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that is, both from the human and from the divinity that was mingled with the human, and to each of these he applies the appropriate and fitting expressions, as one can see happening also in the gospels, in which the discourse, being carried out in a way suitable to the subject, on the one hand indicates the divine through its higher and God-befitting meaning, and on the other hand, the human through its lowly and humble 3.1.46 [meaning]. Thus one can also see in this passage Solomon being moved prophetically and having delivered the whole mystery of the economy. For first he speaks of the pre-eternal power and energy of wisdom, in which, in a certain way, he agrees with the evangelist even in the very words. For just as he proclaimed him the cause and creator of all things with a comprehensive voice, so Solomon says that each of the things numbered in the 3.1.47 universe came to be from him. For he says that God founded the earth by wisdom, and prepared the heavens in understanding, and whatever follows these in sequence, holding to the same thought. And so that he might not seem to overlook unmentioned the gift of virtue among men, again he goes through those things, speaking from the person of wisdom, which we mentioned a little before, the 'I have dwelt in counsel, and knowledge, and thought,' and whatever belongs to intellectual and scientific teaching. 3.1.48 Having gone through these and similar things, he adds also teaching about the economy with respect to the human being, why the Word became flesh. For since it is clear to all that God who is over all has nothing created or adventitious in himself, not power, not wisdom, not light, not word, not life, not truth, nor indeed anything at all of the things contemplated in the fullness of the divine bosom, all of which are the only-begotten God, who is in the bosom of the Father, the name of 'creation' could not reasonably be applied to any of the things contemplated in God, so as to say of the Son in the Father, or the Word in the beginning, or the light in the Light, or the life in the Life, or the wisdom in Wisdom, 3.1.49 that 'The Lord created me.' For if the wisdom of God is created, and Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God, then God must have had wisdom as something adventitious, having later acquired by construction what he did not have at the first. But indeed he who is in the bosom of the Father never allows us to think of the paternal bosom as empty of himself. Therefore he is not one of those things that came to be in the bosom from without, but being the fullness of every good, he who was in the beginning is always conceived in the Father, not waiting to come to be in him through creation, so that the Father might