a body, but from himself a rational and intellectual soul for him, created at that time, not pre-existing, nor being a part of God, as the senseless and mad Origen blasphemed, having introduced in an old-womanish, or rather, impious manner, some essential pre-existence of souls, and the monstrous restoration that follows upon it. For that which is stated in the holy and divine Scripture, that “God breathed into his face the breath of life, and man became a living soul,” is not indicative of any pre-existence of the soul; nor if it had been said, “And man received a living soul.” But neither was that in-breathing the soul of man, but so that it might be shown, as in a riddle, that the all-holy Spirit is not alien to the creative power, according to the Prophet who says, “By the Word of the Lord were the heavens made firm, and by the spirit of his mouth all their power;” and again; “The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty teaches me.” Therefore the Word of God, having wrought all things magnificently, revealed it by a fraction of His power. And why do I say by a fraction of His power, when indeed He made and 4021 makes all things by a nod alone, always having His power accompanying Him, according to the Prophet who says, “Whatever the Lord willed, He did.” But the ecstatic Origen dared to say that the power of God is finite, and having foamed forth countless other blasphemies and having uttered arrogant and unspeakable things in his treatises, he filled the world with immeasurable nonsense; and worthy of his own audacity he bore a condemnation by a synod. But let us return to the subject at hand. Therefore, having made man in His own image and likeness, God placed him in paradise, as the Scripture says, to work certainly not for the food that perishes, but for that which endures to eternal life, and to keep, again, clearly, the life-bearing commandment given to him by the Creator. But let no one find fault with the introduction for being so long, for it is not random, nor in vain; but since it was our purpose to make mention of the cross, I wished to show the glory of the life-giving cross from above, and shining forth from the beginning in all of creation. And consider if it is not so; for it is possible to see with all accuracy, that God made all creation, visible and invisible, in the form of a cross; for having made the breadth, and the length, and the height, and the depth, He clearly delineated the type of the cross in a mystery, and in these the universe exists. And this is, I think, what was said by the most wise Paul. For he says, “For this reason I bow my knees to the Father,” and the rest, “that you