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boast in wealth. It is possible, however, to ascend a little in thought, and to understand those who trust in their own 29.440 power, and who boast in the abundance of their wealth, in terms of the powers of the soul, as it is not self-sufficient, not even itself for salvation. For even if one is perfect among the sons of men, if the wisdom from God is absent, he will be counted as nothing. And though one may have acquired for himself a multitude of theorems from the wisdom of the world, and obtained a certain wealth of knowledge, let him hear the whole truth of the matter: that every human soul has submitted to the wicked yoke of slavery of the common enemy of all; and having been stripped of the freedom from her Creator, she was led captive through sin. But every captive needs a ransom for freedom. Therefore, neither can a brother redeem his own brother, nor can each one redeem himself; because he who redeems must be much better than the one who is held and already enslaved. But also, a man has no authority at all with God, so as to make atonement for one who has sinned, since he himself is also liable for sin. For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Therefore he will not give to God a propitiation for himself, and the price of the redemption of his soul. Therefore, seek not your brother for redemption, but the one who transcends your nature; not a mere man, but the God-man Jesus Christ, who alone is able to give propitiation to God for all of us, because God set him forth as a propitiation by faith in his blood. Moses was a brother of Israel; and yet he was not able to redeem him. How then will an ordinary man redeem? Wherefore it declares: A brother does not redeem; but it adds interrogatively with gravity: Will a man redeem? For he did not free the people from sin, but entreated God's action against the sin. But this one was not even able to give a propitiation for himself, having fallen into transgression; because after so many and so great wonders and signs which he saw, he uttered that doubtful voice: Hear me, you rebels. Shall we bring forth water for you from this rock? Wherefore also the Lord said to Moses and Aaron concerning this word: Because you did not believe in me, to sanctify me before the sons of Israel, for this reason you shall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them. Therefore he will not give to God a propitiation for himself. For what so great thing can a man find, to give for the redemption of his soul? But one thing was found worthy of all men together, which