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has become most difficult to capture. Therefore, it was rightly said in the manner spoken: "alone immortal, and wise God, and invisible."

CH. 17. And indeed, also from John, the blameless and irreproachable words of the Lord of all, which say: "As the Father has life in Himself, so He gave also to the Son to have life in Himself; and He gave Him authority to execute judgment, because He is the Son of Man;" and again: "Those whom You gave Me were Yours, and You gave them to Me;" and again: "All things have been delivered to Me by My Father;" and again: 39.876 "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth;" and from David: "Ask of Me, and I will give You the nations for Your inheritance, and the ends of the earth for Your possession;" and all such things declare the ineffable economy. And this makes it more irrefutable, and compels all, at least those not completely soulless, to agree with us on what is immediately added: "Because He is the Son of Man." For being well-disposed towards our race, and having willingly become poor in the flesh, as Paul writes, so that we, who are subject to all kinds of harms and changes, both because of the ancient and the recent sins, might become rich through His poverty; and behaving suitably towards all, He used a dialect familiar to us, so that we might understand the economy, not being overwhelmed by the grandeur of divine phrasing. For the miracles alone were sufficient to reveal His unoriginate and self-sufficient divinity; so that He spoke this also with moderation: "The foxes of the field have dens, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head." For it was not fitting for the Master to possess anything on earth in a private way. And in another way, it was necessary for God, with whom there is never any show or strife towards men, to speak in a human-like and humble manner, in a way that in no way harmed His most serene and all-encompassing nature, but benefited us. For He always looks not to His own height, but to the humility of men. And I will make Him my supporter, saying to Peter: "But so that," He says, "we do not offend them, go to the sea, cast a hook, and take the first fish that comes up; and when you have opened its mouth, you will find a stater; and take that, and give it to them for Me and you." But for a man to utter words fitting for God is not right; since it is especially fitting for a king to speak with moderation; for from this he reaps greater glory, and is raised to the very summit of honor; but for a subject to utter royal words is unprofitable. Therefore, since He was the Most High, and the Word of God greater than all speech, His humble words had a place; but if He were a creature, again, the lofty things He uttered would have had no place. For how could life have received life, or the mighty and ruling God according to Isaiah have received authority, He who grants to those who can die 39.877 to live and to be by His own authority, He who entrusted to Peter the keys of heavenly life? For the Apostle also cries out, that "He did not consider it robbery to be equal with God;" instead of: He did not seize, He did not receive, being equal to God the Father. But if indeed it was said of the divinity of the Son, they ought to understand it thus, that just as for God to have life does not mean to possess something other than Himself, as though not having it from eternity, but signifies that He Himself is this very thing which He is said to have; in the same way, for the Son to have received life does not mean that He did not have it by nature. For the phrase "as He has," and "so He gave," indicates this: that the Son has life in the same way as the Father has it without having received it; and one must understand in a God-fitting manner, concerning the Father, "to have life" and "in Himself," and concerning the Son, "He has given to Him" and "to have in Himself;" and rather, from the necessity of the matter, to perceive the divine authority of the Son, and the one will in both. For the life which He says the Father and the Son have in themselves, the unity

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δυσαλωτότατον καθέστηκεν. Ὀρθῷ οὖν προσεῤῥήθη τρόπῳ τῷ εἰρημένῳ «μόνος ἀθάνατος, σοφός τε Θεὸς, καὶ ἀόρατος.»

