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Inscribing such names, at any rate, they went to the testimony of God with much courage and boldness. Which indeed the prophecy signifies, saying: This one will say, 'I am of God,' and this one will call upon the name of Jacob, and another will write on his hand, 'I am of God,' and another will call upon the name of Israel. 2.26 The Word, having described the former subject as being evangelical because it proclaimed the illumination for humanity of the chosen one of God and announced the best news to the land of the Gentiles, once waterless and desolate, here makes its discourse from another beginning to the idolaters of the Jewish nation, to whom it says: Thus says God, the king of Israel. But it clarifies of which Israel it says he is king by adding next: and the one who redeemed him, God Sabaoth, teaching that he would be king of the redeemed Israel alone, but not of those accused of idolatry. But to these very ones, as being humble in their minds and still at that time terrified about idolatry, it brings a refutation of the error, advising and teaching to consider no other god than him alone, because there is no other, nor another after him. Therefore it says: 'I am first, and I am after these things; besides me there is no god.' Where again it is fitting to place alongside and to connect the phrase: 'and the servant, whom I have chosen.' For since it was said once by the preceding word, it is necessary for us, remembering it, to include the same word in each theology. For that which was said once and testified by God has been said truly, and that which has been truly said, being included everywhere, is true. But who was 'the servant, whom he chose,' other than he about whom it was said: 'Behold my servant, whom I have supported, my chosen one, my soul has received him; he will bring forth judgment to the Gentiles, and in his name the Gentiles will hope' and the things following these, by which the Word clearly presents the Christ of God? But this has been presented in the preceding passages with all sorts of proofs, while to those persisting in the idolatrous error and supposing there to be many gods, the present word sets forth the teaching of considering 'no other god besides the one'. For the unbegotten is one and the monarchical authority over all things is one. And if the Word of God is also included in the theology of the Father—for 'In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God'—but it was not opportune for those still terrified about carved images and statues and lifeless matter to reveal the mystery concerning the only-begotten Son of God. Therefore this was reserved for the coming of the Son