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to gods that are not so by nature. But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and beggarly elements, whose slaves you want to be once more? For what God have they known if Christ, in whom they have believed, is not God by nature? And if they have worshipped a man, they are caught in the snares of their former error. Or is what I say not true? {Β} It is indeed. {Α} See, then, how from necessary reasonings we are now almost unwillingly driven to the necessity of wisely worshipping the Son as God by nature, even in the form that appeared among us, since the union into one is not powerless to remove what at times perhaps causes offense leading to the suspicion of his mere humanity. {Β} How do you say? {Α} For the nature of the Word, having assumed the human, will not be mere humanity, but rather, overcoming what was assumed by its own glory, it is preserved in the unshakable permanence of its God-befitting renown. Thinking these things, the disciples worshipped him, saying: "Truly you are the Son of God," although they saw him walking and in flesh like us; for he ran over the top of the wave miraculously as God. {Β} And who was it that said to the woman in Samaria: "You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know"? Then how can he who is numbered with the worshippers be worshipped? {Α} And yet, my friend, you often cry out this little word, "Who then," a word I know not how invented by the foolish. For Christ is not divided at all. But he who spoke to the woman was the one and only Lord Jesus Christ, composed ineffably of the worshipping humanity and the worshipped divinity, just as one might in fact say of him in another way. For inasmuch as he is God, he would be understood to be the Lord of glory himself, but inasmuch as he became a man glorified by participation from God, he also needed glory, saying: "Father, glorify your Son." But "One Lord, one faith, one baptism," as it is written. Therefore, just as there is one faith, that in Christ, and truly one baptism, although we are baptized and have believed in the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, in the same way and manner, I think, there is one worship of the Father and of the incarnate Son and of the Holy Spirit. For the Only-Begotten will by no means be excluded from the need to be worshipped both by us and by the holy angels, even if he became flesh and dwelt among us, and has been named the firstborn among many brethren. Since what, then, would be the reason for faith in him? How