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of the cross he describes, in which he wants them, having been exalted, to know the surpassing glory of this power, naming height and breadth and depth and length, calling each arm of those seen in the shape of the cross by its own names, so as to call the upper part height, the part lying beneath the intersection depth, and signifying the transverse arm on either side by the name of length and breadth, so that through this the great mystery might be revealed, that both the heavenly things and the things under the earth and all the ends of things that are, are held and sustained by the one who showed this ineffable and great power in the figure of the cross. But I think it not at all necessary to struggle further with these charges, judging it superfluous to take pride in refutations against slander, since the truth has been shown in few words. Therefore let us proceed in our argument to another charge. 3.3.41 He says the saints are slandered by us. But if he himself has heard it, let him state the words of the accusation; but if he says it was said to others, let him show the charge to be true through witnesses; but if he proves it from what we have written, let him read what has been said, and we will accept the charge. But he could not bring forward anything of the sort; for what has been written by us is available to anyone who wishes for examination. But if it was neither said to him, nor has he heard it from others, nor does he have the proof through what has been written, I think the one defending these matters ought to be silent. 3.3.42 For against an unsubstantiated charge, silence is certainly a fitting defense. Peter the apostle says, God has made Lord and Christ this Jesus whom you crucified. We, having learned these things from him, say that the entire context of what was said points to one thing: the cross itself, the human name, and the demonstrative of the utterance; for the word of scripture says that two things happened concerning one person: from the Jews, the suffering, and from God, the honor, not as if one suffered, and another was honored through the exaltation. 3.3.43 And he interprets more clearly saying in what follows: For, he says, being exalted by the right hand of God. Who then was exalted? The lowly or the most high? And what is the lowly if not the human? And what else is the most high besides the divine? But indeed God does not need to be exalted, being most high. Therefore the apostle says the human is exalted, and it was exalted by becoming Lord and Christ. And for this reason it happened after the passion. Therefore the apostle does not set forth the pre-eternal existence of the Lord through the word "He made," but the transformation of the lowly to the exalted which came about through the right hand of God, for the mystery of piety is also clarified through this saying. 