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creator of the heavens, then He would be prior to the heavens; and He did not have His beginning from Mary, but was also before Mary. And consider the wisdom of the Prophet. For he does not simply introduce Him as creator, but as creating with great ease. Therefore he says: I will see the heavens, the works of your fingers; not that God has fingers, but showing that the visible things are from the slightest energy 55.120, teaching us things beyond us with names familiar to us. Since also when he says, He who measures the heaven with a span, and the earth with a handful; he says these things not to indicate a handful and a span, but wishing to represent the boundless power of God. How then do some dare to call the Son a minister? For He who did not even move His whole energy, when it was necessary to make the heaven; what do I say, whole? but not even the slightest, but the very least; how could He be a minister? how a minister, if Whatever the Father does, these things the Son also does in like manner? For where is the in like manner, if one is a minister, and the other a creator? and how does he say they are His works, at one time saying, In the beginning You, Lord, laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the works of Your hands; and here, that I will see the heavens, the works of your fingers? For works belong not to ministers, but to creators; and if one is a minister, the work is not reckoned to him, but to the one who creates. Therefore also the things previously said by Moses were said concerning the Son, In the beginning God made the heaven and the earth; and, Let them have dominion over the fish of the sea. For this one, who ordained praise from the mouth of babes and nursing infants, He Himself visited man. 9. What, therefore, Moses says concerning the Father, Paul takes as referring to the Son, showing great equality. When, therefore, it is indifferent to the saints to reckon what is said concerning the Father to the Son, and what is concerning the Son to the Father—For all things were made through Him—where at all does the name of minister lie? Nowhere could one see this. Yes, he says, it is said, Through Him. What then, that the same has also been said concerning the Father? And hear how. God is faithful, through whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son. And again: Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ through the will of God. And again: For through Him, and from Him, and to Him are all things. But for what reason do you call Him a minister? That we may honor the Father. And yet the Son says: That all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father. But he who