is mine”? Now the completion of the work was the completion of the rational being; for the Word who became flesh came to make perfect this which was imperfect. 13.37.238 Was the work, then, created imperfect, and is the Savior sent to perfect what is imperfect? And how is it not absurd that the Father has become the maker of something imperfect, while the Savior has perfected the imperfect thing, created imperfect? 13.37.239 I believe, then, that a deeper mystery is stored up in these passages; for perhaps the rational being was not entirely imperfect when it was placed in paradise. 13.37.240 For how would God have placed what was entirely imperfect in paradise to cultivate and keep it? For one who is able to cultivate the “tree of life” and all that God planted and after this made to grow, would not reasonably be called imperfect. 13.37.241 Could it be, then, that being somehow perfect, he became imperfect through disobedience and needed one who would perfect him from his imperfection, and for this reason the Savior was sent, first, that he might do the will of him who sent him, becoming his worker here also, and second, that he might complete the work of God and that each one, having been perfected, might be suited to solid food and be with wisdom? “But solid food is for the perfect, for those who by practice have their faculties trained for the discernment of good and evil.” And he who speaks wisdom says, “But we speak wisdom among the perfect.” 13.37.242 And when each one of us, a work of God, is perfected by Jesus, he will say: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness.” 13.37.243 But not only man fell from the perfect to the imperfect, but also “the sons of God, seeing the daughters of men that they were beautiful, took for themselves wives from all whom they chose,” and, in short, all who leave “their own proper dwelling” and do not keep their own beginning— 13.37.244 and by “beginning” I mean not that which is compared to authority but that which is contrasted with the end and is adjacent to the first—so that just as for man the beginning of his being was in paradise, but the end <was> because of the transgression, perhaps down in Hades or in some such place, so also for each of those who have fallen away some proper beginning happens to have been given. 13.37.245 However, Jesus, perfecting the work of God—I mean every rational being and not man alone—perfects it in the same manner. For the more blessed beings, obeying reason, not needing toil, are perfected by reason alone; but others, having disobeyed reason, require toils, so that after the toils, being brought to reason, they may at some later time be perfected by these. 