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one must pray; if He Himself wished all to be saved, you wish it too; and if you wish it, pray; for praying is the mark of such people. Do you see how from every side he persuaded the soul, so as to pray even for the Greeks? And showing how great a gain is born from this, "That we may lead a quiet," he says, "and tranquil life"; and what is much greater than this, that this also is pleasing to God, and that in this we become like Him, in willing the same things as He. These things are sufficient to shame even a wild beast. Therefore do not be afraid to pray for the Greeks; He Himself also desires this; fear only to pray against them; for this He does not desire. But if one must pray for the Greeks, it is clear one must also for heretics; for one must pray for all men, not persecute them. And this is also good in another way, from our partaking of the same nature; and God praises and accepts goodwill, the tender affection towards one another. If then the Lord Himself is willing, he says, to give it, what need is there of prayers from me? This contributes much to them and to you, it draws them to love, and again it does not allow you to be brutalized; and these things are sufficient to draw them to the faith. For many men through contentiousness towards one another have fallen away from God. This he now calls the salvation of God, who "wills all men to be saved," having said; since this truly is salvation; for without this the other is nothing great, but is the name of salvation and an appellation only. "And to come," he says, "to the knowledge of the truth." Of what truth? Of faith in Him. And indeed he said before, "Charge some that they teach no other doctrine"; but lest anyone should regard them as enemies, or weave quarrels from this, he says; "He wills all men to be saved, and to come to the knowledge of the truth." Then having said this, he added; "For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men." He said, "to come to the knowledge of the truth," showing that the world is not in the truth. He said again; "For there is one God," showing that there are not many, as some suppose. He said that He has sent both a mediator and a Son, showing that He wishes all to be saved. What then? Is the Son not God? Most certainly. How then does he say, "One"? In contradistinction to idols, not to the Son; for his discourse was about truth and error. But the mediator ought to have fellowship with both of whom he is the mediator; for this is the part of a mediator, to have fellowship while holding to each of whom he is the mediator; but if he holds to the one, but is severed from the other, he is no longer a mediator. If therefore he does not hold to the nature of the Father, he is not a mediator, but is severed. For just as he holds to the nature of men, since he came to 62.537 men, so also to the nature of God, since he came from God. For since he became the middle of two natures, he must be near to the two natures. For just as the middle of a certain place is near to both places, so also the middle of the natures ought to be near to both natures. As therefore he became man, so also was he God. A man could not have become a mediator; for he would have needed to speak also with God; God could not have become a mediator; for those for whom he mediated would not have received him. Just as he says there, "One God, the Father," and "one Lord, Jesus Christ," so also here, "One and one." He does not posit two; for since he was discoursing about polytheism, lest anyone should seize upon the number two for polytheism, he has posited "One and one." Do you see how Scripture uses the word with much precision? For, one and one, are two; but we will not say this, although reason suggests it. Here you do not say, One and one, are two; but what reason does not even suggest, this you say, if he was begotten, he suffered. For "one is God," he says, "and one is the mediator between God and men, Jesus Christ, who gave himself a ransom for all, the testimony in its own times." What then? Also of the Greeks, tell me? Yes. And Christ even died for the Greeks, and you do not endure to pray for them? How then, he says, did they not believe? Because they did not wish to; but His part was done; the passion is a testimony, he says.

