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Isaiah refutes you again, saying, that A child is born to us, a son is also given to us; and his name is called Angel of great counsel, wonderful counsellor, mighty God, ruler, prince of peace, father of the age to come. The prophet proclaims him ruler, mighty God; and you say he is subordinate? he calls him angel of great counsel; and you say he is small? But see Jeremiah also crying out concerning him: This is our God; no other shall be reckoned in comparison with him. Does he speak of the Father, or of the Son? Of the Father, he says. Was the Father incarnate, or the Son? The Son. Therefore, according to your argument, the Father was incarnate. But now I see, according to the prophet's word, that it was the Son who also conversed with men. Yes, the Lord was incarnate, but the Father remained without flesh. Be refuted then, O foolish one, that he speaks of the Son, by what follows: This is our God; no other shall be reckoned in comparison with him; he found out every way of knowledge, and gave it to Jacob his servant, and to Israel his beloved; after this he was seen upon the earth, and conversed with men. Do you see him also as lawgiver? For if he himself found out every way of knowledge, and gave it to Jacob his servant, and to Israel his beloved, it is he who also appeared to Moses and gave the law. And whence is this clear? Hear the prophet saying: I will make a new covenant with you, not according to the covenant which I made with your fathers, when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; I will put my laws in their hearts, and in their minds I will write them; and they shall be my people, and I will be their God. Do you see that he is the lawgiver of the Old and the New? For that he himself gives the law of the New, not even you would doubt. And you, Bethlehem, house of Ephrathah, are you too little to be among the thousands of Judah? for out of you shall come forth for me a ruler; and his goings forth are from the beginning, from the days of old; and he shall shepherd my people Israel. You see one people of the Father and the Son. The Son says: I will be their God, and they shall be my people. The Father says concerning Christ: And he shall shepherd my people Israel.

Learn of the one kingdom of the Father and the Son. And whatever humble things you hear him say after this, after he was incarnate by his own good pleasure, and humbled himself for the salvation of men, understand these things in a manner befitting God; for the letter kills, but the spirit gives life. For if to the apostles who had seen his miracles, and in his name had healed every disease, he said, I had many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now; what about a Jew, who is much duller? For if, when he said, Before Abraham was, I am, they took up stones to stone him, how, if he had said any of the sublime things to them, would they have endured to listen at all? Thus also in the Old Testament one might find many things said about the Father with regard to the dullness of the hearers; as, Seven eyes of the Lord look upon the whole world; and, In the shadow of your wings you will cover me; and, Awake; why do