Kenosis

Christ "emptied Himself" (Philippians 2:7)

NPN2-04C - Athenasius, Four Discourses, Against the Arians, Discourse 2, Ch. 14, Pt. 1

1. I DID indeed think that enough had been said already against the hollow professors of Arius's madness, whether for their refutation or in the truth's behalf, to insure a cessation and repentance of their evil thoughts and words about the Saviour. They, however, for whatever reason, still do not succumb; but, as swine and dogs wallow(1) in their own vomit and their own mire, rather invent new expedients for their irreligion. Thus they misunderstand the passage in the Proverbs, 'The Lord hath created me a beginning of His ways for His works(2),' and the words of the Apostle, 'Who was faithful to Him that made Him(3),' and straightway argue, that the Son of God is a work and a creature. But although they might have learned from what is said above, had they not utterly lost their power of apprehension, that the Son is not front nothing nor in the number of things originate at all, the Truth witnessing(4) it (for, being God, He cannot be a work, and it is impious to call Him a creature, and it is of creatures and works that we say, 'out of nothing,' and 'it was not before its generation'), yet since, as if dreading to desert their own fiction, they are accustomed to allege the aforesaid passages of divine Scripture, which have a good meaning, but are by them practised on, let us proceed afresh to take up the question of the sense of these, to remind the faithful, and to shew from each of these passages that they have no knowledge at all of Christianity. Were it otherwise, they would not have shut themselves up in the unbelief(5) of the present Jews(6), but would have inquired and learned(6) that, whereas 'In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God,' in consequence, it was when at the good pleasure of the Father the Word became man, that it was said of Him, as by John, 'The Word became flesh(7);' so by Peter, 'He hath made Him Lord and Christs(8);--as by means of Solomon in the Person of the Lord Himself, 'The Lord created me a beginning of His ways for His works(9);' so by Pa ul, 'Become so much better than the Angels(10);' and again, 'He emptied Himself, and took upon Him the form of a servant(11);' and again, 'Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Jesus, who was faithful to Him that made Him(12).' For all these texts have the same force and meaning, a religious one, declarative of the divinity of the Word, even those of them which speak humanly concerning Him, as having become the Son of man. But, though this distinction is sufficient for their refutation, still, since from a misconception of the Apostle's words (to mention them first), they consider the Word of God to be one of the works, because of its being written, 'Who was faithful to Him that made Him,' I have thought it needful to, silence this further argument of theirs, taking in hand(13), as before, their statement. 349