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it is determined that He did not first become obedient and then Son, nor should one think His obedience to be prior to His generation. But if he had not defined these things, who was so foolish and stupid as to think that the generation was given to Him by the Father as a reward for obedience, to Him who showed docility and obedience before the generation? 138 But lest anyone be readily drawn to laughter by the senselessness of what is said, let him consider that the folly of what is said also has in it something worthy of tears. For what he wishes to establish by these things is such as this, that obedience is His nature, so that it is not possible for Him to be disobedient, even if He wished. For he says that He has been so fashioned, that His nature is suited only for obedience. Just as a tool shaped to a certain form of necessity impresses that form upon the underlying material, which the smith put into the construction of the tool, which does not have the power to make a straight impression on the material receiving the mark, if its working is circular, or to show a circle by its form, if the tool happens to be shaped in a straight line. 139 But as for how blasphemous such a notion is, why should it be exposed by our words, when the heretical voice itself proclaims its absurdity? For if He is obedient for this reason, because He was made so, He is not at all equal to human nature, since for us the soul is self-determined and masterless, choosing imperially by its own authority what it desires, but He, being yoked by a necessity of nature, is always acting, or rather, suffering obedience, with nature not even allowing Him not to do this if He did not wish to; for from being Son and having been begotten, this one has become obedient in words and obedient in deeds. 140 O, the insensibility of the doctrine. You make the Word obedient to words, and you pre-conceive other words before the true Word, and another word mediates for the Word who was in the beginning, conveying to Him the will of the beginning. And this is not one, but there are also several words inserted by Eunomius between the beginning and the Word, and abusing His obedience for what seems good to them.

141 But why must one dwell on the futility of what is said? For it is clear to everyone that even when Paul said He had become obedient (and he said that He became obedient in this way, by becoming for our sake flesh and a slave and a curse and sin), not even then did the Lord of glory, who despised the shame and undertook the suffering in the flesh, estrange Himself from His authentic authority, saying, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up," and again, "No one takes my life from me, I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again"; and when those armed with sword and clubs approached Him on the night before His passion, He threw them all backward by saying, "I am He"; and again, when the thief begged to be in His memory, He showed His authority over all in what He says, "Today 142 you will be