you sleep, O Lord? and, If you do not turn, he will whet his sword; he has bent his bow, and made it ready; he has made his arrows for the burning ones. And how? For the Godhead is neither winged, nor held by sleep, nor is there a sword about God, or a bow, or arrows; for the Godhead is incorporeal. But the prophet threatens these things, wishing to lay hold of the dullness of his hearers; so also God the Word, incarnate for our sake, imitating his own Father, speaks humble things, looking to our salvation. For since they considered him opposed to God, saying that, This man is not from God; and, It is not for a good work that we stone you, but for blasphemy, because you, being a man, make yourself God; and for this reason they sought to stone him, because not only did he break the Sabbath, but also because he called God his own Father, making himself equal with God, but because they could not contain the sublime things and of the

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Ἐλέγχει σε πάλιν Ἡσαΐας λέγων, ὅτι Παιδίον ἐγεννήθη ἡμῖν, υἱὸς καὶ ἐδόθη ἡμῖν· καὶ καλεῖται τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ Μεγάλης βουλῆς ἄγγελος, θαυμαστὸς σύμβουλος, Θεὸς ἰσχυρὸς, ἐξουσιαστὴς, ἄρχων εἰρήνης, πατὴρ τοῦ μέλλοντος αἰῶνος. Ὁ προφήτης ἐξουσιαστὴν, Θεὸν ἰσχυρὸν, ἀνακηρύττει· καὶ σὺ λέγεις αὐτὸν ὑποτακτικόν; ἐκεῖνος μεγάλης βουλῆς ἄγγελον καλεῖ· καὶ σὺ λέγεις μικρόν; Βλέπε δέ μοι καὶ Ἱερεμίαν βοῶντα περὶ αὐτοῦ· Οὗτος ὁ Θεὸς ἡμῶν· οὐ λογισθήσεται ἕτερος πρὸς αὐτόν. Περὶ τοῦ Πατρὸς λέγει, ἢ περὶ τοῦ Υἱοῦ; περὶ τοῦ Πατρὸς, φησίν. Ὁ Πατὴρ ἐσαρκώθη, ἢ ὁ Υἱός; Ὁ Υἱός. Οὐκοῦν κατὰ τὸν σὸν λόγον ὁ Πατὴρ ἐσαρκώθη. Ἀλλὰ νῦν βλέπω, κατὰ τὸν τοῦ προφήτου λόγον, ὅτι ὁ Υἱὸς ὁ καὶ συναναστραφεὶς τοῖς ἀνθρώποις. Ναὶ, ὁ Κύριος ἐσαρκώθη, ὁ δὲ Πατὴρ ἄσαρκος διέμεινεν. Ἐλέγχθητι οὖν, ὦ ἀνόητε, ὅτι περὶ Υἱοῦ λέγει, διὰ τῶν ἑξῆς· Οὗτος ὁ Θεὸς ἡμῶν· οὐ λογισθήσεται ἕτερος πρὸς αὐτόν· ἐξεῦρε πᾶσαν ὁδὸν ἐπιστήμης, καὶ ἔδωκεν αὐτὴν Ἰακὼβ τῷ παιδὶ αὐτοῦ, καὶ Ἰσραὴλ τῷ ἠγαπημένῳ ὑπ' αὐτοῦ· μετὰ ταῦτα ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ὤφθη, καὶ τοῖς ἀνθρώποις συνανεστράφη. Ὁρᾷς αὐτὸν καὶ νομοθέτην; Εἰ γὰρ ἐξεῦρεν αὐτὸς πᾶσαν ὁδὸν ἐπιστήμης, ἔδωκεν αὐτὴν Ἰακὼβ τῷ παιδὶ αὐτοῦ, καὶ Ἰσραὴλ τῷ ἠγαπημένῳ αὐτοῦ, αὐτός ἐστιν ὁ καὶ τῷ Μωϋσῇ φανεὶς καὶ νομοθετήσας. Καὶ πόθεν τοῦτο δῆλον; Ἄκουε τοῦ προφήτου λέγοντος· ∆ιαθήσομαι ὑμῖν διαθήκην καινὴν, οὐ κατὰ τὴν διαθήκην, ἣν διεθέμην τοῖς πατράσιν ὑμῶν, ἡνίκα ἐπελαβόμην τῆς χειρὸς αὐτῶν, ἐξαγαγεῖν αὐτοὺς ἐκ γῆς Αἰ48.1091 γύπτου· διδοὺς νόμους μου ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις αὐτῶν, καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν διανοιῶν αὐτῶν ἐγγράψω αὐτούς· καὶ ἔσονταί μοι εἰς λαὸν, κἀγὼ ἔσομαι αὐτοῖς εἰς Θεόν. Βλέπεις ὅτι αὐτός ἐστιν ὁ νομοθέτης Παλαιᾶς καὶ Καινῆς; Ὅτι γὰρ τὴν Καινὴν αὐτὸς νομοθετεῖ, οὔτε σὺ ἀμφιβαλεῖς. Καὶ σὺ, Βηθλεὲμ οἶκος τοῦ Ἐφραθὰ, μὴ ὀλιγοστὸς εἶ τοῦ εἶναί σε ἐν χιλιάσιν Ἰούδα· ἐκ σοῦ γάρ μοι ἐξελεύσεται ἡγούμενος· καὶ αἱ ἔξοδοι αὐτοῦ ἀπ' ἀρχῆς ἐξ ἡμερῶν· καὶ αὐτὸς ποιμανεῖ τὸν λαόν μου τὸν Ἰσραήλ. Βλέπεις ἕνα λαὸν Πατρὸς καὶ Υἱοῦ. Ὁ Υἱὸς λέγει· Ἔσομαι αὐτοῖς εἰς Θεὸν, καὶ αὐτοί μοι εἰς λαόν. Ὁ Πατὴρ περὶ Χριστοῦ λέγει· Καὶ ποιμανεῖ τὸν λαόν μου τὸν Ἰσραήλ.

