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God the Father, he shows how "greater" is according to the incarnation. And from an example it is easier to understand that "greater" was not said with respect to the divinity. For the Lord says: "Truly I say to you, among those born of women there has not risen one greater than John the Baptist." But he did not say that he was greater as being of another greater nature, or beyond men; for all who pursue virtue were either equal to him, or fell somewhat short; nor as one stronger in power, or having been born at an earlier time; for he himself remained in life in the world for 30 years; and there were those who surpassed him in the strength of their body and in the number of their years. But he did not say he was greater than men in this respect, but in prophecy, which he especially received divinely inspired. And again: "But he who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he." He spoke concerning John the apostle, who was younger in years than John the Forerunner, but greater in the dignity of his apostleship. "For God has appointed in the Church," as Paul writes, "first apostles, then prophets." And he said, "least in the kingdom of heaven," because the names of all the living are written in a book, and as he came later, his name was reasonably placed after. But some understood this part as being about the Master, as less according to the form of a servant, in which he was suspected to be inferior to prophets and priests, but greater according to his divinity. So that even according to these things, "greater" and "who sent" do not cause a diminution to his being consubstantial with the Father. And as was said a little before, it seems somehow that one who uses elegance of words, and who always assigns to himself the first places and demands honor, has conceit; and conceit is a kind of pride. And he dishonored nothing before pride; for God does not care more for the greater than for the lesser. For he has once for all, even if he does not say so himself, the greater as innate; and no one of sound judgment disputes this. For which reason he says: "If I bear witness to myself, my testimony 39.888 is not true; it is my Father who bears witness to me." But lest this also be thought to point to his smallness, elsewhere he says: "Even if I bear witness to myself, my testimony is true." And in the first discourse it was sufficiently shown concerning "greater," that it was not said with respect to substance, or power, or the glory above. And the esteemed among the Greeks also say: But the immortal God, all-highest, dwelling in the aether, Uncorrupted, unshaken, eternal, ever the same. CH. 19. They did not understand how it is proper for the highest and incomprehensible hypostases, and the saying, "The Father has given