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they do not perceive that they are thrusting themselves into a pit of destruction; for neither does one who praises the Son of God make him more glorious, nor does one who blasphemes harm him; for the incorporeal substance has no need of our praise, but just as one who calls the sun bright does not add to its light, nor does one who calls it dark diminish its substance, but rather offers his verdict as a sign of his own blindness; so one who does not call the Son of God Son but a creature, offers proof of his own madness, while one who acknowledges his substance displays his own piety; and neither does the latter benefit him, nor does the former harm him, but the one strives against his own salvation, and the other for his own salvation. But as I was saying, misinterpreting the Scriptures, they pass over other things, and seek if they might find somewhere a passage that seems to support their disease. And do not tell me that Scripture is the cause; not Scripture is the cause, but their impiety, since honey is sweet, but the sick man considers it bitter; yet the fault is not the honey's, but the accusation is of the sickness. So also the mad do not see what is seen, yet the fault is not in what is seen, but in the corrupted mind of the madman. God made the heaven, that we might see the work, and worship the Creator, but the Greeks deified the work; yet the work is not the cause, but their impiety; and just as the impious man is benefited by no one, so the pious man is benefited even by himself. What is equal to Christ? And Judas was not benefited. What is more wicked than the devil? And Job was crowned; and Christ did not benefit Judas, because he was impious, nor did the devil harm Job, because he was pious.

I say these things, so that no one may slander the Scriptures, but the impiety of those who interpret badly things that are well said. For the devil also debated with Christ from the Scriptures. But Scripture is not the cause, but the mind that 50.704 badly interprets what is well said. For wishing to show the Son to be less than the Father, they go about curiously examining strange names, and say concerning "God" and "Lord," that the Father is God, but the Son is Lord, and they divide the names, and assign "God" to the Father, but "Lord" to the Son, as if they were dividers and bequeathers of the divinity. Does Scripture say "Lord" to the Son? Does it say these things? How have you not heard the psalm speaking today to one person, "With my voice I cried to the Lord, with my voice I made supplication to God"? Therefore it names him both Lord and God. Whom do you wish to be God, the Son, or the Father? You will certainly say the Father for these names. Therefore the Son is God, and the Father is Lord. Why then do you divide the names, and cast one there, and divide the other here? And Paul also says—if only you listened to Paul, you would be blessed— "But for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things." Did he not call the Son God? But what? Lord. For what, tell me, is "God" more venerable than "Lord," and "Lord" less than "God"? Apply yourselves, I beseech you, with exactness; if then I show that "Lord" and "God" are one, what do you say? Do you say "God" is greater, and "Lord" is less? Hear the prophet saying: "This is the Lord who made the heaven; this is the God who prepared the earth;" the Lord, the heaven, and God, the earth; he has placed both "Lord" and "God" upon the same person. And again: "Hear, O Israel, the Lord your God, the Lord is one." "Lord" is second, and "God" is once; and "Lord" is first, and then "God," and again "Lord." But if the one were inferior, and the other greater, he would not have placed the lesser first when speaking of a great and greater substance, but having said the greater he would have been content, and would not have cast in the lesser.

Have you understood what I said? I will instruct again; for this is not a theater for display, but a school for compunction, not that you may depart unarmed, but that being armed

