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he saw what was proposed for the one held captive in the exchange. For this reason he chooses him to become a ransom for those imprisoned in the guard-house of death. But indeed it was impossible for him to look upon the bare vision of God, without seeing in him some portion of flesh, which he had already subdued through sin. For this reason the Godhead is veiled in flesh, so that, looking at what was familiar and akin to him, he might not be terrified by the approach of the transcendent power; and having perceived the power that shone forth gently but ever greater through the miracles, he might consider what appeared desirable rather than fearful. Do you see how the good is yoked with the just, and the wise is not separated from them. For to devise that the divine power should become containable through the covering of the body, so that the economy on our behalf might not be hindered by the fear of the divine epiphany, has the proof of all things at once: of the good, the wise, the just. For the choice to save is a testimony of goodness; to make the ransom of the one held captive a matter of exchange shows justice; and to make the uncontainable containable for the enemy through a device has the proof of the highest wisdom.

24 But it is likely that one who attends to the sequence of what has been said would inquire, where is the power of the Godhead, where is the incorruptibility of the divine power seen in what has been said. In order, therefore, that these things also may become manifest, let us examine the subsequent parts of the mystery, in which the power is shown especially blended with love for humanity. First, then, that the omnipotent nature was able to descend even to the lowliness of humanity has a greater proof of power than the great and supernatural miracles. For that something great and lofty should be accomplished by the divine power is somehow according to nature and consistent. And it would not bring any strangeness to the hearing to say that all creation in the world and whatever is comprehended beyond what is visible, was established by the power of God, his will itself having been substantiated into what seemed good. But the descent to the lowly is a certain superabundance of power, which is in no way hindered in things that are contrary to nature. For just as the upward motion is proper to the substance of fire, and no one would consider the natural activity of the flame a thing worthy of wonder; but if one should see the flame flowing downwards in the manner of heavy bodies, such a thing he considers a wonder, how fire both remains fire and in its mode of motion departs from its nature, being