Gregory of Nazianzus, Prayer on the Son 29

He was driven into exile to Egypt, but he drives the Egyptians' [idols] into exile. He had no form nor beauty among the Jews, but to David he was beautiful in comeliness beyond the sons of men, but on the mountain he shines, and becomes more radiant than the sun, initiating [them] into the mystery of what was to come.

20 He was baptized as a man, but he loosed sins as God; not needing purification himself, but that he might sanctify the waters. He was tempted as a man, but he conquered as God; but he commands [us] to be of good cheer, as one who has conquered the world. He hungered, but he fed thousands, but he is the bread of life and from heaven. He thirsted, but he cried out: If any man thirst, let him come to me and drink; but he promised that those who believe would become fountains. He grew weary, but he is the rest of those who are weary and heavy laden. He was heavy with sleep, but he walks lightly upon the sea, but he rebukes winds, but he lifts up the sinking Peter. He pays the tax, but from a fish, but he is king over those who demand it. He is called a Samaritan and one who has a demon, yet he saves the man who went down from Jerusalem and fell among thieves, yet he is recognized by demons, and he drives out demons, and he drowns a legion of spirits, and he sees the prince of demons falling like lightning. He is stoned, but is not caught. He prays, but he hears prayer. He weeps, but he puts an end to tears. He asks where Lazarus is laid, for he was man; but he raises Lazarus, for he was God. He is sold, and for a very cheap price, for thirty pieces of silver, but he redeems the world, and for a great price, for with his own blood. He is led as a sheep to the slaughter, but he shepherds Israel, and now also the whole world. As a lamb without voice, but he is the Word, proclaimed by the voice of one crying in the wilderness. He is weakened, and wounded, but he heals every sickness, and every infirmity. He is lifted up on the tree and nailed to it, but by the tree of life he restores us, but he also saves the thief crucified with him, but he darkens all that is seen. He is given vinegar to drink, he tastes gall; who is this? The one who turned water into wine, the destroyer of bitter taste, sweetness and all desire. He gives up his spirit, but he has power to take it again, but the veil is rent, for the things above are shown, but the rocks are split, but the dead are raised. He dies, but he gives life, and by death destroys death. He is buried, but he rises again. He descends into Hades, but he brings up souls, but he ascends into heaven, but he will come to judge the living and the dead, and to put such arguments to the test. If these things furnish you an occasion for error, those other things resolve your error.

21 These things from us for the riddlers, not willingly indeed; for idle talk and the opposition of arguments is not pleasant for the faithful, for even one adversary is enough; yet [we speak] necessarily because of those who fall into them, just as medicines are for diseases, so that they may know that they are not wise in all things nor invincible in the superfluous things that empty the gospel. For when we put forward the power of reason, having abandoned believing, and dissolve what is trustworthy in the Spirit by our questionings, then our reason is defeated by the greatness of the realities—for it will certainly be defeated, proceeding as it does from the weak instrument of our mind—what happens? The weakness of our reason appears to be that of the mystery; and thus the elegance of reason is shown to be an emptying of the cross, as it also seems to Paul. For faith is the fulfillment of our reason. But He who proclaims bonds, and loosens things held fast, who also brought to our mind to break the strangleholds of violent dogmas, may He especially also change these men and make them believers instead of technicians of words, and Christians instead of what they are now called. This indeed we also exhort; we beseech you for Christ's sake; be reconciled to God, and do not quench the Spirit; or rather, may Christ be reconciled to you, and may the Spirit at last shine upon you. But if you are too contentious, yet may we at least preserve the Trinity for ourselves, and be saved by the Trinity,

ἐφυγαδεύθη μὲν εἰς Αἴγυπτον, ἀλλὰ φυγαδεύει τὰ Αἰγυπτίων. οὐκ εἶχεν εἶδος οὐδὲ κάλλος παρὰ Ἰουδαίοις, ἀλλὰ τῷ ∆αβὶδ ὡραῖος ἦν κάλλει παρὰ τοὺς υἱοὺς τῶν ἀνθρώπων, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ τοῦ ὄρους ἀστράπτει, καὶ ἡλίου φωτοειδέστερος γίνεται, τὸ μέλλον μυσταγωγῶν.

