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but spirit, became flesh from spirit and a virgin, the perfect Word offered to the Father, who before this was not flesh in heaven. What then was in heaven but the Word sent from heaven, having the union into one divinity united according to the power of the Father, so that he might show that on earth and in heaven the same God the Word existed, being unchangeable and immutable. For he was Word, he was always God, he was spirit, he was power, who took upon himself the common name, one comprehensible among men, thus being called son of man, being the Son of God; and he was forenamed in the prophets, which he was not yet in the flesh, because of what was to be perfected in him, as Daniel also said, "I saw one like a son of man coming on the clouds." Therefore the prophet justly called the Word, who was in heaven, by this name, whom he saw by the Holy 2.355 Spirit, son of man, contemplating what was to come before it happened and calling him son of man before he became so in the flesh. Therefore the Only-begotten, signifying the first things as last, says, "No one has ascended into heaven, except he who descended from heaven, the son of man"; not that the flesh was above, but that he came from above, being destined to be called by this name. 9. But what is it that you will say, O you? that "This," he says, "is our God, and no other shall be accounted." And he spoke very well, as the apostle also confirms, saying, "whose are the fathers, and from whom is the Christ according to the flesh, who is over all, God." And he wonderfully expounds: for this one who is, is God over all; for since he himself teaches us, saying, "All things have been delivered to me by my Father," for this reason he is God over all. For so also John testifies, saying, "that which was from the beginning, which we have heard and have seen with our eyes, and our hands have handled," and again he says in the Apocalypse, "he who is from the beginning and who is to come, the Almighty." He spoke well in all respects; for in saying, "All things have been delivered to me by my Father," he also precisely implied the Father. Being therefore God over all, 2.356 and having his own Father, * in saying, "I am going to the Father." But if he himself were the Father, to what father then is he going, O foolish one? 10. For does he not also say again, "that they may be one, as I and you are one?" For Scripture, always guarding against the extreme falls of men, from all sides brings the mind together to the middle way of truth. And to those who think the Son is alien to the Father, I mean as Arius thinks