136

«No one has ever seen God.» Perhaps someone might suppose this present saying to be contrary to the word of salvation, as it posits as visible him who is invisible by nature. But if you also take these things to refer to the Word of God who appeared «in many parts and in many ways» «to the fathers,» in the same way as we have previously demonstrated, you would no longer seem to fall into contradictions. It teaches here that the God of Israel who was seen was that very one who also appeared to Israel, when a man wrestled with him, who also first changed his name from Jacob to Israel, saying «because you have prevailed with God,» when also, having perceived his divine power, «Jacob called that place the face of God,» saying «for I have seen God face to face, and my soul has been saved,» we have established at the proper time that he is none other than the Word of God. 5.19.1 From Joshua son of Nun. «And it came to pass when Joshua was in Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and saw a man standing opposite him, and his sword was drawn in his hand. And Joshua approached and said, are you for us or for our adversaries? And he said to him, I am the captain of the host of the Lord, I have now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth, and said to him, Lord, what do you command your servant? And the captain of the Lord says, Joshua, loose the sandal from your feet; for the place on which you stand is holy ground.» 5.19.2 These very things were also said by the Lord to Moses at the beginning of the vision at the bush, as the scripture shows: «And when the Lord saw that he drew near to see, the Lord called to him from the midst of the bush, saying, Moses, Moses, do not draw near here; loose the sandal from your feet, for the place on which you stand is holy ground.» 5.19.3 So then, it was one and the same God who spoke to both, as is shown from the command. But now he speaks through the captain of his host, and to Moses through the angel who appeared. And with super-celestial armies and supramundane powers and invisible spirits, and divine angels and archangels ministering to the all-king and all-ruler, God, according to what was said by Daniel, «a thousand thousands ministered to him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him,» who could be higher than all others, except the Word of God and the firstborn wisdom and the divine offspring? It is fitting, then, that he is called in the present instance «captain of the host of the Lord,» just as in other places he is called «angel of great counsel,» and enthroned with the Father, and eternal and great high priest. 