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Lord, and a priest not simply but an eternal one of the Father. 4.15.40 And the divine apostle also says, examining the passages: "Wherein God, willing more abundantly to show unto the heirs the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath, that by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation," and again: "For those priests were made without an oath; but this with an oath by him that said unto him, The Lord sware and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedec." "And they truly were many priests, because they were not suffered to continue by reason of death: but this man, because he continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood. Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them." 4.15.41 By these things it is established that there is a certain divine power existing among beings and subsisting in the intelligible realms, consecrated to the God of all things according to the Hebrew oracles, not with an earthly and human ointment, but established to be consecrated to the God over all by a certain God-befitting and divine virtue and power. 4.15.42 The one prophesied through the psalm, therefore, was openly presented as being a certain eternal priest and son of the most high God, as being begotten by the most high God Himself and enthroned with His kingdom. 4.15.43 And the Christ through Isaiah has also been shown not to have been made by men but to have been anointed by the Father Himself and through the divine Spirit, and sent as a redeemer of the captivity of men. 4.15.44 Moses, therefore, having beheld this one by the divine Spirit, established images and symbols of him, as among men, anointing and chrismating for a time the chief priest among men with prepared ointment instead of the divine Spirit, calling him christ and anointed in reference to the true one. 4.15.45 But that these things are so, who could be a more credible witness than Moses himself? For in his writing he teaches that the God and Lord who spoke to him expressly commanded him to establish on earth a more corporeal worship according to the intelligible and heavenly vision shown to him, containing an image of the intelligible and incorporeal things. For it is said that he sketched out in a type the order of the angels and divine powers in heaven, the oracle having said to him: "You shall make all things according to the pattern shown to you on the mountain." 4.15.46 Therefore, just as the other things, so also he brought forth the high priest, anointing him with earthly ointment, and producing a certain shadowy and iconic but not true christ and high priest, a copy of the heavenly Christ and high priest. 4.15.47 But that the Christ in the proper sense was not a man, but a certain son of God, honored at the right hand of the paternal Godhead, and far superior not only to mortal and human nature, but also to all created intelligent being, I think has been clearly demonstrated. 4.15.48 However, that according to what was said before, David himself in the 44th psalm, using the superscription "For the beloved" and "of things that shall be changed," proclaims one and the same to be at once God and king and Christ, writing thus: "My heart hath uttered a good word: I speak of my works to the king: my tongue is the pen of a ready writer. Thou art fairer than the children of men." 4.15.49 To which he adds next: "Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of uprightness is the sceptre of thy kingdom. Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity: therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows." 4.15.50 Consider, therefore, more carefully how according to the superscription of the psalm "For the beloved" he prefaces that the word is, while also urging the hearer "for understanding" of the things to be said. He also marks the cause of the dispensation of the word, saying: "Unto the end, for those who shall be changed, for understanding for the beloved." 4.15.51 But whom else could you say