is this not worth considering? For I do not think that those who would choose to think rightly would say that we have believed only in the Word born of God, stripping him of the flesh. Nor, again, will we omit to say this; for it shall be said. {Β} What is it you say? {Α} For faith is not directed as to one of us, nor yet as to a man, but <as> to God by nature and truly in the person of Christ. And the wise Paul writing will support this argument: "For we do not preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus as Lord." "and ourselves your servants for Christ's sake, because the God who said, 'Let light shine out of darkness,' is the one who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of his glory in the face of <Jesus> Christ." Behold, clearly and plainly the light of the knowledge of God the Father has shone forth in the person of Christ. Therefore he also said: "He who has seen me has seen the Father," and "I and the Father are one." But the divine character is not bodily, but in power and most God-befitting glory. And this was pure in Christ; and he deigned to be known through these things, and through the excellence of the things done he wished his hearers to leap up to conceptions about him, while the visible flesh gently belittled him. "For if I am not doing the works of my Father," he says, "do not believe me." "But if I do them, even though you do not believe me, believe the

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τοῖς μὴ φύσει θεοῖς. Νυνὶ δὲ γνόντες Θεόν, μᾶλλον δὲ γνωσθέντες ὑπὸ Θεοῦ, πῶς ἐπιστρέφετε πάλιν ἐπὶ τὰ ἀσθενῆ καὶ πτωχὰ στοιχεῖα, οἷς πάλιν ἄνωθεν δουλεύειν θέλετε; Ποῖον γὰρ ἔτι Θεὸν ἐγνώκασιν εἰ μὴ φύσει Θεὸς ὁ Χριστὸς εἰς ὃν πεπιστεύκασι; Καὶ εἰ λελατρεύκασιν ἀνθρώπῳ, τοῖς τῆς ἀρχαίας πλανήσεως ἐνέχονται βρόχοις. Ἢ οὐκ ἀληθὲς ὅ φημι; {Β} Πάνυ μὲν οὖν. {Α} Ἄθρει δὴ οὖν ὅπως ἐξ ἀναγκαίων ἤδη συλλογισμῶν μονονουχὶ καὶ οὐχ ἑκόντες συνωθούμεθα πρός γε τὸ δεῖν ἐμφρόνως ὡς Θεῷ τῷ κατὰ φύσιν προσκυνεῖν τῷ Υἱῷ, καὶ ἐν τῷ καθ' ἡμᾶς πεφηνότι σχήματι, τῆς εἰς ἑνότητα συνδρομῆς οὐκ ἀνικάνως ἐχούσης εἰς τὸ ἀφανίσαι τυχὸν τὸ καὶ ἔσθ' ὅτε λυποῦν εἰς ἀνθρωπότητος ὑποψίαν. {Β} Πῶς ἔφης; {Α} Προσλαβοῦσα γὰρ ἡ τοῦ Λόγου φύσις τὸ ἀνθρώπινον, οὐκ ἀνθρωπότης ἔσται ψιλή, νικῶσα δὲ μᾶλλον ἰδίᾳ δόξῃ τὸ προσληφθέν, ἐν ἀκλονήτῳ σῴζεται διαμονῇ τῆς θεοπρεποῦς εὐκλείας. Ταυτὶ φρονοῦντες οἱ μαθηταί, προσεκύνουν λέγοντες· Ἀληθῶς Θεοῦ Υἱὸς εἶ, καίτοι βάδην ἰόντα βλέποντες καὶ ἐν σαρκὶ καθ' ἡμᾶς· ἐπ' ἄκρου γὰρ δὴ διέθει κύματος παραδόξως ὡς Θεός. {Β} Καὶ τίς ἦν ὁ λέγων πρὸς τὴν ἐν τῇ Σαμαρείᾳ γυναῖκα· Ὑμεῖς