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does he make use of for our salvation and for the incarnate glorification of the Word of God and perfect divinity? What does it profit us to say he is a creature? What does a creature work for creatures? What does a creature profit creatures? How then did God create a son, giving him as a god for worship, when he says, “You shall not make for yourself any likeness, neither on earth nor in heaven, and you shall not worship it?” How then did he create a son for himself and command him to be worshiped? especially when the apostle says, “and they served the creature rather than the creator, and they became foolish.” For it is foolish to theologize a creature, and to set aside the first commandment which says, “You shall worship the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve.” Therefore the holy church of God does not worship a creature, but a begotten son, Father in Son, Son in Father, with the Holy Spirit. But yes, he says; for if I do not say that he is a creature, he says, I offer a diminution to the Father. For the created does not diminish the creator, but what is begotten by nature either works a contraction or an expansion or a lessening or a division or attaches some such passion to the one who has begotten. But great is the folly of those who reason thus, as if conjecturing the divine from themselves and wishing to attach their own passions to God, God being completely without passion both in begetting and in creating. For just as we suffer when begetting, since we are created, so also we grow weary when creating. And if the Father suffers when begetting, then he also grows weary when creating. How then is it to speak of passion and growing weary concerning God, if he creates? But he does not grow weary, may it not be. 3.185 “he will not grow weary” for scripture says. “God is spirit therefore” and according to spirit he timelessly and sovereignly begot the Son, “God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not created.” 37. But I will pass over this saying, and let us turn ourselves again to other things of those which are said and sung by them with evil suspicions, and which were set forth by me above. For again they crudely say this, misinterpreting the saying, “accept your high priest who is faithful to him who made him.” And first indeed they reject this epistle, I mean the one to the Hebrews, in effect removing it from the apostle and saying it is not by him. But the saying, on account of their own sickness, for themselves, as I said before, * they badly interpret, forsooth from what was said, that “who is faithful to him who made him,” smuggling in the idea of a creature. But someone possessing understanding might ask them, and they will be at a loss, not having what to answer, that when did our Lord take upon himself the name to be called “high priest”? For nowhere before his incarnate presence did he have these names, to be called a stone, the sheep being led to slaughter, man and son of man, the eagle and the lamb and all the other things, which are referred to him after the incarnate presence, just as also to be called high priest, on account of which matter the law proclaimed concerning him, that “the Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet from your brethren.” So then, "prophet" and "high priest" and "from among them" the word clearly interprets as after his sojourning here, so that it is possible to see immovably, how again the invincible power and foreknowledge of God, “to stop every mouth” that rises up against the truth, foretold and secured all things with wonderful illumina3.186tion. For it speaks thus in the same sequence that “every high priest being taken from among men is appointed on behalf of men, to offer both gifts and sacrifices, being able to deal gently. For he is obligated to offer also for his own sins, but he who has no sin offered himself to the Father.” And “from among men” is on account of his dwelling among us, but “not from men” and “having no sin” is on account of his divinity. And concerning his divinity it says, “although he was a Son,” but concerning his incarnate presence, “he learned from what he suffered,”

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χρῆσιν ποιεῖται πρὸς τὴν ἡμῶν σωτηρίαν καὶ πρὸς τὴν τοῦ θεοῦ λόγου ἔνσαρκον δοξολογίαν καὶ τελείαν θεότητα; τί ὠφελεῖ ἡμᾶς τὸ λέγειν αὐτὸν κτίσμα; τί κτίσμα ταῖς κτίσεσιν ἐργάζεται; τί κτίσμα ὠφελεῖ τὰς κτίσεις; πῶς δὲ ἔκτισεν ὁ θεὸς υἱόν, θεὸν εἰς προσκύνησιν αὐτὸν διδούς, ὁπότε λέγει «μὴ ποιήσῃς σεαυτῷ πᾶν ὁμοίωμα μήτε ἐπὶ γῆς μήτε ἐν οὐρανῷ καὶ μὴ προσκυνήσεις αὐτῷ;» πῶς οὖν ἔκτισεν ἑαυτῷ υἱὸν καὶ ἐπέταξε προσκυνεῖσθαι; μάλιστα τοῦ ἀποστόλου λέγοντος «καὶ ἐλάτρευσαν τῇ κτίσει παρὰ τὸν κτίσαντα, καὶ ἐμωράνθησαν». μωρὸν γὰρ τὸ κτίσιν θεολογεῖν, ἀθετεῖν δὲ πρώτην ἐντολὴν τὴν λέγουσαν «κύριον τὸν θέον σου προσκυνήσεις καὶ αὐτῷ μόνῳ λατρεύσεις». διὸ ἡ ἁγία τοῦ θεοῦ ἐκκλησία οὐ κτίσμα προσκυνεῖ, ἀλλὰ υἱὸν γεννητόν, πατέρα ἐν υἱῷ, υἱὸν ἐν πατρί, σὺν ἁγίῳ πνεύματι. ἀλλὰ ναί, φησιν· ἐὰν γὰρ μὴ εἴπω ὅτι κτίσμα, φησίν, ἐλάττωσιν προσφέρω τῷ πατρί. τὸ γὰρ κτιστὸν οὐκ ἐλαττοῖ τὸν κτίσαντα, τὸ δὲ γεγεννημένον ἐκ φύσεως ἢ συστολὴν ἐργάζεται ἢ πλατυσμὸν ἢ μείωσιν ἢ τομὴν ἤ τι τῶν