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first, as man, He “will abolish every rule” of the devil “and power and authority.” “For he must reign,” he says, “until he has put the enemies under his feet.” The sacred apostle says, therefore, that this is the end of the kingdom of our Lord Christ, that all things be subjected to His feet. And a little later he adds, the apostle here reveals to us a very great mystery, saying that there will be an end of Christ's kingdom; an end then, when all things have been subjected under His feet. 2.4.2 And still further elaborating the same argument, he writes thus: we said in our preceding statements that our Lord Christ has received a beginning of a kingdom, using proofs from the divine scriptures. There is one that says “But I was appointed king by him on Zion his holy mountain,” 2.4.3 and another “The Lord has reigned, let the peoples rage,” and again “The Lord has reigned, let the earth rejoice.” And in general, it is possible for one who has an abundance of countless sayings for testimony to show that the man has received a beginning of a kingdom through the Word. If, therefore, he received the beginning of a kingdom not more than four hundred whole years ago, it is not at all strange if the apostle says that he who received this kingdom such a short time ago will hand over the kingdom, clearly to God who appointed him, as the scripture says, king. 2.4.4 And after other things he writes thus: Therefore, he appears to be separated from the Father in activity alone on account of the flesh to such an extent, until the approaching time of judgment appears, so that when those who then pierced him have seen, according to the prophecy, the one who was pierced, thus also the 2.4.5 remaining part may consequently come to pass. For when all things are about to be subjected to Christ at the time of the end, as the apostle said, then “he himself will be subjected to the one who subjected all things to him.” What then do we learn concerning the human flesh, which the Word assumed for our sake not four hundred whole years ago? Will the Word ever have this in the ages to come, or only until the time of judgment? For it is necessary that what was spoken by the prophet be confirmed by deed. “For they will look,” he says, “on him whom they have pierced”; and they clearly pierced the flesh. 