John Chrysostom, On the Letter to the Hebrews

by saying, By whom also He made the worlds, he has shown; for he shows Him both to be the Creator, and to be before all ages. What then, when concerning the Father the Prophet says, From everlasting and to everlasting Thou art; but concerning the Son, that He is before all ages, and the Creator of all things, what can they say? Or rather, what was said of the Father, He who exists before the ages, might one see this said of the Son also? And as he says, Life was, signifying the power that sustains creation, that He Himself is the life of all; so also he says, And upholding all things by the word of His power; not as the Greeks, who, as far as in them lies, deprive Him both of creation itself and of providence, confining His power as far as the moon. For by Himself, he says, having made purification for our sins. Having spoken of those wonderful and great things, the highest things, he speaks next also 63.24 of His care for men. For indeed that also was a universal thing, the, Upholding all things; but yet this is far greater. And this too is universal; for His own part, He saved all; since John also, having said, Life was, and having signified His providence, says again, that He was also light, signifying this same thing. By Himself, he says, having made purification for our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high. He here sets down two very great proofs of His care: that He purified us from our sins, and that He did this by Himself. And in many places you see him glorying in this, not only in the reconciliation to God, but also in its having been wrought through the Son; for thus the great gift has become greater through the Son. For having said, He sat down on the right hand, and, Having by Himself made purification of our sins, and having reminded us of the Cross, he quickly introduced the discourse concerning the resurrection and the ascension. And see his unspeakable wisdom; he did not say, He was commanded to sit down; but, He sat down. Then again, lest you think Him to be standing, he adds, For to which of the angels said He at any time, Sit on My right hand? He sat down, he says, on the right hand of the Majesty on high. What is, On high? Does he confine God to a place? Far from it; he has not spoken thus that we should suppose this; but as when he said, On the right hand, he did not give Him a form, but showed His equality in honor with the Father; so by saying, On high, he did not shut Him up there, but represented Him as having ascended above all things; as if he had said, He reached the very throne of the Father. As then the Father is on high, so also is He; for the session shows nothing else than equality of honor. But if they say, that He said, Sit, we ask them, What then? Did He speak to one who