How Can Jesus Be Eternal If He Is Begotten?

Jesus is eternally begotten of the Father. There never was a time when the Son was not. As St. Athanasius said “It is proper for men to beget in time, because of the imperfections of their nature; but the offspring of God is eternal because God’s nature is ever perfect.”

The Son is caused to be by the Father, that is why we say he is begotten. However, that is not the same as being born in time. The Father is his own cause of being and he did not come to exist but rather eternally exists. In the same way, the Son is eternally begotten of the Father.