132

“The angel of God said to me in dreams, saying, I am the God who appeared to you in the place.” Therefore, the same angel of the Lord is clearly proclaimed through these things as both God and Lord. And in Isaiah the prophet he is called “angel of great counsel” and at the same time “God” and “ruler” and “potentate,” in the passages where he prophesies his birth among men, saying: “For a child is born to us, and a son is given to us, whose government is on his shoulder, and his name is called angel of great counsel, prince of peace, mighty God, potentate, father of the age to come.” 5.11.1 Of the same. “And he rose up that night and took his two wives and his two maids and his eleven children, and he crossed the ford of Jabbok, and he took them and sent them over, and all his things. But Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him until the morning. And he saw that he could not prevail against him, and he touched the broad part of his thigh, and the broad part of Jacob’s thigh grew numb as he wrestled with him; and he said to him, Let me go, for the day has broken. But he said, I will not let you go unless you bless me. And he said to him, What is your name? And he said, Jacob. And he said to him, Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel shall be your name; for you have prevailed with God, and you will be mighty with men. And Jacob asked and said, Tell me your name. And he said, Why is it that you ask my name? And he blessed him there, and Jacob called the name of that place Form of God; for I have seen God face to face, and my soul was saved. And the sun rose on him when he passed the Form of God.” 5.11.2 To Moses it was said, “No one shall see my face and live,” but here Jacob saw God not simply but “face to face,” and having been saved, not in body but in soul, he was deemed worthy of the name Israel, a fitting name for souls, if indeed the name Israel, when interpreted, means “one who sees God.” Therefore he did not see the God over all; for he is invisible and immutable, and he who is above all being would in no way change into a man. Therefore it was another, for whom it was not yet time to reveal his name to the inquisitive Jacob. 5.11.3 But if anyone should suppose it to be one of the angels or of the divine spirits in heaven, who ministers the oracles to the saints, he is clearly mistaken; this on the one hand from the fact that the one being indicated is called Lord in the proper sense and is spoken of as God, for indeed the divine scripture expressly proclaims him God and calls him Lord, honoring him with the sign of the four letters among the Hebrews, which the children of the Hebrews are accustomed to compose only for the unutterable and