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is ignorant of the end? For in what he says, "The end is not yet," he is not defining as one in doubt, but as one who knows. Then, moreover, to one who considers it reasonably, the Lord says many things also from his human side; for the utterance, "Give me a drink," is one that fulfills a bodily need. And yet the one asking was not inanimate flesh, but divinity using ensouled flesh. Thus, therefore, if one takes the statement about ignorance as applying to him who advanced in wisdom and grace before God and men, one will not be carried outside of pious thought. 236.2 It would be a task for your diligence to set forth the evangelical sayings and to compare with each other those of Matthew and Mark. For these alone appear to have agreed with each other concerning this passage. The text of Matthew, then, is as follows: "But concerning that day no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, except the Father alone." But that of Mark: "But concerning that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels who are in heaven, nor the Son, except the Father." What, then, is worthy of note in these? That Matthew said nothing about the Son's ignorance, but he seems to agree with Mark in meaning by saying, "except the Father alone." But we think that "alone" is said in contrast to the angels, and that the Son is not included with his own servants in ignorance. For he is truthful who said, "All things that the Father has are mine." And one of the things he has is the knowledge of that day and hour. Therefore, having passed over his own person in silence in the text of Matthew as something agreed upon, the Lord said that the angels are ignorant, but that the Father alone knows, saying that the Father's knowledge is also his own according to what is kept silent, because he has also said in other places: "Just as the Father knows me, I also know the Father." And if the Father knows the Son wholly through and through, so as to know all the wisdom laid up in him, by the same measure he will also be known by the Son, clearly with all the wisdom inherent in him and the foreknowledge of future things. Therefore, we deem the passage in Matthew worthy of this consolation: "except the Father alone." But that of Mark, since it seems clearly to exclude the Son also from knowledge, we understand thus: that no one knows, neither the angels of God, nor would the Son have known, except the Father; that is, the cause of the Son's knowing is from the Father. And this explanation is not forced for one who listens reasonably, since "alone" is not added, as it is in