5

they made war, he beseeches God to bring them back to the same peace. of God the Father. And from this point again the heretics are easily caught. For since they say that John, saying in the prologue of his Gospel, "And the Word was God," placed this without the article for this reason, as introducing a lesser divinity of the Son, and again that Paul, saying the Son exists "in the form of God," did not speak about the Father, because this too is placed without the article; what could they say here, when Paul says, not, "From the God," but, "From God the Father"? And he calls God "Father" here, not flattering them, but even rebuking them sharply, and reminding them of the cause through which they became sons. For not through the law, but through the washing of regeneration were they deemed worthy of this honor. For this reason everywhere and in his introductions he scatters the traces of God's beneficence, all but saying: You slaves, and enemies, and alienated ones, whence do you suddenly call God "Father"? Did the law grant you this kinship? Why then, having forsaken the one who brought you into this nearness, do you run back again to the pedagogue? And not only in the case of the Father, but also in the case of the Son are the names sufficient to show them this beneficence. For the name "Lord Jesus Christ," when examined with precision, demonstrates the whole beneficence. For "he shall be called Jesus," it says, "for he himself will save his people from their sins"; and the title "Christ" reminded of the anointing of the Spirit. Who gave himself for our sins.

4. Do you see that he did not submit to a slavish or forced ministry, nor was he given over

by anyone, but he gave himself, so that when you hear John saying that the Father gave his only-begotten Son for us, you may not on this account diminish the dignity of the Only-begotten, nor suspect anything human. For even if the Father is said to have given, this is not said so that you should think of a slavish ministry, but so that you might learn that this was also pleasing to the Father, which Paul has therefore also declared here, saying: According to the will of our God and Father; not according to a command, but "According to the will."

For since the will of the Father and the Son is one, what the Son willed, this the Father also willed. For our sins. We have entangled ourselves, he says, with countless evils, and were liable to the ultimate punishment. And the law not only did not deliver, but even condemned, making the sin more manifest, but not being able to set free, nor to stop the wrath of God; but the Son of God made this impossible thing possible, both loosing the sins, and establishing enemies in the rank of friends, and bestowing countless other good things. Then he says: "That he might deliver us from the present evil age." Again other heretics seize upon this phrase, slandering the present life, and 61.618 bringing forward the testimony of Paul. For behold, they say, he has called the present age evil. And what ever is an "age," tell me? Time in days and hours. What then? Is the interval of days evil, and the course of the sun? But no one would ever say this, even if he were carried down to the utmost absurdity. But he did not mean time, he says, but called the present life evil. And yet the words do not say this, but you do not stand by the words from which you wove the accusation, but you cut a path of interpretation for yourself. Therefore you will also allow us to interpret what was said, and all the more, inasmuch as our interpretations are both pious and reasonable. What then should we say? That none of the evils could ever be the cause of good things, but the present life is the cause of countless crowns and so many rewards

5

ἐξεπολέμωσαν, παρακαλεῖ τὸν Θεὸν πρὸς τὴν αὐτὴν αὐτοὺς ἐπαναγαγεῖν εἰρήνην. Θεοῦ Πατρός. Κἀντεῦθεν πάλιν ῥᾳδίως ἁλίσκονται οἱ αἱρετικοί. Ἐπειδὴ γάρ φασι τὸν Ἰωάννην ἐν προοιμίῳ τῶν Εὐαγγελίων λέγοντα, Καὶ Θεὸς ἦν ὁ Λόγος, διὰ τοῦτο χωρὶς ἄρθρου τεθεικέναι τοῦτο, ὡς ἐλάττονα εἰσάγοντα τὴν θεότητα τοῦ Υἱοῦ, καὶ πάλιν τὸν Παῦλον ἐν μορφῇ Θεοῦ ὑπάρχειν τὸν Υἱὸν λέγοντα, οὐ περὶ τοῦ Πατρὸς εἰρηκέναι, διὰ τὸ χωρὶς ἄρθρου καὶ αὐτὸ κεῖσθαι· τί ἂν εἴποιεν ἐνταῦθα, τοῦ Παύλου λέγοντος, οὐκ, Ἀπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ, Ἀλλ', Ἀπὸ Θεοῦ Πατρός; Πατέρα δὲ ἐνταῦθα τὸν Θεὸν καλεῖ, οὐ κολακεύων αὐτοὺς, ἀλλὰ καὶ σφόδρα καθαπτόμενος, καὶ ὑπομιμνήσκων τὴν αἰτίαν δι' ἧς ἐγένοντο υἱοί. Οὐ γὰρ διὰ νόμου, ἀλλὰ διὰ λουτροῦ παλιγγενεσίας ταύτης ἠξιώθησαν τῆς τιμῆς. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο πανταχοῦ καὶ ἐν προοιμίοις κατασπείρει τὰ ἴχνη τῆς εὐεργεσίας τοῦ Θεοῦ, μονονουχὶ λέγων· Οἱ δοῦλοι, καὶ οἱ ἐχθροὶ, καὶ οἱ ἠλλοτριωμένοι, πόθεν ἐξαίφνης Πατέρα καλεῖτε τὸν Θεόν; μὴ ὁ νόμος ὑμῖν ταύτην ἐχαρίσατο τὴν συγγένειαν; τί τοίνυν καταλιπόντες τὸν εἰς ταύτην ὑμᾶς τὴν ἐγγύτητα ἀγαγόντα, προστρέχετε πάλιν τῷ παιδαγωγῷ; Οὐκ ἐπὶ τοῦ Πατρὸς δὲ μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ Υἱοῦ ἱκανὰ τὰ ὀνόματα, αὐτοῖς ταῦτα τὴν εὐεργεσίαν ἐνδείξασθαι. Τὸ γὰρ Κυρίου Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ ὄνομα μετὰ ἀκριβείας ἐξεταζόμενον τὴν εὐεργεσίαν πᾶσαν ἐνδείκνυται. Καὶ γὰρ Ἰησοῦς διὰ τοῦτο κληθήσεται, φησὶν, Ὅτι αὐτὸς σώσει τὸν λαὸν αὐτοῦ ἀπὸ τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν αὐτῶν· καὶ ἡ τοῦ Χριστοῦ δὲ προσηγορία τῆς τοῦ Πνεύματος ἀνέμνησε χρίσεως. Τοῦ δόντος ἑαυτὸν ὑπὲρ τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν ἡμῶν.

