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you have life in yourselves,” we understand that the Son of God and the Son of Man is one, being on the one hand eternal as God, and on the other hand having become in the last times as having become man. For how is He both Son of Man and has descended from heaven? 40 The blessed Paul, writing to the Hebrews, says: “In many and various ways God spoke of old to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son.” See how, while the prophets were also counted worthy of adoption, this One, in whom God has spoken to us in the last days, is not an adopted son, but a son by nature; for this reason He is also distinguished from the prophets. And it is clear; for he says: “whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the ages.” How does He, “through whom he created the ages,” become “heir of all things,” unless He is God and man? Inasmuch as He is God, He is creator of the ages; but inasmuch as He is man, He is appointed heir. “He is the radiance of the glory and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds all things by the word of his power. Having made purification for our sins by himself, he sat down at the right hand of the Power on high, having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.” See how He himself is “the radiance of the glory and the exact imprint of the Father's nature,” “who upholds the universe by the word of his power,” this one is appointed heir of all things and “has inherited a name” more excellent than that of the angels. How then is the same one both “the radiance of the glory” and upholds the universe and is appointed heir of all things and of the name, unless the same one who is God has become man? For these things are not said about one and another, but about one and the same Son of God, in whom “he has spoken to us in the last days.” 41 In all this, what is great and new and hidden, which was not made known to the generations? Or what riches or what ineffable wisdom or what surpassing love, if salvation came through a man? Or how could the mystery of the economy be called an emptying and an incarnation and an enfleshment, if we were not saved by the Son of God and God by nature, but by one of those under corruption who by grace obtained salvation with us? But if the Son of God, God by nature, did not in truth become man and deign to suffer all things, where is the emptying? How did He humble Himself, and what kind of incarnation is it not to become flesh? And if heavenly beings now worship a mere man along with earthly beings and bend the knee, how have matters not taken a turn for the worse? For long ago men worshipped only the creation, but now according to you, heavenly beings do so along with earthly and subterranean ones. But you, having your hope in a man and worshipping a man saved by grace, might rightly be called man-worshippers. But we worship and serve and “believe in one God, the Father Almighty, and in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father before all ages; Light of Light, true God of true God, of one substance with the Father, begotten of the Father before the ages and in the last times made flesh from the Holy Spirit and Mary the ever-virgin, and was made man and was crucified and suffered and was buried and rose again and ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father, and is coming again with glory to judge the living and the dead; of whose kingdom there will be no end. And in the Holy Spirit.” 42 That the one born of the holy virgin and crucified is Himself the pre-eternal Son of God, the divine chorus of the prophets first bears witness. For David cried out, saying: “Your throne, O God, is for ever and ever.” Behold, he speaks to God: “A scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom. You loved