Matthew. Therefore, the meaning in Mark is this: concerning the day or hour no one knows, neither the angels of God, nor would the Son have known, except the Father; for the knowledge was given to him from the Father. And this is most reverent and fitting for God to say concerning the Son, that from him of whom he is consubstantial, he has both his knowing and his being seen in all wisdom and glory befitting his divinity. 236.3 Concerning Jeconiah, of whom the prophet Jeremiah says he was cast out from the land of Judea, saying: "Jeconiah was dishonored like a vessel for which there is no use, and because he and his seed were cast out, and there will not rise from his seed one sitting upon the throne of David, ruling in Judah." The saying is clear and simple. For when Jerusalem was overthrown by Nebuchadnezzar, the kingdom was dissolved, and there were no longer paternal successions of rulers, as before, but then from the beginning the descendants of David lived in captivity. But when those around Salathiel and Zerubbabel returned, they led the people more democratically, the rule having then passed to the priesthood because the priestly and royal tribe were mixed. Whence the Lord is both king and high priest in things pertaining to God. And the royal tribe did not indeed fail until the coming of Christ; yet the seed of Jeconiah no longer sat upon the throne of David. For throne clearly means the royal

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τέλος ἀγνοεῖ; Ἐν οἷς γὰρ λέγει «Οὔπω τὸ τέλος» οὐχ ὡς ἀμφιβάλλων, ἀλλ' ὡς εἰδὼς διορίζεται. Ἔπειτα μέντοι εὐγνωμόνως σκοποῦντι πολλὰ καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ ἀνθρωπίνου μέρους ὁ Κύριος διαλέγεται· τὸ γὰρ «∆ός μοι πιεῖν» φωνή ἐστι τὴν σωματικὴν χρείαν ἐκπληροῦσα. Καίτοι ὁ αἰτῶν οὐχὶ σὰρξ ἦν ἄψυχος, ἀλλὰ θεό της σαρκὶ ἐμψύχῳ κεχρημένη. Οὕτω τοίνυν τὸ τῆς ἀγνοίας ἐπὶ τὸν προκόπτοντα παρὰ Θεῷ καὶ ἀνθρώποις σοφίᾳ καὶ χάριτι λαμβάνων τις οὐκ ἔξω τῆς εὐσεβοῦς ἐνεχθήσεται διανοίας. 236.2 Τῆς σῆς δ' ἂν εἴη φιλοπονίας ἐκθέσθαι τὰς εὐαγ γελικὰς ῥήσεις καὶ συγκρῖναι ἀλλήλαις τήν τε Ματθαίου καὶ Μάρκου. Οὗτοι γὰρ μόνοι συνενεχθέντες περὶ τὸν τόπον τοῦτον ἀλλήλοις φαίνονται. Ἡ μὲν οὖν τοῦ Ματθαίου λέξις οὕτως ἔχει· «Περὶ δὲ τῆς ἡμέρας ἐκείνης οὐδεὶς οἶδεν, οὐδὲ οἱ ἄγγελοι τῶν οὐρανῶν, εἰ μὴ ὁ Πατὴρ μόνος.» Ἡ δὲ τοῦ Μάρκου· «Περὶ δὲ τῆς ἡμέρας ἐκείνης ἢ ὥρας οὐδεὶς οἶδεν, οὐδὲ οἱ ἄγγελοι οἱ ἐν οὐρανῷ, οὐδὲ ὁ Υἱός, εἰ μὴ ὁ Πατήρ.» Τί τοίνυν ἐστὶν ἐν τούτοις ἐπισημήνασθαι ἄξιον; Ὅτι ὁ μὲν Ματθαῖος οὐδὲν εἶπε περὶ τῆς τοῦ Υἱοῦ ἀγνω σίας, δοκεῖ δὲ τῷ Μάρκῳ συμφέρεσθαι κατὰ τὴν ἔννοιαν ἐκ τοῦ φάναι «Εἰ μὴ ὁ Πατὴρ μόνος.» Ἡμεῖς δὲ ἡγούμεθα τὸ μόνος πρὸς