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having partaken of a birth. But since it was also necessary for him to deposit in our nature the power of the resurrection from the dead, he again becomes the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep and the firstborn from the dead, the first to loose through himself the pains of death, so that for us too the way might be prepared for the regeneration from death, through the resurrection of the Lord the pain of death being loosed, in which we were held captive. Therefore, just as by partaking of the regeneration through the font he becomes the firstborn of brothers, and again, by making himself the firstfruits of the resurrection, he is named the firstborn from the dead, so, holding the first place in all things after all the old things have passed away, as the apostle says, he becomes the firstborn of the new creation of men in Christ, through the twofold regeneration, both that according to holy baptism and that from the resurrection of the dead, having become for us the author of life in each respect, both firstfruits and firstborn. 82 This firstborn, therefore, also has brothers, concerning whom he says to Mary, "Go and tell my brothers, I am ascending to my Father and your Father, and to my God and your God." For the whole purpose of the economy according to man is summed up through these words. For men, having fallen away from God, served those who by nature are not gods, and being children of God 83 they were appropriated by the evil one and the falsely-named father.

For this reason the mediator between God and men, having taken up the firstfruits of all human nature, sends the declarations to his brothers not from his divine person, but from ours, saying: 'I am going through myself to make the true Father, from whom you were separated, your Father, and to make through myself the true God, from whom you fell away, your God; for through the firstfruits, which I have taken up, I bring all humanity in myself to God and the Father.' 84 Therefore, since the firstfruits made the true God its God and the good Father its Father, the good is accomplished for the whole nature, and through the firstfruits he becomes the Father and God of all men. But if the firstfruits are holy, he says, so is the whole lump. And where the firstfruits [Christ] are, and Christ is the firstfruits, there also are those who are Christ's, as the apostle says. In those places, therefore, where he has made mention of the firstborn by conjunction, mentioning the dead and creation and brothers, he suggests that we understand these and such things; but where without such an addition he says, "And when he again brings the firstborn into the world, he says," the addition of 'again' signifies the manifestation of the Lord 85 of all things which will happen at the end. For just as at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven and on earth and under the earth, although the Son does not have the human name by virtue of being the name which is above every name, so he says that the firstborn, so named for our sake, is to be worshipped by all the super-cosmic creation, entering again into the world, when he will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples in uprightness. Thus the meaning of 'firstborn' and that of 'only-begotten' are distinguished by the word of piety, the appropriate significance being preserved for each of the names. But how does he who traces the name 'firstborn' back to the pre-eternal existence preserve the concept of 86 'only-begotten'? Let the prudent hearer consider whether these things are consistent with one another, since 'firstborn' is not understood without brothers, nor 'only-begotten' with brothers. For when he says, "In the beginning was the Word," through this we have understood the only-begotten; but when he adds, "The Word became flesh," through this we have received the firstborn in our thought. And thus the word of piety remains unconfused, preserving for each of the names its proper significations, so that in the only-begotten we see the pre-eternal, and through the firstborn of creation the manifestation through flesh of the pre-eternal.

87 But let us again take up the statement of Eunomius word for word. We believe also in the Son of God, the only-begotten God, the firstborn of all creation, the Son