5.19.4 And it has been demonstrated that the same one is both Lord and God and Christ, anointed by the Father with the oil of gladness. Therefore, to Abraham he appeared by the oak in the form of a man, showing himself in a calm and peaceful manner, from that time giving a prelude to his saving advent to humanity; but to Jacob, as to an ascetic and combatant about to wrestle and contend with enemies, as a man; and to Moses and the people he led in the form of a cloud and of fire, presenting himself as at once terrible and overshadowed. 5.19.5 But since Joshua, the successor of Moses, was about to draw up in battle against enemies, the former inhabitants of the land of the Palestinians, foreign and most impious nations, he fittingly appears with a sword drawn and sharpened against the enemies, as if demonstrating through the sight that he himself was about to pursue the impious with an invisible sword, by divine power, campaigning with and fighting alongside his own. Therefore, at the proper time, he also declared himself «captain of the Lord.» 5.20.1 From Job. «Then the Lord spoke to Job through a whirlwindand clouds: Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth? Declare to me, if you have understanding. Who set its measures, if you know?» and what follows: «When the stars were born,» he says, «all my angels praised me with a loud voice; and I shut up the sea with gates,» 5.20.2 and what follows: «or have I commanded the morning light for you, and the morning star

136

«θεὸν οὐδεὶς ἑώρακεν πώποτε» τάχα ἄν τις ἐναντίαν εἶναι τῷ σωτηριώδει λόγῳ τὴν παροῦσαν ὑπολάβοι λέξιν, ὡς ὁρατὸν ὑποτιθεμένην τὸν τὴν φύσιν ἀόρατον. ἀλλ' εἰ καὶ ταῦτα ἐπὶ τὸν λόγον τοῦ θεοῦ τὸν «πολυμερῶς καὶ πολυτρόπως» ὀφθέντα «τοῖς πατράσιν» ἐκλάβοις ὁμοίως τοῖς προαποδειχθεῖσιν ἡμῖν, οὐκέτ' ἂν δόξοις τοῖς ἐναντίοις περιπίπτειν. θεὸν Ἰσραὴλ ἐνταῦθα ὁρώμενον αὐτὸν ἐκεῖνον εἶναι διδάσκει, ὃν καὶ τῷ Ἰσραὴλ ὀφθέντα, ὅτε ἐπάλαιεν ἄνθρωπος μετ' αὐτοῦ, ὃς καὶ πρῶτος αὐτοῦ τὴν προσωνυμίαν ἐκ τοῦ Ἰακὼβ ἐπὶ τὸν Ἰσραὴλ μεταβέβληκεν εἰπὼν «ὅτι ἐνίσχυσας μετὰ θεοῦ», ὅτε καὶ τῆς θείας αὐτοῦ δυνάμεως αἴσθησιν λαβὼν «ὁ Ἰακὼβ ἐκάλεσεν τὸν τόπον ἐκεῖνον εἶδος θεοῦ», εἰπὼν «εἶδον γὰρ θεὸν πρόσωπον πρὸς πρόσωπον, καὶ ἐσώθη μου ἡ ψυχή», οὐχ ἕτερον ὑπάρχειν τοῦ θεοῦ λόγου κατὰ τὸν οἰκεῖον καιρὸν παρεστήσαμεν. 5.19.1 Ἀπὸ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ τοῦ Ναυῆ. «Καὶ ἐγενήθη ὡς ἦν Ἰησοῦςἐν Ἰεριχώ, καὶ ἀναβλέψας ὁρᾷ ἄνθρωπον ἑστηκότα κατέναντι αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἡ ῥομφαία ἐσπασμένη ἐν τῇ χειρὶ αὐτοῦ. καὶ προσελθὼν ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἶπεν, ἡμέτερος εἶ ἢ τῶν ὑπεναντίων; καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ, ἐγὼ ἀρχιστράτηγος δυνάμεως κυρίου νυνὶ παραγέγονα. καὶ Ἰησοῦς ἔπεσεν ἐπὶ πρόσωπον ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν, καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ, δέσποτα, τί προστάσσεις τῷ σῷ οἰκέτῃ; καὶ λέγει ὁ ἀρχιστράτηγος κυρίου, Ἰησοῦ, λῦσαι τὸ ὑπόδημα τῶν ποδῶν σου· ὁ γὰρ τόπος ἐν ᾧ σὺ ἕστηκας γῆ ἁγία ἐστίν.» 