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wisdom is found everywhere through the best practices, which has said, "The Lord created"; so that even according to a forced interpretation, the one who became conformed to humanity. For by the decree of divine foreknowledge, this one existed before all creation, and he calls humanity 'creation' in a figurative sense, just as he also names the wisdom in the world, through what Paul says: "Be subject to every human creation for the Lord’s sake, whether to the king, as supreme, or to governors, as sent by him." 39.824 And yet to say, 'So-and-so perhaps created this,' or 'made a bishop,' or 'a clergy,' or 'an army,' does not mean that a substance was brought forth from non-being, although it has a word with the same name; but it calls those already existing, or the underlying matter, into a certain order, or such a position. And the Psalmist, prayed, crying out for the part that was in him, as if it were yet to be provided to him: "Create in me a clean heart, O God." And the most holy Paul writes things consonant and manifest to this: "If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; behold, the old things have passed away, all things have become new;" not by being newly created, but by shining forth for what is to come. And elsewhere: "that he might create the two into one new man;" instead of, bring together. And see if what was said to those renewed in baptism can also agree with us: "Put on the new man, who was created according to God;" and as many such sayings as one might find by searching. It is also written metaphorically concerning those who beget children: "He made sons and daughters;" and, "I have gotten," she says, "a man through God." And yet she speaks in terms of begetting, not creating. But if by concession "The Lord created me" must be taken as referring to the God from God, let it be remembered again, and again be said and believed by us, that for this reason he added: "And before all the hills he begets me;" so as to annul "he created me." For in divine decrees the latter things, as being better and more certain, everywhere abolish the former. Contending, therefore, against these things, they say nothing 39.825 trustworthy, nor true, nor do they hold it in store, but these heretics use some imported, incidental, and burdensome teaching, he who received from him the gift of theology, from the much-desired and long-suffering Savior, whose mercy fills the earth, and teaching what sort of opinion one must have concerning him, brought forth a common dogma for all men: "In the beginning was the Word;" that is, without beginning, which is unbegotten. The word "was" is unsurpassable, allowing no non-existence beyond it to be conceived, as was also said in