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with all the sayings set forth, and that through him and for him all things consist, and are reconciled, and are made peaceful, unless it is that through his immutable and sinless incarnation for us and on our behalf we are turned back to the knowledge of his uncreated divinity? He is therefore called Only-begotten, on the one hand, since according to the unflowing generation from above he has no other brother by nature besides 39.832 himself; but firstborn of all creation, not because he was created before it—since then he would have been called first-created—but as in foreknowledge, as was mentioned in the preceding chapter, born of the holy Virgin before every creature, and being himself both the ineffable firstborn and Only-begotten of all creation, according to the divine scripture; just as the same one is also named firstborn from the dead, not because he died before them, but because, having been raised from the dead, he was the first to universally provide to us the security of the resurrection, to us who by his grace and gift have been deemed worthy of the sonship of God the Father, and of brotherhood with him. For “I,” he said, “am the life and the resurrection.” And Paul also indicated the very time in which the Savior, through his goodness, purposing to change our old evil state, and to deem us worthy to enjoy eternally the participation in the untroubled light from above, became the firstborn of all creation, through which things he said: “The old things have passed away, behold, all things have become new.” And other sayings of his on the one hand reject this heretical notion, which misinterprets both Paul, as if he had written such things, and the one who made and possesses all things, as if such utterances had been brought forth concerning him, which is difficult both to fabricate and to hear; but on the other hand, it clearly shows that, “Firstborn of all creation,” was said instead of, of all humanity. For he calls humanity "creation," as has been said in the preceding chapter in these very words: “Be subject to every human creation for the Lord's sake, whether to the king as supreme, or to governors as sent by him.” And it helps us, regarding “Firstborn” and “Only-begotten,” that the evangelist narrated that she remained a virgin, “until she bore her firstborn Son.” For Mary, the most honored and most glorious of all, was neither married to anyone, nor ever became the mother of another; but she remained even after childbirth always and forever a blameless virgin, and yet he who formed both her and all things was not unreasonably called her firstborn. And as for “First- 39.833 born from the dead,” that the same Paul taught the Corinthians through the first writings of his letter to them: “Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep; for since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead also came through a man. