Athanasius of Alexandria, On the Incarnation of the Word

And to mention one proof of the divinity of the Saviour, which is indeed utterly surprising,—what mere man or magician or tyrant or king was ever able by himself to engage with so many, and to fight the battle against all idolatry and the whole demoniacal host and all magic, and all the wisdom of the Greeks, while they were so strong and still flourishing and imposing upon all, and at one onset to check them all, as was our Lord, the true Word of God, Who, invisibly exposing each man’s error, is by Himself bearing off all men from them all, so that while they who were worshipping idols now trample upon them, those in repute for magic burn their books, and the wise prefer to all studies the interpretation of the Gospels? 2. For whom they used to worship, them they are deserting, and Whom they used to mock as one crucified, Him they worship as Christ, confessing Him to be God. And they that are called gods among them are routed by the Sign of the Cross, while the Crucified Saviour is proclaimed in all the world as God and the Son of God. And the gods worshipped among the Greeks are falling into ill repute at their hands, as scandalous beings; while those who receive the teaching of Christ live a chaster life than they. 3. If, then, these and the like are human works, let him who will point out similar works on the part of men of former time, and so convince us. But if they prove to be, and are, not men’s works, but God’s, why are the unbelievers so irreligious as not to recognise the Master that wrought them? 4. For their case is as though a man, from the works of creation, failed to know God their Artificer. For if they knew His Godhead from His power over the universe, they would have known that the bodily works of Christ also are not human, but are the works of the Saviour of all, the Word of God. And did they thus know, “they would not,” as Paul said155 1 Cor. ii. 8., “have crucified the Lord of glory.”

Καὶ ἵνα ἓν ὃ καὶ πάνυ θαυμαστόν ἐστι γνώρισμα τῆς θειότητος τοῦ Σωτῆρος εἴπω· τίς πώποτε ἄνθρωπος ἁπλῶς ἢ μάγος, ἢ τύραννος, ἢ βασιλεύς, ἐφ' ἑαυτοῦ τοσοῦτον ἠδυνήθη βαλεῖν, καὶ καθ' ὅλης τῆς εἰδωλολατρίας καὶ πάσης δαιμονικῆς στρατίας καὶ πάσης μαγείας καὶ πάσης σοφίας Ἑλλήνων, τοσοῦτον ἰσχυόντων καὶ ἔτι ἀκμαζόντων καὶ ἐκπληττόντων πάντας, ἀντιμάχεσθαι καὶ μιᾷ ῥοπῇ κατὰ πάντων ἀντιστῆναι, ὡς ὁ ἡμέτερος Κύριος, ὁ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἀληθὴς Λόγος, ὃς ἀοράτως ἑκάστου τὴν πλάνην ἐλέγχων, μόνος παρὰ πάντων τοὺς πάντας ἀνθρώπους σκυλεύει, ὥστε τοὺς μὲν τὰ εἴδωλα προσκυνοῦντας λοιπὸν αὐτὰ καταπατεῖν, τοὺς δὲ μαγείαις θαυμασθέντας τὰς βίβλους κατακαίειν, τοὺς δὲ σοφοὺς τὴν τῶν Εὐαγγε λίων προκρίνειν πάντων ἑρμηνείαν. Οὓς μὲν γὰρ πρότερον προσεκύνουν, τούτους καταλιμπάνουσιν· ὃν δὲ ἐχλεύαζον ἐσταυρωμένον· τοῦτον προσκυνοῦσι Χριστόν, Θεὸν αὐτὸν ὁμολογοῦντες· Καὶ οἱ μὲν παρ' αὐτοῖς λεγόμενοι θεοὶ τῷ σημείῳ τοῦ σταυροῦ διώκονται· ὁ δὲ σταυρωθεὶς Σωτὴρ ἐν πάσῃ τῇ οἰκουμένῃ Θεὸς ἀναγορεύεται καὶ Θεοῦ Υἱός. Καὶ οἱ μὲν παρ' Ἕλλησι προσκυνούμενοι θεοὶ ὡς αἰσχροὶ διαβάλλονται παρ' αὐτῶν· οἱ δὲ τὴν Χριστοῦ λαμβάνοντες διδασκαλίαν, σωφρονέστερον ἐκείνων ἔχουσι τὸν βίον. Ταῦτα οὖν, καὶ τὰ τοιαῦτα, εἰ μὲν ἀνθρώπινά ἐστι, δεικνύτω τις ὁ βουλόμενος καὶ τὰ τῶν προτέρων τοιαῦτα, καὶ πειθέτω. Εἰ δὲ μὴ ἀνθρώπων ἀλλὰ Θεοῦ ἔργα ταῦτα φαίνεται καί εἰσι, διὰ τί τοσοῦτον ἀσεβοῦσιν οἱ ἄπιστοι, μὴ ἐπιγινώσκοντες τὸν ταῦτα ἐργασάμενον ∆εσπότην; Ὅμοιον γὰρ πάσχουσιν, ὡς εἴ τις ἐκ τῶν ἔργων τῆς κτίσεως μὴ γινώσκοι τὸν τούτων δημιουργὸν Θεόν. Εἰ γὰρ ἐκ τῆς εἰς τὰ ὅλα αὐτοῦ δυνάμεως ἐγίνωσκον αὐτοῦ τὴν θεότητα, ἔγνωσαν ἂν ὅτι καὶ τὰ διὰ τοῦ σώματος ἔργα τοῦ Χριστοῦ οὐκ ἀνθρώπινα, ἀλλὰ τοῦ πάντων Σωτῆρός ἐστι τοῦ Θεοῦ Λόγου. Γινώσκοντες δὲ οὕτως, καθάπερ εἶπεν ὁ Παῦλος, “οὐκ ἂν τὸν Κύριον τῆς δόξης ἐσταύρωσαν”.