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being his Son, he has become, insofar as he has been established as beneficial and salutary for all, being and being named the greatest and most honorable possession of the Father. For no other possession could be more honorable to a father than a son. Hence also the first-formed Adam, when he got the first son among men, it was said also concerning that one, “I have gotten a man through God,” with the Hebrew language 3.2.22 having *kanithi* instead of “I have gotten”; and “he has gotten” is pronounced *kana* among the Hebrews. Thus, therefore, it is said of Abraham, “the field” “which Abraham got,” for which the Hebrew has *kana*, the same word being used among the Hebrews also in “The Lord created me as the beginning of his ways for his works.” For here too, where the word *kana* is found, all the interpreters have unanimously rendered “he has gotten” 3.2.23; but “created” is a different word among the Hebrews, which is not found in the present passage of Scripture. But there would be a very great difference between “created” and “gotten,” in that “creation,” according to the more common understanding, signifies the passage from not-being into being, while “getting” signifies a special relationship of something pre-existing 3.2.24 to the one who gets it. Therefore, when the Son of God says, “The Lord has gotten me as the beginning of his ways for his works,” he at the same time revealed both his own pre-existence and his special relationship to the Father, and at the same time the usefulness and necessity of his own providence and administration concerning the Father’s 3.2.25 works. Wherefore he adds next, “Before the age he established me, in the beginning, before he made the earth, before the springs of the waters came forth, before the mountains were settled, and before all hills he begets me”; through all of which he shows what is beneficial and necessary for all from him, teaching that he was, and was before, and pre-existed and necessarily led the entire cosmos. For since Moses in his account of creation made no mention of the super-cosmic and invisible powers on account of the imperfection of those being instructed by him, but went through the constitution of the visible world, and mentioned four elements in the beginning, heaven and earth and abyss and water, and said that two had been made by God—for he says, “In the beginning God made the heaven and the earth”—but no longer mentioned in the same way concerning the water and the abyss that these too were created things, but said simply, “And darkness was upon the abyss; and the Spirit of God was moving over the water,” the Son of God necessarily teaches through the preceding words concerning these things as well, that they are created things, and that he himself was before all things 3.2.26 and that through him all things were made. Wherefore he says, “Before the age he established me, in the beginning, before he made the earth and before he made the abysses, before the springs of the waters came forth.” And having mentioned these three, earth and abyss and water, he adds the fourth last, having kept the better one, the heaven; wherefore he adds next, “When he prepared the heaven, I was present with him.” 3.2.27 Since these things, therefore, are clearly presented by the divine Scripture, and have received from us a brief narration, as in an epitome, let us hear how Marcellus, having cast his thought to the ground, insists that all these things were said concerning the flesh, which the savior assumed, writing in this manner, word for word 3.2.28 This being the case, therefore, it follows that we should consider with the mind this chapter spoken proverbially: “The Lord created me as the beginning of his ways.” For our master, God, truly created, having made what was not; for the flesh, which the Word assumed, was not existing, but he created it from non-existence. And he adds: Therefore, even if this new mystery appeared especially in the last times, since on this account it was foreordained before this age, the prophet reasonably said, “Before the age he established me,” that is, the flesh. 3.2.29 And again he adds, saying: Then “in the beginning,” he says, “before he made the earth.” What earth is this but clearly our flesh, which after the transgression became earth again? For, “You are earth,” he says, “and to earth you shall return.” Do you see?

