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of God through his salvific incarnation, in which he came “to seek and to save that which was lost.” For which reason it is also written, “For the Father judges no one, but has given all judgment to the Son”; 29.5 a judge, moreover, as one set apart from created things. 29.6 For a created thing does not judge, but is subject to law and judgment. 29.7 And again: “This is the stone which was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the head of the corner. And in no other is there salvation.” 29.8 But he also sends a second catholic letter, having among other things this about him: “As his divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great good tidings, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature.” 29.9 For which reason James also said in his general writings: “There is one lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and to destroy.” 29.10 But what need is there now for a multitude of scriptures for this? And of the Samaritans in John the accurate theologian, men of good judgment, uttering their voices: “for we ourselves,” it says, “have heard him and we know that this is truly the Savior of the world, the Christ,” who says, it says, gently: “Take heart, my son, your sins are forgiven you.” 30.ν Concerning how, because of the equal honor of the Trinity, the Father reveals the Son to us and draws us to him, and in turn the Son himself and the Holy Spirit bring us to the Father. In the same place, also concerning the confession of Peter, and that there is repentance. 30.1 For so that the equal honor in all things of the blessed Trinity may be shown throughout, the Father reveals his own Son to us and draws us through himself to him and transfers us into his kingdom; 30.2 and in turn the Son and the Holy Spirit bring us to God the Father. 30.3 For God would not have transferred us into something of a different substance or greater, nor into what are like descending scepters of his own. 30.4 At any rate, the new covenant has perfected the old through faith in the Son and the divine Spirit. 30.5 And thus they speak: God the Father in Isaiah to the Son: “Behold, proselytes shall come to you through me and shall dwell with you and shall take refuge in you”; 30.6 and the Son in John: “No one can come to me unless the heavenly Father draws him, and I will raise him up on the last day.” 30.7 And again to Peter who said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God,” he said: “Blessed are you, Peter Bar-Jona, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. And I also say to you, that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. And I will give you the keys of the heavens, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in the heavens, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in the heavens.” 