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive, but each in his own order. Christ the firstfruits, then those who are Christ's at his coming, then the end.” And one might rightly use this also. For one must not consider only one thing in such lofty sayings, nor the lesser, but the better; for in matters concerning God, the truth is in the better things. That he is named firstborn of all creation on account of those born of God in divine baptism by the adoption of the Holy Spirit, and because we have received from him everything that we are and possess, as the same one again teaches, saying: “What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?” as even the children of the Greeks, setting aside other oppositions, declared: All things are the all-highest gifts of immortal God, But pre-eminent among mortals is the great benefit of truth. But if “Firstborn of all creation” must also be understood daringly with reference to his incomprehensible divinity, he might be understood to have been so called, either as having been begotten before every created birth, or as the first and only Son, the Word, who brought forth and fashioned out of nothing all pre-eminent creation, and being the cause of all, and then also as a foundation bearing

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ἐκκειμένων ὅλων ῥητῶν, καὶ τὸ δι' αὐτοῦ καὶ εἰς αὐτὸν πάντα συνεστάναι, καὶ καταλλάσσεσθαι, καὶ εἰρηνοποιεῖσθαι, εἰ μὴ τὸ διὰ τῆς ἀτρέπτου καὶ ἀναμαρτήτου δι' ἡμᾶς καὶ ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν ἐνανθρωπήσεως αὐτοῦ ἐπιστρέφεσθαι ἡμᾶς εἰς τὴν ἐπίγνωσιν τῆς ἀκτίστου θεότητος αὐτοῦ; Ἀνείρηται οὖν Μονογενὴς μὲν, ἅτε οὐκ ἔχων κατὰ τὴν ἄνω ἄῤῥευστον γέννησιν ἕτερον παρ' αὐτὸν κατὰ φύσιν ἀδελ 39.832 φόν· πρωτότοκος δὲ πάσης κτίσεως, οὐ διὰ τὸ προεκτίσθαι αὐτῆς ἐπεὶ ἂν πρωτόκτιστος ἐκλήθη, ἀλλ' ὡς τῇ προγνώσει, καθὰ ἐμνημονεύθη ἐν τῷ πρὸ τοῦδε κεφαλαίῳ, πρὸ παντὸς δημιουργήματος ἀπὸ τῆς ἁγίας Παρθένου τεχθεὶς, καὶ ὢν αὐτός τε πρωτότοκος καὶ Μονογενὴς πάσης κτίσεως ἄῤῥητος, κατὰ τὸ θεῖον γραφίον· ὥσπερ ὠνόμασται ὁ αὐτὸς καὶ πρωτότοκος ἐκ τῶν νεκρῶν, οὐ διὰ τὸ προτελευτῆσαι αὐτῶν, ἀλλὰ διὰ τὸ ἐγερθέντα ἐκ νεκρῶν, πρῶτον τὴν ἀσφάλειαν τῆς ἀναστάσεως καθολικῶς παρασχεῖν ἡμῖν, τοῖς κατὰ χάριν καὶ δωρεὰν αὐτοῦ καταξιωθεῖσιν υἱότητος μὲν τοῦ Θεοῦ Πατρὸς, ἀδελφότητος δὲ αὐτοῦ. «Ἐγὼ» γὰρ, ἔφη, «εἰμὶ ἡ ζωὴ καὶ ἡ ἀνάστασις.» Καὶ Παῦλος δὲ τὸν καιρὸν αὐτὸν ὑπέδειξεν, ἐν ᾧ διὰ τὴν αὐτοῦ ἀγαθότητα ὁ Σωτὴρ τὴν παλαιὰν ἡμῶν ἀμεῖψαι κακοπραγίαν, καὶ ἀξιῶσαι ἡμᾶς διαιωνίως ἀπολαύειν τῆς τοῦ ἄνω ἀπόνου φωτὸς μετουσίας προθέμενος, πρωτότοκος πάσης κτίσεως ἐγένετο, δι' ὧν ἔφη· «Τὰ ἀρχαῖα παρῆλθεν, ἰδοὺ καινὰ γέγονε πάντα.» Καὶ ἕτερα δὲ αὐτοῦ ῥήματα διωθεῖται μὲν ταυτηνὶ τὴν αἱρετικὴν ἐνθύμησιν, τὴν κατασοφιζομένην τοῦ τε Παύλου, ὡς τοιαῦτα γράψαντος, τοῦ τε πάντα ποιήσαντος καὶ κεκτημένου, ὡς τοιούτων περὶ αὐτοῦ ἐξενηνεγμένων φωνῶν, ὅπερ χαλεπὸν καὶ πλάσαι καὶ ἀκοῦσαι· διαῤῥήδην δὲ παρίστησιν, ὡς τὸ, «Πρωτότοκος πάσης κτίσεως,» ἀντὶ τοῦ, πάσης ἀνθρωπότητος, ἐλέχθη. Τὴν γὰρ ἀνθρωπότητα κτίσιν προσαγορεύει, ὡς ἐν τῷ προκειμένῳ κεφαλαίῳ εἴρηται λέξεσιν αὐταῖς· «Ὑποτάγητε πάσῃ κτίσει ἀνθρωπίνῃ διὰ τὸν Κύριον, εἴτε βασιλεῖ, ὡς ὑπερέχοντι, εἴτε ἡγεμόσιν, ὡς δι' αὐτοῦ πεμπομένοις.» Συναντιλαμβάνεται δὲ ἡμῖν, εἰς μὲν τὸ «Πρωτότοκος» καὶ «Μονογενὴς,» τὸ διηγήσασθαι τὸν εὐαγγελιστὴν, ὅτι ἔμεινε παρθένος, «ἕως ἔτεκε τὸν Υἱὸν αὐτῆς τὸν πρωτότοκον.» Οὔτε γὰρ ἐγαμήθη τινὶ ἡ τιμιωτέρα πάντων καὶ εὐκλεεστάτη Μαρία, οὔτ' ἄλλου μήτηρ ἐγένετό ποτε· ἔμεινε δὲ καὶ μετὰ κυοφορίαν ἀεὶ καὶ διὰ παντὸς ἄμωμος παρθένος, καὶ ὅμως πρωτότοκος αὐτῆς ὁ πλάσας αὐτήν τε καὶ πάντας οὐκ ἀλόγως ἐκλήθη. Εἰς δὲ τὸ, «Πρωτό 39.833 τοκος ἐκ τῶν νεκρῶν,» τὸν αὐτὸν Παῦλον Κορινθίοις διὰ τῶν πρὸς αὐτοὺς πρώτων ἐπιστολιμαίων χαραγμάτων διδάξαι· «Χριστὸς ἐγήγερται ἐκ νεκρῶν, ἀπαρχὴ τῶν κεκοιμημένων· ἐπειδὴ γὰρ δι' ἀνθρώπου ὁ θάνατος, καὶ δι' ἀνθρώπου ἀνάστασις νεκρῶν. Ὥσπερ ἐν τῷ Ἀδὰμ πάντες ἀποθνήσκουσιν, οὕτω καὶ ἐν τῷ Χριστῷ πάντες ζωοποιηθήσονται, ἕκαστος δὲ ἐν τῷ ἰδίῳ τάγματι. Ἀπαρχὴ Χριστὸς, ἔπειτα οἱ τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐν τῇ παρουσίᾳ αὐτοῦ, εἶτα τὸ τέλος.» Χρήσαιτο δ' ἄν τις καὶ τούτῳ ὀρθῶς. Οὐ γὰρ ἕν τι μόνον ἐπὶ τοῖς οὕτω ὑψηλοῖς ῥητοῖς χρὴ ἐπισκοπεῖν, οὐδὲ τὸ ἧσσον, ἀλλὰ τὸ ἄμεινον· εἰς γὰρ τὰ περὶ Θεοῦ, ἐν τοῖς ἀμείνοσιν ἡ ἀλήθεια. Ὅτι πρωτότοκος πάσης κτίσεως ὠνόμασται, διὰ τοὺς ἐν τῷ θείῳ βαπτίσματι τῇ υἱοθεσίᾳ τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος ἐκ τοῦ Θεοῦ γεννωμένους, καὶ διὰ τὸ πᾶν, ὃ ἐσμὲν καὶ κεκτήμεθα, ἐξ αὐτοῦ εἰληφέναι, καθὰ πάλιν ὁ αὐτὸς παιδεύων λέγει· «Τί δὲ ἔχεις, ὃ οὐκ ἔλαβες; Εἰ δὲ ἔλαβες, τί καυχᾶσαι ὡς μὴ λαβών;» ὡς καὶ Ἑλλήνων παῖδες, τὰς ἄλλας ἐναντιώσεις ἀφέντες, διηγόρευσαν· Πάντα μὲν ἀθανάτοιο Θεοῦ πανυπέρτατα δῶρα, Ἔξοχα δ' ἐν μερόπεσσιν ἀληθείης μέγ' ὄνειαρ. Εἰ δὲ τολμηρῶς καὶ εἰς τὴν ἀκατάληπτον αὐτοῦ θεότητα ἐκληπτέον τὸ, «Πρωτότοκος πάσης κτίσεως,» νοηθείη ἂν οὕτω πως κεκλῆσθαι, ἢ ὡς πρὸ πάσης κτιστῆς γεννήσεως γεννηθεὶς, ἢ ὡς πρῶτος καὶ μόνος Υἱὸς Λόγος παρακομίσας καὶ τεκτηνάμενος ἐκ μὴ ὄντων πᾶσαν προηγουμένην κτίσεως κτίσιν, καὶ αἴτιος πάσης ὢν, εἶτα καὶ ὡς θεμέλιος φέρων