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Paul strongly affirms to the Galatians. But if also a man homonymous with us, a second man, and not such as the first, earth-born, and the one a living soul, the other a life-giving Spirit. 28.120 For these are both divine and apostolic words and doctrines, and the works bear witness to his divinity, being done with heavenly authority, when he commands the elements, rebukes spirits, by power restores maimings, and by his will heals diseases, and speaks of his authority, and does not hide it, and death is abolished through him, and life and incorruption are brought to light, and the corrupted nature of men is created a second time, and the world is renewed through his coming, and a new creation appears through the resurrection of Christ, the body of our humiliation being transformed into conformity with the body of his glory; and all creation is freed from the bondage of corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. But that the incarnate Lord and our God Jesus Christ is not the Father, nor, as they would say, the only God, all the divine Scriptures testify, proclaiming the one who has come as the Son of God, and showing him always speaking about the Father, saying he has come from the Father, and is going to the Father. And there is no need to prolong by citing testimonies; for all, so to speak, the Gospels, and the writings of the apostles tend to this. And they raise other Greek objections against us, and they bring forth the blasphemies of the Jews, mocking the mystery of the mission of the Word and his incarnation. For if he is sent, and comes down, they say, he will not be with the one sending, nor is he with the one remaining above. Let them learn then not to understand "above" and "on high" only in a bodily sense, but let them rather consider something newer. For, "The Lord is high above all nations," and, "I will exalt you, O Lord," and, "Praised and highly exalted for ever," does not present the Lord as being in some place and on high, nor does it describe God as being lifted up by men, nor by the others who praise him, but it speaks of the magnificent height of the invisible divinity. And he who says, "The heaven of heaven is the Lord's, but the earth he has given to the sons of men," does not assign heaven as a place of dwelling for the Lord, and the earth for men; but it demonstrates the pre-eminence and magnificence of God. When, therefore, the august and magnificent is said to be heavenly, and in contrast to this the humble is said to be earthly and on earth, the coming down of the Word is found to be the yielding from incorporeal magnificence to the lowliness of the body, having given himself to bodily formation through love for mankind and the saving providence for all. And he will be understood as sent in this respect, that by the ineffable will of the incorporeal Father he has given 28.121 himself to a body. Therefore, let not the corporeal expressions, that is, the "coming down" and "sending," be brought forward for the denial of his incarnation, because God does not come down locally nor is he sent; but let them hear the Apostle stating the matter, and at the same time such likenesses, when he says: "Who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but emptied himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in the likeness of men." This was the "coming down," this was the "being sent" into a garment humbler than his dignity, a descent which is the putting on of the human form, accomplished according to the will of the Father. But if the Word is not circumscribed by place and body, he will not be separated from the incorporeal Father because of the union with a body; for the body received him when he willed, as the fleshly nature was able to receive God. And he remains no less in his own nature, than even before the incarnation. So that the "coming down from heaven" was not a transition from heaven, nor was the "sending" a separation from the Father who sends.

