16

the Apostle says “in Christ were created the things visible and invisible,” He being before them and all things holding together in Him; “For He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.” 1.153 And it is not at all strange if He is Almighty from Almighty; for indeed He is God from God and light from light. For being consubstantial with the one who begot Him and being one with the one who begot Him according to the saying: “I and the Father are one,” all that the Father has is the Son's. And the Father has being God, light, holy, Almighty. And these things are the Son's. Therefore the Son is Almighty from Almighty, being king of all from the one who is king of all. 1.154 Undeniably in the Revelation of John the Savior is confessed as Almighty, as He says thus concerning Himself: “Thus says the faithful witness, the beginning of the creation of God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Lord God Almighty.” The one who says these things, being Almighty, is not a creature, lest He also rule Himself. For this is absurd, for the same one to be creating and being created by Himself, and ruling and being ruled; and if He who is proclaimed as God is called in the cited phrase “the beginning of the creation of God,” as one ruling royally and being this very thing, Almighty, He is the beginning of creation, that is, a dominion leading and guiding all created things. 1.155Zach. II, 14-16: Rejoice and be glad, O daughter of Zion, because behold, I am coming and will dwell in your midst, says the Lord. And many nations will flee for refuge to the Lord on that day, and they will be a people for Him, and they will dwell in your midst, and you will know that the Lord Almighty has sent me to you. And the Lord will inherit Judah as His portion upon the holy land and will yet choose Jerusalem. 1.156 Just as when the Hebrew people had been taken captive, there was lamentation and wailing because the Lord had departed from those who were captured, so, when they returned to the spiritual mother called Zion, the command is given to rejoice and be glad, because the Lord had come and dwelt in her midst, the temple having been raised again and God dwelling in it. “For rejoice and be glad,” says the prophet, “O daughter of Zion.” And in many places of scripture it calls the citizens who comprise each city its daughter. 1.157 But the delight and gladness which the divine word commands to have, is the same as the joy which is the fruit of the Holy Spirit, ordained with divine love and blessed peace, which the holy Apostle reveals, writing thus: “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace.” 1.158 Having this stability, those redeemed from captivity say: “When the Lord turned back the captivity of Zion, we became as those who are comforted; then our mouth was filled with joy, and our tongue with gladness.” And in another Psalm something harmonious is brought forth: “When the Lord turns back the captivity of His people, Jacob will exult and Israel will be glad.” 1.159 For those who lamented being torn away from their own homeland by the law of captivity, it is fitting, upon returning to it, to rejoice and be glad because the Lord has dwelt in her midst, the cause of rejoicing and being glad. 1.160 And what is the cause of gladness and delight, other than enjoying the streams of the river filled with waters about which it is written: “The river of God is filled with water,” and again: “The streams of the river make glad the city of God; God is in her midst, she will not be shaken,” no longer departing nor abandoning because by His own goodness He remains with her. 1.161 And what good and saving thing will follow from the Lord dwelling in the midst of the beautiful city, other than that “nations will flee for refuge

16

φησιν ὁ Ἀπόστολος «ἐν Χριστῷ ἐκτίσθαι τὰ ὁρατὰ καὶ ἀόρατα», πρὸ αὐτῶν ὄντι καὶ συνεστηκότων πάντων ἐν αὐτῷ· «Αὐτὸς γάρ ἐστι πρὸ πάντων καὶ τὰ πάντα ἐν αὐτῷ συνέστηκεν.» 1.153 Καὶ παράδοξον οὐδὲν εἰ παντοκράτωρ ἐκ παντοκράτορός ἐστιν· καὶ γὰρ Θεὸς ἐκ Θεοῦ καὶ φῶς ἐκ φωτός ἐστιν. Ὁμοούσιος γὰρ ὢν τῷ γεννήσαντι καὶ ἓν ὢν πρὸς τὸν γεννήσαντα κατὰ τό· «Ἐγὼ καὶ ὁ Πατὴρ ἕν ἐσμεν», πάντα ὅσ̣α ἔχει ὁ Πατὴρ τοῦ Υἱοῦ ἐστιν. Ἔχει δ' ὁ Πατὴρ τὸ Θεός, τὸ φῶς, τὸ ἅγιος, τὸ παντοκράτωρ εἶναι. Τοῦ Υἱοῦ δ' ἐστὶν ταῦτα. Παντοκράτωρ ἄρα ἐκ παντοκράτορος ὁ Υἱός, παμβασιλεὺς ἐκ τοῦ πάντων βασιλεύοντος ὑπάρχων. Ἀναντιρρήτως ἐν Ἰωάννου Ἀποκαλύψει παντοκράτωρ ὁ Σωτὴρ ὁμολογεῖται, αὐτοῦ περὶ ἑαυτοῦ οὕτω λέγοντος· «Τάδε λέγει ὁ μάρτυς ὁ πιστός, ἡ ἀρχὴ τῆς κτίσεως τοῦ Θεοῦ, ὁ ὢν καὶ ὁ ἦν καὶ ὁ ἐρχόμενος, Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς ὁ παντοκράτωρ.» 1.154 Παντοκράτωρ ὢν ὁ ταῦτα λέγων οὐ κτίσμα τυγχάνει, ἵνα μὴ καὶ ἑαυτοῦ κρατῇ. Παράλογον γὰρ τοῦτο, τὸν αὐτὸν εἶναι κτίζοντα καὶ κτιζόμενον ὑφ' ἑαυτοῦ, καὶ βασιλεύοντα καὶ κρατούμενον· εἰ καὶ λέγεται δὲ ἐν τῇ παραλημφθείσῃ φωνῇ «ἀρχὴ τῆς κτίσεως τοῦ Θεοῦ» ὁ θεολογούμενος, ὡς βασιλικῶς ἄρχων καὶ αὐτὸ τοῦτο παντοκράτωρ ὤν, ἀρχὴ τῆς κτίσεώς ἐστιν, βασιλεία δηλονότι ἡγεμονοῦσα καὶ ἡγουμένη πάντων κτισμάτων. 1.155Zach. II, 14-16: Τέρπου καὶ εὐφραίνου, θύγατερ Σιών, διότι ἰδοὺ ἐγὼ ἔρχομαι καὶ κατασκηνώσω ἐν μέσῳ σου, λέγει Κύριος. Καὶ καταφεύξονται ἔθνη πολλὰ ἐπὶ τὸν Κύριον ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ, καὶ ἔσονται αὐτῷ εἰς λαόν, καὶ κατασκηνώσουσιν ἐν μέσῳ σου, καὶ ἐπιγνώσῃ ὅτι Κύριος παντοκράτωρ ἐξαπέσταλκέν με πρὸς σέ. Καὶ κατακληρονομήσει Κύριος τὸν Ἰούδαν τὴν μερίδα αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν τὴν ἁγίαν καὶ αἱρετιεῖ ἔτι τὴν Ἰερουσαλήμ. 1.156 Ὥσπερ αἰχμαλώτου γεγενημένου τοῦ Ἑβραίων λαοῦ, θρῆνος καὶ ὀλοφυρμὸς ἐγίνετο διὰ τὸ τὸν Κύριον μεμακρύνθαι τῶν ἑαλωκότων, οὕτως, ἀνακαμψάντων αὐτῶν εἰς τὴν πνευματικὴν μητέρα Σιὼν προσαγορευομένην, πρόσταξις δίδοται τέρπεσθαι καὶ εὐφραίνεσθαι, διὰ τὸ τὸν Κύριον ἐληλυθέναι καὶ ἐν μέσῳ αὐτῆς κατεσκηνωκέναι, τοῦ ναοῦ πάλιν ἐγερθέντος καὶ Θεοῦ κατασκηνοῦντος ἐν αὐτῷ. «Χαῖρε γὰρ καὶ εὐφραίνου», φησὶν ὁ προφήτης, «θύγατερ Σιών». Καλεῖ δὲ ἐν πολλοῖς τόποις τῆς γραφῆς θυγατέρα ἑκάστης πόλεως τ̣οὺς συμπληροῦντας αὐτὴν πολίτας. 1.157 Ἡ τέρψις δὲ καὶ ἡ εὐφροσύνη ἣν προστάσσει ἔχειν ὁ θεῖος λόγος, ἡ αὐτή ἐστιν τῇ χαρᾷ τῇ τυγχανούσῃ καρπὸς τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος, σὺν ἀγάπῃ θείᾳ καὶ εἰρήνῃ μακαρίᾳ συντεταγμένη, ἣν φανεροῖ ὁ ἱερὸς Ἀπόστολος οὕτω γράφων· «Καρπὸς τοῦ Πνεύματός ἐστιν ἀγάπη, χαρά, εἰρήνη.» 1.158 Ταύτην τὴν εὐστάθειαν σχόντες οἱ λυτρωθέντες ἀπὸ τῆς αἰχμαλωσίας φασίν· «Ἐν τῷ ἐπιστρέψαι Κύριον τὴν α̣ι᾿̣χμαλωσίαν Σιὼν ἐγενήθημεν ὡς παρακεκλημένοι· τότε ἐπλήσθη χαρᾶς τὸ στόμα ἡμῶν, καὶ ἡ γλῶσσα ἡμῶν ἀγαλλιάσεως.» Καὶ ἐν ἑτέρῳ Ψαλμῷ συνῳδὰ φέρεται· «Ἐν τῷ ἐπιστρέψαι Κύριον τὴν αἰχμαλωσίαν τοῦ λαοῦ αὐτοῦ ἀγαλλιάσεται Ἰακὼβ καὶ εὐφρανθήσεται Ἰσραήλ.» 1.159 Τοὺς γὰρ θρηνήσαντας ἀποσπωμένους τῆς οἰκείας πατρίδος νόμῳ αἰχμαλωσίας ἀκόλουθον ὑπάρχει, ἀνακάμψαντας εἰς αὐτήν, τέρπεσθαι καὶ εὐφραίνεσθαι διὰ τὸ τὸν Κύριον κατεσκηνωκέναι ἐν μέσῳ αὐτῆς, τὸν αἴτιον τοῦ τέρπεσθαι καὶ εὐφραίνεσθαι. 1.160 Τί δὲ τῆς εὐφροσύνης καὶ τέρψεως αἴτιον τυγχάνει, ἢ τὸ ἀπολαύειν τῶν ὁρμημάτων τοῦ ποταμοῦ τοῦ πεπληρωμένου ὑδάτων περὶ οὗ γέγραπται· «Ὁ ποταμὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐπληρώθη ὑδάτων», καὶ ἔτι· «Τοῦ ποταμοῦ τὰ ὁρμήματα εὐφραίνει τὴν πόλιν τοῦ Θεοῦ· ὁ Θεὸς ἐν μέσῳ αὐτῆς, οὐ σαλευθήσεται», οὐκέτι μακρυνόμενος οὐδ' ἐγκαταλείπων διὰ τὸ ἀγαθότητι τῇ ἑαυτοῦ παραμένειν αὐτῇ. 1.161 Τί δὲ ἀγαθὸν καὶ σωτηριῶδες ἕψεται κατασκηνοῦντος τοῦ Κυρίου ἐν μέσῳ τῆς καλλιπόλεως, ἢ τὸ «καταφυγεῖν ἔθνη