2

It is possible to find in the Old [Testament], the hypostasis and the homoousion of the Holy Trinity being gently indicated; for instance, in the case of Abraham. For “God appeared to him,” it says, “by the oak of Mamre, as he sat 46.197 at the door of his tent in the heat of the day. And lifting up his eyes, he saw; and behold, three men stood before him; and behold he ran to meet them, and bowed himself to the ground. And he said: Lord, if I have found favor in your sight, do not pass by your servant.”

And after other things: “And he said to him: Where is Sarah your wife? And he said: Behold, in the tent. And he said: I will surely return to you about this time next year, and Sarah your wife shall have a son.” Behold, then, it says that God appeared to him, but that those who were seen were three men; but he again did not speak as to three: ‘Lords, if I have found favor in your sight, do not pass by your servant.’ But naming the three singularly as Lord, and deeming it right to entreat them as one, and as one he speaks: ‘I will return.’ See, then, that those who appeared were three, and that each subsisted with his own particular being; but by the principle of being of one substance they were comprehended as one, and held their discourse. But who said to whom: “Come, let us go down and confuse their language?” Or is it not clear it was to the one of whom he said: “From the womb before the morning star I begot you;” and, “His name is before the sun, and before the moon;” and again: “The Lord said to me: You are my Son, today I have begotten you. Ask of me, and I will give you the nations for your inheritance, and the ends of the earth for your possession;” and again, “I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son?” What about, “The Lord rained fire and brimstone from the Lord?” What about this from the person of God, “And everyone who sheds blood, for his blood it shall be shed, because in the image of God I made man?” Do you see that God made [man] in the image of God? And how should this in Exodus be understood: “And Moses rose early and went up to Mount Sinai, as the Lord had commanded him. And Moses took the tablets of stone. And the Lord descended in a cloud, and stood there, and spoke in the name of the Lord. And the Lord passed by from before the face of the Lord.” What Lord, then, spoke in the name of the Lord? And what Lord passed by from before the face of the Lord? And what of that which was said to Jacob, “I am he who appeared to you in 46.200 the place of God?” And how about, “Let all the angels of God worship him?” Whom, and of what God? Moses says: “And the Lord set a time, saying: Tomorrow the Lord will do this thing on the earth;” and again: “Be strong, Zerubbabel, for I am with you, and my good Word, and my Spirit in your midst.” What need then to mention three, unless each is in its own hypostasis? And again: “And the Lord said to Moses: Go down and warn the people, and sanctify them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their clothes, and be ready for the third day. For on the third day the Lord will come down upon Mount Sinai, in the sight of all the people.” And he did not say: I will come down. “And it shall be in the last days, says the Lord, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh, and your sons shall prophesy, and your daughters shall dream dreams.” And after a little: “the sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and manifest day of the Lord comes.” He did not say: My day. “And it shall be that whoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” And he did not say: My name. And again: “The Lord looked down from heaven upon the earth, to see the groaning of the prisoners, to release the sons of the slain, to declare in Zion the name of the Lord.” He did not say: His name. And again: “He who dwells in the heavens will laugh at them, and the Lord will mock them.” And again: “To you, Lord, I will cry, and to my God I will make supplication.” Who then is the Lord with God? From the person of God: “I overthrew you, as God overthrew Sodom and

2

Παλαιᾶς ἔστιν εὑρεῖν, ἠρέμα ὑποδεικνυμένης τῆς ἁγίας Τριάδος τὴν ὑπόστασιν καὶ τὸ ὁμοούσιον αὐτῆς· οἷον ὡς ἐπὶ τοῦ Ἀβραάμ· «Ὤφθη» γὰρ, φησὶν, «αὐτῷ ὁ Θεὸς πρὸς τῇ δρυῒ τῇ Μαμβρῇ, καθημένου 46.197 αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ τῆς θύρας τῆς σκηνῆς αὐτοῦ μεσημβρίας. Ἀναβλέψας δὲ τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς, εἶδε· καὶ ἰδοὺ τρεῖς ἄνδρες παρειστήκεισαν ἐπάνω αὐτοῦ· καὶ ἰδοὺ προσ έδραμεν εἰς συνάντησιν αὐτῶν, καὶ προσεκύνησεν ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν. Καὶ εἶπε· Κύριε, εἰ εὗρον χάριν ἐναν τίον σου, μὴ παρέλθῃς τὸν παῖδά σου.»

