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Son of the Father's love, loved on behalf of men and for men, according to the liturgical activity among men; and according to the form of a servant having fulfilled what was lacking by the world. And through his blood he speaks of redemption. For the blood of the Lord has been given as a ransom, leading forth those held captive by death into life; because it was not possible for those under the kingdom of death to be brought back in any other way, than through him who shared death with us, and leads us to life. Who is the image of the invisible God. The exposition of grace runs back to theology. For from the activity in his presence we know the substance of God before his presence. For it is the work of God to extinguish death, and to substitute life, and to lead the world back to God. For this reason he says: Who is the image of the invisible God, in order to show both that he is God, and that he is not the Father himself, but the image of the Father, having identity with him, not being he himself. Firstborn of all creation, because in him were created all things that are in the heavens, and that are on the earth, the visible and the invisible, whether Thrones, or Dominions, or Principalities, or Powers; all things were created through him, and for him, and he is before all things. See how he proclaims both his pre-eternal generation from the Father, and separates him from created things, by saying, in him all things were created. For if there were a brotherhood of second sons who came after the first, he would not have said that they were created in him. For the Father made all things in wisdom, and Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God. And in him all things hold together, and he is the head of the Church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things he might be preeminent. And in him, he says, all things were created, and in him they hold together, and he is the head, and he brings together both the things of theology, and the things of the kenosis. For he, he says, is the one begotten before the ages, who is also the firstborn from the dead. And he says that he is preeminent, not as having seized preeminence beforehand, but as one graciously bestowing on us the glory of being under his preeminence. For thus also the created things were to endure, being dependent on the Creator and having escaped the corruption which they underwent when the rupture turned into corruption, which is what he said in the letter to the Ephesians. Because in him all the fullness was pleased to dwell 95.889, and through him to reconcile all things to himself, having made peace through the blood of his cross, through him, whether things on earth, or things in the heavens. Because in him he was pleased to sum up all things in the heavens, and