Message in Arian. Word 2

“The Epistle to the Arians” (4 Words) is the main dogmatic work of St. Athanasius the Great, representing a complete and comprehensive refutation of Arianism and a presentation of the Orthodox teaching about the deity of the Word and the Holy Trinity. This work was probably written by St. Athanasius in 356-361. during his third exile. The Arian Epistle has been called a classic exposition of the doctrine of the second Person of the Holy Trinity and a source of theology. The first word (64 chapters) contains a presentation of the Arian teaching (based on the book of Arius “Thalia”), emphasizing its novelty. Arianism is opposed to the true and catholic teaching transmitted by the fathers. The book contains a defense of the definitions of the Council of Nicea about the uncreatedness of the Son and the consubstantiality of the Son with the Father. The 2nd (82 chapters) and 3rd (67 chapters) words represent a detailed analysis of the texts of Holy Scripture (mainly Proverbs 8:22, one of the main arguments of the Arians in favor of the creation of the Son-Wisdom) regarding the birth and incarnation of the Son, the relationship between the Son and the Father. The 4th word (36 chapters), according to most researchers, does not belong to St. Afanasy. The book sets out the teaching about the personal properties of the Son of God, about the mutual relationship between the Father and the Son. The author especially proves that the Word is not a simple quality of the Father, not another principle existing in itself, but the own birth of the Father’s nature, different from him, but not separate, and refutes Sabellius and Paul of Samosata. 1) I thought that the defenders of Arianism would be satisfied with the denunciations and arguments of truth against them that were presented before, and, having calmed down, would finally repent of having philosophized and spoken ill of the Savior. But they (I don’t know why) still do not come to shame, and, like pigs and dogs, wallowing in their vomit and mud, they invent even more inventions of evil for themselves. Not understanding either what is written in Proverbs: “The Lord has made Me the beginning of His ways for His works” (Prov. 8:22), nor what is said by the Apostle: “He is faithful to Him who created Him” (Heb. 3:2), they stubbornly stand on the fact that the Son of God is a work and a creature. If they had not completely lost their senses, then from what was said before they could sufficiently see that, according to the testimony of the truth, the Son is not one of those things that do not exist and is not at all one of the things created, because as God He cannot be a work, and it is impermissible to call Him a creature, and only for creatures and works such expressions are appropriate: “from things that do not exist” and “was not until He was born.” since, as if afraid to deviate from their inventions, they customarily expose the above-mentioned sayings of the Divine Scriptures, which have a good meaning, but are badly interpreted by them, then by repeating the meaning of these sayings, as we establish this in the memory of the faithful, we will prove to the Arians even with each of these sayings that they do not know Christianity at all. And if they knew, they would not shut themselves into the unbelief of today’s Jews, but would ask and hear that “in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was to God, and God was the Word” (John 1:1), and when, by the good will of the Father, the Word Himself became man, then John rightly said about Him: “The Word became flesh” (John 1:14), and Peter: “The Lord and His Christ... created to eat” (Acts 2:36), and Solomon, as if on behalf of the Lord Himself: “The Lord made Me the beginning of His ways in His works,” and Paul: “I was only better than the angels” (Heb. 1:4), and also: “I humbled myself, and took on the form of a servant” (Phil. 2:7), and also: “the same, holy brethren, titles heavenly partaker, understand the Apostle and Holy One of our confession Jesus... being faithful to Him who created Him” (Heb. 3:1,2). All such sayings have the same power, one pious thought, showing both the Divinity of the Word and what is said about Him in terms of humanity, because the Word also became the Son of Man. Although this is enough to refute the Arians, but since, not understanding what the Apostle said (I will mention this first), because of what is written: “being is faithful to Him who created Him,” they think that God’s Word is a work, I considered it necessary to again admonish those who affirm this, as we said before, having borrowed the main position from them. 2) If the Word is not the Son, then let him be called a work, let everything that is predicated about works be said about Him, let Him not alone be called the Son, and the Word, and Wisdom, and let God Himself be called not the Father, but only the Creator and Creator of His creatures, let the creature be the image and mark of the Father’s creative will, so the Father Himself, according to them, does not have generative nature, and therefore there is neither Word, nor Wisdom, nor in general