does not honor the Son, it is clear that he does not honor the Father either. What then, he says, shall I call the Son, Father? No. For He did not say: That you should call me Father; but what? That remaining Son you should honor Me as the Father. But if you call the Son, Father, you have confused everything. While this property remains, therefore, the things of honor are common. For for this reason He said Son and Father, that you might not confuse the hypostases. But if the substance were not the same, how could He have demanded equal honor? For what reason then, he says, does Christ utter many humble things? Both to teach humility, and because of the covering of the flesh, and because of the insensibility of the Jews, and because it was necessary to lead the race of men into knowledge little by little, and because of the immaturity of the hearers; and besides He often speaks in response to the suspicion of the listeners. For the more exalted things belong to His dignity alone; or rather, whatever you might say about God is very much inferior to that substance, and is a condescension 55.121. For what do you wish to say? God is great? But this is a small thing to say about God; for 'great,' however great it may be, is finite; but God is infinite. And this is a small thing to say about God. For that He has no limit, I know; but what He is, or where, I do not understand. And if you should say wise, or if you should say good, and these infinitely, you have said nothing worthy concerning that substance, but a God-befitting concept must be attached to the word. If therefore the

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δημιουργὸς τῶν οὐρανῶν, πρότερος ἂν εἴη τῶν οὐρανῶν λοιπόν· καὶ οὐκ ἀπὸ Μαρίας ἔσχε τὴν ἀρχὴν, ἀλλὰ καὶ πρὸ τῆς Μαρίας ἦν. Καὶ σκόπει τοῦ Προφήτου τὴν σοφίαν. Οὐ γὰρ ἁπλῶς δημιουργὸν αὐτὸν εἰσάγει, ἀλλὰ καὶ μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς εὐκολίας δημιουργοῦντα. ∆ιό φησιν· Ὄψομαι τοὺς οὐρανοὺς ἔργα τῶν δακτύλων σου· οὐχ ὅτι δακτύλους ἔχει ὁ Θεὸς, ἀλλὰ τῆς ἐλαχίστης ἐνεργείας τὰ ὁρώμενα 55.120 δεικνὺς, τοῖς συντρόφοις ἡμῖν ὀνόμασι τὰ ὑπὲρ ἡμᾶς διδάσκων. Ἐπεὶ καὶ ὅταν λέγῃ, Ὁ μετρῶν τὸν οὐρανὸν σπιθαμῇ, καὶ τὴν γῆν δρακί· οὐ δράκα καὶ σπιθαμὴν δηλῶν ταῦτα λέγει, ἀλλὰ τὸ ἀπέραντον τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ δυνάμεως παραστῆσαι βουλόμενος. Πῶς οὖν τολμῶσί τινες ὑπουργὸν λέγειν τὸν Υἱόν; Ὁ γὰρ μηδὲ ὅλην αὐτοῦ τὴν ἐνέργειαν κινήσας, ὅτε τὸν οὐρανὸν ἔδει ποιῆσαι· τί λέγω ὅλην; ἀλλ' οὐδὲ τὴν ἐλαχίστην, ἀλλὰ τὸ μικρότατον· πῶς ἂν εἴη ὑπουργὸς οὗτος; πῶς ὑπουργὸς, εἰ Ἅπερ ὁ Πατὴρ ποιεῖ, ταῦτα καὶ ὁ Υἱὸς ὁμοίως ποιεῖ; Ποῦ γὰρ τὸ, Ὁμοίως, εἰ ὁ μὲν ὑπουργὸς, ὁ δὲ δημιουργός; πῶς δὲ αὐτοῦ τὰ ἔργα εἶναί φησι, ποτὲ μὲν