may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the height, and depth, and breadth, and length.” But also whatever is honorable in all creation, was brought forth by the Creator in the form of a cross by a superior wisdom. At any rate, the four-formed living creatures undoubtedly signify the type of the cross through their shape. For the divine prophet says: “I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up,” and the rest, “and Seraphim stood round about him, and their legs were straight; each one had six wings, and each one had six wings; with two they covered their faces, and with two they covered their feet, and with two they did fly.” Mystically through the highest powers was shown the glory of the life-giving cross. But also the luminaries flash forth their light in the form of a cross, and man, too, was fashioned in the form of a cross. For anyone standing and stretching out his hands indisputably forms a cross by his shape. And paradise, too, has the symbol of the cross, that is, the tree of life, from which to eat the primeval serpent 4024 out of an excess of envy allowed the man, more quickly casting him out of paradise through the disobedience from deceit, and through the most wicked disobedience having delivered him over to sin, and through sin having cast him down into the most bitter death. And sin progressed from the most wicked beginning from generation to generation

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σῶμα, παρ' ἑαυτοῦ δὲ ψυχὴν λογικὴν αὐτῷ καὶ νοερὰν ἐνθύκτιστον, οὐ προϋπάρχουσαν, οὐδὲ μέρος οὖσαν Θεοῦ, ὡς παράφρων καὶ μα νιώδης Ὠριγένης ἐβλασφήμησεν οὐσιώδη τινὰ προΰπαρξιν ψυχῶν, καὶ τὴν ταύτῃ ἑπομένην τερα τώδη ἀποκατάστασιν γραωδῶς, μᾶλλον δὲ ἀσεβῶς εἰσηγησάμενος. Τὸ γὰρ ἐν τῇ ἱερᾷ καὶ θείᾳ Γραφῇ ἐμφερόμενον, ὅτι «Ἐνεφύσησεν ὁ Θεὸς εἰς τὸ πρόσ ωπον αὐτοῦ πνοὴν ζωῆς, καὶ ἐγένετο ἄνθρωπος εἰς ψυχὴν ζῶσαν,» οὐ παραστατικόν ἐστι προϋπάρξεώς τινος ψυχῆς· οὐδ' εἰ ἂν εἴρητο, «Καὶ ἔλαβεν ἄνθρωπος ψυχὴν ζῶσαν.» Ἀλλ' οὐδὲ τὸ φύσημα ἐκεῖνο ἦν ψυχὴ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου, ἀλλ' ἵνα δειχθῇ ὡς αἰνίγματι, ὅτι οὐκ ἀλλότριον τῆς δημιουργικῆς δυνά μεως ὑπάρχει τὸ πανάγιον Πνεῦμα, κατὰ τὸν Προ φήτην λέγοντα, «Τῷ Λόγῳ Κυρίου οἱ οὐρανοὶ ἐστερε ώθησαν, καὶ πνεύματι τοῦ στόματος αὐτοῦ πᾶσα ἡ δύναμις αὐτῶν·» καὶ πάλιν· «Πνεῦμα Θεοῦ τὸ ποιῆσάν με, πνοὴ δὲ Παντοκράτορος ἡ διδάσκουσά με.» Πάντα τοιγαροῦν καὶ μεγαλοπρεπῶς ἐργασά μενος ὁ τοῦ Θεοῦ Λόγος τῷ πολλοστῷ τῆς δυνάμεως ἐξεκάλυψε. Καὶ τί λέγω πολλοστῷ δυνά μεως, ὅπουγε τὰ πάντα νεύματι μόνῳ ἐποίησε καὶ 4021 ποιεῖ, ἔχων ἀεὶ σύνδρομον τὴν δύναμιν κατὰ τὸν Προφήτην τὸν λέγοντα, «Πάντα ὅσα ἠθέλησεν ὁ Κύριος, ἐποίησεν.» Ὁ δὲ ἐκστατικὸς Ὠριγένης ἐτόλμησε λέγειν