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οὐκ αἰσθάνονται εἰς βάραθρον ἀπωλείας ἑαυτοὺς ὠθοῦντες· τὸν γὰρ Υἱὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ οὔτε ὁ εὐφημῶν ἐνδοξότερον ποιεῖ, οὔτε ὁ βλασφημῶν βλάπτει· οὐ γὰρ χρείαν ἔχει ἡ ἀσώματος οὐσία τῆς ἡμετέρας εὐφημίας, ἀλλ' ὥσπερ ὁ τὸν ἥλιον λέγων φαιδρὸν, οὐ προστίθησιν αὐτοῦ τῷ φωτὶ, οὐδὲ ὁ σκοτεινὸν λέγων μειοῖ αὐτοῦ τὴν οὐσίαν, ἀλλὰ τῆς οἰκείας πηρώσεως ἐκφέρει δεῖγμα τὴν ψῆφον· οὕτως ὁ τὸν Υἱὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ μὴ λέγων Υἱὸν ἀλλὰ κτίσμα, τῆς οἰκείας μανίας ἐκφέρει ἀπόδειξιν, ὁ δὲ ἐπιγινώσκων αὐτοῦ τὴν οὐσίαν, τὴν οἰκείαν εὐγνωμοσύνην ἐπιδείκνυται· καὶ οὔτε οὗτος αὐτὸν ὠφελεῖ, οὔτε ἐκεῖνος αὐτὸν βλάπτει, ἀλλ' ὁ μὲν κατὰ τῆς ἑαυτοῦ σωτηρίας, ὁ δὲ ὑπὲρ τῆς ἑαυτοῦ σωτηρίας ἀγωνίζεται. Ἀλλ' ὅπερ ἔλεγον, παραγραφόμενοι τὰς Γραφὰς, τὰ μὲν ἄλλα παρατρέχουσι, ζητοῦσι δὲ, εἴ που εὕροιεν λῆμμα δοκοῦν τι συντρέχειν αὐτῶν τῷ νοσήματι. Καὶ μή μοι λέγε ὅτι ἡ Γραφὴ αἰτία· οὐχὶ ἡ Γραφὴ αἰτία, ἀλλ' ἡ ἀγνωμοσύνη αὐτῶν, ἐπεὶ καὶ τὸ μέλι γλυκύ ἐστιν, ἀλλ' ὁ νοσῶν πικρὸν αὐτὸ νομίζει· ἀλλ' οὐ τοῦ μέλιτος τὸ ἔγκλημα, ἀλλὰ τῆς ἀῤῥωστίας ἡ κατηγορία. Οὕτω καὶ οἱ μαινόμενοι τὰ ὁρώμενα οὐ βλέπουσιν, ἀλλ' οὐ τῶν ὁρωμένων τὸ ἔγκλημα, ἀλλὰ τοῦ μαινομένου ἡ διεφθαρμένη γνώμη. Ἐποίησε τὸν οὐρανὸν ὁ Θεὸς, ἵνα ἴδωμεν τὸ ἔργον, καὶ προσκυνήσωμεν τῷ ∆ημιουργῷ, ἀλλ' οἱ Ἕλληνες ἐθεοποίησαν τὸ ἔργον· ἀλλ' οὐ τὸ ἔργον αἴτιον, ἀλλ' ἡ ἐκείνων ἀγνωμοσύνη· καὶ ὥσπερ ὁ μὲν ἀγνώμων παρ' οὐδενὸς ὠφελεῖται, οὕτως ὁ εὐγνώμων καὶ παρ' ἑαυτοῦ ὠφελεῖται. Τί τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἴσον; καὶ οὐκ ὠφελήθη ὁ Ἰούδας. Τί τοῦ διαβόλου πονηρότερον; καὶ ἐστεφανώθη ὁ Ἰώβ· καὶ οὔτε τὸν Ἰούδαν ὠφέλησεν ὁ Χριστὸς, ἐπειδὴ ἀγνώμων ἦν, οὔτε τὸν Ἰὼβ ἔβλαψεν ὁ διάβολος, ἐπειδὴ εὐγνώμων ἦν.

