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to him; “Even if we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know him no longer,” the first glory of the Son being that according to which He is the Only-begotten God, the Word, the second being that according to the incarnation and after the first, according to which “He was sent against the nations that plundered” the people of God; the nations plundering those who have been made God’s own, who took him captive. 1.143 This happens with great goodness; for if as God, both eternal and unbegotten, he judged the impious, the whole universe would be done away with; but by condescending and not observing all the iniquities of those being judged, he bestows benefits rather than punishes. And indeed, the very act of threatening beforehand and announcing beforehand the painful things to those being punished through kindness and long-suffering, a place for repentance is given to those who wish to be outside of the impiety they have committed. 1.144 By the same goodness and love for humanity the descent of the Savior also happened, being seen according to the flesh, so that after these things “the glory of the Son from the Father, full of grace and truth” might be seen, so that by way and burial he might be “manifested in the flesh, justified in the spirit, seen by angels”; for thus “seen in the world, preached among the nations, he will be taken up in glory.” 1.145 Consider if the saying of Jeremiah, which goes thus, suggests this meaning: “This is our God, no other shall be accounted of in comparison with him. After this he was seen on earth and associated with men.” For such an association happening with men is a mission after the glory of him who is called God, being almighty; for he was not sent as almighty, but as one who “emptied himself” in a manner of condescension and “took the form of a servant.” 1.146 And what does he proclaim beforehand to those who are still under the nations plundering them? “He who touches you,” he says, “touches the apple of his own eye,” the one who strikes the just harms himself more than those whom he wishes to harm, similarly to one who strikes the pupil of his own eye. It is possible to support this theory from many places in scripture: Cain, wishing to harm Abel, killed himself before the one he intended to murder. This very thing also happened to Saul when he persecuted David in order to kill him, and to Absalom who tyrannically attacked his father. 1.147 In the prophetic text before us, “to touch” signifies to harm, and especially through what God himself says to those who murderously attack his people: “Do not touch my anointed ones, and do no evil to my prophets.” 1.148 “To touch” is used in a censurable sense in the passage: “It is good for a man not to touch a woman,” signifying to approach shamefully and licentiously. 1.149 From this word is also denoted to touch well, to make contact through touch, as in what was said by Jesus: “Someone touched me,” when the woman with the issue of blood, with a desire to be healed, touched him, grasping the fringe of Jesus’ garment. 1.150 With so many meanings of the word “to touch” having been suggested for the present case, the prophetic phrase now before us denotes harming through malice. He who sets out to do evil to those guarded by God touches the pupil of the eye of the inner man. But how he who touches the servants of God touches the pupil of his own eye is made clear by the saying: “I bring my hand upon them,” that is, the chastising power, so that they become spoils for those whom they formerly despoiled, leading them into captivity, so that they serve those over whom they themselves tyrannically ruled. 1.151 When this has happened, “you will know that I am the Lord Almighty, sent by the Lord Almighty” for the fulfillment of the things proclaimed beforehand. The Almighty sent from the Almighty is God the Word, coming to men “by the good pleasure of the Father”; for by the word by which the Father royally rules over all things which He made through His Word, by this also the Son rules over and reigns over all things which subsist in Him, pre-existing them. 1.152 By which

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αὐτῷ· «Εἰ καὶ ἐγνώκαμεν κατὰ σάρκα Χριστόν, ἀλλὰ νῦν οὐκέτ̣ι γινώσκομεν», πρώτης δόξης ὑπαρχούσης τοῦ Υἱοῦ καθ' ἣν Μονογενὴς Θεὸς Λόγος ἐστίν, τῆς κατὰ τὴν ἐνανθρώπησιν δευτέρας καὶ μετὰ τὴν πρώτην οὔσης, καθ' ἣν «ἀπεστάλη ἐπὶ τὰ ἔθνη τὰ σκυλεύσαντα» τὸν Θεοῦ λαόν· σκυλεύοντα δὲ ἔθνη τοὺς οἰκειωθέντας τῷ Θεῷ οἱ αἰχμάλωτον αὐτὸν λαβόντες. 1.143 Ἀγαθότητι δὲ πολλῇ τοῦτο γίνεται· εἰ γὰρ καθὸ Θεὸς ἀείδιός τε καὶ ἀγένητος ἔκρινεν τοὺς ἀσεβοῦντας, καὶ τὸ πᾶν ἐκποδὼν ἐγίνετο· συγκαταβαίνων δὲ καὶ μὴ παρατηρούμενος πάσας τὰς ἀνομίας τῶν δικαζομένων, εὐεργετεῖ μᾶλλον ἢ κολάζει. Καὶ αὐτὸ γοῦν τὸ προαπ̣ειλεῖν καὶ προαπαγγέλλειν τὰ ἐπίπονα τοῖς τιμωρουμε´̣νοις διὰ χρηστότητος καὶ μακροθυμίας τόπος μετανοίας δίδοτ̣αι τοῖς ἐθέλουσιν ἔξω ἧς ἐποίησαν ἀσεβείας γενέσθαι. 1.144 Τῇ αὐτῇ ἀγαθότητι καὶ φιλανθρωπίᾳ καὶ ἡ κάθοδος τοῦ Σωτῆρος γε´̣γονεν ὀφθέντος κατὰ σάρκα, ἵνα μετὰ ταῦτα ὀφθῇ «ἡ δόξα τοῦ Υἱοῦ π̣αρὰ Πατρός, πλήρης χάριτος καὶ ἀληθείας», ἵν' ὁδῷ καὶ ταφῇ «φανερωθῇ ἐν σαρκί, δικαιωθῇ ἐν πνεύματι, ὀφθῇ ἀγγέλοις»· οὕτω γὰρ «ο᾿̣φθεὶς ἐν κόσμῳ, κηρυχθεὶς ἐν ἔθνεσιν, ἀναλημφθήσεται ἐν δόξῃ». 