30.8 O how powerful is faith and the confession that the only-begotten God the Word is the true Son of God and not a creature. 30.9 Peter did not hesitate, seeing God dwelling on earth in flesh and blood; for this is the meaning of “flesh and blood has not revealed this to you”; 30.10 but he recognized the connatural and co-eternal branch of God; he honored in this the self-begotten and unoriginate root that revealed it to him; he believed in his unity of divinity with the Father; 30.11 he was blessed by the only blessed Master. Upon this rock the churches were built, against which the “gates of Hades,” that is, the reasonings of heretics, will not prevail; 30.12 he was entrusted with the keys of the heavens, so that for those who believe—as Peter himself just now in his reply is shown, and as he heard from Christ with the other apostles: “baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit”—he might open the way into the kingdom of God; 30.13 but for those who do not hold this doctrine, he might shut the thrice-blessed and most desirable entrance. 30.14 For by this very thing for which he was blessed, he himself was received upon this glory, as those who say the opposite

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θεοῦ διὰ τὴν σωτήριον ἐνανθρώπησιν αὐτοῦ, ἐν ᾗ ἦλθεν «ζητῆσαι καὶ σῶσαι τὸ ἀπολωλός». δι' ἣν καὶ τό «οὐδὲ γὰρ ὁ πατὴρ κρίνει οὐδένα, ἀλλὰ πᾶσαν τὴν κρίσιν δέδωκεν τῷ υἱῷ» γέγραπται· 29.5 κριτὴν δὲ ὡς ἐξῃρημένον τῶν κτισμάτων. 29.6 τὸ γὰρ κτίσμα οὐ κρίνει, ἀλλὰ νόμῳ καὶ κρίσει ὑπόκειται. 29.7 Καὶ πάλιν· «οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ λίθος ὁ ἐξουδενωθεὶς ὑφ' ὑμῶν τῶν οἰκοδόμων, ὁ γενόμενος εἰς κεφαλὴν γωνίας. καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν ἐν ἄλλῳ οὐδενὶ ἡ σωτηρία». 29.8 Ἀλλὰ καὶ καθολικὰ τὸ δεύτερον πέμπει γράμματα, μεταξὺ ἄλλων περὶ αὐτοῦ ἔχοντα καὶ τοῦτο· «ὡς τὰ πάντα ἡμῖν τῆς θείας δυνάμεως αὐτοῦ τὰ πρὸς ζωὴν καὶ εὐσέβειαν δεδωρημένης διὰ τῆς ἐπιγνώσεως τοῦ καλέσαντος ἡμᾶς ἰδίᾳ δόξῃ καὶ ἀρε τῇ, δι' ὧν τὰ μέγιστα καὶ τίμια ἡμῖν εὐαγγέλματα δεδώρηται, ἵνα διὰ τού των γένησθε θείας κοινωνοὶ φύσεως». 29.9 ∆ιὸ καὶ Ἰάκωβος ἐν γενικοῖς χαράγμασιν ἔφη· «εἷς ἐστιν ὁ νομοθέτης καὶ κριτής, ὁ δυνάμενος σῶσαι καὶ ἀπολέσαι». 29.10 Τί δὲ πλήθους δεῖ γραφῶν εἰς τοῦτο λοιπόν; καὶ Σαμαρειτῶν παρὰ Ἰωάννῃ τῷ ἀκριβεῖ θεηγόρῳ, εὐγνωμόνων ἀνδρῶν, ἀφιέντων φωνάς· «αὐτοὶ γάρ», φησίν, «ἀκηκόαμεν καὶ οἴδαμεν, ὅτι οὗτός ἐστιν ἀληθῶς ὁ σωτὴρ τοῦ κόσμου, ὁ Χριστός», ὁ λέγων, φησίν, ἠπίως· «θάρσει, τέκνον, ἀφέωνταί σοι αἱ ἁμαρτίαι». 30.ν Περὶ τοῦ διὰ τὴν ἰσοτιμίαν τῆς τριάδος τὸν πατέρα ἀποκαλύπτειν ἡμῖν τὸν υἱὸν καὶ ἕλκειν ἡμᾶς πρὸς αὐτόν, καὶ πάλιν αὐτὸν υἱὸν καὶ τὸ ἅγιον πνεῦμα προσάγειν ἡμᾶς τῷ πατρί. ἐν ταὐτῷ καὶ περὶ τῆς ὁμολογίας Πέτρου, καὶ ὅτι ἔστιν μετάνοια. 