198

which I do not have you yielding to, nor seeing the clay of the potter, how by his nod it is both formed and re-formed, not blaming the creative hand at all, as though it does not have the knowledge of re-formation? But not even he who is about to be born asks his Father if he will indeed beget him. Why then do you not concede to the Creator of all to know the manner of the re-formation, about which, when Christ spoke, Nicodemus said: "Can a man when he is old enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born? If then, it says, the clay rebuked the potter, and no one yet born has asked his father what he will beget; you also ask, who are to be my sons and daughters in due time, in what manner this will happen. Command me also concerning the works of my hands. Instead of, command how it must be done, as to one who is ignorant. In silence, then, with Paul it must be said: "O the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God!" and what follows, as another Scripture commands to say: "For you can do all things, and nothing is impossible for you." For He knows how to remake, as He says through Ezekiel, that "I will take away their heart of stone from their flesh, and give them a heart of flesh, that they may know me, that I am the Lord." Wherefore also demonstrating His own power, I made the earth, and man upon it. For He who created will also be able to re-create. And again he says "hand," the Son through whom he made all things. "For by the Word of the Lord 2428 the heavens were established," who also commanded the stars, having appointed the sun to rule the day, and the moon the night. Wherefore the psalm says: "The sun knows its setting." And again: "You prepared the sun and moon." But the meaning of what has come before, what follows makes clear, through which Christ is proclaimed King of righteousness, being righteousness itself. For elsewhere it also says: "Behold, a king of righteousness reigns, and rulers will rule with judgment." For being by nature a king with the Father, He again subjugated the apostates by becoming incarnate, having as straight paths the decrees of the Gospels. For there is nothing crooked in them. And He has escaped the harshness of the legal commandments. And He has founded the Church, being Himself the foundation, Upon whom we also are built up as precious stones, for a holy temple, for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit, who rescued our captivity not with gifts. "For not with perishable things, it says, with silver or gold were we redeemed from our futile way of life handed down from our fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot." We are not our own, therefore, but His who bought us. And