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and divine oracles instruct us of the only high priest of God. 4.15.17 For first Moses himself, having been deemed worthy to behold the divine things in secret, and the rites concerning the first and only anointed one and high priest of God, which were performed by Him in His own theophanies, is ordered to establish on earth images and symbols of the things understood in the divine visions, so that those deemed worthy of these things might practice beforehand with the symbols until the vision of the true things. 4.15.18 Thus then, having for the time set apart the man from among men suitable to minister as priest to God on earth, he first named him "christ" with reference to the vision of intelligible things, and having declared him, by means of a certain fragrant ointment, superior to other men, he openly and explicitly proclaimed that indeed all created nature in itself, and much more human nature, falling short of the uncreated power, needs the fragrance from the superior one. 4.15.19 But it is not permitted for anyone to attain to the highest and first; for to the one only-begotten and firstborn alone was this honor reserved; and for those after him it was not possible to partake of the good things otherwise than through participation in the second alone; therefore the symbol in Moses was of the divine spirit. 4.15.20 "Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit," of which he thought it was necessary that priests and prophets and kings should be ambitious to partake most of all, as being consecrated to God not for themselves alone but also for the whole nation. 4.15.21 But that the symbols in Moses were of more divine things, and that it was possible even without earthly ointment for those possessed by the divine spirit to be called "christs," let us consider this somewhat more accurately. 4.15.22 David in the 104th psalm, taking up the histories concerning Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, calls those very God-beloved forefathers, who lived before the time of Moses, "christs," for no other reason than because of the influence of the divine spirit of which they partook. 4.15.23 For having recounted how they sojourned among foreigners, and how, when plotted against, they found a savior in God, according to the things shown in Moses, he names them both prophets and "christs," though Moses was not yet among men at that time, nor had the manufactured ointment according to him been established by law. But hear what the psalm says: "Remember his marvelous works that he has done, his wonders and the judgments of his mouth; O seed of Abraham, his servants, you children of Jacob, his chosen ones. 4.15.24 He is the Lord our