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just as they honor the Father. Therefore, since this utterance legislates equality of honor (for the divine utterance is a law), this man sets aside both the law and the lawgiver himself and distributes honor, more to one and less to the other, finding I know not how the measures of the greater honor. For in the case of human custom, the differences according to rank define the honors for the rulers, so that subjects do not approach both kings and subordinate authorities in a similar and equal manner; but the greater and lesser demonstration of fear and respect on the part of those who approach shows the deficiency and excess of honor in the case of those being honored, and by this especially it is possible to find who are the more honored in the disposition of their subjects, whenever someone seems to be more fearsome beyond his neighbors and is thought worthy of more respect than the others. 1.1.334 but in the case of the divine nature, because all perfection with respect to the good is revealed together in the divine appellation, it is not possible to find, at least according to our mind, the manner of giving preference. For in whom neither an excess nor a deficiency of power, nor of glory, nor of wisdom, nor of love for humanity, nor of any notion whatsoever concerning the good is conceived, but all good things that the Son has are of the Father and all things of the Father are seen in the Son, how, being so disposed, shall we show the greater honor for the Father? 1.1.335 If we should grasp a kingly power and dignity in our mind, the Son is king; if we should conceive of a judge, all judgment is the Son's; if we should receive the majesty of creation in our soul, all things were made through him; if we should consider the cause of our life, we know the true life which came down even to our nature; and if we should learn of the removal from darkness, we are not ignorant of the true light, through whom we were estranged from darkness; but if to anyone wisdom seems precious, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God. 1.1.336 Therefore, our soul being naturally disposed to wonder at such and so great marvels of Christ, as much as it can contain, what excess of honor will be able to be apprehended, that is brought to the Father alone by exception, 1.1.337 of which the Lord will fittingly be deprived? For human honor towards the divine, being considered according to the proper understanding, is this very thing, nothing other than a relationship of love and the confession of the good things belonging to him, and it seems to me that 'the Son must be honored just as the Father is honored' has been