it happens that the human flesh is newer, yet the Word, who deigned to take this up through a pure virgin, having united it to himself, not only made the man created in him "the firstborn of all creation," but also wills him to be the beginning of all things, not only of those on earth, but also of those in heaven. 9 Therefore this chapter of Proverbs, wishing to present not the beginning of the divinity of our Savior, as they think, said "the Lord created me," but the second economy according to the flesh; for which reason it also mentions creation, appropriately for the human flesh. 10 So then the creation pertains to his dispensation as man. Wherefore he says, "The Lord created me as the beginning of his ways for his works," created me, that is, through the virgin Mary, through whom God chose to unite human flesh to his own Word. 11 Since this is so, it follows to consider with the mind this chapter spoken proverbially, "the Lord created me as the beginning of his ways for his works." For our master God truly created, having made what was not; for the flesh which the Word assumed, not being, but not existing, he "created as the beginning of his ways." 12 Therefore, with the old things having passed away, and all things being about to become new through the newness of our Savior, our master Christ cried out through the prophet, saying, "The Lord created me as the beginning of his ways." 13 For he has become for us, who are to live righteously, a way of piety; the beginning of all the ways after these. 14 And he has reasonably called our master the Savior the "beginning of ways" for this reason, because he has also become the beginning of the other ways which we have had after the first way, signifying the traditions through the holy apostles of those who preached to us "with a loud cry," according to the prophecy, this new mystery. 15 "He created me, therefore," he says, "as the beginning of his ways for his works." And what works does he mean? Those about which the Savior says, "My Father is working until now, and I am working," and again, "The work," he says, "I have finished which you have given me." 16 For who before the proof of the facts would have believed that the Word of God, born of a virgin, would assume our flesh and would display in it bodily the whole divinity? 