God; his judgments are in all the earth. He has remembered his covenant forever, the word which he commanded to a thousand generations, which he made with Abraham, and his oath to Isaac; and confirmed the same to Jacob for a statute, and to Israel for an everlasting covenant, saying, To you will I give the land of Canaan, the lot of your inheritance." "And they went from one nation to another, and from one kingdom to another people. He suffered no man to do them wrong, and he reproved kings for their sakes; Touch not my anointed ones, and do my prophets no harm." 4.15.25 These things David said. But Moses relates what kind of kings "he reproved," saying: "And the Lord plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram's wife." 4.15.26 And again concerning the king of Gerar he writes: "And God came to Abimelech in a dream by night, and said, Behold, you are a dead man, because of the woman whom you have taken;" and she was Abraham's. 4.15.27 Concerning whom he proceeds to say next: "Now therefore restore the man his wife; for he is a prophet, and he will pray for you." 4.15.28 Do you see how through these words David, or rather the divine spirit through him, addressed the ancient God-beloved men and prophets as "christs," not as those anointed with earthly ointment. For how could they be, since Moses ordained this in later times? But hear also Isaiah prophesying so very clearly about the Christ, as one who would be sent by God to men as a redeemer and savior, and who would come "to proclaim" to those whose souls are

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καὶ μόνον ἀρχιερέα τοῦ θεοῦ θεῖοι λόγοι παιδεύουσιν. 4.15.17 Πρῶτός γέ τοι αὐτὸς ὁ Μωσῆς, ἐν ἀπορρήτοις τὰ θεῖα ἐποπτεῦσαι ἠξιωμένος καὶ τὰς περὶ τοῦ πρώτου καὶ μόνου ἠλειμμένου καὶ ἀρχιερέως τοῦ θεοῦ τελετάς, ἐν ταῖς αὐτοῦ θεοφανείαις πρὸς αὐτοῦ τετελεσμένας, εἰκόνας προστάττεται ἐπὶ γῆς καὶ σύμβολα καταστήσασθαι τῶν ἐν ταῖς θεοπτείαις νενοημένων, ὡς ἂν ἔχοιεν προεμμελετᾶν τοῖς συμβόλοις οἱ τῶνδ' ἠξιωμένοι μέχρι τῆς τῶν ἀληθῶν ἐποπτείας. 4.15.18 οὕτω δῆτα ἀφορισάμενος τέως τὸν ἐξ ἀνθρώπων ἐπὶ γῆς τῷ θεῷ ἱερατεύεσθαι ἐπιτήδειον ἄνδρα, πρῶτος τοῦτον χριστὸν ἐπωνόμασεν κατ' ἀναφορὰν τῆς ἐν τοῖς νοητοῖς θεωρίας, καὶ τοῦτον διά τινος ἀλοιφῆς εὐώδους κρείττονα τῶν λοιπῶν ἀνθρώπων ἀποφήνας, ἄντικρυς καὶ διαρρήδην ἀνεκήρυξεν, ὅτι δὴ καθ' ἑαυτὴν ἡ τοῦ γεννητοῦ φύσις ἅπασα, καὶ πολὺ πλέον ἡ ἀνθρωπεία, τῆς ἀγενήτου δυνάμεως ἀπολειπομένη, δεῖται τῆς ἀπὸ τοῦ κρείττονος εὐωδίας. 4.15.19 ἀλλὰ τοῦ μὲν ἀνωτάτου καὶ πρώτου οὔ τινι θεμιτὸν ἐφικέσθαι· ἑνὶ γὰρ μόνῳ τῷ μονογενεῖ καὶ πρωτοτόκῳ τοῦτ' ἀνέκειτο τὸ γέρας· τοῖς δὲ μετ' αὐτὸν οὐκ ἄλλως ἢ διὰ μόνης τῆς τοῦ δευτέρου μετουσίας τῶν ἀγαθῶν οἷόν τε ἦν ἐπαύρασθαι· πνεύματος ἄρα ἐνθέου τὸ παρὰ Μωσεῖ σύμβολον ἦν. 4.15.20 «διαιρέσεις δὲ χαρισμάτων εἰσίν, τὸ δ' αὐτὸ πνεῦμα», οὗ μάλιστα χρῆν μετέχειν φιλοτιμεῖσθαι ἱερέας καὶ προφήτας καὶ βασιλέας ᾤετο δεῖν, ὡς ἂν οὐχ ὑπὲρ ἑαυτῶν μόνον ἀλλὰ καὶ παντὸς τοῦ ἔθνους τῷ θεῷ καθωσιωμένους. 