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of nature, so that whatever you conceive that hypostasis to be, conceive this one to be that also, bearing the exact characters of that one by differing from that one in nothing. 2 Hebr 1,3b This is not only to say he is the maker of beings, but also that he makes them with a great abundance of power, as if all things were suspended on his voice. for this differs in nothing from the one who calls into existence the things that do not exist, or from the narrative of the blessed Moses, who says: and he said: let there be light, and there was light; let there be a firmament, and there was a firmament. Hebr 1,78 The one signifies the swiftness of the service, the other the power of the ministry. But by saying that they have come to be from there, he showed that from there they also have the ability for these things. But it is distinguished from "he who makes" by "God" and "throne" and "scepter of kingship," all of which are symbols of the highest honor and worth; for "God" signifies the highest nature, and the "throne" and the "scepter," drawing from human affairs, represent its stability; then also "for ever and ever"; for "making" shows that those who have come to be have a beginning in time, but this represents the eternity of the kingship.

Hebr 1,12 From this it is possible to see that when the

Old Testament speaks to us about the divine nature, it does not speak exclusively of the Father alone, as the heretics suppose, trying to take "I am God, and there is no other besides me," and other such sayings as applying to him alone. But on the contrary, whatever it says about God, explaining the highest nature, it says in such a way that it can apply equally to both Father and Son because of the communion of nature. For how did the apostle apply the second testimony to him, which had nothing that could signify the particularity of the person, just as with the one above? Or is he not seen to have done the same thing in the Epistle to the Romans, where he says: "For it is written: 'As I live,' says the Lord, 'every knee shall bow to me'"? For neither would one find in that testimony anything that signified these things exclusively.

203 Hebr 1,14-2,1 That they are ministering spirits he had from the aforementioned testimony; then he himself added the kind of service, saying that they do all things ministering for our salvation; for it is no small addition to know the purpose of their service. Therefore we must pay more careful attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away. For this reason, he says, we must devote our attention to the things spoken by him, guarding lest we should ever receive some turning away from better things. Hebr 2,3-4 He also showed by the facts the great difference of these things from those, speaking of a word there, but of salvation here; for that was only a giving of laws, but here there is also the grace of the spirit and the forgiveness of sins and the promise of the kingdom of heaven and the pledge of immortality. whence also he rightly spoke of "so great," showing its magnitude by the addition, and there it was given through angels, but here through the Lord. And since there were miracles among them, so that they might not seem to be inferior even in this respect, he well added "while God also bore witness by signs and wonders and various miracles," saying it with amplification, so that even in this the superiority of grace over the law might appear; for there it happened only for the need at hand, but here even many foreigners are healed through us, whatever afflictions may happen to possess them. So great is the abundance of miracles among us. And the dead are raised, and we often punish some if it is necessary, making them blind by rebukes alone, bringing death to the wicked-minded. Therefore, having contrasted the difference and shown the superiority in its variety and diversity, he added the greater thing which was not available to those under the law: "and by distributions of the Holy Spirit"; for each of the

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φύσεως, ὥστε ὅπερ ἂν ἐκείνην νοήσῃς τὴν ὑπόστασιν, τοῦτο νόει καὶ ταύτην εἶναι, ἀκριβεῖς φέρουσαν ἐκείνης τοὺς χαρακτῆρας τῷ κατὰ μηδὲν διαλλάττειν αὐτὴν ἐκείνης. 2 Hebr 1,3b Τοῦτ' ἔστιν οὐ ποιητὴν μόνον εἰπεῖν τῶν ὄντων, ἀλλὰ γὰρ καὶ τὸ πολλῇ ποιεῖν αὐτὰ περιουσίᾳ τῆς δυνάμεως ὡς ἂν ἐν τῇ φωνῇ αὐτοῦ πάντων ἐπηρτημένων. οὐδὲν γὰρ διαλλάττει τοῦτο τοῦ καλοῦντος τὰ μὴ ὄντα ὡς ὄντα, ἢ καὶ τῆς τοῦ μακαρίου Μωϋσέως διηγήσεως λέγοντος· καὶ εἶπεν· γενηθήτω φῶς, καὶ ἐγένετο φῶς· γενηθήτω στερέωμα, καὶ ἐγένετο στερέωμα. Hebr 1,78 Τὸ μὲν τῆς ὑπηρεσίας τὴν ὀξύτητα σημαίνει, τὸ δὲ τῆς λειτουργίας τὸ δυνατόν. ταῦτα δὲ αὐτοὺς ἐκεῖθεν γεγενῆσθαι εἰπών, παρέστησεν ὡς ἐκεῖθεν καὶ τὸ δύνασθαι ταῦτα ἔχουσιν. διαστέλλεται δὲ πρὸς τὸ ὁ ποιῶν τὸ θεὸς καὶ θρόνος καὶ βασιλείας ῥάβδος, ἃ πάντα τῆς ἀνωτάτω τιμῆς τε καὶ ἀξίας σύμβολα· καὶ γὰρ τὸ θεὸς τὴν ἀνωτάτω σημαίνει φύσιν, καὶ ὁ θρόνος καὶ ἡ ῥάβδος ἀπὸ τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων καὶ τὸ ταύτης βέβαιον παρίστησιν· εἶτα καὶ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τοῦ αἰῶνος· τὸ μὲν γὰρ ποιῶν ἀπὸ καιροῦ εἶναι τὸ ἦρχθαι δείκνυσι τοὺς γεγονότας, τοῦτο δὲ τὸ τῆς βασιλείας ἀΐδιον παρίστησιν.

