"So the church has always called them."

Hoppart showed by a little movement and grimace that he thought the
bishop quibbled.

"In every sense of the word," the bishop hastened to explain, "the
creeds are symbolical. It is clear they seek to express ineffable things
by at least an extended use of familiar words. I suppose we are all
agreed nowadays that when we speak of the Father and of the Son we mean
something only in a very remote and exalted way parallel with--with
biological fatherhood and sonship."

Lady Sunderbund nodded eagerly. "Yes," she said, "oh, yes," and held up
an expectant face for more.

"Our utmost words, our most elaborately phrased creeds, can at the best
be no better than the shadow of something unseen thrown upon the screen
of experience."

He raised his rather weary eyes to Hoppart as if he would know what else
needed explanation. He was gratified by Lady Sunderbund's approval, but
he affected not to see or hear it. But it was Bent who spoke.

He spoke in the most casual way. He made the thing seem the most
incidental of observations.

"What puzzles me," he said, "is why the early Christians identified the
Spermaticos Logos of the Stoics with the second and not with the third
person of the Trinity."