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is it? What then is being said? He has presented here the genuineness of the generation. What then? Is he only before the morning star? Not at all. Since elsewhere it also says: His throne is before the moon. And not only before the moon, since it also says of the Father: Before the mountains were brought forth, and the earth and the world were formed, and from everlasting, and to everlasting you are. Not only from everlasting, but also before everlasting; for not even until everlasting, but he is infinitely. Therefore do not stumble at the words, but receive the meaning in a manner worthy of God. And see the Prophet's wisdom. Beginning the psalm, he did not begin from here: From the womb before the morning star I have begotten you; but first having shown his mighty deeds, and through his works proclaimed him, he later shows his worth from the Lord. Thus he himself also said: If I do not do the works of my Father, do not believe me. But if I do them, even if you do not believe me, believe the works; so that you may learn that the one sitting at the right hand of the Father, the one called Lord like the Father, the one having authority with himself, the one working such splendor, the one ruling among the nations, you may not be troubled if you should hear that this one is the Son and is before all creation. It is worthy to marvel at the Prophet, how he speaks some things from the person of God, and others from his own person. For, Sit at my right hand, and, From the womb before the morning star I have begotten you, which are things loftier than himself, he introduces God himself speaking; but the other things he narrates himself. But consider also with how much familiarity of language he has used. For it would have been enough to say, I have begotten you; but for the sake of those who walk on the earth, that he might show the genuineness, he also mentioned this saying. And just as when he says hand, he does not say it so that we might suspect a hand, but the creative power; so also he mentioned womb, that he might show the genuineness of the generation. 8. Then, wishing to compose the prophecy in the form of a judge, he addresses his speech to him, which was a mark of the most vehement love and of exceeding joy, and of a soul becoming strongly possessed by the divine Spirit. The Lord has sworn, and will not repent. You are a priest forever, according to the order of Melchizedek. Do you see how again he brings the discourse to what is more humble, speaking at one time concerning the divinity, and at another concerning the humanity? which is what the evangelists