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we offer to God, if we say: yours is the strength, yours is the power, yours is the blessing. Have we given him power? Have we blessed God? But having strengthened and empowered, we have confessed God’s power and have given back the strength to God. So also the angel at that hour, marveling and being astonished at the excess of his own master's love for humanity, that being God and worshipped with the Father in heaven, and served by his own angels, to such an extent * he endured by his own will to come voluntarily and to put on flesh; and not only this, but even to the point of suffering for his own creation, human nature, * he endures even to be handed over to a cross, and tasting “of death, even the death of a cross,” so that through him humanity might receive a trophy against death, and “that he might destroy him who has the power of death, that is, the devil” and “triumph over every principality and power.” Therefore, the angel, marveling and being astonished, said to him, glorifying and praising his own master who was standing in such a contest and wonder-working: that yours is the worship, yours is the dominion, yours is the power, yours is the strength, so that what was written by Moses might be fulfilled: “Let all the angels of God strengthen him.” And see, servants of Christ and sons of the holy church of God and of the orthodox faith, that nothing in the divine scripture is crooked or tortuous, but all things have been wonderfully written and perfected for our salvation. But the aforementioned, being in enmity towards the only-begotten Son of God and towards the Holy Spirit, think and devise all things as enemies. But may it not be for us to pay attention to human sophistries, but to have our own minds strengthened, so that we may glorify our master, and think nothing diminished in him. For if he who came to save all things has some defect in himself, how will creation be saved from its own defects? 63. Again they take hold like adversaries—for they are possessed by a Judaic mindset and differ in nothing from them, except 3.212 in name only—these new Jews who attack us again, seeking certain words against the Savior, “that they might trap him in his words,” as the holy gospel said, and they say: He said on the cross, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani, that is, my God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” And you see, they say, him piteously pleading and lamenting and saying, “Why have you forsaken me?” And those whose minds are weighed down by this poison of Arius' madness and who are lacking in the knowledge of God do not know that all things pertaining to human suffering in the Lord must be confessed in his true, incarnate presence. And first, concerning him, as they think, jumping from one thing to another, they forget, not having a single position. For how can those who are not sound in mind? For at one time they want to call him Savior and Lord and Christ and existing before all ages and master of angels and archangels, through whom all things were made, principalities and powers, angels and archangels, the heavens and all things, the earth and all people and all things on the earth, the sea and the things in it. And oh, the great foolishness of those who hold such opinions about him and do not understand here that he who is before the ages according to his divinity, through whom heaven and earth were made, angels and archangels and simply the entire universe, visible and invisible, cannot say this cry from the person of his divinity: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” For when was the son forsaken by the father, and when was the son not in the father and the father in the son? For on earth the Son and God the Word had walked, but he touched heaven and all enemies

