156

and there little by little He raises the discourse to incorporeal things. For when the prophet asks, "Why are your garments red?" He says: "I have trodden the winepress alone," showing the ease of the victory, and that He had no one to help Him, but that He Himself was sufficient for Himself. For just as it says here, "Your right hand shall lead you wonderfully," so also there, "I have trodden the winepress alone." For in the way that it is easy for the winepress-treader to tread down the clusters of grapes; so it is for God, to work whatever He willed; or rather, not even so, but much more. Your throne, O God, is forever and ever. A scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom. You have loved righteousness and hated iniquity. Therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions. Another [version]: Your throne, O God, is eternal, and more. But the Hebrew says for, O God, your God, *Elohim Eloach*. What would the Jew say here? For concerning whom are these things said? And what would the heretic say? For if he should say that "Your throne, O God, is forever and ever" is said of the Father; how will what follows fit Him: "Therefore God, your God, has anointed you"? For the Father is not the Christ, nor has He Himself been anointed. Whence it is clear that the discourse is about the Only-begotten, about whom the preceding things were also said; which Isaiah also said, that "Of His kingdom there will be no end." 8. But perhaps someone might ask this: why does he now discourse about the divinity, having previously made his discourse about the economy? Because Matthew also does so. For he begins from the flesh, and prefaces thus: "The book of the generation of Jesus Christ." Likewise also Luke and Mark; but John alone does otherwise. For having first spoken about the divinity, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God," and having discoursed much about it, he then said: "And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us." But even if he used a contrary method in writing his Gospel to the others, yet even so he showed great harmony with them. And how could there be reason, he says, for there to be har 55.195 mony in what is contrary? Do you not know that eating is contrary to not eating, and drinking to not drinking, giving to not giving? But often a physician also does many such things, not contradicting himself, but even being in great harmony; for he looks to one end, the health of the one who is sick. This very thing has also happened in the case of the evangelists. Since summer is also contrary to winter, yet it looks to one end, the ripeness of the fruits, and abundance. And the whole world is composed of contraries, but it displays great harmony for our life. And Christ came in a way contrary to John. For the one ate; but the other did not eat. "For John came," He says, "neither eating nor drinking, and they say, 'He has a demon.'" "The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, 'Behold, a glutton and a winebibber.'" But even if the things that happened were contrary, nevertheless they looked to one end, the salvation of those who were to be caught. So also this order concerning the divinity and concerning the economy, even if it was made by John contrary to the others, is nevertheless in great harmony with them. And how, I say. Because in the beginning, when the word had not yet been sown, it was consistent to dwell on the discourse of the economy, and to exercise teaching concerning the flesh, beginning from the more material and perceptible things; but when the things of knowledge were established, and they received the preaching, it was then opportune to begin from above. For this reason also the prophets, whenever they discourse about Him, make their beginning and their prefaces from the economy. See, for example, how Micah begins from below: "And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah, are by no means least among the