Μάνθανε ἓν βασίλειον τοῦ Πατρὸς καὶ Υἱοῦ. Ὅσα δὲ μετὰ ταῦτα ἀκούεις αὐτοῦ λέγοντος ταπεινὰ, μετὰ τὸ ἰδίᾳ εὐδοκίᾳ σαρκωθῆναι, καὶ ἑαυτὸν ταπεινῶσαι διὰ τὴν τῶν ἀνθρώπων σωτηρίαν, νόει ταῦτα θεοπρεπῶς· τὸ γράμμα γὰρ ἀποκτείνει, τὸ δὲ πνεῦμα ζωοποιεῖ. Εἰ γὰρ τοῖς ἀποστόλοις τοῖς ἑωρακόσιν αὐτοῦ τὰ θαύματα, καὶ ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι αὐτοῦ πᾶσαν νόσον θεραπεύσασιν, ἔλεγε, Πολλὰ ὑμῖν εἶχον εἰπεῖν, ἀλλ' οὐ δύνασθε βαστάζειν ἄρτι· τί πρὸς Ἰουδαῖον τὸν παχύτερον πολλῷ; Εἰ γὰρ ἵνα εἴπῃ, Πρὶν Ἀβραὰμ γενέσθαι, ἐγώ εἰμι, ἐβάστασαν λίθους λιθάσαι αὐτὸν, πῶς, εἴ τι τῶν ὑψηλῶν εἶπεν αὐτοῖς, ὅλως κἂν ἠνείχοντο ἀκούειν; Οὕτω καὶ ἐν τῇ Παλαιᾷ πολλὰ εὕροι τις ἂν περὶ Πατρὸς λεγόμενα πρὸς τὴν παχύτητα τῶν ἀκουόντων· ὥσπερ, Ἑπτὰ ὀφθαλμοὶ Κυρίου ἐπιβλέποντες τὴν οἰκουμένην· καὶ, Ἐν σκέπῃ τῶν πτερύγων σου σκεπάσεις με· καὶ, Ἐξεγέρθητι· ἱνατί ὑπνοῖς, Κύριε; καὶ, Ἐὰν μὴ ἐπιστραφῆτε, τὴν ῥομφαίαν αὐτοῦ στιλβώσει· τὸ τόξον αὐτοῦ ἐνέτεινε, καὶ ἡτοίμασεν αὐτό· τὰ βέλη αὐτοῦ τοῖς καιομένοις ἐξειργάσατο. Καὶ πῶς; Οὔτε γὰρ πτερωτὸν τὸ Θεῖον, οὔτε ὕπνῳ κατεχόμενον, οὔτε ῥομφαία περὶ Θεὸν, ἢ τόξον, ἢ βέλη· ἀσώματον γὰρ τὸ Θεῖον. Ἀλλὰ ταῦτα ἀπειλεῖ ὁ προφήτης, καθάψασθαι βουλόμενος τῆς παχύτητος τῶν ἀκροατῶν· οὕτω καὶ ὁ Θεὸς Λόγος δι' ἡμᾶς σαρκωθεὶς, μιμούμενος τὸν ἑαυτοῦ Πατέρα, ταπεινὰ φθέγγεται, πρὸς τὴν ἡμῶν σωτηρίαν ἀποβλέπων. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἀντίθεον αὐτὸν ἐνόμιζον, λέγοντες, ὅτι Οὗτος οὐκ ἔστιν ἐκ τοῦ Θεοῦ· καὶ, Περὶ καλοῦ ἔργου οὐ λιθάζομέν σε, ἀλλὰ περὶ βλασφημίας, ὅτι σὺ, ἄνθρωπος ὢν, ποιεῖς σεαυτὸν Θεόν· καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ἐζήτουν αὐτὸν λιθάσαι, ὅτι οὐ μόνον ἔλυε τὸ σάββατον, ἀλλ' ὅτι Πατέρα ἴδιον ἔλεγε τὸν Θεὸν, ἴσον ἑαυτὸν ποιῶν τῷ Θεῷ, διὰ δὲ τὸ μὴ χωρεῖν αὐτοὺς τὰ ὑψηλὰ καὶ τῆς