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leaves an excess. For either he divides our one Lord Jesus Christ into two sons, and considers the only-begotten Son to be legitimate and begotten by nature, but Christ to be adopted and illegitimate, and for this reason unworthy of doxology; or he tries to strengthen the heresy that has now made its entrance. And if indeed a very harsh tempest were pressing, one might have supposed that he, fearing the power of those who had begotten the heresy, was granting the blasphemy to the occasion. But since the one who is blasphemed has rebuked the winds and the sea, and has granted calm to the storm-tossed Churches, and everywhere on land and sea the preaching of the apostles is proclaimed, what place does the blasphemy have? But not even those who have now wickedly sown the one nature of flesh and divinity in the ecclesiastical dogmas have forbidden the Master Christ to be hymned; and it is easy to learn this very thing from those who have returned from there. But it was necessary for him, presiding over the ecclesiastical order, to know the divine Scripture and to learn from it that just as the preachers of the truth join the only-begotten Son with the Father, so too again, putting the name of Christ in place of Son, they number him sometimes with the Father, sometimes with the all-holy Spirit, since Christ is no other than the only-begotten Son of God. And it is possible to hear the most divine Paul writing to the Corinthians, but teaching the whole world, that One God, the Father, from whom are all things, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things , and calling the same one Christ, and Jesus, and Lord, and Creator of all. And writing to the Thessalonians, he spoke thus: Now may our God and Father himself, and our Lord Jesus Christ, direct our way to you . And in the second Epistle to them, he even placed Christ before the Father, not overturning the order, but teaching that the order of names does not teach a difference of dignities and natures. For he says thus: Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, comfort your hearts and establish you in every good work and word . And at the end of the Epistle to the Romans, having given some exhortation, he added: I appeal to you, therefore, brothers, by our Lord Jesus Christ and by the love of the Spirit . But if he had known Christ to be someone other than the Son, he would not have placed him before the all-holy Spirit. And writing to the Corinthians, in the very preface, he set down the name of Christ alone, as being sufficient by itself to command the reverence of believers: I appeal to you, therefore, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all say the same thing . And having written to them twice, he placed this at the end of his letter: The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God and the Father, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all . And here he has placed the name of Christ not only before the Spirit, but even before the Father himself. And this, in all the Churches, is the preface of the mystical liturgy. It is fitting, therefore, according to this wonderful law, that the most venerable name of our God and Savior Jesus Christ should be omitted from the mystical writings. But it is superfluous to elaborate on this. For the divine Apostle adorns the preface of each Epistle with this name, saying now: Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, a called apostle , and now: Paul, a called apostle of Jesus Christ ; and: Paul, a servant of God, but an apostle of Jesus Christ . And joining the blessing to the preface, he draws it from this source, and he couples the name of the Son with God the Father, saying: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and