carried downwards; so also the divine and transcendent power is shown not so much by the magnitudes of the heavens and the splendors of the stars and the order of the universe and the continuous economy of existing things, as by the condescension to the weakness of our nature, how the high, having become in the low, is both seen in the low and does not descend from the height, how Godhead, interwoven with human nature, both becomes this and is that. For since, as has been said before, the opposing power did not have the nature to approach the unmixed presence of God and to endure his bare manifestation, so that the exchange on our behalf might become easy to seize for the one seeking it, the divine was hidden in the veil of our nature, so that, like gluttonous fish, the hook of the Godhead might be swallowed along with the bait of the flesh, and thus, with life having come to dwell in death and light having appeared in darkness, that which is conceived as contrary to light and life might be annihilated; for it is not in the nature of either darkness to remain in the presence of light, or for death to exist when life is active. Therefore, having taken up the sequence of the main points of the mystery, let us make a complete defense to those who accuse the divine economy, for what reason the Godhead accomplishes human salvation through itself. For it is necessary through all things that the divine be held in fitting conceptions, and that not one thing be thought loftily of it, while another of its

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κατεχομένου τὸ προκείμενον εἶδεν ἐν τῷ συναλ λάγματι. τούτου χάριν αὐτὸν αἱρεῖται λύτρον τῶν ἐν τῇ τοῦ θανάτου φρουρᾷ καθειργμένων γενέσθαι. ἀλλὰ μὴν ἀμήχανον ἦν αὐτὸν γυμνῇ προσβλέψαι τῇ τοῦ θεοῦ φαντασίᾳ, μὴ σαρκός τινα μοῖραν ἐν αὐτῷ θεωρήσαντα, ἣν ἤδη διὰ τῆς ἁμαρτίας κεχείρωτο. διὰ τοῦτο περι καλύπτεται τῇ σαρκὶ ἡ θεότης, ὡς ἄν, πρὸς τὸ σύν τροφόν τε καὶ συγγενὲς αὐτῷ βλέπων, μὴ πτοηθείη τὸν προσεγγισμὸν τῆς ὑπερεχούσης δυνάμεως· καὶ τὴν ἠρέμα διὰ τῶν θαυμάτων ἐπὶ τὸ μεῖζον διαλάμπουσαν δύναμιν κατανοήσας, ἐπιθυμητὸν μᾶλλον ἢ φοβερὸν τὸ φανὲν εἶναι νομίσῃ. ὁρᾷς ὅπως τὸ ἀγαθὸν τῷ δικαίῳ συνέ ζευκται καὶ τὸ σοφὸν τούτων οὐκ ἀποκέκριται. τὸ γὰρ διὰ τῆς τοῦ σώματος περιβολῆς χωρητὴν τὴν θείαν δύναμιν ἐπινοῆσαι γενέσθαι, ὡς ἂν ἡ ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν οἰκο νομία μὴ παραποδισθείη τῷ φόβῳ τῆς θεικῆς ἐπιφανείας, πάντων κατὰ ταὐτὸν τὴν ἀπόδειξιν ἔχει, τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ, τοῦ σοφοῦ, τοῦ δικαίου. τὸ μὲν γὰρ ἑλέσθαι σῶσαι τῆς ἀγαθότητός ἐστι μαρτυρία· τὸ δὲ συναλλαγματικὴν ποιήσασθαι τὴν τοῦ κρατουμένου λύτρωσιν τὸ δίκαιον δείκνυσι· τὸ δὲ χωρητὸν δι' ἐπινοίας ποιῆσαι τῷ ἐχθρῷ τὸ ἀχώρητον τῆς ἀνωτάτω σοφίας τὴν ἀπόδειξιν ἔχει.

