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would be those who are to be changed, for whom the psalm is spoken, or those who are about to be altered from their former life and way, and to be transformed and changed through the one prophesied? This was the beloved of God, concerning whom the psalm prefaces to us that understanding is needed for the prophecy. And if you should be at a loss as to who this beloved was, concerning whom it was prophesied in the psalm, the word will immediately stand beside you, beginning at once and saying: “My heart has brought forth a good word.” One might say, then, that he who was in the beginning with God, the Word, is signified, whom the great evangelist John, when speaking of God, presented, saying: “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” 4.15.52 And if “My heart has brought forth a good word” is said from the person of the Father and God of all, it would signify the only-begotten Word of God, as a Son subsisting from the Father, but not by projection, or by division, or cutting, or diminution, or by anything conceived of in bodies; for these things are impious and utterly removed from the ineffable generation. 4.15.53 And according to what has been understood by us before, these things must also be taken. For just as he was said to be begotten “from the womb” of God and “before the morning star,” as we hear such things tropologically and should accept the like only by contemplation of intelligible things, so also in “My heart has brought forth a good word,” the divine Spirit is expounding these things through the intellect alone. In regard to which it is fitting for us now to say the customary and pious saying for each of the things spoken of God concerning him, “who shall declare his generation?”, even if the divine scriptures, in a manner familiar to us, speak of being begotten in mortal and human terms and use the name of the womb. 4.15.54 For these things pertain only to contemplation in the intellect, and are submitted in no other way than by the laws of allegory, just as one might say that “My heart has brought forth a good word” was spoken concerning the constitution and substance of the first Word, since it is not otherwise lawful to understand a heart, in the sense we understand it, in the case of the God of all. But someone might say that this is the Word who was in the beginning with God, who is being indicated in the psalm, a word reasonably named good, as being the offspring of the all-good Father. 4.15.55 But we, proceeding a little in the psalm, will find that the one prophesied, this very beloved of God, was anointed again, not in this way as by Moses, nor as by any among men, but by the most high God of all and his Father himself. For proceeding in order, it says: “Therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness above your companions.” 4.15.56 Therefore, how else would one name him who is here testified to have been anointed by the God over all, than Christ? We therefore now have, through these things, two appellations of the one being divinely proclaimed, Christ and Beloved, one and the same being called the cause of the anointing. For which reason the one being indicated is said to be anointed with the oil of gladness, it teaches the cause, which will be clear to you if you go back a little, or rather, if you survey the whole meaning of the phrase. 4.15.57 The psalm, then, addressing this very prophesied Christ and beloved of God, says the things set forth a little before, in which it was said: “Your throne, O God, is for ever and ever; a scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom. You have loved righteousness and hated iniquity; therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness above your companions.” 4.15.58 Consider, therefore, if these things were not addressed openly to God. For it says “you,” “O God,” instead of “O God”: “Your throne exists for ever and ever,” and “a scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom.” And since you yourself, O God, “have loved righteousness and hated iniquity, therefore God, your God, has anointed you,” and made you Christ above

