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and also saying “for his works,” he says, “therefore he created me,” “the beginning of his ways for his works.” And what works does he mean? concerning which the Savior says, “My Father is working until now, and I am working,” and again he says, “I have finished the work that you have given me.” 3.3.7 Then, as if clarifying the meaning of what was said, he adds: for who, before the proof of the facts, would have believed that the Word of God, born of a virgin, would take up our flesh and display the whole divinity bodily in it? And as if rendering the meaning complete, he adds: therefore this is the meaning of “The Lord created me as the beginning of his ways for his works.” 3.3.8 And he wrote these things, unable to raise the eyes of his mind “on high” and to say like the prophet, “that I will see the heavens, the works of your fingers, the moon and the stars which you have established,” nor remembering the prophetic word, through which it is said, “but they do not look upon the works of the Lord, and the works of his hands 3.3.9 they do not understand.” For if he had paid attention to these things, he would have known that before heaven and earth and before the whole cosmos and not only before the visible but also before the intelligible works of God, those being in hypostasis in incorporeal and supercosmic powers, he who says these things was and pre-existed. But moving on to “before the age he established me,” he again brings the flesh into the middle, speaking thus: calling this the foundation, the economy according to his flesh pre3.3.10ordained. As the Apostle also says, “For no one can lay any other foundation than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ,” and he adds: but here he makes mention of one age, from which he said the things concerning Christ were founded, although many ages have passed, as David said, “who exists before the ages.” 3.3.11 And moving on next to “in the beginning, before he made the earth,” he again says the earth is the flesh, and he writes thus: what earth is this, if not clearly our flesh, which after the transgression became earth again? For “you are earth,” he says, “and to earth you shall return.” For this needed to receive healing. And the most wise man says these things, not remembering that he happened to have said above that the flesh was created as the beginning of the ways of God 3.3.12. But if by “earth” he meant the flesh at all, how is it not necessary to confess that he who says he existed before he made the earth pre-existed the flesh? For he says, “before the age he established me, in the beginning, before he made the earth.” Therefore, before 3.3.13 making the flesh, he who says these things existed. And