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of the Word of God, whom no word could describe, Solomon proverbially says, "The Lord created me." For he was not so bold-hearted and presumptuous against God, who had forgiven and sympathized even after such great sins, as He does always with all and with him too. But if, as is indeed the case, he has any perception of the things that happen here, or of the things said by those of a different mind; I think that even before the lordly and eveningless day he would contradict them, and accuse, and oppose them, teaching that he never entertained such a suspicion concerning him. For he says that he himself knew, since he had sought and obtained wisdom above a kingdom, and had received the kingdom as an addition; and moreover that he had heard from his father David that, as life-giver and life, the Lord did not begin to exist according to the generation from above, and as life-giving and eternal light, co-existing and consubstantially shining forth from the paternal light, was not enlightened by another; but rather that he brought forth his discourse concerning worldly wisdom, that which is in words, in strategy, in medicine, in architecture, and simply that which is inherent in all wise men in every wondrous science. For truly, if one wishes to examine prudently and piously what precedes and what follows, "The Lord created me," he will quickly, and immediately, and from that very point find a great refutation. For he set forth before: "The beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord; and a good understanding have all they that do it;" and again: "By me kings reign, and princes decree justice; by me great men are magnified, and rulers by me hold sway over the earth." 39.809 Without wisdom, he says, which is the prudence, and intelligence, and excellence of speech given to us from above, nothing necessary is accomplished; for many and good thoughts escape the one who is deprived of it. But the man who partakes of this both fears God, as is right, and does things pleasing to Him, and legislates for man, and this one rules that one, and has acquired manifold things, and not only does he himself take pleasure in speaking and doing, but he also makes prudent those who listen to him, or who learn his work. And in what follows he set forth these things sporadically: "The Lord made the uninhabited lands, and the highest inhabited parts under heaven. When He prepared the heaven, I was present with Him; when He set apart His own throne upon the winds, when He made strong the clouds above, and when He set the springs under heaven as secure, in setting for the sea his decree." But He who made the earth from non-earth, and