πεπερατωμένην εἶναι τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ δύναμιν, καὶ μυρίας ἑτέρας βλασφημίας ἀπαφρίσας καὶ ὑπέρογκα καὶ δυσεξάγγελτα ἐν τοῖς συντάγμασιν αὐτοῦ ἐκληρήσας, ἐπλήρωσε τὴν οἰκουμένην ἀμέτρου φλυαρίας· ἀξίαν δὲ τῆς ἑαυτοῦ τολμηρίας συνοδικῶς ἀπηνέγκατο κατάκρισιν. Ἀλλ' ἐπὶ τὸ προκείμενον ἐπανέλθωμεν. Ποιήσας τοιγαροῦν ὁ Θεὸς τὸν ἄνθρωπον κατ' εἰκόνα ἰδίαν καὶ ὁμοίωσιν, ἔθετο αὐτὸν ἐν παρα δείσῳ, καθώς φησιν ἡ Γραφὴ, ἐργάζεσθαι πάντως οὐ τὴν βρῶσιν τὴν ἀπολλυμένην, ἀλλὰ τὴν μένουσαν εἰς ζωὴν αἰώνιον, φυλάττειν δὲ πάλιν δηλονότι τὴν δοθεῖσαν αὐτῷ παρὰ τοῦ Κτίστου ζωο φόρον ἐντολήν. Ἀλλὰ μηδεὶς μεμφέσθω οὕτω τῷ προοιμίῳ μηκύνοντι, οὐ γὰρ εἰκῆ, οὐδὲ μάτην· ἀλλ' ἐπειδήπερ προέκειτο ἡμῖν σταυροῦ μνείαν ποιή σασθαι, ἐβουλήθην δεῖξαι τοῦ ζωοποιοῦ σταυροῦ τὴν δόξαν ἄνωθεν, καὶ ἐξ ἀρχῆς ἐν πάσῃ τῇ κτίσει δια λάμπουσαν. Καὶ σκοπεῖτε εἰ μὴ οὕτως ἔχει· ἔνι γὰρ μετὰ ἀκριβείας πάσης ἰδεῖν, ὅτι πᾶσαν κτίσιν ὁρατὴν καὶ ἀόρατον σταυροειδῶς ὁ Θεὸς ἐποίησε· ποιήσας γὰρ τὸ πλάτος, καὶ τὸ μῆκος, καὶ τὸ ὕψος, καὶ τὸ βάθος, σαφῶς τοῦ σταυροῦ τὸν τύπον ἐν μυστηρίῳ διεγράψατο, ἐν τούτοις δὲ τὸ πᾶν ὑπάρχει. Καὶ τοῦτό ἐστι, ὡς οἶμαι, τὸ εἰρημένον τῷ σοφωτάτῳ Παύλῳ. Φησὶ γὰρ, «Τούτου χάριν κάμπτω τὰ γόνατά μου πρὸς τὸν Πατέρα,» καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς, «ἵνα ἐξισχύσητε καταλαβέ σθαι σὺν πᾶσι τοῖς ἁγίοις, τί τὸ ὕψος, καὶ βάθος, καὶ πλάτος, καὶ μῆκος.» Ἀλλὰ καὶ ὅσα τίμια ἐν πάσῃ τῇ κτίσει, σταυροει δῶς ὑπὸ τοῦ ∆ημιουργοῦ σοφίᾳ κρείττονι ἐγεννήθησαν. Τὰ γοῦν τετράμορφα ζῶα σταυροῦ τὸν τύπον διὰ τοῦ σχήματος ἀναμφιβόλως σημαίνουσι. Λέγει γὰρ ὁ θεσπέσιος προφήτης· «Εἶδον τὸν Κύριον καθήμενον ἐπὶ θρόνου ὑψηλοῦ καὶ ἐπηρμένου,» καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς, «καὶ Σεραφὶμ ἑστήκεισαν κύκλῳ αὐτοῦ, καὶ τὰ σκέλη αὐτῶν ὀρθὰ, ἓξ πτέρυγες τῷ ἑνὶ, καὶ ἓξ πτέρυγες τῷ ἑνὶ, καὶ ταῖς μὲν δυσὶ πτέρυξι κατεκάλυπτον τὰ πρόσωπα αὐτῶν, ταῖς δὲ δυσὶ τοὺς πόδας, καὶ ταῖς δυσὶν ἐπέταντο.» Μυστικῶς διὰ τῶν ἀνωτάτων δυνάμεων ἐδείχθη ἡ δόξα τοῦ ζωοποιοῦ σταυροῦ. Ἀλλὰ καὶ οἱ φωστῆρες σταυροειδῶς τὸ φέγγος αὐτῶν ἐξαστράπτουσι, καὶ ἄνθρωπος δὲ σταυροειδῶς διεπλά σθη. Πᾶς γάρ τις ἑστὼς καὶ ἐκτείνων τὰς χεῖρας ἀναντιῤῥήτως σταυρὸν διὰ τοῦ σχήματος τυποῖ. Καὶ ὁ παράδεισος δὲ σταυροῦ τὸ σύμβολον ἔχει, τουτέστι τὸ ξύλον τῆς ζωῆς, ἀφ' οὗ φαγεῖν ὁ ἀρχέκακος ὄφις 4024 δι' ὑπερβολὴν φθόνου συνεχώρησε τὸν ἄνθρωπον, θᾶττον διὰ τῆς ἐξ ἀπάτης παρακοῆς ἐκβαλὼν τοῦ παραδείσου, καὶ διὰ τῆς κακίστης παρακοῆς παρα δοὺς αὐτὸν τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ, διὰ δὲ τῆς ἁμαρτίας κα ταβαλὼν αὐτὸν εἰς τὸν πικρότατον θάνατον. Προέκοψε δὲ ἡ ἁμαρτία τῆς κακίστης ἀρχῆς κατὰ γενεὰν

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