τοιούτων παθῶν προσάπτει τῷ γεγεννηκότι. πολλὴ δὲ μωρία τῶν τοιαῦτα λογιζομένων, ὡς ἀφ' ἑαυτῶν τὸ θεῖον εἰκάζειν καὶ τὰ εἰς αὐτοὺς πάθη τῷ θεῷ προσάπτειν βουλομένων, τοῦ θεοῦ ἀπαθοῦς ὄντος παντελῶς καὶ ἐν τῷ γεννᾶν καὶ ἐν τῷ κτίζειν. ὡς γὰρ ἡμεῖς πάσχομεν γεννῶντες, ἐπειδὴ κτιστοί ἐσμεν, οὕτω καὶ κάμνομεν κτίζοντες. καὶ εἰ πάσχει ὁ πατὴρ γεννῶν, ἄρα καὶ κτίζων κάμνει. πῶς δὲ περὶ θεοῦ πάθος ἐστὶν εἰπεῖν καὶ τὸ κάμνειν, εἴπερ κτίζει; ἀλλ' οὐ κάμνει, μὴ γένοιτο. 3.185 «οὐ κοπιάσει» γάρ φησιν ἡ γραφή. «πνεῦμα οὖν ὁ θεὸς» καὶ κατὰ πνεῦμα ἀνάρχως καὶ ἀρχόνως τὸν υἱὸν ἐγέννησεν, «θεὸν ἐκ θεοῦ, φῶς ἐκ φωτός, θεὸν ἀληθινὸν ἐκ θεοῦ ἀληθινοῦ, γεννηθέντα, οὐ κτισθέντα». 37. Παρελεύσομαι δὲ καὶ τοῦτο τὸ ῥητόν, ἐφ' ἕτερα δὲ πάλιν ἑαυτοὺς ἐπιδῶμεν τῶν ὑπ' αὐτῶν ἐν κακαῖς ὑπονοίαις λεγομένων τε καὶ ᾀδομένων, ἄνω δέ μοι προτεταγμένων. καὶ γὰρ πάλιν χυδαίως φασὶ τοῦτο τὸ ῥητὸν παρερμηνεύοντες τὸ «δέξασθε τὸν ἀρχιερέα ὑμῶν πιστὸν ὄντα τῷ ποιήσαντι αὐτόν». καὶ πρῶτον μὲν τὴν ἐπιστολὴν ταύτην, τὴν πρὸς Ἑβραίους φημί, ἀπωθοῦνται, φύσει αὐτὴν ἀναιροῦντες ἀπὸ τοῦ ἀποστόλου καὶ λέγοντες μὴ εἶναι τοῦ αὐτοῦ. τὸ δὲ ῥητὸν διὰ τὴν ἰδίαν νόσον εἰς ἑαυτούς, ὡς προεῖπον, * κακῶς ἐκδέχονται, δῆθεν ἀπὸ τοῦ εἰρημένου ὅτι «πιστὸν ὄντα τῷ ποιήσαντι αὐτόν» τὸ κτίσμα παρεισφέροντες. ἐρωτήσειε δ' ἄν τις αὐτοὺς σύνεσιν κεκτημένος, καὶ ἀπορήσουσι, μὴ ἔχοντες τί ἀποκριθήσονται, ὅτι τὸ «ἀρχιερέα» πότε προσελάβετο ὁ κύριος ἡμῶν ὄνομα αὐτῷ καλεῖσθαι; οὐδαμοῦ γὰρ πρὸ τῆς ἐνσάρκου αὐτοῦ παρουσίας ταῦτα ἔσχε τὰ ὀνόματα, τὸ λίθον καλεῖσθαι, τὸ πρόβατον εἰς σφαγὴν φερόμενον, τὸ ἄνθρωπον καὶ υἱὸν ἀνθρώπου, τὸ ἀετὸν καὶ ἀρνίον καὶ τὰ ἄλλα πάντα, ὅσαπερ εἰς αὐτὸν μετὰ τὴν ἔνσαρκον παρουσίαν ἀναφέρεται, ὡς καὶ τὸ ἀρχιερέα αὐτὸν καλεῖσθαι, δι' ἣν ὁ νόμος ἐκήρυττε περὶ αὐτοῦ ὑπόθεσιν, ὅτι «προφήτην ἐκ τῶν ἀδελφῶν ὑμῶν ἐγερεῖ κύριος ὁ θεὸς ὑμῖν». ἄρα γοῦν τὸ «προφήτην» καὶ «ἀρχιερέα» καὶ «τὸ ἐξ αὐτῶν» μετὰ τὴν ἐνταῦθα κατακωχὴν ἑρμηνεύει σαφῶς ὁ λόγος, ὡς καὶ ἀραρότως ἔστιν ἰδεῖν, πῶς πάλιν ἡ ἀνίκητος τοῦ θεοῦ δύναμις καὶ προγνωσία «εἰς τὸ φράξαι πᾶν στόμα» ἐπεγειρόμενον κατὰ τῆς ἀληθείας πάντα μετὰ θαυμαστῆς φωτα3.186 γωγίας προεθέσπισε καὶ ἠσφαλίσατο. φάσκει γὰρ οὕτως ἐν τῇ αὐτῇ ἀκολουθίᾳ ὅτι «πᾶς ἀρχιερεὺς ἐξ ἀνθρώπων λαμβανόμενος ὑπὲρ ἀνθρώπων καθίσταται, εἰς τὸ προσφέρειν δῶρά τε καὶ θυσίας, δυνάμενος μετριοπαθεῖν. ἀνάγκην γὰρ ἔχει καὶ περὶ τῶν ἰδίων ἁμαρτιῶν προσφέρειν, ὁ δὲ μὴ ἔχων ἁμαρτίαν ἑαυτὸν προσήνεγκε τῷ πατρί». καὶ τὸ μὲν «ἐκ τῶν ἀνθρώπων» διὰ τὴν ἐνδημίαν, τὸ δὲ «οὐκ ἐξ ἀνθρώπων» καὶ τὸ «μὴ ἔχων ἁμαρτίαν» διὰ τὴν θεότητα. καὶ περὶ τῆς αὐτοῦ θεότητός φησι «καίπερ ὢν υἱός», περὶ δὲ τῆς ἐνσάρκου αὐτοῦ παρουσίας «ἔμαθεν ἐξ ὧν ἔπαθε»,