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of a counselor, listen to Paul saying: O the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been 48.799 his counselor? He therefore showed His self-sufficiency, but Isaiah again, speaking about the Only-Begotten of God, says something like this: And they shall wish that they had been burnt with fire: for a child is born to us, a son is also given to us, and his name is called angel of great counsel, wonderful counselor. And if He is a wonderful counselor, how does Paul say: For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor? Because Paul, as I have already said, wishes to show the self-sufficiency of the Father, but the prophet, the equal honor of the Only-Begotten. For this reason, here too He did not say, Do, but, Let us make; for 'Do' is of a command given to a servant, and this is clear from what follows. A centurion once came to Jesus and said: Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, suffering terribly. What then did Christ say? I will come and heal him. The centurion, then, did not dare to draw the physician to his house, but the caring and loving one promised on his own accord to go there, so that he might give an occasion and pretext for that man to show his own virtue to us. For knowing what that man was about to say, he promised to come, so that you might learn the piety of the man. For what does the centurion say? Lord, I am not worthy to have you come under my roof. Neither did the necessity of the disease and sickness persuade him to forget his own piety, but even in misfortune he recognized the pre-eminence of the Lord. Therefore he says, Only say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I too am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. And I say to this one, ‘Go,’ and he goes, and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes, and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does it. Do you see that 'Do' is of a master speaking to a servant? Therefore, 'Let us make' is of one of equal honor. Therefore, when a master speaks to a servant, he says 'Do'; but when the Father speaks to the Son, 'Let us make'. What then, he says, if the centurion suspected thus, but the matter was not so? for is the centurion an apostle? is he a disciple, that I should accept his words? It is likely that he was mistaken, he says. Fine; what then? Let us see what follows. Did Christ correct him? Did he rebuke him as one who was mistaken and introducing corrupt doctrines? Did he say to him: What are you doing, man? You have a greater opinion of me than is proper; you grant me more than what is owed to me; you think me to command by authority when I do not have authority. Did he say anything