The Identification of Ex Nihilo with Emanation in Gregory of Nyssa

From the fourth century on, whenever Church Fathers stressingly point to the distinction between the Word and the world as a distinction between that which was generated from God and that which was created from nothing, they aim, we may assume, not only at the Arian contention that the Word was crea...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Wolfson, Harry A. (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
Check availability: HBZ Gateway
Interlibrary Loan:Interlibrary Loan for the Fachinformationsdienste (Specialized Information Services in Germany)
Published: [1970]
In: Harvard theological review
Year: 1970, Volume: 63, Issue: 1, Pages: 53-60
Online Access: Volltext (Publisher)
Volltext (doi)
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Summary:From the fourth century on, whenever Church Fathers stressingly point to the distinction between the Word and the world as a distinction between that which was generated from God and that which was created from nothing, they aim, we may assume, not only at the Arian contention that the Word was created from nothing but also at the Plotinian view that the world was generated, that is, emanated, from God. It is this double target that is aimed at by Athanasius in a passage where he contrasts the Word with the world. The Word, he says, is a “generated being” (?????µa) or a “son” and, as such, he is “the proper offspring (?????µa) of the essence,” “not subject to will,” and hence is one who “must always be.”
ISSN:1475-4517
Contains:Enthalten in: Harvard theological review
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1017/S0017816000004028