2.4.6 And he adds after other things, saying: For that the Word did not assume our flesh so that the Word might be benefited, but so that the flesh, through communion with the Word, might attain immortality, is clear also from the declaration of the Savior himself. For concerning the flesh, which he had when he conversed with the disciples, he speaks thus: “Does this offend you? What if you see the Son of Man going away to where he was before? The spirit gives life, the flesh profits nothing.” If, therefore, he confesses that the flesh profits him nothing, how is it possible for that which is from the earth and profits nothing to be with the 2.4.7 Word in the ages to come as if it were beneficial to him? For this reason, it seems to me, the almighty Lord also says to him, “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.” seeming to separate him in activity alone because of the human flesh and as if defining a certain specified time for him of the session at the right hand, he says to him thus: “until I 2.4.8 make your enemies a footstool for your feet.” And the sacred apostle, interpreting this prophetic saying of David more clearly for us, spoke something like this: “For he must reign, until he puts his enemies as a footstool for his feet.” Therefore, his economy and kingdom as man seems to have a certain limit. For it means nothing other than this which was spoken by the apostle, “until he puts his enemies as a footstool for his 2.4.9 feet.” Therefore, when he has his enemies as a footstool for his feet, he no longer has need of this partial kingdom, being king of all things universally; for he reigns with “God and the Father,” whose 2.4.10 Word he was and is. For not even he according to

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πρότερον ἄνθρωπος «πᾶσαν ἀρχὴν» τοῦ διαβόλου «καὶ δύναμιν καὶ ἐξουσίαν καταργήσει». «δεῖ γὰρ αὐτὸν βασιλεύειν» φησὶν «ἄχρι οὗ ἂν θῇ τοὺς ἐχθροὺς ὑπὸ τοὺς πόδας αὐτοῦ». τῆς τοίνυν τοῦ δεσπότου ἡμῶν Χριστοῦ βασιλείας τοῦτο τέλος εἶναί φησιν ὁ ἱερὸς ἀπόστο λος, τὸ πάντα ὑποταγῆναι τοῖς ποσὶν αὐτοῦ. καὶ μετὰ βραχέα ἐπιλέγει μέγιστον ἡμῖν μυστήριον ἐνταῦθα ὁ ἀπόστολος ἀνακα λύπτει, τέλος μὲν ἔσεσθαι φάσκων τῆς Χριστοῦ βασιλείας· τέλος δὲ τότε, ὅταν πάντα ὑποταγῇ ὑπὸ τοὺς πόδας αὐτοῦ. 2.4.2 καὶ ἔτι μᾶλλον ἐπεξεργαζόμενος τὸν αὐτὸν λόγον οὕτως γράφει ἔφαμεν ἐν τοῖς προάγουσιν ἡμῶν ῥητοῖς τὸν δεσπότην ἡμῶν τὸν Χριστὸν ἀρχὴν ἐσχηκέναι βασιλείας, ἐκ τῶν θείων γρα φῶν ἀποδείξεσιν χρώμενοι. ἔστιν μὲν μία ἡ λέγουσα «ἐγὼ δὲ κατεστάθην βασιλεὺς ὑπ' αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ Σιὼν ὄρος τὸ ἅγιον αὐτοῦ», 2.4.3 ἑτέρα δέ «ὁ κύριος ἐβασίλευσεν, ὀργιζέσθωσαν λαοί», καὶ αὖθις «ὁ κύριος ἐβασίλευσεν, ἀγαλλιάσθω ἡ γῆ». καὶ ὅλως μυρίων ῥητῶν πρὸς μαρτυρίαν ἔστιν εὐπορήσαντα δεῖξαι, ὅτι ἀρχὴν βασιλείας εἴληφεν ὁ ἄνθρωπος διὰ τοῦ λόγου. εἰ οὖν εἴληφεν ἀρχὴν βασιλείας πρὸ ἐτῶν ὅλων οὐ πλειόνων ἢ τετρακοσίων, οὐδὲν παράδοξον, εἰ τὸν πρὸ οὕτως ὀλίγου χρόνου τῆς βασιλείας ταύτης τυχόντα ὁ ἀπόστολός φησιν παραδώσειν τὴν βασιλείαν, δηλονότι τῷ θεῷ τῷ καταστήσαντι αὐτόν, ὡς ἡ γραφή φησιν, βασιλέα. 