the first book. "And the Word was with God;" instead of, He was incomparable in relation to the Father, unbegotten, and existed seeing within His unattainable divinity. For "He was with so-and-so" is understood not only as "He was with this one," but also comparatively, "He was in relation to this one." "And the Word was God;" that is, without cause; for a cause of God is impossible, it is not possible. "All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made;" instead of, he himself is also unbegotten; for once and for all he declared that every created thing was brought forth through him, as the uncreated maker. But in addition to these irrefutable points, there is also another counterargument, against which no one will be able to say anything else by way of argument, even in thought. For Aquila, one of the translators, rendered this scripture, which in Hebrew is Adonai kanoni, thus: "The Lord possessed me," not even he using the literal sense; for according to the precise meaning it is translated: "The Lord nested me;" that is, he begot. For properly, of those that spring from an egg, not of those that are created, is it said, "he nested," or "he sprang forth," and "he nests," 39.828 and "he springs forth;" and that which springs forth is not of a different substance from that by which it is sprung forth. So that both according to the word and according to the meaning, their problem departs from the truth. But some have rightly understood that "The Lord created me as the beginning of his ways" was said concerning the Church; in which the way of truth and wisdom is proclaimed; which the Apostle also called the body of Christ,

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ἀρίστοις ἐπιτηδεύμασι σοφίαν πανταχόθεν εὑρίσκεσθαι, τὸ, «Κύριος ἔκτισεν,» εἰρηκυῖαν· ὥστε καὶ κατὰ βιαίαν ἐκδοχὴν τὸν γενόμενον σύμμορφον τῇ ἀνθρωπότητι. Τῷ γὰρ τῆς θείας προγνώσεως ὅρῳ πρὸ πάσης κτίσεως ἐγένετο οὗτος, κτίσιν δὲ καταχρηστικῶς τὴν ἀνθρωπότητα, καθὰ καὶ τὴν ἐν κόσμῳ σοφίαν ὀνομάζει, δι' ὧν λέγει ὁ Παῦλος· «Ὑποτάγητε πάσῃ κτίσει ἀνθρωπίνῃ διὰ τὸν Κύριον, εἴτε βασιλεῖ, ὡς ὑπερέχοντι, εἴτε ἡγεμόσιν, ὡς δι' αὐτοῦ πεμπομένοις.» 39.824 Καὶ μέντοι τὸ εἰπεῖν· Ὁ δεῖνα τυχὸν ἔκτισε τόδε, ἢ ἐποίησεν ἐπίσκοπον, ἢ κλῆρον, ἢ στρατόπεδον, οὐκ οὐσίαν ἐκ μὴ ὄντων παρῆχθαι σημαίνει, καίτοι ὁμώνυμον ἔχοντα λέξιν· ἀλλὰ τοὺς ἤδη ὄντας, ἢ τὴν ὑφεστῶσαν ὕλην εἰς τάξιν τινὰ, ἢ τοιάνδε θέσιν καλεῖ. Καὶ ὁ Ὑμνῳδὸς τὸ ἐνυπάρχον αὐτῷ μόριον, ὡς ἔτι παρασχεθησόμενον αὐτῷ, ηὔχετο βοῶν· «Καρδίαν καθαρὰν κτίσον ἐν ἐμοὶ, ὁ Θεός.» Καὶ Παῦλος δὲ ὁ ὁσιώτατος συνῳδὰ τούτῳ καὶ προῦπτα γράφει· «Εἴ τις ἐν Χριστῷ καινὴ κτίσις· ἰδοὺ τὰ ἀρχαῖα παρῆλθεν, καινὰ γέγονε τὰ πάντα·» οὐ τῷ ἀρτίως κτισθῆναι, ἀλλὰ τῷ εἰς τὸ ἑξῆς ἐκλάμψαι. Καὶ ἑτέρωθι· «Ἵνα τοὺς δύο κτίσῃ εἰς ἕνα