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γεγένητο υἱὸς ὢν αὐτοῦ, καθ' ὃ δὲ τοῖς πᾶσιν κοινωφελὴς καὶ σωτήριος καθέστηκεν, τὸ μέγιστον καὶ τιμιώτατον κτῆμα τοῦ πατρὸς ὑπάρχων τε καὶ ὠνομασμένος. οὐδὲ γὰρ ἄλλο τι γένοιτ' ἂν πατρὶ υἱοῦ τιμιώτερον κτῆμα. ἔνθεν καὶ ὁ πρωτόπλαστος Ἀδὰμ ὅτε τὸν ἐν ἀνθρώποις πρῶτον υἱὸν ἐκτήσατο, ἐλέχθη καὶ ἐπ' ἐκείνῳ «ἐκτησάμην ἄνθρωπον διὰ τοῦ θεοῦ», τῆς Ἑβραϊκῆς φωνῆς 3.2.22 ἀντὶ τοῦ «ἐκτησάμην» κανιθει περιεχούσης· τὸ δὲ «ἐκτήσατο» κανα παρ' Ἑβραίοις ἐκφωνεῖται. οὕτως οὖν ἐπὶ τοῦ Ἀβραὰμ εἴρηται «τὸν ἀγρὸν» «ὃν ἐκτήσατο Ἀβραάμ», ἀνθ' οὗ τὸ Ἑβραϊκὸν κανα περιέχει, τῆς αὐτῆς λέξεως κειμένης παρ' Ἑβραίοις καὶ ἐν τῷ «κύριος ἔκτισέν με ἀρχὴν ὁδῶν αὐτοῦ εἰς ἔργα αὐτοῦ». καὶ ἐνταῦθα γὰρ κειμένης τῆς κανα λέξεως, τὸ «ἐκτήσατο» πάντες συμφώνως ἐκδεδώκασιν 3.2.23 οἱ ἑρμηνευταί· τὸ δὲ «ἔκτισεν» παραλέλεκται παρ' Ἑβραίοις, ὅπερ οὐ κεῖται ἐπὶ τῆς προκειμένης γραφῆς. πλείστη δ' ἂν γένοιτο τοῦ «ἔκτισεν» καὶ τοῦ «ἐκτήσατο» διαφορὰ τῷ τὴν μὲν κτίσιν κατὰ τὴν κοινοτέραν διάνοιαν τὴν ἐκ τοῦ μὴ ὄντος εἰς τὸ εἶναι πάροδον σημαίνειν, τὴν δὲ κτῆσιν τοῦ προϋπάρχοντος ἰδιάζουσαν οἰκειότητα 3.2.24 πρὸς τὸν κτώμενον. λέγων τοίνυν ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ θεοῦ τὸ «κύριος ἐκτήσατο με ἀρχὴν ὁδῶν αὐτοῦ εἰς ἔργα αὐτοῦ», ὁμοῦ καὶ τὴν προΰπαρξιν αὐτοῦ ἐδήλου καὶ τὴν ἰδιάζουσαν πρὸς τὸν πατέρα οἰκειότητα, ὁμοῦ καὶ τὸ χρήσιμον καὶ ἀναγκαῖον τῆς οἰκείας περὶ τὰ πατρῷα 3.2.25 ἔργα προνοίας τε καὶ διοικήσεως. διὸ ἑξῆς ἐπάγει «πρὸ τοῦ αἰῶνος ἐθεμελίωσέν με, ἐν ἀρχῇ πρὸ τοῦ τὴν γῆν ποιῆσαι, πρὸ τοῦ προελθεῖν τὰς πηγὰς τῶν ὑδάτων, πρὸ τοῦ ὄρη ἑδρασθῆναι, πρὸ δὲ πάντων βουνῶν γεννᾷ με»· δι' ὧν ἁπάντων τὸ ἐξ αὐτοῦ λυσιτελὲς καὶ ἀναγκαῖον τοῖς πᾶσιν ἐνδείκνυται, ὅτι τε ἦν καὶ προῆν καὶ τοῦ σύμπαντος κόσμου προϋπῆρχέν τε καὶ καθηγεῖτο ἀναγκαίως διδάσκων. Μωσέως γὰρ ἐν τῇ κοσμοποιίᾳ τῶν μὲν ὑπερκοσμίων καὶ ἀφανῶν δυνάμεων μηδεμίαν μνήμην πεποιημένου διὰ τὸ ἀτελὲς τῶν δι' αὐτοῦ παιδαγωγουμένων, τοῦ δὲ ὁρατοῦ κόσμου τὴν σύστασιν διεξελθόντος, τεττάρων τε στοιχείων ἐν ἀρχῇ μνημονεύσαντος, οὐρανοῦ καὶ γῆς καὶ ἀβύσσου καὶ ὕδατος, καὶ δύο μὲν πεποιῆσθαι ὑπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ εἰρηκότος «ἐν ἀρχῇ» γάρ φησιν «ἐποίησεν ὁ θεὸς τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ τὴν γῆν», οὐκέτι δὲ ὁμοίως καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ ὕδατος καὶ τῆς ἀβύσσου μνησθέντος ὡς ἄρα εἴη καὶ ταῦτα γενητά, ἀλλ' ἁπλῶς εἰρηκότος «καὶ σκότος ἐπάνω τῆς ἀβύσσου· καὶ πνεῦμα θεοῦ ἐπεφέρετο ἐπάνω τοῦ ὕδατος», ἀναγκαίως διὰ τῶν προκειμένων διδάσκει καὶ περὶ αὐτῶν ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ θεοῦ ὅτι τε γενητὰ εἴη καὶ ὡς αὐτὸς πρὸ πάντων 3.2.26 εἴη καὶ δι' αὐτοῦ τὰ πάντα πεποίητο. διό φησιν «πρὸ τοῦ αἰῶνος ἐθεμελίωσέν με, ἐν ἀρχῇ πρὸ τοῦ τὴν γῆν ποιῆσαι καὶ πρὸ τοῦ τὰς ἀβύσσους ποιῆσαι, πρὸ τοῦ προελθεῖν τὰς πηγὰς τῶν ὑδάτων». τριῶν δὲ τούτων μνημονεύσας, γῆς καὶ ἀβύσσου καὶ ὕδατος, τὸ τέταρτον ἐπάγει τελευταῖον τὸ κρεῖττον φυλάξας τὸν οὐρανόν· διὸ ἐπιφέρει ἑξῆς «ἡνίκα ἡτοίμαζεν τὸν οὐρανὸν συμπαρήμην αὐτῷ». 3.2.27 τούτων τοίνυν ὑπὸ τῆς θείας γραφῆς ἐναργῶς παρισταμένων, βραχείας τε παρ' ἡμῶν ὡς ἐν ἐπιτομῇ διηγήσεως τετυχηκότων, ἐπακούσωμεν ὅπως Μάρκελλος χαμαὶ βαλὼν τὴν διάνοιαν ταῦτα πάντα διισχυρίζεται περὶ τῆς σαρκὸς εἰρῆσθαι, ἧς ἀνείληφεν ὁ σωτήρ, γράφων κατὰ λέξιν τοῦτον τὸν τρόπον 3.2.28 τούτου τοίνυν οὕτως ἔχοντος, ἀκόλουθόν ἐστιν σκοπεῖν τῇ διανοίᾳ τὸ παροιμιωδῶς εἰρημένον τουτὶ κεφάλαιον «κύριος ἔκτισέν με ἀρχὴν ὁδῶν αὐτοῦ». ἔκτισεν γὰρ ἀληθῶς τὸ μὴ ὂν πεποιηκὼς ὁ δεσπότης ἡμῶν ὁ θεός· οὐκ οὖσαν γὰρ τὴν σάρκα, ἣν ἀνείληφεν ὁ λόγος, ἀλλὰ μὴ οὖσαν ἔκτισεν. καὶ ἐπιλέγει οὐκοῦν εἰ καὶ τὰ μάλιστα ἐπ' ἐσχάτων τῶν καιρῶν τουτὶ καινὸν ἐπεφάνη μυστήριον, ὡς διὰ τοῦτο πρὸ τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου προωρίσθαι, εἰκότως ὁ προφήτης ἔφη «πρὸ τοῦ αἰῶνος ἐθεμελίωσέν με», δηλονότι τὴν σάρκα. 3.2.29 καὶ αὖθις ἐπάγει λέγων εἶτα «ἐν ἀρχῇ» φησὶν «πρὸ τοῦ τὴν γῆν ποιῆσαι». γῆν ποίαν ταύτην ἢ δηλονότι τὴν ἡμετέραν σάρκα, τὴν μετὰ τὴν παρακοὴν γῆν αὖθις γενομένην; «γῆ» γὰρ «εἶ» φησὶν «καὶ εἰς γῆν ἀπελεύσῃ». ὁρᾷς