3.3.44 For he who said, Being exalted by the right hand of God, clearly reveals the ineffable economy of the mystery, that the right hand of God, the maker of all things that are, which is the Lord through whom all things came to be and without whom nothing that is has existed, this one led up to its own height the man united to it, through the mingling, making him also that which it is itself by nature. And it is Lord and King; for Christ is named the King; these things it made him also. For just as being in the Most High he was super-exalted, so also did he become all other things: in the immortal, immortal; in the light, light; in the incorruptible, incorruptible; in the invisible, invisible; 3.3.45 in the Christ, Christ; in the Lord, Lord. For it is natural also in the case of bodily mixtures, when one part abounds by a great measure, for the lesser part to be completely transformed into the dominant part. This we are clearly taught also concerning the mystical doctrine through the voice of Peter, that the lowly part of the one crucified out of weakness—and weakness signifies the flesh, as we have heard from the Lord— 3.3.46 this part, through the mingling with the infinite and boundless Good, no longer remained in its own measures and properties, but was raised up together with the right hand of God and became, instead of a servant

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σταυροῦ καταγράφει, ἐν οἷς βούλεται αὐτοὺς ὑψωθέντας γνῶναι τὴν ὑπερβάλλουσαν δόξαν τῆς δυνάμεως ταύτης, ὕψος καὶ πλάτος καὶ βάθος καὶ μῆκος κατονομάζων, ἑκάστην κεραίαν τῶν κατὰ τὸ σχῆμα τοῦ σταυροῦ θεωρουμένων ἰδίοις προσαγορεύων ὀνό μασιν, ὡς τὸ μὲν ἄνω μέρος ὕψος εἰπεῖν, βάθος δὲ τὸ μετὰ τὴν συμβολὴν ὑποκείμενον, τὴν δὲ ἐγκάρσιον καθ' ἑκάτερον κεραίαν τῷ τοῦ μήκους τε καὶ πλάτους ὀνόματι διασημαίνων, ὡς ἂν διὰ τούτου φανερωθείη τὸ μέγα μυ στήριον, ὅτι καὶ τὰ οὐράνια καὶ τὰ καταχθόνια καὶ πάντα τῶν ὄντων τὰ πέρατα διακρατεῖται καὶ συνέχεται παρὰ τοῦ τὴν ἀπόρρητον καὶ μεγάλην ταύτην δύναμιν ἐν τῷ τύπῳ τοῦ σταυροῦ παραδείξαντος. ἀλλ' οὐδὲν οἶμαι δεῖν πλέον ταῖς αἰτίαις ταύταις ἐναγωνίζεσθαι, περιττὸν κρίνων ἐμφιλο τιμεῖσθαι τοῖς κατὰ τῆς συκοφαντίας ἐλέγχοις, καὶ δι' ὀλίγων τῆς ἀληθείας δειχθείσης. οὐκοῦν πρὸς ἕτερον ἔγ κλημα τῷ λόγῳ μετέλθωμεν. 