The Ancient Witnesses

62 • The Ancient Witnesses: A Journey to Discover Our Sacred Roots

The Attributes of God A hush had fallen over the Athenaeum. The five of us sat next to one another on our bench, facing an odd three- cornered lectern at which Mentor now stood. The seats in our arena were filled with ancient witnesses, and Mentor announced to all that the first chapter— The Time Before Time —would introduce us to the Triune God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. “Consider the eternal attributes of our Creator,” Mentor began, “our God is omnipotent : He is all-powerful; our God is omniscient : He is all-knowing; our God is omnipresent : He is everywhere present. “Wait,” said Preacher aside to us, “I thought this was about the time before time.” “He’s introducing the attributes of God,” explained Father Greg, “because God alone existed in eternity past.” “I get it,” said Preacher. “Our God is also immutable, ” said Mentor, “although humans are mutable , that is changeable, God is immutable , unchangeable. To recognize God as immutable is to understand that he is, first of all, invariable.” Mentor introduced a witness he called Quinti Septimi Florentis Tertulliani. “It’s Tertullian!” whispered Father Greg, “the Church Father who first used the term “persons” to describe the Holy Trinity.” I had “met” Tertullian in the book hall, but Father Greg was seeing him for the first time. Tertullian was a tall, dark-skinned man who smelled of tobacco and