On the Text: All Things Have Been Delivered to Me by the Father
For For readers interested in how one verse (Matthew 11:27) was argued over by Arians and Nicenes; short and technical.
Length About 3,000 words, under an hour.
This brief treatise by Athanasius of Alexandria takes its title from Christ's words in Matthew 11:27: "All things have been delivered to me by my Father." Written during the height of the Arian controversy in the fourth century, the work addresses a specific exegetical challenge posed by those who denied the full divinity of Christ. Arian theologians seized upon this verse to argue that Christ's authority was received rather than inherent, supporting their claim that the Son was subordinate to and created by the Father.
Athanasius systematically dismantles the Arian interpretation by distinguishing between Christ's divine nature and his incarnate economy. He argues that the "delivery" or "handing over" referenced in the verse pertains not to Christ receiving something he previously lacked, but to the revelation and manifestation of what eternally belongs to him as the Son. The treatise demonstrates how Christ's reception of authority in his human nature serves the economy of salvation while affirming his eternal possession of divine power and glory. Athanasius employs careful grammatical analysis of the Greek text alongside theological reasoning, showing how proper understanding of the incarnation resolves apparent contradictions between Christ's divine equality with the Father and his human dependence.
This work represents Athanasius at his exegetical best, combining rigorous biblical interpretation with systematic theological method. It demonstrates how fourth-century orthodoxy developed sophisticated hermeneutical approaches to defend Nicene Christology against scriptural objections. The treatise's influence extended beyond its immediate controversial context, providing a model for distinguishing between statements about Christ's divine and human natures that would prove crucial for later Christological development.
Who should read this: Students of patristic theology and early Christological controversies will find essential insights into Athanasian method and anti-Arian polemic. Those seeking to understand how the early church navigated complex biblical texts that seemed to challenge orthodox doctrine will appreciate its exegetical sophistication. This is not suitable for readers unfamiliar with the Arian controversy or basic Christological terminology.
Editions
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- EPUB In Illud: Omnia mihi tradita sunt a Patre Greek and LatinSource: Project Gutenberg ↗The Greek text with a Latin version, as an ebook from Project Gutenberg; no English translation. For readers of the original.Much harder than the work: Greek and Latin only, no English translation; read alongside an English version unless you have the languages.
- OTHER In Illud: Omnia mihi tradita sunt a Patre (New Advent) PDTrans. Archibald Robertson · 1892Archibald Robertson's translation, as printed in the Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, second series, volume 4 (1892), on New Advent, with the NPNF section headings and some of its notes. A clear Victorian rendering; for readers interested in one disputed verse.
- OTHER In Illud: Omnia mihi tradita sunt a Patre (CCEL) PDTrans. Archibald Robertson · 1892Archibald Robertson's 1892 translation on the Christian Classics Ethereal Library's reading pages for volume 4 of the Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, with the text under their headings and the NPNF footnotes kept. The same text as New Advent's, free of its revisions; for readers interested in one disputed verse.
- OTHER In Illud: Omnia mihi tradita sunt a Patre (Wikisource) PDTrans. Archibald Robertson · 1892Archibald Robertson's 1892 translation in Wikisource's transcription of the Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, second series, volume 4: one page per section, footnotes kept, plain text that reads well on a phone. For readers interested in one disputed verse.
- PDF In Illud: Omnia mihi tradita sunt a Patre (Internet Archive (NPNF2-04 scan)) PDTrans. Archibald Robertson · 1892A scan of the 1892 volume of the Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers devoted to Athanasius (University of Toronto copy), with Robertson's translations, his long prolegomena and the notes as printed. Page images of the whole book; this work is in it, for readers who want the text as published.
- PDF In Illud: Omnia mihi tradita sunt a Patre (Documenta Catholica Omnia (Greek, PG 25)) PD Greek and Latin1857The Greek text with its Latin translation, cut from volume 25 of Migne's Patrologia Graeca into a single PDF by Documenta Catholica Omnia. Just this work; for readers of Greek or Latin.Much harder than the work: Greek and Latin only, no English translation
- PDF In Illud: Omnia mihi tradita sunt a Patre (Internet Archive (Migne PG 25)) PD Greek and Latin1857The Greek text with Migne's Latin translation in parallel columns, in volume 25 of the Patrologia Graeca, volume 25 (1857), scanned whole on the Internet Archive; this work is in it. For readers of Greek or Latin.Much harder than the work: Greek and Latin only, no English translation