was standing? But they would not be able to show this. Besides, he did not say that He commanded or enjoined, but that He said, Sit; and this for no other reason than that you might not think Him to be without beginning and without cause. For that He has spoken thus for this reason, is plain from the place of the seat; for if He had wished to show inferiority, He would not have said, At the right hand, but, At the left hand. Being made, he says, so much better than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they. The, Being made, here is, as one might say, instead of, being shown to be. Then he also strongly affirms it. From what? From the name. Do you see that he knows that the name, Son, signifies genuineness? And yet, if He were not a true Son, he would not have said this. How? Because He is genuine for no other reason than that He is of Him. From this, therefore, he argues strongly. But if He is Son by grace, He is not only not more excellent than, but even inferior to the angels; how? Because righteous men have also been called sons, and the name son, unless it be a genuine son, has no power to show the difference. And showing that there is a difference between things created and the Creator, hear what he says: For to which of the angels said He at any time, Thou art My Son, this day have I begotten Thee? and again, I will be to Him a Father, and He shall be to Me a Son? These things have been said indeed also with reference to the flesh; for the words, I will be to Him a Father, and He shall be 63.25 to Me a Son, belongs to the incarnation

τοῦ εἰπεῖν, ∆ι' οὗ καὶ τοὺς αἰῶνας ἐποίησεν, ἐνέφηνε· καὶ γὰρ καὶ δημιουργὸν, καὶ πρὸ πάντων ὄντα τῶν αἰώνων αὐτὸν δείκνυσι. Τί οὖν, ὅταν περὶ τοῦ Πατρὸς μὲν λέγῃ ὁ Προφήτης, Ἀπὸ τοῦ αἰῶνος καὶ ἕως τοῦ αἰῶνος σὺ εἶ· περὶ δὲ τοῦ Υἱοῦ, ὅτι πρὸ πάντων ἐστὶ τῶν αἰώνων, καὶ τῶν ἁπάντων ∆ημιουργὸς, τί ἂν εἴποιεν; μᾶλλον δὲ ὅπερ περὶ τοῦ Πατρὸς ἐλέγετο· Ὁ ὑπάρχων πρὸ τῶν αἰώνων, τοῦτο καὶ περὶ τοῦ Υἱοῦ ἴδοι τις ἂν εἰρημένον; Καὶ ὥσπερ ἐκεῖνός φησι· Ζωὴ ἦν, τὸ διακρατητικὸν τῆς κτίσεως δηλῶν, ὅτι πάντων αὐτός ἐστιν ἡ ζωή· οὕτω καὶ οὗτός φησι· Φέρων τε τὰ πάντα τῷ ῥήματι τῆς δυνάμεως αὐτοῦ· οὐ καθάπερ Ἕλληνες, καὶ τῆς δημιουργίας αὐτῆς, τό γε εἰς αὐτοὺς ἧκον, ἀποστεροῦντες αὐτὸν καὶ τῆς προνοίας, μέχρι σελήνης συγκλείοντες αὐτοῦ τὴν δύναμιν. ∆ι' ἑαυτοῦ γὰρ, φησὶ, καθαρισμὸν ποιησάμενος τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν ἡμῶν. Εἰπὼν περὶ τῶν θαυμαστῶν ἐκείνων καὶ μεγάλων, τῶν ἀνωτάτω, λέγει λοιπὸν καὶ 63.24 περὶ τῆς εἰς ἀνθρώπους αὐτοῦ κηδεμονίας. Μάλιστα μὲν γὰρ καὶ ἐκεῖνο καθολικὸν ἦν, τὸ, Φέρων τε τὰ πάντα· πλὴν ἀλλὰ τοῦτο πολλῷ μεῖζον. Καὶ τοῦτο δὲ καθολικόν· τὸ γὰρ αὐτοῦ μέρος, πάντας ἔσωσεν· ἐπεὶ καὶ ὁ Ἰωάννης εἰπών· Ζωὴ ἦν, καὶ τὴν πρόνοιαν αὐτοῦ δηλώσας, πάλιν λέγει, ὅτι Καὶ φῶς, τὸ αὐτὸ τοῦτο