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Do not be afraid, Mary; for behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will call his name Jesus. And I think that this new name was given to the Word by the Father through the voice of the angel. For a prophetic oracle also proclaimed thus beforehand: And they will call his name the new name which the Lord will name it. {A} When, therefore, the Son, co-eternal with the Father and Only-begotten before all ages, became man in the last times of the age, and was born of a woman, and was appointed a son, and was called also firstborn, and became among many brothers, then the Father by nature also appoints the name, 700 following, so to speak, the laws of fatherhood. For you would gladden us by understanding best the way of the economy. {B} The same one, then, is both only-begotten and firstborn. {A} For do not suppose in yourself that it is otherwise than so, my good man. For indeed the Only-begotten as God is firstborn among us according to an economic union, and among many brothers as man, so that we too, as in him and through him, might be sons of God both by nature and by grace. By nature, as in him alone, but by participation and by grace, we are through him in the Spirit. Just as, then, being only-begotten became proper to the humanity in Christ because it was united to the Word according to an economic agreement, so also being among many brothers and being firstborn became proper to the Word because it was united to flesh. Having, therefore, his being as God established, and always existing superior to change, he does not depart from his own glory. Therefore, the holy and all-blessed multitude of the spirits above has been commanded, along with us, to worship him. For it was indeed very likely that they would refuse worship, and hesitate to honor what they saw as the lowliness of humanity, and not deign to glorify him who <became> as we are for our sakes, departing as far as possible from seeming to be deceived. For the mystery concerning Christ was still unseen even by them, but the Spirit revealed it to them, and did not permit the sanctified ones to be impious. Therefore the divine Paul says: And when he brings the Firstborn into the world, he says: And let all the angels of God worship him. For he who by natural property surpassed the whole world, existing outside of it as God, has entered into it, having appeared as a part of the world as man, yet not for this reason has he been deprived of his divine glory. For he is worshipped as Only-begotten even if he is called firstborn, a title which is clearly most fitting to the measures of humanity. {B} Shall we then worship Emmanuel as a man? {A} May it not be. This is already nonsense and deceit and error. And we shall differ in no way from those who have served the creation rather than the Creator and Maker, who exchanged the truth of God for a lie, according to what is written, with whom, if we should think alike, we will also surely hear in company: Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for a likeness of an image of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and reptiles. 701 For shall we not ourselves also be co-workers and like-minded with those mentioned, exchanging the glory of God for a lie in the likeness of an image of corruptible man, if we offer worship to Emmanuel as to a mere man and one of us? {B} Very much so. {A} What then? Will not the multitude of angels above also be ranked with those who have come to this point of madness? {B} Necessarily. {A} And we shall place, I suppose, an indelible indictment for being deceived upon the flock of the nations, and the harm of the ancient accusations will be hard to wash away. For it errs, I think, even now, and no less than of old, and has been ignorant of the path that leads straight. And the blessed Paul seems superfluous, addressing them and saying: But at that time, not knowing God, you were enslaved