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παρέχομεν τῷ θεῷ, ἐὰν εἴπωμεν· σή ἐστιν ἡ ἰσχύς, σή ἐστιν ἡ δύναμις, σή ἐστιν ἡ εὐλογία, μὴ ἡμεῖς δύναμιν αὐτῷ δεδώκαμεν, μὴ ἡμεῖς τὸν θεὸν ηὐλογήσαμεν· ἀλλ' ἐνισχύσαντες καὶ ἐνδυναμώσαντες θεοῦ τὴν δύναμιν ὡμολογήσαμεν καὶ θεῷ τὴν ἰσχὺν ἀποδεδώκαμεν. οὕτω καὶ ὁ ἄγγελος κατ' ἐκείνην τὴν ὥραν θαυμάσας καὶ ἐκπληττόμενος τὴν ὑπερβολὴν τῆς τοῦ ἰδίου δεσπότου φιλανθρωπίας, ὅτι θεὸς ὢν καὶ σὺν πατρὶ προσκυνούμενος ἐν οὐρανῷ, καὶ θεραπευόμενος ὑπὸ ἰδίων ἀγγέλων αὐτοῦ, εἰς τοσοῦτον * ὑπέμεινεν ἰδίᾳ βουλήσει ἑκουσίως ἐλθεῖν καὶ ἐνδύσασθαι σάρκα· καὶ οὐ μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἄχρι τοῦ παθεῖν ὑπὲρ τοῦ ἰδίου πλάσματος, τῆς ἀνθρωπείας φύσεως * ὑπομένει καὶ ἄχρι σταυροῦ παραδοθῆναι, γευσάμενός τε «θανάτου, θανάτου δὲ σταυροῦ», ὅπως δι' αὐτοῦ τρόπαιον μὲν κατὰ τοῦ θανάτου ἡ ἀνθρωπότης λάβοι, «καταργήσῃ δὲ τὸν τὸ κράτος ἔχοντα τοῦ θανάτου τουτέστι τὸν διάβολον» καὶ «θριαμβεύσῃ πᾶσαν ἀρχὴν καὶ ἐξουσίαν». διὸ καὶ θαυμάζων καὶ ἐκπληττόμενος ὁ ἄγγελος ἔλεγεν αὐτῷ, δοξολογῶν καὶ εὐφημῶν τὸν ἴδιον δεσπότην ἐπὶ τῷ τοιούτῳ σκάμματι καὶ παραδοξοποιίᾳ ἑστῶτα· ὅτι σή ἐστιν ἡ προσκύνησις, σόν ἐστι τὸ κράτος, σή ἐστιν ἡ δύναμις, σή ἐστιν ἡ ἰσχύς, ἵνα πληρώσῃ τὸ παρὰ Μωυσῇ γεγραμμένον ὅτι «ἐνισχυσάτωσαν αὐτῷ πάντες ἄγγελοι θεοῦ». καὶ ὁρᾶτε, Χριστοῦ θεράποντες καὶ υἱοὶ τῆς ἁγίας τοῦ θεοῦ ἐκκλησίας καὶ ὀρθοδόξου πίστεως, ὅτι οὐδὲν ἐν τῇ θείᾳ γραφῇ σκολιὸν οὐδὲ στραγγαλιῶδες, ἀλλὰ τὰ πάντα θαυμασίως εἰς τὴν ἡμετέραν σωτηρίαν γέγραπται καὶ τετελείωται. οἱ δὲ προειρημένοι, ἐν ἔχθρᾳ ὄντες πρὸς τὸν μονογενῆ υἱὸν τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ πρὸς τὸ ἅγιον πνεῦμα, πάντα ὡς ἐχθροὶ διανοοῦνταί τε καὶ σοφίζονται. ἡμῖν δὲ μὴ γένοιτο ἀνθρωπίνοις σοφίσμασι προσανέχειν, ἀλλ' ἔχειν τὸν ἑαυτῶν νοῦν ἐρρωμένον, ὅπως τὸν μὲν ἡμῶν δεσπότην δοξάσωμεν, μηδὲν δέ τι ἠλαττωμένον ἐν αὐτῷ διανοηθῶμεν. εἰ γὰρ ὁ τὰ πάντα ἐλθὼν σῶσαι ἔχει ἐλαττώματός τι ἐν ἑαυτῷ, πῶς σωθήσεται ἡ κτίσις ἀπὸ τῶν ἰδίων ἐλαττωμάτων; 63. Πάλιν δὲ ἐπιλαμβάνονται ὥσπερ ἀντίδικοι καὶ γάρ εἰσιν Ἰουδαϊκῷ φρονήματι ἐγκείμενοι καὶ μηδὲν ἐκείνων διαλλάττοντες, πλὴν 3.212 τοῦ ὀνόματος μόνον οἱ πάλιν ἡμῖν ἐπιφύοντες νέοι Ἰουδαῖοι, ζητοῦντες κατὰ τοῦ σωτῆρος λέξεις τινάς, «ὅπως παγιδεύσωσιν αὐτὸν ἐν λόγῳ», καθὼς ἔφη τὸ ἅγιον εὐαγγέλιον, καί φασιν· ἔλεγεν ἐν τῷ σταυρῷ «ἠλί, ἠλί, λημᾶ σαβαχθανί, τουτέστι θεέ μου, θεέ μου, ἵνα τί με ἐγκατέλιπες;» καὶ ὁρᾷς, φασίν, οἰκτρῶς αὐτὸν παρακαλοῦντα καὶ ἀποδυρόμενον καὶ λέγοντα· «ἵνα τί με ἐγκατέλιπες;» καὶ οὐκ ἴσασιν οἱ ἀπὸ τοῦ δηλητηρίου τούτου τῆς τοῦ Ἀρείου μανίας καρηβαροῦντες τῇ διανοίᾳ καὶ τῆς τοῦ θεοῦ γνώσεως λειπόμενοι, ὅτι δεῖ τὰ ἀνθρωποπαθῆ πάντα ἐν τῷ κυρίῳ ὁμολογεῖσθαι ἐν τῇ ἐνσάρκῳ αὐτοῦ ἀληθινῇ παρουσίᾳ. καὶ πρῶτον μὲν τὰ περὶ αὐτοῦ ὡς φρονοῦσιν ἀπὸ ἑτέρων εἰς ἕτερα μεταπηδῶντες ἐπιλανθάνονται, μίαν μὴ ἔχοντες κατάστασιν. πῶς γὰρ δύνανται οἱ τῇ διανοίᾳ μὴ σωφρονοῦντες; ποτὲ μὲν γὰρ λέγειν σωτῆρα βούλονται αὐτὸν καὶ κύριον καὶ Χριστὸν καὶ πρὸ πάντων αἰώνων ὄντα καὶ δεσπότην ἀγγέλων καὶ ἀρχαγγέλων, δι' οὗ τὰ ὅλα γεγένηται, ἀρχαί τε καὶ ἐξουσίαι, ἄγγελοί τε καὶ ἀρχάγγελοι, οὐρανοὶ καὶ τὰ πάντα, γῆ τε καὶ πάντες ἄνθρωποι καὶ πάντα τὰ ἐπὶ γῆς, θάλασσά τε καὶ τὰ ἐν αὐτῇ. καὶ ὦ πολλῆς ἠλιθιότητος τῶν τὰ τοιαῦτα περὶ αὐτοῦ δοξαζόντων καὶ ἐνταῦθα μὴ νοούντων ὅτι οὐ δύναται ὁ πρὸ τῶν αἰώνων ὢν κατὰ τὴν αὐτοῦ θεότητα, δι' οὗ ὁ οὐρανὸς καὶ γῆ γεγένηται, ἄγγελοί τε καὶ ἀρχάγγελοι καὶ ἁπαξαπλῶς τὰ σύμπαντα, ὁρατά τε καὶ ἀόρατα, ταύτην τὴν φωνὴν ἐκ προσώπου τῆς αὐτοῦ θεότητος λέγειν «θεέ μου, θεέ μου, ἵνα τί με ἐγκατέλιπες;» πότε γὰρ ἐγκατελείφθη υἱὸς ἀπὸ πατρός, πότε δὲ οὐχ ὁ υἱὸς ἐν τῷ πατρὶ καὶ ὁ πατὴρ ἐν υἱῷ; ἐπὶ γῆς μὲν γὰρ ὁ υἱὸς καὶ ὁ θεὸς λόγος βεβήκει, οὐρανοῦ δὲ ἥπτετο καὶ πάντες ἐχθροὶ