δηλῶν. ∆ι' ἑαυτοῦ, φησὶ, καθαρισμὸν ποιησάμενος τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν ἡμῶν, ἐκάθισεν ἐν δεξιᾷ τῆς μεγαλωσύνης ἐν ὑψηλοῖς. ∆ύο τίθησιν ἐνταῦθα τῆς κηδεμονίας αὐτοῦ τεκμήρια μέγιστα· τό τε καθαρίσαι τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν ἡμᾶς, καὶ τὸ δι' ἑαυτοῦ τοῦτο ποιῆσαι. Καὶ πολλαχοῦ ὁρᾷς αὐτὸν ἐπὶ τούτῳ σεμνυνόμενον, οὐ μόνον ἐπὶ τῇ καταλλαγῇ τῇ πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐπὶ τῷ διὰ τοῦ Υἱοῦ τοῦτο γεγενῆσθαι· καὶ γὰρ οὕτω τὸ μέγα δῶρον μεῖζον γεγένηται τῷ διὰ τοῦ Υἱοῦ. Εἰπὼν γάρ· Ἐκάθισεν ἐν δεξιᾷ, καὶ, Καθαρισμὸν δι' ἑαυτοῦ ποιησάμενος τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν ἡμῶν, καὶ ἀναμνήσας τοῦ σταυροῦ, ταχέως τὸν περὶ τῆς ἀναστάσεως καὶ τῆς ἀναλήψεως λόγον ἐπήγαγε. Καὶ ὅρα τὴν σύνεσιν αὐτοῦ τὴν ἄφατον· οὐκ εἶπεν· Ἐκελεύσθη καθίσαι· ἀλλ', Ἐκάθισεν. Εἶτα πάλιν, ἵνα μὴ νομίσῃς αὐτὸν ἑστάναι, ἐπάγει· Τίνι γὰρ τῶν ἀγγέλων εἶπέ ποτε, Κάθου ἐκ δεξιῶν μου; Ἐκάθισε, φησὶν, ἐν δεξιᾷ τῆς μεγαλωσύνης ἐν ὑψηλοῖς. Τί ἐστιν, Ἐν ὑψηλοῖς; εἰς τόπον περικλείει τὸν Θεόν; Ἄπαγε· οὐχ ἵνα τοῦτο ὑποπτεύσωμεν, οὕτως εἴρηκεν· ἀλλ' ὥσπερ εἰπών· Ἐν δεξιᾷ, οὐκ ἐσχημάτισεν αὐτὸν, ἀλλὰ τὸ ὁμότιμον ἔδειξε τὸ πρὸς τὸν Πατέρα· οὕτως εἰπών· Ἐν ὑψηλοῖς, οὐκ ἀπέκλεισεν αὐτὸν ἐκεῖ, ἀλλὰ πάντα ὑπεραναβεβηκότα· ὡσανεὶ ἔλεγεν, εἰς αὐτὸν ἔφθασε τὸν θρόνον τὸν πατρικόν. Ὥσπερ οὖν ὁ Πατὴρ ἐν ὑψηλοῖς, οὕτω καὶ αὐτός· ἡ γὰρ συνεδρία οὐδὲν ἕτερον δείκνυσιν, ἢ τὸ ὁμότιμον. Εἰ δὲ λέγουσιν, ὅτι εἶπε· Κάθου, ἐρώμεθα αὐτούς· Τί οὖν; ἑστῶτι εἶπεν; Ἀλλ' οὐκ ἂν ἔχοιεν δεῖξαι. Ἄλλως δὲ οὐκ εἶπεν, ὅτι ἐκέλευσεν ἢ προσέταξεν, ἀλλ' ὅτι Εἶπε, Κάθου· καὶ τοῦτο δι' οὐδὲν ἕτερον, ἀλλ' ἵνα μὴ ἄναρχον αὐτὸν νομίσῃς καὶ ἀναίτιον. Ὅτι γὰρ διὰ τοῦτο οὕτως εἴρηκε, δῆλον ἐκ τοῦ τόπου τῆς καθέδρας· εἰ γὰρ ἐλάττωσιν ἤθελε δηλῶσαι, οὐκ ἂν εἶπεν· Ἐκ δεξιῶν, ἀλλ', Ἐξ ἀριστερῶν. Τοσούτῳ κρείττων γενόμενος, φησὶν, ἀγγέλων, ὅσῳ διαφορώτερον παρ' αὐτοὺς κεκληρονόμηκεν ὄνομα. Τὸ, Γενόμενος, ἐνταῦθα ἀντὶ τοῦ, ἀποδειχθεὶς, ὡς ἂν εἴποι τις, ἐστίν. Εἶτα καὶ διισχυρίζεται. Πόθεν; Ἀπὸ τοῦ ὀνόματος. Ὁρᾷς ὅτι οἶδε τὸ, Υἱὸς,ὄνομα τὴν γνησιότητα δηλοῦν; Καὶ μὴν, εἰ μὴ γνήσιον ἦν, οὐκ ἂν τοῦτο εἶπε. Πῶς; Ὅτι δι' οὐδὲν ἕτερον γνήσιός ἐστιν, ἀλλ' ἢ τὸ ἐξ αὐτοῦ εἶναι. Ἀπὸ τούτου τοίνυν ἰσχυρίζεται. Εἰ δὲ χάριτί ἐστιν Υἱὸς, οὐ μόνον οὐ διαφορώτερος, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐλάττων ἐστὶν ἀγγέλων· πῶς; Ὅτι καὶ ἄνθρωποι δίκαιοι ἐκλήθησαν υἱοὶ, καὶ τὸ υἱὸς ὄνομα, ἂν μὴ γνήσιος ᾖ, οὐκ ἰσχύει δεῖξαι τὸ διάφορον. Καὶ δηλῶν ὅτι διαφορά τίς ἐστι κτισμάτων καὶ δημιουργοῦ, ἄκουσον τί φησι· Τίνι γὰρ εἶπέ ποτε τῶν ἀγγέλων, Υἱός μου εἶ σὺ, ἐγὼ σήμερον γεγέννηκά σε; καὶ πάλιν, Ἐγὼ ἔσομαι αὐτῷ εἰς Πατέρα, καὶ αὐτὸς ἔσται μοι εἰς Υἱόν; Ταῦτα εἴρηται μὲν καὶ εἰς τὴν σάρκα· τὸ γὰρ, Ἐγὼ ἔσομαι αὐτῷ εἰς Πατέρα, καὶ αὐτὸς ἔσται 63.25 μοι εἰς Υἱὸν, τῆς ἐνανθρωπήσεώς ἐστι