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them being wearied and worn out by evils, and judging matters from these things, to consider themselves less than all others, he shows that in this way they had rather partaken of a greater and exceedingly surpassing grace, rousing the hearer from the very introduction of his discourse. For this reason he says: God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son. Why did he not set himself in opposition to the prophets? and yet he was much greater than they, inasmuch as he had been entrusted with greater things. But he does not do this. For what reason? First, declining to say great things about himself; second, because the hearers were not yet perfect; and third, wishing rather to lift them up, and to show how great the superiority was. As if he were to say: What great thing is it that he sent prophets to our 63.14.30 fathers? For he sent to us his only-begotten Son himself. And he began well by saying thus: At various times and in various ways; for he shows that not even the prophets themselves saw God; but the Son did see him. For "at various times and in various ways" means "in different ways." For I, he says, have multiplied visions, and used similitudes, by the ministry of the prophets. So the superiority is not in this only, that to them prophets were sent, but to us the Son, but that none of them saw God, while the only-begotten Son did see him. And he does not state this immediately, but he establishes it through what follows, when he speaks of his humanity: For to which of the angels did He ever say: 'You are my Son,' and, 'Sit at my right hand'? And see his great wisdom; first he shows the superiority from the prophets; then, having established that as an acknowledged point, he declares finally that to them He spoke through the prophets, but to us through the Only-Begotten. And if He also spoke to them through angels (for angels also spoke to the Jews); yet even in this we have the advantage, and by as much as to us a Master, to them servants; for both angels and prophets are fellow-servants. And he said well: In these last days; for this also rouses them, and encourages them now that they are weary. For just as he says elsewhere, The Lord is near; be anxious for nothing; and again, For now is our salvation nearer than when we believed; 63.15 so also here. What then is it that he says? That everyone who is spent in the contest, when he hears of the end of the contest, breathes a little, knowing that it is the end of labors, and the beginning of rest. In these last days He has spoken to us by His Son. Behold again "in Son" means "through the Son," he says, against those who say that this befits the Spirit. Do you see that "in" also means "through"? And "in time past," and "in these last