and became a teacher of the others. For from the letter of Paulinus, the one who became his teacher would become very clear to us. 88 And yet if one must speak the truth about Origen, it is fitting to say this, that having just recently departed from the studies of philosophy, and having chosen to converse with the divine words before an accurate grasp of the scriptures, because of the great and ambitious nature of his secular education, he began to write sooner than was proper and was led astray by the arguments of philosophy, and on their account wrote some things not well. And it is clear; for still remembering the dogmas of Plato, and the distinction of principles in him, he wrote a book ON PRINCIPLES, and gave this title to the work. And the greatest proof of this is that he began his words not from anywhere else or from the title of the book, but from the sayings spoken by Plato; for at the beginning he wrote thus: 'those who have believed and are convinced'. You would find this saying, spoken thus, in Plato's Gorgias. 89 I ask those who read the saints, having truly received as it were the seeds and principles of this exegesis, to add more proofs to what has been said, so that the intentions of those who pervert the faith may be even more refuted. For truly "they abandoned the God who begot them, and they dug for themselves broken cisterns". 90 I think it follows to say a few things also about the image. For he has written: But another is he who was begotten from him, "who is the image of the invisible God". Asterius mentions an image of the invisible God for this reason, to teach that God differs from the Word as much as a man seems to differ from his own image. 91 For this reason he fittingly adds, "who is the image of the invisible God". When did he become an image, or at what time did he assume the form "after the image and likeness"? For previously, as I have often said, he was nothing other than Word. 92 Therefore, it is manifest that before the assumption of our body, the Word in himself was not the image of the invisible God. For it is fitting for the image to be seen, so that through the image that which was previously unseen can be seen. 93 How then has Asterius written that the Word of God is the image of the invisible God? For images are also indicative of those of whom they are images when they are absent, so that even the absent one seems to appear through them. But if, since God is invisible, it follows that the Word is also invisible, how can the Word in himself be an image of the invisible God, being himself also invisible? For it is impossible for the unseen ever to be revealed through the invisible. 