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Παῦλος πρὸς Γαλάτας διισχυρίζεται. Ἀλλ' εἰ καὶ ἄνθρωπος ὁμώνυμος ἡμῖν, δεύτερος ἄνθρωπος, καὶ οὐχ οἷος ὁ πρότερος γηγενὴς, καὶ ὁ μὲν ψυχὴ ζῶσα, ὁ δὲ Πνεῦμα ζωοποιοῦν. 28.120 Ταῦτα γὰρ θεῖά τε καὶ ἀποστολικὰ ῥήματά τε καὶ δόγματα, καὶ τὰ ἔργα τῇ θεότητι μαρτυρεῖ μετ' ἐξουσίας οὐρανίου πραττόμενα, ὅτε κελεύει μὲν στοιχείοις, ἐπιτιμᾷ δὲ πνεύμασι, δυνάμει δὲ πηρώσεις ἀποκαθίστησι, καὶ θελήματι νόσους ἰᾶται, καὶ λέγει τὴν ἐξουσίαν, καὶ οὐκ ἀποκρύπτεται, καὶ καταργεῖται δι' αὐτοῦ θάνατος, φωτίζεται δὲ ζωὴ καὶ ἀφθαρσία, καὶ δημιουργεῖται δεύτερον ἡ φθαρεῖσα τῶν ἀνθρώπων φύσις, καὶ κόσμος ἀνακαινοῦται διὰ τῆς παρουσίας αὐτοῦ, καὶ κτίσις ἀναφαίνεται καινὴ διὰ τὴν ἀνάστασιν τοῦ Χριστοῦ, μεταμορφουμένου μὲν τοῦ σώματος τῆς ταπεινώσεως ἡμῶν εἰς συμμορφίαν τοῦ σώματος τῆς δόξης αὐτοῦ· τῆς δὲ κτίσεως ὅλης ἐλευθερουμένης ἀπὸ τῆς δουλείας τῆς φθορᾶς εἰς τὴν ἐλευθερίαν τῆς δόξης τῶν τέκνων τοῦ Θεοῦ. Ὅτι δὲ ὁ σαρκωθεὶς Κύριος καὶ Θεὸς ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦς Χριστὸς ὁ Πατὴρ οὐκ ἔστιν, οὐδ', ὡς ἐκεῖνοι φαῖεν, ὁ μόνος Θεὸς, ἅπασαι μαρτυροῦσιν αἱ θεῖαι Γραφαὶ, Υἱὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ τὸν παραγεγονότα κηρύττουσαι, καὶ περὶ Πατρὸς ἀεὶ διαλεγόμενον ἐπιδεικνύουσαι, παρὰ Πατρὸς ἐληλυθέναι φάσκοντα, καὶ πρὸς Πατέρα ἀπιέναι. Καὶ οὐδὲν δεῖ μηκύνειν παρατιθέμενον μαρτυρίας· πάντα γὰρ, ὡς εἰπεῖν, τὰ Εὐαγγέλια, καὶ αἱ τῶν ἀποστόλων γραφαὶ εἰς τοῦτο συντείνουσιν. Ἄλλας τε Ἑλληνικὰς ἡμῖν ἀντιλογίας κινοῦσι, καὶ τὰς ἐξ Ἰουδαίων βλασφημίας ἐπιφέρουσι, χλευάζοντες τὸ μυστήριον τῆς ἀποστολῆς τοῦ Λόγου καὶ σαρκώσεως. Εἰ γὰρ ἀποστέλλεται, καὶ καταβαίνει, φασὶν, οὐκ ἔσται μετὰ τοῦ ἀποστέλλοντος, οὐδὲ τῷ ἄνω μένοντι σύνεστι. Μαθέτωσαν δὴ τὸ ἄνω καὶ τὸ ἐν ὕψει μὴ σωματικῶς ἀκούειν μόνον, ἀλλὰ δή τι καινότερον ἐνθυμείσθωσαν. Τὸ γὰρ, «Ὑψηλὸς ἐπὶ πάντα τὰ ἔθνη ὁ Κύριος,» καὶ τὸ, «Ὑψώσω σε, Κύριε,» καὶ τὸ, «Αἰνετὸς καὶ ὑπερυψούμενος εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας,» οὐκ ἐν τόπῳ τινὶ καὶ μετεώρῳ τὸν Κύριον ὄντα παρίστησιν, οὐδ' ὑπὸ ἀνθρώπων μετεωριζόμενον ὑπογράφει τὸν Θεὸν, οὐδ' ὑπὸ τῶν· ἄλλων τῶν ὑμνούντων αὐτὸν, ἀλλὰ τὸ μεγαλοπρεπὲς τῆς ἀοράτου θεότητος ὕψος καλεῖ. Καὶ ὁ λέγων· «Ὁ οὐρανὸς τοῦ οὐρανοῦ τῷ Κυρίῳ, τὴν δὲ γῆν ἔδωκε τοῖς υἱοῖς τῶν ἀνθρώπων,» οὐ τόπον οἰκήσεως ἀποκληροῖ τῷ Κυρίῳ τὸν οὐρανὸν, ἀνθρώποις δὲ τὴν γῆν· ἀλλὰ τὴν ὑπεροχὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ μεγαλοπρέπειαν ἐπιδείκνυσιν. Ὅταν οὖν τὸ μὲν σεμνὸν καὶ μεγαλοπρεπὲς ἐπουράνιον εἶναι λέγηται, τούτῳ δὲ ἀντικειμένως τὸ ταπεινὸν γηΐνως τε καὶ ἐπὶ γῆς εἶναι λέγηται, κατάβασις εὑρίσκεται τοῦ Λόγου ἡ ἐκ τῆς ἀσωμάτου μεγαλοπρεπείας εἰς τὸ τοῦ σώματος εὐτελὲς ἐπίδοσις, ἐπιδεδωκότος ἑαυτὸν εἰς σωματικὴν μόρφωσιν διὰ φιλανθρωπίαν καὶ τὴν τοῦ παντὸς σωτήριον πρόνοιαν. Ἀπεσταλμένος τε κατὰ τοῦτο νοηθήσεται, ὅτι ἀῤῥήτῳ βουλήσει τοῦ ἀσωμάτου Πατρὸς σώματι δέδω 28.121 κεν ἑαυτόν. Μὴ τοίνυν αἱ σωματικαὶ φωναὶ, τουτέστιν ἡ κατάβασίς τε καὶ ἀποστολὴ πρὸς ἄρνησιν τῆς σαρκώσεως αὐτοῦ προσαγέσθωσαν, ὅτι μὴ καταβαίνει τοπικῶς μηδὲ ἀποστέλλεται Θεός· ἀλλ' ἀκουέτωσαν τοῦ Ἀποστόλου φράζοντος τὸ πρᾶγμα, καὶ ἅμα τῶν τοιούτων ὁμοιώσεων, ὅτε φησίν· «Ὃς ἐν μορφῇ Θεοῦ ὑπάρχων, οὐχ ἁρπαγμὸν ἡγήσατο τὸ εἶναι ἴσα Θεῷ, ἀλλ' ἑαυτὸν ἐκένωσε, μορφὴν δούλου λαβὼν, ἐν ὁμοιώματι ἀνθρώπων γενόμενος.» Τοῦτο ἦν τὸ καταβῆναι, τοῦτο τὸ ἀποσταλῆναι εἰς ἔνδυμα ταπεινότερον τῆς ἀξίας αὐτοῦ, ὑπόβασις ἡ τῆς ἀνθρωπίνης μορφῆς ἐπαμφίασις, κατὰ τὸ βούλημα τοῦ Πατρὸς ἐπιτελουμένη. Εἰ δὲ τόπῳ καὶ σώματι ὁ Λόγος μὴ περιγράφεται, οὐκ ἀποσπασθήσεται τοῦ ἀσωμάτου Πατρὸς διὰ τὴν πρὸς σῶμα ἀνάκρασιν· δέδεκται γὰρ αὐτὸν τὸ σῶμα βουληθέντα, ὡς πεφύκει ἡ σαρκίνη φύσις Θεὸν ὑποδέξασθαι. Μένει δὲ οὐδὲν ἔλαττον ἐπὶ τῆς ἑαυτοῦ φύσεως, ἢ καὶ πρὸ τῆς σαρκώσεως. Ὥστε ἡ ἐξ οὐρανοῦ κατάβασις οὐκ ἦν μετάβασις ἐξ οὐρανοῦ, οὐδὲ ἡ ἀποστολὴ χωρισμὸς ἀπὸ τοῦ πέμποντος Πατρός.