δʹ. Ὁρᾷς ὅτι οὐ δουλικὴν ὑπέμεινε διακονίαν οὐδὲ ἠναγκασμένην, οὐδὲ ἐξεδόθη

παρά τινος, ἀλλ' ἑαυτὸν ἔδωκεν, ὥστε, ὅταν ἀκούσῃς Ἰωάννου λέγοντος, ὅτι τὸν Υἱὸν αὑτοῦ τὸν μονογενῆ ἔδωκεν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν ὁ Πατὴρ, μὴ ἐλαττώσῃς τὴν ἀξίαν τοῦ Μονογενοῦς διὰ τοῦτο, μηδὲ ἀνθρώπινόν τι ὑποπτεύσῃς. Κἂν γὰρ ὁ Πατὴρ λέγηται δεδωκέναι, οὐχ ἵνα δουλικὴν διακονίαν ἐννοήσῃς, τοῦτο λέγεται, ἀλλ' ἵνα μάθῃς, ὅτι καὶ τῷ Πατρὶ τοῦτο δοκοῦν ἦν, ὅπερ οὖν καὶ ἐνταῦθα ὁ Παῦλος ἐδήλωσεν εἰπών· Κατὰ τὸ θέλημα τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ Πατρὸς ἡμῶν· οὐ κατ' ἐπιταγὴν, ἀλλὰ Κατὰ τὸ θέλημα.

Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἓν θέλημα Πατρὸς καὶ Υἱοῦ, ἅπερ ὁ Υἱὸς ἐβούλετο, ταῦτα καὶ ὁ Πατὴρ ἤθελεν. Ὑπὲρ τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν ἡμῶν. Μυρίοις, φησὶν, ἑαυτοὺς περιεπείραμεν κακοῖς, καὶ τῆς ἐσχάτης ἦμεν ὑπεύθυνοι κολάσεως. Καὶ ὁ μὲν νόμος οὐ μόνον οὐκ ἀπήλλαξεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ κατεδίκασε, τὸ μὲν ἁμάρτημα φανερώτερον καθιστὰς, ἐλευθερῶσαι δὲ οὐκ ἰσχύων, οὐδὲ παῦσαι τοῦ Θεοῦ τὴν ὀργήν· ὁ δὲ Υἱὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ τὸ ἀδύνατον τοῦτο δυνατὸν ἐποίησε, τάς τε ἁμαρτίας λύσας, καὶ τοὺς ἐχθροὺς ἐν τάξει φίλων καταστήσας, καὶ μυρία ἕτερα χαρισάμενος ἀγαθά. Εἶτά φησιν· Ὅπως ἐξέληται ἡμᾶς ἐκ τοῦ ἐνεστῶτος αἰῶνος πονηροῦ. Πάλιν ἕτεροι ταύτης τῆς λέξεως ἐπιλαμβάνονται αἱρετικοὶ, τὸν παρόντα βίον διαβάλλοντες, καὶ 61.618 τὴν Παύλου μαρτυρίαν παράγοντες. Ἰδοὺ γὰρ, φασὶ, τὸν ἐνεστῶτα αἰῶνα πονηρὸν εἴρηκε. Καὶ τί ποτέ ἐστιν αἰὼν, εἰπέ μοι; Χρόνος ἐν ἡμέραις καὶ ὥραις. Τί οὖν; τὸ διάστημα τῶν ἡμερῶν πονηρὸν, καὶ ὁ τοῦ ἡλίου δρόμος; Ἀλλ' οὐδεὶς ἂν εἴποι τοῦτό ποτε, κἂν εἰς ἐσχάτην ἀλογίαν κατενεχθείη. Ἀλλ' οὐ τὸν χρόνον εἶπε, φησὶν, ἀλλὰ τὴν παροῦσαν ζωὴν πονηρὰν ἐκάλεσε. Καὶ μὴν τὰ ῥήματα οὐ τοῦτό φησιν, ἀλλ' οὐχ ἵσταται ἐπὶ τῶν ῥημάτων, ἀφ' ὧν τὴν κατηγορίαν ἔπλεξας, ἀλλὰ σαυτῷ τέμνεις ἑρμηνείας ὁδόν. Οὐκοῦν καὶ ἡμῖν συγχωρήσεις ἑρμηνεῦσαι τὰ εἰρημένα, καὶ τοσούτῳ μᾶλλον, ὅσῳ καὶ εὐσεβῆ τὰ ἡμέτερα, καὶ λόγον ἔχοντα. Τί οὖν ἂν εἴποιμεν; Ὅτι οὐδὲν τῶν κακῶν γένοιτ' ἂν αἴτιόν ποτε τῶν καλῶν, τῶν δὲ μυρίων στεφάνων καὶ τοσούτων μισθῶν ὁ παρὼν βίος αἴτιός