Verses used by Arians against the divinity of Christ, Part 3
His Holiness Pope Shenouda III explains Philippians 2:9, “Therefore God also highly exalted Him and gave Him the name which is above every name.” The Arians misunderstood this verse, claiming that Christ received glory He did not previously possess, implying change or inferiority in His divinity.
🔹 Theological Meaning:
Pope Shenouda clarifies that Christ did not gain new glory; His divinity is eternal and unchanging. The “giving of a name above every name” refers to the manifestation of His eternal glory to humanity after the redemption, not to any new honor He acquired.
🔹 Teachings of the Fathers:
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St. Basil the Great teaches that the Incarnation did not lessen Christ’s glory but revealed it to the world.
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St. Gregory Nazianzen says the “name above every name” means “God,” which Christ has always been.
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St. Athanasius the Apostolic explains that before the Incarnation, Christ was already the Word, the Son, and God — the Creator worshiped by Abraham, Moses, and the prophets.
He affirms: “He was not a man who became God, but God who became man.”
🔹 Meaning of “Gave”:
There are two types of giving:
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A gift, when something is granted that was not previously owned.
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A natural giving, like the mind producing thought or the sun emitting light — an eternal giving by nature, not in time.
Thus, the Father “gave” to the Son in the sense of natural unity, not as one superior bestowing something new.
🔹 Unity of Father and Son:
The Father and the Son are one in essence, divinity, honor, and power. The phrase “My Father is greater than I” refers to the state of humiliation during the Incarnation, when Christ hid His divine glory in human form — not to any inequality in divinity.
🔹 Spiritual Message:
This teaching reveals that Christ is the eternal divine Lord who humbled Himself for our salvation and later revealed His eternal glory. “Gave Him a name above every name” means humanity came to recognize what had always been true — that Jesus is the Lord of Glory, one with the Father.
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