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understanding; and with them also Manichaeus, who does not accept the Old Testament; but calls the Father inhumane, as having cast Adam out of paradise, and the Son alone humane, as having come through himself and saved him. For how shall we know grace is in Christ alone, when the Father also sent him? But Scripture is accustomed to use the word "the one who sent," and "was sent" for the ineffable condescension; and as it was impossible for mortal speech to comprehend the incomprehensible, so also it makes its narrative through the economy of its words, lest anyone should have a suspicion of opposition to God; since indeed all things are full of God, as it has been said. The ever-living voice testifies to this, saying: "Father, I thank you, that you have heard me; but I knew that you always hear me, but because of the crowd standing around I said it, that they may believe that you have sent me;" that is: I knew that you always 39.884 hear me, there being one will; but because of the crowd standing around, that they may believe, I said, Father, I thank you, because you sent me; but he uttered the words in reverse order, doing so safely, on account of the hearers who were fault-finding and contentious as also concerning the Forerunner, proclaiming the economy, he said: "There was a man sent from God;" and yet he was not sent from heaven. It is written that God is also sent by a man, and is called a man, and certainly endures no harm concerning his divine and true glory as Moses says in Genesis: "And he crossed the torrent, and he made all his things cross over. But Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him until morning. But he saw that he could not prevail over Jacob in the wrestling, and he said to him: Let me go; for the dawn has come up. But he said: I will not let you go, unless you bless me. And he said to him: What is your name? And he said: Jacob. And he said to him: Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel shall be your name, because you have prevailed with God, and you will be mighty with men. But Jacob asked, and said: Tell me your name. And he said: Why do you ask my name? And he blessed him there. And Jacob called the name of that place Form of God; for I have seen God face to face, and my soul has been saved." And that the one who wrestled and did not tell his name is God, the prophecy also says: "I was seen by Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, your fathers, being their God, and I did not declare my name to them." But how is he who makes himself equal to the Father, who says: "I and the