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the Word has taken the beginning of a kingdom for himself, but man, who was deceived by the devil, has become king through the power of the Word, so that having become king he might conquer the devil who formerly deceived. For this reason also the Acts of the Apostles, concerning this man whom the Word of God assumed and having assumed is seated at the right hand of the Father, so teach, saying “whom heaven must indeed receive until the times of restoration”. And these words, as if setting a certain limit and deadline during which it is fitting for the economy according to man 2.4.11 to be united to the Word, so they say. For what else does “until the times of restoration” mean, than to signify to us the age to come, in which all things must attain perfect restoration? If, then, at the time of the restoration of all things, Paul said that creation itself will be changed from slavery to freedom—for he says “that creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the 2.4.12 children of God”—how could the form of a slave, which the Word assumed, being the form of a slave, possibly still be with the Word? Clearly therefore and explicitly, in some short time of the ages past and to come, it has come to pass that the economy of the Word according to the flesh has occurred for our sake. And the divine Paul has said that this, just as it had a beginning, so also will have an end, saying something like this: “then the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father.” 2.4.13 To this, after other things, he adds: Therefore not for himself, but for us he assumed human flesh. But if it appears he assumed it for our sake, and all our affairs by his providence and energy will reach their end at the time of judgment, there will no longer be any need of this partial kingdom. Marcellus having said these things, then, realizing he had fallen into absurdity, adds these things to what was said: But if anyone should say, that for this reason the human flesh is worthy of the Word, because through the resurrection he made it immortal, let him know that not everything that is immortal is worthy of God. 2.4.14 For God is greater even than immortality itself, who by his own will is able to make immortal even things that are not. But that not everything immortal is worthy to be united with God is clear also from the fact that principalities and powers and angels, being immortal, in no way partake of the unity of God. 2.4.15 Having said these things, and sensing that he had fallen as it were into an abyss of absurdity, he tries to retract, in a way confessing that he knew nothing of what he was saying; wherefore he adds, saying: But if anyone should inquire about this flesh that has become immortal in the Word, what do we say to him? That we for our part do not consider it safe to dogmatize about things we have not learned accurately from the divine 2.4.16 scriptures. For how is it possible for those who also overthrow the doctrines of others 2.4.17 to do this? But we will say to those wishing to learn from us the accurate account concerning this, that, obeying the sacred apostle, we know that it is fitting for us to see the hidden mysteries in this way, as he himself said: “For now,” he says, “we see through a mirror in a riddle, but then face to face; now we know in part, but then we shall know even as we also have been known.” So do not ask me 2.4.18 about things which I have not clearly learned from the divine scripture. For this reason, therefore, I will not be able to speak clearly even concerning that divine flesh which shared in the divine Word. But now I believe the divine scriptures, that there is one God, and his Word came forth from the Father, so that “all things might come to be through him”; but after the time of judgment and the correction of all things and the destruction of all opposing energy, “then he himself will be subjected to the one who subjected all things to him,” “to God and the Father,” so that the Word may be in God in this way, just as he also was before. 2.4.19 Such an end.

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ἑαυτὸν ὁ λόγος ἀρχὴν βασιλείας εἴληφεν, ἀλλ' ὁ ἀπατηθεὶς ὑπὸ τοῦ διαβόλου ἄνθρωπος διὰ τῆς τοῦ λόγου δυνάμεως βασιλεὺς γέγονεν, ἵνα βασιλεὺς γενόμενος τὸν πρότερον ἀπατήσαντα νικήσῃ διάβολον. διὰ τοῦτο καὶ αἱ Πράξεις τῶν ἀποστόλων περὶ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου τούτου, ὃν ἀνείληφεν ὁ τοῦ θεοῦ λόγος καὶ ἀνειληφὼς ἐν δεξιᾷ τοῦ πατρὸς καθέζεται, οὕτως διδάσκουσιν λέγουσαι «ὃν δεῖ οὐρανὸν μὲν δέξασθαι ἄχρι χρόνων ἀποκαταστάσεως». καὶ αὗται ὥσπερ ὅρον τινὰ καὶ προθεσμίαν ὁρίζουσαι ἐν ᾧπερ προσήκει τὴν κατὰ ἄνθρωπον 2.4.11 οἰκονομίαν ἡνῶσθαι τῷ λόγῳ οὕτω λέγουσιν. τί γὰρ ἕτερον βούλεται τὸ «ἄχρι χρόνων ἀποκαταστάσεως», ἢ αἰῶνα μέλλοντα ἡμῖν σημαίνειν, ἐν ᾧ δεῖ πάντα τῆς τελείας τυχεῖν ἀποκαταστάσεως; εἰ τοίνυν ἐν τῷ καιρῷ τῆς ἀποκαταστάσεως ἁπάντων καὶ αὐτὴν τὴν κτίσιν ἐκ τῆς δουλείας εἰς τὴν ἐλευθερίαν μεταβληθήσεσθαι ὁ Παῦλος ἔφη λέγει γὰρ «ὅτι καὶ αὐτὴ ἡ κτίσις ἐλευθερωθήσεται ἀπὸ τῆς δουλείας τῆς φθορᾶς εἰς τὴν ἐλευθερίαν τῆς δόξης τῶν 2.4.12 τέκνων τοῦ θεοῦ, πῶς ἔτι τὴν τοῦ δούλου μορφήν, ἣν ἀνείληφεν ὁ λόγος, μορφὴν οὖσαν δούλου, συνεῖναι τῷ λόγῳ δυνατὸν γένοιτ' ἄν; σαφῶς δ' οὖν καὶ διαρρήδην ἐν βραχεῖ τινι χρόνῳ τῶν τε παρεληλυθότων καὶ τῶν μελλόντων αἰώνων τὴν κατὰ σάρκα οἰκονομίαν τοῦ λόγου δι' ἡμᾶς γεγενῆσθαι συμβέβηκεν. καὶ ταύτην ὥσπερ ἀρχὴν οὕτως καὶ τέλος ἕξειν ὁ θεσπέσιος εἴρηκεν Παῦλος, οὕτω πως εἰπὼν «εἶτα τὸ τέλος, ὅταν παραδιδῷ τὴν βασιλείαν τῷ θεῷ καὶ πατρί». 2.4.13 τούτοις μεθ' ἕτερα ἐπιλέγει οὐκοῦν οὐ δι' ἑαυτόν, ἀλλὰ δι' ἡμᾶς τὴν ἀνθρωπίνην ἀνείληφεν σάρκα. εἰ δὲ δι' ἡμᾶς ἀνειληφὼς φαίνεται, πάντα δὲ τὰ καθ' ἡμᾶς τῇ αὐτοῦ προνοίᾳ καὶ ἐνεργείᾳ ἐν τῷ καιρῷ τῆς κρίσεως τέλους τεύξεται, οὐκέτι οὐδὲ ταύτης τῆς ἐν μέρει βασι λείας ἔσται χρεία. ταῦτα Μάρκελλος εἰπών, εἶτα συναισθόμενος ἑαυτοῦ εἰς ἄτοπον ἐκπεπτωκότος, προστίθησιν τοῖς εἰρημένοις ταῦτα εἰ δέ τις λέγοι, διὰ τοῦτο τὴν ἀνθρωπίνην σάρκα ἀξίαν εἶναι τοῦ λόγου, ὅτι διὰ τῆς ἀναστάσεως ἀθάνατον αὐτὴν ἀπειρ γάσατο, γνώτω ὅτι οὐ πᾶν, ὅπερ ἀθάνατον, τοῦτο ἄξιον θεοῦ. 2.4.14 μείζων γὰρ καὶ αὐτῆς τῆς ἀθανασίας ὁ θεός, ὁ τῇ ἑαυτοῦ βουλή σει καὶ τὰ μὴ ὄντα ἀθάνατα ποιεῖν δυνάμενος. ὅτι δὲ οὐ πᾶν τὸ ἀθάνατον ἡνῶσθαι θεῷ ἄξιον δῆλόν ἐστι καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ ἀρχὰς καὶ ἐξουσίας καὶ ἀγγέλους ἀθανάτους ὄντας μηδὲν διαφέρειν τῇ ἑνότητι τοῦ θεοῦ. 2.4.15 ταῦτ' εἰπὼν καὶ ὥσπερ εἰς βυθὸν ἀτοπίας ἑαυτὸν ἐκπεπτωκότα συναισθόμενος ἀνακαλεῖσθαι πειρᾶται, τρόπον τινὰ ἐξομολογούμενος ὅτι μηδὲν ἠπίστατο ὧν ἔλεγεν· διὸ ἐπάγει λέγων εἰ δέ τις περὶ τῆς σαρκὸς ταύτης τῆς ἐν τῷ λόγῳ ἀθα νάτου γεγονυίας πυνθάνοιτο, τί φαμεν πρὸς αὐτόν; ὅτι δογματί ζειν μὲν ἡμεῖς περὶ ὧν μὴ ἀκριβῶς παρὰ τῶν θείων μεμαθήκαμεν 2.4.16 γραφῶν οὐκ ἀσφαλὲς εἶναι νομίζομεν. πῶς γὰρ τοῦτο πράττειν 2.4.17 δυνατὸν τοῖς καὶ τὰ ἑτέρων ἀνατρέπουσιν δόγματα; ἀλλ' ἐροῦμεν πρὸς τοὺς τὸν ἀκριβῆ περὶ τούτου μαθεῖν παρ' ἡμῶν βουλομένους λόγον, ὅτι πειθόμενοι τῷ ἱερῷ ἀποστόλῳ ἴσμεν ὅτι οὕτως ἡμᾶς ὁρᾶν τὰ ἀποκεκρυμμένα μυστήρια προσήκει, ὡς αὐτὸς ἔφη «βλέ πομεν γὰρ ἄρτι» φησὶν «δι' ἐσόπτρου ἐν αἰνίγματι, τότε δὲ πρό σωπον πρὸς πρόσωπον· ἄρτι γινώσκομεν ἐκ μέρους, τότε δὲ ἐπι γνωσόμεθα καθὼς καὶ ἐπεγνώσθημεν». ὥστε μή μου πυνθάνου 2.4.18 περὶ ὧν σαφῶς παρὰ τῆς θείας γραφῆς μὴ μεμάθηκα. διὰ τοῦτο τοίνυν οὐδὲ περὶ τῆς θείας ἐκείνης τῆς τῷ θείῳ λόγῳ κοινωνη σάσης σαρκὸς σαφῶς εἰπεῖν δυνήσομαι. νυνὶ δὲ πιστεύω ταῖς θείαις γραφαῖς, ὅτι εἷς θεός, καὶ ὁ τούτου λόγος προῆλθεν μὲν τοῦ πατρός, ἵνα «πάντα δι' αὐτοῦ» γένηται· μετὰ δὲ τὸν καιρὸν τῆς κρίσεως καὶ τὴν τῶν ἁπάντων διόρθωσιν καὶ τὸν ἀφανισμὸν τῆς ἀντικειμένης ἁπάσης ἐνεργείας «τότε αὐτὸς ὑποταγήσεται τῷ ὑποτάξαντι αὐτῷ τὰ πάντα» «θεῷ καὶ πατρί», ἵνα οὕτως ᾖ ἐν θεῷ ὁ λόγος, ὥσπερ καὶ πρότερον ἦν. 2.4.19 τοιοῦτο τέλος