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as having heard from God. But since he was about to reveal to us more than what had been said then, that not even the powers above see him, for this reason he introduces the only-begotten teacher. Understand here that "sight" is knowledge. For indeed there are no pupils and eyes and eyelids among the incorporeal powers, but what sight is for us, this is knowledge for them. So when you hear, "No one has ever seen God," understand that you are hearing that no one has known God essentially with all accuracy. And concerning the Seraphim, when you hear that they turned away their eyes and veiled their faces, and the Cherubim too that they did this same thing again, do not think of eyes or pupils—for this is the form of bodies—but believe that through these things the prophet hints at their knowledge. Therefore, when the prophet says that they could not bear to see God condescending, he says nothing other than that they are not able to bear the clear and accurate knowledge of his comprehension, nor do they dare to gaze steadfastly upon the pure and unmixed essence, nor even upon the condescension itself. To gaze steadfastly is to know. For this reason, the evangelist, knowing that it is not of human nature to know such things and that God is incomprehensible even to the powers, brings forward as a teacher of this doctrine for us him who sits at his right hand and knows these things accurately; and he did not simply say "the Son," although even if he had said this, it would have been sufficient to shut the mouths of the shameless. For just as there are many anointed ones, but Christ is one, and many called lords, but the Lord is one, and many called gods, but God is one, so also there are many called sons, but the Son is one, and the addition of the article is sufficient to show the excellence of the only-begotten. But nevertheless he was not satisfied with this, but after saying, "No one has ever seen God," he added, "The only-begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he has made him known." First he said, "Only-begotten," and then, "Son"; for since many diminish his glory because of the commonality of the name, thinking him to be one of the many—for this "son" is a common name for all—he first placed that which is his exclusive and proper possession and belongs to none of the others, "only-begotten," so that from this you might believe that this common name is not common, but is his own and proper name, and belongs to none of the others in the same way as to him. And so that what I am saying may be clearer, I will state it again more fully. The name "son" belongs both to men and to Christ, but to us improperly, and to him properly; but "only-begotten" is his