Καὶ μεθ' ἕτερα· «Εἶπε δὲ πρὸς αὐτόν· Ποῦ Σάῤῥα ἡ γυνή σου; Ὁ δὲ εἶπεν· Ἰδοὺ ἐν τῇ σκηνῇ. Εἶπε δέ· Ἐπαναστρέφων ἥξω πρὸς σὲ, κατὰ τὸν καιρὸν τοῦτον εἰς ὥρας, καὶ ἕξει υἱὸν Σάῤῥα ἡ γυνή σου.» Ἰδοὺ δὴ φησὶν ὀφθῆναι μὲν αὐτῷ τὸν Θεὸν, εἶναί γε μὴν τρεῖς ἄνδρας τοὺς ἑωραμένους· αὐτὸν δὲ πάλιν οὐχ ὡς τρισὶν εἰπεῖν· Κύριοι, εἰ εὕρηκα χάριν ἐναντίον ὑμῶν, μὴ παρέλθητε τὸν παῖδα ὑμῶν. Κύριον δὲ μοναδικῶς τοὺς τρεῖς ὀνομάζοντα, καὶ ὡς ἕνα καταίρειν ἀξιοῦντα, καὶ ὡς εἷς φωνεῖ· Ἥξω. Ὅρα οὖν τοὺς ὀφθέντας τρεῖς μὲν ὄντας, καὶ ὑφεστῶτας ἰδιοσυστάτως ἕκαστον· τῷ γε μὴν τῆς ὁμοουσίας λόγῳ συνειλημμένους εἰς ἕνα, καὶ τὰς διαλέξεις ποιησαμένους. Τίς δὲ πρὸς τίνα ἔλεγεν· «∆εῦτε, καταβάντες συγχέωμεν τὴν γλῶσσαν αὐτῶν;» Ἢ δῆλον πρὸς ὃν εἶπεν· «Ἐκ γαστρὸς πρὸ ἑωσφόρου ἐγέννησά σε·» καὶ, «Πρὸ τοῦ ἡλίου τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ, καὶ πρὸ τῆς σελήνης·» καὶ πάλιν· «Κύριος εἶπε πρός με· Υἱός μου εἶ σὺ, ἐγὼ σήμερον γεγέννηκά σε. Αἴτησαι παρ' ἐμοῦ, καὶ δώσω σοι ἔθνη τὴν κληρονομίαν σου, καὶ τὴν κατάσχεσίν σου τὰ πέρατα τῆς γῆς·» καὶ πάλιν, «Ἐγὼ ἔσομαι αὐτῷ εἰς Πατέρα, καὶ αὐτὸς ἔσται μοι εἰς Υἱόν;» Τί δὲ τὸ, «Ἔβρεξε Κύριος πῦρ καὶ θεῖον παρὰ Κυρίου;» Τί δὲ τὸ ἐκ προσώπου τοῦ Θεοῦ, «Καὶ πᾶς ὁ ἐκχέων αἷμα, ἀντὶ τοῦ αἵματος αὐτοῦ ἐκχυθήσεται, ὅτι ἐν εἰκόνι Θεοῦ ἐποίησα τὸν ἄνθρωπον;» Ὁρᾷς ὅτι ὁ Θεὸς ἐν εἰκόνι τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐποίησε; Τὸ δὲ ἐν τῇ Ἐξόδῳ πῶς νοητέον· «Καὶ ὀρθρίσας Μωϋσῆς ἀνέβη εἰς τὸ ὄρος τὸ Σινᾶ, καθότι συνέταξεν αὐτῷ Κύριος. Καὶ ἔλαβε Μωϋσῆς τὰς πλάκας τὰς λιθίνας. Καὶ κατέβη Κύριος ἐν νεφέλῃ, καὶ παρέστη ἐκεῖ, καὶ ἐλάλησε τῷ ὀνόματι Κυρίου. Καὶ παρῆλθε Κύριος ἀπὸ προσώπου Κυρίου.» Ποῖος ἄρα ἐλάλησε Κύριος ἐν ὀνόματι Κυρίου; καὶ ποῖος παρ ῆλθε Κύριος ἀπὸ προσώπου Κυρίου; Τί δὲ τὸ πρὸς Ἰακὼβ εἰρημένον, «Ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ ὀφθείς σοι ἐν 46.200 τόπῳ Θεοῦ;» Πῶς δὲ τὸ, «Προσκυνησάτωσαν αὐτῷ πάντες ἄγγελοι Θεοῦ;» Τίνι, καὶ ποίου Θεοῦ; Λέγει Μωσῆς· «Καὶ ἔδωκε Κύριος ὅρον, λέγων· Ἐν τῇ αὔριον ἡμέρᾳ ποιήσει Κύριος τὸ ῥῆμα τοῦτο ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς·» καὶ πάλιν· «Ἴσχυε, Ζοροβάβελ, διότι ἐγὼ μεθ' ὑμῶν εἰμι, καὶ ὁ Λόγος μου ὁ ἀγαθὸς, καὶ τὸ Πνεῦμά μου ἐν μέσῳ ὑμῶν.» Τίς οὖν χρεία τριῶν μνησθῆναι, εἰ μὴ ἕκαστον ἐν ἰδίᾳ ὑποστάσει; Καὶ πάλιν· «Καὶ εἶπε Κύριος πρὸς Μωϋσῆν· Καταβὰς διαμάρτυραι τῷ λαῷ, καὶ ἅγνισον αὐτοὺς σήμερον καὶ αὔριον, καὶ πλυνάτωσαν τὰ ἱμάτια αὐτῶν, καὶ ἔστωσαν ἕτοι μοι εἰς τὴν ἡμέραν τὴν τρίτην. Τῇ γὰρ ἡμέρᾳ τρίτῃ καταβήσεται Κύριος ἐπὶ τὸ ὄρος τὸ Σινᾶ, ἐναντίον παντὸς τοῦ λαοῦ.» Καὶ οὐκ εἶπε· Καταβήσομαι. «Καὶ ἔσται ἐν ταῖς ἐσχάταις ἡμέραις, λέγει Κύριος, ἐκχεῶ ἀπὸ τοῦ Πνεύματός μου ἐπὶ πᾶσαν σάρκα, καὶ προφητεύσουσιν οἱ υἱοὶ ὑμῶν, καὶ αἱ θυγατέρες ὑμῶν ἐνύπνια ἐνυπνιασθήσονται.» Καὶ μετά τινα· «ὁ ἥλιος μεταστραφήσεται εἰς σκότος, καὶ ἡ σελήνη εἰς αἷμα, πρὶν ἐλθεῖν τὴν ἡμέραν Κυρίου τὴν μεγάλην καὶ ἐπιφανῆ.» Οὐκ εἶπε· Τὴν ἡμέραν μου. «Καὶ ἔσται, ὃς ἂν ἐπικαλέσηται τὸ ὄνομα Κυρίου, σωθήσεται.» Καὶ οὐκ εἶπε· Τὸ ὄνομά μου. Καὶ πάλιν· «Κύριος ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν ἐπέβλεψε, τοῦ ἰδεῖν τὸν στεναγμὸν τῶν πεπεδημένων, τοῦ λῦσαι τοὺς υἱοὺς τῶν τεθανατωμένων, τοῦ ἀναγγεῖλαι ἐν Σιὼν τὸ ὄνομα Κυρίου.» Οὐκ εἶπε· Τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ. Καὶ πάλιν· «Ὁ κατοικῶν ἐν οὐρανοῖς ἐκγελάσεται αὐτοὺς, καὶ ὁ Κύριος ἐκμυκτηριεῖ αὐτούς.» Καὶ πάλιν· «Πρὸς σὲ, Κύριε, κεκράξομαι, καὶ πρὸς τὸν Θεόν μου δεηθήσομαι.» Τίς οὖν ὁ Κύριος παρὰ τῷ Θεῷ; Ἐκ προσώπου τοῦ Θεοῦ· «Κατέστρεψα ὑμᾶς, καθὼς κατέστρεψεν ὁ Θεὸς Σόδομα καὶ