days," again hints at something else. What then is this? That after a long time had intervened, when we were about to be punished, when the spiritual gifts had ceased, when there was no expectation of salvation, when from every side we expected to have less, then we have received more. And see how wisely he has said it; for he did not say, "Christ spoke," although it was he who spoke; but since their souls were weak, and they could not yet hear the things concerning Christ, He has spoken to us by His Son, he says. What are you saying? God spoke through the Son? Yes. Where then is the superiority? for here you have shown that both the New and the Old are of one and the same, but that this superiority is not great. For this reason, therefore, he proceeds with this argument, saying: He has spoken to us by His Son. See how Paul makes it common, and equals himself to the disciples, saying: He has spoken to us. And yet He did not speak to him, but to the apostles, and through them to the many. But he lifts them up, and shows that He spoke to them also, and at the same time he in a way rebukes the Jews. For nearly all to whom the prophets spoke were wicked and defiled. And he does not yet make his argument about these things, but for the time being about the gifts that have come from God. For this reason he also adds: whom He has appointed heir of all things. Here he means the flesh; as David also says in the second psalm: Ask of me, and I will give

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αὐτοὺς τεταλαιπωρημένους καὶ τετρυχωμένους ὑπὸ τῶν κακῶν, καὶ ἀπὸ τούτων τὰ πράγματα κρίνοντας, λογίζεσθαι ἑαυτοὺς ἐλάττους πάντων τῶν ἄλλων, δείκνυσι ταύτῃ μᾶλλον μείζονος ἀπολελαυκότας χάριτος καὶ σφόδρα ὑπερεχούσης, ἀπ' αὐτῆς τοῦ λόγου τῆς εἰσβολῆς διεγείρων τὸν ἀκροατήν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτό φησι· Πολυμερῶς καὶ πολυτρόπως πάλαι ὁ Θεὸς λαλήσας τοῖς πατράσιν ἐν τοῖς προφήταις, ἐπ' ἐσχάτων τῶν ἡμερῶν τούτων ἐλάλησεν ἡμῖν ἐν Υἱῷ. ∆ιὰ τί μὴ ἀντέθηκεν ἑαυτὸν τοῖς προφήταις; καίτοι γε πολλῷ μείζων ἦν ἐκείνων, ὅσῳ καὶ μείζονα ἐπεπίστευτο. Ἀλλ' οὐ ποιεῖ τοῦτο, Τί δήποτε· Πρῶτον μὲν τὸ περὶ ἑαυτοῦ μεγάλα λέγειν παραιτούμενος· δεύτερον δὲ, διὰ τὸ τοὺς ἀκροατὰς μηδέπω εἶναι τελείους· καὶ τρίτον, ἐπᾶραι μᾶλλον αὐτοὺς βουλόμενος, καὶ δεῖξαι πολλὴν οὖσαν τὴν ὑπεροχήν. Ὡς ἂν εἰ ἔλεγε· Τί μέγα ὅτι προφήτας ἔπεμψε πρὸς τοὺς 63.14.30 πατέρας ἡμῶν; ἔπεμψε γὰρ πρὸς ἡμᾶς αὐτὸν τὸν Υἱὸν αὐτοῦ τὸν μονογενῆ. Καὶ καλῶς ἤρξατο οὕτως εἰπών· Πολυμερῶς καὶ πολυτρόπως· δείκνυσι γὰρ ὅτι οὐδὲ αὐτοὶ οἱ προφῆται τὸν Θεὸν εἶδον· ὁ μέντοι Υἱὸς εἶδε. Τὸ γὰρ, Πολυμερῶς καὶ πολυτρόπως, τουτέστι, διαφόρως. Ἐγὼ γὰρ, φησὶν, ὁράσεις ἐπλήθυνα, καὶ ἐν χερσὶ προφητῶν ὡμοιώθην. Ὥστε οὐ κατὰ τοῦτο μόνον ἡ ὑπεροχὴ, ὅτι ἐκείνοις μὲν προφῆται ἀπεστάλησαν, ἡμῖν δὲ ὁ Υἱὸς, ἀλλ' ὅτι