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his works," he created me, that is, through the virgin Mary, through whom God chose to unite human flesh with his own Word. 2.3.13 And after other things he adds, saying: Since this is so, then, it is consistent to consider in the mind this chapter, spoken proverbially, "The Lord created me as the beginning of his ways for his works." For our Master, God, truly created, having made what was not; for the flesh, which the Word assumed, was not, but he created it when it was not. And again he adds, saying: Therefore this is the meaning of "The Lord created me as the beginning of his ways for his works." 2.3.14 And he brings forward, "before the age he established me," calling this a foundation, the economy according to his flesh, which was foreordained. As also the apostle says, "For no one can lay another foundation besides the one that is laid, which is Jesus Christ." And he here mentions one age, from which he said the things concerning Christ have been established. 2.3.15 And again he confirms the same saying, asserting: Fittingly the prophet said, "before the age he established me," that is, according to the flesh, because of the communion with his truly Son, the Word. And he adds next, Then he says, "in the beginning," "before he made the earth." What earth is this but clearly our flesh, which after the transgression became earth again? For "you are earth," he says, "and to earth you shall return." For it was necessary for this to receive healing, having in some way communed with the holy Word. 2.3.16 But see how in these things Marcellus contradicts himself. For having stated in another place that the created flesh is the "beginning of the ways" of God, and again having said it is the "foundation," he brings forward, "before he made the earth." Then he interprets the earth to be the flesh again, not seeing that it has no consistency to say that the flesh was created before the flesh and after the creation of the flesh to name the flesh again. 2.3.17 And in addition to these things he adds next, saying: Then he says, "before he made the abysses"; here the prophet proverbially says the abysses are the hearts of the saints, which have in their own depth the gift of the spirit. 2.3.18 And in these things also, pay attention, how having taken "The Lord created me" as spoken of the flesh, then, being hard-pressed by the scripture saying "before he made the abysses," he interprets the abysses, saying they are the hearts of the saints, but he does not perceive that the hearts of the saints, namely, of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, and of Moses and Elijah and Melchizedek and the other pro- 2.3.19 phets, came into being before the flesh of the savior. How then is it possible to refer to the flesh the phrase "before he made the abysses"? And after other things he again brings forward, saying: What then is also this chapter, "before the springs of water came forth"? He says they are the holy apostles. And the scripture of Exodus presents this mystery to us, long ago foretelling the types of the apostles, for since the apostles were twelve in number, it mentions twelve springs. 2.3.20 And again he brings forward the same, writing thus: Fittingly, therefore, concerning the birth according to the flesh, the Master, through the prophet Solomon saying, said, "before the springs of water came forth." 2.3.21 Then, having gone through certain other things next, he adds: Therefore, since we have spoken about the things that come before, it is consistent also to fill in what is lacking. What is lacking concerns the mountains and the hills. For "before the mountains were settled," he says, "and before all the hills, he begets me." He says the mountains and hills are the apostles and the successors of the apostles, so that in comparison with other men he might proverbially signify their just way of life. 2.3.22 Having set forth certain such interpretations, he again moves on to the apostolic sayings, uttering things contrary to the apostle. For he taught that he is the pre-existing Son of God and "firstborn of all creation," that "all things were created through him and in him," and that he is "before all things"

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ἔργα αὐτοῦ», ἔκτισέν με δηλονότι διὰ τῆς παρθένου Μαρίας δι' ἧς ὁ θεὸς ἑνῶσαι τὴν ἀνθρωπίνην σάρκα τῷ ἑαυτοῦ λόγῳ προείλετο. 2.3.13 καὶ μεθ' ἕτερα προστίθησιν λέγων τούτου τοίνυν οὕτως ἔχοντος, ἀκόλουθόν ἐστιν σκοπεῖν τῇ διανοίᾳ τὸ παροιμιωδῶς εἰρημένον τουτὶ κεφάλαιον «κύριος ἔκτισέν με ἀρχὴν ὁδῶν αὐτοῦ εἰς ἔργα αὐτοῦ». ἔκτισεν γὰρ ἀλη θῶς τὸ μὴ ὂν πεποιηκὼς ὁ δεσπότης ἡμῶν θεός· οὐκ οὖσαν γὰρ τὴν σάρκα, ἣν ἀνείληφεν ὁ λόγος ἀλλὰ μὴ οὖσαν ἔκτισεν. καὶ ἐπιφέρει αὖθις λέγων οὐκοῦν τοῦτ' ἐστιν τὸ «κύριος ἔκτισέν με ἀρχὴν ὁδῶν αὐτοῦ εἰς ἔργα αὐτοῦ». 2.3.14 ἐπάγει δέ «πρὸ τοῦ αἰῶνος ἐθεμελίωσέν με», θεμέλιον μὲν τοῦτον ὀνομάζων, τὴν κατὰ σάρκα αὐτοῦ προορισθεῖσαν οἰκονομίαν. ὡς καὶ ὁ ἀπόστολος λέγει «θεμέλιον γὰρ ἄλλον οὐδεὶς δύναται θεῖναι παρὰ τὸν κείμενον, ὅς ἐστιν Ἰησοῦς Χριστός». ἑνὸς δὲ αἰῶνος ἐνταῦθα μέμνηται, ἀφ' οὗ τὰ κατὰ τὸν Χριστὸν τεθεμελιῶσθαι ἔφη. 2.3.15 καὶ πάλιν τὴν αὐτὴν βεβαιοῖ λέξιν φάσκων εἰκότως ὁ προφήτης ἔφη «πρὸ τοῦ αἰῶνος ἐθεμελίωσέν με», δηλονότι τὸ κατὰ σάρκα, διὰ τὴν πρὸς τὸν ἀληθῶς υἱὸν αὐτοῦ τὸν λόγον κοινωνίαν. καὶ ἐπιλέγει