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clearly shows it being conveyed in the recorded visions of God to Abraham, that neither an angel, nor some divine power slightly superior to this one, had delivered the oracle to him, but God himself, whose ineffable name, this very one being conveyed in its places by the four letters, the high priest alone wore upon his forehead, bearing upon the golden plate the so-called impression of the seal of the sanctuary of the Lord. And that it is not a matter of indifference for the divine scripture to use such a designation for angels, is very clear from how it has been very carefully observed to sometimes relate that God himself or the Lord signified by the tetragrammaton had appeared and spoken to the righteous, and at other times to record that those seen were angels. Clearly, therefore, the one who appeared to the wandering Hagar was an angel; for it was necessary for her, inasmuch as she fell far short of Abraham, and was able to behold nothing more than an angelic vision, that the vision be made suitable through the presence of the angel, but for Abraham through the greater epiphany of God himself. And the rest of the very words of God to him would not be fitting if one tried to attribute them to angels, but it would be proper for God 10 alone to say them, for example, "and I will make you a great nation and I will bless you," and things similar to these; and especially, "I am the Lord who brought you out of the land of the Chaldeans;" and, "I am God, be well-pleasing before me," and what follows; and no one would ever be so foolish as to suppose an angel had said these things. And when, therefore, the three men stood by Abraham as he was sitting by the oak, Abraham approached them, but not the three, but to one only, "Lord, if I have found favor in your sight." And of the others, not one is introduced as speaking to Abraham; since reason did not permit servants to speak in the presence of the lord, but the Lord alone delivers the oracle, who also says, "Shall I hide from Abraham my servant," and the rest. Then the men with the Lord, clearly the angels, having turned away, went down alone to Sodom, with the Lord not being present with them; for how was it even possible for the benevolent and gracious God to sojourn among the impious? But he, persisting in his company and conversation with the God-loving and righteous man, rejoices in his conversation, and also defends his most philanthropic prayer, in which Abraham, by having said, "shall not the Judge of all the earth," most clearly shows that he knew well and precisely that he was speaking not with an angel, nor with a subordinate divine power, but with God himself. Then, in order, the account, accurately distinguishing the