never be conceived as empty of good things, but he who is conceived to be in the eternity of the paternal divinity is always in him, being power and life and truth and light and wisdom and such 3.1.50 things. Therefore, the phrase 'he created me' is not from the divine and unadulterated nature, but, as has been said, from that which was mingled according to the economy from our created nature. How then does the same one both found the earth and prepare the heavens and break up the abysses, being called wisdom and understanding and divine perception, and here is created for a beginning of works? Not without great cause, he says, is such 3.1.51 an economy worked together. But since human beings, having received the commandment which we were to keep, cast out the grace from memory, having come into the forgetfulness of good things through disobedience, for this reason, that I might announce to you again the things that happen daily for salvation and remind you, by enumerating the things from eternity which you have forgotten; for I do not now announce a new gospel, but I am working out your restoration to the ancient state; for this reason I was created, I who am forever and have no need of being created in order to be, so that I might become a beginning of ways for the works of God, I mean human beings. For since the first way was destroyed, it was necessary for a new and living way to be inaugurated again for those who were wandering, I myself who am the way. 3.1.52 And that the thought of 'he created me' looks to the human, the divine apostle shows this to us more clearly through his own words, in which he commands that 'Put on the Lord

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τουτέστιν ἔκ τε τοῦ ἀνθρωπίνου καὶ ἐκ τῆς ἀνακραθείσης τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ θεότητος, ἑκατέρῳ δὲ τού των ἐφαρμόζει τὰς καταλλήλους τε καὶ πρεπούσας φωνάς, καθὼς ἔστιν ἰδεῖν καὶ ἐν τοῖς εὐαγγελίοις γινόμενον, ἐν οἷς ὁ λόγος κατὰ τὸ πρόσφορον τῷ ὑποκειμένῳ διεξαγόμενος διὰ μὲν τῆς ὑψηλοτέρας τε καὶ θεοπρεποῦς σημασίας τὸ θεῖον ἐνδείκνυται, διὰ δὲ τῆς χαμαιζήλου τε καὶ ταπεινῆς 3.1.46 τὸ ἀνθρώπινον. οὕτως ἔστιν ἰδεῖν καὶ ἐν τῷ μέρει τούτῳ προφητικῶς τὸν Σολομῶντα κινούμενον καὶ ὅλον παραδε δωκότα τὸ τῆς οἰκονομίας μυστήριον. λέγει γὰρ πρότερον μὲν τὴν προαιώνιον τῆς σοφίας δύναμίν τε καὶ ἐνέργειαν, ἐν οἷς τῷ εὐαγγελιστῇ τρόπον τινὰ καὶ ἐπ' αὐτῶν τῶν ῥημά των συμφέρεται. ὡς γὰρ ἐκεῖνος τῇ περιληπτικῇ φωνῇ πάν των αὐτὸν αἴτιον καὶ δημιουργὸν ἀνεκήρυξεν, οὕτως ὁ Σολο μὼν παρ' αὐτοῦ γεγενῆσθαι τὰ καθέκαστον λέγει τὰ ἐν τῷ 3.1.47 παντὶ ἀριθμούμενα. φησὶ γὰρ ὅτι ὁ θεὸς τῇ σοφίᾳ ἐθε μελίωσε τὴν γῆν, ἡτοίμασε δὲ οὐρανοὺς ἐν φρονήσει καὶ ὅσα τούτοις κατὰ τὸ ἀκόλουθον ἕπεται τῆς αὐτῆς ἐχόμενα διανοίας. καὶ ὡς ἂν μὴ δοκοίη τὴν δωρεὰν τῆς ἐν ἀν