set down by the Word in place of 'love'; for the law, in the loving of God with all one's heart and strength, commands to render to him the fitting honor, and here God the Word, legislating the equality of love, says thus, that 1.1.338 the Son must be honored just as the Father is honored. The great David also fulfilled this manner of honor towards the Lord in a certain prelude of his psalmody, confessing to love the Lord and recounting the causes of his love, calling him strength and steadfastness and refuge and deliverer and God my helper and hope and defender and horn of salvation and protector and 1.1.339 such things. If therefore the only-begotten [Son] is not becoming these things for mankind, let the greater honor for him be withheld according to the law of the heresy; but if we have believed the only-begotten God to be and to be named all these things and beyond these things, being made equal, according to every conception of a good thing and thought, to the majesty of the goodness in the Father, how could anyone say it is reasonable either not to love such a one, or to dishonor the one who is 1.1.340 loved? For no one would say that love ought to be from the whole heart and strength, but honor from half. If therefore the Son is honored with the whole heart by ascribing all love to him, what conception will discover the greater honor, when the whole heart, as much as it can contain, brings to him as a gift through love its measure of honor? So he is foolish who, in the case of things honorable by nature, dogmatizes about that which is more honorable and through such a
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καθὼς τι μῶσι τὸν πατέρα. τῆς οὖν φωνῆς ταύτης τὸ ἴσον τῆς τιμῆς νομοθετούσης (νόμος γάρ ἐστιν ἡ θεία φωνή) οὗτος καὶ τὸν νόμον καὶ τὸν νομοθέτην αὐτὸν παραγράφεται καὶ τῷ μὲν πλείονα, τῷ δὲ ἐλάττονα τὴν τιμὴν διανέμει, οὐκ οἶδα ὅπως τὰ μέτρα τοῦ πλεονάζοντος τῆς τιμῆς ἐξευρίσκων. ἐπὶ μὲν γὰρ τῆς ἀνθρωπίνης συνηθείας αἱ κατὰ τὰς ἀξίας διαφοραὶ τὰς τιμὰς τοῖς κρατοῦσιν ὁρίζονται, ὡς μὴ ἐν ὁμοίῳ καὶ ἴσῳ τῷ σχήματι τοὺς ὑποχειρίους βασιλεῦσί τε προσιέναι καὶ ταῖς ὑποβεβηκυίαις ἀρχαῖς· ἀλλ' ἡ πλείων τε καὶ ὑφειμένη τοῦ φόβου καὶ τῆς αἰδοῦς τῶν προσ ιόντων ἐπίδειξις τὸ ἐνδέον καὶ περιττεῦον τῆς τιμῆς ἐπὶ τῶν τιμωμένων ἐνδείκνυται, καὶ τούτῳ μάλιστα τοὺς προ τιμοτέρους ἐν τῇ διαθέσει τῶν ὑποχειρίων ἔστιν εὑρεῖν, ὅταν τις ὑπὲρ τοὺς πέλας φοβερὸς εἶναι μᾶλλον καὶ πλεί ονος τῆς αἰδοῦς ἢ κατὰ τοὺς λοιποὺς ἀξιοῦσθαι δοκῇ. 1.1.334 ἐπὶ δὲ τῆς θείας φύσεως διὰ τὸ πᾶσαν τὴν κατὰ τὸ ἀγαθὸν τελειότητα συνεμφαίνεσθαι τῷ τοῦ θείου προσρή ματι οὐκ ἔστιν εὑρεῖν κατά γε τὴν ἡμετέραν διάνοιαν τὸν τρόπον τῆς προτιμήσεως. ἐν οἷς γὰρ οὐ δυνάμεως, οὐ δόξης, οὐ σοφίας, οὐ φιλανθρωπίας οὐδέ τινος ὅλως τῆς κατὰ τὸ ἀγαθὸν ἐννοίας πλεονασμὸς ἢ ἐλάττωσις ἐπινοεῖται, ἀλλὰ πάντα, ὅσα ἔχει ὁ υἱὸς ἀγαθά, τοῦ πατρός ἐστι καὶ τὰ τοῦ πατρὸς πάντα ἐν τῷ υἱῷ καθορᾶται, πῶς διατε θέντες τὸ πλέον τῆς τιμῆς ἐπὶ τοῦ πατρὸς ἐνδειξόμεθα; 1.1.335 εἰ βασιλικὴν δύναμιν καὶ ἀξίαν τῇ διανοίᾳ λάβοιμεν, βασι λεὺς ὁ υἱός· ἐὰν κριτὴν ἐννοήσωμεν, ἡ κρίσις πᾶσα τοῦ υἱοῦ ἐστιν· ἐὰν τὸ μεγαλεῖον τῆς κτίσεως τῇ ψυχῇ δεξώ μεθα, πάντα δι' αὐτοῦ ἐγένετο· ἐὰν τῆς ἡμετέρας ζωῆς τὴν αἰτίαν κατανοήσωμεν, οἴδαμεν τὴν ἀληθῆ ζωὴν τὴν μέχρι τῆς φύσεως ἡμῶν καταβᾶσαν· κἂν <τὴν> ἐκ τοῦ σκότους μετάστασιν καταμάθωμεν, οὐκ ἀγνοοῦμεν τὸ φῶς τὸ ἀληθινόν, δι' οὗ τοῦ σκότους ἠλλοτριώθημεν· εἰ δέ τινι τίμιον ἡ σοφία δοκεῖ, Χριστὸς θεοῦ δύναμις καὶ θεοῦ σοφία. 1.1.336 Πρὸς τοίνυν τὰ τοιαῦτα καὶ τηλικαῦτα τοῦ Χριστοῦ θαύματα τῆς ψυχῆς ἡμῶν κατὰ τὸ εἰκός, ὅσον χωρεῖ, τοσοῦτον θαυμαστικῶς διατιθεμένης, τίς ὑπερβολὴ τιμῆς καταληφθῆναι δυνήσεται τῆς τῷ πατρὶ μόνῳ κατ' ἐξαίρετον 1.1.337 προσαγομένης, ἧς ἀμοιρήσει πρεπόντως ὁ κύριος; αὐτὸ γὰρ τοῦτο ἡ ἀνθρωπίνη πρὸς τὸ θεῖον τιμὴ κατὰ τὸν εἰ κότα νοῦν θεωρουμένη οὐδεμία τις ἄλλη ἐστὶν ἀλλ' ἢ ἀγα πητικὴ σχέσις καὶ ἡ τῶν προσόντων αὐτῷ ἀγαθῶν ὁμο λογία, καί μοι δοκεῖ τὸ οὕτω δεῖν τιμᾶσθαι τὸν υἱὸν ὡς ὁ πατὴρ τιμᾶται, ἀντὶ τῆς ἀγάπης ὑπὸ τοῦ λόγου τετάχθαι· ὁ γὰρ νόμος ἐν τῷ ἀγαπᾶν τὸν θεὸν ἐξ ὅλης καρδίας καὶ δυνάμεως τὴν πρέπουσαν αὐτῷ τιμὴν ἀπονέμειν κελεύει, καὶ ἐνταῦθα τὸ ἰσοστάσιον τῆς ἀγάπης ὁ θεὸς λόγος νομοθετῶν οὕτω φησὶ δεῖν τιμᾶσθαι 1.1.338 τὸν υἱόν, ὡς ὁ πατὴρ τιμᾶται. τοῦτον τὸν τρόπον τῆς τι μῆς ἐπλήρου καὶ ὁ μέγας ∆αβὶδ πρὸς τὸν κύριον ἔν τινι προοιμίῳ τῆς ψαλμῳδίας ἀγαπᾶν ὁμολογῶν τὸν κύριον καὶ διεξιὼν τὰ τῆς ἀγάπης αἴτια, ἰσχὺν καὶ κραταίωμα καὶ καταφυγὴν καὶ ῥύστην καὶ θεὸν βοηθὸν καὶ ἐλπίδα καὶ ὑπερασπιστὴν καὶ σωτηρίας κέρας καὶ ἀντιλήπτορα καὶ τὰ 1.1.339 τοιαῦτα καλῶν. εἰ μὲν οὖν οὐκ ἔστιν ὁ μονογενὴς [υἱὸς] ταῦτα τοῖς ἀνθρώποις γινόμενος, ὑποστελλέσθω τὸ πλεο νάζον τῆς τιμῆς ἐπὶ τούτου κατὰ τὸν τῆς αἱρέσεως νόμον· εἰ δὲ πάντα ταῦτα καὶ ὑπὲρ ταῦτα τὸν μονογενῆ θεὸν εἶναί τε καὶ ὀνομάζεσθαι πεπιστεύκαμεν, κατὰ πᾶσαν ἀγαθοῦ πράγματος καὶ νοήματος ἐπίνοιαν πρὸς τὸ μεγαλεῖον τῆς ἐν τῷ πατρὶ ἀγαθότητος ἐξισαζόμενον, πῶς ἄν τις εὔλογον εἶναι λέγοι ἢ μὴ ἀγαπᾶν τὸ τοιοῦτον ἢ ἀτιμάζειν τὸ ἀγα 1.1.340 πώμενον; οὐ γὰρ ἂν εἴποι τις τὴν μὲν ἀγάπην δεῖν ἐξ ὅλης γίνεσθαι τῆς καρδίας καὶ τῆς δυνάμεως, τὴν δὲ τιμὴν ἐξ ἡμισείας. εἰ οὖν ἐξ ὅλης τῆς καρδίας τιμᾶται ὁ υἱὸς διὰ τοῦ πᾶσαν ἀνατιθέναι αὐτῷ τὴν ἀγάπην, τίς ἐπίνοια τὸ πλέον τῆς τιμῆς ἐξευρήσει, ὅλης τῆς καρδίας, ὅσον χωρεῖ, τοσοῦτον αὐτῷ διὰ τῆς ἀγάπης τὸ τῆς τιμῆς μέτρον δωρο φορούσης; ὥστε μάταιος ἐπὶ τῶν κατὰ φύσιν τιμίων ὁ τὸ προτιμότερον δογματίζων καὶ διὰ τῆς τοιαύτης