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that the words to Mary apply to the divinity of the Only-begotten, it is possible to learn from the very meaning of the words spoken. 3.10.9 For he who through all things humbled himself to the equal honor of human lowliness, he it is who utters the words spoken. But what the meaning of these words is, those who search out the depths of the mystery through the Spirit might know with precision; but as much as has also come to our comprehension according to the teaching of the fathers, this we shall set forth in brief. The Father by nature of all beings, from whom all things have their generation, is proclaimed as one by the great voice of the apostle. For there is one God, 3.10.10 he says, and Father, from whom are all things. Therefore human nature did not enter creation from some other source, nor was it implanted spontaneously among the things that have come to be, but it too had no other author of its own constitution than the Father of all things. And the very name of divinity, whether it signifies the power of oversight or of providence, has an affinity with the human. For he who gave to beings the power to be, is God and overseer of the things that have been made by him. But since, by the design of the one who sowed in us the tare of disobedience, our nature no longer preserved in itself the image of the paternal character, but was transformed to the shame of sin, for this reason, through the likeness according to choice, it was adopted into the wicked kinship of the father of sin; so that for the one disowned in his own evil the good and true one was no longer Father and God, but instead of the God who is by nature, those who are not gods by nature were honored, as the apostle says, and instead of the true Father, the one falsely named was considered father, as somewhere the prophet Jeremiah says enigmatically that The partridge 3.10.11 called, it gathered what it did not hatch. Since, therefore, this was the chief point of our misfortune, that humanity was estranged from the good Father and came to be outside of divine oversight and care, for this reason he who shepherds all rational creation, leaving in the high places the unerring and super-cosmic flock, goes after the lost sheep, I mean our nature, out of love for mankind. For it is a very small and least part, if it were judged against the whole, human nature alone, which according to the enigma of the parable strayed from the rational hundredfold through wickedness. 