30.1 Ἵνα γὰρ δι' ὅλων ἀποδειχθῇ τῆς μακαρίας τριάδος τὸ περὶ πάντα ἰσότιμον, ἀποκαλύπτει ἡμῖν τὸν ἴδιον υἱὸν ὁ πατὴρ καὶ ἕλκει ἡμᾶς δι' ἑαυτοῦ πρὸς αὐτὸν καὶ μεθιστᾷ εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν αὐτοῦ· 30.2 καὶ πάλιν ὁ υἱὸς καὶ τὸ ἅγιον πνεῦμα προσάγει ἡμᾶς τῷ θεῷ καὶ πατρί. 30.3 οὐκ ἂν γὰρ εἰς ἑτεροούσιον ἢ μείζονα οὐδ' εἰς ὑποκατερχόμενα ὥσπερ σκῆπτρα τῶν ἑαυτοῦ μετέθηκεν ἡμᾶς ὁ θεός. 30.4 τετελείωκεν γοῦν τὴν παλαιὰν διαθήκην ἡ νέα διὰ τὴν εἰς τὸν υἱὸν καὶ τὸ θεῖον πνεῦμα πίστιν. 30.5 Λέγουσι δὲ ὧδε ὁ μὲν θεὸς πατὴρ ἐν Ἠσαΐᾳ πρὸς τὸν υἱόν· «ἰδοὺ προσήλυτοι προσελεύσονταί σοι δι' ἐμοῦ καὶ παροικήσουσίν σοι καὶ ἐπὶ σοὶ καταφεύξονται»· 30.6 ὁ δὲ υἱὸς ἐν Ἰωάννῃ· «οὐδεὶς δύναται ἐλθεῖν πρός με, ἐὰν μὴ ὁ πατὴρ ὁ οὐράνιος ἑλκύσῃ αὐτόν, κἀγὼ ἀναστήσω αὐτὸν ἐν τῇ ἐσχάτῃ ἡμέρα». 30.7 καὶ πάλιν πρὸς τὸν Πέτρον εἰπόντα «σὺ εἶ ὁ Χριστός, ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ θεοῦ τοῦ ζῶντος» ἔφη· «μακάριος εἶ, Πέτρε βὰρ Ἰωνᾶ, ὅτι σὰρξ καὶ αἷμα οὐκ ἀπεκάλυψέν σοι, ἀλλ' ὁ πατήρ μου ὁ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς. κἀγὼ δέ σοι λέγω, ὅτι σὺ εἶ Πέτρος, καὶ ἐπὶ ταύτῃ τῇ πέτρᾳ οἰκοδομήσω μου τὴν ἐκκλησίαν, καὶ πῦλαι ᾅδου οὐ κατισχύ σουσιν αὐτῆς. καὶ δώσω σοι τὰς κλεῖς τῶν οὐρανῶν, καὶ ὃ ἐὰν δήσῃς ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, ἔσται δεδεμένον ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς, καὶ ὃ ἐὰν λύσῃς ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, ἔσται λελυμένον ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς». 30.8 Ὢ πόσα δύναται πίστις καὶ τὸ ἐξομολογῆσαι υἱὸν ἀληθινὸν εἶναι τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ μὴ κτίσμα τὸν μονογενῆ θεὸν λόγον. 30.9 οὐκ ἐδίστασεν Πέτρος σαρκὶ καὶ αἵματι θεὸν ἐπὶ γῆς ἐμφιλοχωροῦντα ὁρῶν· τοῦτο γάρ ἐστιν ὅτι «σὰρξ καὶ αἷμα οὐκ ἀπεκάλυψέν σοι»· 30.10 ἐπέγνω δὲ τὸν συμφυᾶ καὶ συναΐδιον κλάδον τοῦ θεοῦ· ἐτίμησεν ἐν τούτῳ τὴν ἀποκαλύψασαν αὐτῷ αὐτογενῆ καὶ ἄναρχον ῥίζαν· ἐπίστευσεν αὐτοῦ τῇ πρὸς τὸν πατέρα τῆς θεότητος ἑνότητι· 30.11 ἐμακαρίσθη ὑπὸ τοῦ μόνου μακαρίου δεσπότου. ᾠκοδομήθησαν ἐπὶ τὴν πέτραν ταύτην αἱ ἐκκλησίαι, ὧντινων «πύλαι ᾅδου», τουτέστιν αἱρετικῶν συλλογισμοί, οὐ περιγένωνται· 30.12 ἐνεχειρίσθη τὰς κλεῖς τῶν οὐρανῶν, ἵνα τοῖς μὲν πιστεύουσιν-ὡς αὐτὸς Πέτρος ἀρτίως ἀποκρινάμενος φαίνεται καὶ ὡς παρὰ τοῦ Χριστοῦ σὺν τοῖς ἄλλοις ἤκουσεν ἀποστόλοις· «βαπτίζοντες αὐτοὺς εἰς τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ πατρὸς καὶ τοῦ υἱοῦ καὶ τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύ ματος»- ἀνοίξῃ ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ τοῦ θεοῦ· 30.13 τοῖς δὲ μὴ οὕτω δοξάζουσιν τὴν τρισμακαρίαν καὶ εὐκταιοτάτην εἴσοδον ἀποκλείσῃ. 30.14 αὐτῷ γὰρ τούτῳ, ᾧ ἐμακαρίσθη, αὐτὸς ἐπὶ τῇδε τῇ δόξῃ ἐδέχθη, ὡς οἱ ἀπεναντίως λέγοντες