Have we not all one father? has not one God created us? why do we deal treacherously every man against his brother, by profaning the covenant of our fathers?
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Athanasius the Apostolic
AD 373
But this is God’s kindness to humanity, that of whom he is the maker, of them according to grace he afterwards becomes Father also. He becomes, that is, when people, his creatures, receive him into their hearts, as the apostle says, “the spirit of his Son, crying, ‘Abba, Father.’ ” And these are they who, having received the word, gained power from him to become sons of God; for they could not become sons, being by nature creatures, otherwise than by receiving the spirit of the natural and true Son. Wherefore, that this might be, “the word became flesh,” that he might make humans capable of godhood. This same meaning may be gained from the prophet Malachi, who says, “Has not one God created us? Have we not all one Father?” For first he puts “created” next to “Father” to show, as the other writers, that from the beginning we were creatures by nature. And God is our Creator through the word, but afterwards we were made sons, and thenceforward God the Creator becomes our Father also. .
Brother, in distress, 2 Esdras v. 1. St. Jerome mentions the tradition of the Jews, which supposed that the captives at their return dismissed their wives, and married young ones, though strangers, ver. 11. But this is not probable. Such women were ordered to be dismissed, 1 Esdras ix. 1., and 2 Esdras xiii. 23. (Calmet)
The Scripture declares the truth, which says, “First of all believe that there is one God, who has established all things and completed them, and having caused that from what had no being, all things should come into existence”: he who contains all things, and is himself contained by no one. Rightly also Malachi said among the prophets: “Is it not one God who has established us?” In accordance with this too does the apostle say, “There is one God, the Father who is above all, and in us all.” Likewise does the Lord also say, “All things are delivered to me by my Father,” manifestly by him who made all things; for he did not deliver to him the things of another but his own. .