17 "Before the age he founded me," calling this foundation his economy according to the flesh, which was foreordained. As also the apostle says, "For no one can lay any other foundation than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ." But he here mentions one age, from which he said the things concerning Christ were founded, although many ages had passed, as David said, "who exists before the ages." 18 For when Asterius said that the Word was begotten before the ages, the saying itself convicts him of lying; so that he has erred not only in the matter, but also in the letter. For if Proverbs says, "before the age he founded me," how did he say that he was begotten before the ages? For it is one thing for him to have been founded before the age, and another to have been begotten before the ages. 19 As, therefore, God the Almighty long ago foreordained the church, so also the economy of Christ according to the flesh, through which he foreordained to call the race of the pious "to adoption," having first founded it in his own mind. For this reason the apostle clearly foretells by the Holy Spirit, saying, "of the Son of God who was foreordained." Therefore, even if this new mystery appeared especially in the last times, as having been foreordained for this reason before this age, the prophet rightly said, "before the age he founded me," that is, the flesh, because of the communion with his truly Son, the Word. 21 Then he says, "in the beginning, before he made the earth." What earth is this? Clearly our flesh, which after the transgression again became earth? For he says, "you are earth, and to earth you shall return." For it was necessary for this to receive healing, having in some way communed with the holy Word. 22 Then, "before the abysses

τὴν ἀνθρωπίνην σάρκα νεωτέραν εἶναι συμβαίνει, ὅμως ὁ ταύτην ἀναλαβεῖν δι' ἁγνῆς ἀξιώσας παρθένου λόγος, ταύτῃ τὸ ἑαυτοῦ ἑνώσας, οὐ μόνον "πρωτότοκον πάσης κτίσεως" τὸν ἐν ἑαυτῷ ἄνθρωπον κτισθέντα ἀπειργάσατο, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀρχὴν ἁπάντων αὐτὸν εἶναι βούλεται, οὐ τῶν ἐπὶ γῆς μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν ἐν οὐρανοῖς. 9 τὸ τοίνυν κεφάλαιον τουτὶ τῆς Παροιμίας οὐ τὴν ἀρχὴν τῆς θεότητος, ὥσπερ αὐτοὶ νομίζουσιν, τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν παραστῆσαι βουλόμενον "κύριος ἔκτισέν με" ἔφη, ἀλλὰ τὴν δευτέραν κατὰ σάρκα οἰκονομίαν· διὸ καὶ κτίσεως μέμνηται προσφόρως τῆς ἀνθρωπίνης σαρκός. 10 οὐκοῦν ἡ κτίσις τῇ κατὰ ἄνθρωπον αὐτοῦ διαφέρει πραγματείᾳ. διό φησιν "κύριος ἔκτισέν με ἀρχὴν ὁδῶν αὐτοῦ εἰς ἔργα αὐτοῦ", ἔκτισέν με δηλονότι διὰ τῆς παρθένου Μαρίας δι' ἧς ὁ θεὸς ἑνῶσαι τὴν ἀνθρωπίνην σάρκα τῷ ἑαυτοῦ λόγῳ προείλετο. 11 τούτου τοίνυν οὕτως ἔχοντος, ἀκόλουθόν ἐστιν σκοπεῖν τῇ διανοίᾳ τὸ παροιμιωδῶς εἰρημένον τουτὶ κεφάλαιον "κύριος ἔκτισέν με ἀρχὴν ὁδῶν αὐτοῦ εἰς ἔργα αὐτοῦ". ἔκτισεν γὰρ ἀληθῶς τὸ μὴ ὂν πεποιηκὼς ὁ δεσπότης ἡμῶν θεός· οὐκ οὖσαν γὰρ τὴν σάρκα, ἣν ἀνείληφεν ὁ λόγος, ἀλλὰ μὴ οὖσαν "ἔκτισεν ἀρχὴν ὁδῶν αὐτοῦ". 