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might create into one new man” instead of “might gather together;” see whether perhaps such is also the meaning of “put on the new man, who has been created according to God” and “if therefore anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation” and whatever other such expressions one might find while searching the God-inspired scripture. Do not be surprised, therefore, if metaphorically, also in “the Lord created me as the beginning of his ways,” the word “created” is said instead of “appointed” or “ordained” to rule, since even in the Gospels, when it is said by our Savior, “I confess to you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the wise and understanding, and have revealed them to infants,” we say that it is not the confession of sins—as is said in other places, “confess your sins to one another”—that is meant by the Savior, but rather thanksgiving for the infants, with “confess” being said instead of “I thank you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth.” 3.2.13 One might find countless things said metaphorically throughout the whole of divine scripture, if he searched at leisure, and other things having a meaning with many significations, and others used homonymously as predicates of different things, about which it would be lengthy and not for the pres3.2.14 ent occasion to go through in detail. So therefore here too, “the Lord created me as the beginning of his ways for his works” is said instead of “he ordained me to rule over his works;” which is why it does not simply say “he created me,” but with the addition of “as the beginning of his ways for his 3.2.15 works.” The Hebrew text especially indicates this. For if someone were to investigate accurately the true meaning of the God-inspired scripture, he would find that the Hebrew reading does not contain “he created me,” which is why none of the other translators has used this word. For instance, Aquila has said, “the Lord possessed me as the chief of his ways,” while Symmachus, “the Lord possessed me as the beginning of his ways,” and Theodotion, “the Lord possessed me as the beginning of his way.” 3.2.16 And the interpretation would be reasonable. For he himself was the chief principle of the constitution and salvation of all created things, both visible and unseen, whom the Father indeed begot as the only-begotten Son, and having begotten him, he ordained him as Savior of all, summing up in him and through him the order of the universe, as the divine apostle taught when he said, “to sum up all things in Christ, things in the heavens and things on the earth,” so that not only were all things constituted through him, coming forth from non-being into being, but that he also undertakes the providence for the governance of all things, since he is the Word and Wisdom and Life and the fullness of all that is beautiful and good, so that through 3.2.17 him all things are governed and preserved. He himself indicates this also through the sayings set forth before, through which he said, “Through me kings reign, and rulers decree justice; through me great men are magnified, and tyrants through me rule the earth.” 