Ταῦτα λέγω, ἵνα μηδεὶς τὰς Γραφὰς διαβάλλῃ, ἀλλὰ τὴν ἀγνωμοσύνην τῶν τὰ καλῶς εἰρημένα κακῶς ἑρμηνευόντων. Καὶ γὰρ ὁ διάβολος ἀπὸ Γραφῶν τῷ Χριστῷ διελέγετο. Ἀλλ' οὐχ ἡ Γραφὴ αἰτία, ἀλλ' ἡ διάνοια ἡ τὰ 50.704 καλῶς εἰρημένα κακῶς ἑρμηνεύουσα. Θέλοντες γὰρ δεῖξαι τὸν Υἱὸν ἐλάττονα τοῦ Πατρὸς, περιέρχονται ὀνόματα ξένα περιεργαζόμενοι, καὶ λέγουσιν εἰς τὸ, Θεὸς καὶ Κύριος, ὡς ὁ Πατὴρ Θεὸς, ὁ δὲ Υἱὸς Κύριος, καὶ διαιροῦσι τὰ ὀνόματα, καὶ προσνέμουσι τὸ μὲν Θεὸς τῷ Πατρὶ, τὸ δὲ Κύριος τῷ Υἱῷ, ὡς διαιρέται ὄντες τῆς θεότητος καὶ κληροδόται. Λέγει τῷ Υἱῷ τὸ Κύριος ἡ Γραφή; ταῦτα λέγει; Πῶς οὐκ ἤκουσας τοῦ ψαλμοῦ πρὸς ἓν πρόσωπον λέγοντος σήμερον, Φωνῇ μου πρὸς Κύριον ἐκέκραξα, φωνῇ μου πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν ἐδεήθην; Οὐκοῦν καὶ Κύριον καὶ Θεὸν αὐτὸν ὀνομάζει. Τίνα βούλει Θεὸν εἶναι, τὸν Υἱὸν, ἢ τὸν Πατέρα; Πάντως τὸν Πατέρα ἐρεῖς τὰ ὀνόματα ταῦτα. Οὐκοῦν Θεὸς ὁ Υἱὸς, καὶ Κύριος ὁ Πατήρ. Τί οὖν διαιρεῖς τὰ ὀνόματα, καὶ τὸ μὲν ἐκεῖ προσρίπτεις, τὸ δὲ ἐνταῦθα διαιρεῖς; Καὶ ὁ Παῦλος δὲ λέγει εἴθε ἤκουες Παύλου, καὶ μακάριος ἦς· Ἀλλ' ἡμῖν εἷς Θεὸς ὁ Πατὴρ ἐξ οὗ τὰ πάντα, καὶ εἷς Κύριος Ἰησοῦς Χριστὸς, δι' οὗ τὰ πάντα. Μὴ ἐκάλεσε τὸν Υἱὸν Θεόν; ἀλλὰ τί; Κύριον. Τί γὰρ, εἰπέ μοι, τὸ Θεὸς σεμνότερον τοῦ Κύριος, καὶ τὸ Κύριος ἔλαττον τοῦ Θεός; Συντείνατε ἑαυτοὺς, παρακαλῶ, μετὰ ἀκριβείας· ἐὰν οὖν δείξω, ὅτι ἕν ἐστι τὸ Κύριος καὶ τὸ Θεὸς, τί λέγεις; Λέγεις τὸ Θεὸς μεῖζον, τὸ δὲ Κύριος ἔλαττον; Ἄκουσον τοῦ προφήτου λέγοντος· Οὗτος Κύριος ὁ ποιήσας τὸν οὐρανόν· οὗτος Θεὸς ὁ κατασκευάσας τὴν γῆν· Κύριος τὸν οὐρανὸν, καὶ ὁ Θεὸς τὴν γῆν· οὗτος ἐπὶ τοῦ αὐτοῦ προσώπου καὶ τὸ Κύριος καὶ τὸ Θεὸς τέθεικε. Καὶ πάλιν· Ἄκουε, Ἰσραὴλ, Κύριος Θεός σου, Κύριος εἷς ἐστι. ∆εύτερον τὸ Κύριος, καὶ ἅπαξ τὸ Θεός· καὶ πρῶτον τὸ Κύριος, καὶ τότε τὸ Θεὸς, καὶ πάλιν τὸ Κύριος. Εἰ δὲ τοῦτο καταδεέστερον, ἐκεῖνο δὲ μεῖζον, οὐκ ἐπὶ μεγάλης οὐσίας καὶ μείζονος τοῦ λόγου τὸ ἔλαττον τέθεικε πρῶτον, ἀλλὰ τὸ μεῖζον εἰπὼν ἠρκέσθη, καὶ οὐκ ἂν προσέῤῥιψε τὸ ἔλαττον.

Ἆρα συνήκατε ὃ εἶπον; Πάλιν παιδεύω· οὐ γὰρ θέατρόν ἐστι πρὸς ἐπίδειξιν, ἀλλὰ διδασκαλία πρὸς κατάνυξιν, οὐχ ἵνα ἄοπλοι ἀπέλθητε, ἀλλ' ἵνα ὁπλισθέντες