23

as he said: "For them I sanctify myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth." CHAP. 14. Following this is considered also what is said in the psalm: "You will not abandon my soul to Hades, nor will you let your Holy One see corruption;" and that which is written in many places, that God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. For he did not receive the resurrection for his own sake, but for our sake he has given us to rise again in the likeness of his resurrection. And indeed, teaching in this chief point his equality in honor and power with the Father, he said according to Matthew and Luke: "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up;" and, "I have authority to lay down my life, and I have authority to take it up again." 39.864

CHAP. 15. And the reply to the lawyer, who said temptingly to the Lord as to a man, "Good Teacher," and heard, "Why do you call me good? No one is good except God alone," is of such a kind. The "No one is good" refers to the race of men; the "except God alone," refers to the consubstantiality of the divine hypostases. For if you know me, he says, to be good, confess me to be God, equal and like, as in goodness, so also in substance, to the Father. For humanity possesses goodness by participation; but the divinity is supreme goodness, and life, and light, and truth, and peace, and love. And he adds: "I have come into the world as a light, so that whoever follows me may not remain in darkness." And persuading the lawyer that these things are so, he said: "Sell all that you have, and come, follow me." Which he did not do, being overcome by his inclination, which did not possess innate goodness. Therefore, his goodness was testified in the first discourse. What could be a greater proof than he who shows his natural goodness by deeds rather than by words, according to him who says: "Jesus began both to do and to teach?" -"to do," in emptying himself and taking the form of a servant for the sake of servants, and healing every disease and every infirmity, and casting out demons, and making the sea walkable for men, and filling hungry crowds in the wilderness, and washing the feet of servants, and for the sake of the creation of his own hands, to suffer at the hands of his creation, and to supply a hundredfold good things to those who do well, and to add eternal life; "to teach," "Sell what you have, and give to the poor, and come, follow me;" and, "What you hate, do not do to another;" and, "Do not return evil for evil;" and, "Whoever has done it to one of the least of these, has done it to me;" and, "Give to everyone who asks you;" and, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your 39.865 soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself;" and, "By this all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." And how, O heretic, is he not good, equally with his own Father, who has pardon for you who say these things?

CHAP. 16. Having determined to fight heresy on all fronts, and the voice of Paul to Timothy, saying: "Now to the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen;" and that, "Who alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light;" and that which is found in the Gospel: "That they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent;" and the prophecy that declares: "I alone stretched out the heavens;" they do not accept as they should; asserting that the word "only" and "true God" does not admit a second, or a third hypostasis, but has reference to the Father alone. But the word "only" is also a word for one, as often as it is said in Scripture concerning the Trinity, on account of what is in

23

καθὰ εἶπεν· «Ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν ἁγιάζω ἐμαυτὸν, ἵνα ὦσιν αὐτοὶ ἡγιασμένοι ἐν ἀληθείᾳ.» ΚΕΦ. Ι∆ʹ. Ἀκολούθως τούτῳ θεωρεῖται καὶ τὸ ἐν ψαλμῷ εἰρημένον· «Οὐκ ἐγκαταλείψεις τὴν ψυχήν μου εἰς ᾅδου, οὐδὲ δώσεις τὸν ὅσιόν σου ἰδεῖν διαφθοράν·» καὶ τὸ πολλαχοῦ γεγραμμένον, ὅτι τὸν Χριστὸν Ἰησοῦν ὁ Θεὸς ἤγειρεν ἐκ νεκρῶν. Οὐ γὰρ χάριν ἔλαβεν αὐτὸς τὴν ἀνάστασιν, ἀλλὰ χάριν αὐτὸς δέδωκεν ἡμῖν τὸ καθ' ὁμοιότητα τῆς ἀναστάσεως αὐτοῦ ταύτης πάλιν ἀνίστασθαι. Ἐπείτοιγε τὸ πρὸς τὸν Πατέρα ἰσότιμον καὶ ἰσοδύναμον καὶ ἐν τούτῳ διδάσκων τῷ κεφαλαίῳ, παρὰ Ματθαίῳ καὶ Λουκᾷ εἶπε· «Λύσατε τὸν ναὸν τοῦτον, καὶ ἐγὼ ἐν τρισὶν ἡμέραις ἐγερῶ αὐτόν·» καὶ, «Ἐξουσίαν ἔχω τὴν ψυχήν μου θεῖναι, καὶ ἐξουσίαν ἔχω πάλιν λαβεῖν αὐτήν.» 39.864

