Word on words: “All things have been handed over to me by My Father...” (Matthew 11:27)

Among the conversations of St. Athanasius the Great's most significant homily is on Matthew 11:27: “All things were handed over to Me by My Father...” (“All things were handed over to Me by My Father...”). This small treatise (6 chapters) was written in 343. It disputes the false interpretations that the Arians gave to these words of the Lord, basing on them their teaching that the Son of God is not eternal and possesses Divine power and other Divine properties not by His very nature, but only by the will of the Father. St. Athanasius proves the unity of the essence of the Father and the Son on the basis of John 16:15: “Everything that the Father has is Mine.” *The title of the work in Greek is Εἰς τό̇ Πάντα μοι παραδώθη ὑπὸ τοῦ Πατρός μου. *The title of the essay in Latin is In illud: Omnia mihi tradita sunt. 1) And not realizing this, Eusebius and his accomplices, who adhere to the Aryan heresy, impiously say about the Lord: “If “all is betrayed” (Matthew 11:27), (and by the word “all” they mean dominion over creation), then it was when he did not have this. If He did not have it, then He is not from the Father, because if He were from the Father, then, as He who is always from Him, He would have this, and there would be no need for Him to accept it.” But with these words their folly will be most exposed, because this saying does not mean authority over creation, or dominion over created things, but is meant to give some concept of economy. If then everything was “devoted” to Him when he said this; it is clear that before He received everything, creation did not have the Word in itself. How is it said: “all things will take place in him” (Col. 1:17)? If, at the same time as the creation came into being, it is all devoted to Him; then there was no need to betray, because “all this was” (John 1:3), and it would be unnecessary to betray to the Lord that which He Himself is the Creator. He was the Lord of created things because He created them. But if, after creation, “everything is given over” to Him, then delve into the incongruity. For if “given over” and upon acceptance by Him, the Father has withdrawn; then we are in danger of falling with others into a fable, as if the Father, having betrayed the Son, himself apostatized from the world. Or if, when the Son contains everything, the Father also contains everything, then it would be necessary to say not betrayed, but the Father accepted into communion, like Paul Silvanus. And this is even more incongruous. God does not need anyone and did not accept the Son to help him out of necessity; but being the Father to the Son, through Him he does everything, and does not hand over creation to Him, but through Him and in Him he provides for creation, so that even a sparrow will not fall to the ground without the will of the Father, and the grass will not be clothed without God. However, while “the Father works” and the Son “works hitherto” (John 5:17). So, the wisdom of the wicked is vain. The above saying does not mean what they think; points to the Lord's economy in the flesh. 2) When man sinned and fell, and with his fall everything fell into confusion, “death increased from Adam even to Moses” (Rom. 5:14), the earth was cursed, hell was opened, paradise was concluded, heaven was irritated, man finally became corrupted and became like cattle, and the devil mocked us; then God, Who loves mankind and does not want man created in His image to perish, said: “Whom will I send, and who will go?” (Isa.6,8). Everyone was silent, and the Son said: “Behold Az... send me” (Is. 6:8). It was then, of course, that the Father said to Him: “Go” (Is. 6:8, 9), and handed over man to Him, so that the Word Himself became flesh and, having taken upon Himself flesh, renewed him in everything. For man is devoted to the Word as a Physician, to heal from the sting of the serpent; as Life, to raise the dead; as Light to illuminate the darkness; and to the existing Word, to renew the verbal creation. Therefore, as soon as “everything was given over” to the Word, and It became man, immediately everything was renewed and perfected: the earth received blessing instead of a curse, paradise was opened to the thief, hell was horrified, the tombs were opened, when the dead were resurrected, the gates of heaven were taken up, so that He who comes from Edom may come in (Ps. 23:9). The Savior Himself, in order to show exactly how “all things were given over” to Him, as Matthew says, immediately added: “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). You are devoted to me, that I may give rest to the weary and revive the dead. In accordance with this, what is read in John: “The Father loves the Son and gave all things in His hand” (John 3:35). He gave it so that, just as everything was created by Him, so everything about Him could be renewed. For He surrenders to Him not in order for Him to become rich from a poor person, nor in order to receive power without having power, He accepts everything: let this not happen! - but on the contrary, for Him, as the Savior, to renew everything; for it was fitting, both at the beginning of creation by Him, and during the correction, about Him to come into being, with the difference in sayings that at the beginning it came into being by Him, and later, when