himself and the grace given through him to all who no longer practiced idolatry, but for those still wandering in the opinion concerning many gods, so as to approach lifeless statues and all sorts of carved images as gods. And such were the Jews in the time of the prophet. Fittingly the Word offers the refutation, saying: Who is like me? Let him stand, let him call, and let him announce and prepare for me from when I made man forever; for let him say, if there is a god, what work of his own he shows among the things in the universe. For if the world is one and this is of one nature and joined to itself, its creator would also be one. But this one, 'from the greatness and beauty of created things,' is seen as the 'author of the being' of the universe. But if someone introduces another, let him show such a one by likewise presenting another world; but there is no other besides the visible world, 'therefore neither will there be another god'. But if there is, let him first stand, it says, that is, let him show his own existence; that he exists in the substance of being and that he remains and stands by himself. Then let him announce, sending forth a rational voice worthy of a god, what things will happen hereafter in life, or the things that have existed long ago from the beginning, from when I placed man upon the earth and up to the present time; for from this we will know that there is some reason in him. But 'be not conformed'

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τοιαῦτα γοῦν ἐπιγραφόμενοι ὀνόματα ἐπὶ τὸ μαρτύριον τοῦ θεοῦ σὺν πολλῷ θάρσει καὶ παρρησίᾳ παρῄεσαν. ὃ δὴ σημαίνουσα ἡ προφητεία φησίν· οὗτος ἐρεῖ Τοῦ θεοῦ εἰμι, καὶ οὗτος βοήσεται ἐπὶ τῷ ὀνόματι Ἰακώβ, καὶ ἄλλος ἐπιγράψει τῇ χειρὶ αὐτοῦ Τοῦ θεοῦ εἰμι, καὶ ἄλλος ἐπὶ τῷ ὀνόματι Ἰσραὴλ βοήσεται. 2.26 Περιγράψας ὁ λόγος τὴν προτέραν ὑπόθεσιν εὐαγγελικὴν οὖσαν διὰ τὸ θεσπίζειν τὴν εἰς ἀνθρώπους ἐπίλαμψιν τοῦ ἐκλεκτοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ εὐαγγελίζεσθαι τὰ κάλλιστα τῇ πάλαι ποτὲ ἀνύδρῳ καὶ ἐρήμῳ τῶν ἐθνῶν χώρᾳ, ἐξ ἑτέρας ἀρχῆς τὸν λόγον ἐνταῦθα ποιεῖται πρὸς τοὺς εἰδωλολάτρας τοῦ Ἰουδαίων ἔθνους, πρὸς οὕς φησιν· Οὕτως λέγει ὁ θεὸς ὁ βασιλεὺς Ἰσραήλ. ποίου δὲ Ἰσραὴλ βασιλέα αὐτὸν λέγει, διασαφεῖ ἑξῆς ἐπιφέρων· καὶ ὁ ῥυσάμενος αὐτὸν θεὸς σαβαώθ, διδάσκων ὡς μόνου τοῦ ῥυσθέντος Ἰσραὴλ γένοιτ' ἂν βασιλεύς, οὐχὶ δὲ τῶν κατηγορουμένων ἐπὶ εἰδωλολατρίᾳ. τούτοις δὲ αὐτοῖς ὡς ἂν ταπεινοῖς τὰς φρένας καὶ ἐπτοημένοις ἔτι τότε περὶ τὴν εἰδωλολατρίαν ἔλεγχον προσάγει τῆς πλάνης παραινῶν καὶ διδάσκων μηδ' ἕτερον ἡγεῖσθαι θεὸν ἢ μόνον αὐτὸν τῷ μηδὲ εἶναι μηδὲ μετ' αὐτὸν ἕτερον. διό φησιν· Ἐγὼ πρῶτος καὶ ἐγὼ μετὰ ταῦτα, πλὴν ἐμοῦ οὐκ ἔστι θεός. ἔνθα πάλιν προσήκει παρατιθέναι καὶ συνάπτειν