τὴν τῶν ἀγγέλων ἀντιδιαστολὴν εἰρῆσθαι, τὸν δὲ Υἱὸν μὴ συμπαραλαμβάνεσθαι τοῖς ἑαυτοῦ δούλοις κατὰ τὴν ἄγνοιαν. Ἀψευδὴς γὰρ ὁ εἰπὼν ὅτι «Πάντα ὅσα ἔχει ὁ Πατὴρ ἐμά ἐστιν.» Ἓν δὲ ὧν ἔχει καὶ ἡ γνῶσίς ἐστι τῆς ἡμέρας ἐκείνης καὶ τῆς ὥρας. Παρασιωπήσας τοίνυν ὡς ὁμολογούμενον τὸ ἑαυτοῦ πρόσωπον ἐν τῇ λέξει τοῦ Ματ θαίου ὁ Κύριος τοὺς ἀγγέλους εἶπεν ἀγνοεῖν, εἰδέναι δὲ τὸν Πατέρα μόνον, τὴν τοῦ Πατρὸς γνῶσιν κατὰ τὸ σιωπώμε νον καὶ ἑαυτοῦ εἶναι λέγων, διὰ τὸ καὶ ἐν ἄλλοις εἰρηκέναι· «Καθὼς γινώσκει με ὁ Πατήρ, κἀγὼ γινώσκω τὸν Πατέρα.» Εἰ δὲ γινώσκει ὁ Πατὴρ τὸν Υἱὸν ὅλον δι' ὅλου, ὥστε καὶ τὴν ἐναποκειμένην αὐτῷ σοφίαν πᾶσαν ἐπίστασθαι, κατὰ τὸ ἴσον μέτρον καὶ ἐπιγνωσθήσεται παρὰ τοῦ Υἱοῦ δηλονότι μετὰ πάσης τῆς ἐνυπαρχούσης αὐτῷ σοφίας καὶ τῆς προ γνώσεως τῶν μελλόντων. Ταύτης μὲν οὖν ἀξιοῦμεν τῆς παραμυθίας τὸ παρὰ τῷ Ματθαίῳ κείμενον· «Εἰ μὴ ὁ Πατὴρ μόνος.» Τὸ δὲ Μάρκου, ἐπειδὴ φανερῶς δοκεῖ καὶ τὸν Υἱὸν ἀπομερίζειν τῆς γνώσεως, οὕτω νοοῦμεν ὅτι οὐδεὶς οἶδεν, οὔτε οἱ ἄγγελοι τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἀλλ' οὐδ' ἂν ὁ Υἱὸς ἔγνω, εἰ μὴ ὁ Πατήρ· τουτέστιν ἡ αἰτία τοῦ εἰδέναι τὸν Υἱὸν παρὰ τοῦ Πατρός. Καὶ ἀβίαστός ἐστι τῷ εὐγνωμόνως ἀκούοντι ἡ ἐξήγησις αὕτη, ἐπειδὴ οὐ πρόσκειται τὸ μόνος, ὡς καὶ παρὰ τῷ Ματθαίῳ. Ἔστιν οὖν ὁ νοῦς ὁ παρὰ Μάρκῳ τοιοῦτος· περὶ δὲ τῆς ἡμέρας ἢ ὥρας οὐδεὶς οἶδεν, οὔτε οἱ ἄγγελοι τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἀλλ' οὐδ' ἂν ὁ Υἱὸς ἔγνω, εἰ μὴ ὁ Πατήρ· ἐκ γὰρ τοῦ Πατρὸς αὐτῷ ὑπῆρχε δεδομένη ἡ γνῶσις. Τοῦτο δὲ εὐφημότατόν ἐστι καὶ θεοπρεπὲς περὶ τοῦ Υἱοῦ λέγειν, ὅτι οὗπέρ ἐστιν ὁμοούσιος, ἐξ αὐτοῦ καὶ τὸ γινώσκειν ἔχει καὶ τὸ ἐν πάσῃ σοφίᾳ καὶ δόξῃ τῇ πρεπούσῃ αὐτοῦ τῇ θεότητι θεωρεῖσθαι. 236.3 Περὶ δὲ τοῦ Ἰεχονίου ὃν ἐκκήρυκτον ἀπὸ τῆς Ἰουδαίας γῆς γεγενῆσθαί φησιν ὁ προφήτης Ἱερεμίας εἰπών· «Ἠτιμώθη Ἰεχονίας ὡς σκεῦος οὗ οὐκ ἔστιν αὐτοῦ χρεία, καὶ ὅτι ἀπερρίφη αὐτὸς καὶ τὸ σπέρμα αὐτοῦ, καὶ οὐ μὴ ἀναστῇ ἐκ τοῦ σπέρματος αὐτοῦ καθήμενος ἐπὶ τοῦ θρόνου ∆αβίδ, ἄρχων ἐν τῷ Ἰούδᾳ.» Σαφὴς καὶ ἁπλοῦς ἐστιν ὁ λόγος. Καθαιρεθείσης γὰρ τῆς Ἱερουσαλὴμ ὑπὸ Ναβουχοδο νόσορ λέλυτο μὲν τὰ βασίλεια, οὐκέτι δὲ πατρικαὶ διαδοχαὶ τῶν ἡγεμονιῶν ἦσαν, ὥσπερ καὶ τὸ πρότερον, ἀλλὰ τότε μὲν ἐξ ἀρχῆς ἐπὶ τῆς αἰχμαλωσίας διῆγον οἱ ἀπόγονοι τοῦ ∆αβίδ. Ἐπανελθόντες δὲ οἱ περὶ τὸν Σαλαθιὴλ καὶ Ζοροβάβελ δημοτικώτερον καθηγοῦντο τοῦ λαοῦ, τῆς ἀρχῆς λοιπὸν ἐπὶ τὴν ἱερωσύνην μεταπεσούσης διὰ τὸ ἀναμιγῆναι τὴν ἱερατικὴν καὶ βασιλικὴν φυλήν. Ὅθεν ὁ Κύριος καὶ βασιλεύς ἐστι καὶ ἀρχιερεὺς τὰ πρὸς τὸν Θεόν. Καὶ οὐκ ἐξέλιπε μὲν ἡ βασιλικὴ φυλὴ μέχρι τῆς τοῦ Χριστοῦ παρουσίας· οὐ μὴν ἔτι ἐκάθισεν ἐπὶ θρόνου τοῦ ∆αβὶδ τὸ σπέρμα Ἰεχονίου. Θρόνος γὰρ δηλονότι λέγεται τὸ βασιλικὸν