3.10.12 Since, then, it was impossible for our life, estranged from God, to be taken up again by itself to the high and heavenly place, for this reason, as the apostle says, he who knew no sin became sin for us and frees us from the curse by making our curse his own, and taking up our enmity which had come to be toward God through sin and killing it in himself, according to the word of the apostle (for the enmity was sin), and having become what we are, through himself 3.10.13 he again joined humanity to God. For that new man who was created according to God, in whom the fullness of the Godhead dwelt bodily, having through purity appropriated this man to the kinship of the Father of our nature, he drew along with him to the same grace the entire nature that partakes of his body and is akin to it. And this he announces as good news through the woman not only to those disciples, but also to all who up to the present are disciples of the Word, that man is no longer among the disowned nor cast out from the kingdom of God, but is again a son, again set under God, the whole lump being consecrated together with the first-fruits of humanity. 3.10.14 For behold, he says, I and the children whom God has given me; whence you departed, having become flesh and blood through sin, to that place he who for our sakes partook of flesh and blood has taken you up again and brought you back. And so he has become our Father and God, from whom we were formerly estranged through apostasy. Therefore the Lord proclaims this good benefaction through the words spoken, and the words are not a proof of the Son's lowliness, but

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θεότητι τοῦ μονογενοῦς ἐφαρμόζεται τὰ πρὸς τὴν Μα ρίαν ῥήματα, δι' αὐτῆς ἔστι τῆς τῶν εἰρημένων διανοίας 3.10.9 μαθεῖν. ὁ γὰρ διὰ πάντων πρὸς τὸ ὁμότιμον τῆς ἀνθρω πίνης βραχύτητος ἑαυτὸν ταπεινώσας, ἐκεῖνος φθέγγεται τὰ εἰρημένα. τίς δὲ αὐτῶν τῶν ῥημάτων ἐστὶν ἡ διάνοια, τὴν μὲν ἀκρίβειαν εἰδεῖεν ἂν οἱ διὰ τοῦ πνεύματος τὰ βάθη τοῦ μυστηρίου διερευνώμενοι· ὅσα δὲ καὶ εἰς <τὴν> ἡμε τέραν ἥκει κατάληψιν κατὰ τὴν τῶν πατέρων ὑφήγησιν, ταῦτα δι' ὀλίγων παραθησόμεθα. ὁ τῇ φύσει πατὴρ τῶν ὄντων, ἐξ οὗ τὰ πάντα τὴν γένεσιν ἔχει, εἷς παρὰ τῆς τοῦ ἀποστόλου μεγαλοφωνίας ἀνακεκήρυκται. Εἷς γὰρ θεός, 3.10.10 φησί, καὶ πατήρ, ἐξ οὗ τὰ πάντα. οὐκοῦν ἡ ἀνθρωπίνη φύσις οὐκ ἀλλαχόθεν ἐπεισῆλθε τῇ κτίσει οὐδὲ αὐτομάτως ἐνεφύη τοῖς γεγονόσιν, ἀλλὰ τὸν ποιητὴν καὶ αὐτὴ τῆς ἰδίας συστάσεως οὐκ ἄλλον ἔσχεν ἢ τὸν πατέρα τῶν πάν των. καὶ αὐτὸ δὲ τὸ τῆς θεότητος ὄνομα, εἴτε τὴν ἐπο πτικὴν εἴτε τὴν προνοητικὴν ἐξουσίαν σημαίνει, οἰκείως ἔχει πρὸς τὸ ἀνθρώπινον. ὁ γὰρ τὴν δύναμιν παρασχὼν τοῖς οὖσι τοῦ εἶναι, θεὸς καὶ ἐπόπτης τῶν ὑπ' ἐκείνου γε γονότων ἐστίν. ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ κατ' ἐπιβουλὴν τοῦ ἐνσπείραντος ἡμῖν τὸ τῆς ἀπειθείας ζιζάνιον οὐκέτι τοῦ πατρικοῦ χαρα κτῆρος ἡ φύσις ἡμῶν τὴν εἰκόνα ἐφ' ἑαυτῆς διεσώσατο, ἀλλὰ πρὸς τὸ αἶσχος τῆς ἁμαρτίας μετεμορφώθη, διὰ τοῦτο διὰ τῆς κατὰ τὴν προαίρεσιν ὁμοιότητος εἰς τὴν πονηρὰν συγγένειαν τοῦ πατρὸς τῆς ἁμαρτίας εἰσεποιήθη· ὡς μηκέτι τοῦ ἀποκηρυχθέντος ἐν τῇ ἰδίᾳ κακίᾳ τὸν ἀγα θόν τε καὶ ἀληθινὸν εἶναι πατέρα τε καὶ θεόν, ἀλλ' ἀντὶ μὲν τοῦ φύσει ὄντος θεοῦ τοὺς φύσει μὴ ὄντας θεοὺς τι μηθῆναι, καθώς φησιν ὁ ἀπόστολος, ἀντὶ δὲ τοῦ ἀληθινοῦ πατρὸς τὸν ψευδώνυμον νομισθῆναι πατέρα, καθώς που δι' αἰνίγματος ὁ προφήτης Ἰερεμίας λέγει ὅτι Ἐφώνησε πέρ-3.10.11 διξ, συνήγαγεν ἃ οὐκ ἔτεκεν. ἐπειδὴ τοίνυν τὸ κεφάλαιον τῆς συμφορᾶς ἡμῶν τοῦτο ἦν, τὸ ἐξοικειωθῆναι τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ πατρὸς τὸ ἀνθρώπινον καὶ τῆς θείας ἐπόψεώς τε καὶ κηδε μονίας ἔξω γενέσθαι, διὰ τοῦτο ὁ πᾶσαν τὴν λογικὴν κτίσιν ποιμαίνων καταλιπὼν ἐν τοῖς ὑψηλοῖς τὴν ἀπλανῆ τε καὶ ὑπερκόσμιον ποίμνην τὸ πεπλανημένον πρόβατον, τὴν ἡμε τέραν λέγω φύσιν, ὑπὸ φιλανθρωπίας μετέρχεται. πολλο στὸν γάρ ἐστι καὶ ἐλάχιστον μέρος, εἰ πρὸς τὸ πᾶν κρί νοιτο, ἡ ἀνθρωπίνη φύσις ἡ μόνη κατὰ τὸ τῆς παραβολῆς αἴνιγμα τῆς λογικῆς ἑκατοντάδος διὰ τῆς κακίας ἀποφοι 3.10.12 τήσασα. ἐπεὶ οὖν ἀποξενωθεῖσαν τοῦ θεοῦ τὴν ἡμετέραν ζωὴν δι' ἑαυτῆς πάλιν ἐπὶ τὸν ὑψηλόν τε καὶ οὐράνιον χῶρον ἀναληφθῆναι ἀμήχανον ἦν, διὰ τοῦτο, καθώς φησιν ὁ ἀπόστολος, ὁ μὴ γνοὺς ἁμαρτίαν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν ἁμαρτία γίνεται καὶ τῆς κατάρας ἡμᾶς ἐλευθεροῖ τὴν ἡμετέραν κατάραν οἰκειωσάμενος καὶ τὴν ἔχθραν ἡμῶν τὴν διὰ τῆς ἁμαρτίας πρὸς τὸν θεὸν γεγενημένην ἀναλαβὼν καὶ ἐν ἑαυτῷ ἀποκτείνας κατὰ τὸν τοῦ ἀποστόλου λόγον (ἔχθρα δὲ ἦν ἡ ἁμαρτία) καὶ γενόμενος ὅπερ ἡμεῖς δι' ἑαυτοῦ 3.10.13 πάλιν συνῆψε τῷ θεῷ τὸ ἀνθρώπινον. τὸν γὰρ καινὸν ἐκεῖνον ἄνθρωπον τὸν κατὰ θεὸν κτισθέντα, ἐν ᾧ κατῴκησε τὸ πλήρωμα τῆς θεότητος σωματικῶς, τοῦτον διὰ καθαρό τητος τῇ συγγενείᾳ τοῦ πατρὸς τῆς φύσεως ἡμῶν προσ οικειώσας πᾶσαν τὴν κοινωνὸν τοῦ σώματος αὐτοῦ καὶ συγ γενῆ φύσιν πρὸς τὴν αὐτὴν χάριν συνεφειλκύσατο. καὶ τοῦτο διὰ τῆς γυναικὸς οὐ πρὸς ἐκείνους τοὺς μαθητὰς μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ πρὸς πάντας τοὺς μέχρι τοῦ νῦν μαθη τευομένους τῷ λόγῳ εὐαγγελίζεται, ὅτι οὐκέτι ἐν ἀποκη ρύκτοις ὁ ἄνθρωπος οὐδὲ τῆς τοῦ θεοῦ βασιλείας ἀπό βλητος, ἀλλὰ πάλιν υἱός, πάλιν ὑπὸ τὸν θεὸν τεταγμένος, τῇ ἀπαρχῇ τῆς ἀνθρωπότητος συναγιασθέντος καὶ τοῦ 3.10.14 φυράματος. Ἰδοὺ γάρ, φησίν, ἐγὼ καὶ τὰ παιδία ἅ μοι ἔδωκεν ὁ θεός· ὅθεν ὑμεῖς ἀπεφοιτήσατε σάρκες καὶ αἷμα διὰ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν γενόμενοι, ἐκεῖ πάλιν ὑμᾶς ἀναλαβὼν ἐπανήγαγεν ὁ δι' ἡμᾶς κεκοινωνηκὼς σαρκός τε καὶ αἵματος. καὶ οὕτω γέγονε καὶ ἡμέτερος πατὴρ καὶ θεός, οὗ πρότερον διὰ τῆς ἀποστασίας ἠλλοτριώθημεν. οὐκοῦν εὐαγ γελίζεται τὴν ἀγαθὴν ταύτην εὐεργεσίαν διὰ τῶν εἰρημένων ὁ κύριος, καὶ ἔστι τὰ ῥήματα οὐ τῆς τοῦ υἱοῦ ταπεινό τητος ἔλεγχος, ἀλλὰ