Hebr 1,12 Ἐντεῦθεν συνιδεῖν ἐστιν ὅτι περὶ τῆς θείας φύσεως ὅταν ἡμῖν ἡ

παλαιὰ διαθήκη διαλέγηται, οὐ περὶ τοῦ πατρὸς ἀφωρισμένως λέγει μόνου, ὥσπερ οἴονται οἱ αἱρετικοί, τὸ ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ θεός, καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν ἄλλος πλὴν ἐμοῦ, καὶ ὅσα τοιαῦτα λαμβάνειν ἐπ' αὐτοῦ πειρώμενοι μόνου. τοὐναντίον δὲ ὅσα ἂν ὡς περὶ θεοῦ λέγῃ τὴν ἀνωτάτω φύσιν ἐξηγουμένη, οὕτω φησὶν ὡς ἂν καὶ πατρὶ καὶ υἱῷ διὰ τὴν τῆς φύσεως κοινωνίαν ὁμοίως ἁρμόττειν δυνάμενα. ἐπεὶ πῶς ὁ ἀπόστολος τὴν δευτέραν εἵλκυσεν ἐπ' αὐτοῦ μαρτυρίαν οὐδὲν ἔχουσαν ὃ τῆς ἰδιότητος τοῦ προσώπου σημαντικὸν εἶναι ἠδύνατο, ὡσπεροῦν καὶ τὴν ἀνωτέραν; ἢ οὐχὶ τὸ αὐτὸ καὶ ἐν τῇ πρὸς Ῥωμαίους φαίνεται πεποιηκώς, ἔνθα φησίν· γέγραπται γάρ· ζῶ ἐγώ, λέγει κύριος, ὅτι ἐμοὶ κάμψει πᾶν γόνυ; οὐδὲ γὰρ ἐκείνην τὴν μαρτυρίαν εὕροι ἄν τις τοιοῦτό τι ἔχουσαν ὃ τούτων ἀφωρισμένως ἐδήλου.

203 Hebr 1,14-2,1 Τὸ μὲν λειτουργικὰ εἶναι πνεύματα ἀπὸ τῆς προκειμένης εἶχε μαρτυρίας, ἐπισυνῆψε δὲ λοιπὸν αὐτὸς τὸ τῆς διακονίας εἶδος, λέγων ὅτι τοῖς ὑπὲρ τῆς ἡμετέρας σωτηρίας διακονούμενοι ἅπαντα πράττουσιν· οὐ γὰρ μικρὸν εἰς προσθήκην εἰδέναι τῆς διακονίας τὴν χρείαν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο δεῖ περισσοτέρως προσέχειν ἡμᾶς τοῖς ἀκουσθεῖσιν, μή ποτε παραρυῶμεν. διὰ τοῦτο, φησί, δεῖ τοῖς παρ' αὐτοῦ λεχθεῖσιν νέμειν τὴν σπουδήν, φυλαττομένους μή ποτε παρατροπήν τινα ἀπὸ τῶν κρειττόνων δεξώμεθα. Hebr 2,3-4 Ἔδειξε καὶ τοῖς πράγμασι τούτων πολὺ τὸ πρὸς ἐκεῖνα διάφορον, ἐκεῖ μὲν λόγον εἰπών, ἐνταῦθα δὲ σωτηρίαν· ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἐκεῖνο μὲν νομίμων δόσις ἦν μόνον, ἐνταῦθα δὲ καὶ χάρις πνεύματος καὶ λύσις ἁμαρτημάτων καὶ βασιλείας οὐρανῶν ἐπαγγελία καὶ ἀθανασίας ὑπόσχεσις. ὅθεν καὶ δικαίως τηλικαύτης εἶπεν τῇ προσθήκῃ τὸ μέγεθος αὐτῆς δεικνύς, κἀκεῖ μὲν διὰ τῶν ἀγγέλων δοθείς, ἐνταῦθα δὲ διὰ τοῦ κυρίου. καὶ ἐπειδὴ θαύματα παρ' ἐκείνοις ἦν ὥστε μηδὲ κατὰ τοῦτο αὐτῶν ἠλαττῶσθαι δοκεῖν, καλῶς ἐπήγαγε τὸ συνεπιμαρτυροῦντος θεοῦ σημείοις καὶ τέρασι καὶ ποικίλαις δυνάμεσιν, κατ' αὔξησιν αὐτὸ εἰπὼν ὥστε κἀν τούτῳ φανῆναι τῆς χάριτος τὸ πλέον παρὰ τὸν νόμον· ἐκεῖ μὲν γὰρ πρὸς τὴν χρείαν ἐγίνετο μόνον, ἐνταῦθα δὲ καὶ τῶν ἀλλοτρίων πολλοὶ οἱ θεραπευόμενοι δι' ἡμῶν, κἂν ὁποιαδήποτε πάθη κατέχειν αὐτοὺς συμβαίνοι. τοσαύτη παρ' ἡμῖν ἡ τῶν θαυμάτων περιουσία. ἀνίστανται δὲ καὶ νεκροί, καὶ τιμωρούμεθα δέ τινας πολλάκις ἂν δέῃ, ἐπιτιμήσεσι μόναις τυφλοὺς ἐργαζόμενοι, θανάτους ἐπάγοντες τοῖς κακογνώμοσιν. ἀντιπαραθεὶς οὖν τὴν διαφορὰν καὶ δείξας τὴν ὑπεροχὴν τῷ ποικίλῳ καὶ πολυτρόπῳ, ἐπήγαγε τὸ μεῖζον ὃ οὐκέτι τοῖς ἐν νόμῳ προσῆν· καὶ πνεύματος ἁγίου μερισμοῖς· τὸ γὰρ πνεύματος ἕκαστον τῶν