alone and belongs to none of the others, not even improperly. Therefore, so that from the title which belongs to no one but him alone you might also consider the other title, which belongs to the many, to be his in a proper sense, for this reason he first said, "The only-begotten," and then, "Son." But if these things are not enough for you, he says, I say also a third thing, crude indeed and human, but sufficient to raise up even those who creep on the ground to the concept of the only-begotten's glory. And what is this? "Who is in the bosom of the Father." The saying is crude, but sufficient to show his genuineness, if we understand it in a manner worthy of God. For just as when you hear of a throne and the seat at the right hand, you do not suppose a throne, nor a place and a boundary, but from the title of the throne and the fellowship in the seat, the unchangeable and equal honor, so too when you hear of the bosom, do not think it is a bosom, nor a place, but from the title of the bosom understand the closeness and intimacy with the one who begot him; for to dwell in the bosom indicates and presents to us the nearness to the one who begot him much more clearly than to sit at the right hand. For neither would the Father have endured having the Son in his bosom, if he were not of the same substance, nor would he, being of an inferior nature, have submitted to dwell in the paternal bosom. Therefore, as Son and only-begotten and abiding in the paternal bosom, he knows all the things of the Father

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ὡς ἀκηκοὼς παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ. Ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ πλέον τῶν τότε εἰρημένων ἔμελλεν ἡμῖν ἐκκαλύπτειν ὅτι οὐδὲ αἱ ἄνω δυνάμεις αὐτὸν ὁρῶσι, διὰ τοῦτο εἰσάγει τὸν μονογενῆ διδάσκαλον. Ὅρασιν δὲ ἐνταῦθα τὴν γνῶσιν εἶναι νόμιζε. Οὐ γὰρ δὴ κόραι καὶ ὄμματα καὶ βλεφαρίδες περὶ τὰς ἀσωμάτους δυνάμεις, ἀλλ' ὅπερ ἐφ' ἡμῶν ἐστιν ὅρασις, τοῦτο ἐπ' ἐκείνων γνῶσις. Ὥστε ὅταν ἀκούσῃς ὅτι «Θεὸν οὐδεὶς ἑώρακε πώποτε», ἐκεῖνο νόμιζε ἀκούειν ὅτι τὸν Θεὸν οὐδεὶς ἔγνω οὐσιωδῶς μετὰ ἀκριβείας ἁπάσης. Καὶ περὶ τῶν Σεραφὶμ δὲ ὅταν ἀκούσῃς ὅτι ἀπέστρεψαν τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς καὶ τὴν ὄψιν ἐτείχισαν, καὶ τὰ Χερουβὶμ δὲ ὅτι τὸ αὐτὸ τοῦτο πάλιν ἐποίησαν, μὴ ὀφθαλμούς, μηδὲ κόρας εἶναι νόμιζε-σωμάτων γὰρ οὗτος ὁ σχηματισμός-ἀλλὰ διὰ τούτων τὴν γνῶσιν αὐτῶν αἰνίττεσθαι πίστευε τὸν προφήτην. Ὅταν οὖν λέγῃ ὁ προφήτης ὅτι συγκαταβαίνοντα τὸν Θεὸν ἰδεῖν οὐκ ἤνεγκαν, οὐδὲν ἄλλο λέγει ἀλλ' ἢ ὅτι τὴν γνῶσιν αὐτοῦ τετρανωμένην καὶ ἀκριβῆ τῆς καταλήψεως ἐνεγκεῖν οὐ δύνανται, οὐδὲ τολμῶσιν ἀτενὲς ἰδεῖν πρὸς τὴν ἀκραιφνῆ καὶ ἀκέραιον οὐσίαν, ἀλλ' οὐδὲ πρὸς αὐτὴν τὴν συγκατάβασιν. Τὸ δὲ ἀτενὲς ἰδεῖν τὸ γνῶναί ἐστι. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ ὁ εὐαγγελιστής, εἰδὼς ὡς οὐκ ἔστιν ἀνθρωπίνης φύσεως τὸ τὰ τοιαῦτα εἰδέναι καὶ ὅτι οὐδὲ ταῖς δυνάμεσι κατάληπτός ἐστιν ὁ Θεός, αὐτὸν τὸν ἐκ δεξιῶν αὐτοῦ καθήμενον καὶ ταῦτα ἀκριβῶς ἐπιστάμενον παράγει τοῦ δόγματος ἡμῖν τούτου διδάσκαλον· καὶ οὐδὲ ἁπλῶς εἶπεν «ὁ Υἱός», καίτοι καὶ εἰ τοῦτο εἰρήκει, ἱκανὸν ἦν ἐπιστομίσαι τὰ τῶν ἀναισχύντων στόματα. Ὥσπερ γὰρ πολλοὶ χριστοί, ὁ δὲ Χριστὸς εἷς, καὶ πολλοὶ κύριοι λεγόμενοι, ὁ δὲ Κύριος εἷς, καὶ πολλοὶ θεοὶ λεγόμενοι, ὁ δὲ Θεὸς εἷς, οὕτω καὶ πολλοὶ υἱοὶ λεγόμενοι, ὁ δὲ Υἱὸς εἷς, καὶ ἡ τοῦ ἄρθρου προσθήκη ἱκανὴ τὸ ἐξαίρετον δεῖξαι τοῦ μονογενοῦς. Ἀλλ' ὅμως οὐκ ἠρκέσθη τούτῳ, ἀλλ' εἰπών· «Θεὸν οὐδεὶς ἑώρακε πώποτε» ἐπήγαγεν· «Ὁ μονογενὴς Υἱός, ὁ ὢν εἰς τὸν κόλπον τοῦ Πατρός, αὐτὸς ἐξηγήσατο.» Πρότερον εἶπε· «Μονογενὴς» καὶ τότε· «Υἱός»· ἐπειδὴ γὰρ πολλοὶ διὰ τὴν πρὸς τὸ ὄνομα κοινωνίαν ὑποτέμνονται αὐτοῦ τὴν δόξαν, ἕνα τῶν πολλῶν εἶναι αὐτὸν νομίζοντες-τὸ γὰρ υἱὸς τοῦτο κοινόν ἐστιν ὄνομα πάντων-ὅπερ ἐστὶν ἐξαίρετον αὐτοῦ καὶ ἴδιον καὶ οὐδενὶ τῶν ἄλλων προσὸν τέθεικε πρότερον, τὸ μονογενής, ἵνα ἀπὸ τούτου πιστεύσῃς ὅτι καὶ τὸ κοινὸν τοῦτο οὐκ ἔστι κοινόν, ἀλλ' ἴδιον αὐτοῦ καὶ κύριόν ἐστι, καὶ οὐδενὶ τῶν ἄλλων οὕτως ὡς ἐκείνῳ προσόν. Καὶ ἵνα σαφέστερον ὃ λέγω γένηται, πλατύτερον αὐτὸ πάλιν ἐρῶ. Τὸ υἱὸς ὄνομα πρόσεστι καὶ ἀνθρώποις, πρόσεστι καὶ τῷ Χριστῷ, ἀλλ' ἡμῖν καταχρηστικῶς, ἐκείνῳ δὲ κυριώς· τὸ δὲ μονογενὴς αὐτοῦ μόνον ἐστὶ καὶ οὐδενὶ τῶν ἄλλων οὐδὲ καταχρηστικῶς πρόσεστιν. Ἵνα οὖν ἀπὸ τῆς προσηγορίας τῆς οὐδενὶ προσούσης ἀλλ' ἢ αὐτῷ μόνῳ καὶ τὴν ἄλλην τὴν τοῖς πολλοῖς προσοῦσαν αὐτοῦ κυρίαν εἶναι νομίσῃς, διὰ τοῦτο πρότερον εἶπεν· «Ὁ μονογενὴς» καὶ τότε· «Υἱός». Εἰ δὲ οὐκ ἀρκεῖ σοι οὐδὲ ταῦτα, φησί, λέγω καὶ ἕτερον τρίτον, παχὺ μὲν καὶ ἀνθρώπινον, ἱκανὸν δὲ καὶ τοὺς χαμαὶ ἕρποντας εἰς τὴν ἔννοιαν τῆς τοῦ μονογενοῦς δόξης ἀναγαγεῖν. Τί δὲ τοῦτό ἐστιν; «Ὁ ὢν εἰς τὸν κόλπον τοῦ Πατρός.» Παχὺ τὸ ῥῆμα, ἀλλ' ἱκανὸν ἐνδείξασθαι τὴν γνησιότητα, ἂν θεοπρεπῶς ἐκλάβωμεν. Ὥσπερ γὰρ ἀκούων θρόνον καὶ τὴν ἐκ δεξιῶν καθέδραν, οὐ θρόνον ὑπολαμβάνεις, οὐδὲ τόπον καὶ περιγραφήν, ἀλλ' ἐκ τῆς τοῦ θρόνου προσηγορίας καὶ τῆς κατὰ τὴν καθέδραν κοινωνίας, τὸ τῆς τιμῆς ἀπαράλλακτον καὶ ἴσον, οὕτω καὶ τὸν κόλπον ἀκούων, μὴ κόλπον εἶναι νόμιζε, μηδὲ τόπον, ἀλλ' ἀπὸ τῆς τοῦ κόλπου προσηγορίας τὴν πρὸς τὸν γεγεννηκότα ἐγγύτητα καὶ τὴν παρρησίαν ἐκλάμβανε· τοῦ γὰρ ἐκ δεξιῶν καθῆσθαι τὸ τῷ κόλπῳ ἐνδιαιτᾶσθαι πολλῷ σαφέστερον ἡμῖν τὴν πρὸς τὸν γεγεννηκότα ἐγγύτητα δηλοῖ καὶ παρίστησιν. Οὔτε γὰρ ἂν ὁ Πατὴρ ἠνέσχετο ἐν τῷ κόλπῳ τὸν Υἱὸν ἔχειν, εἰ μὴ τῆς αὐτῆς οὐσίας ἦν, οὔτ' ἂν ἐκεῖνος ὑπέμεινεν ὑποδεεστέρας φύσεως ὢν ἐνδιαιτᾶσθαι τῷ κόλπῳ τῷ πατρικῷ. Ὡς Υἱὸς τοίνυν καὶ μονογενὴς καὶ ἐν τῷ κόλπῳ διατρίβων τῷ πατρικῷ πάντα τὰ τοῦ Πατρὸς ἐπίσταται