ΚΕΦ. ΙΖʹ. Καὶ μὴν καὶ τὰ παρὰ Ἰωάννῃ ἀμώμητα καὶ ἀνεπίληπτα τοῦ πάντων

Κυρίου ῥήματα, τὰ λέγοντα· «Ὥσπερ ὁ Πατὴρ ζωὴν ἔχει ἐν ἑαυτῷ, οὕτως ἔδωκε καὶ τῷ Υἱῷ ζωὴν ἔχειν ἐν ἑαυτῷ· καὶ ἐξουσίαν ἔδωκεν αὐτῷ κρίσιν ποιεῖν, ὅτι Υἱὸς ἀνθρώπου ἐστίν·» καὶ πάλιν· «Οὓς ἔδωκάς μοι, σοὶ ἦσαν, καὶ ἐμοὶ αὐτοὺς ἔδωκας·» καὶ πάλιν· «Πάντα μοι παρεδόθη παρὰ τοῦ Πατρός μου·» καὶ πάλιν· 39.876 «Ἐδόθη μοι πᾶσα ἐξουσία ἐν οὐρανῷ καὶ ἐπὶ γῆς·» καὶ τοῦ ∆αυΐδ· «Αἴτησαι παρ' ἐμοῦ, καὶ δώσω σοι ἔθνη τὴν κληρονομίαν σου, καὶ τὴν κατάσχεσίν σου τὰ πέρατα τῆς γῆς·» καὶ ὅσα τοιαῦτα, τὴν ἄφραστον οἰκονομίαν δηλοῖ. Καὶ ἄμαχον τοῦτο πλέον ποιεῖ, καὶ πάντας ἀναγκάζει, τούς γε μὴ τελέως ἀψύχους, συντίθεσθαι ἡμῖν τὸ εὐθὺς προσκεῖσθαι· «Ὅτι Υἱὸς ἀνθρώπου ἐστίν.» Εὐμενῶς γὰρ ἔχων πρὸς τὸ γένος ἡμῶν, καὶ ἑκὼν πτωχεύσας σαρκὶ, ὡς γράφει ὁ Παῦλος, ἵν' ἡμεῖς, οἱ παντοίαις βλάβαις καὶ μεταβολαῖς, διά τε τὴν ἀρχαίαν καὶ τὰς προσφάτους ἁμαρτίας, ὑποκείμενοι, τῇ ἐκείνου πτωχείᾳ πλουτήσωμεν· καὶ πᾶσιν προσφόρως προσφερόμενος, τῇ ἡμῖν συντρόφῳ ἐχρῆτο διαλέκτῳ, ὅπως τὴν οἰκονομίαν συνιῶμεν, μὴ τῷ ὄγκῳ τῆς θείας ἀποθαμβούμενοι φράσεως. Ἤρκει γὰρ καὶ μόνα τὰ θαύματα ἐκφαίνειν τὴν ἄναρχον καὶ ἀπροσδεῆ αὐτοῦ θεότητα· ὡς μετριάζοντα καὶ τοῦτο λέγειν· «Αἱ ἀλώπεκες τοῦ ἀγροῦ φωλεοὺς ἔχουσιν, καὶ τὰ πετηνὰ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ κατασκηνώσεις· ὁ δὲ Υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου οὐκ ἔχει ποῦ τὴν κεφαλὴν κλῖναι.» Οὐ γὰρ ἔδει τὸν ∆εσπότην ἰδιάζον πως ἐπὶ γῆς τι κεκτῆσθαι. Καὶ ἄλλως δέ πως τὸν Θεὸν μὲν, ᾧ ἔνδειξις καὶ ἔρις πρὸς ἀνθρώπους οὐδέποτε οὐδεμία, ἀνθρωποπρεπῆ καὶ μετριόφρονα φθέγξασθαι χρειῶδες ἦν, καὶ οὐδὲν μὲν τὴν γαληνοτάτην αὐτοῦ καὶ πάντα περιέχουσαν φύσιν καταβλάπτον, ἡμᾶς δὲ εὐεργετοῦν. Ὁρᾷ γὰρ ἀεὶ οὐ πρὸς τὸ οἰκεῖον ὕψος, πρὸς δὲ τὸ ἀνθρώπων ταπεινόν. Αὐτὸν δὲ συλλήπτορα ποιήσομαι, λέγοντα Πέτρῳ· «Ἵνα δὲ,» φησὶ, «μὴ σκανδαλίσωμεν αὐτοὺς, πορευθεὶς εἰς θάλασσαν, βάλε ἄγκιστρον, καὶ τὸν ἀναβάντα πρῶτον ἰχθὺν ἆρον· καὶ ἀνοίξας τὸ στόμα αὐτοῦ, εὑρήσεις στατῆρα· καὶ ἐκεῖνον λαβὼν, δὸς αὐτοῖς ἀντὶ ἐμοῦ καὶ σοῦ.» Ἄνθρωπον δὲ Θεῷ ἁρμόζοντα ῥήματα ἀφιέναι, οὐ θέμις· ἐπεὶ καὶ βασιλεῖ ὅτι μάλιστα πρέπει μετριολογεῖν· μείζονα γὰρ ἐκ τούτου καρποῦται δόξαν, καὶ εἰς αὐτὴν ἀναφέρεται τῆς τιμῆς τὴν κορυφήν· ὑπηκόῳ δὲ βασιλικὰς φωνὰς ἐκφέρειν, ἀσύμφορον. Ὥστε ἐπειδὴ Ὕψιστος ἦν, καὶ Λόγος τοῦ Θεοῦ παντὸς λόγου κρείττων, χώραν εἶχεν τὰ χθαμαλὰ αὐτοῦ ῥήματα· εἰ δὲ κτίσμα ἐτύγχανε, πάλιν οὐκ εἶχεν χώραν, ἃ ἐφθέγγετο ὑψηλά. Πῶς γὰρ ἂν ἔλαβεν ζωὴν ἡ ζωὴ, ἢ ἐξουσίαν ὁ κατὰ Ἡσαΐαν ἰσχυρὸς καὶ ἐξουσιαστὴς Θεὸς, ὁ καὶ τοῖς ἀποθανεῖν δυναμέ 39.877 νοις τὸ ζῇν καὶ εἶναι κατ' ἐξουσίαν ἰδίαν παρέχων, ὁ Πέτρῳ τὰς κλεῖς τῆς οὐρανίου ζωῆς ἐγχειρίσας; Ἐκβοᾷ γὰρ καὶ ὁ Ἀπόστολος, ὡς «Οὐχ ἁρπαγμὸν ἡγήσατο τὸ εἶναι ἴσα Θεῷ·» ἀντὶ τοῦ. Οὐχ ἥρπασεν, οὐκ ἔλαβε τὸ εἶναι ἴσος τῷ Θεῷ καὶ Πατρί. Εἰ δὲ ἄρα καὶ εἰς τὴν θεότητα εἴρητο τοῦ Υἱοῦ, ἐχρῆν αὐτοὺς οὕτω νοεῖν, ὅτιπερ, ὃν τρόπον τὸ, ἔχειν ζωὴν τὸν Θεὸν, οὐ τὸ κεκτῆσθαί τι ἄλλο ἑαυτοῦ, ὡς μὴ ἀνάρχως ἐσχηκότα, ἀλλὰ τὸ αὐτὸν εἶναι τοῦτο, ὅπερ ἔχειν λέγεται, δηλοῖ· τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον, τὸ ἔχειν λαβόντα ζωὴν τὸν Υἱὸν, οὐχ ὡς μὴ ἔχοντα φύσει σημαίνει. Ἡ γὰρ λέξις ἡ «ὥσπερ ἔχει,» καὶ ἡ «οὕτως ἔδωκε,» τοῦτο παριστᾷ· ὅτι οὕτως ἔχει ὁ Υἱὸς τὴν ζωὴν, ὥσπερ ἔχει αὐτὴν οὐ λαβὼν ὁ Πατήρ· καὶ χρὴ θεοπρεπῶς ἐπί τε τοῦ Πατρὸς τὸ, ἔχειν ζωὴν, καὶ τὸ «ἐν ἑαυτῷ,» ἐπί τε τοῦ Υἱοῦ τὸ «δέδωκεν αὐτῷ,» καὶ τὸ, ἔχειν ἐν ἑαυτῷ ἐκλαμβάνειν· καὶ μᾶλλον ἐκ τοῦ ἀναγκαίου τοῦ πράγματος τὴν θεϊκὴν ἐξουσίαν τοῦ Υἱοῦ, καὶ τὸ ἐπ' ἀμφοῖν ἓν θέλημα ἀθρεῖν. Ἣν γὰρ λέγει ἔχειν ζωὴν ἐν ἑαυτῷ τὸν Πατέρα καὶ τὸν Υἱὸν, ἡ ἑνὰς