καινὸν ἄνθρωπον·» ἀντὶ τοῦ, συναγάγῃ. Ὅρα δὲ, εἰ συναίρεσθαι ἡμῖν δύναται καὶ τὸ λεχθὲν τοῖς ἐν τῷ βαπτίσματι ἀνακαινιζομένοις· «Ἐνδύσασθε τὸν καινὸν ἄνθρωπον, τὸν κατὰ Θεὸν κτισθέντα·» καὶ ὅσα εὕροι τις ἂν τοιουτοτρόπωτα λόγια διερευνώμενος. Γέγραπται δὲ μεταφορικῶς καὶ περὶ τῶν τεκόντων· «Ἐποίησεν υἱοὺς καὶ θυγατέρας·» καὶ, «Ἐκτησάμην,» φησὶν, «ἄνθρωπον διὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ.» Καὶ ὅμως γεννητικῶς, οὐ δημιουργικῶς λέγει. Εἰ δὲ κατὰ συγχώρησιν εἰς τὸν ἐκ Θεοῦ Θεὸν ἐκληπτέον τὸ, «Κύριος ἔκτισέ με,» ὑπομεμνήσθω πάλιν, καὶ πάλιν πρὸς ἡμῶν λεγέσθω καὶ πιστευέσθω, ὡς διὰ τοῦτο ἐπήγαγεν· «Πρὸ δὲ πάντων βουνῶν γεννᾷ με·» ὥστε ἀνελεῖν τὸ, «ἔκτισέ με.» Τὰ γὰρ δεύτερα ἐν θεσπίσμασιν, ὡς καλλίονα καὶ βεβαιότερα, παύει πανταχοῦ τὰ πρόσθεν. Ἀνταγωνιζόμενος δὴ οὖν τούτοις, οὐδὲν 39.825 ἀξιόπιστον, οὔτ' ἀληθὲς, οὔτε λέγουσιν, οὔτε ταμιευομένοις, ἐπεισάκτῳ δὲ, καὶ ἐπεισοδίῳ, καὶ ἐπαχθεῖ τινι διδασκαλίᾳ κεχρημένοις αἱρετικοῖς, ὁ παρ' αὐτοῦ τὸ δῶρον τῆς θεολογίας δεξάμενος τοῦ πολυποθήτου καὶ ἀνεξικάκου Σωτῆρος, οὗ τοῦ ἐλέους πλήρης ἡ γῆ, καὶ διδάσκων ὁποίαν τινὰ γνώμην δεῖ περὶ αὐτοῦ ἔχειν, κοινόν τε δόγμα εἰς ἅπαντας ἀνθρώπους ἐξήνεγκεν· «Ἐν ἀρχῇ ἦν ὁ Λόγος·» τοῦτ' ἔστιν ἄναρχος, ὅ ἐστιν ἀγένητος. Ἀνυπέρβατόν ἐστι τὸ, «ἦν,» οὐδεμίαν ἐπέκεινα αὐτοῦ ἀνυπαρξίαν συγχωροῦν ἐπινοεῖσθαι, καθὰ καὶ ἐν τῷ πρώτῳ εἴρηται βιβλίῳ. «Καὶ ὁ Λόγος ἦν πρὸς τὸν Θεόν·» ἀντὶ τοῦ, Κατὰ τὸν Πατέρα ἦν ἀσύγκριτος, ἀγένητος, καὶ εἴσω τῆς ἀνεφίκτου θεότητος αὐτοῦ ὁρῶν ὑπῆρχεν. Τὸ γὰρ, Πρὸς τόνδε ἦν, νοεῖται μόνον οὐχὶ, Μετὰ τοῦδε ἦν, ἀλλὰ καὶ συγκριτικῶς, Κατὰ τόνδε ἦν. «Καὶ Θεὸς ἦν ὁ Λόγος·» τοῦτ' ἔστιν, ἀναίτιος· Θεοῦ γὰρ αἰτία, ἀμήχανον, ἀδύνατον οὐκ ἔστιν. «Πάντα δι' αὐτοῦ ἐγένετο, καὶ χωρὶς αὐτοῦ ἐγένετο οὐδὲ ἕν·» ἀντὶ τοῦ, ἀγένητός τέ ἐστιν αὐτός· ἅπαξ γὰρ πᾶν κτιστὸν δι' αὐτοῦ, ὡς ἀκτίστου ποιητοῦ, ἀπεφήνατο παρῆχθαι. Πρὸς τοῖς ἀναντιῤῥήτοις δὲ τούτοις, ἔστι καὶ ἄλλο ἀντίθετον, καὶ ᾧ οὐδεὶς οὐδὲν μέχρι ἐνθυμήσεως ἄλλο πρὸς ἐπιχείρησιν εἰπεῖν δυνήσεται. Ἀκύλας μὲν γὰρ, ὁ εἷς τῶν ἑρμηνευτῶν, τὴν γραφὴν ταύτην ἔχουσαν Ἑβραϊστὶ, Ἀδωναεὶ κανόνι, ἐξέδωκεν οὕτως· «Κύριος ἐκτήσατό με,» οὐδὲ αὐτὸς κυριολεκτήσας· ἑρμηνεύεται γὰρ κατὰ τὸ ἀκριβές· «Κύριος ἐνόσσευσέ με·» τοῦτ' ἔστιν, ἔτεκεν. Κυρίως γὰρ ἐκ τῶν ἐξ ὠοῦ ἐκθορουμένων, οὐχὶ δὲ κτιζομένων, λέγεται τὸ, «ἐνόσσευσεν,» ἢ «ἐξέθορεν,» καὶ «νοσ 39.828 σεύει,» καὶ «ἐκθορεῖ·» τὸ δ' ἐκθοροῦν τῷ ὑπ' αὐτοῦ ἐκθορουμένῳ οὐχ ἑτεροούσιον. Ὥστε καὶ κατὰ τὴν λέξιν, καὶ κατὰ τὴν διάνοιαν ἀποχωρεῖ τὸ πρόβλημα αὐτῶν ἀπὸ τῆς ἀληθείας. Τινὲς δὲ τὸ, «Κύριος ἔκτισέ με ἀρχὴν ὁδῶν αὐτοῦ,» περὶ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας εἰρῆσθαι καλῶς ἐνόησαν· ἐν ᾗ τῆς ἀληθείας καὶ σοφίας ἡ ὁδὸς καταγγέλλεται· ἥντινα καὶ σῶμα τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐκάλεσεν ὁ Ἀπόστολος,