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“a good custom,” they say, “for those who use it.” 27.40 And by saying “who gave himself for us, that he might purify for himself a people for his own possession,” and not that another might purify a people, he adds things consistent with what has been mentioned. 27.41 For it signifies that he possesses the one self-existent and good divinity, the cause of all things. 27.42 For it is characteristic of a creator and not of a creature to die for, if one must say so, his own creation; and of a beloved son who has a divinity and kingdom not different from the Father to make the people his own possession. 27.43 And this great and true interpreter, bringing his argument to demonstrating that he is at once a philanthropic and saving God, and at the same time that he was persuaded by himself and did not yield to a greater divinity, to become with us as one of us, without change and sin, says: 27.44 “But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit.” 27.45 And he both finds fault with the Colossians and makes a foundation of the highest theology concerning him, writing, as has already been said in the chapter ‘On the Homoousion’: “Why according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ Jesus? For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily,” that is, essentially. 27.46 For he himself is by nature the fullness, being the paternal divinity in substance. 27.47 “For he did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped”; 27.48 but we have received grace from his fullness through his goodness. Which we, as slaves by nature, did not have, according to John who says: “And from his fullness we have all received, and grace for grace,” that is, that of regeneration in place of the grace which we lost by deceiving the first lawgiving concerning the one plant. 27.49 “For you are no longer,” he says, “under law, but under grace”; 27.50 and again: “For in him all the fullness was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile all things to himself.” 27.51 These things also follow from the previous. For since the Father is by nature in the Son and he in the Father, just as everything kindred is in a way inseparable from its own kind, even if it is distinct in hypostasis, the saying in the passage under consideration is also good, even if not very profound, yet not easily seen by all: “through him and to him to reconcile all things,” so that what was delivered concerning the Father also fits the Son: “from whom are all things,” if indeed what has now been said is sound, and also: “in him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead.” 27.52 And writing to Timothy he theologized about him to the highest degree and from both expressions he taught that he is not, with respect to divinity, contrary to the paternal nature. 