94 Wherefore it is clear from every side that the flesh which was added to the Word was called the image of the invisible God by the holy apostle, so that through the visible the invisible might also appear. "He is the image," says the apostle, "of the invisible God". Now, clearly, when he assumed the flesh which was made in the image of God, he became a true image of the invisible God. For if through this image we have been deemed worthy to know the Word of God, we ought to believe the Word himself speaking through the image, "I and the Father are one". For it is not possible for anyone to know either the Word or the Father of the Word apart from this image. 95 So also the apostle says, as we mentioned a little before, "he emptied himself, taking the form of a servant," signifying to us through the form of the servant the human flesh, which our Master God, fashioning with his own wisdom, said, "Let us make man in our image and likeness," rightly naming the human flesh an image. For he knew precisely that it would be, a little later, the image of his own Word. 96 What then will he say to these things? For I do not think he has anything to say about this. For I do not think that he would confess clearly and openly to others what he himself hides in his own mind, as it is possible to learn clearly from what he has written. For one, he says, is the Father who begot from himself the only-begotten Word and firstborn of all creation, alone from alone, perfect from perfect, king from king,

καὶ τῶν ἄλλων γενόμενον διδάσκαλον. ἀπὸ γὰρ τῆς Παυλίνου ἐπιστολῆς ὁ κἀκείνου διδάσκαλος γεγονὼς εὔδηλος γένοιτ' ἂν ἡμῖν. 88 καίτοι εἰ δεῖ τἀληθὲς περὶ Ὠριγένους εἰπεῖν, τοῦτο προσήκει λέγειν, ὅτι ἄρτι τῶν κατὰ φιλοσοφίαν ἀποστὰς μαθημάτων, καὶ τοῖς θείοις ὁμιλῆσαι προελόμενος λόγοις πρὸ τῆς ἀκριβοῦς τῶν γραφῶν καταλήψεως, διὰ τὸ πολὺ καὶ φιλότιμον τῆς ἔξωθεν παιδεύσεως θᾶττον τοῦ δέοντος ἀρξάμενος [ὑπο]γράφειν ὑπὸ τῶν τῆς φιλοσοφίας παρήχθη λόγων, καί τινα δι' αὐτοὺς οὐ καλῶς γέγραφεν. δῆλον δέ· ἔτι γὰρ τῶν Πλάτωνος μεμνημένος δογμάτων, καὶ τῆς τῶν ἀρχῶν παρ' αὐτῷ διαφορᾶς, ΠΕΡΙ ΑΡΧΩΝ γέγραφεν βιβλίον, καὶ ταύτην τῷ συγγράμματι τὴν ἐπιγραφὴν ἔθετο. δεῖγμα δὲ τούτου μέγιστον τὸ μηδὲ ἄλλοθέν ποθεν τὴν ἀρχὴν τῶν λέξεων αὐτὸν ἢ τὴν ἐπιγραφὴν τοῦ βιβλίου ποιήσασθαι, ἀλλ' ἀπὸ τῶν Πλάτωνι λεχθέντων ῥημάτων· γέγραφεν γὰρ ἀρχόμενος οὕτως· οἱ πεπιστευκότες καὶ πεπεισμένοι. τοῦτο τὸ ῥητὸν οὕτως εἰρημένον εὕροις ἂν ἐν τῷ Γοργίᾳ Πλάτωνος. 