the Image of the Father’s own essence. For if there is no Son, then there is no Image. And if there is no Son, then why do you say that God is the Creator, when everything created is brought into being through the Word and Wisdom, and nothing came into being without the Word; in your opinion, does God not have, through whom and by whom does He create everything? If, according to the Arians, God’s very essence is not fruitful, but barren, like a non-luminous light and a dry spring, then why are they not ashamed to claim that God has creative power? And why, having taken away what is from nature, do they not blush when they want to prefer what is from will? And if God, desiring that what is outside Him and what did not exist before should have existence, creates this and becomes the Creator of this, then much earlier He can be the Father of the One who is born from His own essence. If they attribute to God the will for the existence of non-existent things, then why do they not recognize in God that which precedes this will? This is preceded by this will - to have a nature akin to God and to be the Father of His own Son. Therefore, if, according to their unreasonable reasoning, there were not in God the first thing, which is from nature, then how could there be in Him the second, which is from will? The first is the Word, and the second is the creature. But although the wicked dare to cry out against this even more, God has a Word, because creation was brought into being by the Word. And it is clear that God, as the Creator, has a creative Word not from the outside, but actually from Himself. For again we must repeat the same thing: if God has a will, and His will is creative, and His will alone is enough for creatures to come into being, and His Word is creative and constructive, then there is no doubt that this Word is the living Father’s will, essential effectiveness, the true Word, by which everything has come into being and is perfectly governed. No one can doubt that He who brings into harmony is more primary than harmony itself, and what is brought into harmony is that, as I said before, for God to create is the second, the first is to give birth, because what is born is the Son, who actually and truly exists from that blessed and ever-existing Essence, and what is created by the will of this Essence comes into being, being composed from the outside, and is based on its own from the essence of God by Birth. 3) So, since this word shows the great inconsistency of such a position, as if the Word is not the Son of God, but a work, then it is necessary to confess with us that the Lord is the Son. And if He is the Son, which is true, and the Son is confessed that He is not from without, but from the One who begot, then let them, according to what was said before, not argue about the sayings, if about the Word Himself, instead of the saying “To the One who was born,” the saints use the saying “To the Creator,” as if this saying is indifferent to the first, as long as what is confessed is what is in accordance with nature. For sayings do not destroy nature; rather, nature changes the meaning of the sayings assigned to it. Sayings are not more primary than essences, but essences are first, and sayings are second to them. Why, when the essence is a work or a creature, then the words “created, became” and “created” are said about creatures in the proper sense and denote the work, and when the essence is birth and a son, then the words “created, became” and “created” are no longer used about the son in the proper sense and do not mean a work, but instead of the saying: “gave birth,” others, without distinction, use the saying: “created.” Thus, fathers often call the sons they have born their slaves and thus do not deny the authenticity of the birth; Often, expressing goodwill towards their slaves, they call them children and at the same time do not hide the fact that they have owned them for a long time. In the first case, they speak like fathers by authority, and in the second they give the name by love for mankind. Sarah called Abraham master, although she was not a slave, but a spouse. The Apostle brought slave Onesimus, like a brother, closer to his ruler Philemon. Bathsheba, being a mother, called her son a slave, saying to his father: “Solomon... your servant” (1 Kings 1:19); Then the prophet Nathan, entering in agreement with Bathsheba, said to David: “Solomon your servant” (1 Kings 1:26). And they did not hesitate to call their son a slave, because the father, hearing this, recognized him as a son, and they, saying this, knew that Solomon was the son, and they recognized the one who was called a slave worthy of inheritance through his father, for by nature he was David’s son. 4) Therefore, just as those who read this about Solomon understand correctly, and hearing that he is called a servant, recognize him not as a slave, but by nature and a true son, so if the saints say about the Savior, Who is truly confessed to be the Son and by nature is the Word: “He is faithful to Him who created Him,” if He himself says about Himself: “The Lord created Me,” and: “I am Thy