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ὑπερβολὴν καταλείπει. Ἢ γὰρ εἰς δύο υἱοὺς μερίζει τὸν ἕνα Κύριον ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦν Χριστόν, καὶ τὸν μονογενῆ μὲν Υἱὸν ὑπολαμβάνει γνήσιόν τε καὶ φύσει γεγενημένον, τὸν δὲ Χριστὸν εἰσποιητόν τε καὶ νόθον, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο δοξολογίας ἀνάξιον· ἢ πειρᾶται κρατύ νειν τὴν νῦν εἰσκωμάσασαν αἵρεσιν. Καὶ εἰ μὲν παγχάλεπος ἐπέκειτο κλύδων, ἐτόπασεν ἄν τις, αὐτὸν δεδοικότα τὴν δυ ναστείαν τῶν γεγεννηκότων τὴν αἵρεσιν, τῷ καιρῷ τὴν βλασ φημίαν χαρίζεσθαι. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ ὁ βλασφημούμενος ἐπετίμησε τοῖς ἀνέμοις καὶ τῇ θαλάττῃ, καὶ ταῖς χειμαζομέναις Ἐκκλη σίαις παρέσχε γαλήνην, καὶ πανταχοῦ γῆς καὶ θαλάττης τὸ τῶν ἀποστόλων καταγγέλλεται κήρυγμα, ποίαν ἔχει χώραν ἡ βλασφημία; Ἀλλὰ γὰρ οὐδὲ οἱ τὴν μίαν φύσιν σαρκὸς καὶ θεότητος τοῖς ἐκκλησιαστικοῖς νῦν κακῶς κατασπείραντες δόγμασιν ἀπηγόρευσαν τὸν ∆εσπότην ὑμνεῖσθαι Χριστόν· καὶ ῥᾴδιον αὐτὸ τοῦτο μαθεῖν παρὰ τῶν ἐκεῖθεν ἐπανεληλυθότων. Ἐχρῆν δὲ αὐτὸν τῆς ἐκκλησιαστικῆς προστατεύοντα τάξεως τὴν θείαν εἰδέναι Γραφὴν καὶ μαθεῖν ἐκ ταύτης, ὅτι καθά περ τὸν μονογενῆ Υἱὸν τῷ Πατρὶ συντάττουσιν οἱ τῆς ἀλη θείας κήρυκες, οὕτω δὴ πάλιν τὴν τοῦ Χριστοῦ προσηγορίαν ἀντὶ τῆς Υἱὸς τιθέντες, ποτὲ μὲν τῷ Πατρί, ποτὲ δὲ τῷ Πνεύματι τῷ παναγίῳ συναριθμοῦσιν, ἐπειδὴ οὐκ ἄλλος ἐστὶν ὁ Χριστὸς παρὰ τὸν μονογενῆ Υἱὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ. Καὶ ἔστιν ἀκοῦσαι τοῦ θειοτάτου Παύλου Κορινθίοις μὲν ἐπιστέλλον τος, τὴν δὲ οἰκουμένην διδάσκοντος ὅτι Εἷς Θεὸς ὁ Πατήρ, ἐξ οὗ τὰ πάντα, καὶ εἷς Κύριος Ἰησοῦς Χριστός, δι' οὗ τὰ πάντα , καὶ τὸν αὐτὸν καὶ Χριστόν, καὶ Ἰησοῦν, καὶ Κύριον, καὶ τῶν ὅλων ∆ημιουργὸν ὀνομάζον τος. Καὶ Θεσσαλονικεῦσι δὲ γράφων οὕτως ἔφη· Αὐτὸς δὲ ὁ Θεὸς καὶ Πατὴρ ἡμῶν, καὶ ὁ Κύριος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦς Χριστὸς κατευθύναι τὴν ὁδὸν ἡμῶν πρὸς ὑμᾶς . Ἐν δὲ τῇ δευτέρᾳ τῇ πρὸς τούτους Ἐπιστολῇ καὶ προτέταχε τὸν Χριστὸν τοῦ Πατρός, οὐ τὴν τάξιν ἀνατρέπων, ἀλλὰ διδάσκων, ὡς ἡ τάξις τῶν ὀνομάτων οὐκ ἀξιωμάτων καὶ φύσεων διδάσ κει διαφοράν. Λέγει δὲ οὕτως· Αὐτὸς δὲ ὁ Κύριος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦς Χριστός, καὶ ὁ Θεὸς καὶ Πατὴρ ἡμῶν, ὁ ἀγαπήσας ἡμᾶς, καὶ δοὺς παράκλησιν αἰώνιον, καὶ ἐλπίδα ἀγαθὴν ἐν χάριτι, παρακαλέσαι ὑμῶν τὰς καρδίας, καὶ στηρίξαι ἐν παντὶ ἔργῳ καὶ λόγῳ ἀγαθῷ . Ἐν δέ γε τῷ τέλει τῆς πρὸς Ῥωμαίους Ἐπιστολῆς,τινὰ παραινέσας ἐπεισήγαγεν· Παρακαλῶ οὖν ὑμᾶς, ἀδελ φοί, διὰ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, καὶ διὰ τῆς ἀγάπης τοῦ Πνεύματος . Εἰ δὲ ἄλλον τινὰ παρὰ τὸν Υἱὸν ἠπίστατο τὸν Χριστόν, οὐκ ἂν αὐτὸν προέταξε τοῦ παν αγίου Πνεύματος. Κορινθίοις δὲ γράφων, ἐν αὐτῷ γε τῷ προοιμίῳ, μόνου τοῦ Χριστοῦ τὸ ὄνομα τέθεικεν, ὡς ἀρκοῦν καὶ μόνον τοὺς πιστεύοντας καταιδέσαι· Παρακαλῶ οὖν ὑμᾶς, ἀδελφοί, διὰ τοῦ ὀνόματος τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, ἵνα τὸ αὐτὸ λέγητε πάντες . Καὶ δὶς δὲ αὐτοῖς ἐπιστείλας, τοῦτο τοῖς γράμμασιν ἐντέθεικε τέλος· Ἡ χάρις τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, καὶ ἡ ἀγάπη τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ Πατρός, καὶ ἡ κοινωνία τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος εἴη μετὰ πάντων ὑμῶν . Καὶ προτέ θεικεν ἐνταῦθα οὐ μόνον τοῦ Πνεύματος, ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτοῦ τοῦ Πατρός, τὴν τοῦ Χριστοῦ προσηγορίαν. Τοῦτο δὲ ἐν πάσαις ταῖς Ἐκκλησίαις τῆς μυστικῆς ἐστι λειτουργίας προοίμιον. Προσήκει τοίνυν κατὰ τὸν θαυμάσιον τοῦτον νόμον, καὶ ἐκ τῶν μυστικῶν ἀπολειφθῆναι γραμμάτων τὸ σεπτότατον ὄνομα τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ. Ἀλλὰ γὰρ περιττὸν περὶ τούτου μηκύνειν. Ἕκαστον γὰρ Ἐπιστολῆς προοίμιον ὁ θεῖος Ἀπόστολος τῇδε τῇ προσηγορίᾳ λαμπρύνει, νῦν μὲν λέγων· Παῦλος δοῦλος Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, κλητὸς ἀπό στολος , νῦν δέ· Παῦλος κλητὸς ἀπόστολος Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ · καί· Παῦλος δοῦλος Θεοῦ, ἀπόστολος δὲ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ . Καὶ τῷ προοιμίῳ τὴν εὐλογίαν συνάπτων, ἐκ ταύτης ταύτην ἀρύεται τῆς πηγῆς, καὶ τῷ Θεῷ καὶ Πατρὶ τὴν τοῦ Υἱοῦ προσηγορίαν συζεύγνυσι λέγων· Χάρις ὑμῖν καὶ εἰρήνη ἀπὸ Θεοῦ Πατρὸς ἡμῶν καὶ