3.3.41 ∆ιαβάλλεσθαι λέγει παρ' ἡμῶν τοὺς ἁγίους. ἀλλ' εἰ μὲν αὐτὸς ἀκήκοε, λεγέτω τὰ ῥήματα τῆς κακηγορίας· εἰ δὲ πρὸς ἑτέρους εἰρηκέναι λέγει, δειξάτω διὰ τῶν μαρτυ ρούντων ἀληθῆ τὴν αἰτίαν· εἰ δὲ ἀφ' ὧν γεγραφήκαμεν ἀποδείκνυσιν, ἀναγνώτω τὰ εἰρημένα, καὶ τὴν αἰτίαν δεξό μεθα. ἀλλ' οὐκ ἄν τι τοιοῦτον προσενεγκεῖν ἔχοι· πρό κειται γὰρ παντὶ τῷ βουλομένῳ τὰ παρ' ἡμῶν εἰς ἐξέτασιν. εἰ δὲ μήτε πρὸς αὐτὸν εἴρηται μήτε ἑτέρων ἀκήκοε μήτε διὰ τῶν γεγραμμένων ἔχει τὸν ἔλεγχον, σιγᾶν οἶμαι χρῆναι 3.3.42 τὸν ὑπὲρ τούτων ἀπολογούμενον. πρὸς γὰρ τὸ ἀνυπόστατον ἔγκλημα πρέπουσα πάντως ἐστὶν ἀπολογία ἡ σιωπή. Πέτρος φησὶν ὁ ἀπόστολος Κύριον καὶ Χριστὸν ὁ θεὸς ἐποίησε τοῦτον τὸν Ἰησοῦν ὃν ὑμεῖς ἐσταυρώσατε. ἡμεῖς ταῦτα παρ' αὐτοῦ μεμαθηκότες φαμὲν περὶ ἓν πᾶσαν βλέπειν τῶν εἰρημένων τὴν σύμφρασιν, αὐτόν τε τὸν σταυρὸν καὶ τὸ ἀνθρώπινον ὄνομα καὶ τὸ δεικτικὸν τῆς φωνῆς· δύο γὰρ πράγματα περὶ ἓν πρόσωπον ὁ τῆς γραφῆς λόγος γεγενῆ σθαί φησι, παρὰ μὲν τῶν Ἰουδαίων τὸ πάθος, παρὰ δὲ τοῦ θεοῦ τὴν τιμήν, οὐχ ὡς ἄλλου μὲν πεπονθότος, ἑτέρου 3.3.43 δὲ διὰ τῆς ἀνυψώσεως τετιμημένου. καὶ σαφέστερον ἐφερ μηνεύει λέγων διὰ τῶν ἐφεξῆς· Τῇ δεξιᾷ γάρ, φησί, τοῦ θεοῦ ὑψωθείς. τίς οὖν ὑψώθη; ὁ ταπεινὸς ἢ ὁ ὕψιστος; τί δὲ τὸ ταπεινὸν εἰ μὴ τὸ ἀνθρώπινον; τί δὲ ἄλλο παρὰ τὸ θεῖόν ἐστιν ὁ ὕψιστος; ἀλλὰ μὴν ὁ θεὸς ὑψωθῆναι οὐ δέεται ὕψιστος ὤν. ἄρα τὸ ἀνθρώπινον ὁ ἀπόστολος ὑψῶ σθαι λέγει, ὑψώθη δὲ διὰ τοῦ κύριος καὶ Χριστὸς γενέσθαι. διὰ τοῦτο δὲ μετὰ τὸ πάθος ἐγένετο. οὐκοῦν οὐ τὴν προ αιώνιον ὕπαρξιν τοῦ κυρίου διὰ τοῦ Ἐποίησε ῥήματος παρί στησιν ὁ ἀπόστολος, ἀλλὰ τὴν τοῦ ταπεινοῦ πρὸς τὸ ὑψηλὸν μεταποίησιν τὴν διὰ τῆς δεξιᾶς τοῦ θεοῦ γεγενημένην, σαφηνίζεται γὰρ καὶ διὰ τούτου τοῦ ῥήματος τὸ τῆς εὐσε 3.3.44 βείας μυστήριον. ὁ γὰρ εἰπὼν ὅτι Τῇ δεξιᾷ τοῦ θεοῦ ὑψω θείς, φανερῶς ἐκκαλύπτει τὴν ἀπόρρητον τοῦ μυστηρίου οἰκονομίαν, ὅτι ἡ δεξιὰ τοῦ θεοῦ ἡ ποιητικὴ πάντων τῶν ὄντων, ἥτις ἐστὶν ὁ κύριος δι' οὗ τὰ πάντα ἐγένετο καὶ οὗ χωρὶς ὑπέστη τῶν ὄντων οὐδέν, αὕτη τὸν ἑνωθέντα πρὸς αὐτὴν ἄνθρωπον εἰς τὸ ἴδιον ὕψος ἀνήγαγε, διὰ τῆς ἀνα κράσεως, ὅπερ ἐστὶν αὐτὴ κατὰ τὴν φύσιν, κἀκεῖνον ποιή σασα· ἔστι δὲ αὐτὴ κύριος καὶ βασιλεύς· Χριστὸς γὰρ ὁ βασιλεὺς ὀνομάζεται· ταῦτα κἀκεῖνον ἐποίησεν. ὥσπερ γὰρ ἐν τῷ ὑψίστῳ γενόμενος ὑπερυψώθη, οὕτω καὶ τὰ ἄλλα πάντα ἐγένετο, ἐν τῷ ἀθανάτῳ ἀθάνατος, ἐν τῷ φωτὶ φῶς, ἐν τῷ ἀφθάρτῳ ἄφθαρτος, ἐν τῷ ἀοράτῳ ἀόρατος, ἐν τῷ 3.3.45 Χριστῷ Χριστός, ἐν τῷ κυρίῳ κύριος. πέφυκε γὰρ καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν σωματικῶν ἀνακράσεων, ὅταν πολλῷ τῷ μέτρῳ τὸ ἕτερον πλεονάζῃ μέρος, πρὸς τὸ ἐπικρατοῦν πάντως μετα ποιεῖσθαι τὸ ἐλαττούμενον. τοῦτο καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ μυστικοῦ λόγου σαφῶς διὰ τῆς τοῦ Πέτρου φωνῆς διδασκόμεθα, ὅτι τὸ ταπεινὸν τοῦ ἐξ ἀσθενείας σταυρωθέντος· ἡ δὲ ἀσθένεια 3.3.46 τὴν σάρκα δηλοῖ, καθὼς παρὰ τοῦ κυρίου ἠκούσαμεν. τοῦτο δὲ διὰ τῆς πρὸς τὸ ἄπειρόν τε καὶ ἀόριστον τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ ἀνακράσεως οὐκέτι ἔμεινεν ἐν τοῖς οἰκείοις μέτροις καὶ ἰδιώμασιν, ἀλλὰ τῇ δεξιᾷ τοῦ θεοῦ συνεπῄρθη καὶ ἐγένετο ἀντὶ δούλου