st. john of damascus (676-749 - Cristo Raul

"
by
"
94
ST. JOHN OF DAMASCUS.
MAH. God can do as seemeth Him best.
CHR. Undoubtedly he can. But if that is all that
is to be said, tell us at any rate more particularly in
what way your prophet received this communication
from God, in which you say his scriptures were
revealed to him.
MAH. They came down to him while sleep
ing.
CHR. Then, if so, one may fairly quote the old
adage, and call them "
such stuff as dreams are made
of."
1
MAH. Let us leave the question of evidence and
come to doctrine. Why do you make a plurality in
the Godhead, and earn your name of Het&rists
Associators
")
(" averring that Christ is the Son of
God, and is God?
CHR. Because we find it so in the writings of the
prophets, which you yourselves profess to receive, and
in our own scriptures. Further, you yourselves admit
that God has a Word and a Spirit. Now are these
created or uncreated? external to God, or inherent in
Him?
MAH. Suppose I say, uncreated and inherent ?
CHR. Then you agree with me, for whatever is not
created is God.
MAH. But if I say, created and external ?
1
If the passage is not incomplete as it stands "the say
ing of the common proverb is fulfilled respecting him we
must suppose the proverb to be assumed as too familiarly known
to need quoting. Probably the allusion is to one of Lucian s,
"You tell me dreams," given in Erasmus s under
"Adagia"
the heading
Vanitas" (ed. 1629, p. 701).