20 Ἐβαπτίσθη μὲν ὡς ἄνθρωπος, ἀλλ' ἁμαρτίας ἔλυσεν ὡς θεός· οὐ καθαρσίων αὐτὸς δεόμενος, ἀλλ' ἵνα ἁγιάσῃ τὰ ὕδατα. ἐπειράσθη ὡς ἄνθρωπος, ἀλλ' ἐνίκησεν ὡς θεός· ἀλλὰ Θαρρεῖν διακελεύεται, ὡς κόσμον νενικηκώς. ἐπείνησεν, ἀλλ' ἔθρεψε χιλιάδας, ἀλλ' ἄρτος ἐστὶ ζωτικὸς καὶ οὐράνιος. ἐδίψησεν, ἀλλ' ἐβόησεν· Ἐάν τις διψᾷ, ἐρχέσθω πρός με, καὶ πινέτω· ἀλλὰ καὶ πηγάζειν ὑπέσχετο τοὺς πιστεύοντας. ἐκοπίασεν, ἀλλὰ τῶν κοπιώντων καὶ πεφορτισμένων ἐστὶν ἀνάπαυσις. ἐβαρήθη μὲν ὕπνῳ, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ πελάγους κουφί ζεται, ἀλλ' ἐπιτιμᾷ πνεύμασιν, ἀλλὰ Πέτρον κουφίζει βαπτιζό μενον. δίδωσι τέλος, ἀλλ' ἐξ ἰχθύος, ἀλλὰ βασιλεύει τῶν ἀπαι τούντων. Σαμαρείτης ἀκούει καὶ δαιμονῶν, πλὴν σώζει τὸν ἀπὸ Ἰερουσαλὴμ καταβαίνοντα καὶ λῃσταῖς περιπεσόντα, πλὴν ὑπὸ δαιμόνων ἑπιγινώσκεται, καὶ ἀπελαύνει δαίμονας, καὶ λεγεῶνα πνευμάτων βυθίζει, καὶ ὡς ἀστραπὴν ὁρᾷ πίπτοντα τὸν ἀρχηγὸν τῶν δαιμόνων. λιθάζεται, ἀλλ' οὐχ ἁλίσκεται. προσεύχεται, ἀλλ' ἐπακούει. δακρύει, ἀλλὰ παύει δάκρυον. ἐρωτᾷ ποῦ τέθειται Λάζαρος, ἄνθρωπος γὰρ ἦν· ἀλλ' ἐγείρει Λάζαρον, θεὸς γὰρ ἦν. πωλεῖται, καὶ λίαν εὐώνως, τριάκοντα γὰρ ἀργυρίων, ἀλλ' ἐξα γοράζει κόσμον, καὶ μεγάλης τιμῆς, τοῦ ἰδίου γὰρ αἵματος. ὡς πρόβατον ἐπὶ σφαγὴν ἄγεται, ἀλλὰ ποιμαίνει τὸν Ἰσραήλ, νῦν δὲ καὶ πᾶσαν τὴν οἰκουμένην. ὡς ἀμνὸς ἄφωνος, ἀλλὰ λόγος ἐστί, φωνῇ βοῶντος ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ καταγγελλόμενος. μεμαλά κισται, καὶ τετραυμάτισται, ἀλλὰ θεραπεύει πᾶσαν νόσον, καὶ πᾶσαν μαλακίαν. ἐπὶ τὸ ξύλον ἀνάγεται, προσπήγνυται, ἀλλὰ τῷ ξύλῳ τῆς ζωῆς ἀποκαθίστησιν, ἀλλὰ σώζει καὶ λῃστὴν συσταυ ρούμενον, ἀλλὰ σκοτίζει πᾶν τὸ ὁρώμενον. ὄξος ποτίζεται, χολὴν βρωματίζεται· τίς; ὁ τὸ ὕδωρ εἰς οἶνον μεταβαλών, ὁ τῆς πικρᾶς γεύσεως καταλυτής, ὁ γλυκασμὸς καὶ ὅλος ἐπιθυμία. παραδίδωσι τὴν ψυχήν, ἀλλ' ἐξουσίαν ἔχει πάλιν λαβεῖν αὐτήν, ἀλλὰ καταπέτασμα ῥήγνυται, τὰ γὰρ ἄνω παραδείκνυται, ἀλλὰ πέτραι σχίζονται, ἀλλὰ νεκροὶ ἐγείρονται. ἀποθνήσκει, ζωο ποιεῖ δέ, καὶ καταλύει τῷ θανάτῳ τὸν θάνατον. θάπτεται, ἀλλ' ἀνίσταται. εἰς ᾅδου κάτεισιν, ἀλλ' ἀνάγει ψυχάς, ἀλλ' εἰς οὐρανοὺς ἄνεισιν, ἀλλ' ἥξει κρῖναι ζῶντας καὶ νεκρούς, καὶ τοὺς τοιούτους βασανίσαι λόγους. εἰ ταῦτα ἐμποιεῖ σοι τῆς πλάνης τὴν ἀφορμήν, ἐκεῖνά σου λύει τὴν πλάνην.

