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her or not to see. And just as it happens with the perceptible sun that the one closing his eyes does not see, and we do not then say that the sun does not exist, so we do not say that truth has never been among men, not wishing to interrupt the scripture. And I say: if you bring me fruits of two trees, for example, the fruits of a fig tree, since you have separated them from the matter, it is necessary for the plants also to be different and distinct. Thus, then, it is impossible for the 4 evangelical instruction to have brought truth to men, but for the one before the advent, the one called old, not to have enlightened according to the truth. Of necessity they assigned from the different fruits also a different quality; not that there is a different divinity, but this followed from their absurd principle. If, therefore, the Savior says, "I am the truth" and the shepherd and the door and the other things, these names and the things signified by them are incommunicable with created beings. But if he says, "I am a man," if it is said of him that he is just—"you killed the just one," says Peter—these names are shared also by men and angels. In the same way, take for me also the case of a king; and since he is a king, a kingdom is innate to the Word, neither able to be assumed nor to be cast off, this very thing is a kingdom. And just as he is not called just from having justice, but from being justice itself, so also he is a king not by election, but being the king from a king, as God from God. But he also has an acquired kingdom, which he wished to have when he came, in order to both overthrow those who war against the human race and to bring them into lawful oversight so that they might be ruled lawfully. Therefore, if he says, "But I was established as king by him upon Zion his holy mountain," he is not speaking of the innate and eternal kingdom, but of the one he undertook for our sake. And in God, the kingdom is the teaching. Therefore, the teaching before the advent was one thing, which they said he as God the Word utters according to himself, and the one for the sake of certain people is another. This one, therefore, has a beginning and an end. At any rate, it is said in one of the twelve prophets: "and the Lord will reign from Zion from now and until the age." The "from" and "until" signify time. But if it is said of a man that he reigns from this time and until this, it signifies a diminution of him; for before the time from which he began his reign, he was not a king, and when the reign has an end, he is no longer a king. But concerning the Savior we do not say this, but that he reigned from when the reign by election had its beginning, and