Father are one," also greater according to his divinity? and being testified to, that he is true God, and Son, and Only-begotten, "In whom dwells all the fullness of the Godhead;" and, "a great God, with whom no other will be compared;" and that he is seated at the right hand? But confessedly the "greater" also refers to the incarnation, because of which he who is ever devoid of change is written by the Apostle to have been made lower even than the angels, if it is right to say this, thus: "But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death." Therefore, not existing in the form of God in heaven, but in the form of a servant on earth, when he came forth unchangeably from the Virgin, he would say: "The Father who sent me is greater than I;" as if he also said: The divinity, unseen by you and by every mind, is greater than my visible condescension. For he who condescended in deed, and served, and was not served, and bore the form of a servant, he who existed in the 39.885 form of God, how would he not also be about to condescend in his words, he who is superior to all speech? so that he also reproaches in John those who accept the words of the economy in a petty manner, saying: "I honor my Father, and you dishonor me." But the Father also honors the Son, saying: "Sit at my right hand;" and moreover drawing the worthy to him. And this very thing to say with confidence

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νοοῦντας· σὺν αὐτοῖς δὲ καὶ Μανιχαῖον, μὴ προσιέμενον τὴν Παλαιὰν ∆ιαθήκην· ἀλλ' ἀποκαλοῦντα τὸν μὲν Πατέρα ἀπάνθρωπον, ὡς ἐκβαλόντα τὸν Ἀδὰμ ἀπὸ τοῦ παραδείσου, τὸν δὲ Υἱὸν μόνον φιλάνθρωπον, ὡς δι' ἑαυτοῦ παραγενόμενον καὶ σώσαντα. Πῶς γὰρ μόνῳ τὴν χάριν εἰσώμεθα τῷ Χριστῷ, ὅτι ἔπεμψεν αὐτὸν καὶ ὁ Πατήρ; Εἴωθε δὲ ἡ Γραφὴ τῇ λέξει τοῦ «ὁ πέμψας,» καὶ τοῦ «ἀπεστάλη» ἐπὶ τῆς ἀῤῥήτου συγκαταβάσεως προσχρῆσθαι· καὶ ὡς θνητῷ τῷ λόγῳ περιλαβεῖν ἀδύνατον ἦν τὸν ἀχώρητον, οὕτως καὶ τῇ τῶν ῥημάτων οἰκονομίᾳ τὴν διήγησιν ποιεῖσθαι, ἵνα μή τις ἀντιθεΐας ὑπόνοιαν σχοίη· ἐπείτοιγε Πάντα Θεοῦ πλήρη, καθὰ εἴρηται. Μαρτυρεῖ δὲ τούτῳ ἡ ἀεὶ ζῶσα φωνὴ, λέγουσα· «Πάτερ, εὐχαριστῶ σοι, ὅτι ἤκουσάς μου· ἐγὼ δὲ ᾔδειν, ὅτι πάντοτέ μου ἀκούεις, ἀλλὰ διὰ τὸν ὄχλον τὸν περιεστῶτα εἶπον, ἵνα πιστεύσωσιν, ὅτι σύ με ἀπέστειλας·» τοῦτ' ἔστιν· Ἤδειν ὅτι πάντοτέ μου 39.884 ἀκούεις, μιᾶς θελήσεως οὔσης· ἀλλὰ διὰ τὸν περιεστῶτα ὄχλον, ἵνα πιστεύσωσιν, εἶπον τὸ, Πάτερ, εὐχαριστῶ σοι, ὅτι σύ με ἀπέστειλας· πρωθυστέρους δὲ τὰς λέξεις ἐφθέγξατο, ἠσφαλισμένως ποιῶν, διὰ τοὺς ἀκροωμένους φιλαιτίους καὶ φιλαπεχθήμονας ὡς καὶ περὶ τοῦ Προδρόμου τὴν οἰκονομίαν κηρύττοντος εἶπεν· «Ἐγένετο ἄνθρωπος ἀπεσταλμένος παρὰ Θεοῦ·» καὶ ὅμως οὐκ ἐξ οὐρανῶν ἀποσταλεὶς ἐτύγχανεν. Γέγραπται ὁ Θεὸς καὶ ὑπὸ ἀνθρώπου ἀποστελλόμενος, καὶ ἄνθρωπος ὀνομαζόμενος, καὶ βλάβος περὶ τὴν θείαν καὶ ἀληθῆ δόξαν πάντως οὐχ ὑπομένων ὡς Μωϋσῆς ἐν τῇ γενέσει λέγει· «Καὶ διέβη τὸν χειμάῤῥουν, καὶ διεβίβασε πάντα τὰ αὐτοῦ. Ὑπελείφθη δὲ Ἰακὼβ μόνος, καὶ ἐπάλαιεν ἄνθρωπος μετ' αὐτοῦ ἕως πρωί. Ἴδεν δὲ, ὅτι οὐ δύναται Ἰακὼβ ἐν τῷ παλαίειν, καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ· Ἀπόστειλόν με· ἀνέβη γὰρ ὁ ὄρθρος. Ὁ δὲ εἶπεν· Οὐ μή σε ἀποστείλω, εἰ μή με εὐλογήσῃς. Εἶπε δὲ αὐτῷ· Τί τὸ ὄνομά σου ἐστίν; Ὁ δὲ εἶπεν· Ἰακώβ. Καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ· Οὐ κληθήσεται ἔτι ὄνομά σου Ἰακὼβ, ἀλλ' Ἰσραὴλ ἔσται τὸ ὄνομά σου, ὅτι ἐνίσχυσας μετὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ μετὰ ἀνθρώπων δυνατὸς ἔσῃ. Ἠρώτησε δὲ Ἰακὼβ, καὶ εἶπεν· Ἀνάγγειλόν μοι τὸ ὄνομά σου. Καὶ εἶπεν· Ἵνα τί σὺ ἐρωτᾷς τὸ ὄνομά μου; Καὶ εὐλόγησεν αὐτὸν ἐκεῖ. Καὶ ἐκάλεσεν Ἰακὼβ τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ τόπου ἐκείνου Εἶδος Θεοῦ· Ἴδον γὰρ Θεὸν πρόσωπον πρὸς πρόσωπον, καὶ ἐσώθη μου ἡ ψυχή.» Ὅτι δὲ Θεός ἐστιν ὁ παλαίσας καὶ μὴ εἰπὼν αὐτοῦ τὸ ὄνομα, καὶ ἡ προφητεία λέγει· «Ὤφθην πρὸς Ἀβραὰμ, καὶ Ἰσαὰκ,καὶ Ἰακὼβ, τοὺς πατέρας ὑμῶν, Θεὸς ὢν αὐτῶν, καὶ τὸ ὄνομά μου οὐκ ἐδήλωσα αὐτοῖς.» Πῶς δὲ καὶ μείζων κατὰ τὴν θεότητα ὑπάρχει τοῦ ἴσον ἑαυτὸν ποιοῦντος τῷ Πατρὶ, τοῦ λέγοντος· «Ἐγὼ καὶ ὁ Πατὴρ ἕν ἐσμεν·» καὶ μαρτυρουμένου, ὡς ἀληθινὸς Θεὸς, καὶ Υἱὸς, καὶ Μονογενής ἐστιν «Ἐν ᾧ κατοικεῖ πᾶν τὸ πλήρωμα τῆς θεότητος·» καὶ, «Θεὸς μέγας, πρὸς ὃν οὐ λογισθήσεται ἕτερος·» καὶ ὡς ἐκ δεξιῶν συγκαθέζεται; Ἀλλ' ὁμολογουμένως καὶ τὸ «μείζων» εἰς τὴν ἐνανθρώπησιν ἀποτείνεται, δι' ἢν ὁ μεταβολῆς διὰ παντὸς ἄμοιρος ὢν, ἠλαττῶσθαι καὶ τῶν ἀγγέλων, εἰ θέμις τοῦτο φάναι, γέγραπται παρὰ τῷ Ἀποστόλῳ οὕτως· «Τὸν δὲ βραχύ τι παρ' ἀγγέλους ἠλαττωμένον βλέπομεν Ἰησοῦν διὰ τὸ πάθημα τοῦ θανάτου.» Ἀμέλει οὐκ ἐν μορφῇ Θεοῦ ὑπάρχων ἐν οὐρανοῖς, ἀλλ' ἐν μορφῇ δούλου ἐπὶ γῆς, ὅτε ἐκ τῆς Παρθένου ἀτρέπτως προῆλθεν, ἔλεγεν· «Ὁ πέμψας με Πατὴρ μείζων μου ἐστίν·» ὡσεὶ καὶ ἔλεγεν. Ἡ ὑμῖν καὶ πάσῃ διανοίᾳ ἀθέατος θεότης, μείζων τῆς ὁρωμένης συγκαταβάσεώς μου ὑπάρχει. Ὁ γὰρ τῷ πράγματι συγκαταβὰς, καὶ διακονῶν, καὶ μὴ διακονούμενος, καὶ δούλου φέρων μορφὴν, ὁ ἐν 39.885 μορφῇ Θεοῦ ὑπάρχων, πως οὐχὶ καὶ τοῖς ῥήμασι συγκαταβαίνειν ἔμελλεν, ὁ παντὸς λόγου ἀνώτερος; οὕτως ὥστε καὶ ὀνειδίζει παρ' Ἰωάννῃ τοῖς ἐπὶ μικροπρεπεία ἐκδεχομένοις τῆς οἰκονομίας τὰ ῥήματα, φάσκων· «Ἐγὼ τιμῶ τὸν Πατέρα μου, καὶ ὑμεῖς ἀτιμάζετέ με.» Τιμᾷ δὲ καὶ ὁ Πατὴρ τὸν Υἱὸν, λέγων· «Κάθου ἐκ δεξιῶν μου·» καὶ μέντοι ἕλκων πρὸς αὐτὸν τοὺς ἀξίους. Καὶ αὐτὸ δὲ τοῦτο τὸ εἰπεῖν πεποιθήσει