me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak." And concerning the Holy Spirit: "He will not speak on his own authority, but he will take from what is mine and declare it to you;" and elsewhere: "I have not spoken on my own authority;" and again: "As the Father has commanded me, so I do;" and again: "The word that you hear is not mine but of him who sent me;" and so forth. For the Master used such words, being the Word of the Father, wishing to show us the union of nature, and the ineffable harmony of the holy Trinity, and how its teachings are common, and not separate. For every creature, if it is rational, has its own will; which, as it is written, it silences, in order that it may speak the will of God. Therefore sometimes it speaks and does its own things, and sometimes the things of God; and in some things it is in agreement with a fellow human; but in some things, it wills other things. For God the Word, being sovereign and wisdom, and indeed also the Holy Spirit of God proceeding from him, and according to the Apostle, searching the depths of God, and alone knowing the things of God, providing the divine gifts by his authority, does not wait to hear, and so to speak or to do, as creatures do; which by nature not only are ignorant of the will of God, but at times also do not do it; as when he says, Abraham doubting: "Perhaps, Lord, if I should speak?" And Moses declining: "I am of a feeble voice and a slow tongue;" and, "I pray, Lord; I cannot alone

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Πατέρα τὸν Θεὸν, δείκνυσιν, ὡς τὸ «μείζων» κατὰ τὴν ἐνανθρώπησίν ἐστιν. Καὶ ἐξ ὑποδείγματος δὲ ῥᾷον ὑποστῆναι τοῦ μὴ κατὰ τὴν θεότητα εἰρῆσθαι τὸ «μείζων.» Ὁ γὰρ Κύριος φησίν· «Ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν οὐκ ἐγήγερται ἐν γεννητοῖς γυναικῶν μείζων Ἰωάννου τοῦ βαπτιστοῦ» Ἀλλ' οὐχ ὡς ἐξ ἑτέρας μείζονος φύσεως ὄντα, ἢ κατ' ἀνθρώπους, ἔλεγε μείζονα εἶναι αὐτόν· πάντες γὰρ οἱ ἀρετῆς μεταποιούμενοι, ἢ ἐξισοῦντο αὐτῷ, ἤ τι ἀπελείποντο· οὐδὲ ὡς δυνάμει κρείττονος, ἢ χρόνῳ πλείονι εἰληφότος τὴν γένεσιν· αὐτὸς μὲν γὰρ τῇ ἐν κόσμῳ ζωῇ διέμεινεν ἔτη λʹ· ἦσαν δὲ οἱ τῇ τοῦ σώματος ῥώμῃ καὶ τῷ πλήθει τῶν ἐτῶν ὑπερβάλλοντες αὐτόν. Ἀλλ' οὐ ταύτῃ κρείττονα τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἔλεγεν. ἀλλὰ τῇ προφητείᾳ, ἣν μάλιστα ἔνθεον αὐτὸς ἐδέξατο. Καὶ πάλιν· «Ὁ δὲ ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ τῶν οὐρανῶν μικρότερος, μείζων αὐτοῦ ἐστιν.» Ἔλεγε δὲ περὶ Ἰωάννου τοῦ ἀποστόλου, τοῦ χρόνοις μὲν μικροτέρου Ἰωάννου τοῦ Προδρόμου, τῇ δὲ ἀξίᾳ τῆς ἀποστολῆς μείζονος. «Ἔθετο γὰρ ὁ Θεὸς ἐν τῇ Ἐκκλησίᾳ,» ὡς Παῦλος γράφει, «πρῶτον ἀποστόλους, ἔπειτα προφήτας.» Εἶπε δὲ, «Ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ τῶν οὐρανῶν μικρότερος,» διὰ τὸ ἐν βίβλῳ ζώντων πάντων τὰ ὀνόματα γράφεσθαι, καὶ ὡς μεταγενεστέρου