89 ἀξιῶ δὲ τοὺς ἐντυγχάνοντας τῶν ἁγίων, ὡσπερεὶ σπέρματα καὶ ἀρχὰς τῆσδε τῆς ἐξηγήσεως ἀληθῶς εἰληφότας, πλείονας ἀποδείξεις προσθεῖναι τοῖς εἰρημένοις, ὥστε ἔτι μᾶλλον τὰς τῶν [περὶ] τὴν πίστιν διαστρεφόντων ἐλέγχεσθαι προαιρέσεις. ὄντως γὰρ θεὸν τὸν γεννήσαντα αὐτοὺς "ἐγκατέλιπον, καὶ ὤρυξαν ἑαυτοῖς λάκκους συντετριμμένους". 90 ἀκόλουθον ἡγοῦμαι βραχέα καὶ περὶ τῆς εἰκόνος εἰπεῖν. γέγραφεν γάρ· ἄλλος δέ ἐστιν ὁ ἐξ αὐτοῦ γεννηθείς, "ὅς ἐστιν εἰκὼν τοῦ θεοῦ τοῦ ἀοράτου". εἰκόνος διὰ τοῦτο μέμνηται θεοῦ ἀοράτου Ἀστέριος, ἵνα τοσοῦτον τὸν θεὸν τοῦ λόγου διαφέρειν διδάξῃ, ὅσον καὶ ἄνθρωπος τῆς ἑαυτοῦ εἰκόνος διαφέρειν δοκεῖ. 91 διὰ τοῦτο εἰκότως ἐπιφέρει "ὅς ἐστιν εἰκὼν τοῦ θεοῦ τοῦ ἀοράτου". πότε γενόμενος εἰκὼν ἢ ὁπηνίκα τὸ "κατ' εἰκόνα καὶ καθ' ὁμοίωσιν" ἀνείληφεν πλάσμα; πρότερον γάρ, ὥσπερ πολλάκις ἔφην, οὐδὲν ἕτερον ἦν ἢ λόγος. 92 οὐκοῦν πρόδηλον, ὅτι πρὸ τῆς τοῦ ἡμετέρου σώματος ἀναλήψεως ὁ λόγος καθ' ἑαυτὸν οὐκ ἦν εἰκὼν τοῦ ἀοράτου θεοῦ. τὴν γὰρ εἰκόνα ὁρᾶσθαι προσήκει, ἵνα διὰ τῆς εἰκόνος τὸ τέως μὴ ὁρώμενον ὁρᾶσθαι δύνηται. 93 πῶς οὖν εἰκόνα τοῦ ἀοράτου θεοῦ τὸν τοῦ θεοῦ λόγον Ἀστέριος εἶναι γέγραφεν; αἱ γὰρ εἰκόνες τούτων ὧν εἰσιν εἰκόνες καὶ ἀπόντων δεικτικαί εἰσιν, ὥστε καὶ τὸν ἀπόντα δι' αὐτῶν φαίνεσθαι δοκεῖν. εἰ δὲ τοῦ θεοῦ ἀοράτου ὄντος ἀόρατον εἶναι καὶ τὸν λόγον συμβαίνει, πῶς εἰκὼν τοῦ ἀοράτου θεοῦ ὁ λόγος καθ' ἑαυτὸν εἶναι δύναται, καὶ αὐτὸς ἀόρατος ὤν; ἀδύνατον γὰρ τὸ μὴ ὁρατὸν διὰ τοῦ ἀοράτου φανῆναί ποτε. 94 διὸ πανταχόθεν δῆλον εἰκόνα τοῦ ἀοράτου θεοῦ ὑπὸ τοῦ ἱεροῦ εἰρῆσθαι ἀποστόλου τὴν προσγενομένην τῷ λόγῳ σάρκα, ἵνα διὰ τοῦ ὁρατοῦ καὶ τὸ ἀόρατον φαίνηται. "εἰκὼν" δὲ "ἐστὶν" φησὶν ὁ ἀπόστολος "τοῦ ἀοράτου θεοῦ". νῦν δηλονότι, ὁπηνίκα τὴν κατ' εἰκόνα τοῦ θεοῦ γενομένην ἀνείληφεν σάρκα, εἰκὼν ἀληθὴς τοῦ ἀοράτου θεοῦ γέγονεν. εἰ γὰρ διὰ τῆς εἰκόνος ταύτης τὸν τοῦ θεοῦ λόγον ἠξιώθημεν γνῶναι, πιστεύειν ὀφείλομεν αὐτῷ τῷ λόγῳ διὰ τῆς εἰκόνος λέγοντι "ἐγὼ καὶ ὁ πατὴρ ἕν ἐσμεν". οὔτε γὰρ τὸν λόγον οὔτε τὸν πατέρα τοῦ λόγου χωρὶς τῆς εἰκόνος ταύτης γνῶναί τινα δυνατόν. 95 οὕτω γοῦν καὶ ὁ ἀπόστολός φησιν, ὥσπερ μικρῷ πρόσθεν ἔφαμεν "ἐκένωσεν ἑαυτὸν μορφὴν δούλου λαβών", διὰ τῆς μορφῆς τοῦ δούλου τὴν ἀνθρωπίνην ἡμῖν σημαίνων σάρκα, ἣν ὁ δεσπότης ἡμῶν θεὸς τῇ ἑαυτοῦ διαπλάττων σοφίᾳ "ποιήσωμεν ἄνθρωπον" ἔφη "κατ' εἰκόνα ἡμετέραν καὶ ὁμοίωσιν", καλῶς τὴν ἀνθρωπίνην σάρκα ὀνομάζων εἰκόνα. ᾔδει γὰρ ἀκριβῶς ὅτι εἰκὼν ἔσται μικρὸν ὕστερον τοῦ ἑαυτοῦ λόγου. 96 τί οὖν πρὸς ταῦτα λέξει; οὐ γὰρ οἶμαι αὐτὸν ἔχειν τι περὶ τούτου λέγειν. οὐδὲ γὰρ σαφῶς αὐτὸν καὶ ἀπαρακαλύπτως ἡγοῦμαι καὶ πρὸς ἑτέρους ὁμολογῆσαι ἄν, ὅπερ αὐτὸς ἐν τῇ ἑαυτοῦ κρύπτει διανοίᾳ, ὡς ἔστιν σαφῶς ἀφ' ὧν γέγραφεν μανθάνειν. ἄλλος μὲν γάρ, φησίν, ἐστὶν ὁ πατὴρ ὁ γεννήσας ἐξ αὑτοῦ τὸν μονογενῆ λόγον καὶ πρωτότοκον ἁπάσης κτίσεως, μόνος μόνον, τέλειος τέλειον, βασιλεὺς βασιλέα,