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ἔχετε ζωὴν ἐν ἑαυτοῖς», συνίεμεν, ὡς εἷς ἐστιν ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ υἱὸς ἀνθρώπου, τὸ μὲν ὢν ἀιδίως ὡς θεός, τὸ δὲ γενόμενος ἐπ' ἐσχάτων ὡς ἐνανθρωπήσας. Ἐπεὶ πῶς υἱός τε ἀνθρώπου ἐστὶ καὶ ἐξ οὐρανοῦ καταβέβηκε; 40 Ὁ μακάριος Παῦλος γράφων Ἑβραίοις φησί· «Πολυμερῶς καὶ πολυτρόπως πάλαι ὁ θεὸς λαλήσας τοῖς πατράσιν ἐν τοῖς προφήταις ἐπ' ἐσχάτων τῶν ἡμερῶν τούτων ἐλάλησεν ἡμῖν ἐν υἱῷ.» Ὅρα, ὡς υἱοθεσίας μὲν καὶ οἱ προφῆται ἠξιωμένοι, οὗτος δὲ ὁ, ἐν ᾧ ἐπ' ἐσχάτων ἡμῖν ὁ θεὸς λελάληκεν, οὐ θετὸς υἱός, ἀλλὰ φύσει· διὸ καὶ διῄρηται τῶν προφητῶν. Καὶ δῆλον· φησὶ γάρ· «Ὃν ἔθηκε κληρονόμον πάντων, δι' οὗ καὶ τοὺς αἰῶνας ἐποίησε.» Πῶς «κληρονόμος πάντων» γίνεται ὁ, «δι' οὗ τοὺς αἰῶνας ἐποίησε», εἰ μὴ θεὸς εἴη καὶ ἄνθρωπος; Καὶ καθὸ μὲν θεός, ποιητής ἐστι τῶν αἰώνων· καθὸ δὲ ἄνθρωπος, κληρονόμος καθίσταται· «Ὃς ὢν ἀπαύγασμα τῆς δόξης καὶ χαρακτὴρ τῆς ὑποστάσεως αὐτοῦ φέρων τε τὰ πάντα τῷ ῥήματι τῆς δυνάμεως αὐτοῦ δι' ἑαυτοῦ, καθαρισμὸν τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν ἡμῶν ποιησάμενος ἐκάθισεν ἐν δεξιᾷ τῆς δυνάμεως ἐν τοῖς ὑψηλοῖς, τοσούτῳ κρείττων γενόμενος τῶν ἀγγέλων, ὅσῳ διαφορώτερον παρ' αὐτοὺς κεκληρονόμηκεν ὄνομα.» Ὅρα, ὡς αὐτός ἐστιν «ἀπαύγασμα τῆς δόξης καὶ χαρακτὴρ τῆς πατρικῆς ὑποστάσεως», «ὁ φέρων τὰ σύμπαντα τῷ ῥήματι τῆς δυνάμεως αὐτοῦ», οὗτος πάντων κληρονόμος καθίσταται καὶ τὸ τῶν ἀγγέλων ὑψηλότερον «κεκληρονόμηκεν ὄνομα». Πῶς οὖν ὁ αὐτὸς «ἀπαύγασμά τέ ἐστι τῆς δόξης» καὶ φέρει τὰ σύμπαντα καὶ κληρονόμος τῶν ἁπάντων καὶ τοῦ ὀνόματος καθίσταται, εἰ μὴ ὁ αὐτὸς θεὸς ὢν γέγονεν ἄνθρωπος; Οὐ γὰρ περὶ ἄλλου καὶ ἄλλου ταῦτα λέγεται, περὶ ἑνὸς δὲ καὶ τοῦ αὐτοῦ υἱοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ, ἐν ᾧ «ἡμῖν ἐπ' ἐσχάτων ἐλάλησεν». 41 Ἐπὶ πᾶσι τούτοις τί μέγα καὶ καινὸν καὶ ἀπόκρυφον, ὃ ταῖς γενεαῖς οὐκ ἐγνωρίσθη; Ἢ ποῖος πλοῦτος ἢ ποία ἀπόρρητος σοφία ἢ ποία ἀγάπης ὑπερβολή, εἰ δι' ἀνθρώπου ἡ σωτηρία γεγένηται; Ἢ πῶς κένωσις καὶ ἐνανθρώπησις καὶ σάρκωσις λεχθείη τὸ τῆς οἰκονομίας μυστήριον, εἰ οὐ δι' υἱοῦ θεοῦ καὶ φύσει θεοῦ σεσώσμεθα, ἀλλ' ὑφ' ἑνὸς τῶν ὑπὸ φθορὰν χάριτι μεθ' ἡμῶν λαχόντος τὸ σῴζεσθαι; Εἰ δὲ καὶ μὴ κατὰ ἀλήθειαν ὁ φύσει υἱὸς τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ θεὸς γέγονεν ἄνθρωπος καὶ πάντα παθεῖν κατεδέξατο, ποῦ ἡ κένωσις; Πῶς ἑαυτὸν ἐταπείνωσε, ποία δὲ σάρκωσις τὸ μὴ γενέσθαι σάρκα; Εἰ δὲ καὶ ψιλῷ ἀνθρώπῳ λατρεύει νῦν μετὰ τῶν ἐπιγείων τὰ ἐπουράνια καὶ γόνυ κάμπτει, πῶς οὐκ εἰς τὸ χεῖρον κατέστη τὰ πράγματα; Πάλαι γὰρ ἄνθρωποι μόνον τῇ κτίσει ἐλάτρευον, νῦν δὲ καθ' ὑμᾶς σὺν τοῖς ἐπιγείοις καὶ καταχθονίοις καὶ τὰ ἐπουράνια. Ἀλλ' ὑμεῖς μὲν τὴν ἐλπίδα ἐπ' ἄνθρωπον ἔχοντες καὶ ἀνθρώπῳ χάριτι σεσωσμένῳ λατρεύοντες ἀνθρωπολάτραι δικαίως ἂν ὀνομάζοισθε. Ἡμεῖς δὲ προσκυνοῦμεν καὶ λατρεύομεν καὶ «πιστεύομεν εἰς ἕνα θεὸν πατέρα παντοκράτορα καὶ εἰς ἕνα κύριον Ἰησοῦν Χριστὸν τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ θεοῦ τὸν μονογενῆ, τὸν ἐκ τοῦ πατρὸς γεννηθέντα πρὸ πάντων τῶν αἰώνων· φῶς ἐκ φωτός, θεὸν ἀληθινὸν ἐκ θεοῦ ἀληθινοῦ, ὁμοούσιον τῷ πατρί, πρὸ αἰώνων ἐκ πατρὸς γεννηθέντα καὶ ἐπ' ἐσχάτων τῶν χρόνων σαρκωθέντα ἐκ πνεύματος ἁγίου καὶ Μαρίας τῆς ἀειπαρθένου, καὶ ἐνανθρωπήσαντα καὶ σταυρωθέντα καὶ παθόντα καὶ ταφέντα καὶ ἀναστάντα καὶ ἀνελθόντα εἰς τοὺς οὐρανοὺς καὶ καθεζόμενον ἐν δεξιᾷ τοῦ πατρός, καὶ πάλιν ἐρχόμενον μετὰ δόξης κρῖναι ζῶντας καὶ νεκρούς· οὗ τῆς βασιλείας οὐκ ἔσται τέλος. Καὶ εἰς τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον.» 42 Ὅτι δὲ ὁ γεννηθεὶς ἐκ τῆς ἁγίας παρθένου καὶ σταυρωθεὶς αὐτός ἐστιν ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ θεοῦ ὁ προαιώνιος, μαρτυρεῖ πρῶτον μὲν ὁ τῶν προφητῶν θεῖος χορός. ∆αυὶδ μὲν γὰρ ἀνακέκραγε λέγων· «Ὁ θρόνος σου, ὁ θεός, εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τοῦ αἰῶνος.» Ἰδοὺ πρὸς τὸν θεὸν διαλέγεται· «Ῥάβδος εὐθύτητος ἡ ῥάβδος τῆς βασιλείας σου. Ἠγάπησας