so that he might stop their so great a blasphemy. 102 How then, having not paid attention to these things, does Eusebius want the Savior to be only a man? Though not daring to say this openly, yet by wanting this he is convicted by his own sayings. 103 For before all creation there was a certain quietness, as is likely, the Word being in God. For if Asterius has believed God to be the maker of all things, it is clear that he himself will also agree with us that one always exists, never having taken a beginning of being, and that other things have been made by him and have been made from things that are not. For I do not think that he also believes him who says that some things are also uncreated, but is accurately persuaded that heaven and earth and all things that are in the heavens and on the earth have been made by God. If, therefore, he should believe this, it is necessary for him to agree also that besides God there was nothing else. Therefore the Word had his own glory, being in the Father. 104 Asterius calls the authority given to him glory, and not only glory but also pre-cosmic glory, not understanding that when the world had not yet come into being, there was nothing else besides God alone. 105 For the man has received not only the authority over things on earth, but also over those in the heavens, reasonably; for if when he became "man" and "mediator between God and men" at that time "all things were created" in him, as the apostle said, "both things in the heavens and things on the earth," it is consistent to know accurately that authority not only over things on earth has been given to him, but also over those in the heavens. 106 For if the holy Gospel speaks of some glory given to him by the Father, the man appears to have received this through the Word. For having become a "mediator," according to the holy apostle, "of both God and men," by the glory given to him from the Father he glorified godly men. 107 and he deemed it worthy for the man who fell through disobedience to be joined to his own Word through the virgin. For what other greater glory could there be among men than this glory? And having said "I have glorified you," he adds, saying "and I will glorify you again," so that through an excess of love for humanity, in the second glory after the resurrection of the flesh, he might make the formerly mortal man immortal and glorify him with so great a glory, that he might not only be freed from his former slavery, but also be deemed worthy of a glory beyond man. 108 so that, as I said, he might prepare the man who was formerly deceived by the devil to conquer the devil in turn. For this reason he has taken up the man, so that consequently he might prepare this one to receive the first fruits of authority. 