Texts in Conversation
The Christian theologian Hilary of Poitiers draws on the Greek Septuagint translation of Proverbs 8:25 to defend Trinitarian theology, arguing that it describes the Father eternally "begetting" the Son before creation.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
LXX Proverbs 8:25
Septuagint
22 The Lord made me the beginning of his ways for his works. 23 He established me before time was in the beginning, 24 before he made the earth, and before he made the depths; before the fountains of water came forth: 25 before the mountains were settled, and before all hills, he begets me. 26 The Lord made countries and uninhabited tracts, and the highest inhabited parts of the world.
Hilary of Poitiers, On the Trinity 12.37
Early Christian
But now, so that the terms 'creation' and 'establishing' should not be an obstacle to belief in the divine birth, these words follow, Before He made the earth, before He made firm the mountains, before all the hills He begot Me. Thus He is begotten before the earth, Who is established before the ages; and not only before the earth, but also before the mountains and hills. And indeed in these expressions, since Wisdom speaks of itself, more is meant than is said.
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Notes and References
... The text continues, 'Before he made the mountains, before all the hills, he begot (genuit) me' (Proverbs 8:25-26, the Septuagint). Here we read, notes Hilary, that the one who was established ante saecula was already begotten. By stating that Wisdom was begotten before the temporal creations of earth, mountains, and hills, the text is attempting to draw our mind to the contemplation of infinity, and particularly Wisdom's infinite eternity ...
Beckwith, Carl L.
Hilary of Poitiers on the Trinity: From De Fide to De Trinitate
(pp. 204-205) Oxford University Press, 2008
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
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