τό· «καὶ ὁ παῖς, ὃν ἐξελεξάμην». ἅπαξ γὰρ εἰρημένου διὰ τῶν ἔμπροσθεν τοῦ λόγου ἡμᾶς χρὴ μνημονεύοντας αὐτοῦ ἐφ' ἑκάστῃ θεολογίᾳ τὸν αὐτὸν συμπαραλαμβάνειν λόγον· τὸ γὰρ εἰρημένον ἅπαξ καὶ μεμαρτυρημένον ὑπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ εἴρηται ἀληθῶς, τὸ δ' ἀληθῶς λελεγμένον πανταχοῦ περιλαμβανόμενον ἀληθές ἐστι. τίς δὲ ἦν «ὁ παῖς, ὃν ἐξελέξατο» ἢ ἐκεῖνος περὶ οὗ εἴρηται· «ἰδοὺ ὁ παῖς μου, ὃν ᾑρέτισα, ὁ ἐκλεκτός μου, προσεδέξατο αὐτὸν ἡ ψυχή μου· κρίσιν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν ἐξοίσει, καὶ ἐπὶ τῷ ὀνόματι αὐτοῦ ἔθνη ἐλπιοῦσι» καὶ τὰ τούτοις ἑπόμενα, δι' ὧν τὸν Χριστὸν τοῦ θεοῦ σαφῶς ὁ λόγος παρίστη; ἀλλὰ τοῦτο μὲν διὰ τῶν ἔμπροσθεν παντοίαις ἀποδείξεσι παρέστη, πρὸς δέ γε τοὺς ἐμμένοντας τῇ εἰδωλολάτρῳ πλάνῃ καὶ πολλοὺς θεοὺς ὑπειληφότας εἶναι ὁ παρὼν λόγος διδασκαλίαν ἐκτίθεται τοῦ «πλὴν ἑνὸς μηδένα ἕτερον θεὸν» ἡγεῖσθαι· ἓν γὰρ τὸ ἀγέννητον καὶ μία ἡ κατὰ πάντων μοναρχικὴ ἐξουσία. εἰ δὲ καὶ ὁ λόγος τοῦ θεοῦ συμπεριλαμβάνεται τῇ τοῦ πατρὸς θεολογίᾳ· «Ἐν ἀρχῇ» γὰρ «ἦν ὁ λόγος, καὶ ὁ λόγος ἦν πρὸς τὸν θεόν, καὶ θεὸς ἦν ὁ λόγος», ἀλλ' οὐκ ἦν εὔκαιρον τοῖς ἔτι ἐπτοημένοις περὶ τὰ ξόανα καὶ ἀγάλματα καὶ τὴν ἄψυχον ὕλην ἀνακαλύπτειν τὸ περὶ τοῦ μονογενοῦς υἱοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ μυστήριον. διὸ τοῦτο μὲν ἐταμιεύετο εἰς τὴν αὐτοῦ τοῦ υἱοῦ παρουσίαν καὶ τὴν δι' αὐτοῦ πᾶσι τοῖς μηκέτ' εἰδωλολατροῦσι δωρηθεῖσαν χάριν, τοῖς γε μὴν ἔτι πλανωμένοις ἐν τῇ περὶ πλειόνων θεῶν δόξῃ ὡς καὶ ἀγάλμασιν ἀψύχοις καὶ παντοίοις ξοάνοις ὡς θεοῖς προσιέναι. τοιοῦτοι δὲ ἦσαν οἱ κατὰ τὸν προφήτην Ἰουδαῖοι. Καταλλήλως τὸν ἔλεγχον ὁ λόγος προσφέρει λέγων· τίς ὥσπερ ἐγώ; στήτω καλεσάτω καὶ ἀναγγειλάτω καὶ ἑτοιμασάτω μοι ἀφ' οὗ ἐποίησα ἄνθρωπον εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα· λεγέτω γὰρ εἴ τίς ἐστι θεός, ποῖον ἔργον ἑαυτοῦ δείκνυσι τῶν ἐν τῷ παντί. εἰ γὰρ εἷς ὁ κόσμος καὶ οὗτος συμφυὴς καὶ αὐτὸς ἑαυτῷ συνημμένος, εἷς ἂν γένοιτο καὶ ὁ τούτου δημιουργός· ἀλλ' οὗτος «ἐκ μεγέθους καὶ καλλονῆς κτισμάτων», οἷα τοῦ παντὸς «γενεσιουργὸς θεωρεῖται». εἰ δέ τις εἰσάγει ἕτερον, δεικνύτω τοιοῦτον ὁμοίως κόσμον ἕτερον παριστάς· ἀλλ' οὐκ ἔστιν ἕτερος παρὰ τὸν ὁρώμενον κόσμον, «οὐδὲ θεὸς ἄρα ἕτερος ἔσται». εἰ δὲ ἔστι, στήτω φησὶ τοῦτο πρῶτον, λέγω δὲ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ δειξάτω ὕπαρξιν· ὅτι τέ ἐστιν ἐν οὐσίας ὑποστάσει καὶ ὅτι ἐφ' ἑαυτῷ μένει καὶ ἕστηκεν. ἔπειτα φωνὴν ἀφεὶς λογικὴν καὶ θεῷ πρέπουσαν ἀναγγειλάτω, τίνα ἔσται τὰ μετὰ ταῦτα γενησόμενα ἐν τῷ βίῳ, ἢ τὰ πάλαι ἐξ ἀρχῆς ὑποστάντα, ἀφ' οὗ τὸν ἄνθρωπον ἐθέμην ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς καὶ μέχρι τοῦ παρόντος χρόνου· ἀπὸ γὰρ τούτου γνωσόμεθα, ὅτι ἔστι τις ἐν αὐτῷ λόγος. ἀλλὰ γὰρ «μὴ συσχηματίζεσθε»