servant and the son of Thy handmaid” (Psalm 115:7), and all the like, then let not others therefore deny that which, in fact, belongs to Him from the Father, but let them hold to the correct understanding about the Father and the Son, as about Solomon and David. For if, hearing that Solomon is called a servant, they recognize him as a son, is it not fair for those who do not hold the same understanding about the Lord to perish many times over, but when they hear what is called Birth, Word, Wisdom, they try to reinterpret it and deny the most sincere by nature birth of the Son from the Father; when they hear sayings and expressions befitting a work, they are immediately ready to recognize the Son as a work by nature and deny the existence of the Word, whereas knowing that the Son became a man, all such sayings can be attributed to His humanity? Do they not turn out to be abominable before the Lord, having a “greater weight” (Proverbs 20:23) and by one weight drawing the above conclusion, and by another blaspheming the Lord? But, perhaps, they agree that the expression “slave” was used as if out of goodwill, but they stop at the expression “To the Creator” as some kind of great aid for their heresy. However, this support of theirs is a broken reed. For they will soon condemn themselves if they only study the use of Scripture. Just as Solomon is called a slave, although he is a son, so (let us repeat again what was said before), if the parents of the sons they born call created, created, former, then this does not in the least deny their nature. Hezekiah, according to what is written in Isaiah, said in prayer: “From today I will make the children tell Your righteousness, O Lord of my salvation” (Is. 38:19,20). And he himself said I will do it, and the prophet in the same book and in the fourth book of Kings says this: “And you are your son who will come from you” (2 Kings 20:18, Isaiah 39:7). Consequently, Hezekiah said “I will create” instead of “I will give birth” and calls those born by him as if created, and no one argues that this expression was used about natural birth. And Eve, having given birth to Cain, said: “Man has been acquired by God” (Gen. 4:1). She said "stayakh" instead of "gave birth." For she first saw her birth, and then added “accruals,” and from what she said, “accruals,” no one will conclude that Cain was bought from others and was not born by her. And the patriarch Jacob said to Joseph: “Now your two sons, who were in the land of Egypt before I came to you in Egypt, are mine, Ephraim and Manasseh” (Gen. 48:5). And about Job the Scripture says: “I gave him seven sons and three daughters” (Job 1:2), just as Moses said in the Law: if anyone has sons, and if you make a son. 5) So they said about those who were born that they were and were created, knowing that as soon as they are recognized as sons, there is no difference if someone says: “there was”, or “acquires”, or “created”, because the thought itself stops at nature and reality. Therefore, those who ask whether the Lord is not a creature or a work must first ask: is He not the Son, is He not the Word, is He not Wisdom? When the latter is decided in the affirmative, then the thought that He is a work and a creature will immediately be rejected and destroyed, because a work cannot be a son and a word, and a son cannot be a work. If this is so, then this is again clear proof for everyone that the expression “He who created Him” serves not in favor, but rather in condemnation of the Arian heresy. For it turns out that the phrase “created” in Divine Scripture is used about children who are genuine by nature. Why, since it was quickly proven that the Lord is the Son by nature and the most sincere Son, the Word and Wisdom of the Father, it is clear from this that even if it is said about Him “created” or “became”, it is not said as about a work; on the contrary, the saints use this saying indifferently, as they do about Solomon and Hezekiah’s children. And about those who themselves gave birth to them, it is written “create”, and “accruals”, and “become”. Therefore, those who fight against God, who have repeatedly put forward such statements as an excuse, as a result of what has been said, must, at least over time, put aside evil wisdom and philosophize about the Lord that He is the true Son, the Word and the Father’s Wisdom, and not a work, not a creature. For if the Son is a product, then by what word and by what wisdom was He produced? All creatures are brought into being by the Word and Wisdom, as it is written: “By Wisdom you created all things” (Psalm 103:24), and: “all things were made by Him, and without Him they were nothing” (John 1:3). And if the Son is this Word and this Wisdom, by which all things are produced, then He is no longer among those created and generally brought into being, but is the Father’s birth. 