everything fell, the Word became flesh and put on flesh, in Him everything was renewed. For while it itself suffered, it gave us peace, while it itself hungered, it nourished us, and, descending into hell, it raised us up from hell. Then, at the creation of everything, there was a command to come into being, for example: “let it come to pass,” “let it be” (Gen. 1:3–20); during correction, it was fitting that it should be handed over to Him, so that the Word itself would become man, and everything in Him would be renewed. For the man who is in Him will be quickened. For this reason, the Word united with man, so that the oath would no longer have power over man. For this reason, in the 71st Psalm, those beseeching God for the human race say: “O God, grant Thy judgment to the king” (Ps. 71:1), so that our mortal condemnation, which was against us, would be handed over to the Son, and He would already destroy this condemnation in Himself, having died for us, meaning this, and He Himself said in Psalm 87: “Thy wrath rest upon me” (Ps. 87, 8); because He Himself bore the wrath that lay upon us, as He says in Psalm 137: “The Lord will reward Me” (Ps. 137:8). 3) Therefore, this is how we should understand what was said: “all is devoted” to the Savior; and in this sense, one might say, one surrenders to Him what one did not have. For before this He was not a man; He became a man in order to save man. In the beginning the Word was not flesh, but later he became flesh and by it, according to the word of the Apostle, reconcile the enmity with them, and “he abolished the law of the commandments by teachings, so that he would create both ... into one new man, creating the world, and reconcile both in one body to the Father” (Eph. 2:15, 16). What the Father has, belongs to the Son, as John says: “All that the Father has is Mine” (John 16:15); and these words are very expressive. For when he has become what he was not, then everything is surrendered to Him. And when he wants to point out His unity with the Father, then he does not hide it and teaches, saying: “everything that the Father has is Mine.” And one must marvel at the accuracy of the word. He did not say: “The Father gave me everything that was ever great”, so that they would not conclude that he had not once had this: but he said: “My essence”; for this, being in the power of the Father, is also in the power of the Son. But we must still examine: what “does the Father have?” If this means creation, then before creation the Father had nothing, and what he has turns out to be borrowing from the creature. Let us not think this! For just as He Himself is before creation, so before creation He has everything that He has, and this, as we believe, also belongs to the Son. For if the Son is “in the Father” (John 14:10), then everything that the Father has belongs to the Son. But with this saying, the wickedness of the unjust-minded is overthrown, who say: “If everything is handed over to the Son, then the Father ceases His power over what is handed over to the Son; because He puts the Son in His place: “The Father judges no one, but he gives all judgment to the Son” (John 5:22).” But may “the mouths of those who speak unrighteousness be stopped” (Ps. 62:12)! For the Father himself was not deprived of dominion because all judgment was given to the Sons. And if it is said that the Father gave all things to the Son; That is why He Himself does not cease to be above everything. Since the Only Begotten of God, who is not separated by nature, is clearly separated from the Father, although these wicked people in their madness try to separate Him in words, not realizing that light is in no way separable from the sun, but naturally abides in it; then (although it is daring to enter into the study of an unthinkable nature), using the meager similarity borrowed from what is usually at our fingertips, should be explained to us mentally in a word. 4) Therefore, as someone who has a sound mind, it is impossible to imagine that the sunlight that illuminates the universe shines without the sun, because sunlight is connected with the nature of the sun; and if the light said: “I borrow from the sun that which illuminates everything, that everything grows and is strengthened by my warmth”; then no fool would think to separate the name of the sun from the nature that comes from it, and which is light: thus, it is pious to think that the divine essence of the Word is united by nature with His Father. For the saying we are considering represents the clearest interpretation of what we are looking for; since the Savior said: “All that the Father has is Mine.” This means that He always remains with the Father. For the words: “to have much” make it clear that the Father has dominion; and the words: “My essence” show inseparable unity. Therefore, we must necessarily imagine that in the Father there is infinity of being, eternity, immortality, and this abides in Him not as something alien to Him, but, as in a source, rests in Him and in the Son. And when you want to imagine something about the Son, then first know what is in the Father, and then believe that the same thing is in the Son. If the Father is a creature, or a work, then so is the Son. And if it is permissible to say about the Father, what was when He was not, or that He is from non-existence; then let this be said about the