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μετεσχηκότας γεννήσεως. ἐπειδὴ δὲ καὶ τῆς ἐκ νεκρῶν ἀναστάσεως ἔδει αὐτὸν ἐναποθέσθαι τῇ φύσει τὴν δύναμιν, πάλιν γίνεται ἀπαρχὴ τῶν κεκοιμημένων καὶ πρωτότοκος ἐκ τῶν νεκρῶν ὁ πρῶτος δι' ἑαυτοῦ λύσας τὰς ὠδῖνας τοῦ θανάτου, ὥστε καὶ ἡμῖν ὁδοποιηθῆναι τὴν ἐκ τοῦ θανάτου παλιγγενεσίαν, διὰ τῆς τοῦ κυρίου ἀνα στάσεως τῆς ὠδῖνος τοῦ θανάτου λυθείσης, ἐν ᾧ κατειχό μεθα. ὥσπερ οὖν μετασχὼν τῆς διὰ τοῦ λουτροῦ ἀναγεν νήσεως ἀδελφῶν πρωτότοκος γίνεται, καὶ πάλιν ἀπαρχὴν τῆς ἀναστάσεως αὑτὸν ποιήσας πρωτότοκος ἐκ τῶν νεκρῶν ὀνομάζεται, οὕτως ἐν πᾶσι πρωτεύων μετὰ τὸ παρελθεῖν τὰ ἀρχαῖα πάντα, καθώς φησιν ὁ ἀπόστολος, τῆς καινῆς ἐν Χριστῷ κτίσεως τῶν ἀνθρώπων πρωτότοκος γίνεται, διὰ τῆς διπλῆς παλιγγενεσίας, τῆς τε κατὰ τὸ ἅγιον βάπτισμα καὶ τῆς ἐκ νεκρῶν ἀναστάσεως, ἀρχηγὸς τῆς ζωῆς καθ' ἑκάτερον ἡμῖν γενόμενος καὶ ἀπαρχὴ καὶ πρωτότοκος. 82 οὗτος οὖν ὁ πρωτότοκος καὶ ἀδελφοὺς ἔχει, περὶ ὧν φησι πρὸς τὴν Μαρίαν ὅτι Πορεύθητι καὶ εἰπὲ τοῖς ἀδελφοῖς μου, πορεύομαι πρὸς τὸν πατέρα μου καὶ πατέρα ὑμῶν καὶ θεόν μου καὶ θεὸν ὑμῶν. ὅλον γὰρ τῆς κατὰ ἄν θρωπον οἰκονομίας ἀνακεφαλαιοῦται τὸν σκοπὸν διὰ τῶν εἰρημένων. ἀποστάντες γὰρ τοῦ θεοῦ οἱ ἄνθρωποι ἐδού λευσαν τοῖς φύσει μὴ οὖσι θεοῖς, καὶ ὄντες τέκνα θεοῦ 83 τῷ πονηρῷ τε καὶ ψευδωνύμῳ πατρὶ προσῳκειώθησαν.