27.53 For he spoke thus: “Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness: God was manifested in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen by angels, preached among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory.” 27.54 For not yet being clearly manifest to all, this author of all things and benefactor was found manifest, when for the salvation of all he became a volunteer and as one of all. 27.55 Whence “he was justified in the spirit,” that is, he was shown or rather confirmed, even by those who had been ignorant of him in time past, to be true God; and this, he says, not without examination, but by our own spiritual movement, as common custom has it to say: “'So-and-so was justified to be the true son of so-and-so',” having provided proof of his lineage; and at another time: “'So-and-so was justified to rule well'.” 27.56 And that the saying might appear more credible, he deems him to have been seen also by angels, to whom he was invisible before that time because of his divine infinitude and formlessness, like “the only invisible God,” and to have been hymned by them: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill among men”; and to have been preached in this whole world and believed, that he who timelessly shone forth from the ineffable light, from the ever-virgin in

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καλὸν ἔθος», φασί, «τοῖς χρωμένοις». 27.40 ∆ιὰ δὲ τοῦ φράζειν «τοῦ δόντος ἑαυτὸν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν, ἵνα καθαρίσῃ ἑαυτῷ λαὸν περιούσιον» οὐχὶ δέ· ἄλλῳ ἵνα καθαρίσῃ λαόν, ἀκόλουθα τῶν μνημονευθέντων προσεπιτίκτει. 27.41 σημαίνει γὰρ αὐτὸν τὴν μίαν αὐτεξούσιον καὶ ἀγαθὴν θεότητα τὴν πάντων αἰτίαν διακεκληρῶσθαι. 27.42 ἴδιον γὰρ δημιουρ γοῦ μὲν καὶ οὐ δημιουργήματος τὸ ὑπεραποθανεῖν, εἰ οὕτω χρὴ φάναι, τοῦ ἰδίου ποιήματος· υἱοῦ δὲ ἀγαπητοῦ θεότητα καὶ βασιλείαν οὐ διάφορον ἔχοντος μετὰ πατρὸς τὸ ἑαυτῷ τὸν λαὸν περιποιῆσαι. 27.43 Ἄγων δὲ τὸν λόγον ὁ πολὺς οὗτος καὶ ἀληθὴς ἐξηγητὴς εἰς τὸ ἀποδεῖξαι αὐτὸν ἅμα μὲν φιλάνθρωπον σωτήριόν τε θεόν, ἅμα δὲ ὡς ἑαυτὸν ἐδυσώπησεν καὶ οὐ κρείττονι εἶξεν θεότητι, γενέσθαι μεθ' ἡμῶν ὡς εἷς ἐξ ἡμῶν, τροπῆς δίχα καὶ ἁμαρτίας, φάσκει· 27.44 «ὅτε δὴ ἡ χρηστότης καὶ ἡ φιλανθρωπία ἐπεφάνη τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν θεοῦ, οὐκ ἐξ ἔργων ὧν ἐποιήσαμεν ἡμεῖς, ἀλλὰ κατὰ τὸ πολὺ αὐτοῦ ἔλεος ἔσωσεν ἡμᾶς διὰ λουτροῦ παλιγγενεσίας καὶ ἀνακαινώσεως πνεύματος ἁγίου». 