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κύριος, καὶ ἱερεὺς οὐχ ἁπλῶς ἀλλ' αἰώνιος τοῦ πατρός. 4.15.40 λέγει δὲ καὶ ὁ θεῖος ἀπόστολος, ἐξετάζων τὰ κατὰ τοὺς τόπους· «ἐν ᾧ περισσότερον βουλόμενος ὁ θεὸς ἐπιδεῖξαι τοῖς κληρονόμοις τὸ ἀμετάθετον τῆς βουλῆς αὑτοῦ ἐμεσίτευσεν ὅρκῳ, ἵνα διὰ δύο πραγμάτων ἀμεταθέτων, ἐν οἷς ἀδύνατον ψεύσασθαι θεόν, ἰσχυρὰν παράκλησιν ἔχωμεν», καὶ πάλιν· «οἱ μὲν χωρὶς ὁρκωμοσίας εἰσὶν ἱερεῖς γεγονότες, ὁ δὲ μετὰ ὁρκωμοσίας διὰ τοῦ λέγοντος πρὸς αὐτόν, ὤμοσεν κύριος καὶ οὐ μεταμεληθήσεται· σὺ ἱερεὺς εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα κατὰ τὴν τάξιν Μελχισεδέκ». «καὶ οἱ μὲν πλείονές εἰσιν γεγονότες ἱερεῖς διὰ τὸ θανάτῳ κωλύεσθαι παραμένειν· ὁ δὲ διὰ τὸ μένειν αὐτὸν εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα ἀπαράβατον ἔχει τὴν ἱερωσύνην. ὅθεν καὶ σώζειν εἰς τὸ παντελὲς δύναται τοὺς προσερχομένους δι' αὐτοῦ τῷ θεῷ, πάντοτε ζῶν εἰς τὸ ἐντυγχάνειν ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν». 4.15.41 διὰ τούτων συνέστηκεν οὖσά τις ἐν τοῖς οὖσιν καὶ ὑφεστῶσα ἐν νοητοῖς θεία δύναμις, ἡ τῷ θεῷ τῶν ὅλων ἱερωμένη κατὰ τὰ Ἑβραίων λόγια, οὐ γεώδει καὶ ἀνθρωπίνῳ μύρῳ, θεοπρεπεῖ δέ τινι καὶ ἐνθέῳ ἀρετῇ τε καὶ δυνάμει ἱερᾶσθαι καθε σταμένη τῷ ἐπὶ πάντων θεῷ. 4.15.42 ὁ γοῦν διὰ τοῦ ψαλμοῦ προφητευόμενος παρέστη ἄντικρυς ἱερεύς τις ὢν αἰώνιος καὶ υἱὸς ὑψίστου θεοῦ, ὡς ἂν ὑπ' αὐτοῦ τοῦ ὑψίστου θεοῦ γεγενημένος καὶ σύνθρονος τῆς βασιλείας αὐτοῦ. 4.15.43 δέδεικται δὲ καὶ ὁ διὰ τοῦ Ἡσαΐου χριστὸς οὐχ ὑπὸ ἀνθρώπων γεγονὼς ἀλλ' ὑπ' αὐτοῦ τοῦ πατρὸς καὶ διὰ τοῦ ἐνθέου πνεύματος κεχρισμένος, λυτρωτής τε ἀπεσταλμένος τῆς τῶν ἀνθρώπων αἰχμαλωσίας. 4.15.44 Τοῦτον δὴ οὖν πνεύματι θείῳ τεθεαμένος ὁ Μωσῆς, εἰκόνας καὶ σύμβολα, ὡς ἐν ἀνθρώποις, αὐτοῦ καθίστη, σκευαστῷ μύρῳ τέως ἀντὶ τοῦ θείου πνεύματος τὸν ἐν ἀνθρώποις προηγμένον ἱερέα χρίων τε καὶ ἀλείφων, χριστόν τε αὐτὸν καὶ ἠλειμμένον εἰς ἀναφορὰν τοῦ ἀληθοῦς ἀποκαλῶν. 4.15.45 ὅτι δὲ ταῦτα οὕτως ἔχει τίς ἂν γένοιτο μάρτυς αὐτοῦ Μωσέως μᾶλλον ἀξιόχρεως; ἐν γὰρ τῇ αὐτοῦ γραφῇ τὸν χρηματίζοντα αὐτῷ θεὸν καὶ κύριον διαρρήδην παρακελεύσασθαι αὐτῷ διδάσκει κατὰ τὴν ὑποδειχθεῖσαν αὐτῷ νοητὴν καὶ οὐράνιον αὐτοῦ θέαν σωματικωτέραν ἐπὶ γῆς συστήσασθαι λατρείαν, εἰκόνα τῶν νοητῶν καὶ ἀσωμάτων περιέχουσαν. λέγεται γοῦν τῶν ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ ἀγγέλων καὶ θείων δυνάμεων διάταξιν κατὰ τύπον τινὰ σκιογραφῆσαι, φήσαντος αὐτῷ τοῦ χρησμοῦ· «ποιήσεις πάντα κατὰ τὸν τύπον τὸν δειχθέντα σοι ἐν τῷ ὄρει». 4.15.46 ἄρα οὖν ὡς τὰ ἄλλα οὕτω καὶ τὸν ἀρχιερέα παρῆγεν, μύρῳ γεώδει χρίων αὐτόν, καί τινα σκιώδη καὶ εἰκονικὸν ἀλλ' οὐκ ἀληθῆ χριστὸν καὶ ἀρχιερέα, τοῦ κατ' οὐρανὸν χριστοῦ τε καὶ ἀρχιερέως ἀντίμιμον, ἀπεργαζόμενος. 4.15.47 Ἀλλ' ὅτι μὲν ὁ κυρίως χριστὸς οὐκ ἄνθρωπος ἦν, υἱὸς δέ τις θεοῦ, δεξιοῖς τῆς πατρικῆς θεότητος τετιμημένος, καὶ πολὺ κρείττων οὐ μόνον τῆς θνητῆς καὶ ἀνθρωπείας φύσεως, ἀλλὰ καὶ πάσης τῆς ἐν γενητοῖς νοερᾶς οὐσίας, σαφῶς οἶμαι ἀποδεδειχέναι. 4.15.48 πλὴν ἀλλ' ὅτι κατὰ τὰ πρότερον εἰρημένα ὁ αὐτὸς ∆αβὶδ ἐν μδʹ ψαλμῷ, προγραφῇ χρησάμενος τῇ «ὑπὲρ τοῦ ἀγαπητοῦ» καὶ «τῶν ἀλλοιωθησομένων», ὁμοῦ θεὸν καὶ βασιλέα καὶ χριστὸν ἕνα τινὰ καὶ τὸν αὐτὸν ἀναγορεύει, γράφων οὕτως· «ἐξηρεύξατο ἡ καρδία μου λόγον ἀγαθόν, λέγω ἐγὼ τὰ ἔργα μου τῷ βασιλεῖ· ἡ γλῶσσά μου κάλαμος γραμματέως ὀξυγράφου. ὡραῖος κάλλει παρὰ τοὺς υἱοὺς τῶν ἀνθρώπων». 4.15.49 οἷς ἑξῆς ἐπιλέγει· «ὁ θρόνος σου ὁ θεὸς εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τοῦ αἰῶνος, ῥάβδος εὐθύτητος ἡ ῥάβδος τῆς βασιλείας σου· ἠγάπησας δικαιοσύνην καὶ ἐμίσησας ἀδικίαν· διὰ τοῦτο ἔχρισέν σε ὁ θεὸς ὁ θεός σου ἔλαιον ἀγαλλιάσεως παρὰ τοὺς μετόχους σου». 4.15.50 σκόπει δ' οὖν ἐπιμελέστερον ὅπως κατὰ τὴν τοῦ ψαλμοῦ προγραφὴν «ὑπὲρ τοῦ ἀγαπητοῦ» τὸν λόγον εἶναι προοιμιάζεται, μετὰ τοῦ καὶ «εἰς σύνεσιν» τῶν λεχθησομένων τὸν ἀκροατὴν παρορμᾶν. ἐπισημαίνεται δὲ καὶ τὸ αἴτιον τῆς οἰκονομίας τοῦ λόγου φάσκων· «εἰς τὸ τέλος ὑπὲρ τῶν ἀλλοιωθησομένων, εἰς σύνεσιν ὑπὲρ τοῦ ἀγαπητοῦ». 4.15.51 τίνας δ' ἄλλους εἴποις