λέγων, Κατ' ἀρχὰς σὺ, Κύριε, τὴν γῆν ἐθεμελίωσας, καὶ ἔργα τῶν χειρῶν σου εἰσὶν οἱ οὐρανοί· ἐνταῦθα δὲ, ὅτι Ὄψομαι τοὺς οὐρανοὺς ἔργα τῶν δακτύλων σου; Οὐ γὰρ τῶν ὑπουργῶν, ἀλλὰ τῶν δημιουργῶν τὰ ἔργα· κἂν ὑπουργὸς ᾖ τις, οὐκ ἐκείνῳ λογίζεται τὸ ἔργον, ἀλλὰ τῷ δημιουργοῦντι. Ἄρα καὶ τὰ ἔμπροσθεν εἰρημένα τῷ Μωϋσεῖ, περὶ τοῦ Υἱοῦ εἴρηται, τὸ, Ἐν ἀρχῇ ἐποίησεν ὁ Θεὸς τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ τὴν γῆν· καὶ τὸ, Ἀρχέτωσαν τῶν ἰχθύων τῆς θαλάσσης. Οὗτος γὰρ, ὁ καταρτίσας ἐκ στόματος νηπίων καὶ θηλαζόντων αἶνον, αὐτὸς τὸν ἄνθρωπον ἐπεσκέψατο. θʹ. Ἃ μὲν οὖν περὶ τοῦ Πατρὸς ὁ Μωϋσῆς λέγει, Παῦλος εἰς τὸν Υἱὸν ἐκλαμβάνει, πολλὴν τὴν ἰσότητα δεικνύς. Ὅταν οὖν ἀδιάφορον ᾖ τοῖς ἁγίοις τὰ περὶ τοῦ Πατρὸς λεγόμενα τῷ Υἱῷ λογίζεσθαι, καὶ τὰ περὶ τοῦ Υἱοῦ τῷ Πατρὶ Πάντα γὰρ δι' αὐτοῦ ἐγένετο, ποῦ ὅλως τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ ὑπουργοῦ κεῖται; Οὐδαμοῦ τοῦτο ἴδοι τις ἄν. Ναὶ, φησὶν, εἴρηται, ∆ι' αὐτοῦ. Τί οὖν, ὅτι καὶ περὶ τοῦ Πατρὸς τὸ αὐτὸ εἴρηται; Καὶ ἄκουσον πῶς. Πιστὸς ὁ Θεὸς, δι' οὗ ἐκλήθητε εἰς κοινωνίαν τοῦ Υἱοῦ αὐτοῦ. Καὶ πάλιν· Παῦλος ἀπόστολος Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ διὰ θελήματος Θεοῦ. Καὶ πάλιν· Ὅτι δι' αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐξ αὐτοῦ, καὶ εἰς αὐτὸν τὰ πάντα. Τίνος δὲ ἕνεκεν αὐτὸν ὑπουργόν φατε; Ἵνα τιμήσωμεν τὸν Πατέρα. Καὶ μὴν ὁ Υἱός φησιν· Ἵνα πάντες τιμῶσι τὸν Υἱὸν, καθὼς τιμῶσι τὸν Πατέρα. Ὁ δὲ μὴ τιμῶν τὸν Υἱὸν, εὔδηλον ὅτι οὐδὲ τὸν Πατέρα. Τί οὖν, φησὶ, Πατέρα τὸν Υἱὸν ἐρῶ; Οὐχί. Οὐ γὰρ εἶπεν· Ἵνα Πατέρα με λέγητε· ἀλλὰ τί; Ἵνα Υἱὸν μένοντα ὡς τὸν Πατέρα τιμᾶτε. Ἂν δὲ Πατέρα εἴπῃς τὸν Υἱὸν, πάντα συνέχεας. Μενούσης τοίνυν ταύτης τῆς ἰδιότητος, τὰ τῆς τιμῆς κοινά ἐστι. ∆ιὰ γὰρ τοῦτο Υἱὸν εἶπε καὶ Πατέρα, ἵνα μὴ συγχέητε τὰς ὑποστάσεις. Εἰ δὲ μὴ ἦν ἡ αὐτὴ οὐσία, πῶς ἂν ἴσην τὴν τιμὴν ἀπῄτησε; Τίνος οὖν ἕνεκεν, φησὶ, πολλὰ ταπεινὰ φθέγγεται ὁ Χριστός; Καὶ ταπεινοφροσύνην παιδεύων, καὶ διὰ τὴν τῆς σαρκὸς περιβολὴν, καὶ διὰ τὴν τῶν Ἰουδαίων ἀναισθησίαν, καὶ διὰ τὸ δεῖν κατὰ μικρὸν ἐνάγειν εἰς γνῶσιν τὸ τῶν ἀνθρώπων γένος, καὶ διὰ τὸ ἀτελὲς τῶν ἀκουόντων· ἄλλως τε καὶ πρὸς τὴν ὑπόνοιαν πολλάκις τῶν ἀκροωμένων φθέγγεται. Τὰ γὰρ ὑψηλότερα, τῆς ἀξίας μόνης ἐστί· μᾶλλον δὲ, ὅπερ ἂν λέγῃς περὶ Θεοῦ, πολλῷ σφόδρα καταδεέστερον τῆς οὐσίας ἐκείνης, καὶ συγκαταβάσεώς 55.121 ἐστι. Τί γὰρ βούλει εἰπεῖν; Μέγας ὁ Θεός; Ἀλλὰ τοῦτο μικρὸν περὶ Θεοῦ λεγόμενον· τὸ γὰρ μέγα, οἷον ἂν ᾖ μέγα, πεπερασμένον ἐστίν· ἀλλ' ἄπειρος ὁ Θεός. Καὶ τοῦτο μικρὸν, περὶ Θεοῦ λεγόμενον. Ὅτι μὲν γὰρ πέρας οὐκ ἔχει, οἶδα· ἀλλ' οὐδ' ὅ τι ἐστὶν, οὐδὲ ποῦ, ἐπίσταμαι. Κἂν σοφὸν εἴπῃς, κἂν ἀγαθὸν εἴπῃς, καὶ ταῦτα ἄπειρα, οὐδὲν περὶ τῆς οὐσίας ἐκείνης ἄξιον εἴρηκας, ἀλλὰ δεῖ θεοπρεπῆ τῷ ῥήματι προσεῖναι ἔννοιαν. Εἰ τοίνυν τὰ