2.4.4 καὶ μεθ' ἕτερα οὕτω γράφει οὐκοῦν ἐνεργείᾳ μόνῃ διὰ τὴν τῆς σαρκὸς πρόφασιν ἄχρι τοσούτου κεχωρίσθαι τοῦ πατρὸς φαίνεται, ἄχρι οὗ ἂν ὁ προσιὼν τῆς κρίσεως ἀναφανῇ καιρός, ἵνα τῶν τηνικαῦτα ἐκκεντησάντων κατὰ τὴν προφητείαν ἑωρακότων τὸν ἐκκεντηθέντα, οὕτω καὶ τὸ 2.4.5 λειπόμενον ἀκολούθως γένηται. πάντων γὰρ ἐν τῷ καιρῷ τοῦ τέλους ὑποτάσσεσθαι μελλόντων τῷ Χριστῷ, ὡς ὁ ἀπόστολος ἔφη, τηνικαῦτα «αὐτὸς ὑποταγήσεται τῷ ὑποτάξαντι αὐτῷ τὰ πάντα». τί τοίνυν μανθάνομεν περὶ τῆς ἀνθρωπίνης σαρκός, ἣν δι' ἡμᾶς ἀνείληφεν ὁ λόγος πρὸ τετρακοσίων οὐχ ὅλων ἐτῶν; πότερόν ποτε ταύτην καὶ ἐν τοῖς μέλλουσιν αἰῶσιν ὁ λόγος ἕξει, ἢ ἄχρι μόνου τοῦ τῆς κρίσεως καιροῦ; ἀνάγκη γὰρ τὸ ὑπὸ τοῦ προφήτου λεχθὲν ἔργῳ βεβαιωθῆναι. «ὄψονται γὰρ» φησὶν «εἰς ὃν ἐξεκέντησαν»· ἐξεκέντησαν δὲ δηλονότι τὴν σάρκα. 2.4.6 καὶ προστίθησιν μεθ' ἕτερα λέγων ὅτι γὰρ οὐχ ἵν' ὁ λόγος ὠφεληθῇ τὴν ἡμετέραν ἀνεί ληφεν σάρκα, ἀλλ' ἵνα ἡ σὰρξ διὰ τὴν πρὸς τὸν λόγον κοινωνίαν ἀθανασίας τύχῃ, δῆλόν ἐστιν καὶ ἀπ' αὐτῆς τῆς τοῦ σωτῆρος ἀπο φάσεως. περὶ γὰρ τῆς σαρκός, ἣν ἔχων ὡμίλει τοῖς μαθηταῖς, οὕτω λέγει «τοῦτο ὑμᾶς σκανδαλίζει; ἐὰν οὖν ἴδητε τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἀπιόντα ὅπου ἦν τὸ πρότερον; τὸ πνεῦμα ζωοποιεῖ, ἡ σὰρξ οὐδὲν ὠφελεῖ». εἰ οὖν ὁμολογεῖ τὴν σάρκα μηδὲν ὠφελεῖν αὐτόν, πῶς ἐγχωρεῖ τὴν ἐκ γῆς τε οὖσαν καὶ μηδὲν ὠφελοῦσαν καὶ ἐν τοῖς μέλλουσιν αἰῶσιν ὡς αὐτῷ λυσιτελοῦσαν συνεῖναι τῷ 2.4.7 λόγῳ; διὰ τοῦτο γάρ μοι δοκεῖ καὶ ὁ παντοκράτωρ δεσπότης πρὸς αὐτὸν λέγειν «κάθου ἐκ δεξιῶν μου ἕως ἂν θῶ τοὺς ἐχθρούς σου ὑποπόδιον τῶν ποδῶν σου». ἐνεργείᾳ μόνῃ διὰ τὴν ἀνθρωπίνην σάρκα χωρίζειν αὐτὸν δοκῶν καὶ ὥσπερ ῥητόν τινα χρόνον ὁρί ζων αὐτῷ τῆς ἐν δεξιᾷ καθέδρας οὕτω φησὶν πρὸς αὐτὸν «ἕως ἂν 2.4.8 θῶ τοὺς ἐχθρούς σου ὑποπόδιον τῶν ποδῶν σου». τοῦτο δὲ τὸ προφητικὸν τοῦ ∆αυὶδ ῥητὸν σαφέστερον ἡμῖν ἑρμηνεύων ὁ ἱερὸς ἀπόστολος οὕτω πως ἔφη «δεῖ γὰρ αὐτὸν βασιλεύειν, ἕως ἂν θῇ τοὺς ἐχθροὺς αὐτοῦ ὑποπόδιον τῶν ποδῶν αὐτοῦ». οὐκοῦν ὅρον τινα ἔχειν δοκεῖ ἡ κατὰ ἄνθρωπον αὐτοῦ οἰκονομία τε καὶ βασιλεία. οὐδὲν γὰρ ἕτερον βούλεται ἢ τοῦτο τὸ ὑπὸ τοῦ ἀποστόλου ῥηθὲν «ἕως ἂν θῇ τοὺς ἐχθροὺς αὐτοῦ ὑποπόδιον τῶν ποδῶν 2.4.9 αὐτοῦ». οὐκοῦν ἐπειδὰν τοὺς ἐχθροὺς σχῇ ὑποπόδιον τῶν ποδῶν, οὐκέτι χρῄζει τῆς ἐν μέρει ταύτης βασιλείας, πάντων καθόλου βασιλεὺς ὑπάρχων· συμβασιλεύει γὰρ «τῷ θεῷ καὶ πατρί», οὗ ὁ 2.4.10 λόγος ἦν τε καὶ ἐστίν. οὐδὲ γὰρ αὐτὸς καθ'