ineffable name of God; and this on the other hand from the fact that the word clearly distinguishes angels when it wants to call them angels, just as, when the God and Lord who spoke with Abraham did not at all deem the impious men in Sodom worthy of his presence, the divine scripture then says: “The Lord went away when he ceased speaking to Abraham, but the two angels went to Sodom in the evening,” 5.11.4 and to Jacob “angels of God met him”; and when he saw them he said, “This is God’s camp; and he called the name of that place Camps.” 5.11.5 Thus indeed the friend of God rightly distinguished the visions, so that at one time he calls the name of the place “Camps,” from the sight of the angelic camps, but when he speaks with God, he calls the name of the place “Form of God,” adding, “for I have seen God face to face.” But also when an angel appears to Moses, the divine scripture indicates this very thing, saying, “And an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire from a bush.” But when it indicates the Master himself who was speaking, it names him God and Lord, but no longer angel. 5.11.6 Likewise also at the Red Sea it clearly distinguishes the angel and the Lord through the words: “And the angel of God who went before the sons of Israel removed and went behind them

132

«εἶπέν μοι ὁ ἄγγελος τοῦ θεοῦ φάσκων καθ' ὕπνους, ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ θεὸς ὁ ὀφθείς σοι ἐν τῷ τόπῳ». οὐκοῦν ὁ αὐτὸς ἄγγελος κυρίου καὶ θεὸς καὶ κύριος σαφῶς διὰ τούτων ἀνηγόρευται. καὶ ἐν Ἡσαΐᾳ δὲ τῷ προφήτῃ «μεγάλης βουλῆς ἄγγελος» ὁμοῦ δὲ καὶ «θεὸς» καὶ «ἄρχων» καὶ «ἐξουσιαστὴς» προσαγορεύεται, ἐν οἷς τὴν εἰς ἀνθρώπους αὐτοῦ γένεσιν θεσπίζει λέγων· «ὅτι παιδίον ἐγεννήθη ἡμῖν, καὶ υἱὸς ἐδόθη ἡμῖν, οὗ ἡ ἀρχὴ ἐπὶ τοῦ ὤμου αὐτοῦ, καὶ καλεῖται τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ μεγάλης βουλῆς ἄγγελος, ἄρχων εἰρήνης, θεὸς ἰσχυρός, ἐξουσιαστής, πατὴρ τοῦ μέλλοντος αἰῶνος». 5.11.1 Τῆς αὐτῆς. «Ἀναστὰς δὲ τὴν νύκτα ἐκείνην ἔλαβεν τὰς δύο γυναῖκας καὶ τὰς δύο παιδίσκας καὶ τὰ ἕνδεκα παιδία αὐτοῦ, καὶ διέβη τὴν διάβασιν τὴν Ἰαβόκ, καὶ ἔλαβεν αὐτοὺς καὶ διεβίβασεν πάντα τὰ ἑαυτοῦ. ὑπελείφθη δὲ Ἰακὼβ μόνος, καὶ ἐπάλαιεν μετ' αὐτοῦ ἄνθρωπος ἕως πρωΐ. εἶδεν δὲ ὅτι οὐ δύναται πρὸς αὐτόν, καὶ ἥψατο τοῦ πλάτους τοῦ μηροῦ αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐνάρκησεν τὸ πλάτος τοῦ μηροῦ Ἰακὼβ ἐν τῷ παλαίειν αὐτὸν μετ' αὐτοῦ· καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ, ἀπόστειλόν με· ἀνέβη γὰρ ὁ ὄρθρος, ὁ δὲ εἶπεν, οὐ μή σε ἀποστείλω, ἐὰν μή με εὐλογήσῃς. εἶπεν δὲ αὐτῷ, τί τὸ ὄνομά σου; ὁ δὲ εἶπεν, Ἰακώβ. εἶπεν δὲ αὐτῷ, οὐκέτι Ἰακὼβ κληθήσεται τὸ ὄνομά σου, ἀλλ' Ἰσραὴλ ἔσται τὸ ὄνομά σου· ὅτι ἐνίσχυσας μετὰ θεοῦ, καὶ μετὰ ἀνθρώπων