εἰκότως ὕστερον τετάχθαι τὸ αὐτοῦ ὄνομα. Τινὲς δὲ τὸ μέρος τοῦτο, περὶ τοῦ ∆εσπότου ἐνόησαν, μικρότερον μὲν κατὰ τὴν τοῦ δούλου μορφὴν, καθ' ἣν ἥσσων προφητῶν καὶ ἱερέων ὑπωπτεύετο τυγχάνειν, μείζονα δὲ κατὰ τὴν θεότητα Ὥστε καὶ κατὰ ταῦτα τὸ «μείζων» καὶ τὸ «πέμψας» τῷ πρὸς τὸν Πατέρα ὁμοουσίῳ μείωσιν οὐ ποιεῖ. Καὶ ὅπερ δὲ εἴρηται πρὸ βραχέος, δοκεῖ πως ὁ κομψίᾳ λόγων χρώμενος, καὶ ὁ ἑαυτῷ ἀεὶ ἀπονέμων τὰ πρωτεῖα καὶ τιμὴν ἀπαιτῶν, οἴησιν ἔχειν· ἡ δὲ οἴησις, ὑπερηφανία τίς ἐστιν. Οὐδὲν δὲ πρὸ τῆς ὑπερηφανίας ἠτίμασεν· οὐδὲ γὰρ μείζονος μᾶλλον μέλει τῷ Θεῷ, ἣ μήποτε πλέον τοῦ μικροτέρου. Ἔχει γὰρ ἅπαξ, κἂν αὐτὸς μὴ λέγῃ, σύμφυτον τὸ μεῖζον· καὶ οὐδεὶς τῶν εὐγνωμόνων περὶ τούτου ἀμφισβητεῖ. ∆ι' ἃ δή φησιν· «Ἐὰν ἐγὼ ἐμαυτῷ μαρτυρῶ, ἡ μαρτυρία μου 39.888 οὐκ ἔστιν ἀληθής· ἔστιν ὁ Πατήρ μου ὁ μαρτυρῶν μοι.» Ἀλλ' ἵνα μὴ καὶ τοῦτο πρὸς σμικρότητος αὐτοῦ νομισθείη, ἑτέρωθι λέγει· «Κἂν ἐγὼ μαρτυρῶ ἐμαυτῷ, ἡ μαρτυρία μου ἀληθής ἐστιν» Καὶ ἐν τῷ πρώτῳ δὲ λόγῳ ἱκανῶς ἐδείχθη περὶ τοῦ «μείζων,» μήτε κατ' οὐσίαν, ἢ δύναμιν, ἢ δόξαν τὴν ἄνω εἰρῆσθαι. Φασὶν δὲ καὶ οἱ παρ' Ἕλλησιν δόκιμοι Ἀθάνατος δὲ Θεὸς πανυπέρτατος αἰθέρι ναίων, Ἄφθιτος, ἀστυφέλικτος, ἀΐδιος, αἰὲν ὅμοιος. ΚΕΦ. ΙΘʹ. Οὐκ ἐνόησαν, ὡς ἔστιν ἐπὶ τῶν ἀκροτάτων καὶ ἀπερινοήτων ὑποστάσεων θέμις, καὶ τὸ, «Ὁ Πατὴρ ἐντολήν μοι δέδωκεν, τί εἴπω, καὶ τί λαλήσω.» Περὶ δὲ τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος· «Ἀφ' ἑαυτοῦ οὐ λαλήσει, ἀλλ' ἐκ τοῦ ἐμοῦ λήψεται, καὶ ἀναγγελεῖ ὑμῖν·» καὶ ἑτέρωθι· «Ἐγὼ ἀπ' ἐμαυτοῦ οὐκ ἐλάλησα·» καὶ πάλιν· «Καθὼς ἐνετείλατό μοι ὁ Πατὴρ, οὕτως ποιῶ·» καὶ πάλιν· «Ὁ λόγος ὂν ἀκούετε, οὐκ ἔστιν ἐμὸς, ἀλλὰ τοῦ πέμψαντός με·» καὶ ὅσα τοιαῦτα. Τοιούτοις γὰρ ἐχρήσατο ῥήμασιν ὁ ∆εσπότης, ὡς λόγος ὢν τοῦ Πατρὸς, ἐνδείξασθαι ἡμῖν βουλόμενος τὴν ἕνωσιν τῆς φύσεως, καὶ τὴν ἄῤῥητον συμφωνίαν τῆς ἁγίας Τριάδος, καὶ ὡς κοινὰ αὐτῆς ἐστι τὰ διδάγματα, καὶ οὐ διεστῶτα. Πᾶν γὰρ κτίσμα, ἐὰν ᾖ λογικὸν, ἔχει θέλημα ἴδιον· ὃ, ὡς γέγραπται, κατασιγάζει, ἵνα τὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ θέλημα εἴπῃ. ∆ιὸ ποτὲ μὲν τὰ ἑαυτοῦ λαλεῖ καὶ ποιεῖ, ποτὲ δὲ τὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ· καὶ εἰς ἔνια μὲν συμπνέει τῷ ὁμοίῳ ἀνθρώπῳ· εἰς ἔνια δὲ, ἕτερα βούλεται. Ὁ γὰρ Θεὸς Λόγος ἐξουσιαστὴς ὢν καὶ σοφία, ἔτι μὴν καὶ τὸ ἅγιον Πνεῦμα τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐκπορευόμενον παρ' αὐτοῦ, καὶ κατὰ τὸν Ἀπόστολον, ἐρευνῶν τὰ βάθη αὐτοῦ, καὶ μόνον εἰδὸς τὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ, κατ' ἐξουσίαν παρέχον τὰς θείας δωρεὰς, οὐκ ἀναμένει ἀκοῦσαι, καὶ οὕτως εἰπεῖν, ἢ ποιῆσαι, ὡς τὰ κτίσματα· ἅπερ πέφυκεν οὐ μόνον τοῦ Θεοῦ τὸ θέλημα ἀγνοεῖν, ἀλλ' ἔσθ' ὅτε καὶ μὴ ποιεῖν· ὡς ἡνίκα λέγῃ, ὁ μὲν Ἀβραὰμ ἐνδοιάζων· «Μή τι, Κύριε, ἐὰν λαλήσω;» Ὁ δὲ Μωϋσῆς παραιτούμενος· «Ἰσχνόφωνος καὶ βραδύγλωσσός εἰμι ἐγώ·» καὶ, «∆έομαι, Κύριε· οὐ δύναμαι μόνος