20

of divinity, that he is of the same nature as God, just as also those who have accepted faith in him become of the same body of Christ and partakers, not being that which the Lord is, but partaking of him and being named together with that which is partaken of; so that he who accuses us of not saying these things, which are confessed by the pious, has testified to the pious and irreproachable character of our doctrine. Then, in order to establish that the flesh is divinity, he also adds these things to what has been said. For who, he says, is holy from birth? as if he had not read the scripture concerning Jeremiah, about whom it says 3,1.175 that "Before I formed you in the womb, I consecrated you." For not only from birth, but also before birth is he testified by the scripture to be holy. But also he who leaped in his mother's womb, who received the voice of the greeting of the Lord's mother with exultation, he too would be holy from birth, as the voice of the angel concerning him declares, saying: And he will be filled with the holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb. But he adds this also to what has been said: Who is wise without being taught? But we say that the wisdom from God, which is Christ, is not taught; but we do not doubt that the portion of our flesh united to the divine wisdom received the good of wisdom by participation, being persuaded by the gospel that so relates that Jesus advanced in age and wisdom and grace. Just as in the body the gradual increase by the cooperation of nourishment proceeds to the perfection of nature, so also in the soul the progress to the perfection of wisdom is added through practice to those who pursue it. Who, he says, works the things of God with authority? How he belittles with childish arguments the ineffable majesty of the Lord? For to do the things of God with authority is also characteristic of men who have been deemed worthy of divine power, such as was Elijah, releasing and shutting up the rain for men by his authority, bringing fire upon his adversaries, cultivating the flour in the jar and causing the oil to spring forth in the flask and by breathing upon the lifeless bestowing life, and whatever else the account records concerning him, so that it is nothing beyond human to do some of the wonders of God with authority from divine power, but it is to be the preeminent power itself. which indeed is believed both by us and by all who have received the word in truth. 3,1.176

But the division he unthinkingly added to what has been said, since it is not fitting for us to refute it earnestly, we shall pass over to the understanding of the learned. For what does he mean by "dividing the activity according to the flesh, but making it equal according to the spirit," which he added to the gospel saying that says, "My Father is working until now, and I am working"? If anyone has the power to advocate for foolish things, let him stand by the argument and say what he means by adding again to what has been said the similar thing which is literally as follows: "Which has," he says, "again the equality in power and the division of the activity according to the flesh, according to which," he says, "he did not make all alive, but some, whom he willed." For we, having understood the simple and unadorned meaning of the divine scripture, think thus concerning what has been said: when we hear the Lord relating that "The Father raises the dead and gives them life," and "The Son gives life to whom he will," we do not understand from this that some are rejected from the life-giving will. But since we have both heard and believe that all things that are the Father's are the Son's, it is clear that we also see the will of the Father as one of all things in the Son. If therefore the Father's will is in the Son, and the Father, as the apostle says, "wills all to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth," clearly he who possesses all things of the Father and has the whole Father in himself certainly has wholly in himself, along with the other goods of the Father, also the saving will. If therefore he is not lacking in the perfect will, it is entirely clear that those whom the Father wills to be made alive, he also makes alive, not being deficient in the benevolent will,

20

θεότητος, τὸ σύμφυλον αὐτὸν εἶναι θεοῦ, καθὸ καὶ σύσσωμοι τοῦ Χριστοῦ καὶ συμμέτοχοι οἱ τὴν εἰς αὐτὸν πίστιν παραδεξάμενοι γίνονται, οὐκ ἐκεῖνο ὄντες, ὅπερ ἐστὶν ὁ κύριος, ἀλλ' ἐκείνου μετέχοντες καὶ τῷ μετεχομένῳ συνονομαζόμενοι· ὥστε ὁ ταῦτα αἰτιώμενος μὴ λέγειν ἡμᾶς, ὅσα παρὰ τῶν εὐσεβούντων ὁμολογεῖται, τὸ εὐσεβές τε καὶ ἀνεπίληπτον τῷ καθ' ἡμᾶς λόγῳ προσεμαρτύρησεν. εἶτα εἰς κατασκευὴν τοῦ εἶναι τὴν σάρκα θεότητα καὶ ταῦτα τοῖς εἰρημένοις προστίθησιν. Τίς γάρ, φησίν, ὁ ἅγιος ἐκ γεννητῆς; ὥσπερ οὐκ ἀνεγνωκὼς τὴν κατὰ τὸν Ἰερεμίαν γραφήν, περὶ οὗ φησιν 3,1.175 ὅτι Πρὶν ἐμὲ πλάσαι σε ἐκ κοιλίας ἡγίακά σε. οὐ γὰρ μόνον ἐκ γεννητῆς, ἀλλὰ καὶ πρὸ γενέσεως ἐκεῖνος παρὰ τῆς γραφῆς μαρτυρεῖται ἅγιος. ἀλλὰ καὶ ὁ ἐν τῇ γαστρὶ τῇ μητρῴᾳ σκιρτήσας, ὁ τοῦ ἀσπασμοῦ τῆς μητρὸς τοῦ κυρίου τὴν φωνὴν ἐν ἀγαλλιάσει δεξάμενος, καὶ αὐτὸς ἂν εἴη ἐκ γεννητῆς ἅγιος, καθὼς ἡ τοῦ ἀγγέλου περὶ αὐτοῦ μηνύει φωνὴ λέγουσα· Καὶ πνεύματος ἁγίου πλησθήσεται ἔτι ἐκ κοιλίας μητρός. ἀλλ' ἐπάγει καὶ τοῦτο τοῖς εἰρημένοις· Τίς ἀδίδακτος σοφός; ἡμεῖς δὲ τὴν ἐκ τοῦ θεοῦ σοφίαν, ἥτις ἐστὶν ὁ Χριστός, οὐχὶ διδακτὴν εἶναί φαμεν· τὴν δὲ ἑνωθεῖσαν τῇ θείᾳ σοφίᾳ τῆς σαρκὸς ἡμῶν μοῖραν ἐκ μετοχῆς δέξασθαι τὸ ἀγαθὸν τῆς σοφίας οὐκ ἀμφιβάλλομεν, πειθόμενοι τῷ εὐαγγελίῳ οὑτωσὶ διεξιόντι ὅτι Ἰησοῦς δὲ προέκοπτεν ἡλικίᾳ καὶ σοφίᾳ καὶ χάριτι. ὥσπερ ἐν τῷ σώματι ἡ κατ' ὀλίγον προσθήκη τῇ τῆς τροφῆς συνεργίᾳ πρὸς τὸ τέλειον τῆς φύσεως πρόεισιν, οὕτως καὶ ἐν τῇ ψυχῇ ἡ ἐπὶ τὸ τέλειον τῆς σοφίας πρόοδος δι' ἀσκήσεως τοῖς μετιοῦσι προστίθεται. Τίς, φησίν, ἐν ἐξιουσίᾳ τὰ τοῦ θεοῦ ἐργαζόμενος; πῶς κατασμικρύνει τοῖς βρεφικοῖς ἐπιχειρήμασι τὴν ἄφρασ τον τοῦ κυρίου μεγαλειότητα; τὸ γὰρ ἐν ἐξουσίᾳ τὰ τοῦ θεοῦ ποιεῖν καὶ ἀνθρώπων ἐστὶ τῶν ἠξιωμένων θείας δυνάμεως, οἷος ἦν ὁ Ἠλίας κατ' ἐξουσίαν ἀνιείς τε καὶ ἀποκλείων τοῖς ἀνθρώποις τὸν ὄμβρον πῦρ ἐπάγων τοῖς ὑπεναντίοις, γεωρ γῶν ἐν τῷ κεράμῳ τὸ ἄλευρον καὶ βρύειν ποιῶν ἐν τῷ καμψάκῃ τὸ ἔλαιον καὶ διὰ προσφυσήματος τῷ ἀψύχῳ ζωὴν χαριζόμενος καὶ ὅσα ἄλλα περὶ αὐτοῦ ὁ λόγος κατέχει, ὥστε οὐδὲν ὑπὲρ ἄνθρωπον τὸ ἐν ἐξουσίᾳ τοῦ θεοῦ ποιεῖν τι τῶν θαυμάτων ἐκ θείας δυνάμεως, ἀλλὰ τὸ αὐτὸν εἶναι τὴν ὑπερέχουσαν δύναμιν. ὅπερ δὴ καὶ παρ' ἡμῶν καὶ παρὰ πάντων τῶν ἐν ἀληθείᾳ δεξαμένων τὸν λόγον πεπίστευται. 3,1.176

