7. But as they plead the passage in Proverbs, ‘The Lord created me, a beginning of his ways, for his works’, adding, ‘See, “He created” He is a creature !’: we must show from this passage too how greatly they err, not realizing the scope of divine Scripture. If he is a Son, let him not be called creature; if a creature, let him not be called Son. For in what precedes we have shown how great is the difference between a creature and a son. And inasmuch as the baptismal initiation is not validly performed into Creator and creature but into Father and Son, the Lord must not be called creature but Son. ‘But,’ says the Arian, ‘is it not written?’ Yes, it is written ! And it is necessary that it should be said. But what is well written is ill understood by heretics. If they had understood and grasped the terms in which Christianity is expressed, they would not have called the Lord of glory a creature nor stumbled over what is well written. They, therefore, ‘knew not, neither did they understand’. Therefore, as it is written: ‘They walk in darkness.’ But as for us, speak we must, that in this matter also they may be shown up as fools, that we may not neglect to answer their impiety, and that they may perhaps even repent. These then are the terms in which we express our faith in Christ: the Son of God, being the Word of God (‘in the beginning was the Word ... and the Word was God’), being the Wisdom and Power of the Father (‘Christ the Power of God and the Wisdom of God’), at the ‘end of the ages’ became man for our salvation. For John, after he had said, ‘In the beginning was the Word’, after a little added, ‘And the Word became flesh’, that is to say, became man. And our Lord said concerning himself: ‘Why seek ye to kill me ... a man that hath told you the truth?’ And Paul, having learned from him, said: ‘One God, one mediator also between God and men, himself man, Christ Jesus.’ Being made man, and having fulfilled his human economy, having overthrown and abolished death, the penalty we had incurred, he now sits at the right hand of the Father, being in the Father and the Father in him, as always was and for ever is.

Ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ προφασίζονται τὸ ἐν ταῖς Παροιμίαις γεγραμμένον τὸ, «Κύριος ἔκτισέ με ἀρχὴν ὁδῶν αὐτοῦ εἰς ἔργα αὐτοῦ,» καὶ ἐπιλέγουσιν ἑαυτοῖς· Ἰδοὺ ἔκτισε, καὶ κτίσμα ἐστίν· ἀναγκαῖόν ἐστι καὶ ἐκ τούτου δεῖξαι ὅσον πλανῶνται, μὴ εἰδότες τὸν σκοπὸν τῆς θείας Γραφῆς. Εἰ μὲν οὖν Υἱός ἐστι, μὴ λεγέσθω κτίσμα· εἰ δὲ κτίσμα, μὴ λεγέσθω Υἱός. ∆έδεικται γὰρ ἐν τοῖς ἔμπροσθεν, ὅση διαφορά ἐστι κτίσματος καὶ Υἱοῦ. Καὶ ἐπειδὴ ἡ τελείωσις οὐκ εἰς κτίστην καὶ κτίσμα, ἀλλ' εἰς Πατέρα καὶ Υἱὸν κρατεῖ, ἀνάγκη μὴ λέγεσθαι κτίσμα, ἀλλ' Υἱὸν τὸν Κύριον. Οὐ γέγραπται οὖν; φησί. Ναὶ γέγραπται, καὶ ἀναγκαίως εἴρηται· ἀλλὰ κακῶς νοοῦσι τὸ καλῶς εἰρημένον οἱ αἱρετικοί. Εἰ γὰρ ἐνόουν καὶ ἐγίνωσκον τὸν χαρακτῆρα τοῦ Χριστιανισμοῦ, οὐκ ἂν τὸν Κύριον τῆς δόξης ἔλεγον κτίσμα εἶναι, οὐδὲ προσέκοπτον τῷ γεγραμμένῳ καλῶς. Ἐκεῖνοι μὲν οὖν «οὐκ ἔγνωσαν, οὐδὲ συνῆκαν·» διὰ τοῦτο, ὡς γέγραπται, «ἐν σκότῳ διαπορεύονται·» ἡμᾶς δὲ ὅμως ἀναγκαῖον εἰπεῖν, ἵν' ἐκεῖνοι μὲν καὶ ἐν τούτῳ δειχθῶσιν ἄφρονες, ἡμεῖς δὲ μὴ παραλίπωμεν τὸν κατὰ τῆς ἀσεβείας αὐτῶν ἔλεγχον, ἴσως καὶ αὐτοὶ μεταγνῶσιν. Ὁ χαρακτὴρ τοίνυν τῆς ἐν Χριστῷ πίστεώς ἐστιν οὗτος, τὸν Υἱὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ, Λόγον ὄντα Θεόν («Ἐν ἀρχῇ γὰρ ὁ Λόγος, καὶ Θεὸς ἦν ὁ Λόγος»), σοφίαν ὄντα καὶ δύναμιν τοῦ Πατρός (Χριστὸς γὰρ Θεοῦ δύναμις καὶ Θεοῦ σοφία), τοῦτον ἐπὶ συντελείᾳ τῶν αἰώνων ἄνθρωπον γεγενῆσθαι διὰ τὴν ἡμετέραν σωτηρίαν. Αὐτὸς γὰρ ὁ Ἰωάννης, εἰρηκὼς, «Ἐν ἀρχῇ ἦν ὁ Λόγος,» μετ' ὀλίγα εἶπε· «καὶ ὁ Λόγος σὰρξ ἐγένετο·» ἴσον τῷ εἰπεῖν, ἄνθρωπος γέγονε. Καὶ ὁ μὲν Κύριος περὶ ἑαυτοῦ ἔλεγε· «Τί με ζητεῖτε ἀποκτεῖναι, ἄν θρωπον ὃς τὴν ἀλήθειαν ὑμῖν λελάληκα;» ὁ δὲ Παῦ λος, παρ' αὐτοῦ μαθὼν, ἔλεγεν· «Εἷς Θεὸς, εἷς καὶ μεσίτης Θεοῦ καὶ ἀνθρώπων, ἄνθρωπος Χριστὸς Ἰησοῦς·» ἄνθρωπος δὲ γενόμενος καὶ οἰκονομήσας τὰ ἀνθρώπινα, τροπώσας τε καὶ καταργήσας τὸν καθ' ἡμῶν θάνατον, κάθηται νῦν ἐν δεξιᾷ τοῦ Πατρὸς, ἐν αὐτῷ ὢν, καὶ τοῦ Πατρὸς ὄντος ἐν αὐτῷ, ὥσπερ ἦν ἀεὶ, καὶ ἔστι διαπαντός.