The Ancient Witnesses

Chapter 2: The Time Before Time • 71

“ How can God be one and three? ” Mentor asked Ignatius, after a brief silence. “Do not let anyone pass your way with corrupted doctrine,” Ignatius replied, “and do not allow them to plant it among you. Cover your ears to avoid the things being planted by them, because you are stones of a temple prepared beforehand for the building of God the Father, hoisted up to the heights by the crane of Jesus Christ, which is the cross, using as a rope the Holy Spirit. For your faith is what lifts you, and love is the way that leads up to God.” 8 Ignatius sat down. “He gave us a picture of the Trinity,” said Joseph, “One God with three roles: God the Father was building His Church, with the help of a crane—the Cross of Christ—and a rope—the Holy Spirit.” “Dang!” said Preacher, “that’s some theology!” “It doesn’t tell us much more than that God had two hands,” Cesar objected. At this, another witness—whom Mentor called Hippolytus—spoke up. “What do the Scriptures say about the Word?” he asked Mentor, who promptly read the opening words of John’s Gospel. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. Hippolytus stood up from his place at one of the choir stalls.

8 Ignatius of Antioch, Letter to the Ephesians, 9.1 (Holmes 191; ANF 1, 53).