matters, clearly addresses as angels those who had gone up to Sodom, adding, that "the two angels came to Sodom in the evening;" and in what follows it records that neither Lord nor God 11 was seen by Lot, or spoke, but the angels; so that it is entirely clear that it was the Lord and God, and not one of the angels, who is attested by scripture to have appeared to Abraham. All, therefore, who wish to sever the harmony of the Old with the New Testament, as if happening upon these passages as a godsend, seem clearly from these to represent that the Father of Christ is one being, who is also confessed to be invisible by the voice of the gospel, and another being than the God of Moses and the prophets who was seen in various ways, at one time to Abraham, at another to Isaac, to whom also, delivering oracles, he foretells things similar to those concerning Abraham, and likewise also to Jacob, and perhaps also to Isaiah who said, "I saw the Lord of Sabaoth," and to the other prophets similarly; but we, since also in the ancient prophets of God themselves there is conveyed a certain divine oracle speaking from the person of God, "because I am the Lord your God and I have not changed;" And, "Do I not fill heaven and earth?" says the Lord; and delivering an oracle to Moses he says, "no one shall see my face and live," as against the aforementioned, along with those of the circumcision, and also those not admitting a second nature after the unbegotten nature

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ἀναγεγραμμέναις τοῦ Θεοῦ πρὸς τὸν Ἁβραὰμ ὀπτασίαις ἐμφερόμενον σαφῶς παρίστησιν, μὴ δὲ ἄγγελον, μὴ δὲ ὀλίγῳ τοῦτον ἐπαναβεβηκυῖαν τινὰ θείαν δύναμιν αὐτῷ κεχρηματικέναι, ἀλλ' αὐτὸν τὸν Θεὸν, οὗ τὴν ἄρρητον ἐκφώνησιν, αὐτὴν δὴ ταύτην κατὰ τοὺς τόπους διὰ τῶν τεσσάρων στοιχείων ἐμφερομένην, μόνος ὁ ἀρχιερεὺς ἐπὶ τοῦ μετώπου περιέκειτο φέρων ἐπὶ τοῦ χρυσοῦ πετάλου τὸ λεγόμενον ἐκτύπωμα σφραγίδος ἁγιάσματος κυρίου. Καὶ ὅτι γε οὐκ ἀδιάφορόν ἐστι τῇ θείᾳ γραφῇ ἐπ' ἀγγέλων χρῆσθαι τῇ τοιαύτῃ προσηγορίᾳ, πρόδηλον ἐκ τοῦ σφόδρα παρατετηρημένως ποτὲ μὲν αὐτὸν τὸν Θεὸν ἢ τὸν διὰ τοῦ τετραγράμμου δηλούμενον κύριον ὦφθαί τε καὶ κεχρηκέναι τοῖς δικαίοις ἱστορεῖν, ποτὲ δὲ ἀγγέλους ἀναγράφειν τοὺς ἑωραμένους. Σαφῶς οὖν ὁ τῇ Ἅγαρ ἀλωμένῃ ἐπιφανεὶς ἄγγελος ἦν· καὶ γὰρ ἐχρῆν ἐκείνῃ μὲν, ἅτε πλεῖστον ὅσον ἀπολειπομένῃ τοῦ Ἁβραὰμ, καὶ οὐδέν τι πλέον ἀγγελικῆς ὀπτασίας θεωρεῖν δυναμένῃ, κατάλληλον τὴν ὀπτασίαν γενέσθαι διὰ τῆς τοῦ ἀγγέλου παρουσίας, τῷ δὲ Ἁβραὰμ διὰ τῆς μείζονος αὐτοῦ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐπιφανείας. Καὶ οἱ λοιποὶ δὲ αὐτοὶ τῶν πρὸς αὐτὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ φωνῶν οὐκ ἂν μὲν ἁρμόσειεν, εἰ ἐπὶ ἀγγέλους τίς αὐτοὺς ἀνάγειν πειρῷτο, μόνῳ δὲ 10 Θεῷ πρέποι ἂν αὐτοὺς λέγειν, οἷον τὸ, καὶ ποιήσω σε