is preserved from the water, or how is the crystallized firmament not dissolved and liquefied by the heat of the fire? And that I may not occupy your soul with the visible arrangement, having led you by the hand to the economy itself, I persuade you that one must not seek for the course of nature in paradoxical miracles. For consider that, being God, I put on a human body. This first is contrary to nature. For how was the three-dimensional human body able to contain the uncontainable, the immeasurable, the one who is everywhere, the one who encompasses the whole world, the one who measures heaven with a span and the earth with a handful and the sea with a cup, tell me. For it is clear that it did contain Him, since also the whole fullness of the Godhead dwelt in the flesh bodily. But as to how, I know, He says. For I know what I dispense, but you are not able to hear; for the knowledge of secret things thus surpasses mortal hearing, that even if I ever wish to interpret something through the multitude of my compassions, I interpret it thus, not as nature has it, but as you are able to learn; for because of this, suppressing the pride of those who seem wise, I said: He who thinks he knows something, has not yet known anything as he ought to know. For that I, being the Word, became flesh, you have heard, but as to how, you do not know. For how was I in the flesh, as a body in a body or as a soul in a body? Therefore I suffered with the passible body, but I did not suffer. For the nature of God does not fall into suffering. Therefore, just as I became flesh without ceasing to be God, so also I endured suffering without falling into suffering. I was born for the economy, I died for the salvation of men; or rather, I died for this reason, because I was born. Do not seek, therefore, in my case either the order of birth or the manner of death. For what nature does not do, power accomplishes. Being God, therefore, I entered a human body. This first is contrary to nature; but it did not become impossible because of nature, since it lay in my authority, of the one who made nature. But again I also allowed the body itself to fall into the common death, so that life, which rules over death, might demonstrate the energy of life even in death itself. For the living to live is nothing wonderful, but to make the dead live, this is great and paradoxical. Therefore I both allowed it to be dissolved and after it was dissolved I raised it, that I might show that even when the body was subjected to death, I so remained without suffering, that I not only raised my own body, but also raised with it the bodies of the just who had fallen asleep. Willingly, therefore, through love for mankind, I endure death, and willingly again, according to a certain economy, I fear death. For I fear death, that I might deceive death. Just as in the desert, if I had not been hungry, the devil would not have approached. And for this reason I was hungry, that, not thinking me to be another Adam, he might bring the bait. So also here, for this reason, I utter a word of cowardice, as a bait, that I might hook death for myself. For since the devil saw me performing many signs, strengthening the paralytic, making the tongues of the mute articulate, opening the ears of the deaf, giving sight to the blind, changing the surge of the sea into a calm, drying up the fountains of the woman with the issue of blood by the touch of my garment's hem, raising Lazarus by a word, raising the daughter of Jairus, calling back the widow's son from the dead, therefore, having seen all these things and being persuaded by the deeds themselves that I am the Son of God who appeared in the form of man according to the prediction of the prophets, he is afraid and terrified to nail me to a cross and deliver me to death, lest entering the form of a dead man I should set free the dead. What then do I do, that I might both change the devil's cowardice into recklessness and make death run upon me? I flee that he may pursue, I am afraid that he may take courage, I have used humble words that he, thinking me one of the many, might run up and swallow me. For if he does not swallow me, he cannot vomit up those who have been swallowed. Wherefore I utter words of cowardice, that

4

τοῦ ὕδατος φυλάττεται ἢ τὸ κρυσταλλωθὲν στερέωμα πῶς ὑπὸ τῆς θέρμης τοῦ πυρὸς οὐ διαλύεται καὶ διαρρεῖ; Καὶ ἵνα σου τὴν ψυχὴν μὴ περὶ τὴν ὁρωμένην διακόσμησιν ἀσχολήσω, ἐπ' αὐτήν σε τὴν οἰκονομίαν χειραγωγήσας πείθω ὡς οὐ χρὴ ἐπὶ ταῖς παραδόξοις θαυματουργίαις φύσεως ἐπιζητεῖν δρόμον. Ἀναλόγισαι γὰρ ὅτι θεὸς ὢν ἀνθρώπινον ὑπεδύην σῶμα. Τοῦτο δὲ πρῶτον παρὰ φύσιν. Ἐπεὶ πῶς τὸ τριχῇ διάστατον σῶμα τὸ ἀνθρώπινον τὸν ἀχώρητον, τὸν ἀμέτρητον, τὸν πανταχοῦ ὄντα, τὸν πᾶσαν τὴν οἰκουμένην περιγράφοντα, τὸν μετροῦντα τὸν οὐρανὸν σπιθαμῇ καὶ τὴν γῆν δρακὶ καὶ τὴν θάλατταν κοτύλῃ χωρῆσαι ἠδύνατο, εἰπέ. Ὅτι γὰρ ἐχώρησεν δῆλον, ἐπειδὴ καὶ πᾶν τὸ πλήρωμα τῆς θεότητος ἐνῴκησεν ἐν τῇ σαρκὶ σωματικῶς. Τὸ δὲ πῶς ἐγὼ μὲν οἶδα, φησίν. Οἶδα γὰρ ἃ οἰκονομῶ, σὺ δὲ ἀκοῦσαι οὐ δύνῃ· ὑπερβαίνει γὰρ ἀκοὴν θνητὴν ἡ τῶν ἀπορρήτων εἴδησις οὕτως, ὅτι κἂν ποτὲ διὰ πλῆθος οἰκτιρμῶν ἑρμηνεῦσαί τι θέλω, οὕτως ἑρμηνεύω, οὐχ ὡς ἡ φύσις ἔχει, ἀλλ' ὡς σὺ μαθεῖν δύνῃ· διὰ τοῦτο γὰρ καὶ τῶν δοκήσει σοφῶν τὸν τῦφον καταστέλλων ἔλεγον· Ὁ δοκῶν εἰδέναι τι, οὐδέπω οὐδὲν ἔγνωκεν, καθὼς δεῖ γνῶναι. Ἐπεὶ ὅτι λόγος ὢν σὰρξ γέγονα, ἤκουσας, τὸ δὲ πῶς ἀγνοεῖς. Πῶς γὰρ ἤμην ἐν τῇ σαρκί, ὡς σῶμα ἐν σώματι ἢ ὡς ψυχὴ ἐν σώματι; Οὐκοῦν συνέπαθον τῷ παθητῷ σώματι, ἀλλ' οὐκ ἔπαθον. Θεοῦ γὰρ φύσις οὐ περιπίπτει πάθει. Ὥσπερ οὖν σὰρξ γέγονα οὐκ ἐκπεσὼν τοῦ εἶναι θεός, οὕτως καὶ πάθος ὑπέμεινα οὐ περιπεσὼν πάθει. Ἐγεννήθην δι' οἰκονομίαν, ἀπέθα νον διὰ τὴν τῶν ἀνθρώπων σωτηρίαν· μᾶλλον δὲ διὰ τοῦτο ἀπέθανον, ἐπειδὴ ἐγεννήθην. Μὴ ζητήσῃς οὖν ἐπ' ἐμοῦ ἢ γεννήσεως τάξιν ἢ θανάτου τρόπον. Ἃ γὰρ ἡ φύσις οὐ ποιεῖ, ταῦτα ἡ δύναμις ἀποτελεῖ. Θεὸς οὖν ὢν ἀνθρώπινον ὑπῆλθον σῶμα. Τοῦτο πρῶτον παρὰ φύσιν· ἀλλ' οὐ γέγονεν διὰ τὴν φύσιν ἀδύνα τον, ἐπειδὴ ἐν τῇ ἐμῇ ἐξουσίᾳ ἔκειτο, τοῦ πεποιηκότος τὴν φύσιν. Συνεχώρησα δὲ πάλιν καὶ αὐτὸ τὸ σῶμα τῷ γενικῷ περιπεσεῖν θανάτῳ, ἵνα ἡ ζωὴ ἡ τοῦ θανάτου δεσπόζουσα καὶ ἐν αὐτῷ τῷ θανάτῳ τὴν τῆς ζωῆς ἐνέργειαν ἐπιδείξηται. Τὸ μὲν ζῶν ζῆν οὐ δὲν θαυμαστόν, τὸ δὲ ἀποθανὸν ζωῶσαι τοῦτο μέγα καὶ παράδο ξον. ∆ιὸ καὶ λυθῆναι αὐτὸ συνεχώρησα καὶ μετὰ τὸ λυθῆναι ἀνέστησα, ἵνα δείξω ὅτι καὶ τοῦ σώματος ὑποβληθέντος θανάτῳ οὕτως ἀπαθὴς ἔμεινα, ὅτι οὐ μόνον τὸ ἑαυτοῦ σῶμα ἤγειρα, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰ τῶν προκεκοιμημένων δικαίων σώματα συνανέστησα. Ἑκὼν οὖν φιλανθρωπίᾳ τὸν θάνατον ὑπομένω, ἑκὼν δὲ πάλιν κατά τινα οἰκονομίαν τὸν θάνατον δειλιῶ. ∆ειλιῶ γὰρ τὸν θάνα τον, ἵνα ἀπατήσω τὸν θάνατον. Ὥσπερ ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ, εἰ μὴ ἐπείνασα, οὐ προσήρχετο ὁ διάβολος. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο δὲ ἐπείνασα, ἵνα μὴ νομίσας ἄλλον εἶναι Ἀδὰμ προσενέγκῃ τὸ θήρατρον. Οὕτως καὶ ὧδε διὰ τοῦτο τῆς δειλίας προφέρω ῥῆμα, ὡς δέλεαρ, ἵνα ἑαυτῷ ἀγκιστρεύσω τὸν θάνατον. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ εἶδεν ὁ διάβολος πολλὰ σημεῖα πεποιηκότα, παραλυτικὸν νευρώσαντα, ἀλάλων τὰς γλώσσας ἀρθρώσαντα, κωφῶν τὰ ὦτα ἀνοίξαντα, τυφλοὺς ὀμματώσαντα, τῆς θαλάσσης τὸν φλυσμὸν εἰς γαλήνην μεταβα λόντα, τῆς αἱμορροούσης τὰς πηγὰς διὰ τῆς ἁφῆς τοῦ κρασπέδου ξηράναντα, τὸν Λάζαρον λόγῳ ἐγείραντα, τὴν τοῦ Ἰαείρου θυγατέρα ἀναστήσαντα, τὸν τῆς χήρας υἱὸν ἐκ νεκρῶν ἀνακαλε σάμενον, πάντα οὖν ταῦτα θεασάμενος καὶ ἐξ αὐτῶν τῶν πραγ μάτων πεισθείς, ὅτι ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ θεοῦ ὁ ἐν μορφῇ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου φανεὶς κατὰ τὴν τῶν προφητῶν πρόρρησιν, φοβεῖται καὶ δέδιεν σταυρῷ με προσηλῶσαι καὶ θανάτῳ παραδοῦναι, ἵνα μὴ νεκροῦ ὑπεισελθὼν σχῆμα τοὺς νεκροὺς ἐλευθερώσω. Τί οὖν ποιῶ, ἵνα καὶ τοῦ διαβόλου τὴν δειλίαν εἰς ἀπόνοιαν μεταβάλω καὶ τὸν θάνατον ἐπιδραμεῖν ποιήσω; Φεύγω ἵνα διώξῃ, δειλιῶ ἵνα θαρρήσῃ, ταπεινοῖς κέχρημαι ῥήμασιν ἵνα με ἕνα τῶν πολλῶν νομίσας προσδράμῃ καὶ καταπίῃ. Ἐὰν γὰρ ἐμὲ μὴ καταπίῃ, τοὺς καταποθέντας ἐμέσαι οὐκ ἔχει. Ὅθεν δειλίας φθέγγομαι ῥήματα, ἵνα

4