24 Ἀλλ' ἐπιζητεῖν εἰκὸς τὸν τῇ ἀκολουθίᾳ τῶν εἰρη μένων προσέχοντα, ποῦ τὸ δυνατὸν τῆς θεότητος, ποῦ ἡ ἀφθαρσία τῆς θείας δυνάμεως ἐν τοῖς εἰρημένοις ὁρᾶται. ἵνα τοίνυν καὶ ταῦτα γένηται καταφανῆ, τὰ ἐφεξῆς τοῦ μυστηρίου διασκοπήσωμεν, ἐν οἷς μάλιστα δείκνυται συγκεκραμένη τῇ φιλανθρωπίᾳ ἡ δύναμις. πρῶτον μὲν οὖν τὸ τὴν παντοδύναμον φύσιν καὶ πρὸς τὸ ταπεινὸν τῆς ἀνθρωπότητος καταβῆναι ἰσχῦσαι πλείονα τῆς δυνά μεως τὴν ἀπόδειξιν ἔχει ἢ τὰ μέγαλά τε καὶ ὑπερφυῆ τῶν θαυμάτων. τὸ μὲν γὰρ μέγα τι καὶ ὑψηλὸν ἐξερ γασθῆναι παρὰ τῆς θείας δυνάμεως κατὰ φύσιν πώς ἐστι καὶ ἀκόλουθον. καὶ οὐκ ἄν τινα ξενισμὸν ἐπάγοι τῇ ἀκοῇ τὸ λέγειν πᾶσαν τὴν ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ κτίσιν καὶ πᾶν ὅ τι περ ἔξω τῶν φαινομένων καταλαμβάνεται, ἐν τῇ δυνάμει τοῦ θεοῦ συστῆναι, αὐτοῦ τοῦ θελήματος πρὸς τὸ δοκοῦν οὐσιωθέντος. ἡ δὲ πρὸς τὸ ταπεινὸν κάθοδος περιουσία τίς ἐστι τῆς δυνάμεως οὐδὲν ἐν τοῖς παρὰ φύσιν κωλυομένης. ὡς γὰρ ἴδιόν ἐστι τῆς τοῦ πυρὸς οὐσίας ἡ ἐπὶ τὸ ἄνω φορά, καὶ οὐκ ἄν τις θαύματος ἄξιον ἐπὶ τῆς φλογὸς ἡγήσαιτο τὸ φυσικῶς ἐνεργού μενον· εἰ δὲ ῥέουσαν ἐπὶ τὸ κάτω καθ' ὁμοιότητα τῶν ἐμβριθῶν σωμάτων ἴδοι τὴν φλόγα, τὸ τοιοῦτον ἐν θαύ ματι ποιεῖται, πῶς τὸ πῦρ καὶ διαμένει πῦρ ὂν καὶ ἐν τῷ τρόπῳ τῆς κινήσεως ἐκβαίνει τὴν φύσιν, ἐπὶ τὸ κάτω φερόμενον· οὕτως καὶ τὴν θείαν τε καὶ ὑπερέ χουσαν δύναμιν οὐκ οὐρανῶν μεγέθη καὶ φωστήρων αὐγαὶ καὶ ἡ τοῦ παντὸς διακόσμησις καὶ ἡ διηνεκὴς τῶν ὄντων οἰκονομία τοσοῦτον ὅσον ἡ ἐπὶ τὸ ἀσθενὲς τῆς φύσεως ἡμῶν συγκατάβασις δείκνυσι, πῶς τὸ ὑψηλόν, ἐν τῷ ταπεινῷ γενόμενον, καὶ ἐν τῷ ταπεινῷ καθορᾶται καὶ οὐ καταβαίνει τοῦ ὕψους, πῶς θεότης ἀνθρωπίνῃ συμπλακεῖσα φύσει καὶ τοῦτο γίνεται καὶ ἐκεῖνό ἐστιν. ἐπειδὴ γάρ, καθὼς ἐν τοῖς ἔμπροσθεν εἴρηται, φύσιν οὐκ εἶχεν ἡ ἐναντία δύναμις ἀκράτῳ προσμῖξαι τῇ τοῦ θεοῦ παρουσίᾳ καὶ γυμνὴν ὑποστῆναι αὐτοῦ τὴν ἐμφάνειαν, ὡς ἂν εὔληπτον γένοιτο τῷ ἐπιζητοῦντι ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν τὸ ἀντάλλαγμα, τῷ προκαλύμματι τῆς φύσεως ἡμῶν ἐνε κρύφθη τὸ θεῖον, ἵνα κατὰ τοὺς λίχνους τῶν ἰχθύων τῷ δελέατι τῆς σαρκὸς συγκατασπασθῇ τὸ ἄγκιστρον τῆς θεότητος, καὶ οὕτω τῆς ζωῆς τῷ θανάτῳ εἰσοικισθείσης καὶ τῷ σκότῳ τοῦ φωτὸς ἐπιφανέντος ἐξαφανισθῇ τὸ τῷ φωτὶ καὶ τῇ ζωῇ κατὰ τὸ ἐναντίον νοούμενον· οὐ γὰρ ἔχει φύσιν οὔτε σκότος διαμένειν ἐν φωτὸς παρουσίᾳ, οὔτε θάνατον εἶναι ζωῆς ἐνεργούσης. οὐκοῦν ἐπὶ κεφα λαίων τοῦ μυστηρίου τὴν ἀκολουθίαν ἀναλαβόντες ἐντελῆ ποιησώμεθα τὴν ἀπολογίαν πρὸς τοὺς κατηγοροῦντας τῆς θείας οἰκονομίας, ὅτου χάριν δι' ἑαυτῆς ἡ θεότης τὴν ἀνθρωπίνην κατεργάζεται σωτηρίαν. δεῖ γὰρ διὰ πάν των τὸ θεῖον ἐν ταῖς πρεπούσαις ὑπολήψεσιν εἶναι καὶ μὴ τὸ μὲν ὑψηλῶς ἐπ' αὐτοῦ νοεῖσθαι, τὸ δὲ τῆς