Son. But if it is wicked to assert that this is in the Father, then let it be wicked to represent this in the Son. For what belongs to the Father belongs also to the Son; whoever honors the Son honors the Father who sent Him (John 5:23); whoever receives the Son receives the Father with Him (John 13:20); whoever has seen the Son has also seen the Father (John 14:9). Therefore, just as the Father is not a creature, so is the Son not a creature, and just as it is impossible to say about the Father what was when He was not, or that He is from something that does not exist, so it is indecent to say this about the Son. On the contrary, as in the Father there is the infinity of being, immortality, eternity, uncreatedness; This is exactly how we should think about the Son, according to what is written: “As the Father has life in Himself; so let the Sons also have life in themselves” (John 5:26). It was said to Dada to point to the giving Father; but both in the Father and in the Son there is life: from which you can conclude about the inseparability and eternity of existence. And for this reason, with such precision, the Savior said: “The Father is great,” so that here, speaking about the Father, he would not be recognized as the Father himself. He did not say: “I am the Father”; but: “the Father has great power.” 5) And the Only Begotten Son of the Father is called Father from the Father, however, not in the sense in which perhaps you, erring Arians, would accept; on the contrary. He is the Son of the Father who begat Him, and the Father of the age to come. For it must take away from you all your assumptions. The prophet said: “A Son was born to us, and was given to us. His rulership was on His frame: and His name is called Great Angel of Council,...Mighty God, Ruler,...Father of the age to come” (Is. 9:6). So, the Only Begotten is also the Father of the future age, and the Son of God is the mighty God and Ruler, and it is clearly proven that all that “the Father has” is also with the Son, and just as the Father gives life, so it is equally possible for the Son to live what he wants (John 5:21). For it is said: “The dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and... will live” (John 5:25). The Father and the Son have one will, one desire; because their nature is one and inseparable. The Arians bother themselves in vain, not understanding what our Savior said: “all that the Father has is Mine.” With these words, Sabelli’s error is overthrown, and the foolishness of today’s Jews is exposed. For, according to the understanding of these words, the Only Begotten has life in Himself, as the Father has; and He alone knows who the Father is; because he abides in the Father, and has the Father in himself. He is the Father's image; therefore, in Him, as in an image, there is everything that belongs to the Father. He is an equal seal, showing the Father in Himself; He is the living, true Word, power, wisdom, sanctification and deliverance. “For in Him we live and move and are” (Acts 17:28), and “no one knows” who the Father is, “except the Son,” and who the Son is, “except the Father.” 6) How do the wicked dare to talk about things that are not permissible to speculate about, when they are people and are not able to explain what is on earth? And what do I say about what is on earth? Let them tell us about themselves, if they are able to examine their own nature; truly daring and arrogant, these people, not trembling at glory, “angels desire to penetrate into nothing” (1 Pet. 1:12), who are so much higher than us both in nature and rank. For what is closer to the God of cherubim and seraphim? But they not only do not dare to look or stand in an upright position, but not even with naked, but with, as it were, covered faces, they pronounce a doxology, with silent lips in the thrice-holy song; glorifying nothing else, but only God’s ineffable nature. And none of the godly prophets, especially those honored with this knowledge, announced to us that, pronouncing the first holy thing, the seraphim exclaim in a loud voice, and pronounce the second more quietly, and the third even weaker, and therefore they actually magnify only the first shrine, subordinate the second to it and place the third even lower. May this madness of the godless and reckless heretics not approach us! The all-sung, venerable and venerable Trinity is one, indivisible and indescribable. It is combined inseparably and, like a Unit, is divided inseparably. Why do these venerable living beings show three perfect Hypostases by raising their praises three times, crying out: “holy, holy, holy,” and express a single essence with a single pronunciation of the word: “Lord.” Therefore, those who belittle the Only Begotten Son of God blaspheme God, having a false concept of perfection, and, unfairly calling Him imperfect, make themselves worthy of the most cruel punishment; because those who blaspheme one of the Divine Persons will not receive remission of sins either in this age or in the future. But God is able to open the eyes of their hearts to the knowledge of the Sun of righteousness, so that, having come to know Him Whom they previously rejected, together with us they will glorify Him with an unflaggingly pious mind; because His is the kingdom, of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and forever. Amen. You might be interested in: