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it by the word of his power, according to the one who sings in the psalms: "In wisdom you have made all things;" and according to the Proverb of Solomon which says: "God by wisdom founded the earth; by understanding he prepared the heavens." And this very thing the proposed part of the Epistle judges, having: "Firstborn of all creation, for in him all things were created," and, "all things were created through him and for him; and he is before all things, and in him all things hold together." And for this reason only he says, 39.836 "Firstborn of all creation," because in him all things were created, the word "for" being soundly understood instead of "because," or, "since;" for it would not have existed, or remained unharmed, if it did not have as its base and foundation the creative Word, the Son of God, and was not stayed upon him. Therefore he said neither, first-created, but, "firstborn," nor, He became before all things, but, "He is before all things," that is, without beginning. For in the ineffable nature all time is present and exists in the now, and neither has anything passed away in it, nor is anything to come, but in the one time it remains somehow eternal, as Plato says in the Timaeus: "Wherefore we do not even name it correctly for the ineffable nature. For we say that it was, is, and will be; but to it 'is' alone according to the true account belongs; but 'was' and 'will be' are properly said of becoming in time; for it is a movement. But that which is always immovably the same, it is not fitting that it should become older or younger through time, nor to have 'become' now, nor again 'to be about to be'." But that, as we said, all things are in God and have appeared from him, the Greeks also testifying wrote these things: The immortal God leads himself; and from him are all things, and in the mind of the great God they were revealed. But the firstborn is not in every case not only-begotten, but sometimes both at once; and the only-begotten is in every case also found to be the firstborn, not having a second-born, or a third-born, as being born alone and having acquired the name from the fact. Assuredly also in Jeremiah he says from the all-holy Spirit: "And Ephraim is my firstborn." But Ephraim was not the firstborn even to his own father. Since, therefore, he is the truth, and the creative and unlearned wisdom, it is fitting for the things written about him to have what is without falsehood according to a God-befitting understanding. Let him be, therefore, both only-begotten and firstborn; but the term "firstborn" is more fitting to him with respect to the economy. For if it were not for an ineffable love for mankind, that the Holy Spirit regenerated us, and God the Father adopted us as sons, and the one of whom we speak, the only-begotten God, unchangeably and without flux became, as he knows, for the salvation of men, a son of man; he would neither have been named "Firstborn among many brothers," nor would we, the sons of men, have been called gods and sons of God; for no one is by nature a brother of an only-begotten son; but the Maker and Steward of all things and the only compassionate one is numbered both our brother 39.837 and our firstborn. For he, having emptied himself from an infinite height for the sake of his own servants, and having renewed all things, and having provided the beginning of a better life by his sojourn, and for this reason being called firstborn, was in no way harmed in his divine glory; for he does not endure to be in any way diminished, or to be brought down to the measure of that which is worse, by the power of words which are used figuratively on account of the unspeakable economy; but we from much humiliation and darkness were led up to infinite glory and light, having received faith in him. For each thing, beyond what it is by nature, by the pomp or lowliness of a word, can neither in any way leap up and be exalted, nor indeed can it, as it were, descend and sink below itself. And not a little does it point to the things related by us, but even alone it is able to support them, that in the 88th psalm the incomprehensible God deigned to say: "I have found David my servant; with my holy oil I have anointed him. For my hand shall help him, and my arm shall strengthen him; an enemy shall not profit in

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αὐτὴν τῷ ῥήματι τῆς δυνάμεως αὐτοῦ, κατὰ τὸν ψάλλοντα· «Πάντα ἐν σοφίᾳ ἐποίησας·» καὶ κατὰ τὴν Παροιμίαν Σολομῶνος λέγουσαν· «Ὁ Θεὸς ἐν τῇ σοφίᾳ ἐθεμελίωσε τὴν γῆν, ἡτοίμασεν δὲ οὐρανοὺς ἐν φρονήσει.» Καὶ αὐτὸ δὲ τοῦτο κρίνει τὸ προκείμενον μέρος τῆς Ἐπιστολῆς, ἔχον· «Πρωτότοκος πάσης κτίσεως, ὅτι ἐν αὐτῷ ἐκτίσθη τὰ πάντα,» καὶ, «Τὰ πάντα δι' αὐτοῦ καὶ εἰς αὐτὸν ἔκτισται· καὶ αὐτὸς ἔστι πρὸ πάντων, καὶ τὰ πάντα ἐν αὐτῷ συνέστηκεν.» Καὶ διὰ τοῦτο καὶ μόνον φησὶν, 39.836 «Πρωτότοκος πάσης κτίσεως,» ὅτι ἐν αὐτῷ ἐκτίσθη τὰ πάντα, τῆς, ὅτι, λέξεως ἀντὶ τῆς, διότι, ἢ, ἐπειδὴ, ὑγιῶς νοουμένης· οὐ γὰρ ἂν ὑπῆρχεν, ἢ διέμεινεν ἀβλαβῆ, εἰ μὴ βάσιν καὶ κρηπῖδα εἶχε τὸν δημιουργικὸν τὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ Υἱὸν Λόγον, καὶ εἰς αὐτὸν ἀπηρείδετο. ∆ιὸ οὐκ εἶπεν, οὔτε, πρωτόκτιστος, ἀλλὰ, «πρωτότοκος,» οὐδὲ, Αὐτὸς ἐγένετο πρὸ πάντων, ἀλλ', «Αὐτὸς ἔστι πρὸ πάντων,» τοῦτ' ἔστιν ἀνάρχως. Ἐπὶ γὰρ τῆς ἀῤῥήτου φύσεως πᾶς χρόνος ἐνέστηκεν καὶ ἐν τῷ νῦν πάρεστι, καὶ οὔτε παρῆλθέν τι ἐν αὐτῇ, οὔτε μέλλει, ἀλλ' ἐν τῷ ἑνὶ χρόνῳ διατελεῖ πως ἀΐδια, ὡς Πλάτων ἐν τῷ Τιμαίῳ φησίν· «Ὅθεν δὴ οὐδὲ ὀρθῶς ἐπὶ τῆς ἀῤῥήτου φύσεως ὀνομάζομεν. Λέγομεν γὰρ δὴ ὡς ἦν, ἔστιν καὶ ἔσται· τῇ δὲ τὸ ἔστι μόνον κατὰ τὸν ἀληθῆ λόγον προσήκει· τὸ δὲ ἦν τό τε ἔσται, κατὰ τὸν ἐν φύσει χρόνον πρέπει λέγεσθαι· κίνησις γάρ ἐστιν· τὸ δὲ ἀεὶ κατὰ ταυτὰ ἔχον ἀκινήτως, οὔτε πρεσβύτερον, οὔτε νεώτερον προσήκει γίνεσθαι διὰ χρόνον, οὔτε «γεγονέναι» νῦν, οὔτε αὖθις «ἔσεσθαι.» Ὅτι δὲ, ὡς ἔφαμεν, ἐν τῷ Θεῷ τὰ πάντα καὶ ἐξ αὐτοῦ πέφηνεν, μαρτυροῦντες καὶ Ἕλληνες ἔγραψαν ταῦτα· Αὐτὸς ἑαυτὸν ἄγει Θεὸς ἄμβροτος· ἔστι δ' ἀπ' αὐτοῦ Πάντα, καὶ ἐν μεγάλοιο Θεοῦ νόῳ ἐξεφαάνθη. Οὐ πάντως δὲ ὁ πρωτότοκος οὐ μονογενὴς, ἀλλ' ἔσθ' ὅτε τὰ συναμφότερα· καὶ ὁ μονογενὴς δὲ πάντως καὶ πρωτότοκος εὑρίσκεται οὐκ ἔχων δευτερότοκον, ἢ τριτότοκον, ὡς μόνος γεννηθεὶς καὶ τὸ ὄνομα ἐκ τοῦ πράγματος κτησάμενος. Ἀμέλει τοι καὶ ἐν τῷ Ἱερεμίᾳ ἀπὸ τοῦ παναγίου Πνεύματός φησιν· «Καὶ Ἐφραῒμ πρωτότοκός μού ἐστιν.» Ἦν δὲ οὐδὲ τῷ ἑαυτοῦ Πατρὶ πρωτότοκος Ἐφραΐμ. Ἐπεὶ οὖν αὐτὸς ἡ ἀλήθεια, καὶ ἡ δημιουργὸς, καὶ ἀδίδακτος σοφία, πρέπει τοῖς περὶ αὐτοῦ γεγραμμένοις κατὰ θεοπρεπῆ νόησιν ἔχειν τὸ ἀψευδές. Ἔστω τοίνυν καὶ μονογενὴς καὶ πρωτότοκος· ἁρμόζει δὲ μᾶλλον αὐτῷ πρὸς τὴν οἰκονομίαν ἡ τοῦ «πρωτότοκος» λέξις. Εἰ μὴ γὰρ διὰ φιλανθρωπίαν ἄφατον, τὸ μὲν ἅγιον Πνεῦμα ἀνεγέννησεν ἡμᾶς, ὁ δὲ Θεὸς καὶ Πατὴρ υἱοὺς προσέλαβεν, ὁ δὲ περὶ οὗ ὁ λόγος μονογενὴς Θεὸς ἀτρέπτως καὶ ἀῤῥεύστως ἐγένετο, ὡς οἶδεν, διὰ σωτηρίαν ἀνθρώπων υἱὸς ἀνθρώπου· οὐκ ἂν οὔτ' αὐτὸς ὠνόμαστο «Πρωτότοκος ἐν πολλοῖς ἀδελφοῖς,» οὔτε οἱ υἱοὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἐκλήθημεν ἂν θεοὶ καὶ υἱοὶ Θεοῦ· οὐδεὶς γὰρ φύσει ἀδελφός ἐστιν υἱοῦ μονογενοῦς· ὁ δὲ Ποιητὴς καὶ οἰκονόμος πάντων καὶ μόνος εὔσπλαγχνος, ἀδελφός 39.837 τε ἡμῶν, πρωτότοκός τε ἀριθμεῖται. Αὐτὸς μὲν γὰρ ἐξ ἀπείρου ὕψους ἑαυτὸν διὰ τοὺς ἰδίους δούλους κενώσας, καὶ ἀνακαινίσας πάντα, καὶ ἀρχὴν κρείττονος βίου τῇ ἑαυτοῦ ἐπιδημίᾳ παρασχόμενος, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο πρωτότοκος κληθεὶς, οὔ τί που τὴν θείαν παρεβλάβη δόξαν· οὐδὲ γὰρ μειονεκτεῖσθαί πως, ἢ εἰς τὸ τοῦ χεῖρον ἔχοντος μέτρον καταφέρεσθαι ἀνέχεται δυνάμεως λέξεων, ἐν τῇ καταχρήσει διὰ τὴν ἄφθεγκτον οἰκονομίαν ἐξενηνεγμένων· ἡμεῖς δὲ ἐκ πολλῆς ταπεινώσεως καὶ σκότους εἰς δόξαν καὶ φῶς ἀνήχθημεν ἄπειρον, τὴν εἰς αὐτὸν εἰσδεδεγμένοι πίστιν. Ἕκαστον γὰρ, παρ' ὃ τὴν φύσιν ἐστὶν, λέξεως ὄγκῳ, ἢ χθαμαλότητι, οὔτ' ἀναθρώσκειν πως καὶ ἐξαίρεσθαι, οὔτε μὴν ἑαυτοῦ οἱονεὶ κατιέναι καὶ ὑφιζάνειν δύναται. Οὐ μικρὰ δὲ συνενδείκνυται τοῖς ὑφ' ἡμῶν διηγηθεῖσιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ μόνον ἐπικουρεῖν ἰσχύει καὶ τὸ ἐν πηʹ ψαλμῷ τὸν ἀπερινόητον Θεὸν ἀξιῶσαι εἰπεῖν· «Εὗρον ∆αυῒδ τὸν δοῦλόν μου· ἐν ἐλαίῳ μου ἁγίῳ ἔχρισα αὐτόν. Καὶ γὰρ ἡ χείρ μου συναντιλήψεται αὐτῷ, ὁ βραχίων μου κατισχύσει αὐτόν· οὐκ ὠφελήσει ἐχθρὸς ἐν