As previously explained, I've enrolled in the University of Notre Dame's Satellite Theological Education Program (STEP) to pursue their Certificate in Doctrine. I've already taken three of the six required courses, plus I digressed from the course list to pick up the course on Catholic Social Teaching. Now I'm back on the Certificate pathway taking my fourth course. This time it's The Creed. Our text is Bernard L. Marthaler - The Creed.
Week 3 assignment: Select one phrase from the second article of the Nicene Creed on Jesus Christ covered in this unit—e.g. “true God from true God.” What heresy or misunderstanding about Jesus Christ does it address? How helpful or meaningful is this phrase, in your opinion, in our day today?
I chose "eternally begotten of the Father ... begotten, not made, one in Being with the Father."
That clause was inserted in response to one of the Arian heresies circulating in the early part of the fourth century. Arius taught that Christ did not come into existence until after the events of Genesis 1:1 ("In the beginning, when God created the heavens and the earth ...."). Instead, Christ was created by God thereafter. Arius regarded Christ as the "first born" of God's creatures, but insisted Christ was a creature and therefore neither co-eternal with God nor partaking of God's essential nature.
Most of the relevant passage speaks to the Arian heresy. "True God from True God," for example, confirms that Jesus shares God's nature as do the other statements. But I've always found the word "begotten" interesting in this context.
What immediately comets mind is the series of "begats" that begins Matthew. One function of the Creedal statement this is to affirm that Jesus was not begat of Joseph, but was begat of God the Father. More important, however, "begotten" also affirms orthodox (lower case o) Christianity's rejection of Arianism. But to see why requires us to dig into the meaning of "begotten."
The Greek word translated as "begotten" is monogenēs, which some linguists argue connotes a unique relationship. "One of a kind." This translation makes sense in this context, since it conveys the unique relationship between God the Father and God the Son.
Other linguists translate it as "to generate," which in this context could be understood not as creation (bringing something out of nothing) but as the process of bringing something of of something. Hence, Jesus proceeds from the Father--is generated by the Father out of the divine essence. For a discussion of the translation issues, go here.
Christ thus proceeds from the Father, but is of the same nature. Christ thus is simultaneously God but also a distinct person begotten by the Father.
By the way, Bishop Robert Barron has a great podcast on the meaning of "begotten not made."
