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to suggest, and to say, "Examine, and see, that a spirit does not have flesh and bones." For this reason He did not assume the man from the beginning at a mature age, 174 but He endured both to be conceived and to be born and to be nursed with milk, and to spend so much time upon the earth, in order that both by the length of time and by all other things He might confirm this very thing. From the same, against those who say that demons direct the affairs of men. Nothing was more worthless than man, and nothing has become more honorable than man. He was the last part of the rational creation. But the feet became the head, and were brought up to the royal throne through the first-fruits. For just as some ambitious and generous man, seeing someone who has escaped from a shipwreck, and has been able to save only his naked body from the waves, receives him with open arms, clothes him in a splendid robe, and brings him to the highest honor, so also God did with our nature. Man cast away all that he had: his boldness, his conversation with God, his life in paradise; he exchanged them for a wretched life, and just as a naked man from a shipwreck, so he came out from there. But God, receiving him, immediately clothed him, and leading him by the hand little by little, brought him up to heaven. From the same, from the same discourse. But God made the gain greater than the loss, and brought our nature to the royal throne. And Paul cries out, saying, "He raised us up together and made us sit together at His right hand in the heavenly places." From the same, to those who fast on the first Passover. He opened the heavens, He made the hated ones friends, He brought them back up to heaven, He seated our nature at the right hand of the throne, He provided us with countless other good things. From the same, from the discourse on the Ascension. Therefore, He raised our nature up this distance and to this height. 175 See where it lay below, and to where it ascended above. It was not possible to descend lower than where man descended, nor to ascend higher than where He raised him up again. From the same, from the interpretation of the Epistle to the Ephesians. "According to His good pleasure, he says, which He purposed in Himself," that is, what He desired, this He was in travail with, as one might say, to declare to us the mystery. What mystery is this? That He wishes to seat man on high. Which indeed also has happened. From the same, from the same interpretation. Concerning this he says, the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, not concerning God the Word. From the same, from the same interpretation. "And when we were dead in