
 
Begotten means fathered, sired. “Only Begotten” just means that Christ was the one and only Son of God.
 
In the Nicene Creed the various statements about Jesus are meant to reinforce and clarify each other:


  1. *]Only Begotten Son of God,
    *]Born of the Father before all ages,
    *]God from God
    *]Light from Light
    *]True God from True God
    *]Begotten, not made,
    *]Consubstantial with the Father

    Begotten distinguishes Jesus from “creature” or “created”. Because the first person of the Trinity is God the Father, and “Father” implies “child” there is a child, specifically a “son” and since only one THE son. An since a “son” implies the same nature as the father (after all humans have human children not puppies or kittens) then God the Son has the same nature as God the father. Not a similar nature (as with humans) but EXACTLY THE SAME Nature. Hence the truths in lines 3, 4, 5 and 6 (can you hear the Holy Spirit stomping his feet in emphasis 🙂 )

    Born of the Father “before all ages” means there was NEVER a time when Jesus (and the Holy Spirit) did not exist. It’s not as if the first person got up one morning and said “well, there’s nothing going on today, think I’ll beget me a son.” God IS Trinity - from all eternity for all eternity.

    And as long as we are at it “consubstantial with the Father” meas “of the same substance” (homousious in Greek). The same “stuff”. That too, is an attempt to clarify that Jesus is of the exact same nature as God the Father (and God the holy Spirit).

    The Trinity is a challenge to understand and we will never understand it completely but as Fr. Raniero Cantalamessa said “You don’t have to be able to put your arms around the Pacific Ocean to enjoy swimming in it.” (Paraphrased)

    So all these statements in the Creed to clarify/state that Jesus is NOT “God Jr.” He is God, wholly, completely, entirely.
 
NoelFitz said:
I see in the Nicene Creed “the Only Begotten Son of God, born of the Father before all ages”.

What does begotten mean? How does “born of the Father” imply equality with the Father? What does “before all ages” mean?
Click to expand...
When we humans have children we say we have a begotten son or daughter, we gave them our very own substance to make them through the marital embrace, however GOD gived each and every human their soul.

Well Jesus is the only begotten son of GOD, HE chose to make a son who shared GOD’s own substance.

Carefull that here “substance” does not mean a physical property like when we have children we give them the physical or material part that they as well as us are made of.

So Jesus is “Consubstancial” with the Father made of the same stuff o lack thereof 😉
Hope I did not confuse you further, after all we can never fully comprehend GOD, we can only catch glimpses of what HE wants/chooses to reveal to us.
 
JerryZ said:

Well Jesus is the only begotten son of GOD, HE chose to make a son who shared GOD’s own substance.​

Click to expand...
I’ve been taught that Jesus does not “share” his Divine Nature with God the Father and/or God the Holy Spirit he possesses it entire and complete. As does God the Father and God the Holy Spirit. How that works exactly we MIGHT understand the other side of death.

Words can be SUCH a pain! 🙂
 
“Begotten” implies reproduction. Birds beget birds, and fish beget fish.

This emphasizes that Jesus was not created, but begotten - God from God, Light from Light, True God from True God. Begotten, not made.
 
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