ACC ~ Philippians 2 v9c

THIS IS THE NAME OF GOD. NOVATIAN: He received “the name that is above every name,” which we must certainly understand as nothing other than the name of God. For it belongs to God to be above all. So it follows that the name that is above all belongs to him who is above all, namely, God. ON THE TRINITY 22.10.

THE PHRASE CONVEYS INEFFABILITY. GREGORY OF NYSSA: God is “above every name.” The only proper way to name God is as above every name. God exceeds every operation of the intellect. God cannot be contained in any nominal definition. This is a sign to us of God’s incommunicable greatness. AGAINST EUNOMIUS 2.587.

WHETHER HE HAD THIS NAME FOREVER. PSEUDO-AUGUSTINE: None of the faithful doubt that the Son of God was begotten in perfect reception of all that belongs to the character of God. The Son received all the attributes of divinity in being born from God the Father. It was then that he received “the name that is above all names,” that is, that he should be called what the Father is called. Nothing different is predicated of him with regard to the future, since he has all things before him. So he was born for the re-creation and restoration of all these. Seeing that order and reason demand that every knee should bow to the name of the Father, the Father bestowed this name upon the Son because of the salvation he was to perform. This name was bestowed when he begot the Son. The Father begot him that he might enjoy the same honor as the Father himself. QUESTIONS ON THE OLD AND NEW TESTAMENTS, APPENDIX 39.

STILL EQUALLY GOD WHEN ASSUMING HUMANITY. GAUDENTIUS: The “name that is above every name” is God. It is not given to God in order that he should become God. For God the Son was the Word in the beginning with the Father. But the man assumed by the Son takes on his mission. In this way the Son of God, who had always existed, remains still equally God when joined to the humanity that he received from the Virgin. TREATISE 19, ON THE PRIORITY OF THE FATHER 29.

HIS HUMANITY NEVER SEVERED FROM HIS DIVINITY. FULGENTIUS: Through the Son human nature was redeemed. It was human nature that he undoubtedly came to redeem. It was this human nature that the Son took up into the unity of his person. And because his humanity is never sundered from the Son of God, it therefore rules in heaven and earth over all angels and all humanity. ON THE INCARNATION 12.

WHETHER THE NAME WAS GIVEN HIM AT BIRTH. AMBROSIASTER: Some argue “the name which is above every name” was given only to his humanity. In no way could this be so. For it is not possible that God should lack those things that he once had. For God, even while assuming humanity, remained God. EPISTLE TO THE PHILIPPIANS 2.11.4.

THE GREATNESS OF THE NATURE OF HUMANITY. NESTORIUS: There must be two natures, that of the divinity and that of the humanity. The divinity has emptied itself into the likeness of a servant. The humanity, in the likeness of a servant, has been raised into “the name which is above all names.” … This in fact is what summarizes the chief greatness of the nature of humanity. Christ remains in the nature of humanity. It is he who accepts “a name that is more excellent than all names.” He does this neither in consequence of moral progress nor in consequence of knowledge and faith. Rather he accepts that it has come about that humanity should be transformed in his image and his person. In this way humanity becomes by exaltation what God is, the name which is above all names. THE BAZAAR OF HERACLEIDES 58, 61.

WHETHER THE NAME IS AN ETERNAL REALITY NEWLY REVEALED. MARIUS VICTORINUS: He received “the name that is above every name.” He received this name because of his saving word, because of the mystery of his passion, where death was vanquished by the very death of Christ. Through this grace he received the name. It was at that point that the name rightly accrued to him. But the reality to which the name pointed was already given before. The Word, the very power of God, did not become real for the first time only when it entered flesh. Rather it possessed its reality as the power, wisdom, action and work of God from the outset, when it was called the Word and when it indeed was the Word. It is that same Word that has now put on flesh … that has received the title of Son, which title is above every name. EPISTLE TO THE PHILIPPIANS 2.9-11.

WHETHER THE NAME SIGNIFIES PROGRESS IN THE WORD. AMBROSIASTER: It is not assumed here that the Son of God was lacking or imperfect before “the name that is above every name” was given to Christ. … Even before his passion he showed himself equal to God, as I have stated. Hence it is clear that he was born perfect, for he is seen to have possessed all things from the beginning. He was born in the fullness of divinity for the very purpose of doing all that he was destined to perform. So he had already received the gift before he performed the things that he was born to do. It therefore seems that the gift of God, which consists in his being Son, was that his name should be “above every name,” which consists in his being God. EPISTLE TO THE PHILIPPIANS 2.11.2.

THE NAME MAKES JESUS OUR JUDGE. EUSEBIUS OF CAESAREA: That [saving sacrifice] which no human or angelic or divine power had yet endured he accepted for the sake of our salvation. Therefore upon him alone the Father has bestowed the name that is above every name, committing to him the judgment of all. COMMENTARY ON ISAIAH 2.(53).63.5-6.

THE NAME OF JESUS PHILIPPIANS 2:10-11

OVERVIEW: Jesus is worshiped as God in the unity of his divine-human being (GAUDENTIUS). His humanity is penetrated by his divinity and vice versa through the communication of idioms (GREGORY OF NYSSA). He who rightly worshiped the Father now receives our worship (CYRIL OF ALEXANDRIA). Every kind of creature now reveres him. Even the angelic spirits bow metaphorically (ORIGEN). Christ now sits as ruler as firstborn from the dead (GREGORY OF NYSSA). This demonstrates that Christ is God (THEODORET). The Father is glorified through the salvation of humanity (ATHANASIUS).

Phil