δυνατὸς ἔσῃ. ἠρώτησεν δὲ Ἰακὼβ καὶ εἶπεν, ἀνάγγειλόν μοι τὸ ὄνομά σου. καὶ εἶπεν, ἵνα τί τοῦτο ἐρωτᾷς τὸ ὄνομά μου; καὶ εὐλόγησεν αὐτὸν ἐκεῖ καὶ ἐκάλεσεν τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ τόπου ἐκείνου Ἰακὼβ εἶδος θεοῦ· εἶδον γὰρ θεὸν πρόσωπον πρὸς πρόσωπον, καὶ ἐσώθη ἡ ψυχή μου. ἀνέτειλεν δὲ αὐτῷ ὁ ἥλιος, ἡνίκα παρῆλθεν τὸ εἶδος τοῦ θεοῦ.» 5.11.2 Τῷ μὲν Μωσεῖ εἴρητο «οὐδεὶς ὄψεται τὸ πρόσωπόν μου καὶ ζήσεται», ἐν τούτοις δὲ ὁ Ἰακὼβ εἶδεν θεὸν οὐχ ἁπλῶς ἀλλὰ «πρόσωπον πρὸς πρόσωπον», καὶ σωθείς γε οὐ τὸ σῶμα ἀλλὰ τὴν ψυχὴν τῆς ἐπὶ τὸν Ἰσραὴλ προσωνυμίας ἠξιώθη, φερωνύμου ψυχῶν προσηγορίας, εἴ γε ἑρμηνευθὲν «ὁρῶντα θεὸν» τὸ Ἰσραὴλ ὄνομα σημαίνει. οὐκ ἄρα τὸν ἐπὶ πάντων θεὸν ἑώρα· ἀόρατος γὰρ οὗτος καὶ ἄτρεπτος, καὶ οὐδαμῶς ἂν εἰς ἄνθρωπον μεταβάλοι ὁ πάσης ἀνωτάτω οὐσίας· ἕτερον ἄρα, οὗ καὶ πολυπραγμονοῦντι καιρός πω οὐκ ἦν ἐκφάναι τῷ Ἰακὼβ τὴν προσηγορίαν. 5.11.3 εἰ δὲ ἀγγέλων τινὰ ἢ τῶν κατ' οὐρανὸν θείων πνευμάτων, τὸν τοῖς ἁγίοις τοὺς χρησμοὺς διακονούμενον, ὑπολάβοι τις εἶναι, σαφῶς διέψευσται· τοῦτο μὲν ἀπὸ τοῦ κυριολεκτεῖσθαι καὶ θεολογεῖσθαι τὸν δηλούμενον, καὶ γὰρ καὶ θεὸν αὐτὸν ἡ θεία γραφὴ διαρρήδην ἀναγορεύει καὶ κύριον ἀποκαλεῖ, τῇ διὰ τῶν τεσσάρων παρ' Ἑβραίοις στοιχείων ἐπισημειώσει τιμῶσα, ἣν ἐπὶ μόνης τῆς ἀνεκφωνήτου καὶ ἀρρήτου προσηγορίας τῆς τοῦ θεοῦ συντιθέναι παῖδες Ἑβραίων εἰώθασιν· τοῦτο δὲ καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ ἀγγέλους σαφῶς διορίζειν, ὅτε δὴ βούλοιτο ἀγγέλους καλεῖν ὁ λόγος, ὥσπερ, ἐπεὶ τοὺς ἐν Σοδόμοις ἀσεβεῖς ὄντας ὁ μὲν τῷ Ἀβραὰμ χρηματίζων θεὸς καὶ κύριος τῆς αὐτοῦ παρουσίας οὐδαμῶς ἀξιοῖ, εἰσαῦθις ἡ θεία γραφὴ λέγει· «ὁ μὲν κύριος ἀπῆλθεν, ὡς ἐπαύσατο λαλῶν τῷ Ἀβραάμ, οἱ δὲ δύο ἄγγελοι ἀπῆλθον εἰς Σόδομα ἑσπέρας», 5.11.4 καὶ τῷ Ἰακὼβ δὲ «συνήντησαν ἄγγελοι θεοῦ»· καὶ ἰδὼν εἶπεν «παρεμβολὴ θεοῦ αὕτη· καὶ ἐκάλεσεν τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ τόπου ἐκείνου παρεμβολαί». 5.11.5 οὕτως δὴ ὁ θεοφιλὴς εὖ διέκρινεν τὰς ὀπτασίας, ὥστε νῦν μὲν τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ τόπου παρεμβολὰς καλεῖν, ἀπὸ τῆς τῶν ἀγγελικῶν παρεμβολῶν θέας, ὅτε δὲ τῷ θεῷ προσομιλεῖ, καλεῖ τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ τόπου «εἶδος θεοῦ», ἐπιλέγων· «εἶδον γὰρ θεὸν πρόσωπον πρὸς πρόσ ωπον». ἀλλὰ καὶ τῷ Μωσεῖ ὅτ' ἄγγελος ἐπιφαίνεται, τοῦτ' αὐτὸ καὶ ἡ θεία γραφὴ σημαίνει λέγουσα· «ὤφθη δὲ ἄγγελος κυρίου αὐτῷ ἐν φλογὶ πυρὸς βάτου». ὅτε δὲ τὸν αὐθέντην αὐτὸν δὴ τὸν χρηματίζοντα δηλοῖ, θεὸν καὶ κύριον ἀλλ' οὐκέτι ἄγγελον ὀνομάζει. 5.11.6 ὁμοίως καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς ἐρυθρᾶς θαλάσσης διορίζει σαφῶς τὸν ἄγγελον καὶ τὸν κύριον δι' ὧν φησιν· «ἐξῆρεν δὲ ὁ ἄγγελος τοῦ θεοῦ ὁ προπορευόμενος τῶν υἱῶν Ἰσραήλ, καὶ ἐπορεύθη ἐκ τῶν ὄπισθεν