also do, so that the precision of the doctrines may be preserved on both sides. And why did he say, According to the order of Melchizedek? Both because of the mysteries, because that one also offered bread and wine to Abraham, and because this priest 55.277 hood is free from the law, and because it is without end, just as Paul also says, and without beginning. For what that one had in the shadows, this has become in truth in the case of Jesus; and just as the names ran before, such as Jesus, such as Christ, so also this. Therefore Melchizedek appears to have neither a beginning of days, nor an end of life, not by not having them, but by not being genealogized. But Jesus had neither a beginning of days, nor an end of life, not in this manner, but by there being absolutely no beginning in time, nor an end for him. For the one was a shadow, the other is truth. Therefore, just as when you hear 'Jesus,' you do not suspect the true Jesus, but you accept only the type of the name, and seek nothing more; so also when hearing of Melchizedek as without beginning and without end, do not seek it in the reality of things, but be content with the designation alone, and learn the truth in the case of Christ. But when you hear 'oath', do not think it an oath. For just as wrath, is not wrath in God, but the punitive action, and it is not a passion; so neither is an oath. For God does not swear, but says what will certainly come to be Therefore, having spoken of the splendor of the saints, of the enemies being placed under his feet, the

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ἐστι; Τί οὖν ἐστι τὸ λεγόμενον; Τὸ γνήσιον τῆς γεννήσεως παρέστησεν ἐνταῦθα. Τί οὖν; πρὸ τοῦ ἑωσφόρου μόνον ἐστίν; Οὐδαμῶς. Ἐπεὶ καὶ ἀλλαχοῦ φησι· Πρὸ τῆς σελήνης ὁ θρόνος αὐτοῦ. Καὶ οὐ πρὸ τῆς σελήνης μόνον, ἐπεὶ καὶ περὶ τοῦ Πατρὸς λέγει· Πρὸ τοῦ ὄρη γενηθῆναι, καὶ πλασθῆναι τὴν γῆν, καὶ τὴν οἰκουμένην, καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ αἰῶνος, καὶ ἕως τοῦ αἰῶνος σὺ εἶ. Οὐκ ἀπὸ τοῦ αἰῶνος μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ πρὸ τοῦ αἰῶνος· οὐδὲ γὰρ ἕως τοῦ αἰῶνος, ἀλλ' ἀπείρως ἐστί. Μὴ δὴ πρόσπταιε ταῖς λέξεσιν, ἀλλὰ θεοπρεπῶς δέχου τὴν ἔννοιαν. Καὶ ὅρα Προφήτου σοφίαν. Ἀρχόμενος τοῦ ψαλμοῦ, οὐκ ἐντεῦθεν ἤρξατο· Ἐκ γαστρὸς πρὸ ἑωσφόρου ἐγέννησα σε· ἀλλὰ πρότερον δείξας αὐτοῦ τὰ κατορθώματα, καὶ διὰ τῶν ἔργων ἀνακηρύξας αὐτὸν, ὕστερον ἀπὸ κυρίου δείκνυσιν αὐτοῦ τὴν ἀξίαν. Οὕτω καὶ αὐτὸς ἔλεγεν· Εἰ οὐ ποιῶ τὰ ἔργα τοῦ Πατρός μου, μὴ πιστεύετέ μοι. Εἰ δὲ ποιῶ, κἂν ἐμοὶ μὴ πιστεύητε, τοῖς ἔργοις πιστεύσατε· ἵνα μαθὼν, ὅτι ὁ καθήμενος ἐν δεξιᾷ τοῦ Πατρὸς, ὁ Κύριος καλούμενος ὡς ὁ Πατὴρ, ὁ μεθ' ἑαυτοῦ τὴν ἀρχὴν