skillfully crafted the revolving circles of the heavens from non-heavens, and the sun completing its swift courses, shining everywhere in heaven and on earth, and simply revealed all things by a word, is the only-begotten Son, the Word of God, who is proclaimed the power of God, and the wisdom of God, and being these things of His unoriginate and true Father, having no beginning, as they teach, John on the one hand saying: "All things were made through Him;" and Paul writing to the Hebrews: "But to the Son He says: Your throne, O God, is for ever and ever." And in between he says: "And You, Lord, in the beginning laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the works of Your hands." So that it was not He, but rather another person who said all these things, and, "The Lord created me." Then he added: "And the waters shall not pass His mouth." Therefore, since wisdom was created, he is explaining about the intelligible mouth of the Creator, God the Word. And again: "When He made strong the foundations of the earth, I was by Him, fitting them together; I was she in whom he delighted daily; and I rejoiced in His presence at all times; when He rejoiced at having completed the world, and rejoiced in the sons of men." For the Creator, the Son, the Word, who both foreknew and was fore-able of all things, being long-suffering 39.812 also toward the unjust and ill-believing multitude and awaiting repentance, having completed all things, rejoiced in the wisdom inherent in His creations, and delighted in it, being gladdened by the

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Θεοῦ Λόγου, ὃν οὐκ ἂν δύναιτο δεῖξαι λόγος παροιμιάζεται Σολομὼν τὸ, «Κύριος ἔκτισέν με» Οὐ γὰρ θρασυκάρδιος οὕτως καὶ αὐθάδης κατὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐγένετο, τοῦ καὶ μετὰ τηλικαῦτα ἁμαρτήματα συγγνόντος καὶ συμπαθήσαντος, ὡς πᾶσιν ἀεὶ καὶ αὐτῷ. Ἀλλὰ καὶ εἴ τίς ἐστιν, ὥσπερ οὖν ἐστιν, αὐτῷ τῶν ἐνταῦθα γινομένων, ἢ παρὰ τῶν ἑτεροφρόνων λεγομένων αἴσθησις· οἶμαι αὐτὸν καὶ πρὸ τῆς κυρίας καὶ ἀνεσπέρου ἡμέρας ἀντιλέγειν αὐτοῖς, καὶ αἰτιᾶσθαι, καὶ ἀντικαθίστασθαι, διδάσκοντα μήτε ὑπόνοιάν ποτε τοιαύτην περὶ αὐτοῦ εἰληφέναι. Αὐτόν τε γάρ φησιν ἐπίστασθαι, ἅτε σοφίαν ὑπὲρ βασιλείαν ζητήσαντα, καὶ ἐπιτυχόντα, καὶ ἐν προσθήκης μέρει τὴν βασιλείαν κομισάμενον· καὶ μέντοι καὶ παρὰ τοῦ πατρὸς αὐτοῦ ∆αυῒδ ἀκηκοέναι, ὅτι ὡς ζωοποιὸς καὶ ζωὴ ὁ Κύριος τοῦ εἶναι κατὰ τὴν ἄνω γέννησιν οὐκ ἤρξατο, καὶ ὡς ζωόδοτον καὶ ἀΐδιον φῶς συνυφεστώτως καὶ ὁμοουσίως ἐκ τοῦ πατρικοῦ φωτὸς ἐκλάμψαν, ὑπ' ἄλλου οὐ πεφώτισται· ἀλλὰ γὰρ περὶ τῆς ἐγκοσμίου σοφίας τὸν λόγον ἐνηνοχέναι, τῆς ἐν λόγοις, τῆς ἐν στρατηγίᾳ, τῆς ἐν ἰατρικῇ, τῆς ἐν ἀρχιτεκτονικῇ, καὶ ἁπλῶς τῆς ἐν πάσῃ θαυμαστῇ ἐπιστήμῃ πᾶσι τοῖς