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of the paternal divinity and kingdom, and he irrigates the entire world with the supplies from himself, flooding all created things with participation in life and reason and wisdom and light and every good thing, the Father and God of all being beyond, incomprehensible and uncontainable by all things, according to the unseen and invisible mind, wherefore it is said that he "dwells in 2.17.7 unapproachable light". But the Father would be unapproachable and uncontainable to all, while the other is near to all, since he governs all things by the paternal will; therefore it is said not of the Father, but of the Son, "He was in the world, and the world was made through him"; and the one was beyond all things and above all "dwelling in unapproachable light," while the other extended through all things and in all things with caring providence, so that in this alone the image of human reason corresponds to him. But since these things have been demonstrated by us, it is likely some of those who love learning might ask: 2.18.1 Why did the evangelist, at the beginning of his writing, call the only-begotten Son of God "Logos"? To whom we will say that it is on account of the prophecies about him that were hidden long ago. For since in the case of each prophet it is said, "the word of the Lord which came," for instance, "to Isaiah," and "the beginning of the word of the Lord in Hosea," and "the word of the Lord which 2.18.2 came to Joel," and "the word of the Lord came to Jonah," and to Micah likewise, and similarly to the rest of the prophets, in the case of each prophet the "came" was added, the divine scripture accurately and necessarily pointing out that he was not *in* any of the prophets, but *came* to each one, approaching it to the extent that the power of each was able to contain, and providing to the soul of each the appropriate spirit from himself, and so at the present time the evangelist was about to announce the intellectual economy of the Logos, he teaches that he no longer came to some other person as in ancient times, but that he himself had taken on flesh and had become man. Then since he was about to proclaim to all his saving advent to mankind, saying next, "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us," he necessarily goes back to the beginning, showing who and what the Word was who yesterday and just now 2.18.3 became incarnate, and he speaks of him as God, at the same time proclaiming the knowledge of him and his theophany to mankind. Then, as the ancients had learned beforehand from the divine readings of the word which came to each prophet, he himself proclaims his more divine and excellent beginning, which no 2.18.4 prophet revealed to men so nakedly and unconcealedly. Wherefore, delivering to all in a loud voice the hidden and secret mystery concerning the Word, he cried out, saying: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. All things were made through him, 2.18.5 and without him was not anything made that was made." "For if," he says, "having been instructed by the former divine scriptures, you have learned long ago that the word of the Lord came to this prophet, and again likewise came to another, and yet again to another, but now it is necessary to proclaim to all not that he *came*, but that he *was* in the beginning, and that "he was God," and that "all things were made through him," and that that very God the Word, "through whom are all things," by the philanthropy of the 2.18.6 Father "became flesh and dwelt among us." These things did John, the great disciple and apostle of Christ, proclaim, teaching all men the new and fresh mysteries of the Savior. Not that God was rational, nor that he himself considered and conversed with himself, saying "Let us make man," nor that he uses words which are imperative for actions. For anyone denying 2.18.7 the Son of God might say these things. Which Marcellus also does, fleeing as to a refuge to the ancient scripture, and he attempts to gather the things commanded to the infant people of the Jews concerning not practicing idolatry but knowing and worshipping one God only. There the teaching concerning the one God flowed well for him, which was usefully and opportunely delivered at that time to the idolatrous Jews. And indeed here

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πατρικῆς θεότητός τε καὶ βασιλείας, ἐπάρδει δὲ τῷ σύμπαντι κόσμῳ τὰς ἐξ αὐτοῦ χορηγίας, ζωῆς καὶ λόγου καὶ σοφίας καὶ φωτὸς καὶ παντὸς ἀγαθοῦ μετουσίας τοῖς γενητοῖς ἅπασιν ἐπιλιμνάζων, τοῦ πατρὸς καὶ θεοῦ τῶν ὅλων ἐπέκεινα ὄντος ἀλήπτου τε καὶ ἀχωρήτου τοῖς πᾶσιν, κατὰ τὸν ἀφανῆ καὶ ἀόρατον νοῦν, παρ' ὃ καὶ «φῶς οἰκῶν 2.17.7 ἀπρόσιτον» λέλεκται. ἀλλ' ὁ μὲν ἀπρόσιτος καὶ ἀχώρητος εἴη ἂν τοῖς πᾶσιν ὁ πατήρ, ὁ δὲ τοῖς πᾶσιν ἐγγίων, ἅτε δὴ τὰ πάντα πατρικῷ νεύματι διακυβερνῶν διὸ οὐ περὶ τοῦ πατρός, περὶ δὲ τοῦ υἱοῦ λέλεκται τὸ «ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ ἦν, καὶ ὁ κόσμος δι' αὐτοῦ ἐγένετο»· καὶ ὁ μὲν ἐπέκεινα ἦν τῶν ὅλων καὶ ὑπὲρ πάντα «φῶς οἰκῶν ἀπρόσιτον», ὁ δὲ διὰ πάντων καὶ ἐν πᾶσιν κηδεμονικῇ διήκων προνοίᾳ, ὡς κατὰ τοῦτο μόνον αὐτῷ συμβάλλεσθαι τὴν τοῦ ἀνθρωπείου λόγου εἰκόνα. ἀλλὰ γὰρ τούτων ἡμῖν ἀποδεδειγμένων, εἰκός τινα τῶν φιλομαθῶν ἐρωτᾶν· 2.18.1 διὰ τί δὲ τὸν μονογενῆ υἱὸν τοῦ θεοῦ ἀρχόμενος τῆς ἑαυτοῦ γραφῆς ὁ εὐαγγελιστὴς λόγον ἀνεφώνησεν; πρὸς ὃν ἐροῦμεν ὅτι διὰ τὰς ἀνακρύπτους πάλαι περὶ αὐτοῦ προφητείας. ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἐφ' ἑκάστῳ προφήτῃ «λόγος κυρίου ὃς ἐγενήθη» φέρε «πρὸς Ἡσαΐαν» εἴρηται καὶ «ἀρχὴ λόγου κυρίου ἐν Ὡσηέ» καὶ «λόγος κυρίου ὃς 2.18.2 ἐγενήθη πρὸς Ἰωήλ» καὶ «ἐγένετο λόγος κυρίου πρὸς Ἰωνᾶν», καὶ «πρὸς Μιχαίαν» ὁμοίως, καὶ πρὸς τοὺς λοιποὺς προφήτας παραπλησίως ἐφ' ἑκάστῳ προφήτῃ τὸ ἐγένετο προσέκειτο τῆς θείας γραφῆς ἀκριβῶς καὶ ἀναγκαίως ἐπισημαινομένης ὡς ἐν οὐδενὶ τῶν προφητῶν ἦν, ἀλλὰ καθ' ἕκαστον ἐγίγνετο, πρὸς ὃ ἡ ἑκάστου δύναμις οἵα τε ἦν χωρεῖν προσιὼν αὐτῇ καὶ τῇ ἑκάστου ψυχῇ τὸ κατάλληλον παρέχων ἐξ αὐτοῦ πνεῦμα, καὶ νοερὰν εἰκότως ἐπὶ τοῦ παρόντος ὁ εὐαγγελιστὴς τοῦ λόγου ἔμελλεν εὐαγγελίζεσθαι οἰκονομίαν, οὐκέθ' ὁμοίως τοῖς παλαιοῖς γεγονέναι αὐτὸν πρὸς ἕτερόν τινα διδάσκει, ἀλλ' αὐτὸν σάρκα ἀνειληφέναι καὶ ἄνθρωπον γεγονέναι. εἶτ' ἐπειδὴ τὴν εἰς ἀνθρώπους αὐτοῦ σωτήριον τοῖς πᾶσιν πάροδον κηρύττειν ἔμελλεν, ἑξῆς λέγων «καὶ ὁ λόγος σὰρξ ἐγένετο καὶ ἐσκήνωσεν ἐν ἡμῖν», ἀναγκαίως ἐπὶ τὴν ἀρχὴν ἀνατρέχει, τὸν χθὲς καὶ πρώην 2.18.3 σαρκωθέντα λόγον τίς ποτε ἦν καὶ ὁποῖος δεικνύς, θεολογεῖ τε αὐτόν, ὁμοῦ τὴν γνῶσιν αὐτοῦ καὶ τὴν εἰς ἀνθρώπους θεοφάνειαν εὐαγγελιζόμενος. εἶθ' ὡς τῶν παλαιῶν ἐκ τῶν θείων ἀναγνωσμάτων προμεμαθηκότων τὸν ἐφ' ἑκάστῳ προφήτῃ γενόμενον λόγον, αὐτὸς τὴν θειοτέραν καὶ ἐξαίρετον ἀρχὴν αὐτοῦ κηρύττει, ἣν οὐδεὶς προ2.18.4 φητῶν ἀνθρώποις γυμνῶς οὕτως καὶ ἀπαρακαλύπτως ἐξέφηνεν. διὸ μεγάλῃ φωνῇ τοῖς πᾶσιν τὸ λεληθὸς καὶ κρύφιον περὶ τοῦ λόγου μυστήριον παραδιδοὺς ἐβόα λέγων «ἐν ἀρχῇ ἦν ὁ λόγος, καὶ ὁ λόγος ἦν πρὸς τὸν θεόν, καὶ θεὸς ἦν ὁ λόγος. πάντα δι' αὐτοῦ ἐγένετο, 2.18.5 καὶ χωρὶς αὐτοῦ ἐγένετο οὐδὲ ἕν.» εἰ γὰρ παρὰ τῶν προτέρων θείων γραφῶν παιδαγωγούμενοι πάλαι πρότερον μεμαθήκατε, φησίν, ὅτι λόγος κυρίου ἐγένετο πρὸς τόνδε τὸν προφήτην καὶ πρὸς ἕτερον πάλιν ὁμοίως ἐγένετο καὶ αὖθις πρὸς ἄλλον, ἀλλὰ νῦν οὐχ ὅπως ἐγένετο ἀλλ' ὅπως ἦν ἐν ἀρχῇ τοῖς πᾶσιν ἀναγκαῖον εὐαγγελίσασθαι καὶ ὡς «θεὸς ἦν» καὶ ὡς «πάντα δι' αὐτοῦ ἐγένετο» καὶ ὡς αὐτὸς ἐκεῖνος ὁ θεὸς λόγος, «δι' οὗ τὰ πάντα», φιλανθρωπίᾳ τοῦ 2.18.6 πατρὸς «σὰρξ ἐγένετο καὶ ἐσκήνωσεν ἐν ἡμῖν». ταῦτ' εὐηγγελίζετο Ἰωάννης ὁ μέγας τοῦ Χριστοῦ μαθητὴς καὶ ἀπόστολος, τὰ νέα καὶ καινὰ τοῦ σωτῆρος παιδεύων ἅπαντας ἀνθρώπους μυστήρια. οὐχ ὅτι λογικὸς ἦν ὁ θεός, οὐδ' ὅτι αὐτὸς πρὸς ἑαυτὸν διενοεῖτο καὶ ἑαυτῷ προσδιελέγετο «ποιήσωμεν ἄνθρωπον» λέγων, οὐδ' ὅτι λόγοις κέχρηται τοῖς τῶν πρακτέων παραγγελτικοῖς. ταῦτα γὰρ πᾶς ἀρνού2.18.7 μενος τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ θεοῦ εἴποι ἄν. ὃ δὴ καὶ Μάρκελλος ποιῶν, ὡς ἐπὶ κρησφύγετον ἐπὶ τὴν παλαιὰν καταφεύγει γραφὴν καὶ τὰ νηπιάζοντι τῷ Ἰουδαίων λαῷ περὶ τοῦ μὴ εἰδωλολατρεῖν ἕνα δὲ μόνον εἰδέναι τε καὶ σέβειν θεὸν παρηγγελμένα συνάγειν πειρᾶται. ἔνθα καὶ ηὐρόησεν αὐτῷ ἡ περὶ τοῦ ἑνὸς θεοῦ διδασκαλία, χρησίμως τότε καὶ κατὰ καιρὸν εἰδωλολατροῦσιν Ἰουδαίοις παραδεδομένη. καὶ δὴ ἐνταῦθα