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touches upon. Whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom also he made the ages. Speaking of the Son, he immediately sets forth the mystery, showing him to be at the same time God and man. But how does he do this? He appointed him, he says, heir of all things; showing that it is of the nations, according to that which says: Ask of me, and I will give thee the nations for thine inheritance. But when is he appointed, or when was it said to him: This day I have begotten thee? This was directed toward the time of the economy. But this one, who received the nations for an inheritance, is himself the one through whom the Father made the ages. For of those things of which he had lordship as God the Word, of these it is said he received the inheritance, inasmuch as he became man; he subjected all the nations to faith in him. Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word 95.932 of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high. See how again he shows us at once God and man. For it is as if he said: Being Light of Light (for this is what "brightness" signifies), he also shows the Father in himself, according to that which says, He that hath seen me hath seen the Father; for this is, the express image of his person. This one, he says, having become man, and having borne our sins; for, having made a purification of sins, signifies this. Again, having fulfilled the mystery of the economy, he was taken up in glory, and sat down at the right hand of the Father. But when you hear "at the right hand," and "on high," do not take these as signifying a place; for the Godhead is uncircumscribed; but as indicative of God-befitting glory. And "upholding all things" is used instead of, "administering and governing." For through him all things were made, and consist, as Paul said in his public discourses. And well does he say, "upholding by the word," to show that the whole creation, that above, that below, just as those who move very small and easily moved things rather with a finger, so he by a word upholds things on earth, in heaven, and above the heavens. Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they. For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son. Since, proclaiming the mystery of the economy, he said that he had humbled himself, taking the form of a servant; for this reason he compares him to angels, showing that even though he became man, he is no less God and Lord, and he strengthens this argument from above from the prophets, so that no one may be able to contradict what is said. And again, when he bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him. And of the angels he saith, Who maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire. But unto the Son. Let it not trouble you, he says, to hear that he was made a little lower than the angels. For see how he is again God, seeing that even angels worship him. As for "into the world," some say the one here, others the one to come. Both are well said. And as he was fulfilling the mystery of the economy, the angels ministered to him as to a Lord; and he went into heaven, angels having been subjected to him, 95.933 according to the voice of Peter. Again, he takes "having been subjected" because of the economy. Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever, a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom. Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness. Observe again how he shows the same one to be God and man, showing through the throne and the sceptre his kingdom and his divinity; but through "God, thy God, hath anointed thee," the mystery of the economy. Above thy fellows. So that all who partake of his fellowship have the oil of gladness, inasmuch as of his fulness have all we received, according to the voice of the Gospel. That is, the Son did not receive the spirit by measure. And: Thou, Lord, in the beginning, the earth
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ἅπτεται. Ὃν ἔθηκεν κληρονόμον πάντων, δι' οὗ καὶ τοὺς αἰῶνας ἐποίησεν. Εἰπὼν περὶ τοῦ Υἱοῦ, εὐθὺς ἐκτίθεται τὸ μυστήριον, τὸν αὐτὸν Θεὸν καὶ ἄνθρωπον ἐπιδεικνύς. Πῶς δὲ τοῦτο ποιεῖ; Ἔθηκεν αὐτὸν, φησὶ, κληρονόμον πάντων· δηλῶν δὲ ὅτι τῶν ἐθνῶν, κατὰ τό· Αἴτησαι παρ' ἐμοῦ, καὶ δώσω σοι ἔθνη τὴν κληρονομίαν σου. Πότε δὲ τίθεται, ἢ ὅτε εἴρηται πρὸς αὐτόν· Ἐγὼ σήμερον γεγέννηκά σε; Τοῦτο δὲ εἰς τὸν καιρὸν τῆς οἰκονομίας ἀπετείνετο. Ἀλλ' οὗτος, ὁ τὰ ἔθνη εἰς κλῆρον δεξάμενος, αὐτός ἐστιν, δι' οὗ τοὺς αἰῶνας ἐποίησεν ὁ Πατήρ. Ὧν γὰρ εἶχε τὴν δεσποτείαν καθὸ Θεὸς Λόγος, τούτων λέγεται τὸν κλῆρον λαβεῖν, καθὸ γεγονὼς ἄνθρωπος· ὑπέταξεν τῇ εἰς αὐτὸν πίστει πάντα τὰ ἔθνη. Ὃς ὢν ἀπαύγασμα τῆς δόξης, καὶ χαρακτὴρ τῆς ὑποστάσεως αὐτοῦ, φέρων τε τὰ πάντα τῷ ῥή 95.932 ματι τῆς δυνάμεως αὐτοῦ, δι' ἑαυτοῦ καθαρισμὸν ποιησάμενος τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν ἡμῶν, ἐκάθισεν ἐν δεξιᾷ τῆς μεγαλωσύνης ἐν ὑψηλοῖς. Ὅρα πῶς πάλιν ἡμῖν τὸν Θεὸν ὁμοῦ δείκνυσι καὶ ἄνθρωπον. Ὅμοιον γὰρ ὡς εἰ λέγοι· Φῶς ὢν ἐκ φωτὸς (τοῦτο γὰρ τὸ, ἀπαύγασμα, δηλοῖ), καὶ ἐν ἑαυτῷ τὸν Πατέρα δείκνυσι, κατὰ τὸ, Ὁ ἑωρακώς με, ἑώρακε τὸν Πατέρα· τοῦτο γάρ ἐστι, χαρακτὴρ τῆς ὑποστάσεως αὐτοῦ. Οὗτος, φησὶ, γεγονὼς ἄνθρωπος, καὶ τὰς ἁμαρτίας ἡμῶν βαστάσας· τὸ γὰρ, καθαρισμὸν τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν ποιησάμενος, τοῦτο δηλοῖ. Πάλιν πληρώσας τὸ τῆς οἰκονομίας μυστήριον, ἀνελήφθη ἐν δόξῃ, ἐκάθισέ τε ἐν δεξιᾷ τοῦ Πατρός. Τὸ δὲ ἐν δεξιᾷ, καὶ, ἐν ὑψηλοῖς, ἀκούων, μὴ τόπον αὐτὰς σημασίας λάμβανε· ἀπερίγραπτον γὰρ τὸ Θεῖον· ἀλλὰ θεοπρεποῦς δόξης δηλωτικάς. Τὸ δὲ φέρων τὰ πάντα, ἀντὶ τοῦ, διοικῶν καὶ κυβερνῶν, κεῖται. ∆ι' αὐτοῦ γὰρ πάντα ἐγένετο, καὶ συνέστηκεν, ὡς ἐν δημηγορίαις ὁ Παῦλος ἔφη. Εὖ δὲ τὸ, φέρων ἐν τῷ ῥήματι, ἵνα δείξῃ, ὡς τὴν σύμπασαν κτίσιν, τὴν ἄνω, τὴν κάτω, ὥσπερ οἱ τὰ πάνυ μικρὰ καὶ εὐπαράφορα μᾶλλον δακτύλου κινοῦντες, οὕτως αὐτὸς ῥήματι τὰ ἐπίγεια, τὰ οὐράνια, τὰ ἐπουράνια φέρει. Τοσούτῳ κρείττων γενόμενος τῶν ἀγγέλων, ὅσῳ διαφορώτερον παρ' αὐτοὺς ἐκληρονόμησεν ὄνομα. Τίνι γὰρ εἶπέ ποτε τῶν ἀγγέλων· Υἱός μου εἶ σὺ, ἐγὼ σήμερον γεγέννηκά σε; καὶ πάλιν, Ἐγὼ ἔσομαι αὐτῷ εἰς πατέρα, καὶ αὐτὸς ἔσται μοι εἰς υἱόν. Ἐπειδὴ τὸ τῆς οἰκονομίας κηρύσσων μυστήριον, τεταπεινωκέναι ἑαυτὸν ἔφη, λαβόντα δούλου μορφήν· τούτου χάριν ἀγγέλοις αὐτὸν συγκρίνει, δεικνὺς, ὡς ὅτι καὶ γεγονὼς ἄνθρωπος, οὐδὲν ἧττόν ἐστι Θεὸς καὶ ∆εσπότης, καὶ τὸν ἀγῶνα τοῦτον ἄνωθεν ἐκ προφητῶν ἰσχυροποιεῖ, ὅπως ἂν μηδεὶς ἀντιλέγειν ἔχῃ τοῖς λεγομένοις. Ὅταν δὲ πάλιν εἰσαγάγῃ τὸν πρωτότοκον εἰς τὴν οἰκουμένην, λέγει· Καὶ προσκυνησάτωσαν αὐτῷ πάντες ἄγγελοι Θεοῦ· καὶ πρὸς μὲν τοὺς ἀγγέλους λέγει· Ὁ ποιῶν τοὺς ἀγγέλους αὐτοῦ πνεύματα, καὶ τοὺς λειτουργοὺς αὐτοῦ πυρὸς φλόγα. Πρὸς δὲ τὸν Υἱόν. Μὴ θορυβείτω σε, φησὶ, τὸ ἀκοῦσαι βραχύ τι παρ' ἀγγέλους αὐτὸν ἐλαττοῦσθαι. Ὅρα γὰρ πῶς πάλιν ἐστὶ Θεὸς, ὅπου γε καὶ ἄγγελοι προσκυνοῦσιν αὐτῷ. Τὸ δὲ, εἰς τὴν οἰκουμένην, οἱ μὲν τὴν ὧδε λέγουσιν, οἱ δὲ τὴν μέλλουσαν. Ἀμφότερα δὲ ἔχει καλῶς. Καὶ τὸ τῆς οἰκονομίας μυστήριον τελοῦντι αὐτῷ, διηκόνουν ὡς ∆εσπότῃ οἱ ἄγγελοι· καὶ ἐπορεύθη ἐν οὐρανοῖς, ὑποταγέντων αὐτῷ ἀγγέλων, 95.933 κατὰ τὴν τοῦ Πέτρου φωνήν. Πάλιν δὲ τὸ ὑποταγέντων, διὰ τὴν οἰκονομίαν λαμβάνει. Ὁ θρόνος σου, ὁ Θεὸς, εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τοῦ αἰῶνος, ῥάβδος εὐθύτητος ἡ ῥάβδος τῆς βασιλείας σου. Ἠγάπησας δικαιοσύνην, καὶ ἐμίσησας ἀνομίαν· διὰ τοῦτο ἔχρισέ σε ὁ Θεὸς, ὁ Θεός σου ἔλαιον ἀγαλλιάσεως. Σκόπει πάλιν πῶς τὸν αὐτὸν, Θεὸν καὶ ἄνθρωπον δείκνυσι, διὰ μὲν τοῦ θρόνου καὶ τῆς ῥάβδου τὴν βασιλείαν αὐτοῦ, καὶ τὴν θεότητα δεικνύς· διὰ δὲ τοῦ, ἔχρισέ σε ὁ Θεὸς, ὁ Θεός σου, τὸ τῆς οἰκονομίας μυστήριον. Παρὰ τοὺς μετόχους σου. Ὥστε πάντας τοὺς μετέχοντας τῆς αὐτοῦ συναφείας, τὸ ἔλαιον ἔχειν τῆς ἀγαλλιάσεως, καθὸ ἐκ τοῦ πληρώματος αὐτοῦ πάντες ἡμεῖς ἐλάβομεν, κατὰ τὴν τοῦ Εὐαγγελίου φωνήν. Τουτέστι, τὸ πνεῦμα οὐκ ἐκ μέτρου ἔλαβεν ὁ Υἱός. Καί· Σὺ κατ' ἀρχὰς, Κύριε, τὴν γῆν