like this? By no means; but he even ratified his opinion, and said to those following, Truly I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel. The praise of the Lord, therefore, becomes a ratification of the centurion's words. For the words spoken are no longer the centurion's, but a master's decree; for when he himself praises what was said, and votes for them as having been well said, I receive them as a divine oracle. For it received its authority from above, from the response of Christ.

γʹ. Do you see how the New is in harmony with the Old? how each demonstrates the authority of Christ? What then, if he made man, but as a subordinate 48.800 he made him? Therefore, of untimely contentiousness. For having said, Let us make man, he did not add, in your lesser image, nor, in my greater image, but what? In our image, and after our likeness, by speaking thus showing that the image of the Father and the Son is one; for he did not say images, but Our image; for there are not two unequal ones, but the image of the Son and Father is one and this is equal. For this reason also he is said to sit at the right hand, so that you may learn his equal honor and the unchangeableness of his authority; for a subordinate does not sit with, but stands by. And that sitting is of the equal honor and unchangeableness of the master's authority, but

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συμβούλου, ἄκουσον τοῦ Παύλου λέγοντος· Ὢ βάθος πλούτου καὶ σοφίας καὶ γνώσεως Θεοῦ, ὡς ἀνεξερεύνητα τὰ κρίματα αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἀνεξιχνίαστοι αἱ ὁδοὶ αὐτοῦ! Τίς γὰρ ἔγνω νοῦν Κυρίου, ἢ τίς σύμβουλος 48.799 αὐτοῦ ἐγένετο; Οὗτος μὲν οὖν τὸ ἀνενδεὲς αὐτοῦ παρέστησεν, ὁ δὲ Ἡσαΐας πάλιν περὶ τοῦ Μονογενοῦς τοῦ Θεοῦ λέγων οὕτω πώς φησι· Καὶ θελήσουσιν, εἰ ἐγενήθησαν πυρίκαυστοι, ὅτι παιδίον ἐγεννήθη ἡμῖν, υἱὸς καὶ ἐδόθη ἡμῖν, καὶ καλεῖται τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ μεγάλης βουλῆς ἄγγελος, θαυμαστὸς σύμβουλος. Καὶ εἰ θαυμαστὸς σύμβουλος, πῶς ὁ Παῦλός φησι· Τίς γὰρ ἔγνω νοῦν Κυρίου ἢ τίς σύμβουλος αὐτοῦ ἐγένετο; Ὅτι ὁ μὲν Παῦλος, καθὼς ἔφθην εἰπὼν, τὸ ἀνενδεὲς τοῦ Πατρὸς παραστῆσαι βούλεται, ὁ δὲ προφήτης τὸ ὁμότιμον τοῦ Μονογενοῦς. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ ἐνταῦθα οὐκ εἶπε, Ποίησον, ἀλλὰ, Ποιήσωμεν· τὸ γὰρ, Ποίησον, ἐπιταγῆς ἐστι πρὸς δοῦλον γινομένης, καὶ δῆλον ἐντεῦθεν. Προσῆλθέ ποτε ἑκατοντάρχης τῷ Ἰησοῦ, καί φησι· Κύριε, ὁ παῖς μου βέβληται ἐν τῇ οἰκίᾳ παραλυτικὸς δεινῶς βασανιζόμενος. Τί οὖν ὁ Χριστός; Ἐγὼ ἐλθὼν θεραπεύσω αὐτόν. Ὁ μὲν οὖν ἑκατοντάρχης οὐκ ἐτόλμησεν ἑλκύσαι τὸν ἰατρὸν εἰς τὴν οἰκίαν, ὁ δὲ κηδεμὼν καὶ φιλάνθρωπος αὐτεπάγγελτος ὑπέσχετο βαδιεῖσθαι ἐκεῖσε, ἵνα ἀφορμὴν δῷ καὶ πρόφασιν ἐκείνῳ τὴν ἀρετὴν ἡμῖν