προσκυνεῖτε ὃ οὐκ οἴδατε, ἡμεῖς προσκυνοῦμεν ὃ οἴδαμεν; Εἶτα πῶς ἔσται προσκυνητὸς ὁ τοῖς προσκυνοῦσι συντεταγμένος; {Α} Καὶ μήν, ὦ φιλότης, τὸ Τίς δὴ τοῦτο πλειστάκις ἀναφωνεῖς τὸ λεξείδιον, οὐκ οἶδ' ὅπως τοῖς ἀσυνέτοις 702 ἐξευρημένον. Μεμέρισται γὰρ οὐδαμῶς ὁ Χριστός. Ὁ δὲ τῷ γυναίῳ προσλαλῶν, ὁ εἷς τε καὶ μόνος Κύριος ἦν Ἰησοῦς ὁ Χριστός, ἔκ τε τῆς προσκυνούσης ἀνθρωπότητος καὶ ἐκ τῆς προσκυνουμένης θεότητος συγκείμενος ἀπορρήτως, καθάπερ ἀμέλει φαίη τις ἂν καὶ ἑτέρως περὶ αὐτοῦ. Ἧ μὲν γάρ ἐστι Θεός, νοοῖτ' ἂν ὑπάρχων αὐτὸς ὁ τῆς δόξης Κύριος, ᾗ δὲ γέγονεν ὁ κατὰ μέθεξιν τὴν παρὰ Θεοῦ δοξαζόμενος ἄνθρωπος, ἐδεῖτο καὶ δόξης, λέγων· Πάτερ, δόξασόν σου τὸν Υἱόν. Ἀλλ' Εἷς Κύριος, μία πίστις, ἓν βάπτισμα, κατὰ τὸ γεγραμμένον. Ὥσπερ οὖν ἐστι μία πίστις, ἡ εἰς Χριστόν, καὶ ἓν ἀληθῶς τὸ βάπτισμα, καίτοι βαπτιζομένων καὶ πεπιστευκότων ἡμῶν εἰς Πατέρα καὶ Υἱὸν καὶ ἅγιον Πνεῦμα, κατὰ τὸν αὐτόν, οἶμαι, τρόπον τε καὶ λόγον, μία προσκύνησις Πατρὸς καὶ ἐνανθρωπήσαντος Υἱοῦ καὶ ἁγίου Πνεύματος. Ἐξωσθήσεται γὰρ οὐδαμῶς τοῦ προσκυνεῖσθαι δεῖν πρός τε ἡμῶν αὐτῶν καὶ τῶν ἁγίων ἀγγέλων ὁ Μονογενής, καὶ εἰ γέγονε σὰρξ καὶ ἐσκήνωσεν ἐν ἡμῖν, κεχρημάτικέ τε πρωτότοκος ἐν πολλοῖς ἀδελφοῖς. Ἐπεὶ τίς ἂν γένοιτο λοιπὸν ὁ τῆς ἐπ' αὐτῷ πίστεως λόγος, πῶς οὐκ ἄξιον ἰδεῖν; Οὐδὲ γάρ, οἶμαι, φαῖεν ἂν οἵπερ ἂν ἕλοιντο φρονεῖν ὀρθῶς ὡς εἰς μόνον πεπιστεύκαμεν τὸν ἐκ Θεοῦ φύντα Λόγον, ἀπογυμνοῦντες αὐτὸν τῆς σαρκός. Οὐδ' αὖ ἐκεῖνο παρήσομεν εἰπεῖν· λελέξεται γάρ. {Β} Τὸ τί δὴ φής; {Α} Οὐ γὰρ ὡς εἰς ἕνα τῶν καθ' ἡμᾶς, οὔτε μὴν ὡς εἰς ἄνθρωπον ἡ πίστις, ἀλλ' <ὡς> εἰς Θεὸν πράττεται τὸν φύσει καὶ ἀληθῶς ἐν προσώπῳ Χριστοῦ. Συλλήψεται δὲ τῷ λόγῳ καὶ ὁ σοφὸς γράφων Παῦλος· Οὐ γὰρ ἑαυτοὺς κηρύσσομεν, ἀλλὰ Χριστὸν Ἰησοῦν Κύριον. Ἑαυτοὺς δὲ δούλους ὑμῶν διὰ Χριστοῦ, ὅτι ὁ Θεὸς ὁ εἰπὼν ἐκ σκότους φῶς λάμψαι, ὃς ἔλαμψεν ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις ἡμῶν πρὸς φωτισμὸν τῆς γνώσεως τῆς δόξης αὐτοῦ ἐν προσώπῳ <Ἰησοῦ> Χριστοῦ. Ἰδοὺ δὴ σαφῶς τε καὶ ἐναργῶς ὁ φωτισμὸς τῆς γνώσεως τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ Πατρὸς ἐν προσώπῳ διέλαμψε τοῦ Χριστοῦ. Τοιγάρτοι καὶ ἔφασκεν· Ὁ ἑωρακὼς ἐμὲ ἑώρακε τὸν Πατέρα, ἐγὼ καὶ ὁ Πατὴρ ἕν ἐσμεν. Χαρακτὴρ δὲ ὁ θεῖος οὐ σωματικός, ἀλλ' ἐν δυνάμει καὶ δόξῃ τῇ θεοπρεπεστάτῃ. Τοῦτο δὲ ἦν ἀκραιφνὲς ἐν Χριστῷ· γνωρίζεσθαί τε καὶ διὰ τούτων ἠξίου, καὶ διὰ τῆς τῶν δρωμένων ὑπεροχῆς εἰς ἐννοίας ἀναθρώσκειν τὰς ἐπ' αὐτῷ τοὺς ἀκροωμένους ἤθελε, κατασμικρυνούσης αὐτὸν ἠρέμα τῆς ὁρωμένης σαρκός. Εἰ γὰρ οὐ ποιῶ τὰ ἔργα τοῦ Πατρός 703 μου, φησί, μὴ πιστεύετέ μοι. Εἰ δὲ ποιῶ, κἂν ἐμοὶ μὴ πιστεύητε, τοῖς