t hominum, qui et homini deum et hominem
deo reddet." Note the future tense. It is the same with Hippolytus who
in Philos. X. 34 represents the deification of men as the aim of
redemption, but at the same time merely requires Christ as the lawgiver
and teacher: "[Greek: Kai tauta men ekpheuxe Theon ton onta didachtheis,
exeis de athanaton to soma kai aphtharton hama psyche, basileian ouranon
apolepse, ho en ge bious kai epouranion basilea epignous, ese de
homiletes Theou kai sygkleronomos Christou, ouk epithymiais e pathesi
kai nosois douloumenos. Gegonas gar Theos hosa gar hupemeinas pathe
anthropos on, tauta edidou, hoti anthropos eis, hosa de parakolouthei
Theo, tauta parechein epengeltai Theos, hoti etheopoiethes, athanatos
gennetheis. Toutesti to Gnothi seauton, epignous tou pepoiekota Thoen.
To gar epignonai heauton epignosthenai symbebeke to kaloumeno hup'
autou. Me philechthresete toinun heautois, anthropoi, mede to
palindromein distasete. Christos gar estin ho kata panton Theos, os ten
hamartian ex anthropon apoplunein proetaxe, neon ton palaion anthropon
apotelon, eikona touton kalesas ap' arches, dia tupou ten eis se
epideiknumenos storgen, ou prostagmasin hupakousas semnois, kai agathou
agathos genomenos mimetes, ese homoios hup' autou timetheis. Ou gar
ptocheuei Theos kai se Theon poiesas eis doxan autou]." It is clear that
with a conception like this, which became prevalent in the 3rd century,
Christ's death on the cross could have no proper significance; nothing
but the Holy Scriptures preserved its importance. We may further remark
that Tertullian used the expression "satisfacere deo" about men (see,
e.g., de bapt. 20; de pud. 9), but, so far as I know, not about the work
of Christ. This expression is very frequent in Cyprian (for penances),
and he also uses it about Christ. In both writers, moreover, we find
"meritum" (_e.g._, Scorp. 6) and "promereri deum". With them and with
Novatian the idea of "culpa" is also more strongly emphasised than it is
by the Eastern theologians. Cf. Novatian de trin. 10: "quoniam cum caro
et sanguis non obtinere regnum dei scribitur, non carnis substantia
damnata est, quae divinis manibus ne periret, exstructa est, sed sola
carnis _culpa_ merito reprehensa est." Tertullian de bapt. 5 says:
"Exempto reatu eximitur et poena." On the other hand he speaks of
fasting as "officia humiliationis", through which we can "inlicere" God.
Among these Western writers the thought that God'