ἐκείνων μὲν οὐδεὶς εἶδε τὸν Θεὸν, ὁ δὲ Υἱὸς ὁ μονογενὴς εἶδε. Καὶ εὐθέως μὲν αὐτὸ οὐ τίθησι, διὰ δὲ τῶν ἑξῆς αὐτὸ κατασκευάζει, ὅταν περὶ τῆς ἀνθρωπότητος λέγῃ· Πρὸς τίνα γὰρ τῶν ἀγγέλων εἴρηκεν· Υἱός μου εἶ σὺ, καὶ, Κάθου ἐκ δεξιῶν μου; Καὶ ὅρα τὴν σύνεσιν αὐτοῦ τὴν πολλήν· πρῶτον ἀπὸ προφητῶν δείκνυσι τὴν ὑπεροχήν· εἶτα ὡς ὁμολογούμενον ἐκεῖνο κατασκευάσας, ἀποφαίνεται λοιπὸν, ὅτι ἐκείνοις μὲν διὰ τῶν προφητῶν ἐλάλησεν, ἡμῖν δὲ διὰ τοῦ Μονογενοῦς. Εἰ δὲ καὶ δι' ἀγγέλων ἐκείνοις (καὶ γὰρ καὶ ἄγγελοι ὡμίλησαν Ἰουδαίοις)· ἀλλὰ κἀν τούτῳ τὸ πλέον ἡμεῖς ἔχομεν, καὶ τοσοῦτον, ὅσον ἡμῖν μὲν ∆εσπότης, ἐκείνοις δὲ δοῦλοι· καὶ ἄγγελοι γὰρ καὶ προφῆται ὁμόδουλοι. Καὶ καλῶς εἶπεν· Ἐπ' ἐσχάτων τῶν ἡμερῶν· καὶ τοῦτο γὰρ αὐτοὺς διανίστησι, καὶ παρακαλεῖ ἀπειρηκότας λοιπόν. Ὥσπερ γὰρ ἀλλαχοῦ λέγει, ὅτι Ὁ Κύριος ἐγγὺς, μηδὲν μεριμνᾶτε· καὶ πάλιν, Νῦν γὰρ ἐγγύτερον ἡμῶν ἡ σωτηρία, ἢ ὅτε ἐπιστεύσα 63.15 μεν· οὕτω καὶ ἐνταῦθα. Τί οὖν ἐστιν ὃ λέγει; Ὅτι πᾶς ὁ ἐν τῷ ἀγῶνι καταναλωθεὶς, ἐπειδὰν ἀκούσῃ τοῦ ἀγῶνος τὸ τέλος, ἀναπνεῖ μικρὸν, εἰδὼς ὅτι τῶν πόνων μέν ἐστι τὸ τέλος, τῆς δὲ ἀναπαύσεως ἀρχή. Ἐπ' ἐσχάτων τῶν ἡμερῶν τούτων ἐλάλησεν ἡμῖν ἐν Υἱῷ. Ἰδοὺ πάλιν τὸ, Ἐν Υἱῷ, διὰ τοῦ Υἱοῦ, φησὶ, πρὸς τοὺς λέγοντας τῷ Πνεύματι τοῦτο ἁρμόζειν. Ὁρᾷς ὅτι καὶ τὸ, ἐν, διὰ ἐστί; Καὶ τὸ, Πάλαι, καὶ τὸ, Ἐπ' ἐσχάτων τῶν ἡμερῶν, πάλιν ἕτερόν τι αἰνίττεται. Ποῖον δὴ τοῦτο; Ὅτι πολλοῦ χρόνου γενομένου μέσου, ὅτε ἐμέλλομεν κολάζεσθαι, ὅτε ἐκλελοίπει τὰ χαρίσματα, ὅτε προσδοκία σωτηρίας οὐκ ἦν, ὅτε πανταχόθεν προσεδοκῶμεν ἔλαττον ἔχειν, τότε πλέον ἐσχήκαμεν. Καὶ θέα πῶς συνετῶς αὐτὸ εἴρηκεν· οὐ γὰρ εἶπεν, Ὁ Χριστὸς ἐλάλησε, καίτοι γε αὐτὸς ἦν ὁ λαλήσας· ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ ἀσθενεῖς αὐτῶν ἦσαν αἱ ψυχαὶ, καὶ οὐδέπω ἀκούειν ἠδύναντο τὰ περὶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ, Ἐλάλησεν ἡμῖν ἐν Υἱῷ, φησί. Τί λέγεις; ὁ Θεὸς διὰ τοῦ Υἱοῦ ἐλάλησε; Ναί. Ποῦ οὖν ἡ ὑπεροχή; ἐνταῦθα μὲν γὰρ ἔδειξας, ὅτι καὶ ἡ Καινὴ καὶ ἡ Παλαιὰ ἑνός ἐστι καὶ τοῦ αὐτοῦ, οὐ πολλὴν δὲ ταύτην ὑπεροχὴν οὖσαν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο λοιπὸν τούτῳ ἐπεξέρχεται τῷ λόγῳ, λέγων· Ἐλάλησεν ἡμῖν ἐν Υἱῷ. Ὅρα πῶς αὐτὸ κοινοποιεῖ, καὶ ἐξισοῖ τοῖς μαθηταῖς ἑαυτὸν ὁ Παῦλος, λέγων· Ἐλάλησεν ἡμῖν. Καίτοι γε αὐτῷ οὐκ ἐλάλησεν, ἀλλὰ τοῖς ἀποστόλοις, καὶ δι' αὐτῶν τοῖς πολλοῖς. Ἀλλ' ἐπαίρει αὐτοὺς, καὶ δείκνυσιν, ὅτι καὶ αὐτοῖς ἐλάλησεν, ἅμα δὲ καθάπτεταί πως τῶν Ἰουδαίων. Σχεδὸν γὰρ ἅπαντες, οἷς ἐλάλησαν οἱ προφῆται, μοχθηροί τινες ἦσαν καὶ μιαροί. Καὶ οὔπω περὶ τούτων ποιεῖται τὸν λόγον, τέως δὲ περὶ τῶν ὑπηργμένων παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ δωρεῶν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ ἐπάγει· Ὃν ἔθηκε κληρονόμον ἁπάντων. Ἐνταῦθα τὴν σάρκα φησί· καθὼς καὶ ὁ ∆αυῒδ ἐν τῷ δευτέρῳ ψαλμῷ λέγει· Αἴτησαι παρ' ἐμοῦ, καὶ δώσω