Τὴν δὲ ἀδιανοήτως αὐτοῦ προστεθεῖσαν τοῖς εἰρημένοις διαίρεσιν ὡς οὐ πρέπον ἡμῖν ὂν τὸ κατὰ σπουδὴν διελέγχειν ταῖς ἐννοίαις τῶν ἐπιστημόνων παρήσομεν. τί γὰρ βούλεται αὐτῷ τὸ ∆ιαιρῶν μὲν τὴν ἐνέργειαν κατὰ σάρκα, ἐξισῶν δὲ κατὰ πνεῦμα, ὅπερ ἐπήγαγε τῇ εὐαγγελικῇ φωνῇ τῇ λεγούσῃ ὅτι Ὁ πατήρ μου ἕως ἄρτι ἐργάζεται κἀγὼ ἐργάζομαι; εἴ τις ἔχει δύναμιν πρὸς τὴν τῶν ἀνοήτων συνηγορίαν, συνιστάσθω τῷ λόγῳ καὶ λεγέτω, τί νοῶν ἐπάγει τοῖς εἰρημένοις πάλιν τὸ ὅμοιον οὑτωσὶ κατὰ τὴν λέξιν ἔχον· Ὅπερ ἔχει, φησί, τὴν ἐν δυνάμει πάλιν ἰσότητα καὶ τὴν κατὰ σάρκα τῆς ἐνεργείας διαί ρεσιν, καθ' ἥν, φησίν, οὐ πάντας ἐζωοποίησεν, ἀλλά τινας, οὓς ἠθέλησεν. ἡμεῖς γὰρ τὴν ἁπλῆν τε καὶ ἀκατάσκευον ἐξειληφότες τῆς θείας γραφῆς διάνοιαν οὕτω περὶ τῶν εἰρημένων γινώσκομεν· ὅταν τοῦ κυρίου διεξιόντος ἀκούσωμεν ὅτι Ὁ πατὴρ ἐγείρει τοὺς νεκροὺς καὶ ζωοποιεῖ καὶ Ὁ υἱὸς οὓς θέλει ζωοποιεῖ, οὐχ ὥς τινων ἀπο βαλλομένων τοῦ ζωοποιοῦ θελήματος ἐκ τούτου νοοῦμεν. ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ πάντα τὰ τοῦ πατρὸς τοῦ υἱοῦ εἶναι καὶ ἠκού σαμεν καὶ πιστεύομεν, δῆλον ὅτι καὶ τὸ θέλημα τοῦ πατρὸς ὡς ἓν τῶν πάντων ἐν τῷ υἱῷ καθορῶμεν. εἰ οὖν ἐν τῷ υἱῷ τὸ πατρικόν ἐστι θέλημα, ὁ δὲ πατήρ, καθώς φησιν ὁ ἀπόστολος, Πάντας θέλει σωθῆναι καὶ εἰς ἐπίγνωσιν ἀλη θείας ἐλθεῖν, δηλαδὴ ὁ πάντα τὰ τοῦ πατρὸς κεκτημένος καὶ ὅλον ἔχων ἐν ἑαυτῷ τὸν πατέρα ὅλον ἔχει πάντως ἐν ἑαυτῷ μετὰ τῶν ἄλλων τῶν τοῦ πατρὸς ἀγαθῶν καὶ τὸ σωτήριον θέλημα. εἰ οὖν οὐκ ἀπολείπεται τοῦ τελείου θελήματος, πάν τως δῆλον ὅτι οὓς ὁ πατὴρ θέλει ζωοποιηθῆναι καὶ αὐτὸς ζωοποιεῖ, οὐκ ἐλαττούμενος ἐν τῷ φιλανθρώπῳ θελήματι,