4.15.21 Ὅτι δὲ δὴ θειοτέρων ἦν τὰ παρὰ Μωσεῖ σύμβολα, καὶ ὡς δυνατὸν ἦν καὶ ἄνευ γεώδους μύρου τοὺς τῷ θείῳ πνεύματι κατόχους χριστοὺς ὀνομάζεσθαι, φέρε τι μᾶλλον ἀκριβέστερον διασκεψώμεθα. 4.15.22 ∆αβὶδ ἐν ρδʹ ψαλμῷ τὰς περὶ τὸν Ἀβραὰμ καὶ τὸν Ἰσαὰκ καὶ τὸν Ἰακὼβ ἀναλαβὼν ἱστορίας, αὐτοὺς δὴ ἐκείνους τοὺς θεοφιλεῖς προπάτορας καὶ πρὸ τῶν Μωσέως χρόνων γενομένους χριστοὺς ἀποκαλεῖ, οὐ δι' ἄλλο ἢ διὰ τὴν τοῦ θείου πνεύματος οὗ μετεῖχον ἐπιρροήν. 4.15.23 ἱστορήσας γοῦν ὅπως ἐπεξενώθησαν τοῖς ἀλλοφύλοις, καὶ ὡς ἐπιβουλευθέντες σωτῆρος ἔτυχον τοῦ θεοῦ, κατὰ τὰ παρὰ Μωσεῖ δηλούμενα, προφήτας αὐτοὺς ὁμοῦ καὶ χριστοὺς ὀνομάζει, οὔπω τότε Μωσέως ἐν ἀνθρώποις ὄντος οὐδὲ τοῦ κατ' αὐτὸν σκευαστοῦ μύρου νενομοθετημένου. ἄκουε δὲ οἷά φησιν ὁ ψαλμός· «μνήσθητε τῶν θαυμασίων αὐτοῦ ὧν ἐποίησεν, τὰ τέρατα αὐτοῦ καὶ τὰ κρίματα τοῦ στόματος αὐτοῦ· σπέρμα Ἀβραὰμ δοῦλοι αὐτοῦ, οἱ υἱοὶ Ἰακὼβ ἐκλεκτοὶ αὐτοῦ. 4.15.24 αὐτὸς κύριος ὁ θεὸς ἡμῶν· ἐν πάσῃ τῇ γῇ τὰ κρίματα αὐτοῦ. ἐμνήσθη εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα διαθήκης αὐτοῦ, λόγου οὗ ἐνετείλατο εἰς χιλίας γενεάς, ὃν διέθετο τῷ Ἀβραάμ, καὶ τῷ ὅρκῳ αὐτοῦ τῷ Ἰσαάκ· καὶ ἔστησεν αὐτὴν τῷ Ἰακὼβ εἰς πρόσταγμα καὶ τῷ Ἰσραὴλ εἰς διαθήκην αἰώνιον, λέγων, σοὶ δώσω τὴν γῆν Χαναάν, σχοίνισμα κληρονομίας ὑμῶν». «καὶ διῆλθον ἐξ ἔθνους εἰς ἔθνος καὶ ἐκ βασιλείας εἰς λαὸν ἕτερον. οὐκ ἀφῆκεν ἄνθρωπον ἀδικῆσαι αὐτούς, καὶ ἤλεγξεν ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν βασιλεῖς· μὴ ἅπτεσθε τῶν χριστῶν μου, καὶ ἐν τοῖς προφήταις μου μὴ πονηρεύεσθε.» 4.15.25 ταῦτα μὲν ὁ ∆αβίδ. ὁ δὲ Μωσῆς καὶ οἵους βασιλεῖς «ἤλεγξεν» ἱστορεῖ λέγων· «καὶ ἤτασεν κύριος τὸν Φαραὼ ἐτασμοῖς μεγάλοις καὶ τὸν οἶκον αὐτοῦ περὶ Σάρρας τῆς γυναικὸς Ἀβραάμ». 4.15.26 καὶ πάλιν περὶ τοῦ βασιλέως Γεράρων γράφει· «καὶ ἦλθεν ὁ θεὸς πρὸς Ἀβιμέλεχ ἐν ὕπνῳ τὴν νύκτα, καὶ εἶπεν, ἰδοὺ σὺ ἀποθνήσκεις περὶ τῆς γυναικὸς ἧς ἔλαβες»· αὕτη δὲ ἦν ἡ τοῦ Ἀβραάμ. 4.15.27 περὶ οὗ ἑξῆς προϊών φησιν· «νῦν δὲ ἀπόδος τὴν γυναῖκα τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ, ὅτι προφήτης ἐστίν, καὶ προσεύξεται περὶ σοῦ». 4.15.28 ὁρᾷς ὅπως διὰ τούτων τοὺς πάλαι θεοφιλεῖς καὶ προφήτας χριστοὺς ὁ ∆αβὶδ μᾶλλον δὲ τὸ θεῖον δι' αὐτοῦ προσεῖπεν πνεῦμα, οὐ τῷ γεώδει μύρῳ κεχρισμένους. πῶς γάρ, Μωσέως ὑστέροις χρόνοις οὕτω διαταξαμένου; Ἄκουε δὲ καὶ Ἡσαΐου οὕτω σαφέστατα περὶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ θεσπίζοντος, ὡς ἀποσταλησομένου ὑπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ τοῖς ἀνθρώποις λυτρωτοῦ καὶ σωτῆρος, ἥξοντός τε «κηρῦξαι» τοῖς τὰς ψυχὰς