13.37.246 But both of these are one food proper to Jesus: both to do the will of him who sent him and to complete his work. 13.38.247 But Heracleon, through the words, “My food is to do the will of him who sent me,” says that the Savior was explaining to the disciples that this was what he was discussing with the woman, calling the will of the Father his own proper food; for this was his nourishment and rest and power. 13.38.248 And he said the will of the Father was for men to know the Father and be saved, which was the work of the Savior who was sent for this purpose to Samaria, that is, to the world. He has therefore taken the very conversation with the Samaritan woman as the food of Jesus, which I think is clearly seen by everyone to have been understood humbly and forcedly. 13.38.249 But how the will of the Father is the nourishment of the Savior he has not clearly shown; and how is the will of the Father also rest? For the Lord says elsewhere that the Father’s will is not entirely his rest: “Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; yet not what I will, but what you will.” And from where does it come that the will of God is also the power of the Savior? 13.39.n Do you not say, ‘There are yet four months, then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and see the fields, that they are already white for harvest. 13.39.250 To those who suppose that "Do you not say, 'There are four months, and the harvest" was said more simply and physically

μού ἐστιν»; ἡ δὲ τελείωσις τοῦ ἔργου ἡ τοῦ λογικοῦ τελείωσις ἦν· τοῦτο γὰρ ἦλθεν ἀτελὲς ὂν τέλειον ποιῆσαι ὁ γενόμενος σὰρξ λόγος. 13.37.238 Ἆρ' οὖν ἐκτίσθη ἀτελὲς τὸ ἔργον, καὶ πέμπεται ὁ σωτὴρ τὸ ἀτελὲς τελειῶσαι; καὶ πῶς οὐκ ἄτοπον τὸν μὲν πατέρα ἀτελοῦς ποιητὴν γεγονέναι, τὸν δὲ σωτῆρα τὸ ἀτελὲς τετε λειωκέναι, κτισθὲν ἀτελές; 13.37.239 Ἡγοῦμαι δὴ ἐν τοῖς τόποις βαθύτερόν τι ἐναπο κεῖσθαι μυστήριον· τάχα γὰρ οὐ πάντη ἀτελὲς τὸ λογικὸν ἦν ἅμα τῷ τεθεῖσθαι ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ. 13.37.240 Πῶς γὰρ ἂν τὸ πάντη ἀτελὲς ἐτίθετο ὁ θεὸς ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ ἐργάζεσθαι αὐτὸν καὶ φυλάσσειν; ὁ γὰρ δυνάμενος ἐργάζεσθαι «ξύλον ζωῆς» καὶ πάντα δὲ ἃ ἐφύτευσεν ὁ θεὸς καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα ἐξανέτειλεν, οὐκ ἂν εὐλόγως λέγοιτο ἀτελής. 13.37.241 Μήποτε οὖν τέλειος ὤν πως ἀτελὴς διὰ τὴν παρακοὴν γέγονεν καὶ ἐδεήθη τοῦ τελειώσοντος αὐτὸν ἀπὸ τῆς ἀτελείας, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ἐπέμφθη ὁ σωτήρ, πρῶτον μὲν ἵνα ποιήσῃ τὸ θέλημα τοῦ πέμψαντος αὐτόν, ἐργάτης αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐνταῦθα γενό μενος, δεύτερον δὲ ἵνα τελειώσῃ τὸ ἔργον τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ ἕκαστος τετελειωμένος οἰκειωθῇ τῇ στερεᾷ τροφῇ καὶ τῇ σοφίᾳ συνῇ. «Τελείων δέ ἐστιν ἡ στερεὰ τροφή, τῶν διὰ τὴν ἕξιν τὰ αἰσθητήρια γεγυμνασμένα ἐχόντων πρὸς διάκρισιν καλοῦ τε καὶ κακοῦ.» Καὶ ὁ λαλῶν σοφίαν φησί· «Σοφίαν δὲ λαλοῦμεν ἐν τοῖς τελείοις.» 