εἰς ἔθνος μέγα καὶ εὐλογήσω σε, καὶ τὰ τούτοις παραπλήσια· μάλιστα δὲ τὸ, ἐγὼ κύριος ὁ ἐξαγαγών σε ἐκ χώρας Χαλδαίων· καὶ τὸ, ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ Θεὸς, εὐαρέστει ἐναντίον ἐμοῦ, καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς· καὶ οὐδεὶς οὕτω γένοιτ' ἄν ποτ' ἠλίθιος ὡς ἄγγελον αὐτὰ ὑπονοεῖν εἰρηκέναι. Καὶ ὅτε γοῦν πρὸς τῇ δρυῒ καθεζομένῳ τῷ Ἁβραὰμ οἱ τρεῖς ἄνδρες ἐπέστησαν, πρόσεισι μὲν αὐτοῖς ὁ Ἁβραὰμ, ἀλλ' οὐ τοῖς τρισὶν, ἑνὶ δὲ μόνον τὸ, κύριε εἰ εὗρον χάριν ἐναντίον σου. Καὶ τῶν μὲν ἄλλων οὐδ' εἷς τῷ Ἁβραὰμ εἰσάγεται ὁμιλῶν· ἐπεὶ μὴ δὲ ᾕρει λόγος τοὺς οἰκέτας ἐπὶ τοῦ κυρίου φθέγγεσθαι, μόνος δὲ ὁ κύριος χρηματίζει, ὃς καὶ φησὶν, μὴ κρύψω ἐγὼ ἀπὸ Ἁβραὰμ τοῦ παιδός μου, καὶ τὰ λοιπά. Εἶτα οἱ μὲν ἄνα ἅμα τῷ κυρίῳ ἄνδρες, δῆλον δ' ὅτι οἱ ἄγγελοι, ἀποστρέψαντες, μόνοι κατῆλθον εἰς Σόδομα, τοῦ κυρίου μὴ συμπαρόντος αὐτοῖς· πῶς γὰρ καὶ οἷόν τε ἦν τὸν εὐμενῆ καὶ ἴλεω Θεὸν τοῖς ἀσεβέσιν ἐνεπιδημεῖν; ὁ δὲ ἐπιμένων τῇ πρὸς τὸν θεοφιλῆ καὶ δίκαιον συνουσίᾳ τε καὶ διατριβῇ, χαίρει μὲν αὐτοῦ τῇ ὁμιλίᾳ, ὑπερασπίζεται δὲ καὶ τὴν φιλανθρωποτάτην εὐχὴν, ἐν ᾗ καὶ τὸ μηδαμῶς ὁ κρίνων πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν εἰρηκὼς ὁ Ἁβραὰμ ἐναργέστατα παρίστησιν ἑαυτὸν εὖ καὶ ἀκριβῶς εἰδέναι, ὅτι μὴ ἀγγέλῳ, μὴ δ' ὑποβεβηκύιᾳ θείᾳ δυνάμει, ἀλλ' αὐτῷ Θεῷ διαλέγοιτο. Εἶθ' ἑξῆς ἀκριβῶς τὰ πράγματα διαιρῶν ὁ λόγος τοὺς ἐπὶ Σόδομα ἀνελθόντας σαφῶς ἀγγέλους προσαγορεύει, ἐπιλέγων, ὅτι δὴ ἦλθον οἱ δύο ἄγγελοι εἰς Σόδομα ἑσπέρας· καὶ ἐν τοῖς ἑξῆς οὔτε κύριον οὔτε Θεὸν 11 ὀφθῆναι τῷ Λὼτ, ἢ καὶ λελαληκέναι, ἀλλὰ τοὺς ἀγγέλους ἀναγράφει· ὥστ' ἐκ παντὸς πρόδηλον, ὅτι Κύριος ἦν καὶ Θεὸς, ἀλλ' οὔ τις ἀγγέλων, ὁ τῷ Ἁβραὰμ ὦφθαι πρὸς τῆς γραφῆς μαρτυρούμενος. Πάντες μὲν οὖν οἱ διακόπτειν ἐθέλοντες τὴν τῆς παλαιᾶς πρὸς τὴν καινὴν διαθήκην σύμπνοιαν, ὥσπερ ἑρμαίῳ τοῖς τόποις ἐπιβαίνοντες σαφῶς ἐκ τούτων παριστάναι δοκοῦσιν ἕτερον ὑπάρχειν τὸν τοῦ Χριστοῦ πατέρα, ὃν καὶ ἀόρατον ὑπὸ τῆς εὐαγγελικῆς φωνῆς ὁμολογεῖσθαι, παρὰ τὸν Μωσέως καὶ τῶν προφητῶν Θεὸν διαφόρως ὀφθέντα, τότε μὲν τῷ Ἁβραὰμ, τότε δὲ τῷ Ἰσαὰκ, ᾧ καὶ αὐτῷ χρηματίζων τὰ παραπλήσια τοῖς ἐπὶ τοῦ Ἁβραὰμ προθεσπίζει, ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ τῷ Ἰακὼβ, τάχα δὲ καὶ Ἡσαΐᾳ φήσαντι, εἶδον τὸν κύριον Σαβαὼθ, καὶ τοῖς λοιποῖς προφήταις παραπλησίως· ἡμεῖς δὲ, ἐπεὶ καὶ ἐν αὐτοῖς τοῖς πάλαι τοῦ Θεοῦ προφήταις ἐμφέρεταί τι θεῖον λόγιον ἐκ προσώπου τοῦ Θεοῦ φάσκων, δι' ὅτι ἐγὼ Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς ὑμῶν καὶ οὐκ ἠλλοίωμαι· Καὶ οὐχὶ τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ τὴν γῆν ἐγὼ πληρῶ; λέγει κύριος· καὶ τῷ Μωσεῖ δὲ χρηματίζων φησὶν, οὐδεὶς ὄψεταί μου τὸ πρόσωπον καὶ ζήσεται, ὡς πρὸς τοὺς προειρημένους ὁμοῦ καὶ τοὺς ἐκ περιτομῆς, ἔτι τε τοὺς μὴ προσϊεμένους δευτέραν μετὰ τὴν ἀγένητον φύσιν