12 οὐκοῦν εἰκότως τῶν ἀρχαίων παρεληλυθότων, καινῶν δὲ ἔσεσθαι μελλόντων ἁπάντων διὰ τῆς τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν καινότητος, ὁ δεσπότης ἡμῶν ὁ Χριστὸς διὰ τοῦ προφήτου ἐβόα λέγων "κύριος ἔκτισέν με ἀρχὴν ὁδῶν αὐτοῦ". 13 οὗτος γὰρ ἡμῖν τοῖς δικαίως πολιτεύεσθαι μέλλουσιν θεοσεβείας ὁδὸς γέγονεν· ἀρχὴ πασῶν τῶν μετὰ ταῦτα ὁδῶν. 14 "ἀρχὴν" δὲ "ὁδῶν" διὰ τοῦτο εἰκότως εἴρηκεν τὸν δεσπότην ἡμῶν τὸν σωτῆρα, διότι καὶ τῶν ἑτέρων, ὧν ἐσχήκαμεν, ὁδῶν μετὰ τὴν πρώτην ὁδὸν ἀρχὴ γέγονεν, τὰς διὰ τῶν ἱερῶν ἀποστόλων δηλῶν παραδόσεις τῶν "μετὰ ὑψηλοῦ" κατὰ τὴν προφητείαν "κηρύγματος" κηρυξάντων ἡμῖν τὸ καινὸν τοῦτο μυστήριον. 15 "ἔκτισεν οὖν με" φησὶν "ἀρχὴν ὁδῶν αὐτοῦ εἰς ἔργα αὐτοῦ". ποῖα δὲ ἔργα φησίν; περὶ ὧν ὁ σωτὴρ λέγει "ὁ πατήρ μου ἕως ἄρτι ἐργάζεται, κἀγὼ ἐργάζομαι" καὶ αὖθις "τὸ ἔργον" φησὶν "ἐτελείωσα ὃ δέδωκάς μοι". 16 τίς γὰρ πρὸ τῆς τῶν πραγμάτων ἀποδείξεως ἐπίστευσεν ἂν ὅτι λόγος θεοῦ διὰ παρθένου τεχθεὶς τὴν ἡμετέραν ἀναλήψεται σάρκα καὶ τὴν πᾶσαν θεότητα ἐν αὐτῇ σωματικῶς ἐπιδείξεται; 17 "πρὸ τοῦ αἰῶνος ἐθεμελίωσέν με", θεμέλιον μὲν τοῦτον ὀνομάζων, τὴν κατὰ σάρκα αὐτοῦ προορισθεῖσαν οἰκονομίαν. ὡς καὶ ὁ ἀπόστολος λέγει "θεμέλιον γὰρ ἄλλον οὐδεὶς δύναται θεῖναι παρὰ τὸν κείμενον, ὅς ἐστιν Ἰησοῦς Χριστός". ἑνὸς δὲ αἰῶνος ἐνταῦθα μέμνηται, ἀφ' οὗ τὰ κατὰ τὸν Χριστὸν τεθεμελιῶσθαι ἔφη, καίτοι πολλῶν παρεληλυθότων αἰώνων, ὡς ὁ ∆αυὶδ ἔφη "ὁ ὑπάρχων πρὸ τῶν αἰώνων". 18 Ἀστερίου γὰρ εἰρηκότος πρὸ τῶν αἰώνων γεγεννῆσθαι τὸν λόγον, αὐτὸ τὸ ῥητὸν αὐτὸν ἐλέγχει ψευδόμενον· ὥστε μὴ μόνον αὐτὸν τοῦ πράγματος, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῦ γράμματος διαμαρτεῖν. εἰ γὰρ "πρὸ τοῦ αἰῶνος ἐθεμελίωσέν με" φησὶν ἡ Παροιμία, πῶς αὐτὸς γεγεννῆσθαι αὐτὸν πρὸ τῶν αἰώνων ἔφη; ἕτερον γὰρ πρὸ τοῦ αἰῶνος τεθεμελιῶσθαι αὐτόν, καὶ ἕτερον πρὸ τῶν αἰώνων γεγεννῆσθαι. 19 ὥσπερ οὖν τὴν ἐκκλησίαν πάλαι προωρίσατο ὁ παντοκράτωρ 19 θεός, οὕτω καὶ τὴν κατὰ σάρκα τοῦ Χριστοῦ οἰκονομίαν, δι' οὗ τὸ τῶν θεοσεβῶν γένος "εἰς υἱοθεσίαν" καλέσαι προωρίσατο, πρότερον θεμελιώσας ἐν τῇ αὐτοῦ διανοίᾳ. διὰ τοῦτο ὁ ἀπόστολος τῷ ἁγίῳ πνεύματι σαφῶς προαγορεύει "τοῦ προορισθέντος υἱοῦ θεοῦ" λέγων. οὐκοῦν εἰ καὶ τὰ μάλιστα ἐπ' ἐσχάτων τῶν καιρῶν τουτὶ καινὸν ἐπεφάνη μυστήριον, ὡς διὰ τοῦτο πρὸ τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου προωρίσθαι, εἰκότως ὁ προφήτης ἔφη "πρὸ τοῦ αἰῶνος ἐθεμελίωσέν με", δηλονότι τὴν σάρκα, διὰ τὴν πρὸς τὸν ἀληθῶς υἱὸν αὐτοῦ τὸν λόγον κοινωνίαν. 21 εἶτα "ἐν ἀρχῇ" φησὶν "πρὸ τοῦ τὴν γῆν ποιῆσαι". γῆν ποίαν ταύτην; δηλονότι τὴν ἡμετέραν σάρκα, τὴν μετὰ τὴν παρακοὴν γῆν αὖθις γενομένην; "γῆ" γὰρ "εἶ" φησὶν "καὶ εἰς γῆν ἀπελεύσῃ". ἔδει γὰρ ταύτην ἰάσεως τυχεῖν, τινὰ τρόπον κοινωνήσασαν τῷ ἁγίῳ λόγῳ. 22 εἶτα "πρὸ τοῦ τὰς ἀβύσσους