ἔχων, ὁ λαμπρότητα τοιαύτην ἐργαζόμενος, ὁ μεταξὺ τῶν ἐθνῶν κατακυριεύων, μὴ θορυβηθῇς, ἐὰν ἀκούσῃς, ὅτι οὗτος Υἱός ἐστι καὶ πρὸ τῆς κτίσεως ἁπάσης. Θαυμάζειν δὲ ἄξιον τὸν Προφήτην, πῶς τὰ μὲν ἐκ προσώπου τοῦ Θεοῦ, τὰ δὲ ἐκ προσώπου αὐτοῦ φθέγγεται. Τὸ μὲν γὰρ, Κάθου ἐκ δεξιῶν μου, καὶ τὸ, Ἐκ γαστρὸς πρὸ ἑωσφόρου ἐγέννησά σε, ἅπερ ἐστὶν ὑψηλότερα αὐτοῦ, αὐτὸν εἰσάγει τὸν Θεὸν λέγοντα· τὰ δὲ ἄλλα αὐτὸς διηγεῖται. Σκόπει δὲ καὶ πόσῃ κέχρηται οἰκειότητι τῆς λέξεως. Ἤρκει μὲν γὰρ καὶ τὸ εἰπεῖν, Ἐγέννησά σε· ἀλλὰ διὰ τοὺς χαμαὶ βαδίζοντας, ἵνα τὸ γνήσιον παραστήσῃ, καὶ ταύτης ἐμνημόνευσε τῆς ῥήσεως. Καὶ καθάπερ λέγων χεῖρα, οὐχ ἵνα ὑποπτεύσωμεν χεῖρα, λέγει, ἀλλὰ τὴν δημιουργικὴν δύναμιν· οὕτω καὶ γαστρὸς ἐμνημόνευσεν, ἵνα τὸ γνήσιον τῆς γεννήσεως παραστήσῃ. ηʹ. Εἶτα βουλόμενος τὴν προφητείαν ἐν σχήματι δικαστοῦ συνθεῖναι, πρὸς αὐτὸν τὴν λαλιὰν ποιεῖται, ὅπερ σφοδροτάτης ἀγάπης ἦν καὶ χαρᾶς ὑπερβαλλούσης, καὶ ψυχῆς σφόδρα κατόχου θείῳ Πνεύματι γινομένης. Ὤμοσε Κύριος, καὶ οὐ μεταμεληθήσεται. Σὺ ἱερεὺς εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα, κατὰ τὴν τάξιν Μελχισεδέκ. Ὁρᾷς πῶς πάλιν ἐπὶ τὸ ταπεινότερον τὸν λόγον ἄγει, ποτὲ μὲν περὶ τῆς θεότητος, ποτὲ δὲ περὶ τῆς ἀνθρωπότητος διαλεγόμενος; ὅπερ καὶ οἱ εὐαγγελισταὶ ποιοῦσιν, ἵνα ἑκατέρωθεν ἡ ἀκρίβεια τῶν δογμάτων διατηρῆται. Καὶ διὰ τί εἶπε, Κατὰ τὴν τάξιν Μελχισεδέκ; Καὶ διὰ τὰ μυστήρια, ὅτι κἀκεῖνος ἄρτον καὶ οἶνον προσήνεγκε τῷ Ἀβραὰμ, καὶ διὰ τὸ ἐλευθέραν εἶναι τοῦ νόμου ταύτην τὴν ἱερωσύ 55.277 νην, καὶ διὰ τὸ ἀτελεύτητον, καθάπερ καὶ Παῦλός φησι, καὶ ἄναρχον. Ὅπερ γὰρ ἐκεῖνος εἶχεν ἐν ταῖς σκιαῖς, τοῦτο ἐν τῇ ἀληθείᾳ γέγονεν ἐπὶ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ· καὶ καθάπερ τὰ ὀνόματα προέτρεχεν, ὡς Ἰησοῦς, ὡς Χριστὸς, οὕτω καὶ τοῦτο. Οὔτε ἀρχὴν οὖν ἡμερῶν φαίνεται ἔχων, οὔτε ζωῆς τέλος ὁ Μελχισεδὲκ, οὐ τῷ μὴ ἔχειν, ἀλλὰ τῷ μὴ γενεαλογηθῆναι. Ὁ δὲ Ἰησοῦς οὐδὲ ἀρχὴν ἡμερῶν ἔσχεν, οὔτε ζωῆς τέλος, οὐ κατὰ τοῦτον τὸν τρόπον, ἀλλὰ τῷ καθ' ὅλου μὴ εἶναι ἐπ' αὐτοῦ ἀρχὴν χρονικὴν, μηδὲ τέλος. Τὸ μὲν γὰρ ἦν σκιὰ, τὸ δὲ ἀλήθεια. Ὥσπερ οὖν, Ἰησοῦς, ἀκούων, οὐ τὸν ἀληθῶς Ἰησοῦν ὑποπτεύεις, ἀλλὰ τοῦ ὀνόματος τὸν τύπον δέχῃ μόνον, καὶ οὐδὲν πλέον ἐπιζητεῖς· οὕτω καὶ ἀκούων τὸν Μελχισεδὲκ ἄναρχον καὶ ἀτελεύτητον, μὴ ἐν τῇ τῶν πραγμάτων ἀληθείᾳ αὐτὸν ζήτει, ἀλλ' ἀρκοῦ τῇ προσηγορίᾳ μόνῃ, τὴν δὲ ἀλήθειαν ἐπὶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ καταμάνθανε. Ὅρκον δὲ ὅταν ἀκούσῃς, μὴ ὅρκον νόμιζε. Ὥσπερ γὰρ θυμὸς, οὐ θυμὸς ἐπὶ Θεοῦ, ἀλλὰ τὸ τιμωρητικὸν, καὶ οὐ πάθος ἐστίν· οὕτως οὐδὲ ὅρκος. Οὐ γὰρ ὄμνυσι Θεὸς, ἀλλὰ τὸ πάντως ἐσόμενον λέγει Εἰπὼν τοίνυν τὴν λαμπρότητα τῶν ἁγίων, τὸ τεθῆναι τοὺς ἐχθροὺς ὑπὸ τοὺς πόδας αὐτοῦ, τὴν