∆ιὰ τοῦτο ὁ μεσίτης θεοῦ καὶ ἀνθρώπων πάσης τῆς ἀνθρω πίνης φύσεως τὴν ἀπαρχὴν ἀναλαβὼν οὐκ ἐκ τοῦ θείου προσώπου, ἀλλ' ἐκ τοῦ ἡμετέρου πέμπει τοῖς ἀδελφοῖς ἑαυτοῦ τὰ δηλώματα, λέγων ὅτι· πορεύομαι δι' ἐμαυτοῦ ποιῆσαι ὑμῶν πατέρα τὸν ἀληθινὸν πατέρα, οὗ ἐχωρίσθητε, καὶ ποιῆσαι δι' ἐμαυτοῦ θεὸν ὑμῶν τὸν ἀληθινὸν θεόν, οὗ ἀπέστητε· διὰ γὰρ τῆς ἀπαρχῆς, ἣν ἀνέλαβον, προσάγω ἅπαν τῷ θεῷ καὶ πατρὶ ἐν ἐμαυτῷ τὸ ἀνθρώπινον. 84 Τῆς οὖν ἀπαρχῆς θεὸν ἑαυτῆς ποιησαμένης τὸν ὄντα θεὸν καὶ πατέρα τὸν ἀγαθὸν πατέρα, πάσῃ κατορθοῦται τῇ φύσει τὸ ἀγαθὸν καὶ πάντων ἀνθρώπων γίνεται διὰ τῆς ἀπαρχῆς πατὴρ καὶ θεός. εἰ δὲ ἡ ἀπαρχὴ ἁγία, φησί, καὶ τὸ φύραμα. ὅπου δὲ ἡ ἀπαρχή [Χριστός], Χριστὸς δὲ ἡ ἀπαρχή, ἐκεῖ καὶ οἱ τοῦ Χριστοῦ, καθώς φησιν ὁ ἀπό στολος. ἐν οἷς οὖν διὰ συζυγίας τὴν μνήμην τοῦ πρωτο τόκου πεποίηται νεκρῶν τε καὶ κτίσεως καὶ ἀδελφῶν μνη μονεύσας, ταῦτα καὶ τὰ τοιαῦτα νοεῖν ὑποτίθεται· ὅπου δὲ δίχα τῆς τοιαύτης προσθήκης φησὶν Ὅταν δὲ πάλιν εἰσα γάγῃ τὸν πρωτότοκον εἰς τὴν οἰκουμένην, λέγει, ἡ τοῦ πάλιν προσθήκη τὴν ἐπὶ τέλει γενησομένην τοῦ δεσπότου 85 τῶν ὅλων ἐμφάνειαν προσαγορεύει. ὡς γὰρ ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι Ἰησοῦ πᾶν γόνυ κάμπτει, ἐπουρανίων καὶ ἐπιγείων καὶ καταχθονίων, καίτοι ὁ υἱὸς τὸ ἀνθρώπινον ὄνομα οὐκ ἔχει τῷ ὑπὲρ πᾶν εἶναι ὄνομα, οὕτως παρὰ πάσης τῆς ὑπερ κοσμίου κτίσεως προσκυνεῖσθαι τὸν πρωτότοκον λέγει τὸν δι' ἡμᾶς οὕτως ὠνομασμένον, πάλιν εἰς τὴν οἰκουμένην εἰσιόντα, ὅταν κρίνῃ τὴν οἰκουμένην ἐν δικαιοσύνῃ καὶ λαοὺς ἐν εὐθύτητι. οὕτω διακρίνεται παρὰ τοῦ λόγου τῆς εὐσεβείας τό τε τοῦ πρωτοτόκου καὶ τὸ τοῦ μονογενοῦς σημαινόμενον, ἑκατέρῳ τῶν ὀνομάτων τῆς καταλλήλου ση μασίας φυλασσομένης· ὁ δὲ εἰς τὴν προαιώνιον ὕπαρξιν ἀνάγων τοῦ πρωτοτόκου τὸ ὄνομα πῶς διασῴζει τὴν τοῦ 86 μονογενοῦς ἔννοιαν; ὁ συνετὸς ἀκροατὴς ἐπισκεψάσθω, εἰ συμβαίνει ταῦτα πρὸς ἄλληλα, μήτε τοῦ πρωτοτόκου χωρὶς ἀδελφῶν νοουμένου μήτε τοῦ μονογενοῦς μετὰ ἀδελφῶν. ὅταν μὲν γὰρ εἴπῃ ὅτι Ἐν ἀρχῇ ἦν ὁ λόγος, διὰ τούτου τὸν μονογενῆ ἐνοήσαμεν· ὅταν δὲ ἐπαγάγῃ ὅτι Ὁ λόγος σὰρξ ἐγένετο, διὰ τούτου τὸν πρωτότοκον τῇ διανοίᾳ παρε δεξάμεθα· καὶ οὕτως ἀσύγχυτος μένει τῆς εὐσεβείας ὁ λόγος, φυλάσσων ἑκατέρῳ τῶν ὀνομάτων τὰς προσφυεῖς σημασίας, ὡς ἐν μὲν τῷ μονογενεῖ βλέπειν τὸ προαιώνιον, διὰ δὲ τοῦ πρωτοτόκου τῆς κτίσεως τὴν διὰ σαρκὸς τοῦ προαιωνίου φανέρωσιν.

87 Πάλιν δὲ τοῦ Εὐνομίου τὸν λόγον ἐπὶ λέξεως ἀνα λάβωμεν. πιστεύομεν καὶ εἰς τὸν τοῦ θεοῦ υἱόν, τὸν μονογενῆ θεόν, τὸν πρωτότοκον πάσης κτίσεως, υἱὸν