was given as a 29.441 price for the redemption of our soul, the holy and most precious blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, which He poured out for all of us; wherefore also we were bought with a price. If, then, a brother does not redeem, will a man redeem? But if a man is not able to redeem us, He who redeemed us is not a man. Therefore, because he came to us in the likeness of sinful flesh, do not suppose our Lord to be only a man, being ignorant of the power of his divinity; He who had no need to give to God a propitiation for himself, nor to redeem his own soul, because He committed no sin, nor was deceit found in his mouth. Therefore, no one is sufficient to buy himself out, unless He comes who restores the captivity of the people, not with ransom, nor with gifts, as is written in Isaiah, but with His own blood. But He, while we were not brothers, but had become enemies by our transgressions, being not a mere man, but God, after the freedom which he graciously gives us, also calls us His own brothers. For I will declare, he says, your name to my brothers. Therefore, He who redeemed us, if you consider his nature, is neither brother nor man; but if you consider His condescension to us out of grace, and brothers

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πλούτου καυ χᾶσθαι. ∆υνατὸν μέντοι καὶ μικρόν τι προσαναβῆναι τῇ διανοίᾳ, καὶ τοὺς πεποιθότας ἐπὶ τῇ δυνάμει αὐ 29.440 τῶν, καὶ ἐπὶ τῷ πλήθει τοῦ πλούτου αὐτῶν καυχω μένους νοῆσαι ἐπὶ τῶν δυνάμεων τῆς ψυχῆς, ὡς οὐκ αὐτοτελοῦς οὔσης οὐδ' αὐτῆς πρὸς σωτηρίαν. Καὶ γὰρ ἐὰν τέλειός τις ᾖ ἐν υἱοῖς ἀνθρώπων, τῆς ἀπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ σοφίας ἀπούσης, εἰς οὐδὲν λογισθήσεται. Κἂν πλῆθος ᾖ περιπεποιημένος ἑαυτῷ θεωρημάτων ἐκ τῆς τοῦ κόσμου σοφίας, καὶ πλοῦτόν τινα γνώσεως συνειληχὼς, ἀκουέτω πᾶσαν τοῦ πράγματος τὴν ἀλήθειαν· ὅτι πᾶσα ἀνθρωπίνη ψυχὴ ὑπέκυψε τῷ πο νηρῷ τῆς δουλείας ζυγῷ τοῦ κοινοῦ πάντων ἐχθροῦ· καὶ τὴν παρὰ τοῦ κτίσαντος αὐτὴν ἐλευθερίαν ἀφαι ρεθεῖσα, αἰχμάλωτος ἤχθη διὰ τῆς ἁμαρτίας. Παντὶ δὲ αἰχμαλώτῳ λύτρων χρεία πρὸς τὴν ἐλευθερίαν. Οὔτε οὖν ἀδελφὸς τὸν ἑαυτοῦ ἀδελφὸν δύναται λυτρώ σασθαι, οὔτε αὐτὸς ἕκαστος ἑαυτόν· διότι πολλῷ βελ τίονα δεῖ εἶναι τὸν λυτρούμενον τοῦ κεκρατημένου καὶ δουλεύοντος ἤδη. Ἀλλὰ καὶ οὐδὲ ὅλως ἄνθρωπος ἐξουσίαν ἔχει πρὸς Θεὸν, ὡς καὶ ἐξιλᾶσθαι περὶ ἡμαρτηκότος, ἐπεὶ καὶ αὐτὸς ἁμαρτίας ὑπόδικος. Πάντες γὰρ ἥμαρτον, καὶ ὑστεροῦνται τῆς δόξης τοῦ Θεοῦ, δικαιούμενοι δωρεὰν τῇ αὐτοῦ χάριτι διὰ τῆς ἀπολυτρώσεως τῆς ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ τῷ Κυρίῳ ἡμῶν. Οὐ δώσει οὖν τῷ Θεῷ ἐξίλασμα ἑαυτοῦ, καὶ τὴν τιμὴν τῆς λυτρώσεως τῆς ψυχῆς αὐτοῦ. Μήτε οὖν τὸν ἀδελφὸν ζήτει εἰς ἀπολύτρωσιν, ἀλλὰ τὸν ὑπερβαίνοντά σου τὴν φύσιν· μήτε ἄνθρωπον ψιλὸν, ἀλλ' ἄνθρωπον Θεὸν Ἰησοῦν Χριστὸν, ὃς καὶ μόνος δύναται δοῦναι ἐξίλασμα τῷ Θεῷ ὑπὲρ πάντων ἡμῶν, ὅτι αὐτὸν Προέθετο ὁ Θεὸς ἱλαστήριον διὰ τῆς πίστεως ἐν τῷ αὐτοῦ αἵματι. Ἀδελφὸς ἦν τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ ὁ Μωϋσῆς· καὶ ὅμως λυτρώσασθαι αὐτὸν οὐκ ἠδυνήθη. Πῶς οὖν ὁ τυχὼν λυτρώσεται ἄνθρω πος; ∆ιὸ τὸ μὲν ἀποφαίνεται· Ἀδελφὸς οὐ λυτροῦ ται· τὸ δὲ ἐρωτηματικῶς μετὰ βαρύτητος ἐπιφέρει· Λυτρώσεται ἄνθρωπος; Οὐ γὰρ τῆς ἁμαρτίας ἠλευ θέρωσε τὸν λαὸν, ἀλλὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ τὴν ἐπὶ τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ παρῃτήσατο κίνησιν. Οὗτος δὲ οὐδὲ δοῦναι ἠδυνήθη ἐξίλασμα ἑαυτοῦ, γενόμενος ἐν παραπτώματι· ὅτι μετὰ τοσαῦτα καὶ τηλικαῦτα τέρατα καὶ σημεῖα ἃ εἶδε, τὴν διστακτικὴν ἐκείνην ἀφῆκε φωνήν· Ἀκού σατέ μου, οἱ ἀπειθεῖς. Μὴ ἐκ τῆς πέτρας ταύτης ἐξάξομεν ὑμῖν ὕδωρ; ∆ιόπερ καὶ ὁ Κύριος ἐπὶ τῷ ῥήματι τούτῳ εἶπε πρὸς Μωϋσῆν καὶ Ἀαρών· Ὅτι οὐκ ἐπιστεύσατε ἐν ἐμοὶ, τοῦ ἁγιάσαι με ἐναντίον υἱῶν Ἰσραὴλ, διὰ τοῦτο οὐκ εἰσάξετε ὑμεῖς τὴν συναγωγὴν ταύτην εἰς τὴν γῆν ἣν ἔδωκα αὐτοῖς. Οὐ δώσει οὖν τῷ Θεῷ ἐξίλασμα ἑαυ τοῦ. Τί γὰρ δύναται ἄνθρωπος εὑρεῖν τηλικοῦτον, ἵνα δῷ ὑπὲρ λυτρώσεως τῆς ψυχῆς αὐτοῦ; Ἀλλ' εὑρέθη ἓν ὁμοῦ πάντων ἀνθρώπων ἀντάξιον, ὃ ἐδόθη εἰς 29.441 τιμὴν λυτρώσεως τῆς ψυχῆς ἡμῶν, τὸ ἅγιον καὶ πο λυτίμητον αἷμα τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, ὃ ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν ἐξέχεε πάντων· διόπερ καὶ τιμῆς ἠγο ράσθημεν. Εἰ οὖν ἀδελφὸς οὐ λυτροῦται, λυτρώσεται ἄνθρωπος; Εἰ δὲ ἄνθρωπος λυτρώσασθαι ἡμᾶς οὐ δύναται, ὁ λυτρωσάμενος ἡμᾶς οὐκ ἄνθρωπος. Μὴ οὖν, διὰ τὸ ἐν ὁμοιώματι σαρκὸς ἁμαρτίας ἐπι δεδημηκέναι ἡμῖν, ἄνθρωπον μόνον ὑπολάβῃς τὸν Κύριον ἡμῶν, τὴν τῆς θεότητος δύναμιν ἀγνοήσας· ὃς οὐ χρείαν ἔσχε δοῦναι τῷ Θεῷ ἐξίλασμα ἑαυ τοῦ, οὐδὲ τὴν ἰδίαν ἀπολυτρώσασθαι ψυχὴν, διότι Ἁμαρτίαν οὐκ ἐποίησεν, οὐδὲ εὑρέθη δόλος ἐν τῷ στόματι αὐτοῦ. Ἐξωνήσασθαι μὲν οὖν ἑαυτὸν οὐδεὶς ἱκανὸς, ἐὰν μὴ ἔλθῃ ὁ τὴν αἰχμαλωσίαν τοῦ λαοῦ ἐπιστρέφων, οὐ μετὰ λύτρων, οὐδὲ μετὰ δώρων, ὡς ἐν Ἡσαΐᾳ γέγραπται, ἀλλ' ἐν τῷ ἑαυτοῦ αἵματι. Οὗτος δὲ οὐχὶ ἀδελφοὺς ἡμᾶς ὄντας, ἀλλ' ἐχθροὺς ἡμᾶς γενομένους τοῖς παραπτώμασιν, οὔτε ἄνθρωπος ψιλὸς ὢν, ἀλλὰ Θεὸς, μετὰ τὴν ἐλευθερίαν ἣν χαρίζεται ἡμῖν, καὶ ἀδελφοὺς ἡμᾶς ἑαυτοῦ προσ αγορεύει. Ἀπαγγελῶ γὰρ, φησὶ, τὸ ὄνομά σου τοῖς ἀδελφοῖς μου. Ὁ οὖν λυτρωσάμενος ἡμᾶς, ἐὰν μὲν τὴν φύσιν αὐτοῦ σκοπῇς, οὔτε ἀδελφὸς, οὔτε ἄνθρωπος· ἐὰν δὲ τὴν ἐκ χάριτος αὐτοῦ πρὸς ἡμᾶς συγκατάβασιν, καὶ ἀδελφοὺς