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δεῖ εὔχεσθαι· εἰ πάντας αὐτὸς ἠθέλησε σωθῆναι, θέλε καὶ σύ· εἰ δὲ θέλεις, εὔχου· τῶν γὰρ τοιούτων ἐστὶ τὸ εὔχεσθαι. Ὁρᾷς πῶς πανταχόθεν τὴν ψυχὴν ἔπεισεν, ὥστε καὶ ὑπὲρ Ἑλλήνων εὔχεσθαι; Καὶ τὸ κέρδος δεικνὺς ὅσον ἐκ τούτου τίκτεται, Ἵνα ἤρεμον, φησὶ, καὶ ἡσύχιον βίον διάγωμεν· καὶ τὸ πολλῷ τούτου μεῖζον, ὅτι καὶ τῷ Θεῷ τοῦτο δοκεῖ, καὶ ὅτι ὅμοιοι αὐτῷ κατὰ τοῦτο γινόμεθα, κατὰ τὸ τὰ αὐτὰ αὐτῷ θέλειν. Ἱκανὰ ταῦτα δυσωπῆσαι καὶ θηρίον. Μὴ τοίνυν φοβηθῇς ὑπὲρ Ἑλλήνων εὐχόμενος· καὶ αὐτὸς τοῦτο βούλεται· φοβήθητι τὸ κατεύξασθαι μόνον· τοῦτο γὰρ οὐ βούλεται. Εἰ δὲ ὑπὲρ Ἑλλήνων εὔχεσθαι χρὴ, καὶ ὑπὲρ αἱρετικῶν δῆλον ὅτι· ὑπὲρ γὰρ ἁπάντων ἀνθρώπων εὔχεσθαι δεῖ, οὐ διώκειν. Τοῦτο δὲ καὶ ἄλλως καλὸν ἀπὸ τοῦ τῆς αὐτῆς ἡμᾶς φύσεως κοινωνεῖν· καὶ ὁ Θεὸς δὲ ἐπαινεῖ καὶ ἀποδέχεται τὴν εὔνοιαν, τὴν φιλοστοργίαν τὴν πρὸς ἀλλήλους. Εἰ τοίνυν αὐτὸς θέλει, φησὶ, δοῦναι ὁ Κύριος, τί δεῖ εὐχῶν τῶν παρ' ἐμοῦ; Πολὺ τοῦτο ἐκείνοις καὶ σοὶ συμβάλλεται, πρὸς ἀγάπην αὐτοὺς ἕλκει, σὲ πάλιν οὐκ ἀφίησιν ἐκτεθηριῶσθαι· ἱκανὰ δὲ ταῦτα πρὸς πίστιν ἐπισπάσασθαι. Πολλοὶ γὰρ τῶν ἀνθρώπων διὰ φιλονεικίαν τὴν πρὸς ἀλλήλους ἀπέστησαν τοῦ Θεοῦ. Τοῦτο σωτηρίαν νῦν Θεοῦ καλεῖ, ὃς Πάντας ἀνθρώπους θέλει σωθῆναι, εἰπών· ἐπειδὴ καὶ αὕτη ὄντως ἐστὶν ἡ σωτηρία· ταύτης γὰρ χωρὶς οὐδὲν μέγα ἡ ἄλλη ἐστὶν, ἀλλ' ὄνομα σωτηρίας ἐστὶ καὶ προσηγορία μόνον. Καὶ εἰς ἐπίγνωσιν ἀληθείας, φησὶν, ἐλθεῖν. Ἀληθείας, ποίας; Τῆς εἰς αὐτὸν πίστεως. Καὶ δὴ προλαβὼν εἶπε, Παράγγελλε μὴ ἑτεροδιδασκαλεῖν· ἵνα δὲ μή τις ὡς ἐχθροῖς αὐτοῖς προσέχῃ, μηδὲ μάχας ἀπὸ τούτου πλέκῃ, φησί· Πάντας ἀνθρώπους θέλει σωθῆναι, καὶ εἰς ἐπίγνωσιν ἀληθείας ἐλθεῖν. Εἶτα τοῦτο εἰπὼν, ἐπήγαγεν· Εἷς γὰρ Θεὸς, εἷς καὶ μεσίτης Θεοῦ καὶ ἀνθρώπων. Εἶπεν, Εἰς ἐπίγνωσιν ἀληθείας ἐλθεῖν, δεικνὺς ὅτι οὐκ ἔστιν ἡ οἰκουμένη ἐν ἀληθείᾳ. Εἶπε πάλιν· Εἷς γὰρ Θεὸς, δεικνὺς ὅτι οὐ πολλοὶ, καθώς τινες νομίζουσιν. Εἶπεν, ὅτι καὶ μεσίτην καὶ Υἱὸν πέπομφε, δεικνὺς ὅτι σωθῆναι θέλει πάντας. Τί οὖν; ὁ Υἱὸς