Ante-Nicene Fathers, Vol I:
IRENÆUS: LII.

LII.

The 4902 sacred books acknowledge with regard to Christ, that as He is the Son of man, so is the same Being not a [mere] man; and as He is flesh, so is He also spirit, and the Word of God, and God. And as He was born of Mary in the last times, so did He also proceed from God as the First-begotten of every creature; and as He hungered, so did He satisfy [others]; and as He thirsted, so did He of old cause the Jews to drink, for the “Rock was Christ” 4903 Himself: thus does Jesus now give to His believing people power to drink spiritual waters, which spring up to life eternal. 4904 And as He was the son of David, so was He also the Lord of David. And as He was from Abraham, so did He also exist before Abraham. 4905 And as He was the servant of God, so is He the Son of God, and Lord of the universe. And as He was spit upon ignominiously, so also did He breathe the Holy Spirit into His disciples. 4906 And as He was saddened, so also did He give joy to His people. And as He was capable of being handled and touched, so again did He, in a non-apprehensible form, pass through the midst of those who sought to injure Him, 4907 and entered without impediment through closed doors. 4908 And as He slept, so did He also rule the sea, the winds, and the storms. And as He suffered, so also is He alive, and life-giving, and healing all our infirmity. And as He died, so is He also the Resurrection of the dead. He suffered shame on earth, while He is higher than all glory and praise in heaven; who, “though He was crucified through weakness, yet He liveth by divine power;” 4909 who “descended into the lower parts of the earth,” and who “ascended up above the heavens;” 4910 for whom a manger p. 577 sufficed, yet who filled all things; who was dead, yet who liveth for ever and ever. Amen.

Footnotes

This extract had already been printed by M. Pitra in his Spicilegium Solesmense, p. 6.

1 Cor. x. 4.

John iv. 14.

John viii. 58.

John xx. 22.

John viii. 59.

John xx. 26.

2 Cor. xiii. 4.

Eph. 4:9, 10.