6) See what a mistake it is to call God’s Word a work. Solomon in one place of Ecclesiastes says: “God will bring all creation to judgment for every sin, whether good or evil” (Eccl. 12:14). Will the Word, if It is a work, as you say, be brought to judgment? And where, finally, is the judgment when the Judge is judged? Who will reward the righteous with blessings, and the unworthy of punishment, when, according to you, the Lord will appear with everyone at Judgment? By what law will the Lawgiver Himself be judged? It is characteristic of creatures to be judged, to receive blessing and punishment from the Son. Fear, finally, the Judge, be convinced by Solomon’s word. If “God will bring all creation to judgment,” and the Son is not among those judged, but is much more the Judge of all creations, then is it not clearer than the sun that the Son is not a work, but the Father’s Word, by whom creations are produced and judged? If the Arians are again confused by the written “faithful being”, and they believe that both about everyone and about the Son it is said: “faithful being”, because He, believing, accepts the reward of faith, then therefore they should also reproach Moses, who says: “God is faithful” and true (Deut. 32:4), and Paul, who writes: “faithful... God, Who will not forsake You will be bitten more than you can” (1 Cor. 10:13). But in saying this, the saints did not imagine anything human about God; on the contrary, they knew that the word “faithful” has a double meaning in Scripture, namely: “believer” and “worthy of faith.” And the first meaning belongs to people and the second to God. Abraham was faithful because he believed God who spoke; God is faithful, because, as David sings, “faithful,” that is, worthy of faith, “the Lord is in all His words” (Psalm 144:13), and it is impossible for Him to lie. And “if anyone... is faithful to have widows” (1 Tim. 5:16), then he is called faithful because he believes rightly. “The word is true” (1 Tim. 3:1) because we undertake to believe what is said, for it is true and cannot be otherwise. Therefore, what is written: “being is faithful to Him who created Him” does not liken the Son to others and does not mean that He, by believing, became acceptable, but that as the Son of the true God He is faithful, and we are obliged to believe Him in everything that He said and did, remaining immutable and unchangeable even in the human economy and appearance in the flesh. 7) Thus, another, continuing the fight against the shamelessness of the Arians, and with this one saying “create” can convict them that they are mistaken in recognizing God’s Word as a work. since what is written has the correct meaning, showing what time is meant by the saying create and what it is said about, then it is necessary to prove the foolishness of the heretics, especially if, according to what was said before, we take into account both the time and the need of what was written. So, the apostle said this, speaking not about the time before the creation, but about the time when “the Word became flesh.” For it is thus written: “In the same way, holy brethren, of the title of heavenly partaker, understand the Apostle and Holy One of our confession Jesus... the being is faithful to Him who created Him.” When was He sent? Was it not when he took on our flesh? When did you become a Saint of our confession? Was it not from the time when He offered Himself for us, He raised His body from the dead, and He Himself brings those who come to Him with faith to this day to the Father, delivering everyone and propitiating God for everyone? It was not the essence of the Word and not the natural birth from the Father that the Apostle wanted to designate when he said: “being is faithful to Him who created Him.” Let this not happen. The Word is the creator, not the created. The apostle denotes the descent of the Word to men and the holy service He performed, which everyone can clearly see from the history of the Law and Aaron. Thus, Aaron is born not as a high priest, but as a man, and over time, when it pleases God, he becomes a high priest, and this is done not simply, not in ordinary clothes, but by putting on the ephod, the word (τὸ λογεῖον) and the subiron, made by the wives at God’s command, and in these vestments, entering the Holy Place, he offers God a sacrifice for the people and serves and This is like a mediator between God's vision and human sacrifices. So the Lord “in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was to God, and God was the Word.” When the Father deigned that He should be given as a ransom price for all and grace would be given to all, while Aaron was clothed with the garment, so the Word took upon Himself flesh from the earth, having Mary as the mother of the body instead of the uncultivated earth, so that He, as the Saint, having with Himself what was offered, could bring Himself to the Father and with His own blood cleanse us all from sins and raise us from the dead. 8) This was the Old Testament, and what the Savior did when he came, according to the Law, Aaron depicts in the hallway. Aaron, being one and the same, did not change when he put on the high priest’s robe, but, remaining one and the same, covered himself only with this robe. And if someone, seeing him making a sacrifice, said: “Behold, Aaron has become a high priest today,” then this did not mean that at the same time Aaron became a