109 For this is the beloved, the man united to the Word, concerning whom the evangelist said "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." 110 that the Word of the invisible God was about to be born of a virgin and to take up human flesh, and so that through it, having overcome the devil who had formerly prevailed over man, he might prepare him to become not only incorruptible and immortal, but also enthroned with God in the heavens. 111 The one, therefore, having descended and having taken on the flesh through the virgin 111 was established as king over the church, that is, so that through the Word the man who had formerly fallen away from the kingdom of the heavens might be able to obtain the kingdom. Therefore God, wanting this man, who had formerly fallen from the kingdom through disobedience, to become lord and god, accomplished this economy. Therefore the most holy prophet David says prophetically, "The Lord has reigned, let the earth rejoice." 112 For which reason, just as our Lord Christ received the beginning of his kingdom from a certain time, the prophecy says, "But I was established as king by him." 113 For this reason he will also reign, having come in human flesh, and the man who was formerly deceived, having been established as king through the Word, will abolish "every rule" of the devil "and power and authority." "For he must reign," it says, "until he puts his enemies under his feet." of the kingdom of our Lord Christ, therefore, this to be the end, says the

ἵνα παύσῃ αὐτῶν τὴν τοσαύτην βλασφημίαν. 102 πῶς οὖν τούτοις μὴ προσσχὼν Εὐσέβιος μόνον ἄνθρωπον τὸν σωτῆρα εἶναι βούλεται; οὐ φανερῶς μὲν τοῦτο λέγειν τολμῶν, τοῦτο δὲ βουλόμενος ὑπὸ τῶν ἰδίων ἐλέγχεται ῥήσεων. 103 πρὸ γὰρ τῆς δημιουργίας ἁπάσης ἡσυχία τις ἦν, ὡς εἰκός, ὄντος ἐν τῷ θεῷ τοῦ λόγου. εἰ γὰρ ποιητὴν ἁπάντων τὸν θεὸν ὁ Ἀστέριος πεπίστευκεν εἶναι, δῆλον ὅτι συνομολογήσει ἡμῖν καὶ αὐτὸς τὸν μὲν ἀεὶ ὑπάρχειν, μηδεπώποτε τοῦ εἶναι ἀρχὴν λαβόντα, τὰ δὲ γεγενῆσθαί τε ὑπ' αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐξ οὐκ ὄντων γεγενῆσθαι. οὐ γὰρ οἶμαι καὶ τοῦτο πιστεύειν αὐτὸν τῷ λέγοντι εἶναί τινα καὶ ἀγένητα, ἀλλὰ ἀκριβῶς πεπεῖσθαι ὅτι οὐρανός τε καὶ γῆ καὶ πάντα τὰ ἐν οὐρανοῖς καὶ ἐπὶ γῆς ὄντα ὑπὸ θεοῦ γεγένηται. εἰ τοίνυν τοῦτο πιστεύοι, ἀνάγκη αὐτὸν κἀκεῖνο συνομολογεῖν ὅτι πλὴν θεοῦ οὐδὲν ἕτερον ἦν. εἶχεν οὖν τὴν οἰκείαν δόξαν ὁ λόγος, ὢν ἐν τῷ πατρί. 104 τὴν δοθεῖσαν αὐτῷ ἐξουσίαν Ἀστέριος δόξαν ὀνομάζει, καὶ οὐ δόξαν μόνον ἀλλὰ καὶ προκόσμιον δόξαν, οὐκ ἐννοῶν ὅτι μήπω τοῦ κόσμου γεγονότος οὐδὲν ἕτερον ἦν πλὴν θεοῦ μόνου. 