having foretold concerning Christ, that He will turn back His people, he immediately brought in who are to be called, taking the extreme among the idolaters as an example for a demonstration of the power of the Savior. For He was sent to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. But when the beloved one kicked against him, having killed him, he immediately shone upon the nations. And the trade of the Ethiopians, he says, the cities of the Thebans, to whom the Sabaeans are neighbors. And they labored, serving bitter tyrants, who ask for their sons and daughters as sacrifices; that is, the intensity of their impiety yielded, being defeated, to piety. For whatever opposition they had toward this was dissolved. "For where sin abounded, grace abounded all the more," with churches being established everywhere among them, and so many monks and virgins being seen among them contending in the labors of asceticism. And he calls them tall, as being notorious in impiety. And he calls the bonds of love manacles, and the chains of the love of God, so as to say: "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ," to whom every end of Prayer comes? For in Christ we ask our petitions from the Father, whom having in Himself, He is likewise God, as He says: "He who has seen me, has seen the Father." "I and the Father are one." And the phrase, In you is God, and there is no God beside you, is equivalent to: "And the Word was with God, and the Word was God." And the voice of those repenting is, and we did not know. Who also

198

ἣν ὑπείκοντας ὑμᾶς οὐκ ἔχω, μηδὲ τὸν πηλὸν ὁρῶντας τοῦ κεραμέως, ὡς ἐκείνου πλάττεταί τε καὶ μεταπλάττεται νεύματι, μηδὲν τὴν δημιουργικὴν μεμφόμενον χεῖρα, ὡς τῆς ἀναπλάσεως ἐπιστήμην οὐκ ἔχουσαν; ἀλλ' οὐδὲ ὁ τεχθήσεσθαι μέλλων πυνθάνεται τοῦ Πατέρος εἰ ἄρα γεννήσει. Τί οὖν ὑμεῖς μὴ τῷ πάντων παραχωρεῖτε ∆ημιουργῷ τὸν τρόπον εἰδέναι τῆς ἀναπλάσεως, περὶ ἧς λέγοντος τοῦ Χριστοῦ Νικόδημος ἔλεγεν· "Μὴ δύναται ἄνθρωπος γέρων ὢν εἰς τὴν κοιλίαν τῆς μητέρος αὐτοῦ δεύτερον εἰσελθεῖν καὶ γεννηθῆναι; Εἰ ἐπετίμησεν οὗν, φησὶν, ὁ πηλὸς τῷ κεραμεῖ, καὶ μήπω τις τεχθεὶς ἐπύθετο τοῦ πατέρος τί τέξεται· ἐρωτήσατε καὶ ὑμεῖς οἱ ἐσόμενοί μου κατὰ καιροὺς υἱοί τε καὶ θυγατέρες, τίνα τοῦτο γενήσεται τρόπον. Ἐντείλασθέ μοι καὶ περὶ τῶν ἔργων τῶν χειρῶν μου. Ἀντὶ τοῦ, διατάξατε πῶς ποιητέον, ὡς ἀγνοοῦντι. Σιγῇ ἄρα μετὰ Παύλου ῥητέον· "Ὢ βάθος πλούτου καὶ σοφίας καὶ γνώσεως Θεοῦ!" καὶ τὰ ἐφ' ἑξῆς, ἑτέρας λέγειν παραγγελλούσης Γραφῆς· "Ὅτι πάντα δύνασαι, ἀδυνατεῖ δέ σοι οὐδέν." Οἶδεν γὰρ μεταποιεῖν, καθὰ διὰ τοῦ Ἰεζεκιήλ φησιν, ὅτι "Ἐκσπάσω τὴν καρδίαν αὐτῶν τὴν λιθίνην ἐκ τῆς σαρκὸς αὐτῶν, καὶ δώσω αὐτοῖς καρδίαν σαρκίνην, τοῦ εἰδέναι αὐτοὺς ἐμὲ, ὅτι ἐγὼ Κύριος." ∆ιὸ καὶ τὴν ἰδίαν ἐπιδεικνύμενος δύναμιν, Ἐγὼ ἐποίησα γῆν, καὶ ἄνθρωπον ἐπ' αὐτῆς. Ὁ γὰρ κτίσας καὶ ἀνακτίσαι δυνήσεται. χεῖρα δὲ πάλιν φησὶ, τὸν δι' οὗ τὰ πάντα πεποίηκεν Υἱόν. "Τῷ Λόγῳ γὰρ Κυρίου 2428 οἱ οὐρανοὶ ἐστερεώθησαν," ὃς καὶ τοῖς ἄστροις ἐνετείλατο διατάξας τὸν μὲν ἥλιον εἰς ἀρχὰς τῆς ἡμέρας, νυκτὸς δὲ τὴν σελήνην. ∆ιό φησιν ὁ ψαλμός· "Ὁ ἤλιος ἔγνω τὴν δύσιν αὐτοῦ." Καὶ πάλιν· "Σὺ κατηρτίσω ἥλιον καὶ σελήνην." Τὴν δὲ τῶν φθασάντων ἔννοιαν τὰ μετὰ ταῦτα δηλοῖ, δι' ὧν ὁ Χριστὸς Βασιλεὺς δικαιοσύνης κηρύττεται ὑπάρχων αὐτόχρημα δικαιοσύνη. Καὶ ἀλλαχοῦ γάρ φησιν· "Ἰδοὺ δὴ βασιλεὺς δικαιοσύνης βασιλεύει, καὶ ἄρχοντες μετὰ κρίσεως ἄρξουσιν." Φύσει γὰρ ὢν σὺν τῷ Πατέρι βασιλεὺς τοὺς ἀποστάντας αὖθις ὑπέταξε σαρκωθεὶς, ὁδοὺς ἔχων εὐθείας τὰ τῶν Εὐαγγελίων θεσπίσματα. Σκολιὸν γὰρ οὐδὲν ἐν αὐτοῖς. Τὸ δὲ τραχὺ τῶν νομικῶν ἐκπέφευγεν ἐνταλμάτων. Τεθεμελίωκε δὲ τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν αὐτὸς ὢν θεμέλιος, Ἐφ' ᾧ καὶ ἡμεῖς ἐποικοδομούμεθα ὡς λίθοι πολυτελεῖς, εἰ ναὸν ἅγιον, εἰ κατοικητήριον τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐν Πνεύματι, ὃς οὐ μετὰ δώρων τὴν ἡμετέραν αἰχμαλωσίαν ἐῤῥύσατο. "Οὐ γὰρ φθαρτοῖς, φησὶν, ἀργυρίῳ ἢ χρυσίῳ ἐλυτρώθημεν ἐκ τῆς ματαίας ἡμῶν ἀναστροφῆς πατροπαραδότου, ἀλλὰ τιμίῳ αἵματι ὡς ἀμνοῦ ἀμώμου καὶ ἀσπίλου Χριστοῦ." Οὐκ ἐσμὲν οὖν ἑαυτῶν, ἀλλὰ τοῦ πριαμένου. Περὶ δὲ τοῦ Χριστοῦ προειπὼν, ὅτι ἐπιστρέψει τὸν λαὸν αὐτοῦ, εὐθέως ἐπήνεγκε τίνες οἱ κληθησόμενοι, δεῖγμα τῶν εἰδωλολατρῶν τοὺς ἄκρους ἐν ταύτῃ λαβὼν εἰς ἔνδειξιν τῆς τοῦ σεσωκότος δυνάμεως. Ἀπεστάλη μὲν γὰρ πρὸς τὰ ἀπολωλότα πρόβατα οἴκου Ἰσραήλ. Ὡς δὲ ἀπελάκτισεν ὁ ἠγαπημένος ἀποκτείνας αὐτὸν, ἐπέλαμψεν αὐτίκα τοῖς ἔθνεσιν. Αἰθιόπων δέ, φησιν ἐμπορίαν, τὰς Θηβαίων πόλεις, οἷς ὅμοροι Σαβαείμ. Ἐκοπίασαν δὲ πικροῖς τυράννοις δουλεύοντες, εἰς θυσίας αἰτοῦσιν υἱοὺς αὐτῶν καὶ θυγατέρας· ἤγουν τὸ εὔτονον αὐτῶν τῆς ἀσεβείας ἐνέδωκεν ἡττηθὲν εἰς εὐσέβειαν. ∆ιελύθη γὰρ ὅσον εἶχον πρὸς ταύτην ἐνστατικόν. "Οὗ γὰρ ἐπερίσσευσεν ἡ ἁμαρτία, ὑπερεπερίσσευσεν ἡ χάρις," πανταχοῦ καθιδρυμένων ἐν τούτοις ἐκκλησιῶν, τοσούτων τε παρ' αὐτοῖς ὁρωμένων μοναστῶν καὶ παρθένων πόνοις ἐναθλούντων ἀσκήσεως. Ὑψηλοὺς δέ φησιν αὐτοὺς, ὡς ἐπισήμους ἐν δυσσεβείᾳ. Χειροπέδας δὲ τὰ δεσμὰ τῆς ἀγάπης καλεῖ, καὶ τὰς τῆς φιλοθεΐας σειρὰς, ὡς λέγειν· "Τίς ἡμᾶς χωρίσει ἀπὸ τῆς ἀγάπης τοῦ Χριστοῦ," εἰς ὃν ἔρχεται πᾶν πέρας Εὐχῆς; Ἐν Χριστῷ γὰρ αἰτοῦμεν παρὰ τοῦ Πατέρος τὰ αἰτήματα, ὃν ἔχων ἐν ἑαυτῷ, Θεὸς ὁμοίως ἐστὶν, καθά φησιν· "Ὁ ἑωρακὼς ἐμὲ, ἑώρακε τὸν Πατέρα." "Ἐγὼ καὶ ὁ Πατὴρ ἕν ἐσμεν." Τὸ δὲ, Ἐν σοὶ Θεὸς, καὶ οὐκ ἔστι Θεὸς πλὴν σοῦ, ἰσοδυναμεῖ τῷ· "Καὶ ὁ Λόγος ἦν πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν, καὶ Θεὸς ἦν ὁ Λόγος." Μετανοούντων δὲ φωνὴ τὸ, καὶ οὐκ ᾔδειμεν. Οἳ καὶ