and other heresies, he says, "I and the Father are one"; but to those who think the same one is Father and the same one is Son because he had said, "I and the Father are one," he says, "make them so that they may be one, as I and you are one," so that he might shame Noetus and his school, by bringing forth the union of the disciples. For how could Peter and John and the others be one as by a blending? But by being in one unity of divinity and in one mind and power, in order to reject every suspicion rising up on the other side 2.357 of the truth *; * And Philip the holy apostle, saying, "Show us your Father." But he said, "He who has seen me has seen the Father," and he did not say, "I am the Father," but by "me" he spoke, signifying himself; but by "has seen the Father," he did not speak of himself. For "the Father" is one thing and "me" is another and "I" is another, and "me" is yet another. For if he himself were the Father, he would have said, "I am"; but since he is not the Father himself, but the Son, he truly says, "He who has seen me has seen the Father," in order to reject the blasphemy of Arius which alienates the Son from the Father. Therefore, since all of Scripture clearly sets before us the way of truth, let us stop here and having thrust aside this Noetus and his heresy, that of the Noetians I mean, along with the other heresies, just as the so-called ostracite dragon, which is unable

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ἀλλὰ πνεῦμα, σὰρξ γέγονεν ἐκ πνεύματος καὶ παρθένου, ὁ προσενεχθεὶς πατρὶ τέλειος Λόγος, ὃς πρὸ τούτου ἐν οὐρανῷ οὐκ ἦν σάρξ. τί οὖν ἦν ὁ ἐν οὐρανῷ ἀλλὰ ὁ Λόγος ὁ ἀπ' οὐρανοῦ ἀποσταλείς, ἔχων τὴν εἰς μίαν θεότητα ἕνωσιν κατὰ δύναμιν πατρὸς συνηνωμένην, ἵνα δείξῃ ὅτι ἐπὶ γῆς καὶ ἐν οὐρανῷ ὁ αὐτὸς θεὸς Λόγος ὑπῆρχεν, ἄτρεπτος ὢν καὶ ἀναλλοίωτος. Λόγος γὰρ ἦν, θεὸς ἦν ἀεί, πνεῦμα ἦν, δύναμις ἦν, ὃς τὸ κοινὸν ὄνομα καὶ παρὰ ἀνθρώποις χωρητὸν ἀνελάμβανεν εἰς ἑαυτόν, οὕτω καλούμενος υἱὸς ἀνθρώπου, υἱὸς ὢν θεοῦ· καὶ ἐν προφήταις προωνομάζετο, ὅπερ οὔπω ἐν σαρκὶ ἦν, διὰ τὸ μέλλον ἐν αὐτῷ τελειοῦσθαι, ὡς καὶ ∆ανιὴλ ἔφη «εἶδον ὡς υἱὸν ἀνθρώπου ἐρχόμενον ἐπὶ τῶν νεφελῶν». διὸ δικαίως ἐν οὐρανῷ ὄντα τῷ ὀνόματι τούτῳ τὸν Λόγον, ὃν εἶδε πνεύματι 2.355 ἁγίῳ, ὁ προφήτης υἱὸν ἀνθρώπου ἐκάλει, τὸ μέλλον πρὶν γενέσθαι ἀναθεωρῶν καὶ πρὶν τοῦ ἐν σαρκὶ γενέσθαι υἱὸν ἀνθρώπου ἀποκαλῶν. διὸ τὰ πρῶτα ὕστερα σημαίνων ὁ μονογενὴς φάσκει «οὐδεὶς ἀναβέβηκεν εἰς τὸν οὐρανόν, εἰ μὴ ὁ ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καταβάς, ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου»· οὐχ ὅτι δὲ ἄνω ἦν σάρξ, ἀλλὰ ὅτι ἄνωθεν κατήρχετο, τούτῳ τῷ ὀνόματι μέλλων καλεῖσθαι. 