with me in paradise." If, therefore, not even at the time of His passion is He separated from His authority, where then does the heresy see the subservience of the king of glory? And what is this multifarious mediation, which he keeps harping on about God, speaking of a mediator in doctrines, a mediator in law? We were not taught these things by the lofty voice of the apostle, who says that the one who abolished the law of commandments by his own decrees, this is the mediator between God and men, saying thus in word: "One God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Jesus Christ." here he revealed to us the whole purpose of the mystery 143 by taking up the word "mediator". And this is the purpose. Humanity once fell away through the evil of the adversary, and being enslaved to sin, it was also estranged from true life. After this the lord of creation recalls his own creation, and becomes man while remaining God, being wholly that and becoming wholly this, and thus the human was blended with God, of the

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διορίζεται, ὅτι οὐ πρότερον ὑπήκοος ἐγένετο καὶ τότε υἱός, οὐδὲ πρεσβυτέραν χρὴ νοεῖν τὴν ὑπακοὴν αὐτοῦ τῆς γεννήσεως. εἰ δὲ μὴ προσδιωρίσατο ταῦτα, τίς οὕτω μωρὸς καὶ ἠλίθιος ἦν, ὡς μισθὸν ὑπακοῆς οἰηθῆναι παρὰ τοῦ πατρὸς αὐτῷ δεδόσθαι τὴν γέννησιν τῷ πρὸ τῆς γεννήσεως ἐπιδειξαμένῳ τὸ εὐπειθὲς καὶ ὑπήκοον; 138 ἀλλ' ἵνα μὴ προχείρως τις ἐκ τῆς ἀνοίας τῶν λεγομένων κατασυρῇ πρὸς τὸν γέλωτα, νοησάτω ὅτι ἔχει τι καὶ ἡ μωρία τῶν λεγομένων ἐν ἑαυτῇ δακρύων ἄξιον. ὃ γὰρ βούλεται κατασκευάσαι διὰ τούτων, τοιοῦτόν ἐστιν, ὅτι φύσις αὐτῷ ἐστιν ἡ ὑπακοή, ὡς μηδὲ βουλομένῳ δυνατὸν γε νέσθαι τὸ μὴ ὑπήκοον εἶναι. τοιοῦτον γὰρ αὐτὸν κατε σκευάσθαι λέγει, ὡς πρὸς ὑπακοὴν μόνην τὴν φύσιν αὐτοῦ ἐπιτηδείως ἔχειν. καθάπερ τῶν ὀργάνων τὸ πρός τινα τύπον ἐσχηματισμένον ἐκεῖνο τὸ εἶδος ἐντυποῖ κατ' ἀνάγκην τῷ ὑποκειμένῳ, ὅπερ ὁ χαλκεύων τῇ τοῦ ὀργάνου κατα σκευῇ ἐναπέθετο, ᾧ οὐκ ἔστι δύναμις ἢ εὐθὺ ἐμποιῆσαι τῷ ὑποδεχομένῳ τὸ ἴχνος, εἰ περιφερὴς εἴη ἡ ἐργασία, ἢ κύκλον δεῖξαι διὰ τοῦ τύπου, εἰ κατ' εὐθεῖαν ἐσχημα 139 τισμένον τύχοι τὸ ὄργανον. ὅσον δὲ τῆς τοιαύτης διανοίας ἐστὶ τὸ βλάσφημον, τί χρὴ διὰ τῶν ἡμετέρων ἐκκαλύπτεσθαι λόγων, αὐτῆς τῆς αἱρετικῆς φωνῆς τὴν ἀτοπίαν βοώσης; εἰ γὰρ διὰ τοῦτο ὑπήκοος, διότι τοιοῦτος ἐγένετο, οὐδὲ πρὸς τὴν ἀνθρωπίνην φύσιν πάντως τὸ ἴσον ἔχει, εἴπερ ἡμῖν μὲν αὐτεξούσιός ἐστιν ἡ ψυχὴ καὶ ἀδέσποτος, αὐτοκρατορι κῶς αἱρουμένη κατ' ἐξουσίαν τὸ καταθύμιον, ὁ δὲ ἀνάγκῃ φύσεως ὑπεζευγμένος ἐνεργεῖ διὰ παντός, μᾶλλον δὲ πάσχει τὴν ὑπακοήν, οὐδὲ εἰ μὴ βούλοιτο τοῦτο ποιεῖν συγχωρούσης τῆς φύσεως· ἐκ γὰρ τοῦ υἱὸς εἶναι καὶ γεγεννῆσθαι οὗτος ὑπήκοος γέγονεν ἐν λόγοις καὶ ὑπήκοος ἐν ἔρ 140 γοις. ὢ τῆς ἀναισθησίας τοῦ δόγματος. λόγοις ὑπήκοον τὸν λόγον ποιεῖς καὶ προεπινοεῖς τοῦ ὄντως λόγου λόγους ἑτέρους καὶ μεσιτεύει τοῦ ἐν τῇ ἀρχῇ ὄντος λόγου ἕτερος λόγος τῆς ἀρχῆς πρὸς αὐτὸν διαπορθμεύων τὸ βούλημα. Καὶ οὐχ εἷς οὗτος, ἀλλὰ καὶ πλείονές εἰσί τινες λόγοι οἱ διὰ μέσου τῆς ἀρχῆς καὶ τοῦ λόγου παρὰ τοῦ Εὐνομίου παρενειρόμενοι καὶ πρὸς τὸ δοκοῦν αὐτοῖς τῇ ὑπακοῇ αὐτοῦ καταχρώμενοι.

