Monologion: Chapter 46/Chapter 47
BASIC WRITINGS
Now neither of them has his essence otherwise than by being that essence.
Therefore, just as the Son is much more appropriately understood to have the essence of the Father than the Father to have the essence of the Son, so also the Son can be more fittingly called the essence of the Father than the Father can be called the essence of the Son. For this one expression indicates, with quite pointed brevity, not only that the Son has the same essence as the Father, but also that he has it from the Father. Thus,"the Son is the essence of the Father" means "the Son is an essence no different from the Father's essence; indeed, he is an essence from the Father." In the same way, therefore, the Son is the power, the wisdom or truth, and the justice of the Father, and whatever else belongs to the essence of the supreme spirit.
Chapter 46 How some of the statements expressed in this way can also be understood in another way Nevertheless, some of the statements that can be expressed and interpreted in this way seem to admit another interpretation—and not an inappropriate one—for the very same statement. For it is clear that the Son is the true
Word, that is, the perfect understanding or perfect cognition, knowledge, and wisdom of the whole substance of the Father; in other words, he is that which understands and cognizes and knows and is wise concerning the very essence of the Father. Therefore, if one says that the Son is the understanding, wisdom, knowledge, and cognition or awareness of the Father, in the sense that he understands, is wise concerning, knows, and is aware of the Father, one in no way departs from the truth. Also, the Son can be most appropriately called the truth of the Father, not only in the sense that the truth of the Son is the very same truth as that of the Father, as we have already discussed, but also in the sense that in him is understood not an imperfect imitation but the unadulterated truth of the Father's substance, since he is nothing other than what the Father is.
Chapter 47 That the Son is the understanding of understanding and the truth of truth, and so on for similar attributes Now if the Father's substance is understanding, knowledge, wisdom, and truth, then, since the Son is the understanding, knowledge, wisdom, and truth of the Father's substance, it follows that he is the understanding of understanding, the knowledge of knowledge, the wisdom of wisdom, and the truth of truth.