13.37.242 Καὶ ὅταν ἕκαστος ἡμῶν, ἔργον θεοῦ, ὑπὸ Ἰησοῦ τελειωθῇ, ἐρεῖ· «Τὸν ἀγῶνα τὸν καλὸν ἠγώνισμαι, τὸν δρόμον τετέλεκα, τὴν πίστιν τετή ρηκα· λοιπὸν ἀπόκειταί μοι ὁ τῆς δικαιοσύνης στέφανος.» 13.37.243 Οὐ μόνος δὲ ὁ ἄνθρωπος ἐξέπεσεν ἐκ τελείου ἐπὶ τὸ ἀτελές, ἀλλὰ καὶ «ἰδόντες οἱ υἱοὶ τοῦ θεοῦ τὰς θυγατέρας τῶν ἀνθρώπων ὅτι καλαί εἰσιν καὶ λαβόντες ἑαυτοῖς ἀπὸ πασῶν ὧν ἐξελέξαντο», καὶ ἁπαξαπλῶς πάντες οἱ ἀπολεί ποντες «τὸ ἴδιον οἰκητήριον» καὶ μὴ τηρήσαντες τὴν ἑαυτῶν ἀρχήν- 13.37.244 «ἀρχὴν» δὲ λέγω οὐ τὴν παρα βαλλομένην ἐξουσίᾳ ἀλλὰ τὴν ἀντιδιαστελλομένην τέλει καὶ παρακειμένην πρώτῳ-ἵν' ὥσπερ τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ ἡ ἀρχὴ μὲν τοῦ εἶναι ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ ἦν, τὸ τέλος <δὲ> διὰ τὴν παράβασιν τάχα ἐν ᾅδου κάτω ἤ τινι τοιούτῳ χωρίῳ, οὕτω καὶ ἑκάστῳ τῶν ἀποπεπτωκότων οἰκεία τις ἀρχὴ τυγχάνῃ δεδομένη. 13.37.245 Τελειῶν μέντοι γε ὁ Ἰησοῦς τὸ ἔργον τοῦ θεοῦ, λέγω δὲ πᾶν τὸ λογικὸν καὶ οὐ τὸν ἄνθρωπον μόνον, κατὰ τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον αὐτὸ τελειοῖ· τὰ μὲν γὰρ μακαριώτερα πειθόμενα λόγῳ, μὴ δεηθέντα πόνου, μόνῳ τελειοῦται τῷ λόγῳ· ἕτερα δέ, ἀπειθήσαντα τῷ λόγῳ, χρῄζει πόνων, ἵνα μετὰ τοὺς πόνους λόγοις προσαχθέντα ὕστερόν ποτε τούτοις τελειωθῇ. 13.37.246 Πλὴν ἀμφότερα ταῦτα ἓν βρῶμά ἐστιν ἴδιον Ἰησοῦ, τό τε ποιῆσαι τὸ θέλημα τοῦ πέμψαντος αὐτὸν καὶ τὸ τελειῶσαι τὸ ἔργον αὐτοῦ. 13.38.247 Ὁ δὲ Ἡρακλέων διὰ τοῦ «Ἐμὸνβρῶμά ἐστιν ἵνα ποιήσω τὸ θέλημα τοῦ πέμψαντός μέ» φησι διηγεῖσθαι τὸν σωτῆρα τοῖς μαθηταῖς, ὅτι τοῦτο ἦν, ὃ συνεζήτει μετὰ τῆς γυναικός, βρῶμα ἴδιον λέγων τὸ θέλημα τοῦ πατρός· τοῦτο γὰρ αὐτοῦ τροφὴ καὶ ἀνάπαυσις καὶ δύνα μις ἦν. 13.38.248 Θέλημα δὲ πατρὸς ἔλεγεν εἶναι τὸ γνῶναι ἀνθρώ πους τὸν πατέρα καὶ σωθῆναι, ὅπερ ἦν ἔργον τοῦ σωτῆρος τοῦ ἕνεκα τούτου ἀπεσταλμένου εἰς Σαμάρειαν, τουτέστιν εἰς τὸν κόσμον. Βρῶμα οὖν αὐτὸ ἐξείληφεν τοῦ Ἰησοῦ καὶ τὴν μετὰ τῆς Σαμαρείτιδος συζήτησιν, ὅπερ νομίζω σαφῶς παντί τῳ ὁρᾶ σθαι καὶ ταπεινῶς ἐξειλῆφθαι καὶ βεβιασμένως. 13.38.249 Πῶς δὲ τροφὴ τοῦ σωτῆρος τὸ θέλημα τοῦ πατρὸς σαφῶς οὐ παρέστησεν· πῶς δὲ καὶ ἀνάπαυσις τὸ θέλημα τοῦ πατρός; Λέγει γὰρ ὁ κύριος ἀλλαχοῦ, ὡς οὐ πάντως τοῦ πατρικοῦ θελήματος ἀναπαύσεως αὐτοῦ ὄντος· «Πάτερ, εἰ δυνατόν, παρελθάτω τὸ ποτήριον ἀπ' ἐμοῦ· πλῆν οὐ τί ἐγὼ θέλω, ἀλλὰ τί σύ.» Πόθεν δὲ καὶ ὅτι δύναμις τοῦ σωτῆρος τὸ θέλημα τοῦ θεοῦ; 13.39.n Οὐχ ὑμεῖς λέγετε, ὅτι ἔτι τετράμηνός ἐστιν καὶ ὁ θερισμὸς ἔρχεται; ἰδοὺ λέγω ὑμῖν· Ἐπάρατε τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς ὑμῶν καὶ θεάσασθε τὰς χώρας ὅτι λευκαί εἰσιν πρὸς θερισμὸν ἤδη. 13.39.250 Πρὸς τοὺς ὑπολαμβάνοντας ἁπλούστερον καὶ σωματικώτερον εἰρῆσθαι τὸ «Οὐχ ὑμεῖς λέγετε ὅτι τετράμηνός ἐστιν καὶ ὁ θερισμὸς