he will no longer reign, when this receives its end; for that one is on account of him. As the divinity does not belong to him on account of another, so neither does the kingdom nor the holiness. "God our king before the age." But the kingdom before the age is on account of him. Again: "Your kingdom is a kingdom of all the ages." This is said to God the Word. The Word has a kingdom neither beginning nor ending; for "the Lord" "reigning for the age and for the age and yet more." It was at a loss to signify further time and age, and it said "and yet more." We understand the "yet more" thus: even if you take another age, he still reigns, and if another, still, and if all, he still reigns; from which his rule is shown to be unending; for the kingdom which he had by conde5scension, will both cease at some time and has taken a beginning; for it exists for a reason, for the salvation of the world, for the removal of "the sin of the world." And just as a doctor is always a doctor from when he has the art, and insofar as he practices it, being a doctor has a beginning and an end, and for the sick person, it has a beginning and an end of him still being a doctor, when he is brought to robust health and to a robust condition, you will say the same things also concerning teachers. There is a certain teacher from when he has received knowledge. And he becomes this one's teacher when he comes to him; and when that one has been taught and has perfectly received the knowledge like the teacher, he has ceased to be his teacher. And virtue is in a way of a teacher

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αὐτὴν ἢ μὴ ὁρᾶν. καὶ ὡ´̣σπερ καὶ ἐπι`̣ τ̣οῦ αἰσθη̣του῀̣ ἡλίου συμβαίνει τὸν μύοντα τὰς ὄψεις μὴ ὁρᾶν, καὶ οὐκ ἤδη λέγομεν μὴ εἰ῀̣ναι τὸν ἡ´̣λιον, οὕτως οὐ λέγομεν ὅτι ποτὲ ἡ ἀλήθεια ἐν ἀνθρώποις οὐ γέγ̣ονεν οὐ θέλοντες δια̣κ̣ο´̣ψ̣αι τὴν γραφήν. καὶ λέγω· ἐάν μοι ἀγάγῃς ἀκροδρύων δύο κ̣α̣ρ̣π̣ῶν, οἱ῀̣ον συκ̣ῆς καρπ̣ω῀̣ν, ἐπεὶ διεῖλες ἀπὸ τῆς ὕλης, ἀνάγκη καὶ φυτὰ ἕτερα καὶ ἕτερα εἶναι. οὕτω̣ τοίνυν ἀδύνατον τὴν 4 ευ᾿̣αγγελ̣ικὴν παίδευσιν τὴν ἀλήθειαν εἰς ἀνθρώπους ἠγιοχένα̣ι̣, τὴν δὲ πρὸ τῆς ἐπιδημίας τὴν καλουμένην παλαιὰν μὴ πεφωτικέναι κατὰ τὴν ἀλήθειαν. ἀναγκαίως προσήκαντο ἐκ τῶν διαφόρων καρπῶν καὶ διάφορον ποιότητα· οὐχ ὅτι ἔστιν διάφορος θεότης, ἀλλὰ τῇ ἐκείνων ἀτόπῳ ἀρχῇ τοῦτο ἠκολούθησεν. ἐὰν οὖν ὁ σωτὴρ λέγῃ· "ἐγώ εἰμι ἡ ἀλήθεια" καὶ ποιμὴν καὶ θύρα καὶ τὰ ἄλλα, ἀκοινώνητά εἰσιν ταῦτα τὰ ὀνόματα καὶ τὰ ὑφ' αὐτῶν σημαινόμενα πρὸς τοὺς γενητούς. ἐὰν δὲ λέγῃ ὅτι· "ἄνθρωπός εἰμι", ἐὰν λε´̣γ̣η̣ται περὶ αὐτοῦ ὅτι δίκαιός ἐστιν-"τὸν δίκαιον ἀπεκτείνατε", λέγει ὁ Πέτρος-, ταῦτα τὰ ὀνόματα συντρ̣οχάζει καὶ εἰς ἀνθρώπους καὶ ἀγγέλους. τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον λάβε μοι καὶ ἐπὶ βασιλέως· καὶ ἐπεὶ βασιλεὺς ἔστιν συνφυής τις τοῦ λόγου βασιλεία, οὐδὲ ἀναλημπτὴ οὐδὲ ἀποβληθη῀̣ναι δυναμένη, αὐτὸ τοῦτο βασιλεία ἐστίν. καὶ ὥσπερ οὐ λέγεται δίκαιος ἐκ τοῦ δικαιοσυ´̣νην ἔχειν, ἀλλὰ αὐτὸ δικαιοσύνη ὤν, οὕτω καὶ βασιλεὺς οὐκ ἐκ χειροτονίας εἶναι, ἀλλα`̣ αὐτὸ τὸ βασιλεὺς ἐκ βασιλέως, ὡς θεὸς ἐκ θεοῦ. ἔχει δὲ καὶ ἐπίκτητον βασιλείαν, ἣν ἠθέλησεν ἔχειν ε᾿̣πιδημῶν, ἵνα καὶ τοὺς πολεμοῦντας τὸ τῶν ἀνθρώπων γένος καθέλῃ καὶ α̣υ᾿̣τ̣οὺς εἰς νομ̣ίμην̣ ἐπιστασίαν ἀγάγῃ ὥστε νομίμως βασιλεύεσθαι. ἐὰν οὖν λέγῃ· "ἐγὼ δὲ κατεστάθην βασιλεὺς ὑπ' αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ Σιὼν ὄρος τὸ ἅγιον αὐτοῦ", οὐ περὶ τῆς συμφυοῦς καὶ ἀιδίου βασιλείας λέγει, ἀλλὰ ἧς ἀνεδέξατο ἡμῶν ἕνεκα. ἔστιν δὲ ἐπὶ θεοῦ βασιλεία ἡ διδασκαλία. ἄλλη οὖν ἦν ἡ διδασκα̣λία ἡ πρὸ τῆς ἐπιδημίας ἣν ἔλεγον ὅτι κατ' αὐτὸν ὡς θεὸς λόγος πρ̣ο̣φ̣έρει, καὶ ἄλλη ἐστὶν ἡ τινῶν ἕνεκα. αὕτη οὖν ἀρχὴν καὶ τέλος ἔχει. εἴρηται γοῦν ἐν ἑνὶ τω῀̣ν δ̣ώδεκα προφητῶν· "καὶ κύριος βασιλεύσει ἐκ Σιὼν ἀπὸ τοῦ νῦν καὶ ἕως τοῦ αἰῶνος". τὸ "ἀπὸ" κ̣α̣ι`̣ "ἕως" χρόνον σημαίνει̣. ἀλλὰ ἐὰν περὶ ἀνθρώπου λέγηται ὅτι ἀπὸ τοῦδε τοῦ χρόνου βασιλεύει καὶ ἕως τοῦδε, ἐλάττωσιν αὐτοῦ σημαίνει· πρὸ γὰρ τοῦ χρόνου ἀφ' οὗ τῆς βασιλείας ἤρξατο, οὐκ ἦν β̣ασιλεύς, καὶ σχούσης τέλος τῆς βασιλείας οὐκέτι βασιλεύς ἐστιν. π̣ερι`̣ τοῦ σωτῆρος δὲ οὐ τοῦτο λέγομεν, ἀλλὰ ἐβασίλευσεν ἀφ' οὗ ἡν ἐκ χειροτονίας ἔσχεν ἀρχήν, καὶ οὐκ̣έτι βασιλευ´̣ει, ὅταν αὕτη τέλ̣ο̣ς ἀπολάβῃ· ἐκείνη μὲν γὰρ δι' αὐτόν ἐστιν. ὡς ἡ θ̣εότης ο̣υ᾿̣ διὰ ἄλλον πρόσεστιν αυ᾿̣τῷ, οὕτως̣ οὐδ̣ὲ ἡ βασιλεία οὐδὲ ἡ ἁγιότης. "ὁ θεὸς βασιλεὺς ἡμῶν πρὸ αἰῶνος". ἡ δὲ π̣ρὸ αἰῶνος βασιλ̣ε̣ία δι' αὐτόν. πάλιν· "ἡ βασιλεία σου βασιλεία πάντων τῶν αἰώνων". τῷ θεῷ λόγῳ λέγεται τοῦτο. ὁ λόγος οὐδὲ ἀρχομένην ἔχει βασιλείαν οὐδὲ λήγ̣ουσαν· "κύριος" γὰρ "βασ̣ιλεύων τὸν αἰῶνα καὶ ἐπ' αἰῶνα καὶ ἔτι". ἠπόρησεν ἔτι σημᾶναι χρόνον καὶ αἰῶνα, κα̣ι`̣ ε̣ἰ῀̣π̣εν "καὶ ἔτι". το`̣ "ἐ´̣τι" ο̣ὕτω λαμβάνομεν· κἂν αἰῶνα λάβῃς ἄλλον, ἔτι βασιλεύει, κἂν ἄλλο̣ν̣, ἐ´̣τι, κἂν πάντας̣, ἐ´̣τ̣ι̣ βασιλεύει· ἐξ οὗ δείκνυται ἀτελεύτητος οὖσα αὐτοῦ ἡ ἀρχή· ἡ γὰρ βασιλεία ἣν κατὰ συνκατά5 βασιν ἔσχεν, καὶ πεπαύσεταί ποτε καὶ ἀρχὴν εἴληφεν· διά τι γάρ ἐστιν, διὰ τὴν τοῦ κόσμου σωτηρίαν, διὰ τὴν ἀφαίρεσιν "τῆς ἁμαρτίας τοῦ κόσμου". καὶ ὥσπερ ἰατρὸς ἀεὶ μὲν ἰατρός ἐστιν ἀφ' οὗ τὴν τέχνην ἔχει καὶ ἐς ὅσον δὲ αὐτὴν πράττει ἰατρὸς ἀρχὴν ἔχει καὶ τέλος, τοῦ δὲ κάμνοντος ἀρχὴν ἔχει καὶ τέλος τοῦ ἔτι ἐκείνου ἰατρὸς εἶναι, ὅταν εἰς εὔεικτον ὑγίειαν ἀχθῇ καὶ εἰς εὔεικτον ἕξιν, τὰ αὐτὰ καὶ περὶ διδαςκάλων ἐρεῖς. ἔστιν τις διδάσκαλος ἀφ' οὗ ἐπιστήμην ἀνείληφεν. γίνεται δὲ τοῦδε διδάσκαλος ὅταν προσέλθῃ αὐτῷ· καὶ ὅταν ἐκεῖνος παιδευθῇ καὶ ἄκρως ἀναλάβῃ τὴν ἐπιστήμην ὡς ὁ διδάσκαλος, πέπαυται τοῦ εἶναι αὐτοῦ διδάσκαλος. καὶ ἀρετή ἐστίν πως διδασκάλου