Nicea had clarified a distinction between being “begotten” and being “made” that had not been sufficiently obvious beforehand, but which would be crucial for Athanasius’s doctrine of God (as well as for the church as a whole). That is, a subject can “beget” only the same kind of being as itself; thus men “beget” men and the Father “begets” the Son. On the other hand, a subject can only “make” a different kind of being; thus men “make” doughnuts and God “makes” the world. Men cannot “beget” doughnuts, nor God “beget” the world; just so, men cannot “make” men, nor can God “make” the Son.