5.19.2 Αὐτὰ δὴ ταῦτα καὶ Μωσεῖ ἀρχομένῳ τῆς θεωρίας ἐπὶ τῆς βάτου πρὸς τοῦ κυρίου εἴρητο, ὡς δηλοῖ ἡ γραφή· «ὡς δὲ εἶδεν κύριος ὅτι προσάγει ἰδεῖν, ἐκάλεσεν αὐτὸν κύριος ἐκ μέσου τοῦ βάτου λέγων, Μωυσῆ Μωυσῆ, μὴ ἐγγίσῃς ὧδε· λῦσαι τὸ ὑπόδημα τῶν ποδῶν σου, ὁ γὰρ τόπος ἐν ᾧ σὺ ἕστηκας ἐπ' αὐτοῦ γῆ ἁγία ἐστίν». 5.19.3 εἷς ἄρα καὶ ὁ αὐτὸς ἦν ὁ τοῖς ἀμφοτέροις χρηματίσας θεός, ὡς ἐκ τοῦ παραγγέλματος δείκνυται. ἀλλὰ νῦν μὲν διὰ τοῦ ἀρχιστρατήγου τῆς δυνάμεως αὐτοῦ, Μωσεῖ δὲ διὰ τοῦ ὀφθέντος ἀγγέλου θεσπίζει. στρατιῶν δὲ ὑπερουρανίων καὶ δυνάμεων ὑπερκοσμίων καὶ πνευμάτων ἀοράτων, ἀγγέλων τε θείων καὶ ἀρχαγγέλων τῷ παμβασιλεῖ καὶ πανηγεμόνι τῷ θεῷ λειτουργούντων, κατὰ τὸ εἰρημένον παρὰ τῷ ∆ανιὴλ «χίλιαι χιλιάδες ἐλειτούργουν αὐτῷ, καὶ μύριαι μυριάδες παρειστήκεισαν ἔμπροσθεν αὐτοῦ», πάντων ἀνωτάτω τίς ἂν γένοιτο ἕτερος τοῦ θεοῦ λόγου καὶ τῆς πρωτοτόκου σοφίας τοῦ τε ἐνθέου γεννήματος; εἰκότως ἄρα καὶ «ἀρχιστράτηγος δυνάμεως κυρίου» ἐπὶ τοῦ παρόντος ἀνείρηται, ὡς καὶ «μεγάλης βουλῆς ἄγγελος» ἐν ἑτέροις, καὶ σύνθρονος τοῦ πατρός, αἰώνιός τε καὶ μέγας ἀρχιερεύς. 5.19.4 ἀποδέδεικται δὲ ὅτι καὶ κύριος καὶ θεὸς ὁ αὐτὸς καὶ Χριστός, ὑπὸ τοῦ πατρὸς ἐλαίῳ ἀγαλλιάσεως κεχρισμένος. τῷ μὲν οὖν Ἀβραὰμ παρὰ τῇ δρυῒ φανεὶς ἐν ἀνθρώπου εἴδει, γαληνῷ καὶ εἰρηναίῳ σχήματι ἑαυτὸν ὑποδείκνυσιν, τὴν σωτήριον εἰς ἀνθρώπους αὐτοῦ παρουσίαν ἐξ ἐκείνου προοιμιαζόμενος, τῷ δὲ Ἰακώβ, ὡς ἀσκητῇ καὶ ἀγωνιστῇ παλαίειν πρὸς ἐχθροὺς καὶ ἀγωνίζεσθαι μέλλοντι, οἷα ἄνθρωπος, Μωσεῖ δὲ καὶ τῷ λαῷ ἐν εἴδει νεφέλης καὶ πυρὸς καθηγεῖτο, φοβερὸν ὁμοῦ καὶ ἐπεσκιασμένον παρέχων ἑαυτόν. 5.19.5 ἐπεὶ δὲ ὁ τοῦ Μωσέως διάδοχος Ἰησοῦς πολεμίοις ἔμελλεν παρατάττεσθαι, τοῖς τὸ πρὶν Παλαιστίνων γῆς οἰκήτορσιν, ἀλλοφύλοις ἔθνεσιν καὶ ἀσεβεστάτοις, εἰκότως μετὰ ῥομφαίας ἐσπασμένης καὶ κατὰ τῶν πολεμίων ἠκονημένης ὑποφαίνεται, μονονουχὶ διὰ τῆς ὄψεως ἐπιδεικνύς, ὅτι δὴ αὐτὸς ἀοράτῳ ῥομφαίᾳ, ἐνθέῳ δυνάμει, τοὺς ἀσεβεῖς μετιέναι ἔμελλεν, τοῖς οἰκείοις συστρατευόμενος καὶ συναγωνιζόμενος. διὸ κατὰ καιρὸν καὶ «ἀρχιστράτηγον κυρίου» ἑαυτὸν ἀνηγόρευσεν. 5.20.1 Ἀπὸ τοῦ Ἰώβ. «Εἶπεν δὲ κύριος τῷ Ἰὼβ διὰ λαίλαποςκαὶ νεφῶν· ποῦ ἦς ἐν τῷ θεμελιοῦν με τὴν γῆν; ἀπάγγειλον δή μοι, εἰ ἐπίστασαι σύνεσιν. τίς ἔθετο τὰ μέτρα αὐτῆς, εἰ οἶδας;» καὶ ἑξῆς· «ὅτε ἐγενήθησαν», φησίν, «ἄστρα, ᾔνεσάν με φωνῇ μεγάλῃ πάντες ἄγγελοί μου· ἔφραξα δὲ θάλασσαν πύλαις», 5.20.2 καὶ ἑξῆς· «ἢ ἐπὶ σοῦ συντέταχα φέγγος πρωϊνόν, ἑωσφόρος δὲ