156

κἀκεῖ κατὰ μικρὸν πρὸς τὰ ἀσώματα ἀνάγει τὸν λόγον. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἐρωτᾷ ὁ προφήτης, πόθεν ἐρυθρὰ τὰ ἱμάτια, φησί· Ληνὸν ἐπάτησα μονώτατος, τὴν εὐκολίαν δεικνὺς τῆς νίκης, καὶ τὸ μηδένα σχεῖν τὸν συνεργοῦντα αὐτῷ, ἀλλ' ὅτι αὐτὸς ἑαυτῷ ἤρκεσεν. Ὥσπερ γὰρ ἐνταῦθά φησιν, Ὁδηγήσει σε θαυμαστῶς ἡ δεξιά σου· οὕτω καὶ ἐκεῖ, Ληνὸν ἐπάτησα μονώτατος. Ὃν τρόπον γὰρ τῷ ληνοβάτῃ ῥᾴδιον καταπατεῖν τοὺς βότρυς· οὕτω τῷ Θεῷ, ἐργάσασθαι ἅπερ ἠθέλησε· μᾶλλον δὲ οὐδὲ οὕτως, ἀλλὰ καὶ πολλῷ πλεῖον. Ὁ θρόνος σου, ὁ Θεὸς, εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τοῦ αἰῶνος. Ῥάβδος εὐθύτητος, ἡ ῥάβδος τῆς βασιλείας σου. Ἠγάπησας δικαιοσύνην, καὶ ἐμίσησας ἀνομίαν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ἔχρισέ σε ὁ Θεὸς, ὁ Θεός σου ἔλαιον ἀγαλλιάσεως παρὰ τοὺς μετόχους σου. Ἄλλος, Ὁ θρόνος σου, ὁ Θεὸς, αἰώνιος, καὶ ἔτι. Ὁ δὲ Ἑβραῖός φησι τὸ, Ὁ Θεὸς, ὁ Θεός σου, Ἐλωεὶμ Ἐλωάχ. Τί ἐνταῦθα εἴποι ὁἸουδαῖος; Περὶ τίνος γὰρ τὰ λεγόμενα; Τί δὲ ὁ αἱρετικός; Εἰ γὰρ δὴ λέγοι περὶ τοῦ Πατρὸς λέγεσθαι, Ὁ θρόνος σου, ὁ Θεὸς, εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τοῦ αἰῶνος· πῶς ἁρμόσει αὐτῷ τὸ ἑξῆς· ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ἔχρισέ σε ὁ Θεὸς, ὁ Θεός σου; Οὐ γὰρ δὴ ὁ Πατήρ ἐστιν ὁ Χριστὸς, οὐδὲ αὐτὸς κέχρισται. Ὅθεν δῆλον ὅτι περὶ τοῦ Μονογενοῦς ὁ λόγος, περὶ οὗ καὶ τὰ ἔμπροσθεν εἴρηται· ὅπερ καὶ ὁ Ἡσαΐας ἔλεγεν, ὅτι Τῆς βασιλείας αὐτοῦ οὐκ ἔσται τέλος. ηʹ. Ἀλλ' ἴσως ἄν τις ἐκεῖνο ζητήσειε, τί δήποτε νῦν περὶ τῆς θεότητος διαλέγεται, πρότερον περὶ τῆς οἰκονομίας ποιησάμενος τὸν λόγον; Ὅτι καὶ ὁ Ματθαῖος οὕτω ποιεῖ. Ἀπὸ γὰρ τῆς σαρκὸς ἄρχεται, καὶ προοιμιάζεται οὕτω· Βίβλος γενέσεως Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ. Ὁμοίως καὶ Λουκᾶς καὶ Μάρκος· ὁ Ἰωάννης δὲ μόνος ἑτέρως. Πρότερον γὰρ περὶ τῆς θεότητος εἰπὼν, Ἐν ἀρχῇ ἦν ὁ Λόγος, καὶ ὁ Λόγος ἦν πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν, καὶ Θεὸς ἦν ὁ Λόγος, καὶ πολλὰ περὶ αὐτῆς διαλεχθεὶς, τότε εἶπε· Καὶ ὁ Λόγος σὰρξ ἐγένετο, καὶ ἐσκήνωσεν ἐν ἡμῖν. Εἰ δὲ καὶ ἀπεναντίας τοῖς ἄλλοις ἐχρήσατο τῇ γραφῇ τοῦ Εὐαγγελίου, ἀλλὰ καὶ οὕτω μεγάλην πρὸς αὐτοὺς τὴν συμφωνίαν ἐπέδειξε. Καὶ πῶς ἂν ἔχοι λόγον, φησὶν, ἐν τῷ ἐναντίῳ συμ 55.195 φωνίαν εἶναι; Οὐκ οἶσθα, ὅτι καὶ τὸ ἐσθίειν τῷ μὴ ἐσθίειν ἐναντίον ἐστὶ, καὶ τὸ πίνειν τῷ μὴ πίνειν, τὸ δοῦναι τῷ μὴ δοῦναι; Πολλάκις δὲ καὶ ἰατρὸς πολλὰ τοιαῦτα ποιεῖ, οὐχ ἑαυτῷ μαχόμενος, ἀλλὰ καὶ σφόδρα συμφωνῶν· πρὸς γὰρ ἓν ὁρᾷ τέλος, τοῦ κάμνοντος τὴν ὑγείαν. Τοῦτο δὴ καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν εὐαγγελιστῶν γέγονεν. Ἐπεὶ καὶ τὸ θέρος ἀπεναντίας τοῦ χειμῶνός ἐστιν, ἀλλὰ πρὸς ἓν βλέπει τέλος, τὴν τῶν καρπῶν ἀκμὴν, καὶ εὐθηνίαν. Καὶ ὁ κόσμος ἅπας ἐξ ἐναντίων συνέστηκεν, ἀλλὰ πολλὴν εἰς τὴν ζωὴν τὴν ἡμετέραν ἐπιδείκνυται τὴν συμφωνίαν. Καὶ πρὸς τὸν Ἰωάννην δὲ ἀπεναντίας ὁ Χριστὸς ἦλθεν. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ ἤσθιεν· ὁ δὲ οὐκ ἤσθιεν. Ἦλθε γὰρ Ἰωάννης, φησὶ, μήτε ἐσθίων, μήτε πίνων, καὶ λέγουσι· ∆αιμόνιον ἔχει. Ἦλθεν ὁ Υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἐσθίων καὶ πίνων, καὶ λέγουσιν, Ἰδοὺ ἄνθρωπος φάγος, καὶ οἰνοπότης. Ἀλλ' εἰ καὶ ἐναντία ἦν τὰ γινόμενα, ἀλλ' ὅμως πρὸς ἓν ἔβλεπε τέλος, τῶν μελλόντων σαγηνεύεσθαι τὴν σωτηρίαν. Οὕτω δὴ καὶ ἡ τάξις αὕτη ἡ περὶ τῆς θεότητος καὶ περὶ τῆς οἰκονομίας, εἰ καὶ ἀπεναντίας τοῖς ἄλλοις γέγονε παρὰ Ἰωάννου, ἀλλ' ὅμως σφόδρα συμφώνως αὐτοῖς. Καὶ πῶς, ἐγὼ λέγω. Ὅτι παρὰ μὲν τὴν ἀρχὴν οὐδέπω τοῦ λόγου σπαρέντος, ἀκόλουθον ἦν τῷ τῆς οἰκονομίας ἐνδιατρίβειν λόγῳ, καὶ περὶ τὴν τῆς σαρκὸς γυμνάζειν διδασκαλίαν, ἀπὸ τῶν παχυτέρων καὶ αἰσθητῶν προοιμιαζομένους· ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἐπάγη τὰ τῆς γνώσεως, καὶ ἐδέξαντο τὸ κήρυγμα, λοιπὸν εὔκαιρον ἦν ἄνωθεν ἄρχεσθαι. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ οἱ προφῆται, εἴ ποτε περὶ αὐτοῦ διαλέγονται, ἀπὸ τῆς οἰκονομίας ποιοῦνται τὴν ἀρχὴν, καὶ τὰ προοίμια. Ὅρα γοῦν ὁ Μιχαίας πῶς κάτωθεν ἄρχεται· Καὶ σὺ, Βηθλεὲμ γῆ Ἰούδα, οὐδαμῶς ἐλαχίστη εἶ ἐν τοῖς