27.45 Κολοσσαεῦσι δὲ καὶ μέμφεται καὶ καταβολὴν τῆς πρωτίστης θεολογίας περὶ αὐτοῦ ποιεῖται γράφων, ὡς ἤδη ἐν τῷ «περὶ ὁμοουσίου» εἴρηται κεφαλαίῳ· «διὰ τί κατὰ τὴν παράδοσιν τῶν ἀνθρώπων, κατὰ τὰ στοιχεῖα τοῦ κόσμου, καὶ οὐ κατὰ Χριστὸν Ἰησοῦν; ὅτι ἐν αὐτῷ κατοικεῖ πᾶν τὸ πλήρωμα τῆς θεότητος σωματικῶς», τοῦτ' ἔστιν οὐσιωδῶς. 27.46 καὶ γὰρ ἐκεῖνος φύσει πλήρωμά ἐστιν αὐτὸ ἡ πατρικὴ θεότης ὑπάρχων τῇ οὐσίᾳ. 27.47 «Οὐχ ἁρπαγμὸν γὰρ ἡγήσατο τὸ εἶναι ἴσα θεῷ»· 27.48 ἡμεῖς δὲ ἐκ τοῦ πληρώματος δι' ἀγαθότητα αὐτοῦ χάριν ἐλάβομεν. ἣνπερ φύσει ὡς δοῦλοι οὐκ εἴχομεν κατὰ Ἰωάννην λέγοντα· «καὶ ἐκ τοῦ πληρώματος αὐτοῦ ἡμεῖς πάντες ἐλάβομεν, καὶ χάριν ἀντὶ χάρι τος», τοῦτ' ἔστιν τὴν τῆς ἀναγεννήσεως ἀντὶ ἧς ἀπεβάλομεν χάριτος παρακρουσάμενοι τὴν ἐπὶ τῷ ἑνὶ φυτῷ πρώτην θεσμοδοσίαν. 27.49 «οὐκέτι γάρ», φησίν, «ἐστὲ ὑπὸ νόμον, ἀλλ' ὑπὸ χάριν»· 27.50 καὶ αὖθις· «ὅτι ἐν αὐτῷ εὐδόκησε πᾶν τὸ πλήρωμα κατοικῆσαι καὶ δι' αὐτοῦ ἀποκαταλ λάξαι τὰ πάντα εἰς αὐτόν». 27.51 Ἑπόμενα καὶ ταῦτα τοῖς πρόσθεν. τοῦ γὰρ πατρὸς ἐν τῷ υἱῷ καὶ αὐτοῦ ἐν τῷ πατρὶ τῇ φύσει τυγχάνοντος, ὡς καὶ πᾶν συγγενὲς ἀχώριστόν πως τοῦ ἑαυτοῦ συγγενοῦς καθέστηκεν, κἂν τῇ ὑποστάσει διέζευκται, καλὸς καὶ ὁ ἐν τῷ κινουμένῳ ἐδαφίῳ λόγος, εἰ καὶ μὴ ἄγαν βαθέως, ἀλλ' οὐ πᾶσιν εὐσυνόπτως· «δι' αὐτοῦ καὶ εἰς αὐτὸν ἀποκαταλλάσσειν τὰ πάντα», ὡς ἁρμόττειν τῷ υἱῷ καὶ τὸ περὶ τοῦ πατρὸς χρησθέν· «ἐξ οὗ τὰ πάντα», εἴπερ ὑγιῶς ἔχει τά τε νῦν εἰρημένα τό τε· «ἐν αὐτῷ κατοικεῖ πᾶν τὸ πλήρωμα τῆς θεότητος». 27.52 Καὶ Τιμοθέῳ δὲ γράψας εἰς ἄκρον ἐθεολόγησεν περὶ αὐτοῦ καὶ ἀπ' ἀμφοῖν τῶν λέξεων τὸ μὴ εἶναι κατὰ θεότητα παρὰ φύσιν τὴν πατρικὴν ἐδίδαξεν. 27.53 εἶπεν γὰρ τοιῶσδε· «ὁμολογουμένως μέγα ἐστὶν τὸ τῆς εὐσεβείας μυστήριον· θεὸς ἐφανερώθη ἐν σαρκί, ἐδικαιώθη ἐν πνεύματι, ὤφθη ἀγγέλοις, ἐκηρύχθη ἔθνεσιν, ἐπιστεύθη ἐν κόσμῳ, ἀνελήφθη ἐν δόξῃ». 27.54 οὔπω γὰρ πᾶσιν σαφῶς ἔκδηλος ὢν οὗτος ὁ πάντων γενεσιουργὸς καὶ εὐεργέτης ἐκφανὴς εὑρέθη, ἡνίκα διὰ τὴν πάντων σωτηρίαν ἐγένετο ἐθελοντὴς καὶ ὡς εἷς τῶν πάντων. 27.55 Ὅθεν «ἐδικαιώθη ἐν πνεύματι», τοῦτ' ἔστιν ἀπεφάνθη ἢτ' οὖν ἐβεβαιώθη καὶ παρὰ τῶν ἀγνοησάντων αὐτὸν ἐν τῷ ὄπισθεν χρόνῳ ἀληθινὸς εἶναι θεός· καὶ τοῦτο, φησίν, οὐκ ἀβασανίστως, ἀλλ' αὐτῇ τῇ ψυχικῇ ἡμῶν κινήσει, ὡς ἡ κοινὴ συνήθεια ἔχει λέγειν· "4ὁ δεῖνα ἐδικαιώθη ἀληθινὸς εἶναι υἱὸς τοῦδε"5, πίστιν γένους παρασχόμενος· καὶ ἄλλοτε· "4ὁ δεῖνα ἐδικαιώθη καλῶς ἡγεμονεύειν"5. 27.56 Καὶ ἵνα πιστικώτερος ὁ λόγος φανῇ, ὦφθαι αὐτὸν ἀξιοῖ καὶ ἀγγέλοις, οἷστισι διὰ τὴν θείαν αὐτοῦ ἀπειρίαν καὶ ἀνειδεότητα ἀόρατος ἦν πρὸ ἐκείνου τοῦ χρόνου, ὁμοίως τῷ «μόνῳ ἀοράτῳ θεῷ», καὶ ὑπ' αὐτῶν ὑμνῆσθαι· «δόξα ἐν ὑψίστοις θεῷ καὶ ἐπὶ γῆς εἰρήνη, ἐν ἀνθρώποις εὐδοκία»· κεκηρύχθαι δὲ ἐν τῷδε τῷ παντὶ καὶ πεπιστεῦσθαι, ὅτιπερ ὁ ἐκ τοῦ ἀρρήτου φωτὸς ἀχρόνως ἐκλάμψας, ἀπὸ τῆς ἀειπαρθένου ἐν