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Μὴ φοβοῦ, Μαριάμ· ἰδοὺ γὰρ συλλήψῃ ἐν γαστρὶ καὶ τέξῃ υἱόν, καὶ καλέσεις τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ Ἰησοῦν. Καινὸν δὲ οἶμαι τουτὶ παρὰ τοῦ Πατρὸς ὄνομα δεδόσθαι τῷ Λόγῳ διὰ τῆς ἀγγέλου φωνῆς. Προανεκεκράγει γὰρ οὕτω καὶ χρησμῴδημα προφητικόν· Καὶ καλέσουσι τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ τὸ καινὸν ὃ ὁ Κύριος ὀνομάσει αὐτό. {Α} Ὅτε τοίνυν ὁ συναΐδιος τῷ Πατρὶ καὶ πρὸ παντὸς αἰῶνος Υἱὸς καὶ Μονογενὴς ἐν ἐσχάτοις τοῦ αἰῶνος καιροῖς γέγονεν ἄνθρωπος, γεγέννηται δὲ διὰ γυναικός, καὶ ὡρίσθη μὲν υἱός, κεχρημάτικε δὲ καὶ πρωτότοκος, καὶ γέγονεν ἐν πολλοῖς ἀδελφοῖς, τότε καὶ ὁ φύσει πατὴρ ὁρίζει τοὔνομα, 700 τοῖς τῆς πατρότητος, ἵν' οὕτως εἴπωμεν, ἑπόμενος νόμοις. Εὐφραίνοις γὰρ ἡμᾶς ἄριστα συνεὶς τῆς οἰκονομίας τὸν τρόπον. {Β} Ὁ αὐτὸς οὖν ἄρα καὶ μονογενής ἐστι καὶ πρωτότοκος. {Α} Μὴ γὰρ οἴου κατὰ σαυτὸν ἑτεροίως ἔχειν ἢ οὕτως, ὦ τᾶν. Ὁ γάρ τοι Μονογενὴς ὡς Θεὸς πρωτότοκος ἐν ἡμῖν καθ' ἕνωσιν οἰκονομικήν, καὶ ἐν πολλοῖς ἀδελφοῖς ὡς ἄνθρωπος, ἵνα καὶ ἡμεῖς ὡς ἐν αὐτῷ τε καὶ δι' αὐτὸν υἱοὶ Θεοῦ φυσικῶς τε καὶ κατὰ χάριν. Φυσικῶς μὲν ὡς ἐν αὐτῷ τε καὶ μόνῳ, μεθεκτῶς δὲ καὶ κατὰ χάριν ἡμεῖς δι' αὐτοῦ ἐν Πνεύματι. Ὥσπερ οὖν γέγονεν ἴδιον τῆς ἀνθρωπότητος ἐν Χριστῷ τὸ μονογενὲς διὰ τὸ ἡνῶσθαι τῷ Λόγῳ κατὰ σύμβασιν οἰκονομικήν, οὕτως ἴδιον τοῦ Λόγου τὸ ἐν πολλοῖς ἀδελφοῖς καὶ τὸ πρωτότοκος διὰ τὸ ἡνῶσθαι σαρκί. Ἐρηρεισμένον δ' οὖν ἔχων τὸ εἶναι Θεός, καὶ τροπῆς ἀμείνων ὑπάρχων ἀεί, τῆς ἰδίας οὐκ ἐξοίχεται δόξης. Τοιγάρτοι κεκέλευσται μεθ' ἡμῶν καὶ αὐτὴ τῶν ἄνω πνευμάτων ἡ ἁγία τε καὶ παμμακαρία πληθὺς προσκυνεῖν αὐτῷ. Ἦν γὰρ δήπου καὶ μάλα εἰκὸς ἀνήνασθαι τὴν προσκύνησιν, καὶ κατοκνῆσαι τιμᾶν τὸ τῆς ἀνθρωπότητος ὁρῶντας σμικροπρεπές, καὶ τὸν δι' ἡμᾶς <γενόμενον> καθ' ἡμᾶς οὐκ ἀξιῶσαι δοξολογεῖν, ἀποφοιτῶντας ὡς ἀπωτάτω τοῦ πεπλανῆσθαι δοκεῖν. Ἄποπτον γὰρ καὶ αὐτοῖς ἦν ἔτι τὸ ἐπὶ Χριστῷ μυστήριον, ἐξεκάλυπτε δὲ τὸ Πνεῦμα αὐτοῖς, καὶ δυσσεβεῖν οὐκ ἠφίει τοὺς ἡγιασμένους. Τοιγάρτοι φησὶν ὁ θεσπέσιος Παῦλος· Ὅταν δὲ εἰσαγάγῃ τὸν Πρωτότοκον εἰς τὴν οἰκουμένην, λέγει· Καὶ προσκυνησάτωσαν αὐτῷ πάντες ἄγγελοι Θεοῦ. Ὁ γὰρ ἰδιότητι φυσικῇ τῆς οἰκουμένης ἁπάσης διενεγκών, ἔξω τε αὐτῆς ὑπάρχων ὡς Θεός, εἰσβέβηκεν εἰς αὐτήν, μέρος κόσμου πεφηνὼς ὡς ἄνθρωπος, πλὴν οὐ διὰ τοῦτο τῆς θείας ἀπώλισθε δόξης. Προσκυνεῖται γὰρ ὡς Μονογενὴς καὶ εἰ καλοῖτο πρωτότοκος, ὅπερ ἐστὶν ἐναργῶς τοῖς τῆς ἀνθρωπότητος μέτροις ὅτι μάλιστα πρέπον. {Β} Ἄρ' οὖν ὡς ἄνθρωπον προσκυνήσομεν τὸν Ἐμμανουήλ; {Α} Μὴ γένοιτο. Λῆρος ἤδη τουτὶ καὶ ἀπάτη καὶ πλάνησις. ∆ιοίσομεν δὲ κατ' οὐδὲν τῶν τῇ κτίσει λελατρευκότων παρὰ τὸν Κτίστην καὶ Ποιητήν, οἵτινες μετήλλαξαν τὴν ἀλήθειαν τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐν τῷ ψεύδει, κατὰ τὸ γεγραμμένον, οἷς εἰ φρονήσαιμεν ἀδελφά, καὶ συνακουσόμεθα πάντως· Φάσκοντες εἶναι σοφοὶ ἐμωράνθησαν καὶ ἤλλαξαν τὴν δόξαν τοῦ ἀφθάρτου Θεοῦ ἐν ὁμοιώματι εἰκόνος φθαρτοῦ ἀνθρώπου καὶ πετεινῶν καὶ τετραπόδων καὶ ἑρπετῶν. 701 Ἦ γὰρ οὐχὶ καὶ ἡμεῖς αὐτοὶ καὶ ἰσουργοὶ καὶ σύμφρονες τοῖς μνημονευθεῖσιν ἐσόμεθα, τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ δόξαν ἐν τῷ ψεύδει μεταλλάττοντες ἐν ὁμοιώματι εἰκόνος φθαρτοῦ ἀνθρώπου, εἰ ὡς ἀνθρώπῳ ψιλῷ καὶ ἑνὶ τῶν καθ' ἡμᾶς προσοίσομεν τὴν προσκύνησιν τῷ Ἐμμανουήλ; {Β} Καὶ μάλα. {Α} Τί δέ; Οὐχὶ καὶ αὐτὴ τῶν ἀγγέλων ἡ ἄνω πληθὺς τοῖς εἰς τοῦτο μανίας ἥκουσι συντετάξεται; {Β} Ἀνάγκη. {Α} Ἀνεξίτητον δέ, οἶμαί που, τὴν ἐπὶ τῷ πεπλανῆσθαι γραφὴν καὶ τῇ τῶν ἐθνῶν ἀγέλῃ περιθήσομεν, καὶ δυσαπόνιπτον ἕξει τῶν ἀρχαίων αἰτιαμάτων τὸ βλάβος. Πλανᾶται γάρ, οἶμαι, καὶ νῦν καὶ οὐδὲν ἧττον ἢ πάλαι, καὶ τὴν εἰς εὐθὺ διαστείχουσαν ἠγνόηκε τρίβον. Καὶ περιττός, ὡς ἔοικεν, ὁ μακάριος Παῦλος προσφωνῶν τε αὐτοῖς καὶ λέγων· Ἀλλὰ τότε μὲν οὐκ εἰδότες Θεόν, ἐδουλεύσατε