man, because he was a man before he became a high priest; He only expressed that Aaron became the high priest in service, putting on the clothes that were ordered and prepared for the high priesthood. In the same way, one can correctly imagine about the Lord that, having taken on flesh, He did not become different, but, being one and the same, covered himself with flesh, and the words “became, created” should be understood not in the sense that the Word Himself was created as the Word, but in the fact that the Word - the Creator of everything - subsequently became a saint, having put on a created and created body, which can bring for us, which is why it affects created. Therefore, if the Lord did not become a man, then let the Arians argue. If “the Word became flesh,” then about the Word becoming man, what should be said besides this: “being is faithful to Him who created Him”? Just as it is most characteristic to say about the Word: “in the beginning was the Word,” so it is characteristic of man to become and be created. And about the Lord, seeing that He walks as a man, and in deeds reveals Himself as God, could not everyone ask who created this Man? And again, couldn’t everyone answer this: the Father created this Man and sent Him to us as a Saint? And the apostle himself, who wrote: “being is faithful to Him who created Him,” can most of all clarify such a thought, show the time and face, if we take into account what he said before. For the speech is in one connection, and the reading continues about the same thing. So, in the Epistle to the Hebrews he writes the following: “before the children have partaken of blood and flesh, and He sincerely partook of the same, so that through death he will abolish the possessing power of death, that is, the devil, and deliver these, who through the fear of death through all their life are guilty of work. It is not from the Angel that he receives, but from the seed of Abraham that he receives: he must be like the brethren in everything, so that the High Priest may be merciful and faithful to those who come to God, in order to cleanse the sins of men. For in him he suffered, having himself been tempted, he can help those who are tempted” (Heb. 2:14-18). “The same, holy brethren, the title of a heavenly partaker, understand the Apostle and Holy One of our confession Jesus... being faithful to Him who created Him” (Heb. 3:1,2). 9) Who, having read this entire passage, will not condemn the Arians, and will not marvel at the blessed Apostle, who expressed himself so beautifully. For when was he created, when did he become a Messenger? Isn’t it then, like “He who sincerely partook” of “blood and flesh” with us? And when did he become a “merciful and faithful High Priest”? Was it not then that “in everything” he became like the “brothers”? Then he became likened to how he became a man, taking on our flesh. Consequently, Paul, writing about the economy of the Word according to humanity, and not about the essence of the Word, said: “The being is faithful to Him who created Him.” Therefore, do not be foolish anymore, claiming that the Word of God is a work. For the Word is the only begotten Son by nature. And the Son then began to have brothers when he took on flesh similar to ours; and offering it in His own person, He was called High Priest and became merciful and faithful; merciful, because, having offered Himself for us, He had mercy on us; faithful, not because, like us, He became a participant in the faith and believed in someone, but because we are obliged to believe everything that He says and does, and because He offers a faithful sacrifice, always abiding and unceasing. The sacrifices made according to the Law did not have the faithful in them, as they passed away every day and again had a need for cleansing, but the sacrifice offered by the Savior once, accomplished everything and remains faithful forever. Aaron had successors, and in general, the subordinate priesthood replaced the previous priests in time and in death. The Lord, having “impenetrable things” (Heb. 7:24) and the unsuccessive high priesthood, the “high priest” became “faithful,” always remaining and becoming faithful according to the promise, because he listens to those who come to Him and does not lead them into deception. And this can also be seen from the message of the great Peter, who says: “even those who suffer according to the will of God, so that they may return their souls to the Creator” (1 Peter 4:19). For he who changes is not faithful, but he who always remains and rewards what he has promised. 