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Since our Lord Jesus Christ, being God by nature, having truly taken on our flesh, became man alone, alone preserving in himself the purpose of God, which he spoke, "Let us make man in our image and likeness," and just as the first man was formed by the divine hands, so also the Lord, dying the death on his behalf, alone and first placed his soul into the paternal palms. And just as he was and became the only-begotten and firstborn among many brethren, so also he alone and first deigned to endure the death that destroys death, so that he might also become the firstborn from the dead and preeminent in all things.

The thieves are understood as our nature divided 14A_176 into the just and the sinful. The breaking of the legs signifies that you find all men who die are not without transgressions and the crushing of sin, but the Lord alone died whole and without any sin whatsoever. But the thieves are understood in many ways for each person; for they are understood as body and soul, and as the carnal and spiritual mind, but also as anger and desire, and as the sensible world and the intelligible, and as the written law and that of grace. Since both when we are sinning and when we are acting justly the Word, always condescending, is crucified in our midst, when therefore through our evildoing and ignorance we render the Word inoperative and bowing down, immediately the demons, leaping upon them, break down the progressive and transitional powers of our soul.

QUESTION 119 What is the discrepancy in what is written in the Acts concerning the

vision of Paul? For in the vision on the road Luke relates that those with him heard the voice, but saw no one; but when Paul was narrating the same vision on the steps, he says that those with him saw the light, but did not hear the voice of the one speaking.

RESPONSE According to the history, Chrysostom, having interpreted the

passage very knowledgeably, said that the first account, which says "the companions heard the voice," says that they heard Paul's voice, which said "Who are you, Lord?" but they saw no man except Paul. The second account, which says 14A_178 that they saw the light but did not hear the voice of the one speaking, says that they did not hear the voice of the Lord which came to Paul, but only saw the light. According to the spiritual interpretation, the passage should be understood thus: The gnostic mind, like Paul, has its thoughts as companions; therefore, at the first appearance of the Word to the mind, the thoughts hear only echoes and images of knowledge, and they see nothing clearly; but when the mind advances and is on the steps, that is, in high contemplation, the thoughts no longer partake of images but perfectly of the light of knowledge.

QUESTION 120 How ought God's repentance, which is found in Scripture, to be piously understood? RESPONSE Those who have resolved to think piously about divine matters say that it is impossible for God,

being Creator by nature, not also to be the provident caretaker by nature of the things he has created. If this is so, it is altogether necessary, since God naturally provides for humanity, that there are with him many modes of salvation concerning the nature for which he provides.

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Ἐπειδὴ ὁ Κύριος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦς Χριστός, Θεὸς ὢν φύσει, σάρκα ἀναλαβὼν τὴν ἡμετέραν κατὰ ἀλήθειαν γέγονεν μόνος ἄνθρωπος, μόνος τὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ σκοπὸν ἐν ἑαυτῷ φυλάξας, ὅνπερ εἶπεν "ποιήσωμεν ἄνθρωπον κατ᾽ εἰκόνα ἡμετέραν καὶ ὁμοίωσιν", καὶ καθάπερ ὁ πρῶτος ἄνθρωπος ταῖς θείαις χερσὶν διεπλάσθη, οὕτως καὶ τὸν ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ θάνατον ἀποθνῄσκων ὁ Κύριος μόνος καὶ πρῶτος ταῖς πατρικαῖς παλάμαις τὴν αὐτοῦ ψυχὴν ἐναπέθετο. Καὶ ὥσπερ ἦν καὶ ἐγένετο μονογενὴς καὶ πρωτότοκος ἐν πολλοῖς ἀδελφοῖς, οὕτως καὶ τὸν ἀναιρέτην τοῦ θανάτου θάνατον μόνος καὶ πρῶτος ὑπομεῖναι κατεδέξατο, ἵνα γένηται καὶ πρωτότοκος ἐκ νεκρῶν καὶ ἐν πᾶσιν αὐτὸς πρωτεύων.

Οἱ δὲ λῃσταὶ λαμβάνονται ἐπὶ τῆς ἡμετέρας φύσεως διαιρουμένης 14Α_176 εἰς δικαίους καὶ ἁμαρτωλούς. Ἡ δὲ τῶν σκελῶν κλάσις δηλοῖ ὅτι πάντας μὲν ἀνθρώπους ἀποθνῄσκοντας οὐκ ἄνευ πλημμελημάτων καὶ συντριβῆς ἁμαρτίας εὑρίσκεσθε, μόνος δὲ ὁ Κύριος σῶος καὶ ἄνευ τῆς οἱασοῦν ἁμαρτίας ἀπέθανεν. Εἰς δὲ τὸν καθένα λαμβάνονται οἱ λῃσταὶ πολλαχῶς· λαμβάνονται γὰρ καὶ ἐπὶ σώματος καὶ ψυχῆς, καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ σαρκικοῦ καὶ πνευματικοῦ φρονήματος, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐπὶ θυμοῦ καὶ ἐπιθυμίας, καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ αἰσθητοῦ κόσμου καὶ τοῦ νοητοῦ, καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ γραπτοῦ νόμου καὶ τοῦ τῆς χάριτος. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ καὶ ἁμαρτανόντων ἡμῶν καὶ δικαιοπραγούντων ἀεὶ ὁ λόγος συγκαταβαίνων μέσος ἡμῶν σταυροῦται, ἡνίκα οὖν διὰ τῆς ἡμῶν κακοπραγίας καὶ ἀγνοίας τὸν λόγον ἀνενέργητον καὶ κλίνοντα κάτω ποιήσωμεν, εὐθέως οἱ δαίμονες ἐπιπηδῶντες τὰς πορευτικὰς καὶ διαβατικὰς τῆς ψυχῆς δυνάμεις ἡμῶν κατακλάννουσιν.

ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ 119 Τίς ἡ διαφωνία τῶν ἐν ταῖς Πράξεσιν ἀναγεγραμμένων ἐν τῇ κατὰ τὸν

Παῦλον ὀπτασίᾳ; Ἐν μὲν γὰρ τῇ κατὰ τὴν ὁδὸν ὀπτασίᾳ ἱστορεῖ ὁ Λουκᾶς τοὺς μετ᾽ αὐτοῦ ὄντας τῆς φωνῆς μὲν ἀκοῦσαι, μηδένα δὲ θεωρῆσαι· ἐν δὲ τῷ διηγεῖσθαι τὸν Παῦλον ἐπὶ τῶν ἀναβαθμῶν τὴν αὐτὴν ὀπτασίαν λέγει τοὺς μετ᾽ αὐτοῦ ὄντας τὸ μὲν φῶς τεθεᾶσθαι, τὴν δὲ φωνὴν τοῦ λαλοῦντος μὴ ἀκηκοέναι.

ΑΠΟΚΡΙΣΙΣ Κατὰ μὲν τὴν ἱστορίαν ὁ Χρυσόστομος πάνυ ἐπιστημόνως ἑρμηνεύσας τὸν

τόπον ἔφη ὅτι ἡ πρώτη ἐξήγησις ἡ λέγουσα "τῆς φωνῆς ἤκουον οἱ συνόντες", τῆς Παύλου φωνῆς λέγει ἀκούειν αὐτοὺς τῆς λεγούσης "τίς εἶ, Κύριε;" οὐδένα δὲ ἔβλεπον ἄνθρωπον εἰ μὴ Παῦλον. Ἡ δὲ δευτέρα ἐξήγησις ἡ λέγουσα 14Α_178 τὸ μὲν φῶς τεθεᾶσθαι, τὴν δὲ φωνὴν τοῦ λαλοῦντος μὴ ἀκηκοέναι, φωνῆς λέγει αὐτοὺς μὴ ἀκηκοέναι τῆς τοῦ Κυρίου πρὸς τὸν Παῦλον γεγενημένης, μόνον δὲ τὸ φῶς τεθεᾶσθαι. Κατὰ δὲ τὴν θεωρίαν οὕτως ἐκληπτέον τὸν τόπον· ὁ γνωστικὸς νοῦς κατὰ τὸν Παῦλον ἔχει συνόντας αὐτῷ τοὺς λογισμούς· κατὰ οὖν τὴν πρώτην τοῦ Λόγου πρὸς τὸν νοῦν γινομένην ἐμφάνειαν οἱ λογισμοὶ ἀπηχήματα μόνον καὶ ἰνδάλματα τῆς γνώσεως ἀκούουσιν, οὐδὲν δὲ τετρανωμένον θεωροῦσιν· προκόπτοντος δὲ τοῦ νοῦ καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν ἀναβαθμῶν γινομένου, τουτέστιν ἐπὶ τῆς ὑψηλῆς θεωρίας, οὐκέτι οἱ λογισμοὶ ἰνδαλμάτων ἀλλὰ τοῦ φωτὸς τῆς γνώσεως τέλειον ἐν μετουσίᾳ γίνονται.

ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ 120 Πῶς ὀφείλει εὐσεβῶς νοηθῆναι ἡ ἐν τῇ Γραφῇ κειμένη τοῦ Θεοῦ μεταμέλεια; ΑΠΟΚΡΙΣΙΣ Φασὶν οἱ τὰ θεῖα εὐσεβῶς φρονεῖν διεγνωκότες ἀδύνατον εἶναι τὸν Θεόν,

φύσει ὄντα δημιουργόν, καὶ μὴ προνοητὴν εἶναι φύσει τῶν δεδημιουργημένων. Εἰ δὲ τοῦτο, ἀνάγκη πᾶσά ἐστιν, φυσικῶς προνοουμένου τοῦ Θεοῦ τῆς ἀνθρωπότητος, πολλοὺς εἶναι παρ᾽ αὐτῷ τοὺς περὶ τὴν προνοουμένην φύσιν τῆς σωτηρίας τρόπους.