1.145 Ἐπίστησον εἰ ταύτην τὴν νόησιν ὑποβάλλει τὸ τοῦ Ἰερεμίου ῥητὸν οὕτως ἔχον· «Οὗτος ὁ Θεὸς ἡμῶν, οὐ λογισθήσεται ἕτερος πρὸς αὐτόν. Μετὰ ταῦτα ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ὤφθη καὶ ἀνθρώποις συνανεστράφη.» Ἡ γὰρ τοιαύτη ἀναστροφὴ σὺν ἀνθρώποις γινομένη ἀποστολή ἐστιν ὀπίσω τῆς τοῦ θεολογουμένου δόξης παντοκράτορος ὄντος· οὐ γὰρ ᾗ παντοκράτωρ ἀπεστάλη, ἀλλ' ᾗ «κενώσας ἑαυτὸν» τρόπῳ συγκαταβάσεως «μορφὴν ἔλαβε δούλου». 1.146 Τί δὲ προαναφωνεῖ τοῖς ἀκμὴν ἔτι τυγχάνουσιν ὑπὸ τὰ σκυλεύοντα αὐτοὺς ἔθνη; «Ὁ ἁπτόμενος, φησίν, ὑμῶν, ἅπτεται τῆς κόρης τοῦ ὀφθαλμοῦ αὐτοῦ», βλάπτοντος ἑαυτὸν μᾶλλον τοῦ πλήττοντος τοὺς δικαίους ἢ οὓς κακῶσαι βούλεται, παραπλησίως τῷ πλήττοντι τὴν τοῦ ὀφθαλμοῦ αὐτοῦ κόρην. Ἔστι συναγορεύειν τῇ θεωρίᾳ ταύτῃ ἐκ πολλῶν τόπων τῆς γραφῆς· βλάψαι θέλων τὸν Ἀβὲλ ὁ Κάϊν, προ̣απέκτεινεν ἑαυτὸν οὗ προτίθεται δολοφονῆσαι. Τοῦτ' αὐτὸ συνέβη καὶ τῷ Σαοὺλ διώκοντι τὸν ∆αυὶδ ἕνεκα τοῦ ἀποκτεῖναι, καὶ τῷ Ἀβεσσαλὼμ ἐπιθεμένῳ κατὰ τοῦ πατρὸς τυραννικῶς. 1.147 Σημαίνει ἐν τῷ προκειμένῳ προφητικῷ τὸ βλάψαι διὰ τοῦ ἅψασθαι, καὶ μάλιστα δι' ὧν ὁ Θεὸς αὐτὸς λέγει τοῖς φονικῶς ἐπιτιθεμένοις κατὰ τῶν αὐτοῦ ἀνθρώπων· «Μὴ ἅπτεσθε τῶν χριστῶν μου, καὶ ἐν τοῖς προφήταις μου μὴ πονηρεύεσθε.» 1.148 Ψεκτῶς θιγεῖν τὸ ἅψασθαι κεῖται ἐν τῷ· «Καλὸν ἀνθρώπῳ γυναικὸς μὴ ἅπτεσθαι», σημαῖνον τὸ πλησίασαι αἰσχρῶς καὶ ἀκολάστως. 1.149 ∆ηλοῦται ἐκ τούτου τοῦ ῥήματος καὶ τὸ θιγεῖν καλῶς προσψαῦσαι δι' ἁφῆς, ὡς ἐν τῷ ὑπὸ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ λεγομένῳ· «Ἥψατό μού τις», ὅτε ἡ αἱμορροοῦσα γυνὴ πόθῳ ἰαθ̣ήσεσθαι ἥψατο δραξαμένη τοῦ κρασπέδου τοῦ ἱματίου Ἰησοῦ. 1.150 Τοσούτων ὑποπεσόντων ἐπὶ τοῦ παρόντος ἐκ τῆς ἅπτεσθαι φωνῆς, ἡ νῦν προκειμένη προφητικὴ λέξις τὸ βλάψαι διὰ κακώσεως δηλοῖ. Ἅπτεται δὲ τῆς κόρης τοῦ ὄμματος τοῦ ἔσω ἀνθρώπου ὁ προτιθέμενος κακοῦν τοὺς ὑπὸ Θεοῦ φρουρουμένους. Φανεροῖ δὲ πῶς ἅπτεται τῆς κόρης τοῦ ὀφθαλμοῦ αὐτοῦ ὁ ἁπτόμενος τῶν Θεοῦ δούλων διὰ τὸ εἰπεῖν· «Ἐπιφέρω τὴν χεῖρά μου ἐπ' αὐτούς», τὴν παιδευτικὴν δύναμιν δηλονότι, ὥστε σκῦλα γενέσθαι οἷς πρότερον αὐτοὶ ἐσκύλευον, εἰς αἰχμαλωσίαν αὐτοὺς ἄγοντες, ὥστε δουλεύειν τοῖς καθ' ὧν αὐτοὶ τυραννικῶς ἐκράτουν. 1.151 Οὗπερ συμβάντος «γνώσεσθε ὅτι ἐγὼ Κύριος παντοκράτωρ εἰμί, ἀποσταλεὶς ὑπὸ Κυρίου παντοκράτορος» ἐπὶ τελειώσει τῶν προαναφωνηθέντων. Παντοκράτωρ παρὰ παντοκράτορος ἀποστελλόμενος ὁ Θεὸς Λόγος ἐστίν, ἐρχόμενος εἰς ἀνθρώπους «εὐδοκίᾳ Πατρός»· ᾧ γὰρ λόγῳ πάντων κρατεῖ βασιλικῶς ὁ Πατὴρ ὧν ἐποίησεν διὰ τοῦ Λόγου αὐτοῦ, τούτῳ καὶ ὁ Υἱὸς πάντων κρατεῖ καὶ βασιλεύει τῶν ἐν αὐτῷ συστάντων προϋπάρχων αὐτῶν. 1.152 Ἧι