105 εἴληφεν γὰρ ὁ ἄνθρωπος οὐ μόνον τὴν ἐπὶ γῆς τῶν πραγμάτων ἐξουσίαν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν ἐν οὐρανοῖς, εἰκότως· εἰ γὰρ ὅτε καὶ "ἄνθρωπος" ἐγένετο καὶ "μεσίτης θεοῦ καὶ ἀνθρώπων" τότε εἰς αὐτὸν "ἐκτίσθη τὰ πάντα", ὡς ἔφη ὁ ἀπόστολος, "τά τε ἐν οὐρανοῖς καὶ τὰ ἐπὶ γῆς", ἀκόλουθόν ἐστιν ἀκριβῶς γινώσκειν ὅτι ἐξουσία οὐ μόνον τῶν ἐπὶ γῆς αὐτῷ, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν ἐν οὐρανοῖς δέδοται. 106 εἰ γὰρ περί τινος δόξης δοθείσης αὐτῷ παρὰ τοῦ πατρὸς τὸ ἱερὸν Εὐαγγέλιον λέγει, ταύτην ὁ ἄνθρωπος διὰ τοῦ λόγου εἰληφὼς φαίνεται. "μεσίτης" γὰρ γενόμενος κατὰ τὸν ἱερὸν ἀπόστολον "θεοῦ τε καὶ ἀνθρώπων" τῇ δοθείσῃ αὐτῷ παρὰ τοῦ πατρὸς δόξῃ τοὺς θεοσεβεῖς ἐδόξασεν ἀνθρώπους. 107 καὶ ἠξίωσεν τὸν πεσόντα διὰ τῆς παρακοῆς ἄνθρωπον τῷ ἑαυτοῦ διὰ τῆς παρθένου συναφθῆναι λόγῳ. ποία γὰρ ἐν ἀνθρώποις ἑτέρα μείζων δόξα γένοιτ' ἂν τῆς δόξης ταύτης; εἰπὼν δὲ ὅτι "ἐδόξασά σε", ἐπιφέρει λέγων "καὶ πάλιν δοξάσω", ἵνα δι' ὑπερβολὴν φιλανθρωπίας ἐν τῇ μετὰ τὴν ἀνάστασιν τῆς σαρκὸς δευτέρᾳ δόξῃ τὸν πρότερον θνητὸν ἄνθρωπον ἀθάνατον ἀπεργάσηται καὶ τοσαύτῃ αὐτὸν δοξάσῃ δόξῃ, ὥστε μὴ μόνον αὐτὸν τῆς προτέρας ἀπαλλαγῆναι δουλείας, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῆς ὑπὲρ ἄνθρωπον ἀξιωθῆναι δόξης. 108 ἵνα, ὡς ἔφην, ὑπὸ τοῦ διαβόλου ἀπατηθέντα πρότερον τὸν ἄνθρωπον αὐτὸν αὖθις νικῆσαι τὸν διάβολον παρασκευάσῃ. διὰ τοῦτο ἀνείληφεν τὸν ἄνθρωπον, ἵνα ἀκολούθως τοῦτον ἀπαρχὴν τῆς ἐξουσίας παραλαβεῖν παρασκευάσῃ. 109 οὗτος γάρ ἐστιν ὁ ἀγαπητός, ὁ τῷ λόγῳ ἑνωθεὶς ἄνθρωπος, περὶ οὗ ὁ εὐαγγελιστὴς ἔφη "οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ υἱός μου ὁ ἀγαπητός, ἐν ᾧ εὐδόκησα". 110 ὅτι ὁ λόγος τοῦ ἀοράτου θεοῦ διὰ παρθένου τεχθήσεσθαι ἔμελλεν καὶ τὴν ἀνθρωπίνην ἀναλήψεσθαι σάρκα, καὶ ἵνα δι' αὐτῆς τὸν πρότερον κατισχύσαντα τοῦ ἀνθρώπου διάβολον καταγωνισάμενος μὴ μόνον ἄφθαρτον αὐτὸν καὶ ἀθάνατον γενέσθαι παρασκευάσῃ, ἀλλὰ καὶ σύνθρονον ἐν οὐρανοῖς τῷ θεῷ. 111 ὁ γοῦν καταβὰς καὶ τὴν σάρκα διὰ τῆς παρθένου προσλαβὼν 111 κατεστάθη βασιλεὺς ἐπὶ τὴν ἐκκλησίαν, δηλονότι ἵνα διὰ τοῦ λόγου ὁ τῆς βασιλείας τῶν οὐρανῶν πρότερον ἐκπεπτωκὼς ἄνθρωπος βασιλείας τυχεῖν δυνηθῇ. τοῦτον οὖν τὸν ἄνθρωπον τὸν πρότερον διὰ τὴν παρακοὴν τῆς βασιλείας ἐκπεπτωκότα κύριον καὶ θεὸν γενέσθαι βουλόμενος ὁ θεὸς ταύτην τὴν οἰκονομίαν εἰργάσατο. ὁ οὖν ἁγιώτατος προφήτης ∆αυὶδ προφητικῶς λέγει "ὁ κύριος ἐβασίλευσεν, ἀγαλλιάσθω ἡ γῆ". 112 δι' ἣν αἰτίαν, ὥσπερ ἀρχὴν βασιλείας ἀπό τινος λαβόντος χρόνου τοῦ δεσπότου ἡμῶν Χριστοῦ, ἡ προφητεία φησὶν "ἐγὼ δὲ κατεστάθην βασιλεὺς ὑπ' αὐτοῦ". 113 διὰ τοῦτο γὰρ καὶ βασιλεύσει ἐν τῇ ἀνθρωπίνῃ σαρκὶ γενόμενος, βασιλεύς τε καταστὰς διὰ τοῦ λόγου ὁ ἀπατηθεὶς πρότερον ἄνθρωπος "πᾶσαν ἀρχὴν" τοῦ διαβόλου "καὶ δύναμιν καὶ ἐξουσίαν καταργήσει". "δεῖ γὰρ αὐτὸν βασιλεύειν" φησὶν "ἄχρι οὗ ἂν θῇ τοὺς ἐχθροὺς ὑπὸ τοὺς πόδας αὐτοῦ". τῆς τοίνυν τοῦ δεσπότου ἡμῶν Χριστοῦ βασιλείας τοῦτο τέλος εἶναί φησιν ὁ