21 Ταῦτα τοῖς αἰνιγματισταῖς παρ' ἡμῶν, οὐχ ἑκόντων μέν· οὐ γὰρ ἡδὺ τοῖς πιστοῖς ἀδολεσχία καὶ λόγων ἀντίθεσις, ἀρκεῖ γὰρ καὶ εἷς ἀντικείμενος· πλὴν ἀναγκαίως διὰ τοὺς ἐμπίπτοντας, ἐπεὶ καὶ διὰ τὰς νόσους τὰ φάρμακα, ἵν' εἰδῶσι μὴ πάντα ὄντες σοφοὶ μηδὲ ἀήττητοι τὰ περιττὰ καὶ κενοῦντα τὸ εὐαγγέλιον. ὅταν γὰρ τὸ τοῦ λόγου δυνατὸν προβαλλώμεθα, τὸ πιστεύειν ἀφέντες, καὶ τὸ τοῦ πνεύματος ἀξιόπιστον ταῖς ζητήσεσι λύσωμεν, εἶτα ἡττηθῇ τοῦ μεγέθους τῶν πραγμάτων ὁ λόγος, -ἡττηθήσεται δὲ πάντως, ἀπὸ ἀσθενοῦς ὀργάνου τῆς ἡμετέρας διανοίας ὁρμώμενος, -τί γίνεται; τὸ ἀσθενὲς τοῦ λόγου τοῦ μυστηρίου φαίνεται· καὶ οὕτω κένωσις τοῦ σταυροῦ τὸ τοῦ λόγου κομψὸν ἀναδείκνυται, ὡς καὶ Παύλῳ δοκεῖ. ἡ γὰρ πίστις τοῦ καθ' ἡμᾶς λόγου πλήρωσις. ὁ δὲ ἀναγ γέλλων συνδέσμους, καὶ λύων κρατούμενα, ὁ καὶ ἡμῖν ἐπὶ νοῦν ἀγαγὼν διαλῦσαι στραγγαλιὰς βιαίων δογμάτων, μάλιστα μὲν καὶ τούτους μεταβαλὼν ποιήσειεν πιστοὺς ἀντὶ τεχνολόγων, καὶ Χριστιανοὺς ἀνθ' ὧν νῦν ὀνομάζονται. τοῦτο δὴ καὶ παρακαλοῦμεν· δεόμεθα ὑπὲρ Χριστοῦ· καταλλάγητε τῷ θεῷ, καὶ τὸ πνεῦμα μὴ σβέννυτε· μᾶλλον δέ, καταλλαγείη Χριστὸς ὑμῖν, καὶ τὸ πνεῦμα ὀψὲ γοῦν ἀναλάμψειεν. εἰ δὲ λίαν ἔχοιτε φιλονείκως, ἀλλ' ἡμεῖς γε σώζοιμεν ἡμῖν αὐτοῖς τὴν τριάδα, καὶ ὑπὸ τῆς τριάδος σωζοίμεθα,