ἑξῆς εἶτα «ἐν ἀρχῇ» φησὶν «πρὸ τοῦ τὴν γῆν ποιῆσαι». γῆν ποίαν ταύτην ἢ δηλονότι τὴν ἡμετέραν σάρκα, τὴν μετὰ τὴν παρακοὴν γῆν αὖθις γενομένην; «γῆ» γὰρ «εἶ» φησὶν «καὶ εἰς γῆν ἀπελεύσῃ». ἔδει γὰρ ταύτην ἰάσεως τυχεῖν, τινὰ τρόπον κοινω νήσασαν τῷ ἁγίῳ λόγῳ. 2.3.16 θέα δὲ πῶς ἐν τούτοις ὁ Μάρκελλος ἑαυτῷ περιπίπτει. φήσας γοῦν ἐν ἑτέρῳ περιπίπτει τὴν σάρκα εἶναι τὴν «ἀρχὴν ὁδῶν» τοῦ θεοῦ κτισθεῖσαν καὶ πάλιν «θεμέλιον» τὴν αὐτὴν εἶναι εἰπών, ἐπάγει τὸ «πρὸ τοῦ τὴν γῆν ποιῆσαι». εἶθ' ἑρμηνεύει τὴν γῆν πάλιν τὴν σάρκα εἶναι, οὐχ ὁρῶν ὡς οὐδεμίαν ἔχει ἀκολουθίαν πρὸ τῆς σαρκὸς τὴν σάρκα ἐκτίσθαι λέγειν καὶ μετὰ τὴν κτίσιν τῆς σαρκὸς πάλιν τὴν 2.3.17 σάρκα ὀνομάζειν. ὁ δὲ ἔτι πρὸς τούτοις ἐπιφέρει ἑξῆς λέγων εἶτα «πρὸ τοῦ τὰς ἀβύσσους ποιῆσαι» φησίν· ἐνταῦθα τὰς ἀβύσσους παροιμιωδῶς ὁ προφήτης τὰς τῶν ἁγίων καρδίας εἶναι λέγει τὰς ἐν τῷ ἑαυτῶν βάθει τὴν τοῦ πνεύματος ἐχούσας δωρεάν. 2.3.18 καὶ ἐν τούτοις δὲ πρόσσχες, ὅπως εἰς τὴν σάρκα ἐκλαβὼν εἰρῆσθαι τὸ «κύριος ἔκτισέν με», ἔπειτα στενοχωρούμενος ὑπὸ τῆς γραφῆς λεγούσης «πρὸ τοῦ τὰς ἀβύσσους ποιῆσαι», τὰς μὲν ἀβύσσους ἑρμηνεύει τὰς τῶν ἁγίων καρδίας λέγων αὐτὰς εἶναι, οὐ συνορᾷ δὲ ὅτι αἱ τῶν ἁγίων καρδίαι, τοῦ Ἀβραὰμ δηλαδὴ καὶ τοῦ Ἰσαὰκ καὶ τοῦ Ἰακὼβ Μωσέως τε καὶ Ἡλίου καὶ Μελχισεδὲκ καὶ τῶν λοιπῶν προ2.3.19 φητῶν, πρὸ τῆς σαρκὸς γεγόνασιν τοῦ σωτῆρος. πῶς οὖν δυνατὸν ἐπὶ τὴν σάρκα ἀναφέρειν τὸ «πρὸ τοῦ τὰς ἀβύσσους ποιῆσαι»; καὶ μεθ' ἕτερα δὲ αὖθις ἐπάγει λέγων τί τοίνυν ἐστὶν καὶ τουτὶ τὸ κεφάλαιον «πρὸ τοῦ προ ελθεῖν τὰς πηγὰς τῶν ὑδάτων»; τοὺς ἱεροὺς ἀποστόλους εἶναί φησιν. τοῦτο δὲ ἡμῖν τὸ μυστήριον παρίστησιν ἡ τῆς Ἐξόδου γραφὴ τοὺς τῶν ἀποστόλων τύπους πάλαι προαγορεύουσα, δώδεκα γὰρ ὄντων τὸν ἀριθμὸν τῶν ἀποστόλων δώδεκα πηγῶν μέμνηται. 2.3.20 καὶ αὖθις ἐπάγει τὸ αὐτὸ γράφων οὕτως εἰκότως οὖν περὶ τῆς κατὰ σάρκα γενέσεως ὁ δεσπότης διὰ τοῦ προφήτου Σολομῶνος λέγοντος «πρὸ τοῦ προελθεῖν τὰς πηγὰς τῶν ὑδάτων» ἔφη. 2.3.21 ἔπειτα ἑξῆς ἕτερά τινα διελθὼν ἐπιφέρει οὐκοῦν ἐπειδήπερ περὶ τῶν προαγόντων εἰρήκαμεν, ἀκό λουθόν ἐστιν καὶ τὸ λεῖπον ἀναπληρῶσαι. λείπει δὲ τὸ κατὰ τὰ ὄρη καὶ τοὺς βουνούς. «πρὸ» γὰρ «τοῦ ὄρη ἑδρασθῆναι» φησὶν «πρὸ δὲ πάντων τῶν βουνῶν γεννᾷ με». ὄρη καὶ βουνοὺς τοὺς ἀποστόλους καὶ τοὺς τῶν ἀποστόλων διαδόχους λέγει, ἵνα παρὰ τοὺς ἄλλους ἀνθρώπους τὴν κατ' αὐτῶν δικαίαν πολιτείαν παροι μιωδῶς σημήνῃ. 2.3.22 τοιαύτας τινὰς ἑρμηνείας ἐκθέμενος αὖθις ἐπὶ τὰς ἀποστολικὰς μεταβαίνει φωνάς, τἀναντία τῷ ἀποστόλῳ φθεγγόμενος. ὁ μὲν γὰρ τὸν προόντα υἱὸν τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ «πρωτότοκον πάσης κτίσεως» αὐτὸν εἶναι ἐδίδασκεν. «τὰ πάντα δι' αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐν αὐτῷ» ἐκτίσθαι, αὐτόν τε εἶναι «πρὸ πάντων»