on the earth, so also here he says again in other words. For the death of Christ both saved man, and re-formed him, and brought the angels to their ancient joy at men being saved, and joined the things below to the things above; and this is what it is to reconcile all things. For he made peace, and took the enmity out of the midst. Wherefore the angels also said, Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace. And you, who were once alienated and enemies in your mind, in wicked works, yet now he has reconciled in the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and blameless, and irreproachable before him. They were enemies in their mind who were separated from Israel because of being in wicked works. He says that the pre-existing enmity, on account of wickedness and lawlessness, has come to friendship, because the life of the flesh was put to death—the life that in us was defiled, but in Christ pure, yet given over nonetheless to death in order that the sin which had prevailed in us in this life might be destroyed from its foundations, so that we, according to another life, the one from the dead, might be presented to God, no longer subject to the accusations of the former life, that is, as many of us as are conformed to the death and resurrection of Christ. If indeed you continue in the faith, grounded and steadfast, and not moved away from the hope of the Gospel, which you have heard, which was preached in all creation under the

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Υἱὸς τῆς ἀγάπης τοῦ Πατρὸς, ἀντὶ ἀνθρώπων καὶ ὑπὲρ ἀνθρώπων ἀγαπηθεὶς, κατὰ τὴν ἐν ἀνθρώποις λειτουργικὴν ἐνέργειαν· καὶ κατὰ τὴν τοῦ δούλου μορφὴν πληρώσας τὰ ὑπὸ κόσμου ἐλλειπόμενα. Καὶ διὰ τοῦ αἵματος αὐτοῦ λέγει τὴν ἀπολύτρωσιν. Λύτρου γὰρ λόγῳ δέδοται τὸ αἷμα τοῦ Κυρίου, ἐξάγον τοὺς ὑπὸ θανάτου αἰχμαλώτους εἰς ζωήν· ὅτι οὐχ ἑτέρως οἷόν τε ἦν ἐπαναχθῆναι τοὺς ὑπὸ τὴν τοῦ θανάτου βασιλείαν, ἢ διὰ τοῦ κοινωνήσαντος ἡμῖν θανάτῳ, καὶ ὁδηγοῦντος ἡμᾶς ζωήν. Ὅς ἐστιν εἰκὼν τοῦ Θεοῦ τοῦ ἀοράτου. Ἡ τῆς χάριτος ἐξήγησις εἰς τὴν θεολογίαν ἀνατρέχει. Ἀπὸ γὰρ τῆς ἐνεργείας τῆς ἐν τῇ παρουσίᾳ γινώσκομεν τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ οὐσίαν τὴν πρὸ τῆς παρουσίας. Θεοῦ γὰρ ἔργον, τὸ σβέσαι θάνατον, καὶ ζωὴν ἀντικαταστῆσαι, καὶ τὸν κόσμον εἰς Θεὸν ἐπαναγαγεῖν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο λέγει· Ὅς ἐστιν εἰκὼν τοῦ Θεοῦ τοῦ ἀοράτου, ἵνα καὶ ὅτι ἔστι Θεὸς, ἐπιδείξῃ, καὶ ὅτι οὐχὶ ὁ Πατὴρ αὐτὸς, ἀλλ' εἰκὼν τοῦ Πατρὸς, ταυτότητα ἔχων πρὸς αὐτὸν, οὐκ αὐτὸς ὢν ἐκεῖνος. Πρωτότοκος πάσης κτίσεως, ὅτι ἐν αὐτῷ ἐκτίσθη τὰ πάντα τὰ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς, καὶ τὰ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, τὰ ὁρατὰ καὶ τὰ ἀόρατα, εἴτε Θρόνοι, εἴτε Κυριότητες, εἴτε Ἀρχαὶ, εἴτε Ἐξουσίαι· τὰ πάντα δι' αὐτοῦ, καὶ εἰς αὐτὸν ἔκτισται, καὶ οὗτός ἐστι πρὸ πάντων. Ὅρα πῶς καὶ τὴν ἐκ Πατρὸς αὐτοῦ προαιώνιον κηρύττει γέννησιν, καὶ τῶν κτισμάτων αὐτὸν χωρίζει, τῷ λέγειν, ἐν αὐτῷ ἐκτίσθη τὰ πάντα. Εἰ δὲ ἀδελφότης ἦν υἱῶν δευτέρων ἐπὶ τῷ πρώτῳ γενομένων, οὐκ ἂν ἐν αὐτῷ ἔλεγεν αὐτὰ ἐκτίσθαι. Τῇ γὰρ σοφίᾳ πάντα ἐποίησεν ὁ Πατὴρ, Χριστὸς δὲ ἐστὶ Θεοῦ δύναμις καὶ σοφία. Καὶ τὰ πάντα ἐν αὐτῷ συνέστηκε, καὶ αὐτός ἐστιν ἡ κεφαλὴ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας, ὅς ἐστιν ἀρχὴ, πρωτότοκος ἐκ τῶν νεκρῶν, ἵνα γένηται ἐν πᾶσιν αὐτὸς πρωτεύων. Καὶ ἐν αὐτῷ, ἔκτισται, φησὶ, τὰ πάντα, καὶ ἐν αὐτῷ συνέστηκεν, καὶ αὐτός ἐστι κεφαλὴ, καὶ ἀμφότερα συνάγει, τά τε τῆς θεολογίας, καὶ τὰ τῆς κενώσεως. Αὐτὸς γὰρ, φησὶν, ἐστὶν ὁ πρὸ αἰώνων γεννηθεὶς, ὁ καὶ πρωτότοκος ἐκ τῶν νεκρῶν. Πρωτεύειν δὲ αὐτὸν λέγει, οὐχ ὡς τὸ πρωτεύειν προλαβόντα, ἀλλ' ὡς δόξαν ἡμῖν τοῦ πρωτεύεσθαι ὑπ' αὐτοῦ χαριζόμενον. Οὕτω γὰρ καὶ διαμένειν ἔμελλε τὰ ποιήματα, ἐξαρτηθέντα τοῦ δημιουργοῦ καὶ ἀποπεφευγότα τὴν φθορὰν, ἣν ὑπέμεινεν ἐν τῷ τὴν διάῤῥηξιν εἰς φθορὰν μεταβάλλειν ὅπερ εἶπεν ἐν τῇ πρὸς Ἐφεσίους. Ὅτι ἐν αὐτῷ ηὐδόκησε πᾶν τὸ πλήρωμα κατοι 95.889 κῆσαι, καὶ δι' αὐτοῦ ἀποκαταλλάξαι τὰ πάντα εἰς αὐτὸν, εἰρηνοποιήσας διὰ τοῦ αἵματος τοῦ σταυροῦ αὐτοῦ δι' αὐτοῦ, εἴτε τὰ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, εἴτε τὰ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς. Ὅτι ἐν αὐτῷ ηὐδόκησεν ἀνακεφαλαιώσασθαι τὰ πάντα τὰ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς, καὶ τὰ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, οὕτω καὶ ἐνταῦθα πάλιν λέγει δι' ἑτέρων λέξεων. Ὁ γὰρ θάνατος τοῦ Χριστοῦ, καὶ τὸν ἄνθρωπον ἀνέσωσεν, καὶ ἀνεστοιχείωσε, καὶ τοὺς ἀγγέλους εἰς τὴν ἀρχαίαν ἤγαγε χαρὰν σωζομένων ἀνθρώπων, καὶ συνῆψε τὰ κάτω τοῖς ἄνω· καὶ τοῦτό ἐστι τὸ, ἀποκαταλλάξαι τὰ πάντα. Ἐποίησε γὰρ εἰρήνην, καὶ τὴν ἔχθραν ἦρεν ἐκ τοῦ μέσου. ∆ιὸ καὶ ἔλεγον οἱ ἄγγελοι, ∆όξα ἐν ὑψίστοις Θεῷ, καὶ ἐπὶ γῆς εἰρήνη. Καὶ ὑμᾶς ποτὲ ὄντας ἀπηλλοτριωμένους καὶ ἐχθροὺς τῇ διανοίᾳ, ἐν τοῖς ἔργοις τοῖς πονηροῖς, νυνὶ δὲ ἀποκατήλλαξεν ἐν τῷ σώματι τῆς σαρκὸς αὐτοῦ διὰ τοῦ θανάτου, παραστῆσαι ὑμᾶς ἁγίους καὶ ἀμώμους, καὶ ἀνεγκλήτους κατενώπιον αὐτοῦ. Ἐχθροὶ ἦσαν τῇ διανοίᾳ οἱ κεχωρισμένοι τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ διὰ τὸ ἐν ἔργοις εἶναι πονηροῖς. Τὴν μὲν προϋπάρχουσαν ἔχθραν, διὰ τὴν κακίαν καὶ ἀνομίαν εἰς φιλίαν ἐληλυθέναι φησὶ, διὰ τὸ νεκρωθῆναι τὸν τῆς σαρκὸς βίον, τὸν ἐν ἡμῖν μὲν ἐῤῥυπωμένον, ἐν Χριστῷ δὲ καθαρὸν, δοθέντα δὲ ὅμως εἰς νέκρωσιν ὑπὲρ τοῦ τὴν ἐν τῷ βίῳ τούτῳ παρ' ἡμῖν κεκρατηκυῖαν ἁμαρτίαν ἐκ βάθρων ἀναιρεθῆναι, ὥστε ἡμᾶς καθ' ἑτέραν ζωὴν τὴν ἐκ νεκρῶν παραστῆναι Θεῷ, μηκέτι ἐνόχους τοῖς ἐγκλήμασι τῆς προτέρας ζωῆς, ὅσοι δηλαδὴ συμμορφούμεθα τῷ θανάτῳ καὶ τῇ ἀναστάσει τοῦ Χριστοῦ. Εἴ γε ἐπιμένετε τῇ πίστει τεθεμελιωμένοι καὶ ἑδραῖοι, καὶ μὴ μετακινούμενοι ἀπὸ τῆς ἐλπίδος τοῦ Εὐαγγελίου, οὗ ἠκούσατε, τοῦ κηρυχθέντος ἐν πάσῃ τῇ κτίσει τῇ ὑπὸ τὸν