9. Ἀλλὰ τί ἐστιν ὃ ἐρεῖς. ὦ οὗτος, ὅτι «οὗτος, φησίν, ὁ θεὸς ἡμῶν, καὶ οὐ λογισθήσεται ἄλλος». καὶ καλῶς πάνυ ἔφη, ὡς καὶ ὁ ἀπόστολος διαβεβαιοῦται λέγων «ὧν οἱ πατέρες καὶ ἐξ ὧν ὁ Χριστὸς τὸ κατὰ σάρκα, ὁ ὢν ἐπὶ πάντων θεός». θαυμαστῶς δὲ διηγεῖται· οὗτος γὰρ ὁ ὢν ἔστιν ἐπὶ πάντων θεός· ἐπειδὴ γὰρ αὐτὸς διδάσκει ἡμᾶς λέγων «πάντα μοι παρεδόθη ὑπὸ τοῦ πατρός μου», διὰ τοῦτο ἐπὶ πάντων ἐστὶ θεός. οὕτω γὰρ καὶ Ἰωάννης μαρτυρεῖ λέγων «ὃ ἦν ἀπ' ἀρχῆς, ὃ ἠκούσαμεν καὶ τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς ἑωράκαμεν, καὶ αἱ χεῖρες ἡμῶν ἐψηλάφησαν», καὶ πάλιν φησὶν ἐν τῇ Ἀποκαλύψει «ὁ ὢν ἀπ' ἀρχῆς καὶ ἐρχόμενος παντοκράτωρ». καλῶς κατὰ πάντα εἶπε· ἐν τῷ γὰρ εἰπεῖν «πάντα μοι παρεδόθη ὑπὸ τοῦ πατρός μου», καὶ τὸν πατέρα ἀκριβῶς ὑπετίθετο. ἐπὶ πάντας μὲν οὖν ὢν θεός, 2.356 ἔχων δὲ ἴδιον αὐτοῦ πατέρα, * ἐν τῷ λέγειν «ἀπέρχομαι πρὸς τὸν πατέρα». εἰ δὲ ἦν αὐτὸς πατήρ, πρὸς ποῖον ἄρα πατέρα ἄπεισι, ὦ ἀνόητε; 10. Ἢ γὰρ πάλιν λέγει «ἵνα ὦσιν ἕν, ὡς ἐγὼ καὶ σὺ ἕν ἐσμεν;» ἀεὶ γὰρ ἡ γραφὴ ἀσφαλιζομένη τὰς κατὰ τὸ ἄκρον πτώσεις τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἐκ πανταχόθεν τὸν νοῦν συνάγει ἐπὶ τὴν μέσην τῆς ἀληθείας ὁδόν. καὶ πρὸς τούτους μὲν τοὺς νομίζοντας ἀλλότριον εἶναι τοῦ πατρὸς τὸν υἱόν, φημὶ δὲ ὡς ὁ Ἄρειος νομίζει καὶ ἄλλαι αἱρέσεις, λέγει «ἐγὼ καὶ ὁ πατὴρ ἕν ἐσμεν»· πρὸς δὲ τοὺς νομίζοντας τὸν αὐτὸν εἶναι πατέρα καὶ τὸν αὐτὸν εἶναι υἱὸν διὰ τὸ εἰρηκέναι «ἐγὼ καὶ ὁ πατὴρ ἕν ἐσμεν», λέγει «ποίησον αὐτοὺς ἵνα ὦσιν ἕν, καθὼς κἀγὼ καὶ σὺ ἕν ἐσμεν», ἵνα καταισχύνῃ Νόητον καὶ τὴν αὐτοῦ σχολήν, παραγαγὼν εἰς μέσον τὴν τῶν μαθητῶν ἕνωσιν. πῶς γὰρ ἠδύνατο Πέτρος καὶ Ἰωάννης καὶ οἱ καθεξῆς εἶναι ἓν ὡς κατὰ συναλοιφήν; ἀλλὰ διὰ τὸ εἶναι ἐν μιᾷ ἑνότητι θεότητος καὶ ἐν μιᾷ γνώμῃ καὶ δυνάμει, εἰς τὸ ἀποκρούσασθαι πᾶσαν ὑπόνοιαν κατὰ θάτερον 2.357 τῆς ἀληθείας ἐπανισταμένην *· * Φίλιππος δὲ ὁ ἅγιος ἀπόστολος φάσκων ὅτι «δεῖξον ἡμῖν τὸν πατέρα σου». ὁ δὲ εἶπεν «ὁ ἑωρακὼς ἐμὲ ἑώρακε τὸν πατέρα», καὶ οὐκ εἶπεν «ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ πατήρ», ἀλλὰ τῷ «ἐμέ» σημαίνων ἑαυτὸν ἔλεγεν· τῷ δέ «ἑώρακε τὸν πατέρα», οὐχ ἑαυτὸν ἔλεγεν. ἄλλο γὰρ τό «τὸν πατέρα» καὶ ἄλλο τό «ἐμέ» καὶ ἄλλο τό «ἐγώ», καὶ ἕτερον τό «ἐμέ». εἰ γὰρ ἦν αὐτὸς ὁ πατήρ, ἔλεγεν «ἐγώ εἰμι»· ἐπειδὴ δὲ οὐκ αὐτός ἐστιν ὁ πατήρ, ἀλλὰ ὁ υἱός, ἀληθῶς λέγει «ὁ ἐμὲ ἑωρακὼς ἑώρακε τὸν πατέρα», ἵνα ἀποκρούσηται τὴν τοῦ Ἀρείου βλασφημίαν τὴν τὸν υἱὸν ἀπὸ τοῦ πατρὸς ἀπαλλοτριοῦσαν. ∆ιὸ τῆς πάσης γραφῆς σαφῶς περὶ ἀληθείας ἡμῖν τὴν ὁδὸν ὑποτιθεμένης ἐνταῦθα λήξωμεν καὶ τοῦτον τὸν Νόητον καὶ τὴν αὐτοῦ αἵρεσιν, Νοητιανῶν φημι, σὺν ταῖς ἄλλαις αἱρέσεσι παρωσάμενοι, ὥσπερ ὀστρακίτην τὸν καλούμενον δράκοντα, τὸν μὴ δυνάμενον