6. Let us look next at the apostle’s word: “Whose are the fathers, of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for ever.”28    Rom. ix. 5. This word declares the mystery of the truth rightly and clearly. He who is over all is God; for thus He speaks boldly, “All things are delivered unto me of my Father.”29    Matt. xi. 27. He who is over all, God blessed, has been born; and having been made man, He is (yet) God for ever. For to this effect John also has said, “Which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.”30    Apoc. i. 8. And well has he named Christ the Almighty. For in this he has said only what Christ testifies of Himself. For Christ gave this testimony, and said, “All things are delivered unto me of my Father;”31    Matt. xi. 27. [Compare John v. 22.] and Christ rules all things, and has been appointed32    [Strictly scriptural as to the humanity of Messiah, Heb. i. 9.]Almighty by the Father.  And in like manner Paul also, in setting forth the truth that all things are delivered unto Him, said, “Christ the first-fruits; afterwards they that are Christ’s at His coming. Then cometh the end, when He shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when He shall have put down all rule, and all authority, and power. For He must reign, till He hath put all enemies under His feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. For all things are put under Him. But when He saith, All things are put under Him, it is manifest that He is excepted which did put all things under Him. Then shall He also Himself be subject to Him who put all things under Him, that God may be all in all.”33    1 Cor. xv. 23–28. If, therefore, all things are put under Him with the exception of Him who put them under Him, He is Lord of all, and the Father is Lord of Him, that in all there might be manifested one God, to whom all things are made subject together with Christ, to whom the Father hath made all things subject, with the exception of Himself. And this, indeed, is said by Christ Himself, as when in the Gospel He confessed Him to be His Father and His God. For He speaks thus: “I go to my Father and your Father, and to my God and your God.”34    John xx. 17. If then, Noetus ventures to say that He is the Father Himself, to what father will he say Christ goes away according to the word of the Gospel?  But if he will have us abandon the Gospel and give credence to his senselessness, he expends his labour in vain; for “we ought to obey God rather than men.”35    Acts v. 29; iv. 19.

[6] ὃ δὲ λέγει ὁ ἀπόστολος, Ὧν οἱ πατέρες, ἐξ ὧν ὁ Χριστὸς τὸ κατὰ σάρκα, ὁ ὢν ἐπὶ πάντων Θεὸς εὐλογητὸς εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας, καλῶς διηγεῖται καὶ λαμπρὸν τὸ τῆς ἀληθείας μυστήριον. οὗτος ὢν ἐπὶ πάντων, Θεός ἐστιν. λέγει γὰρ οὕτω μετὰ παρρησίας, Πάντα μοι παραδέδοται ὑπὸ τοῦ Πατρός. ὁ ὢν ἐπὶ πάντων Θεὸς εὐλογητὸς γεγέννηται, καὶ ἄνθρωπος γενόμενος Θεός ἐστιν εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας. οὕτως γὰρ καὶ Ἰωάννης εἶπεν, Ὁ ὢν καὶ ὁ ἦν καὶ ὁ ἐρχόμενος, ὁ Θεὸς ὁ παντοκράτωρ. καλῶς εἶπεν παντοκράτορα Χριστόν. τοῦτο γὰρ εἶπεν ὅπερ καὶ αὐτῷ μαρτυρήσει ὁ Χριστός. μαρτυρῶν γὰρ Χριστὸς ἔφη, Πάντα μοι παραδέδοται παρὰ τοῦ Πατρός. καὶ πάντων κρατεῖ: παντοκράτωρ παρὰ Πατρὸς κατεστάθη Χριστός. ἤδη δὲ καὶ Παῦλος, δεικνὺς ὅτι πάντα αὐτῷ παραδέδοται, οὕτως ἔφη, Ἀπαρχὴ Χριστός, ἔπειτα οἱ τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐν τῇ παρουσίᾳ αὐτοῦ, εἶτα τὸ τέλος, ὅταν παραδιδῷ τὴν βασιλείαν τῷ Θεῷ καὶ Πατρί, ὅταν καταργήσῃ πᾶσαν ἀρχὴν καὶ πᾶσαν ἐξουσίαν καὶ δύναμιν. δεῖ γὰρ αὐτὸν βασιλεύειν ἄχρι οὗ θῇ πάντας τοὺς ἐχθροὺς ὑπὸ τοὺς πόδας αὐτοῦ. ἔσχατος ἐχθρὸς καταργεῖται ὁ θάνατος. ὅταν δὲ εἴπῃ, πάντα ὑποτέτακται αὐτῷ, δῆλον ὅτι ἐκτὸς τοῦ ὑποτάξαντος αὐτῷ τὰ πάντα. τότε καὶ αὐτὸς ὑποταγήσεται τῷ ὑποτάξαντι αὐτῷ τὰ πάντα, ἵνα ᾖ ὁ Θεὸς πάντα ἐν πᾶσιν. εἰ οὖν τὰ πάντα ὑποτέτακται αὐτῷ ἐκτὸς τοῦ ὑποτάξαντος, 〚καὶ〛 πάντων κρατεῖ: αὐτοῦ δὲ ὁ Πατήρ, ἵνα ἐν πᾶσιν εἷς Θεὸς φανῇ, ᾧ τὰ πάντα ὑποτάσσεται ἅμα Χριστῷ, ᾧ τὰ πάντα Πατὴρ ὑπέταξε παρὲξ ἑαυτοῦ. τοῦτο γὰρ Χριστὸς ἔφη, ὡς ἐν τῷ εὐαγγελίῳ καὶ Πατέρα ἴδιον καὶ Θεὸν ὡμολόγησεν. λέγει γὰρ οὕτως, Ὑπάγω πρὸς τὸν Πατέρα μου καὶ Πατέρα ὑμῶν, καὶ Θεόν μου καὶ Θεὸν ὑμῶν. εἰ οὖν Νοητὸς τολμᾷ λέγειν αὐτὸν εἶναι τὸν Πατέρα, 〚καὶ〛 πρὸς ποῖον Πατέρα ἐρεῖ πορεύεσθαι Χριστὸν κατὰ τὴν εὐαγγελικὴν φωνήν; εἰ δὲ ἀξιοῖ καταλείψαντος ἡμᾶς τὸ εὐαγγέλιον τῇ αὐτοῦ ἀφροσύνῃ πιστεύειν, μάτην κάμνει. Πειθαρχεῖν γὰρ δεῖ Θεῷ μᾶλλον ἢ ἀνθρώποις.