σοφοῖς ἀνδράσιν ἐνυπαρχούσης. Καὶ γὰρ ὡς ἀληθῶς, εἴ τις σωφρόνως καὶ θεοσεβῶς τὰ προηγούμενα καὶ τὰ ἑπόμενα τοῦ, «Κύριος ἐκτισέν με,» θελήσῃ σκοπῆσαι· ταχέως, καὶ ἀμέσως, καὶ αὐτόθεν εὑρήσει πολὺν τὸν ἔλεγχον. Προέταξεν γάρ· «Ἀρχὴ σοφίας, φόβος Κυρίου· σύνεσις δὲ ἀγαθὴ πᾶσι τοῖς ποιοῦσιν αὐτήν·» καὶ πάλιν· «∆ι' ἐμοῦ βασιλεῖς βασιλεύουσιν, καὶ δυνάσται γράφουσιν δικαιοσύνην· δι' ἐμοῦ μεγιστᾶνες μεγαλύνονται, καὶ τύραννοι δι' ἐμοῦ κρατοῦσιν γῆς.» 39.809 Ἄνευ δὲ σοφίας, φησὶν, ἥτις ἐστὶν ἡ μεταδοθεῖσα ἡμῖν ἄνωθεν φρόνησις, καὶ νουνεχία, καὶ λόγων ἀρετὴ, οὐδὲν τῶν δεόντων κατορθοῦται· διαφεύγει γὰρ τὰ πολλὰ καὶ καλὰ τῶν νοημάτων τὸν ταύτης ἐστερημένον. Ὁ δὲ ταύτης μεταλαχὼν ἄνθρωπος τόν τε Θεὸν, ὡς χρὴ, φοβεῖται, καὶ φίλα αὐτῷ πράττει, καὶ ἀνθρώπῳ νομοθετεῖ, καὶ οὗτος κρατεῖ ἐκείνου, καὶ πολλαπλάσια ἐκτήσατο, καὶ οὐ μόνον λέγων αὐτὸς καὶ ποιῶν ἥδεται, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὺς ἀκροωμένους αὐτοῦ, ἢ ἔργον μανθάνοντας τὰ αὐτοῦ, σωφρονίζει. Ἐν δὲ τοῖς ἐφεξῆς ἐξέθετο σποράδην ταῦτα· «Κύριος ἐποίησεν χώρας ἀοικήτους, καὶ ἄκρα οἰκούμενα τῆς ὑπ' οὐρανόν. Ἡνίκα ἡτοίμαζε τὸν οὐρανὸν, συμπαρήμην αὐτῷ· ἡνίκα ἀφώριζε τὸν ἑαυτοῦ θρόνον ἐπ' ἀνέμων, ἡνίκα ἰσχυρὰ ἐποίει τὰ ἄνω νέφη, καὶ ὡς ἀσφαλεῖς ἐτίθει πηγὰς τῆς ὑπ' οὐρανὸν, ἐν τῷ τιθέναι αὐτὸν τῇ θαλάσσῃ ἀκριβασμὸν αὐτοῦ.» Ὁ δὲ ποιήσας τὴν γῆν ἐκ μὴ γῆς, καὶ καλῶς τεχνιτεύσας οὐρανῶν περιφερεῖς κύκλους ἐκ μὴ οὐρανῶν, καὶ τοὺς δρόμους ταχεῖς τελοῦντα ἥλιον πανταχοῦ οὐρανοῦ καὶ τῆς γῆς φαίνοντα, καὶ ἁπλῶς λόγῳ ἅπαντα φήνας, μονογενής ἐστιν Υἱὸς Λόγος τοῦ Θεοῦ, ὁ ἀνευφημηθεὶς Θεοῦ δύναμις, καὶ Θεοῦ σοφία, καὶ ὡς ταῦτα ὑπάρχων τοῦ ἀνάρχου καὶ ἀληθῶς αὐτοῦ Πατρὸς, μὴ ἔχων ἀρχὴν, καθὰ διδάσκουσιν, Ἰωάννης μὲν λέγων· «Πάντα δι' αὐτοῦ ἐγένετο·» Παῦλος δὲ Ἑβραίοις γράφων· «Πρὸς δὲ τὸν Υἱόν φησιν· Ὁ θρόνος σου, ὁ Θεὸς, εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τοῦ αἰῶνος.» Καὶ μεταξύ φησιν· «Καὶ σὺ κατ' ἀρχὰς, Κύριε, τὴν γῆν ἐθεμελίωσας, καὶ ἔργα τῶν χειρῶν σού εἰσιν οἱ οὐρανοί.» Ὥστε μὴ αὐτὸν, ἀλλὰ γὰρ ἕτερον εἶναι πρόσωπον τὸ πάντα ταῦτα, καὶ τὸ, «Κύριος ἔκτισέ με,» εἰρηκός. Εἶτ' ἐπήγαγεν· «Καὶ ὕδατα οὐ παρελεύσεται στόμα αὐτοῦ.» Ἄρα οὖν ὡς ἐκτίσθη σοφία, περὶ τοῦ νοητοῦ στόματος τοῦ δημιουργοῦ Θεοῦ Λόγου ἐξηγεῖται. Αὖθίς τε· «Ἡνίκα ἰσχυρὰ ἐποίει τὰ θεμέλια τῆς γῆς, ἤμην παρ' αὐτῷ ἁρμόζουσα· ἐγὼ ἤμην ᾗ προσέχαιρεν καθ' ἡμέραν· εὐφραινόμην δὲ ἐν προσώπῳ αὐτοῦ ἐν παντὶ καιρῷ· ὅτε εὐφραίνετο τὴν οἰκουμένην συντελέσας, καὶ ἐνευφραίνετο ἐν υἱοῖς ἀνθρώπων.» Ὁ γὰρ δημιουργὸς Υἱὸς Λόγος, ὁ πάντα μὲν προειδὼς καὶ προδυνάμενος, μακροθυ 39.812 μῶν τε καὶ ἐπὶ ἀδίκῳ καὶ κακοδόξῳ πλήθει καὶ περιμένων μετάνοιαν, συντελέσας τὰ πάντα, προσέχαιρε τῇ ἐνούσῃ τοῖς κτίσμασιν αὐτοῦ σοφίᾳ, καὶ ἐνευφραίνετο ἐν αὐτῇ, ἐπιγαννύμενος τῷ