trespasses, He made us alive together with Christ." And again Christ is in the middle and the matter is trustworthy. For if the first-fruit lives, so do we; He gave life to both Him and us; do you see that all things have been said concerning that which is according to the flesh? From the same, from the Gospel according to John. For why does he add, "And dwelt among us?" almost as if saying, do not suspect anything strange from the word "became." For I did not speak of a change of that unchangeable nature, but of a tabernacling and an indwelling. But that which tabernacles would not be the same as the tabernacle; but one thing tabernacles in another; since otherwise it would not be a tabernacling. For nothing dwells in itself. But I said "another" according to substance. For by the union and the conjunction, God the Word and the flesh are one, not by a confusion having occurred, nor by a disappearance of the substances, but by a certain ineffable and indescribable union. From the same, from the Gospel according to Matthew. And just as someone, standing in the middle of two who are separated from each other, stretching out both hands, might take hold from either side and join them, so also He did, joining the old with the new, the divine nature with the human, His own things with ours. 176 From the same, from the discourse on the Ascension of Christ. For just as when two are separated by a skirmish, some other person, being inserted in the middle, resolves the battle and discord of the contenders, so also Christ did. He was angry with us as God, but we despised His anger, the

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ὑποβαλεῖν, καὶ εἰπεῖν, "Ἐρεύνησον, καὶ ἴδε, ὅτι πνεῦμα σάρκα καὶ ὀστέα οὐκ ἔχει." ∆ιὰ τοῦτο οὔτε ἐξ ἀρχῆς τελείας ἡλικίας 174 τὸν ἄνθρωπον ἀνέλαβεν, ἀλλ' ἠνέσχετο καὶ συλληφθῆναι καὶ τεχθῆναι καὶ γαλακτοτροφηθῆναι, καὶ τοσοῦτον χρόνον ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς διατρίψαι, ἵνα καὶ τῷ μήκει τοῦ χρόνου καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις ἅπασι τοῦτο αὐτὸ πιστώσηται. Τοῦ αὐτοῦ πρὸς τοὺς λέγοντας, ὅτι δαίμονες τὰ τῶν ἀνθρώπων διοικοῦσιν. Οὐδὲν ἦν εὐτελέστερον ἀνθρώπου, καὶ οὐδὲν γέγονε τιμιώτερον ἀνθρώπου. Τὸ ἔσχατον μέρος τῆς λογικῆς κτίσεως οὗτος ἦν. Ἀλλ' οἱ πόδες ἐγένοντο κεφαλή, καὶ εἰς τὸν θρόνον ἀνηνέχθησαν τὸν βασιλικὸν διὰ τῆς ἀπαρχῆς. Καθάπερ γὰρ ἄνθρωπος φιλότιμός τις καὶ μεγαλό δωρος, ἰδών τινα ἐκ ναυαγίου διαφυγόντα, καὶ τὸ σῶμα γυμνὸν ἀπὸ τῶν κυμάτων διασῶσαι δυνηθέντα μόνον, δεξάμενος ὑπτίαις ταῖς χερσί, λαμπρὰν περιβάλλει στολήν, καὶ πρὸς τιμὴν ἄγει τὴν ἀνωτάτω, οὕτω καὶ ὁ θεὸς ἐπὶ τῆς φύσεως τῆς ἡμετέρας ἐποίησε. Πάντα ἀπέ βαλεν ὅσα εἶχεν ὁ ἄνθρωπος, τὴν παρρησίαν, τὴν πρὸς θεὸν ὁμιλίαν, τὴν ἐν παραδείσῳ διαγωγήν, τὸν ταλαίπωρον βίον ἀντηλλάξατο, καὶ καθάπερ ἐκ ναυαγίου γυμνός, οὕτως ἐξῆλθεν ἐκεῖθεν. Ἀλλ' ὁ θεὸς αὐτὸν δεξάμενος περιέστειλεν εὐθέως, καὶ κατὰ μικρὸν χειραγωγῶν εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν ἀνήγαγεν. Τοῦ αὐτοῦ ἐκ τοῦ αὐτοῦ λόγου. Ἀλλ' ὁ θεὸς μείζονα τῆς ζημίας τὴν ἐμπορίαν ἐποιήσατο, καὶ πρὸς τὸν θρόνον τὸν βασιλικὸν τὴν φύσιν ἀνήγαγε τὴν ἡμετέραν. Καὶ Παῦλος βοᾷ λέγων, "Συνήγειρε καὶ συνεκάθισεν ἐν δεξιᾷ αὑτοῦ ἐν τοῖς ἐπουρανίοις." Τοῦ αὐτοῦ εἰς τοὺς τὰ πρῶτα πάσχα νηστεύοντας. Ἀνέῳξε τοὺς οὐρανούς, τοὺς μισουμένους φίλους ἐποίησεν, εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν ἐπανήγαγεν, ἐν δεξιᾷ τοῦ θρόνου ἐκάθισε τὴν φύσιν τὴν ἡμετέραν, μυρία ἕτερα παρέσχεν ἡμῖν ἀγαθά. Τοῦ αὐτοῦ ἐκ τοῦ εἰς τὴν ἀνάληψιν λόγου. Τοῦτο οὖν τὸ διάστημα καὶ τὸ ὕψος τὴν φύσιν τὴν ἡμετέραν ἀνήγαγε. 175 Βλέπε ποῦ κάτω ἔκειτο, καὶ ποῦ ἄνω ἀνέβη. Οὔτε καταβῆναι ἦν κατώτερον οὗ κατέβη ὁ ἄνθρωπος, οὔτε ἀναβῆναι ἀνώτερον οὗ ἀνή γαγεν αὐτὸν πάλιν. Τοῦ αὐτοῦ ἐκ τῆς ἑρμηνείας τῆς πρὸς Ἐφεσίους ἐπιστολῆς. "Κατὰ τὴν εὐδοκίαν αὐτοῦ, φησίν, ἣν προέθετο ἐν αὐτῷ," τουτέστιν, ὃ ἐπεθύμει, τοῦτο ὤδινεν, ὡς ἄν τις εἴποι, ἐξειπεῖν ἡμῖν τὸ μυστήριον. Ποῖον δὴ τοῦτο; ὅτι ἄνθρωπον ἄνω καθίσαι βούλεται. Ὃ δὴ καὶ γέγονεν. Τοῦ αὐτοῦ ἐκ τῆς αὐτῆς ἑρμηνείας. Περὶ τούτου φησὶν ὁ θεὸς τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, οὐ περὶ τοῦ θεοῦ λόγου. Τοῦ αὐτοῦ ἐκ τῆς αὐτῆς ἑρμηνείας. "Καὶ ὄντας ἡμᾶς νεκροὺς τοῖς παραπτώμασι συνεζωοποίησε τῷ Χριστῷ." Καὶ πάλιν ὁ Χριστὸς μέσος καὶ τὸ πρᾶγμα ἀξιόπιστον. Εἰ γὰρ ἡ ἀρχὴ ζῇ, καὶ ἡμεῖς· ἐζωοποίησε κἀκεῖνον καὶ ἡμᾶς· ὁρᾷς ὅτι περὶ τοῦ κατὰ σάρκα πάντα εἴρηται; Τοῦ αὐτοῦ ἐκ τοῦ κατὰ Ἰωάννην εὐαγγελίου. Τί γὰρ ἐπάγει, "Καὶ ἐσκήνωσεν ἐν ἡμῖν;" μονονουχὶ λέγων, μηδὲν ἄτοπον ὑποπτεύσῃς ἀπὸ τοῦ ἐγένετο. Οὐ γὰρ τροπὴν εἶπον τῆς ἀτρέπτου φύσεως ἐκείνης, ἀλλὰ σκήνωσιν καὶ κατοίκησιν. Τὸ δὲ σκηνοῦν οὐ ταὐτὸν ἂν εἴη τῇ σκηνῇ· ἀλλ' ἕτερον ἐν ἑτέρῳ σκηνοῖ· ἐπεὶ οὐδ' ἂν εἴη σκήνωσις. Οὐδὲν γὰρ ἐν ἑαυτῷ κατοικεῖ. Ἕτερον δὲ εἶπον κατὰ τὴν οὐσίαν. Τῇ γὰρ ἑνώσει καὶ τῇ συναφείᾳ ἕν ἐστιν ὁ θεὸς λόγος καὶ ἡ σάρξ, οὐ συγχύσεως γενομένης, οὐδὲ ἀφανισμοῦ τῶν οὐσιῶν, ἀλλ' ἑνώσεως ἀρρήτου τινὸς καὶ ἀφράστου. Τοῦ αὐτοῦ ἐκ τοῦ κατὰ Ματθαῖον εὐαγγελίου. Καὶ καθάπερ τις, ἐν μεταιχμίῳ στὰς δύο τινῶν ἀλλήλων διεστηκότων, ἀμφοτέρας ἁπλώσας τὰς χεῖρας, ἑκατέρωθεν λαβὼν συνάψειεν, οὕτω καὶ αὐτὸς ἐποίησε, τὴν παλαιὰν τῇ καινῇ συνάπτων, τὴν θείαν φύσιν τῇ ἀνθρωπίνῃ, τὰ αὑτοῦ τοῖς ἡμετέροις. 176 Τοῦ αὐτοῦ ἐκ τοῦ λόγου τοῦ εἰς τὴν ἀνάληψιν τοῦ Χριστοῦ. Καθάπερ γὰρ δύο τινῶν ἁψιμαχίᾳ διαστάντων, ἕτερός τις ἐν μέσῳ παρεντεθεὶς λύει τὴν τῶν ἐριζόντων μάχην τε καὶ διχόνοιαν, οὕτω καὶ ὁ Χριστὸς ἐποίησεν. Ὠργίζετο ἡμῖν ὡς θεός, ἡμεῖς δὲ τῆς αὐτοῦ κατεφρονοῦμεν ὀργῆς τὸν