οὐ Θεός; Καὶ σφόδρα. Πῶς οὖν φησιν, Εἷς; Πρὸς ἀντιδιαστολὴν τῶν εἰδώλων, οὐ πρὸς τὸν Υἱόν· περὶ γὰρ ἀληθείας καὶ πλάνης ἦν αὐτῷ ὁ λόγος. Ὁ δὲ μεσίτης ὀφείλει ἀμφοτέροις κοινωνεῖν, ὧν ἐστι μεσίτης· μεσίτου γὰρ τοῦτό ἐστι, τὸ ἑκατέρων ἐχόμενον, ὧν ἐστι μεσίτης, κοινωνεῖν· ἐὰν δὲ τοῦ μὲν ἑνὸς ἔχηται, τοῦ δὲ ἑνὸς ἀπεσχοινισμένος ᾖ, οὐκέτι μεσίτης ἐστίν. Εἰ τοίνυν μὴ ἔχεται τῆς τοῦ Πατρὸς φύσεως, οὐκ ἔστι μεσίτης, ἀλλ' ἀπεσχοίνισται. Ὥσπερ γὰρ τῆς τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἔχεται φύσεως, ἐπειδὴ πρὸς ἀν 62.537 θρώπους ἤρχετο, οὕτω καὶ τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἐπειδὴ παρὰ Θεοῦ ἤρχετο. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ δύο φύσεων μέσος γέγονεν, ἐγγὺς τῶν δύο φύσεων αὐτὸν εἶναι δεῖ. Ὥσπερ γὰρ τὸ τόπου τινὸς μέσον ἑκατέρων ἐστὶ τῶν τόπων ἐγγὺς, οὕτω καὶ τὸ τῶν φύσεων μέσον ἑκατέρων ὀφείλει εἶναι τῶν φύσεων ἐγγύς. Ὥσπερ οὖν ἄνθρωπος γέγονεν, οὕτω καὶ Θεὸς ἦν. Ἄνθρωπος οὐκ ἂν ἐγένετο μεσίτης· ἔδει γὰρ καὶ τῷ Θεῷ διαλέγεσθαι· Θεὸς οὐκ ἂν ἐγένετο μεσίτης· οὐ γὰρ ἂν ἐδέξαντο αὐτὸν οἷς ἐμεσίτευσεν. Ὥσπερ ἐκεῖ φησιν, Εἷς Θεὸς ὁ Πατὴρ, καὶ εἷς Κύριος Ἰησοῦς Χριστὸς, οὕτω καὶ ἐνταῦθα, Εἷς καὶ εἷς. Οὐ τίθησι δύο· ἐπειδὴ γὰρ περὶ πολυθεΐας διελέγετο, ἵνα μή τις ἁρπάσῃ τῶν δύο τὸν ἀριθμὸν εἰς πολυθεΐαν, Εἷς καὶ εἷς τέθεικεν. Ὁρᾷς πῶς ἡ Γραφὴ μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς ἀκριβείας κέχρηται τῷ λόγῳ; Τὸ γὰρ, εἷς καὶ εἷς, δύο· ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐροῦμεν τοῦτο, καίτοι τοῦ λογισμοῦ ὑποβάλλοντος. Ἐνταῦθα οὐ λέγεις. Εἷς καὶ εἷς, δύο· ὅπερ δὲ οὐδὲ ὁ λογισμὸς ὑποβάλλει, τοῦτο λέγεις, εἰ ἐγέννησεν, ἔπαθεν. Εἷς γὰρ ὁ Θεὸς, φησὶν, εἷς καὶ μεσίτης Θεοῦ καὶ ἀνθρώπων Ἰησοῦς Χριστὸς, ὁ δοὺς ἑαυτὸν ἀντίλυτρον ὑπὲρ πάντων, τὸ μαρτύριον καιροῖς ἰδίοις. Τί οὖν; καὶ Ἑλλήνων, εἰπέ μοι; Ναί. Καὶ ὁ μὲν Χριστὸς καὶ ἀπέθανεν ὑπὲρ Ἑλλήνων, σὺ δὲ εὔξασθαι οὐκ ἀνέχῃ; Πῶς οὖν, φησὶν, οὐκ ἐπίστευσαν; Ὅτι οὐκ ἠθέλησαν· τὸ δὲ αὐτοῦ μέρος ἐγένετο· μαρτύριον τὸ πάθος, φησίν.