θρώποις ἀρετῆς περιορᾶν ἀμνημόνευτον, πάλιν ἐκ προσώπου τῆς σοφίας ἐκεῖνα διέξεισι λέγων, ὧν μικρῷ πρόσθεν ἐμνη μονεύσαμεν, τὸ Κατεσκήνωσα βουλὴν καὶ γνῶσιν καὶ ἔν νοιαν, καὶ ὅσα τῆς νοερᾶς τε καὶ ἐπιστημονικῆς διδασκα λίας ἐστί. 3.1.48 Ταῦτα καὶ τὰ τοιαῦτα διεξελθὼν ἐπάγει καὶ περὶ τῆς κατὰ τὸν ἄνθρωπον οἰκονομίας διδασκαλίαν, διὰ τί σὰρξ ὁ λόγος ἐγένετο. φανεροῦ γὰρ ἅπασιν ὄντος ὅτι οὐδὲν ἐν ἑαυτῷ κτιστὸν ἢ ἐπείσακτον ὁ ἐπὶ πάντων ἔχει θεός, οὐ δύναμιν, οὐ σοφίαν, οὐ φῶς, οὐ λόγον, οὐ ζωήν, οὐκ ἀλή θειαν οὐδὲ ὅλως τι τῶν ἐν τῷ πληρώματι τοῦ θείου κόλπου θεωρουμένων, ἅπερ πάντα ἐστὶν ὁ μονογενὴς θεός, ὁ ὢν ἐν τοῖς κόλποις τοῦ πατρός, οὐκ ἄν τινι τῶν ἐν τῷ θεῷ θεω ρουμένων εὐλόγως ἐφαρμοσθείη τὸ τῆς κτίσεως ὄνομα, ὥστε εἰπεῖν τὸν ἐν τῷ πατρὶ υἱὸν ἢ τὸν ἐν τῇ ἀρχῇ λόγον ἢ τὸ ἐν τῷ φωτὶ φῶς ἢ τὴν ἐν τῇ ζωῇ ζωὴν ἢ τὴν ἐν τῇ σοφίᾳ 3.1.49 σοφίαν ὅτι Κύριος ἔκτισέ με. εἰ γὰρ κτιστὴ τοῦ θεοῦ ἡ σοφία, Χριστὸς δὲ θεοῦ δύναμις καὶ θεοῦ σοφία, ἐπείσακτον ἔσχε πάντως ὁ θεὸς τὴν σοφίαν, ὕστερον ἐκ κατασκευῆς προσλαβὼν ὃ μὴ παρὰ τὴν πρώτην εἶχεν. ἀλλὰ μὴν ὁ ἐν τοῖς κόλποις ὢν τοῦ πατρὸς οὐδέποτε κενὸν ἑαυτοῦ δίδωσι νοεῖν τὸν πατρῷον κόλπον. ἄρα οὐ τῶν ἔξωθεν ἐγγενο μένων ἐστὶ τῷ κόλπῳ, ἀλλὰ παντὸς ἀγαθοῦ πλήρωμα ὢν πάντοτε ἐν τῷ πατρὶ νοεῖται ὁ ἐν ἀρχῇ ὤν, οὐκ ἀναμένων τὸ διὰ κτίσεως ἐν αὐτῷ γενέσθαι, ὡς ἂν μήποτε κενὸς ἀγαθῶν ὁ πατὴρ νοηθείη, ἀλλ' ὁ ἐν τῇ ἀϊδιότητι τῆς πατρικῆς θεότητος εἶναι νοούμενος ἀεὶ ἐν αὐτῷ ἐστι, δύ ναμις ὢν καὶ ζωὴ καὶ ἀλήθεια καὶ φῶς καὶ σοφία καὶ τὰ 3.1.50 τοιαῦτα. οὐκοῦν οὐκ ἐκ τοῦ θείου τε καὶ ἀκηράτου ἐστὶν ἡ τοῦ ἔκτισέ με φωνή, ἀλλά, καθὼς εἴρηται, ἐκ τοῦ ἀνα κραθέντος κατ' οἰκονομίαν ἀπὸ τῆς κτιστῆς ἡμῶν φύσεως. πῶς οὖν ἡ αὐτὴ καὶ τὴν γῆν θεμελιοῖ καὶ τοὺς οὐρανοὺς ἑτοιμάζει καὶ τὰς ἀβύσσους ἀναρρήγνυσι, σοφία καὶ φρό νησις καὶ θεία αἴσθησις καλουμένη, καὶ ἐνταῦθα κτίζεται εἰς ἔργων ἀρχήν; οὐκ ἄνευ, φησίν, αἰτίας μεγάλης ἡ τοι 3.1.51 αύτη συνεργεῖται οἰκονομία. ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ τῶν παραφυλα κτέων ἡμῖν τὴν ἐντολὴν λαβόντες οἱ ἄνθρωποι ἐξέβαλον τῆς μνήμης τὴν χάριν, διὰ τῆς παρακοῆς ἐν τῇ τῶν ἀγαθῶν λήθῃ γενόμενοι, διὰ τοῦτο, ἵνα ἀναγγείλω πάλιν ὑμῖν τὰ καθ' ἡμέραν ἐπὶ σωτηρίᾳ γινόμενα καὶ ἀναμνήσω τὰ ἐξ αἰῶνος ἀπαριθμησάμενος ὧν ἐπελάθεσθε· οὐ γὰρ καινόν τι καταγγέλλω νῦν εὐαγγέλιον, ἀλλὰ τὴν εἰς τὸ ἀρχαῖον ἀποκατάστασιν ὑμῶν πραγματεύομαι· τούτου χάριν ἐκτίσθην ὁ ἀεὶ ὢν καὶ μηδὲν τοῦ κτισθῆναι πρὸς τὸ εἶναι δεόμενος, ὥστε με γενέσθαι ἀρχὴν ὁδῶν εἰς τὰ ἔργα τοῦ θεοῦ, τοὺς ἀνθρώπους λέγω. τῆς γὰρ ὁδοῦ τῆς πρώτης καταφθαρείσης, ἔδει πάλιν ἐγκαινισθῆναι τοῖς πλανωμένοις ὁδὸν πρόσφατόν τε καὶ ζῶσαν, αὐτὸν ἐμὲ ὅς εἰμι ἡ ὁδός. 3.1.52 Καὶ ὅτι πρὸς τὸ ἀνθρώπινον ἡ τοῦ ἔκτισέ με διάνοια βλέπει, σαφέστερον ἡμῖν τοῦτο παρίστησι διὰ τῶν ἰδίων λόγων ὁ θεῖος ἀπόστολος, ἐν οἷς διακελεύεται ὅτι Ἐνδύσασθε τὸν κύριον