It has been shown therefore, brothers, that all things observed in the church have their reference to Christ. Therefore the apostle says: The Son will be subjected, that is, the church, to the one who subjected all things to him. But there is another path for the unreasonable one. For what? he says, is the church not subjected now, but will then be subjected after the resurrection? The same refutation is laid against you for your contradiction, heretic. For Christ, tell me, is he not subjected now according to your reasoning? For the phrase, 'When all things are subjected to him, then he will be subjected,' would have its proper time, if in the present he were not subjected; but if according to your reasoning, heretic, he is always in subjection and never opposes the Father, the phrase 'When all things are subjected to him, then he will be subjected' is superfluous; do you declare his subjection through myriad phrases and store up again for another time a second156 subjection for him? If you hear Christ saying, 'I have not come to do my own will, but the will of him who sent me,' you immediately bring forth the horn of impiety and say, 'Do you see how he is subjected to the Father?' If you hear him saying, 'I do not speak on my own, the Father has given me a commandment, what I should say and what I should speak,' you immediately seize upon the phrase, insisting that Christ does not have authority, but is subjected. If you hear him saying, 'I judge no one, there is one who seeks and judges,' you immediately seize upon his subjection through the phrase. Therefore, showing him to be subjected through all things, for what reason do you introduce an unreasonable hypothesis and say, 'I follow the letter and not the meaning, that then he who is always subjected will be subjected'? What then does the meaning intend? Everywhere the apostle's aim is to abolish the polytheistic error and to cast out the rebellion of the unstable nature and to banish the suspicion of those who think wrongly. He shows, therefore, a subjection not forced, not compelled, not servile, but the concord befitting the dignity. But let none of the aforementioned things take hold of you, brother, that 'I do not speak this on my own, the Father has given me a commandment, what I should say and what I should speak;' I fear lest you might take the things said contentiously against the heretics for ecclesiastical dogma, setting aside the meaning of the preaching. Just as our argument on the previous occasion insisted in defense of the apostolic meaning, that the apostles do not preach all things dogmatically, but some things they set forth dogmatically, and others economically, so I find also the