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He said "brightness," that he might show that there too it is so said; and it is clear, as Light of Light. And not this only is shown, but that he also illuminated our souls. And through "brightness" he signified the equality of substance, and the nearness to the Father. Consider the subtlety of what is said; he took one substance and hypostasis for the representation of two hypostases; which he also does in the case of the knowledge of the Spirit. For just as he says that the knowledge of the Father and of the Spirit is one, as being truly one, and in no way distinct from itself; so also here he has taken hold of a single word for the declaration of the two hypostases. Then he added, "and express image." For the "express image" is something other than the original; but not entirely other, but in respect of being in its own hypostasis; since here also the "express image" denotes the exact likeness of that of which it is the express image, the likeness in all things. When therefore he calls him both "form" and "express image," what will they say? But man also is said to be an image of an image, he says. What then? In the same way as the Son? No, he says, but because an image does not show the likeness. And yet, in the way that man is said to be an image, it does show the likeness as in a man. For what God is in heaven, this man is on earth, I mean in respect of rule; and just as he rules over all things on earth, so also God rules over all things in heaven and on earth. But otherwise, man is not called "express image," is not called "brightness," is not called "form;" which implies the substance, or even the likeness in substance. Therefore, just as the "form of a servant" implies nothing other than a man in every respect; so also the "form of God" implies nothing other than God. "Who being the brightness," he says, "of his glory." See what Paul does. Having said, "Who being the brightness of his glory," he added again, "He sat down on the right hand of the Majesty;" what names he has used, having nowhere found a name for the substance itself. For neither "Majesty" nor "glory" presents the name which he wishes to say, but he cannot find a name 63.23. For this is what I was saying from the beginning, that often we understand something, and are not able to express it; since not even "God" is a name of substance, nor is it possible to find a name for that substance at all. And what wonder if this is so for God, when one cannot find a name indicative of substance even for an angel? and perhaps not even for a soul; for this name does not seem to me to be representative of its substance, but of its being cool. For one might see the same thing called both soul, and heart, and mind. For, "Create in me," he says, "a clean heart, O God." Not only these, but one might see it called spirit in