Irenaeus of Lyons · a new plain-English translation from the original language
What is meant by, Something greater than the temple is here, and, Something greater than Solomon is here.
For, he says, something greater than the temple is here. Now more and less are not said of things which have no fellowship with one another and are of contrary nature and at war with each other, but of things which are of the same substance and share fellowship with one another, differing only in scale and measure — much as water is set beside water, brightness beside brightness, and favor beside favor. Greater, then, is the giving of the covenant leading into freedom than the one given for bondage; and yet it is not another Lord who is greater than the temple and greater than Solomon, proclaiming the Father, but the very same one, who always has more to measure out to his own household, and, as their love toward God increases, bestows more and greater gifts — as the Lord also said to his disciples: For you shall see greater things than these. And Paul says: Not that I have already reached the goal, or already stand fully mature; for our knowledge is partial, and our prophesying is partial. But once what is complete arrives, the partial will be set aside. So then, once the complete arrives, we shall not behold a different Father, but this identical one whom we now yearn to behold: for happy are the clean of heart, since they will look upon God; nor shall we seek out a different Christ and Son of God, but this identical one who came from the Virgin Mary's womb, who likewise endured suffering, in whom we place our faith and whom we hold dear — as Isaiah says: And on that day they shall declare, Behold, this is the Lord our God, in whom we have placed our hope, and in whom our salvation has brought us gladness. And Peter, in his letter, states: Whom, without having seen him, you cherish; and in whom, even now not seeing him, you place your trust, and take delight with a joy beyond words. Nor shall we obtain some other Holy Spirit apart from this one dwelling among us and calling out, Abba, Father; and within these very gifts our growth shall continue — yet rather, meeting him face to face, we shall delight in the gifts of God. So also now, in obtaining something greater than the temple and greater than Solomon, which is the coming of the Son of God, we have learned of no other God besides the Maker and Fashioner of all things, who was shown to us from the beginning, nor of another Christ, Son of God, besides him who was proclaimed by the prophets.
For when the New Testament had been made known and proclaimed by the prophets, he too who was destined to establish it in keeping with the Father's own will was foretold in advance, and was later revealed to men just as God intended, so that believers might always be able to make progress in him, and, through the two testaments, mature in the growth of salvation. For salvation itself is single, and God is one; yet the precepts shaping man are many, and the steps that lead man to God are not few. To an earthly and temporal king, being a man, it is sometimes possible to grant greater advancement to his subjects; but shall it not be permitted to God, seeing he is ever the same, to bestow ever greater grace on the human race, and to honor with continual gifts those who please him? But if this is what is meant by advancing — namely, to find another Father besides the one who was announced from the beginning, and again, besides the one thought to have been found second, to find yet a third — then the same kind of advance will carry one from the third to a fourth, and from that again to another and another; and such a mind, ever supposing itself to be advancing, will never come to rest in one God. For, having been cast out from him who truly is, and having turned back, it will indeed always be seeking, but will never find God; rather it will forever swim in the depths of incomprehension, unless, converted by repentance, it returns to the place from which it was cast out, confessing and believing in the one God, the Father, the Maker, whom the Law and the prophets announced beforehand, and to whom Christ gave his own testimony — as he himself told those accusing his disciples of disregarding the elders' tradition: Why do you set aside God's commandment for the sake of your tradition? For God declared, Honor your father and mother; and, Whoever speaks evil of father or mother, let that one be put to death. And once more he told them a second time: You have made void God's word because of your tradition — Christ thereby most openly confessing as Father and God the one who declared in the Law, Honor your father and your mother, so that things may go well for you. For the true God acknowledged this precept of the Law as God's own utterance, and recognized no other besides his own Father as God.