very fount of truth, the master of the apostles and prophets, not speaking dogmatically according to his own dignity, but 157 economically condescending to the weakness of the people. For tell me, brother, when the master of truth says, 'If I testify about myself, my testimony is not true,' shall I follow the letter? Shall I follow the saying? Shall I insult the dignity for the sake of the economy? But the master does not permit me to be unreasonable, even if I wanted to be; for he will shut out my evil thought, if I follow the letter wrongly, and he rebukes my utterance as theologizing about holy things in another way, as one simply confounding and insulting the dignity; since, he says, I condescended to the Jews and said that 'If I testify about myself, my testimony is not true,' have you seized the phrase for blasphemy? Have you not heard me say elsewhere, 'Even if I testify about myself, my testimony is true;' What then, brothers? Does truth utter things contrary to itself? May it never be; but it speaks in one way to the companions of truth, and in another way to those estranged from the truth, not changing itself, but adapting to their dispositions. Why then does he say to the Jews, 'I do not speak on my own, the Father has given me a commandment, what I should say and what I should speak'? Because they thought him to be an enemy to the Mosaic law and to be commanding things contrary to the Father who honors the Sabbath through the law, and the new covenant seemed on the surface to be opposed to the old state of things; wishing therefore to show that he is not opposed to God nor contrary

Ἀποδέδεικται τοίνυν, ἀδελφοί, ὅτι πάντα τὰ τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ ἐπιθεωρούμενα εἰς τὸν Χριστὸν τὴν ἀναφορὰν ἔχει. Λέγει τοίνυν ὁ ἀπόστολος· Ὑποταγήσεται ὁ υἱός, τουτέστιν ἡ ἐκκλησία τῷ ὑποτάξαντι αὐτῷ τὰ πάντα. Ἀλλ' ἔστιν ἑτέρα ὁδὸς τῷ ἀγνωμονοῦντι. Τί γάρ; φησίν, ἡ ἐκκλησία γ' οὖν οὐχ ὑποτέτακται, ἀλλὰ τότε ὑποταγήσεται μετὰ τὴν ἀνάστασιν; Ὁ αὐτός σοι καταλέγεται πρὸς τὴν ἀντιλογίαν ἔλεγχος, αἱρετικέ. Ὁ γὰρ Χριστός, εἰπέ μοι, οὐχ ὑποτέτακται νῦν κατὰ τὸν σὸν λόγον; Τὸ γὰρ Ὅταν ὑποταγῇ αὐτῷ τὰ πάντα, τότε ὑποταγήσεται καιρὸν εἶχεν ἄν, εἰ ἐν τῷ παρόντι· οὐκ ἦν ὑποτεταγμένος· εἰ δὲ κατὰ τὸν σὸν λόγον, αἱρετικέ, πάντοτέ ἐστιν ἐν ὑποταγῇ καὶ οὐδέποτε ἀνθίσταται τῷ πατρί, περιττὸν τὸ Ὅταν ὑποταγῇ αὐτῷ τὰ πάντα, τότε ὑποταγήσεται· διὰ μυρίων λέξεων προφέρεις αὐτῷ τὴν ὑποταγὴν καὶ εἰς ἕτερον καιρὸν ταμιεύῃ πάλιν δευ156 τέραν αὐτοῦ ὑποταγήν; Ἐὰν ἀκούσῃς τοῦ Χριστοῦ λέγοντος· Οὐκ ἦλθον ποιῆσαι τὸ θέλημα τὸ ἐμόν, ἀλλὰ τοῦ πέμψαντός με, εὐθέως προφέρεις τὸ κέρας τῆς ἀσεβείας καὶ λέγεις· Ὁρᾷς, ὡς ὑποτέτακται τῷ πατρί; Ἐὰν ἀκούσῃς αὐτοῦ λέγοντος· Ἐγὼ ἀπ' ἐμαυτοῦ οὐ λαλῶ, ὁ πατήρ μοι ἐντολὴν ἔδωκε, τί εἴπω καὶ τί λαλήσω, εὐθέως ἐπιλαμβάνῃ τῆς λέξεως διϊσχυριζόμενος, ὡς αὐθεντίαν Χριστὸς οὐκ ἔχει, ἀλλ' ὑποτέτακται. Ἐὰν ἀκούσῃς αὐτοῦ λέγοντος· Ἐγὼ οὐδένα κρίνω, ἔστιν ὁ ζητῶν καὶ κρίνων, εὐθὺς ἁρπάζεις διὰ τῆς λέξεως τὴν ὑποταγήν. ∆ιὰ πάντων τοίνυν δεικνὺς αὐτὸν ὑποτεταγμένον, τίνος ἕνεκεν ἀγνωμονοῦσαν εἰςάγεις ὑπόθεσιν καὶ λέγεις· Ἀκολουθῶ τῇ λέξει καὶ οὐ τῇ ἐννοίᾳ, ὅτι τότε ὑποταγήσεται ὁ πάντοτε ὑποτεταγμένος; Τί οὖν βούλεται ἡ ἔννοια; Πανταχοῦ σκοπὸς τῷ ἀποστόλῳ τὴν πολύθεον ἀφανίσαι πλάνην καὶ τὴν στάσιν τῆς ἀστάτου φύσεως ἐκβαλεῖν καὶ τὴν ὑπόνοιαν τῶν κακῶς νοούντων ἐξορίζειν. ∆είκνυσι τοίνυν ὑποταγὴν οὐ βεβιασμένην, οὐκ ἠναγκασμένην, οὐ δουλοπρεποῦσαν, ἀλλὰ τὴν ὁμόνοιαν τῆς ἀξίας ἁρμόζουσαν. Ἀλλὰ μηδέν σε, ἀδελφέ, ἐπιλάβῃ τῶν προειρημένων ὅτι Ἀπ' ἐμαυτοῦ τοῦτο οὐ λαλῶ, ἐντολήν μοι δέδωκεν ὁ πατήρ, τί εἴπω καὶ τί λαλήσω· φοβοῦμαι, μὴ τὰ κατὰ τῶν αἱρετικῶν ἀγωνιστικῶς λεγόμενα εἰς δόγμα ἐκλάβῃς ἐκκλησιαστικὸν παραγραψάμενος τὴν ἔννοιαν τοῦ κηρύγματος. Ὥςπερ ὁ λόγος ἡμῖν τῇ προτέρᾳ διϊσχυρίζετο περὶ τῆς ἀποστολικῆς ἐννοίας ἀπολογούμενος, ὅτι οὐ πάντα δογματικῶς κηρύττουσιν οἱ ἀπόστολοι, ἀλλὰ τὰ μὲν δογματικῶς, τὰ δὲ οἰκονομικῶς ὑποτίθενται, οὕτως εὑρίσκω καὶ αὐτὴν τὴν πηγὴν τῆς ἀληθείας τὸν δεσπότην τῶν ἀποστόλων καὶ προφητῶν οὐ πρὸς τὴν ἀξίαν τὴν ἑαυτοῦ δογματικῶς φθεγγόμενον, ἀλλ' 157 οἰκονομικῶς πρὸς τὴν ἀσθένειαν τοῦ λαοῦ συγκατιόντα. Ἆρα γάρ, εἰπέ μοι ἀδελφέ, ὅταν λέγῃ ὁ τῆς ἀληθείας δεσπότης· Ἐὰν ἐγὼ μαρτυρῶ περὶ ἐμαυτοῦ, ἡ μαρτυρία μου οὐκ ἔστιν ἀληθής, ἀκολουθήσω τῇ λέξει· Ἀκολουθήσω τῷ ῥήματι; Ὑβρίσω τὴν ἀξίαν διὰ τὴν οἰκονομίαν; Ἀλλ' οὐδὲ βουλομένῳ μοι ἀγνωμονεῖν συγχωρεῖ μοι ὁ δεσπότης· ἀποκλείσει γάρ μου τὴν κακὴν ἔννοιαν, ἐὰν κακῶς ἀκολουθήσω τῇ λέξει, κἀμοῦ τῆς φωνῆς ἐπιλαμβάνεται ὡς ἄλλως θεολογούσης τὰ ἅγια, ὡς ἁπλῶς συγχεούσης καὶ ὑβριζούσης τὴν ἀξίαν· ἐπειδή, φησί, συγκατέβην τοῖς Ἰουδαίοις καὶ εἶπον ὅτι Ἐὰν ἐγὼ μαρτυρῶ περὶ ἐμαυτοῦ, οὐκ ἔστιν ἡ μαρτυρία μου ἀληθής, ἥρπασας τὴν λέξιν εἰς βλασφημίαν; Οὐκ ἤκουσάς μου ἀλλαχοῦ λέγοντος· Κἂν ἐγὼ μαρτυρῶ περὶ ἐμαυτοῦ, ἡ μαρτυρία μου ἀληθής ἐστιν· Τί οὖν, ἀδελφοί; Ἐναντία ἑαυτῇ προφέρει ἡ ἀλήθεια; Μὴ γένοιτο· ἀλλ' ἑτέρως μὲν πρὸς τοὺς συντρόφους τῆς ἀληθείας, ἑτέρως δὲ πρὸς τοὺς ἀπεσχοινισμένους τῆς ἀληθείας φθέγγεται οὐκ αὐτὴ μεταβαλλομένη, ἀλλὰ πρὸς τὰς προαιρέσεις ἁρμοζομένη. ∆ιὰ τί οὖν λέγει Ἰουδαίοις· Ἐγὼ ἀπ' ἐμαυτοῦ οὐ λαλῶ, ὁ πατήρ μοι ἐντολὴν δέδωκε, τί εἴπω καὶ τί λαλήσω; Ἐπειδὴ ἐνόμισαν αὐτὸν ἐχθρὸν εἶναι τῷ μωσαϊκῷ νόμῳ καὶ ὑπεναντία διατάττεσθαι τῷ πατρὶ τῷ διὰ τοῦ νόμου τὸ σάββατον τιμῶντι καὶ ἐδόκει εἰς ὄψιν ἀντιπολιτεύεσθαι ἡ νέα διαθήκη τῇ παλαιᾷ καταστάσει· βουλόμενος οὖν δεῖξαι, ὡς οὐκ ἀντιπολιτεύεται τῷ θεῷ οὐδὲ ἐναντίον