even if he did not mention many ages, but one, which the Savior also mentioned, saying, “the sons of this age marry and are given in marriage,” even so the flesh which our Savior took up did not exist before the present age, but he himself who teaches these things through Solomon. Do you see into how much difficulty he has fallen who turned aside from the straight and royal 3.3.14 road. And in addition to what has been said, he adds these things, saying, “before he made the abysses,” he says; here the prophet proverbially says the abysses are the hearts of the saints, which have the gift of the Spirit in their own depths. And he does not understand that before the incarnate presence of our Savior the holy prophets of God partook of the same Spirit, both Moses and those even more ancient than Moses. Therefore it is necessary for him who says, “before he made the abysses,” to be more ancient 3.3.15 than all these abysses, if indeed these were the hearts of the saints. How then was it possible for these things to be referred to the flesh of the Savior? And yet if he had any knowledge of the divine scriptures, he would not have so readily declared that the abysses were the hearts of the saints, having paid attention to how “darkness” was “upon the abyss” according to the testimony of Moses, and how much and how difficult to interpret is the account concerning them found in the divine scripture. For the Apostle says, “Do not say,” “who 3.3.16 will ascend into heaven? That is, to bring Christ down; or who will descend into the abyss? That is, to bring Christ up from the dead.” It seems, then, in these things the

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δὲ καὶ τὸ «εἰς ἔργα αὐτοῦ» φάσκων «ἔκτισεν οὖν με» φησὶν «ἀρχὴν ὁδῶν αὐτοῦ εἰς ἔργα αὐτοῦ». ποῖα δὲ ἔργα φησίν; περὶ ὧν ὁ σωτὴρ λέγει «ὁ πατήρ μου ἕως ἄρτι ἐργάζεται, κἀγὼ ἐργάζομαι», καὶ αὖθις «τὸ ἔργον» φησὶν «ἐτελείωσα ὃ δέδωκάς μοι». 3.3.7 εἶθ' ὥσπερ διασαφῶν τὴν τῶν εἰρημένων διάνοιαν ἐπιλέγει τίς γὰρ πρὸ τῆς τῶν πραγμάτων ἀποδείξεως ἐπίστευσεν ἂν ὅτι λόγος θεοῦ διὰ παρθένου τεχθεὶς τὴν ἡμετέραν ἀναλή ψεται σάρκα καὶ τὴν πᾶσαν θεότητα ἐν αὐτῇ σωματικῶς ἐπι δείξεται; καὶ ὥσπερ ἐντελῆ τὴν διάνοιαν ἀποδοὺς ἐπάγει οὐκοῦν τοῦτ' ἔστιν τὸ «κύριος ἔκτισέν με ἀρχὴν ὁδῶν αὐτοῦ εἰς ἔργα αὐτοῦ». 3.3.8 καὶ ταῦτα δὲ ἔγραφεν, οὐ δυνηθεὶς τοὺς τῆς διανοίας ὀφθαλμοὺς «εἰς ὕψος» ἆραι καὶ τῷ προφήτῃ παραπλησίως εἰπεῖν «ὅτι ὄψομαι τοὺς οὐρανούς, ἔργα τῶν δακτύλων σου, σελήνην καὶ ἀστέρας ἃ σὺ ἐθεμελίωσας» οὐδὲ μνημονεύσας τοῦ προφητικοῦ λόγου, δι' οὗ εἴρηται «τὰ δὲ ἔργα κυρίου οὐκ ἐμβλέπουσιν, καὶ τὰ ἔργα τῶν χειρῶν αὐτοῦ 3.3.9 οὐ κατανοοῦσιν». εἰ γὰρ τούτοις προσεσχήκει, ἔγνω ἂν ὅτι πρὸ οὐρανοῦ καὶ γῆς καὶ πρὸ τοῦ σύμπαντος κόσμου καὶ οὐ πρὸ τῶν ὁρατῶν μόνον ἀλλὰ καὶ πρὸ τῶν νοητῶν ἔργων τοῦ θεοῦ, τῶν ἐν ἀσωμάτοις καὶ ὑπερκοσμίοις δυνάμεσιν ἐν ὑποστάσει ὄντων, ἦν καὶ προῆν ὁ ταῦτα λέγων. ὁ δὲ μεταβὰς ἐπὶ τὸ «πρὸ τοῦ αἰῶνος ἐθεμελίωσέν με», πάλιν τὴν σάρκα εἰς μέσον ἄγει λέγων οὕτως θεμέλιον τοῦτον ὀνομάζων, τὴν κατὰ σάρκα αὐτοῦ προ3.3.10 ορισθεῖσαν οἰκονομίαν. ὡς καὶ ὁ ἀπόστολος λέγει «θεμέλιον γὰρ ἄλλον οὐδεὶς δύναται θεῖναι παρὰ τὸν κείμενον, ὅς ἐστιν Ἰησοῦς Χριστός» καὶ ἐπιλέγει ἑνὸς δὲ αἰῶνος ἐνταῦθα μέμνηται, ἀφ' οὗ τὰ κατὰ τὸν Χριστὸν τεθεμελιῶσθαι ἔφη, καίτοι πολλῶν παρεληλυθότων αἰώνων, ὡς ὁ ∆αυὶδ ἔφη «ὁ ὑπάρχων πρὸ τῶν αἰώνων». 3.3.11 καὶ μεταβὰς ἑξῆς ἐπὶ τὸ «ἐν ἀρχῇ πρὸ τοῦ τὴν γῆν ποιῆσαι» καὶ τὴν γῆν πάλιν τὴν σάρκα εἶναι λέγει, γράφει δὲ οὕτως ποίαν ταύτην τὴν γῆν ἢ δηλονότι τὴν ἡμετέραν σάρκα, τὴν μετὰ τὴν παρακοὴν γῆν αὖθις γενομένην; «γῆ» γὰρ «εἶ» φησὶν «καὶ εἰς γῆν ἀπελεύσῃ». ἔδει γὰρ ταύτην ἰάσεως τυχεῖν. καὶ ταῦτα δὲ φάσκει, οὐ μνημονεύσας ὁ σοφώτατος ὡς καὶ ἀνωτέρω πρὸ τοῦ τὴν γῆν ποιῆσαι ἐκτίσθαι τὴν σάρκα ἀρχὴν ὁδῶν τοῦ θεοῦ 3.3.12 εἰρηκὼς ἔτυχεν. εἰ δὲ ὅλως διὰ τῆς γῆς τὴν σάρκα ἐδήλου, πῶς οὐ προϋπάρχειν τῆς σαρκὸς ἀνάγκη ὁμολογεῖν τὸν λέγοντα πρὸ τοῦ τὴν γῆν ποιῆσαι ἑαυτὸν εἶναι, «πρὸ» γὰρ «τοῦ αἰῶνος» φησὶν «ἐθεμελίωσέν με, ἐν ἀρχῇ πρὸ τοῦ τὴν γῆν ποιῆσαι». οὐκοῦν πρὸ τοῦ 3.3.13 τὴν σάρκα ποιῆσαι ὁ ταῦτα λέγων ὑπῆρχεν. εἰ δὲ καὶ μὴ πολλῶν αἰώνων ἐμνημόνευσεν, ἀλλ' ἑνός, οὗ καὶ ὁ σωτὴρ ἐμνήσθη εἰπὼν «οἱ υἱοὶ τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου γαμοῦσιν καὶ γαμίσκονται», καὶ οὕτως οὐχ ἡ σὰρξ ἣν ἀνείληφεν ὁ σωτὴρ ἡμῶν πρὸ τοῦ ἐνεστῶτος αἰῶνος ὑπῆρχεν, ἀλλ' αὐτὸς ὁ ταῦτα διὰ Σολομῶνος διδάσκων. ὁρᾷς ὅσῃ περιπέπτωκεν δυσχωρίᾳ ὁ τῆς εὐθείας καὶ βασιλικῆς παρατραπεὶς 3.3.14 ὁδοῦ. ὁ δὲ πρὸς ταῖς εἰρημέναις ἔτι καὶ ταῦτα προστίθησιν λέγων «πρὸ τοῦ τὰς ἀβύσσους ποιῆσαι» φησίν· ἐνταῦθα τὰς ἀβύσσους παροιμιωδῶς ὁ προφήτης τὰς τῶν ἁγίων καρδίας εἶναι λέγει τὰς ἐν τῷ ἑαυτῶν βάθει τὴν τοῦ πνεύματος ἐχούσας δωρεάν. καὶ οὐ συνίησιν ὡς πρὸ τῆς ἐνσάρκου τοῦ σωτῆρος ἡμῶν παρουσίας οἱ ἅγιοι τοῦ θεοῦ προφῆται τοῦ αὐτοῦ μετέσχον πνεύματος, Μωσῆς τε καὶ οἱ ἔτι Μωσέως παλαιότεροι. οὐκοῦν ἀνάγκη τούτων ἁπασῶν τῶν ἀβύσσων, εἰ δὴ αἱ τῶν ἁγίων καρδίαι ἦσαν αὗται, παλαιότερον 3.3.15 εἶναι τὸν λέγοντα «πρὸ τοῦ τὰς ἀβύσσους ποιῆσαι». πῶς οὖν δυνατὸν ἦν ἐπὶ τὴν σάρκα τοῦ σωτῆρος ἀναφέρεσθαι ταῦτα; καὶ μὴν εἴ τις αὐτῷ παρῆν τῶν θείων γραφῶν ἐπιστήμη, οὐκ ἂν εὐχερῶς οὕτως ἀπεφαίνετο τὰς τῶν ἁγίων καρδίας εἶναι τὰς ἀβύσσους, ἐπιστήσας ὡς «σκότος» ἦν «ἐπάνω τῆς ἀβύσσου» κατὰ τὴν Μωσέως μαρτυρίαν καὶ ὡς πολὺς καὶ δυσερμήνευτος ὁ περὶ αὐτῶν ἐν τῇ θείᾳ γραφῇ φέρεται λόγος. ὁ μὲν γὰρ ἀπόστολος «μὴ εἴπῃς» φησὶν «τίς 3.3.16 ἀναβήσεται εἰς τὸν οὐρανόν; τουτέστιν Χριστὸν καταγαγεῖν· ἢ τίς καταβήσεται εἰς τὴν ἄβυσσον; τουτέστιν Χριστὸν ἐκ νεκρῶν ἀναγαγεῖν». ἔοικεν γοῦν ἐν τούτοις τὰ