3.2.18 By the ineffable words, therefore, of the universal wisdom and providence of the Son of God are all things governed. These things, then, he taught through what has been set forth, and he exhorted to hold fast to him, saying, “I love those who love me, and those who seek me will find me,” and he turned them away from the opposite path through what he added, “But I have hated perverse 3.2.19 ways of evil.” And indeed, after the Son of God—for he himself was Wisdom—had specified these things and others akin to them, he then hands down the mystical knowledge about himself to those who had been previously helped by these things, saying, “If I tell you the things that happen daily, I will remember 3.2.20 to recount the things from eternity.” “For if I were to teach,” he says, “the things done by me each day, it would be necessary also to remember my own works from the beginning of all eternity and to show that for this purpose the Father who begot me appointed me to rule all things, so that I might be the leader of his ways and of the works made by him through me.” Therefore he consistently adds, “The Lord created me as the beginning of his ways for his works,” or “the Lord possessed me” according to the interpretation 3.2.21 that has been given. For the great possession of God was the only-begotten Son, in that on the one hand from him

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κτίσῃ εἰς ἕνα καινὸν ἄνθρωπον» ἀντὶ τοῦ συναγάγῃ· ὅρα μήποτε τοιοῦτόν ἐστιν καὶ τὸ «ἐνδύσασθε τὸν καινὸν ἄνθρωπον τὸν κατὰ θεὸν κτισθέντα» καὶ τὸ «εἴ τις οὖν ἐν Χριστῷ, καινὴ κτίσις» καὶ ὅσα ἄλλα εὕροι ἄν τις τοιουτότροπα τὴν θεόπνευστον γραφὴν διερευνώμενος. μὴ θαυμάσῃς οὖν εἰ μεταφορικῶς καὶ ἐν τῷ «κύριος ἔκτισέν με ἀρχὴν ὁδῶν αὐτοῦ» τὸ ἔκτισεν ἀντὶ τοῦ κατέστησεν ἢ κατέταξεν εἰς τὸ ἄρχειν εἴρηται, ἐπεὶ καὶ ἐν Εὐαγγελίοις λεγομένου ὑπὸ τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν τοῦ «ἐξομολογοῦμαί σοι, πάτερ, κύριε τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καὶ τῆς γῆς, ὅτι ἀπέκρυψας ταῦτα ἀπὸ σοφῶν καὶ συνετῶν, καὶ ἀπεκάλυψας αὐτὰ νηπίοις» οὐ τὴν τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων ὁμολογίαν καθ' ὃ λέλεκται ἐν ἑτέροις «ἐξομολογεῖσθε ἀλλήλοις τὰς ἁμαρτίας» φαμὲν ὑπὸ τοῦ σωτῆρος δηλοῦσθαι, ἀλλὰ τὴν ἐπὶ τοῖς νηπίοις εὐχαριστίαν ἀντὶ τοῦ «εὐχαριστῶ σοι, πάτερ, κύριε τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καὶ τῆς γῆς» 3.2.13 τοῦ ἐξομολογεῖσθαι λελεγμένου. μυρία δ' ἄν τις εὕροι σχολῇ ζητήσας τῷ κατὰ μεταφορὰν τρόπῳ δι' ὅλης τῆς θείας γραφῆς εἰρημένα, καὶ ἄλλα πολύσημον ἔχοντα τὴν διάνοιαν, καὶ ὁμωνύμως ἕτερα διαφόρων πραγμάτων κατηγορούμενα, περὶ ὧν μακρὸν ἂν εἴη καὶ οὐ τοῦ παρ3.2.14 όντος καιροῦ διεξιέναι. οὕτως οὖν καὶ ἐνταῦθα τὸ «κύριος ἔκτισέν με ἀρχὴν ὁδῶν αὐτοῦ εἰς ἔργα αὐτοῦ» ἀντὶ τοῦ κατέταξέν με εἰς τὸ ἄρχειν τῶν ἔργων αὐτοῦ λέλεκται· διὸ οὐχ ἁπλῶς «ἔκτισέν με» εἴρηται, ἀλλὰ μετὰ προσθήκης τῆς «ἀρχὴν ὁδῶν αὐτοῦ εἰς ἔργα 3.2.15 αὐτοῦ». τοῦτο δὲ μάλιστα παρίστησιν ἡ Ἑβραϊκὴ λέξις. εἰ γοῦν τις ἐξακριβάσαιτο τὸν ἀληθῆ νοῦν τῆς θεοπνεύστου γραφῆς, εὕροι ἂν τὴν Ἑβραϊκὴν ἀνάγνωσιν οὐ περιέχουσαν τὸ «ἔκτισέν με», διόπερ οὐδὲ τῶν λοιπῶν ἑρμηνευτῶν ταύτῃ τις κέχρηται τῇ λέξει. αὐτίκα δ' οὖν ὁ μὲν Ἀκύλας «κύριος ἐκτήσατό με κεφάλαιον τῶν ὁδῶν αὐτοῦ» εἴρηκεν, ὁ δὲ Σύμμαχος «κύριος ἐκτήσατό με ἀρχὴν ὁδῶν αὐτοῦ», ὁ δὲ Θεοδοτίων «κύριος ἐκτήσατό με ἀρχὴν ὁδοῦ αὐτοῦ». 3.2.16 καὶ ἔχοι γ' ἂν λόγον ἡ ἑρμηνεία. τὸ γὰρ κεφάλαιον τῆς τῶν γενητῶν ἁπάντων, ὁρωμένων τε καὶ ἀφανῶν, συστάσεώς τε καὶ σωτηρίας αὐτὸς ἦν, ὃν ἐγέννα μὲν ὁ πατὴρ υἱὸν μονογενῆ, γεννήσας δὲ κατέταττεν σωτῆρα τῶν ὅλων, ἀνακεφαλαιούμενος ἐν αὐτῷ καὶ δι' αὐτοῦ τὴν διάταξιν τοῦ παντός, ὡς ἐδίδαξεν ὁ θεῖος ἀπόστολος εἰπὼν «ἀνακεφαλαιώσασθαι πάντα ἐν τῷ Χριστῷ, τὰ ἐπὶ τοῖς οὐρανοῖς καὶ τὰ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς», ὡς μὴ μόνον τὰ σύμπαντα δι' αὐτοῦ συστῆναι ἐκ τοῦ μὴ ὄντος εἰς τὸ εἶναι προελθόντα, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῆς τῶν ὅλων διοικήσεως τὴν πρόνοιαν ἀναδέχεσθαι αὐτὸν ἅτε λόγον ὄντα καὶ σοφίαν καὶ ζωὴν παντός τε καλοῦ καὶ ἀγαθοῦ πλήρωμα, ὡς δι' 3.2.17 αὐτοῦ κυβερνᾶσθαι καὶ διασῴζεσθαι τὰ σύμπαντα. τοῦτο δὲ καὶ διὰ τῶν προτεθέντων λογίων αὐτὸς παρίστη, δι' ὧν ἔφασκεν «δι' ἐμοῦ βασιλεῖς βασιλεύουσιν, καὶ οἱ δυνάσται γράφουσιν δικαιοσύνην· δι' ἐμοῦ μεγιστᾶνες μεγαλύνονται, καὶ τύραννοι δι' ἐμοῦ κρατοῦσι γῆς». 3.2.18 λόγοις δ' οὖν ἀρρήτοις τῆς καθόλου σοφίας τε καὶ προνοίας τοῦ υἱοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ τὰ σύμπαντα διοικεῖται. ταῦτ' οὖν διὰ τῶν προεκτεθέντων ἐδίδασκεν, προὔτρεπέν τε ἔχεσθαι αὐτοῦ φάσκων «ἐγὼ τοὺς ἐμὲ φιλοῦντας ἀγαπῶ, οἱ δὲ ἐμὲ ζητοῦντες εὑρήσουσιν», ἀπέτρεπέν τε τῆς ἐναντίας ὁδοῦ δι' ὧν ἐπήγαγεν «ἐμίσησα δὲ ἐγὼ διεστραμ3.2.19 μένας ὁδοὺς κακῶν». καὶ δὴ ταῦτα καὶ τὰ τούτοις ἀδελφὰ ὁ τοῦ θεοῦ υἱὸς αὐτὸς γὰρ ἦν ἡ σοφία διαστειλάμενος, ἑξῆς τοῖς δι' αὐτῶν προωφελημένοις τὴν μυστικὴν περὶ ἑαυτοῦ γνῶσιν παραδίδωσιν λέγων «ἐὰν ἀναγγείλω ὑμῖν τὰ καθ' ἡμέραν γιγνόμενα, μνημονεύσω 3.2.20 τὰ ἐξ αἰῶνος ἀριθμῆσαι». εἰ γὰρ μέλλοιμι, φησίν, τὰ ἐφ' ἑκάστης ἡμέρας ὑπ' ἐμοῦ πραττόμενα διδάσκειν, ἀνάγκη καὶ τῶν ἐξ ἀρχῆς τοῦ παντὸς αἰῶνος ἔργων ἐμαυτοῦ μνημονεῦσαι καὶ παραστῆσαι ὡς ἐπὶ τούτῳ με ὁ γεννήσας πατὴρ ἄρχειν τῶν ὅλων κατέστησεν, ἐφ' ᾧ τε ἡγεῖσθαι τῶν ὁδῶν αὐτοῦ καὶ τῶν ὑπ' αὐτοῦ δι' ἐμοῦ πεποιημένων ἔργων. διὸ ἀκολούθως ἐπάγει τὸ «κύριος ἔκτισέν με ἀρχὴν ὁδῶν αὐτοῦ εἰς ἔργα αὐτοῦ», ἢ «κύριος ἐκτήσατό με» κατὰ τὴν ἀπο3.2.21 δοθεῖσαν ἑρμηνείαν. τὸ γὰρ μέγα κτῆμα τοῦ θεοῦ ὁ μονογενὴς υἱὸς ἦν, καθ' ὃ μὲν ἐξ αὐτοῦ