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ἂν εἶναι τοὺς ἀλλοιωθησομένους, ὑπὲρ ὧν ὁ ψαλμὸς εἴρηται, ἢ τοὺς μέλλοντας μεταβαλεῖσθαι ἐκ προτέρου βίου καὶ τρόπου μετατεθήσεσθαί τε καὶ ἀλλοιωθήσεσθαι διὰ τοῦ προφητευομένου; οὗτος δὲ ἦν ὁ ἀγαπητὸς τοῦ θεοῦ, ὑπὲρ οὗ ἐπὶ τῆς προφητείας συνέσεως δεῖν ὁ ψαλμὸς ἡμῖν προοιμιάζεται. εἰ δ' οὖν ἐπαπορήσαις, τίς ἄρα ἦν ὁ ἀγαπητὸς οὗτος περὶ οὗ ἐν τῷ ψαλμῷ προεφητεύετο, παρὰ πόδας σοι ὁ λόγος παραστήσει ἀρχόμενος εὐθὺς καὶ λέγων· «ἐξηρεύξατο ἡ καρδία μου λόγον ἀγαθόν». εἴποι δ' οὖν ἄν τις αὐτὸν ἐκεῖνον σημαίνεσθαι τὸν ἐν ἀρχῇ πρὸς τὸν θεὸν λόγον, ὃν θεολογῶν ὁ μέγας εὐαγγελιστὴς Ἰωάννης παρίστη λέγων· «ἐν ἀρχῇ ἦν ὁ λόγος, καὶ ὁ λόγος ἦν πρὸς τὸν θεόν, καὶ θεὸς ἦν ὁ λόγος». 4.15.52 τὸ δ' «ἐξηρεύξατο ἡ καρδία μου λόγον ἀγαθόν» εἴπερ ἐκ προσώπου τοῦ πατρὸς καὶ θεοῦ τῶν ὅλων λέγοιτο, τὸν μονογενῆ τοῦ θεοῦ λόγον ὑποφαίνοι ἄν, ὡς ἂν υἱὸν ἐκ τοῦ πατρὸς ὑφεστῶτα, ἀλλ' οὐ κατὰ προβολήν, ἢ κατὰ διαίρεσιν, ἢ τομήν, ἢ μείωσιν, ἢ κατά τι τῶν ἐν σώμασιν ὑπονοουμένων· ἀσεβῆ γὰρ ταῦτα καὶ πάμπαν ἀπῳκισμένα τῆς ἀρρήτου γενεσιουργίας. 4.15.53 κατὰ δὲ τὰ πρόσθεν ἡμῖν νενοημένα καὶ τάδε χρὴ μεταλαμβάνειν. ὥσπερ γε «ἀπὸ γαστρὸς» τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ «πρὸ ἑωσφόρου» ἐλέγετο γεγεννῆσθαι, τροπικῶς ἀκουόντων ἡμῶν τὰ τοιαῦτα, καὶ κατὰ μόνην τὴν ἐν νοητοῖς θεωρίαν τὸ παραπλήσιον ἀποδέχεσθαι χρὴ καὶ ἐν τῷ «ἐξηρεύξατο ἡ καρδία μου λόγον ἀγαθόν», κατὰ μόνην διάνοιαν τοῦ θείου πνεύματος καὶ ταῦτα διεξιόντος. ἐφ' οἷς καὶ νῦν ἡμῖν λέγειν προσήκει τὸ σύνηθες ἐφ' ἑκάστου τῶν περὶ αὐτοῦ θεολογουμένων καὶ εὐσεβὲς ἐκεῖνο ῥῆμα «τὴν γενεὰν αὐτοῦ τίς διηγήσεται», κἂν θνηταῖς καὶ ἀνθρωπίναις φωναῖς συνήθως ἡμῖν αἱ θεῖαι γραφαὶ καὶ τὸ γεννᾶσθαι ἐπιλέγωσιν καὶ τὸ γαστρὸς ὄνομα παραλαμβάνωσιν. 4.15.54 ταῦτα γὰρ μόνης ἔχεται τῆς κατὰ διάνοιαν θεωρίας, οὐδ' ἄλλως ἢ νόμοις ἀλληγορίας ὑποβεβλημένα, ὥσπερ οὖν καὶ τὸ «ἐξηρεύξατο ἡ καρδία μου λόγον ἀγαθόν» περὶ τῆς τοῦ πρώτου λόγου συστάσεώς τε καὶ οὐσιώσεως ἂν φαίη τις εἰρημένον, ἐπεὶ μηδ' ἄλλως καρδίαν, κατὰ τὴν παρ' ἡμῖν νοουμένην, καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ τῶν ὅλων θεοῦ θεμιτὸν ἐκλαμβάνειν. ἀλλὰ γὰρ ὁ μέν τις τοῦτον εἶναι τὸν ἐν ἀρχῇ πρὸς τὸν θεὸν λόγον φήσαι ἂν τὸν ἐν ψαλμῷ δηλούμενον, λόγον εἰκότως ὠνομασμένον ἀγαθὸν ὡς ἂν τοῦ παναγάθου πατρὸς ὄντα γέννημα. 4.15.55 ἡμεῖς δὲ μικρῷ ἐν τῷ ψαλμῷ προελθόντες, τὸν προφητευόμενον, αὐτὸν δὴ τοῦτον τὸν ἀγαπητὸν τοῦ θεοῦ, κεχρῖσθαι πάλιν οὐχ ὧδε ὥσπερ ὑπὸ Μωσέως, οὐδ' ὡς ὑπό τινος τῶν ἐν ἀνθρώποις, ἀλλ' ὑπ' αὐτοῦ τοῦ ἀνωτάτου καὶ ἐπὶ πάντων θεοῦ τε καὶ πατρὸς αὐτοῦ εὑρήσομεν. λέγει δ' οὖν ἑξῆς προϊών· «διὰ τοῦτο ἔχρισέν σε ὁ θεὸς ὁ θεός σου ἔλαιον ἀγαλλιάσεως, παρὰ τοὺς μετόχους σου». 4.15.56 τὸν δὴ οὖν κἀνταῦθα ὑπ' αὐτοῦ τοῦ ἐπὶ πάντων θεοῦ κεχρῖσθαι μεμαρτυρημένον πῶς ἂν ἄλλως τις ὀνομάσειεν ἢ Χριστόν; ἔχομεν τοιγαροῦν ἤδη καὶ διὰ τούτων δύο τοῦ θεσπιζομένου προσηγορίας, Χριστοῦ καὶ ἀγαπητοῦ, ἑνὸς καὶ τοῦ αὐτοῦ κεκλημένου τοῦ τῆς χρίσεως αἰτίου. δι' ὃ λέγεται κεχρῖσθαι ὁ δηλούμενος τῷ τῆς ἀγαλλιάσεως ἐλαίῳ, τὴν αἰτίαν ἐκδιδάσκει, ἥτις ἀναδραμόντι σοι μικρόν, μᾶλλον δὲ τὴν πᾶσαν διάνοιαν τῆς λέξεως ἐπιθεωρήσαντι, δήλη ἔσται. 4.15.57 φησὶν τοίνυν ὁ ψαλμός, αὐτῷ δὴ τῷ προφητευομένῳ Χριστῷ καὶ ἀγαπητῷ τοῦ θεοῦ προσφωνῶν, τὰ μικρῷ πρόσθεν ἐκτεθειμένα, ἐν οἷς εἴρητο· «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». 4.15.58 σκέψαι τοιγαροῦν εἰ μὴ θεῷ ταῦτα προσεφωνεῖτο ἄντικρυς «σὺ» γάρ, φησίν, «ὁ θεός» ἀντὶ τοῦ ὦ θεέ· «ὁ θρόνος σου εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τοῦ αἰῶνος» ὑπάρχει, καὶ «ῥάβδος εὐθύτητος ἡ ῥάβδος τῆς βασιλείας σου». καὶ ἐπεὶ σὺ αὐτὸς ὁ θεὸς «ἠγάπησας δικαιοσύνην καὶ ἐμίσησας ἀδικίαν, διὰ τοῦτο ἔχρισέν σε ὁ θεὸς ὁ θεός σου», καὶ Χριστόν σε παρὰ