141 Ἀλλὰ τί χρὴ τῇ ματαιότητι τῶν λεγομένων ἐνδιατρί βειν; παντὶ γὰρ δῆλόν ἐστιν, ὅτι καὶ ὅτε ὁ Παῦλος εἶπεν αὐτὸν γεγενῆσθαι ὑπήκοον (εἶπε δὲ οὕτως αὐτὸν γεγενῆσθαι ὑπήκοον, σάρκα καὶ δοῦλον καὶ κατάραν καὶ ἁμαρτίαν δι' ἡμᾶς γενόμενον), οὐδὲ τότε ὁ κύριος τῆς δόξης ὁ τῆς αἰσχύνης καταφρονήσας καὶ τῇ σαρκὶ τὸ πάθος ἀναδεξά μενος τῆς αὐθεντικῆς ἐξουσίας ἑαυτὸν ἠλλοτρίωσε λέγων Λύσατε τὸν ναὸν τοῦτον, καὶ ἐν τρισὶν ἡμέραις ἐγερῶ αὐτόν, καὶ πάλιν Οὐδεὶς αἴρει τὴν ψυχήν μου ἀπ' ἐμοῦ, ἐξουσίαν ἔχω θεῖναι αὐτήν, καὶ ἐξουσίαν ἔχω πάλιν λαβεῖν αὐτήν· καὶ ὅτε προσήγγισαν αὐτῷ κατὰ τὴν πρὸ τοῦ πάθους νύκτα οἱ τῷ σιδήρῳ καὶ τοῖς ξύλοις καθωπλισμένοι, πάντας αὐ τοὺς εἰς τὸ κατόπιν ἀνέτρεψε διὰ τοῦ εἰπεῖν ὅτι Ἐγώ εἰμι· καὶ πάλιν τοῦ λῃστοῦ ἱκετεύσαντος ἐν μνήμῃ παρ' αὐτοῦ γενέσθαι, ἔδειξε τὴν ἐπὶ πάντων ἐξουσίαν ἐν οἷς φησι Σή 142 μερον μετ' ἐμοῦ ἔσῃ ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ. εἰ τοίνυν οὐδὲ ἐν τῷ καιρῷ τοῦ πάθους τῆς ἐξουσίας χωρίζεται, ποῦ ποτε βλέπει ἡ αἵρεσις τοῦ βασιλέως τῆς δόξης τὸ ὑπεξούσιον; τίς δὲ καὶ ἡ πολύτροπος αὕτη μεσιτεία, ἣν ἐπιθρυλεῖ τῷ θεῷ, μεσίτην λέγων ἐν δόγμασι, μεσίτην ἐν νόμῳ; οὐ ταῦτα παρὰ τῆς ὑψηλῆς φωνῆς τοῦ ἀποστόλου ἐπαιδεύθημεν, ὅς φησιν ὅτι ὁ τὸν νόμον τῶν ἐντολῶν καταργήσας τοῖς ἑαυτοῦ δόγμασιν, οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ μεσίτης θεοῦ καὶ ἀνθρώπων, εἰπὼν οὕτω τῷ ῥήματι ὅτι Εἷς θεὸς καὶ εἷς μεσίτης θεοῦ καὶ ἀνθρώπων, ἄνθρωπος Ἰησοῦς Χριστός. ὅλον ἡμῖν ἐνταῦθα τὸν σκοπὸν τοῦ μυστηρίου 143 διὰ τῆς τοῦ μεσίτου λέξεως διαλαβὼν ἀπεκάλυψεν. ὁ δὲ σκοπὸς οὗτός ἐστιν. ἀπέστη διὰ τῆς τοῦ ἀντικειμένου κα κίας ποτὲ τὸ ἀνθρώπινον, καὶ τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ δουλωθὲν καὶ τῆς ὄντως ἠλλοτριώθη ζωῆς. ἀνακαλεῖται μετὰ ταῦτα τὸ ἑαυτοῦ πλάσμα ὁ τοῦ πλάσματος κύριος καὶ γίνεται ἄνθρω πος μετὰ τοῦ εἶναι θεός, κἀκεῖνο ὅλον ὢν καὶ τοῦτο ὅλον γενόμενος, καὶ οὕτω συνανεκράθη θεῷ τὸ ἀνθρώπινον, τοῦ