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the Apostle, saying, "All things were created through him and for him," shows that he was born first; he ought to have said, "And he was before all things." But by saying, "And he is before all things," he showed that he is eternally existing, while creation came into being. For "He is" agrees with "In the beginning was the Word." If the Son is firstborn, they say, he is no longer only-begotten; but there must be another, of whom he is called firstborn. And yet, O wise one, even though he alone was born of Mary the virgin, he is called her firstborn. For it says, "Until she brought forth her firstborn son." Therefore it is not necessary for him to be called firstborn in relation to a brother. And it might be said that he was called firstborn even before all generation; and further, 29.704 with respect to those born of God through the adoption of the Holy Spirit, as Paul says: "For those whom he foreknew, he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren." On the text, "The Lord created me." If he in the flesh says, "I am the way"; and the same one: "No one comes to the Father except through me"; it is he also who said: "The Lord created me as the beginning of his ways." But "creation" and "work" are also said of what is begotten, as in, "I have created a man through God"; and again: "He made sons and daughters"; and David: "Create in me a clean heart, O God," not asking for another, but plainly for his existing one to be cleansed. And a "new creation" is also spoken of, not as another creation having come into being, but of those who are enlightened being prepared for better works. If the Father created the Son for the sake of works, he created him not for his own sake, but for the sake of the works. But that which comes into being for the sake of another and not for its own sake is either a part of that for which it came into being, or is less than it. Therefore the Savior will be either a part of creation, or less than creation. It is necessary, therefore, to understand this with respect to his humanity. One might also say that Solomon said these things about that wisdom which the Apostle also mentions, saying: "For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom." Besides, the speaker is not even a prophet, but a writer of Proverbs. And proverbs are images of other things, not the things themselves that are said. If God the Son were the one saying, "The Lord created me," he would rather have said, "The Father created me." For nowhere did he call himself his own Lord, but always Father. Therefore, "he begot" must be taken with respect to God the Son, and "he created" with respect to him who took the form of a servant. In all these things we do not speak of two, God separately, and man separately (for he was one), but we consider each nature by way of thought. For neither did Peter conceive of two when he said: "Since therefore Christ suffered for us in the flesh." If the Son is begotten, they say, and not a created thing, how does the Scripture say: "Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God has made him both Lord and Christ"? Therefore here too it must be said that this was spoken concerning his being from Mary according to the flesh; as indeed the angel bringing the good news 29.705 to the shepherds says that, "To you is born this day a Savior, who is Christ the Lord." For "this day" could not be thought to refer to that which is before the ages. And what follows shows this more clearly, when it says: "This Jesus, whom you crucified." If when the Son was begotten, wisdom came into being then, false is the saying, "Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God." For his wisdom did not come into being, but always was. And this, therefore, is as it is said of the Father by David: "Be to me a protecting God"; and, "You became to me for salvation"; and Paul: "But let God be true, and every man a liar"; so also the Lord "Became for us from God wisdom, and sanctification, and redemption." If, then, the Father, by becoming a protector and true, is not a created thing; so also the Son, by becoming wisdom and sanctification, is not a created thing. If it is true that "There is one God, the Father"; it is plainly also true that "There is one Lord Jesus Christ, the Savior." Therefore, according to them, the Savior is not God, nor is the Father Lord. And in vain is the saying, "The Lord said to my Lord." False also is, "Therefore God, your God, has anointed you"; and, "The Lord rained down from the Lord"; and, "God made in the image of God"; and, "Who is God except the Lord?"; and, "Who is God but our God?"; and John, that, "God

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πρῶτον αὐτὸν γεγενῆσθαι δείκνυ σιν ὁ Ἀπόστολος εἰπὼν, Πάντα δι' αὐτοῦ καὶ εἰς αὐτὸν ἔκτισται, ὤφειλεν εἰπεῖν, Καὶ αὐτὸς ἐγένετο πρὸ πάντων. Εἰπὼν δὲ, Καὶ αὐτός ἐστι πρὸ πάντων, ἔδειξε τὸν μὲν ἀεὶ ὄντα, τὴν δὲ κτίσιν γενομένην. Τὸ γὰρ, Ἔστι, τῷ, Ἐν ἀρχῇ ἦν ὁ Λόγος, συνᾴδει. Εἰ πρωτότοκος, φασὶν, ὁ Υἱὸς, οὐκέτι μονογενής· ἀλλ' ὀφείλει καὶ ἄλλος εἶναι, οὗ πρωτότοκος λέγη ται. Καίτοιγε, ὦ σοφὲ, καὶ ἐκ Μαρίας τῆς παρ θένου μόνος γεννηθεὶς, πρωτότοκος αὐτῆς εἴρηται. Ἕως οὗ γὰρ ἔτεκε, φησὶ, τὸν υἱὸν αὐτῆς τὸν πρωτότοκον. Ὥστε οὐκ ἀνάγκη ἀδελφοῦ πρω τότοκον λέγεσθαι. Λεχθείη δ' ἂν, ὅτι καὶ ὁ πρὸ πάσης γεννήσεως πρωτότοκος ἐλέγετο· ἔτι δὲ καὶ 29.704 πρὸς τοὺς διὰ υἱοθεσίας τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος ἐκ Θεοῦ γεννωμένους, ὡς ὁ Παῦλός φησιν· Ὅτι οὓς προέγνω, καὶ προώρισε συμμόρφους τῆς εἰκόνος τοῦ Υἱοῦ αὐτοῦ, εἰς τὸ εἶναι αὐτὸν πρωτότοκον ἐν πολλοῖς ἀδελφοῖς. Εἰς τὸ, «Κύριος ἔκτισέ με.» Εἰ ὁ ἐν σαρκί φησιν, Ἐγώ εἰμι ἡ ὁδός· καὶ ὁ αὐτός· Οὐδεὶς ἔρχεται πρὸς τὸν Πατέρα εἰ μὴ δι' ἐμοῦ· αὐτός ἐστι καὶ ὁ εἰπών· Κύριος ἔκτισέ με ἀρχὴν ὁδῶν αὐτοῦ. Λέγεται δὲ καὶ ἐπὶ γεννήμα τος κτίσμα καὶ ποίημα, ὡς τὸ, Ἐκτισάμην ἄνθρωπον διὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ· καὶ πάλιν· Ἐποίησεν υἱοὺς καὶ θυγατέρας· καὶ ὁ ∆αβίδ· Καρδίαν καθ αρὰν κτίσον ἐν ἐμοὶ, ὁ Θεὸς, οὐκ ἄλλην αἰτῶν, ἀλλὰ τὴν οὖσαν καθαρθῆναι δηλονότι. Εἴρηται δὲ καὶ καινὴ κτίσις, οὐχ ὡς ἄλλης κτίσεως γενομένης, ἀλλὰ τῶν φωτιζομένων ἐπὶ βελτίοσιν ἔργοις κατασκευα ζομένων. Εἰ εἰς ἔργα τὸν Υἱὸν ὁ Πατὴρ ἔκτισεν, οὐ δι' αὐτὸν, ἀλλὰ διὰ τὰ ἔργα αὐτὸν ἔκτισεν. Τὸ δὲ δι' ἕτερον καὶ οὐ δι' αὐτὸ γινόμενον, ἢ μέρος ἐκεί νου δι' ὃ ἐγένετο, ἢ ἧττον αὐτοῦ. Ἔσται οὖν ἢ μέρος ὁ Σωτὴρ τῆς κτίσεως, ἢ ἥττων τῆς κτίσεως. Ἀνάγ κη οὖν εἰς τὴν ἀνθρωπότητα αὐτοῦ νοεῖν. Εἴποι δ' ἄν τις καὶ τὸν Σολομῶντα περὶ τῆς σοφίας ἐκείνης εἰρηκέναι ταῦτα, ἧς καὶ ὁ Ἀπόστολος μέμνη ται εἰπών· Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἐν τῇ σοφίᾳ τοῦ Θεοῦ οὐκ ἔγνω ὁ κόσμος διὰ τῆς σοφίας τὸν Θεόν. Ἄλ λως τε καὶ οὐδὲ προφήτης ὁ εἰπὼν, ἀλλὰ Παροιμια στής. Αἱ δὲ παροιμίαι εἰκόνες ἑτέρων, οὐκ αὐτὰ τὰ λεγόμενα. Εἰ ὁ Θεὸς Υἱὸς ἦν ὁ λέγων, Κύριος ἔκτισέ με, μᾶλλον ἂν εἶπεν, ὁ Πατὴρ ἔκτισέ με. Οὐδαμοῦ γὰρ αὐτὸν Κύριον ἑαυτοῦ, ἀεὶ δὲ Πατέρα ἐκάλει. Ληπτέον οὖν τὸ μὲν, ἐγέννησεν, ἐπὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ Υἱοῦ, τὸ δὲ, ἔκτισεν, ἐπὶ τοῦ τὴν μορφὴν τοῦ δούλου λα βόντος. Ἐν πᾶσι δὲ τούτοις οὐ δύο λέγομεν, Θεὸν ἰδίᾳ, καὶ ἄνθρωπον ἰδίᾳ (εἷς γὰρ ἦν), ἀλλὰ κατ' ἐπίνοιαν τὴν ἑκάστου φύσιν λογιζόμενοι. Οὐδὲ γὰρ Πέτρος δύο ἐνόησεν εἰπών· Χριστοῦ οὖν παθόντος ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν σαρκί. Εἰ γέννημα, φασὶν, ὁ Υἱός ἐστι, καὶ οὐ ποίημα, πῶς ἡ Γραφὴ λέγει· Ἀσφαλῶς οὖν γι νωσκέτω πᾶς οἶκος Ἰσραὴλ, ὅτι καὶ Κύριον αὐ τὸν καὶ Χριστὸν ὁ Θεὸς ἐποίησε; Ῥητέον οὖν καὶ ἐνταῦθα περὶ τοῦ ἐκ Μαρίας τὸ κατὰ σάρκα εἰρῆσθαι· ὡς γοῦν καὶ ὁ ἄγγελος ὁ εὐαγγελιζόμενος 29.705 τοὺς ποιμένας λέγει ὅτι, Ἐτέχθη ὑμῖν σήμερον Σω τὴρ, ὅς ἐστι Χριστὸς Κύριος. Τὸ γὰρ, Σήμερον, οὐκ ἂν περὶ τοῦ πρὸ αἰώνων νομισθείη. Σαφέστερον δὲ τὸ ἑξῆς δείκνυσι, λέγοντος· Τοῦτον τὸν Ἰη σοῦν ὃν ὑμεῖς ἐσταυρώσατε. Εἰ ὅτε ἐγεννήθη ὁ Υἱὸς, τότε σοφία ἐγένετο, ψευδὲς τὸ, Χριστὸς Θεοῦ δύναμις καὶ Θεοῦ σοφία. Ἡ γὰρ αὐτοῦ σοφία οὐκ ἐγένετο, ἀλλ' ἦν ἀεί. Καὶ τοῦτο οὖν ὡς ἐπὶ τοῦ Πατρὸς λεγόμενον παρὰ ∆αβίδ· Γενοῦ μοι εἰς Θεὸν ὑπερασπιστήν· καὶ, Ἐγένου μοι εἰς σωτηρίαν· καὶ ὁ Παῦλος· Γινέσθω δὲ ὁ Θεὸς ἀλη θὴς, πᾶς δὲ ἄνθρωπος ψεύστης· οὕτω καὶ ὁ Κύριος Ἐγενήθη ἡμῖν ἀπὸ Θεοῦ σοφία, καὶ ἁγια σμὸς, καὶ ἀπολύτρωσις. Εἰ οὖν ὁ Πατὴρ γενόμενος ὑπερασπιστὴς καὶ ἀληθὴς, οὐ ποίημα· καὶ ὁ Υἱὸς γενόμενος σοφία καὶ ἁγιασμὸς, οὐ ποίημα. Εἰ ἀληθὲς τὸ, Εἷς Θεὸς ὁ Πατήρ· ἀληθὲς δηλονότι καὶ τὸ, Εἷς Κύριος Ἰησοῦς Χριστὸς ὁ Σωτήρ. Οὔτε οὖν Θεὸς ὁ Σωτὴρ κατ' αὐτοὺς, οὔτε ὁ Πατὴρ Κύριος. Καὶ μά την τὸ, Εἶπεν ὁ Κύριος τῷ Κυρίῳ μου. Ψευδὲς δὲ καὶ τὸ, ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ἔχρισέ σε ὁ Θεὸς, ὁ Θεός σου· καὶ τὸ, Ἔβρεξε Κύριος παρὰ Κυρίου· καὶ τὸ, Ἐποίησεν ὁ Θεὸς κατ' εἰκόνα Θεοῦ· καὶ, Τίς Θεὸς παρὲξ τοῦ Κυρίου; καὶ, Τίς Θεὸς πλὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ ἡμῶν; καὶ ὁ Ἰωάννης ὅτι, Θεὸς