ΚΕΦ. ΙΕʹ. Καὶ ἡ πρὸς τὸν νομικὸν ἀπόκρισις, τὸν πειραστικῶς εἰπόντα ὡς

ἀνθρώπῳ τῷ Κυρίῳ, «∆ιδάσκαλε ἀγαθὲ,» καὶ ἀκούσαντα, «Τί με λέγεις ἀγαθόν, Οὐδεὶς ἀγαθὸς, εἰ μὴ εἷς ὁ Θεὸς,» τοιαύτη τίς ἐστιν. Τὸ, «Οὐδεὶς ἀγαθὸς,» εἰς τὸ γένος τῶν ἀνθρώπων· τὸ, «Εἰ μὴ εἷς ὁ Θεὸς,» εἰς τὸ ὁμοούσιον τῶν θείων ὑποστάσεων φέρει. Εἰ γὰρ οἶδάς με, φησὶν, ἀγαθὸν, ὁμολόγησόν με Θεὸν ἴσον καὶ ὅμοιον, ὡς κατὰ τὴν ἀγαθότητα, οὕτως καὶ κατὰ τὴν οὐσίαν ὑπάρχοντα τοῦ Πατρός. Ἡ γὰρ ἀνθρωπότης μεταλήψει τὴν ἀγαθότητα κέκτηται· ἡ δὲ θεότης ἄκρα ἀγαθότητος, καὶ ζωὴ, καὶ φῶς, καὶ ἀλήθεια, καὶ εἰρήνη, καὶ ἀγάπη ἐστίν. Καὶ ἐπάγει· «Ἐγὼ φῶς εἰς τὸν κόσμον ἐλήλυθα, ἵνα πᾶς ὁ ἀκολουθῶν μοι ἐν τῇ σκοτίᾳ μὴ μείνῃ.» Πείθων τε τὸν νομικὸν ταῦθ' οὕτως ἔχειν, εἶπε· «Πώλησον πάντα, ὅσα ἔχεις, καὶ δεῦρο, ἀκολούθει μοι.» Ὅπερ οὐκ ἐποίησεν ἡττώμενος τῆς γνώμης, οὐκ ἐχούσης ἔμφυτον τὸ ἀγαθόν. Ἐμαρτυρήθη μὲν οὖν ἡ ἀγαθότης αὐτοῦ ἐν τῷ αʹ λόγῳ. Τί δὲ ἂν εἴη εἰς ἀπόδειξιν μεῖζον τοῦ ἔργοις μᾶλλον ἢ λόγοις δεικνύντος τὸ ἑαυτοῦ φύσει ἀγαθὸν, κατὰ τὸν λέγοντα· «Ἤρξατο ὁ Ἰησοῦς ποιεῖν τε καὶ διδάσκειν;» -»ποιεῖν» μὲν, ἐν τῷ κενῶσαι ἑαυτὸν καὶ μορφὴν δούλου ὑπὲρ τῶν δούλων λαβεῖν, θεραπεῦσαί τε πᾶσαν νόσον καὶ πᾶσαν μαλακείαν, καὶ δαίμονας ἀπελάσαι, καὶ θάλασσαν ἀνθρώποις ποιῆσαι βατὴν, καὶ πεινῶντας ὄχλους ἐπ' ἐρημίας ἐμπλῆσαι, καὶ δούλων νίψαι τοὺς πόδας, καὶ διὰ τὸ πλάσμα τῶν ἰδίων χειρῶν, ὑπὸ τῶν χειρῶν τοῦ πλάσματος παθεῖν, καὶ ἑκατονταπλασίονα τοῖς εὖ ποιοῦσι χορηγεῖν ἀγαθὰ, καὶ προστιθέναι ζωὴν αἰώνιον· «διδάσκειν» δὲ, «Πώλησον, ὅσα ἔχεις, καὶ δὸς πτωχοῖς, καὶ δεῦρο, ἀκολούθει μοι·» καὶ, «Ὃ σὺ μισεῖς, ἄλλῳ μὴ ποιήσῃς·» καὶ, «Μὴ ἀποδῶτε κακὸν ἀντὶ κακοῦ·» καὶ,» Ὃς ἐὰν ποιήσῃ ἑνὶ τούτων τῶν ἐλαχίστων, ἐμοὶ ἐποίησεν·» καὶ, «Παντὶ τῷ αἰτοῦντί σε δίδου·» καὶ, «Ἀγαπήσεις Κύριον τὸν Θεόν σου ἐξ ὅλης τῆς 39.865 ψυχῆς σου, καὶ ἐξ ὅλης τῆς ἰσχύος σου, καὶ ἐξ ὅλης τῆς διανοίας σου· καὶ τὸν πλησίον σου ὡς σεαυτόν·» καὶ, «Ἐν τούτῳ γνώσονται πάντες, ὅτι ἐμοὶ μαθηταί ἐστε, ἐὰν ἀγαπᾶτε ἀλλήλους» Καὶ πῶς δὲ οὐκ ἔστιν, ὦ αἱρετικὲ, ἀγαθὸς ἴσα τῷ ἑαυτοῦ Πατρὶ, ὅς γε ταῦτά σοι λέγοντι συγγνώμην ἔχει;

ΚΕΦ. Ιςʹ. ∆ιὰ πάντων αἱρεσιομαχεῖν ἐγνωκότες, καὶ τὴν πρὸς Τιμόθεον τοῦ

Παύλου φωνὴν, τὴν λέγουσαν· «Τῷ δὲ βασιλεῖ τῶν αἰώνων, ἀφθάρτῳ, ἀοράτῳ, μόνῳ σοφῷ Θεῷ τιμὴ καὶ δόξα εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας. Ἀμήν·» καὶ τὴν, «Μόνος ἔχων ἀθανασίαν, φῶς οἰκῶν ἀπρόσιτον·» καὶ τὴν ἐν Εὐαγγελίῳ κειμένην· «Ἵνα γινώσκωσί σε, τὸν μόνον ἀληθινὸν Θεὸν, καὶ ὃν ἀπέστειλας Ἰησοῦν Χριστόν·» καὶ τὴν διαγορεύουσαν προφητείαν· «Ἐγὼ ἐξέτεινα τὸν οὐρανὸν μόνος·» οὐκ εἰς δέον ἐκδέχονται· φάσκοντες τὴν «μόνος» καὶ τὴν «ἀληθινὸς Θεὸς» λέξιν μὴ ἐπιδέχεσθαι δευτέραν, ἢ τρίτην ὑπόστασιν, ἔχειν δὲ τὴν ἀναφορὰν εἰς μόνον τὸν Πατέρα. Ἡ δὲ «μόνος» καὶ ἑνός ἐστι λέξις, ὁσάκις ἂν εἴρηται ἐπὶ τῆς Τριάδος τῇ Γραφῇ, διὰ τὸ ἐν