WHAT SENSE WE CAN SAY THAT THE CREATURE HAS ALWAYS BEEN, AND YET CANNOTSAY IT IS
CO-ETERNAL.
For my own part, indeed, as I dare not say that there ever was a time when the Lord God was not Lord,(1) so I ought not to doubt that man had no existence before time, and was first created in time.But when I consider what God could be the Lord of, if there was not always some creature, I shrink from ****** any assertion, remembering my own insignificance, and that it is written, "What man is he that can know the counsel of God? or who can think what the will of the Lord is? For the thoughts of mortal men are timid, and our devices are but uncertain.For the corruptible body presseth down the soul, and the earthly tabernacle weigheth down the mind that museth upon many things."' Many things certainly do I muse upon in this earthly tabernacle, because the one thing which is true among the many, or beyond the many, I cannot find.If, then, among these many thoughts, I say that there have always been creatures for Him to be Lord of, who is always and ever has been Lord, but that these creatures have not always been the same, but succeeded one another (for we would not seem to say that any is co-eternal with the Creator, an assertion condemned equally by faith and sound reason), I must take care lest I fall into the absurd and ignorant error of maintaining that by these successions and changes mortal creatures have always existed, whereas the immortal creatures had not begun to exist until the date of our own world, when the angels were created; if at least the angels are intended by that light which was first made, or, rather, by that heaven of which it is said, "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth."(3) The angels, at least did not exist before they were created; for if we say that they have always existed, we shall seem to make them co-eternal with the Creator.
Again, if I say that the angels were not created in time, but existed before all times, as those over whom God, who has ever been Sovereign, exercised His sovereignty, then Ishall be asked whether, if they were created before all time, they, being creatures, could possibly always exist.It may perhaps be replied, Why not always, since that which is in all time may very properly be said to be "always?" Now so true is it that these angels have existed in all time that even before time was they were created; if at least time began with the heavens, and the angels existed before the heavens.And if time was even before the heavenly bodies, not indeed marked by hours, days, months, and years,--for these measures of time's periods which are commonly and properly called times, did manifestly begin with the motion of the heavenly bodies, and so God said, when He appointed them, "Let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and for years,"(4) if, I say, time was before these heavenly bodies by some changing movement, whose parts succeeded one another and could not exist simultaneously, and if there was some such movement among the angels which necessitated the existence of time, and that they from their very creation should be subject to these temporal changes, then they have existed in all time, for time came into being along with them.
And who will say that what was in all time, was not always?
But if I make such a reply, it will be said to me, How, then, are they not co-eternal with the Creator, if He and they always have been? How even can they be said to have been created, if we are to understand that they have always existed? What shall we reply to this? Shall we say that both statements are true?
that they always have been, since they have been in all time, they being created along with time, or time along with them, and yet that also they were created? For, similarly, we will not deny that time itself was created, though no one doubts that time has been in all time; for if it has not been in all time, then there was a time when there was no time.But the most foolish person could not make such an assertion.For we can reasonably say there was a time when Rome was not; there was a time when Jerusalem was not; there was a time when Abraham was not;there was a time when man was not, and so on: in fine, if the world was not made at the commencement of time, but after some time had elapsed, we can say there was a time when the world was not.
But to say there was a time when time was not, is as absurd as to say there was a man when there was no man; or, this world was when this world was not.For if we are not referring to the same object, the form of expression may be used, as, there was another man when this man was not.Thus we can reasonably say there was another time when this time was not; but not the merest ******ton could say there was a time when there was no time.As, then, we say that time was created, though we also say that it always has been, since in all time time has been, so it does not follow that if the angels have always been, they were therefore not created.For we say that they have always been, because they have been in all time; and we say they have been in all time, because time itself could no wise be without them For where there is no creature whose changing movements admit of succession, there cannot be time at all.