ἐπιδεῖξαι τὴν ἑαυτοῦ. Εἰδὼς γὰρ ἅπερ ἔμελλεν ἐκεῖνος ἐρεῖν, ὑπέσχετο παραγενέσθαι, ἵνα μάθῃς τὴν εὐλάβειαν τοῦ ἀνδρός. Τί γάρ φησιν ὁ ἑκατοντάρχης; Κύριε, οὐκ εἰμὶ ἱκανὸς, ἵνα μου ὑπὸ τὴν στέγην εἰσέλθῃς. Οὐδὲ ἡ τῆς νόσου καὶ τῆς ἀῤῥωστίας ἀνάγκη τῆς οἰκείας αὐτὸν ἔπεισεν ἐπιλαθέσθαι εὐλαβείας, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν τῇ συμφορᾷ τὴν ὑπεροχὴν ἐπεγίνωσκε τοῦ ∆εσπότου. ∆ιό φησιν, Εἰπὲ λόγῳ, καὶ ἰαθήσεται ὁ παῖς μου. Καὶ γὰρ ἐγὼ ἄνθρωπός εἰμι ἔχων ὑπ' ἐμαυτὸν στρατιώτας, καὶ λέγω τούτῳ, Πορεύου, καὶ πορεύεται, καὶ τῷ ἄλλῳ, Ἔρχου, καὶ ἔρχεται, καὶ τῷ δούλῳ μου, Ποίησον τοῦτο, καὶ ποιεῖ. Ὁρᾷς, ὅτι τὸ, Ποίησον, δεσπότου πρὸς δοῦλόν ἐστι διαλεγομένου; Οὐκοῦν τὸ, Ποιήσωμεν, ὁμοτίμου τινός. Ὅταν οὖν δεσπότης δούλῳ λέγῃ, Ποίησον λέγει· ὅταν δὲ Πατὴρ Υἱῷ διαλέγηται, Ποιήσωμεν. Τί οὖν, φησὶν, εἰ ὁ μὲν ἑκατοντάρχης οὕτως ὑπώπτευε, τὸ δὲ πρᾶγμα οὐχ οὕτως εἶχε; μὴ γὰρ ἀπόστολός ἐστιν ὁ ἑκατοντάρχης; μὴ γὰρ μαθητής ἐστιν, ἵνα αὐτοῦ δέξωμαι τὰ ῥήματα; Εἰκὸς αὐτὸν ἐσφάλθαι, φησί. Καλῶς· τί οὖν; Ἴδωμεν οὖν τὸ ἑξῆς. Ἆρα διώρθωσεν αὐτὸν ὁ Χριστός; ἆρα ἐπετίμησεν ὡς σφαλλομένῳ καὶ διεφθαρμένα εἰσάγοντι δόγματα; ἆρα εἶπε πρὸς αὐτόν· Τί τοῦτο ποιεῖς, ἄνθρωπε; μείζονα περὶ ἐμοῦ δόξαν ἔχεις, ἢ προσῆκε· πλείονά μοι χαρίζῃ τῶν ὀφειλομένων ἐμοί· ἐξ αὐθεντίας με νομίζεις ἐπιτάττειν οὐκ ἔχοντα αὐθεντίαν. Ἆρα εἶπέ τι τοιοῦτον; Οὐδαμῶς· ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐκύρωσεν αὐτοῦ τὴν γνώμην, καὶ πρὸς τοὺς ἀκολουθοῦντας εἶπε, Ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν, οὐδὲ ἐν τῷ Ἰσραὴλ τοσαύτην πίστιν εὗρον. Ὁ τοίνυν ἔπαινος τοῦ ∆εσπότου κύρωσις γίνεται τῶν ῥημάτων τοῦ ἑκατοντάρχου. Οὐκ ἔτι γὰρ τοῦ ἑκατοντάρχου ἐστὶ τὰ ῥήματα τὰ εἰρημένα, ἀλλ' ἀπόφασίς ἐστι δεσποτική· ὅταν γὰρ αὐτὸς ἐπαινέσῃ τὰ λεχθέντα, καὶ ψηφίσηται αὐτοῖς ὡς καλῶς εἰρημένοις, ὡς θεῖον αὐτὰ δέχομαι χρησμόν. Τὸ γὰρ κῦρος ἄνωθεν ἔλαβεν ἐκ τῆς τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἀποκρίσεως.

γʹ. Ὁρᾷς πῶς σύμφωνος ἡ Καινὴ τῇ Παλαιᾷ; πῶς ἑκατέρα τὴν αὐθεντίαν ἐπιδείκνυται τοῦ Χριστοῦ; Τί οὖν, εἰ ἐποίει μὲν τὸν ἄνθρωπον, ὡς ὑπουργὸς δὲ 48.800 ἐποίει; Οὐκοῦν ἀκαίρου φιλονεικίας. Εἰπὼν γὰρ, Ποιήσωμεν τὸν ἄνθρωπον, οὐκ ἐπήγαγε, κατὰ τὴν εἰκόνα τὴν σὴν τὴν ἐλάττω, οὐδὲ, κατὰ τὴν εἰκόνα τὴν ἐμὴν τὴν μείζω, ἀλλὰ τί; Κατ' εἰκόνα ἡμετέραν, καὶ καθ' ὁμοίωσιν, τῷ οὕτως εἰπεῖν δεικνὺς Πατρὸς καὶ Υἱοῦ μίαν οὖσαν εἰκόνα· οὐ γὰρ εἶπεν εἰκόνας, ἀλλ' Εἰκόνα ἡμετέραν· οὐ γὰρ δύο τινὲς ἀνώμαλοι, ἀλλὰ μία καὶ αὕτη ἴση Υἱοῦ καὶ Πατρὸς ἡ εἰκών. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ ἐκ δεξιῶν λέγεται καθῆσθαι, ἵνα τὸ ὁμότιμον καὶ τῆς ἐξουσίας τὸ ἀπαράλλακτον μάθῃς· ὑπουργὸς γὰρ οὐ συγκάθηται, ἀλλὰ παρέστηκε. Καὶ ὅτι τὸ μὲν καθῆσθαι τὸ ὁμότιμον καὶ ἀπαράλλακτον τῆς δεσποτικῆς ἐστιν ἐξουσίας, τὸ δὲ