many places. "And upholding all things by the word of his power." Do you see what he says? 3. How then, tell me, heretic, do you say, because it is said in Scripture, "God said, Let there be light," that the Father commanded, and the Son obeyed? But behold, here too he himself acts by a word; for "upholding all things," he says; that is, governing, holding together the things that are falling apart. For to hold together is not less than to make the world, but, if one must say something wonderful, even greater. For to bring something out of nothing is one thing; but to hold together and join to one another things that have come into being, which are about to depart into non-existence, being at variance with one another, this is the great and wonderful thing, and a proof of great power. Then, to show the ease, he said, "Upholding." He did not say, "Governing," from the metaphor of those who simply move something with their finger, and make it revolve. Here he showed both the bulk of creation to be great, and that what is great is nothing to him. Then again he shows the effortlessness, saying, "By the word of his power." Well did he say, "By the word"; for since with us a word seems to be bare, he shows that it is not bare in the case of God. But that he upholds by the word, he said, but how he upholds by the word he did not add; for it is not possible to know. Then he brought in what relates to his majesty. For so also has John done; for having said that he is God, he brought in the creation of the world. For what he signified, saying, "In the beginning was the Word," and, "All things were made by him," this he also [shows] through the word and
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ἀπαύγασμα εἶπεν αὐτὸς, ἵνα δείξῃ ὅτι κἀκεῖ οὕτως εἴρηται· δῆλον δὲ, ὡς φῶς ἐκ φωτός. Οὐ τοῦτο δὲ μόνον δείκνυται, ἀλλ' ὅτι καὶ ἐφώτισε τὰς ἡμετέρας ψυχάς. ∆ιὰ δὲ τοῦ ἀπαυγάσματος τὸ ἴσον ἐσήμανε τῆς οὐσίας, καὶ τὴν πρὸς τὸν Πατέρα ἐγγύτητα. Ἐννόησον τὴν λεπτότητα τῶν εἰρημένων· οὐσίαν μίαν ἔλαβε καὶ ὑπόστασιν εἰς δύο ὑποστάσεων παράστασιν· ὃ καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς γνώσεως τοῦ Πνεύματος ποιεῖ. Ὥσπερ γὰρ μίαν εἶναί φησι τὴν γνῶσιν τὴν τοῦ Πατρὸς καὶ τοῦ Πνεύματος, ὡς ὄντως μίαν, καὶ οὐδὲν πρὸς ἑαυτὴν διεστηκυῖαν· οὕτω καὶ ἐνταῦθα ἑνός τινος ἐπελάβετο ῥήματος εἰς τὴν τῶν δύο ὑποστάσεων δήλωσιν. Εἶτα ἐπήγαγεν, ὅτι Καὶ χαρακτήρ. Ὁ γὰρ χαρακτὴρ ἄλλος τίς ἐστι παρὰ τὸ πρωτότυπον· ἄλλος δὲ οὐ πάντη, ἀλλὰ κατὰ τὸ ἐνυπόστατον εἶναι· ἐπεὶ καὶ ἐνταῦθα ὁ χαρακτὴρ τὸ ἀπαράλλακτον δηλοῖ οὗ ἐστι χαρακτὴρ, τὸ ὅμοιον κατὰ πάντα. Ὅταν οὖν καὶ μορφὴν αὐτὸν καλῇ, καὶ χαρακτῆρα, τί ἐροῦσιν; Ἀλλὰ καὶ εἰκόνος εἴρηται εἰκὼν ὁ ἄνθρωπος, φησί. Τί οὖν; οὕτως ὡς ὁ Υἱός; Οὒ, φησὶν, ἀλλ' ὅτι εἰκὼν οὐ δείκνυσι τὸ ὅμοιον. Καίτοι γε καθ' ὃ εἴρηται ὁ ἄνθρωπος εἰκὼν, δείκνυσι τὸ ὅμοιον ὡς ἐν ἀνθρώπῳ. Ὅπερ γάρ ἐστιν ὁ Θεὸς ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ, τοῦτο ὁ ἄνθρωπος ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, κατὰ τὴν ἀρχὴν λέγω· καὶ ὥσπερ τῶν ἐπὶ γῆς πάντων οὗτος κρατεῖ, οὕτω καὶ ὁ Θεὸς πάντων κρατεῖ τῶν ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ καὶ τῶν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς. Ἄλλως δὲ, ὁ ἄνθρωπος οὐκ εἴρηται χαρακτὴρ, οὐκ εἴρηται ἀπαύγασμα, οὐκ εἴρηται μορφή· ὅπερ τὴν οὐσίαν ἐμφαίνει, ἢ καὶ ὁμοιότητα τὴν κατ' οὐσίαν. Ὥσπερ οὖν ἡ μορφὴ τοῦ δούλου οὐδὲν ἄλλο ἐμφαίνει ἢ ἄνθρωπον ἀπαράλλακτον· οὕτω καὶ ἡ μορφὴ τοῦ Θεοῦ οὐδὲν ἄλλο ἐμφαίνει ἢ Θεόν. Ὃς ὢν ἀπαύγασμα, φησὶ, τῆς δόξης. Ὅρα τὸν Παῦλον τί ποιεῖ. Εἰπών· Ὃς ὢν ἀπαύγασμα τῆς δόξης, ἐπήγαγε πάλιν· Ἐκάθισεν ἐν δεξιᾷ τῆς μεγαλωσύνης· ὀνόμασιν οἵοις κέχρηται, οὐδαμοῦ τῆς οὐσίας αὐτῆς ὄνομα εὑρών. Οὔτε γὰρ ἡ μεγαλωσύνη, οὔτε ἡ δόξα τὸ ὄνομα παρίστησιν, ὃ βούλεται εἰπεῖν, ἀλλ' οὐκ ἔχει ὄνομα 63.23 εὑρεῖν. Τοῦτο γάρ ἐστιν ὃ ἔλεγον ἐξ ἀρχῆς, ὅτι πολλάκις τινὰ νοοῦμεν, καὶ οὐ δυνάμεθα φράζειν· ἐπεὶ οὐδὲ τὸ, Θεὸς, ὄνομα οὐσίας ἐστὶν, οὐδὲ ἔστιν ὅλως τῆς οὐσίας ἐκείνης ὄνομα εὑρεῖν. Καὶ τί θαυμαστὸν εἰ ἐπὶ Θεοῦ, ὅπου γε οὐδὲ ἐπὶ ἀγγέλου εὕροι τις ἂν ὄνομα τῆς οὐσίας δηλωτικόν; τάχα δὲ οὐδὲ ἐπὶ ψυχῆς· οὐ γάρ μοι δοκεῖ τοῦτο τὸ ὄνομα παραστατικὸν εἶναι τῆς οὐσίας αὐτῆς, ἀλλὰ τοῦ ψύχειν. Τὴν γὰρ αὐτὴν καὶ ψυχὴν, καὶ καρδίαν, καὶ νοῦν καλουμένην ἴδοι τις ἄν. Καρδίαν γὰρ, φησὶ, καθαρὰν κτίσον ἐν ἐμοὶ, ὁ Θεός. Οὐ μόνον δὲ ταῦτα, ἀλλὰ καὶ πνεῦμα πολλαχοῦ ἴδοι τις ἂν λεγομένην αὐτήν. Φέρων τε τὰ πάντα τῷ ῥήματι τῆς δυνάμεως αὐτοῦ. Ὁρᾷς τί φησι; γʹ. Πῶς οὖν, εἰπέ μοι, λέγεις, αἱρετικὲ, διὰ τὸ λέγεσθαι παρὰ τῇ Γραφῇ· Εἶπεν ὁ Θεὸς, Γενηθήτω φῶς, ὅτι Πατὴρ ἐπέταξεν, ὁ δὲ Υἱὸς ἐπήκουσεν; Ἀλλ' ἰδοὺ καὶ ἐνταῦθα ῥήματι αὐτὸς ποιεῖ· Φέρων τε γὰρ, φησὶ, τὰ πάντα· τουτέστι, κυβερνῶν, τὰ διαπίπτοντα συγκρατῶν. Τοῦ γὰρ ποιῆσαι τὸν κόσμον οὐχ ἧττόν ἐστι τὸ συγκρατεῖν, ἀλλ', εἰ δεῖ τι καὶ θαυμαστὸν εἰπεῖν, καὶ μεῖζον. Τὸ μὲν γὰρ ἐξ οὐκ ὄντων ἐστί τι παράγειν· τὸ δὲ, τὰ γεγονότα εἰς τὸ μὴ εἶναι μέλλοντα ἀναχωρεῖν, συνέχειν τε καὶ συνάπτειν πρὸς ἄλληλα διαστασιάζοντα, τοῦτό ἐστι τὸ μέγα καὶ θαυμαστὸν, καὶ πολλῆς δυνάμεως τεκμήριον. Εἶτα καὶ τὸ εὔκολον δηλῶν εἶπε· Φέρων. Οὐκ εἶπε· Κυβερνῶν, ἀπὸ μεταφορᾶς τῶν ἁπλῶς τῷ δακτύλῳ τι κινούντων, καὶ ποιούντων περιφέρεσθαι. Ἐνταῦθα καὶ τὸν ὄγκον τῆς κτίσεως ἔδειξε μέγαν ὄντα, καὶ τὸ μέγα οὐδὲν αὐτῷ ὄν. Εἶτα πάλιν τὸ ἀπονητὶ δείκνυσιν, εἰπών· Τῷ ῥήματι τῆς δυνάμεως αὐτοῦ. Καλῶς εἶπε· Τῷ ῥήματι· ἐπειδὴ γὰρ τὸ ῥῆμα παρ' ἡμῖν ψιλὸν εἶναι δοκεῖ, δείκνυσιν ὅτι οὐκ ἔστι ψιλὸν ἐπὶ Θεοῦ. Ἀλλ' ὅτι μὲν τῷ ῥήματι φέρει, εἶπε, τὸ δὲ πῶς τῷ ῥήματι φέρει οὐκέτι προσέθηκεν· οὐδὲ γὰρ δυνατὸν εἰδέναι. Εἶτα ἐπήγαγε περὶ τῆς μεγαλειότητος αὐτοῦ. Οὕτω γὰρ καὶ ὁ Ἰωάννης πεποίηκεν· εἰπὼν γὰρ ὅτι Θεός ἐστιν, ἐπήγαγε τῆς κτίσεως τὴν δημιουργίαν. Ὅπερ γὰρ ἐκεῖνος ᾐνίξατο εἰπών· Ἐν ἀρχῇ ἦν ὁ Λόγος, καὶ, Πάντα δι' αὐτοῦ ἐγένετο, τοῦτο καὶ οὗτος διὰ τοῦ ῥήματος καὶ