10) Among the pagans, the so-called false gods they call are untrue in relation to both being and promises, because they are not everywhere, but, being locally revered, disappear over time and fall by themselves. That is why the Word cries out for them because fidelity has not been strengthened in them (Jer. 9:3), that they are “lying water” (Jer. 15:18), and “there is no faith in them” (Deut. 32:20). In the true sense, the one and true God of all is faithful, He is always the same and says: “You see, you see, that I am” (Deut. 32:39) “and I do not change” (Mal. 3:6). Therefore, His Son is faithful, always abides, does not change, is not false both in being and in promises, as the apostle again says, writing to the Thessalonians: “He is faithful who called you, and He will do them” (1 Thessalonians 5:24). Because He does what He promised, He who speaks is faithful. And that this saying in the Epistle to the Hebrews also means immutability, he writes about it this way: “Even if we do not believe, He remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself” (2 Tim. 2:13). Consequently, the apostle, speaking about the bodily coming of the Word, rightly says: “The Messenger” and “he is faithful to Him who created Him,” showing that having become a man, “Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today, and does not change forever” (Heb. 13:8). And just as the apostle in his epistle, on account of the high priesthood, mentions the incarnation of the Word, so again he does not remain silent for long, but soon mentions His Divinity, in order to protect us from all sides, especially when he speaks of humiliation, and so that we may immediately know the height and Fatherly greatness of the Word. Therefore he says: “Moses is the servant, Christ is the Son” (Heb. 3, 5, 6); the first is faithful in the house, and Christ is the Lord and Creator of the house itself, because He Himself built it and as God sanctifies it. Moses, a man by nature, became faithful, believing God speaking to him through the Word. But the Word was in the body, not as one of the created, not as a creature within a creature, but as God in the flesh, the Creator and Builder of what He had built. People put on flesh in order to come into being and exist. God's Word became man in order to sanctify the flesh and, being Lord, was in the form of a servant, because every creature, being brought into being and created by the Word, is slave to the Word. And from this it is clear that what the apostle said, “Create,” represents not the Word as created, but a body similar to ours accepted by the Word. Therefore, having become a man, It was also called our brother. 11) If it is proven that when someone uses the expression “created” about the Word Himself, he uses it instead of the expression “gave birth,” then what other invention can be invented to reinterpret this, when our word, giving this expression a pure meaning in all respects, showed that the Son is not a work, but in essence the Father’s birth, “economically” by the good will of the Father for our sake he was created and made man, which is why the Apostle says: “being is faithful to Him who created Him,” and in Proverbs: “He created Me.” As soon as we confess that the Son became man, we can, as noted above, without distinction, say about Him that He was made, or made, or created, or formed, or is a slave, or the son of a slave, or the son of man, or set, or departed, or is a groom, or a brother, or a brother, because all these sayings are characteristic of the human condition, and expressions like these do not mean the essence of the Word, but that the Word became man. This is also the meaning of the saying from the Acts, also cited by heretics, when Peter says: “as... the Lord and Christ... he created this Jesus, whom you crucified” (Acts 2:36). It is not written here: He created for Himself a Son or created for Himself a Word, so why heretics could imagine something like that. And therefore, if they have not forgotten that they are talking about the Son of God, then let them find out whether it is written where: God created a Son for Himself or created a Word for Himself? Or again: is it written explicitly that the Son of God is a work or a creature? And then let them point this out, so that in this case they, the foolish ones, will be exposed. If they do not find anything like this, they only take those places where it is written: created or created, then I am afraid that soon, hearing: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Gen. 1, 1), created the sun and the moon, created the sea, they will say that the sky is the Word, that the light created on the first day is the Word, and that the earth is also, and each of the created things is also the Word, and in this, finally, they will be like the so-called Stoics, because the Stoics extend God Himself to everything, and the heretics put God’s Word along with each of the creatures; They had said something similar before, claiming that the Word is one of the creatures. 12) But let them hear the same thing again, and firstly, let them know that the Word (as was said before) is the Son, and not a work, and that such statements should not be made about the Divinity of the Word; one must enter into the study of why and in what sense this was written, and then, without a doubt, the human economy, taken upon Himself by the Word for our sake, will be revealed to those who seek. For Peter, having said: “He created the Lord and His Christ,” immediately added: “This Jesus, whom you crucified.” And it became clear to everyone (and it will be clear to heretics too, if they follow the sequence of speech!) that the apostle did not speak about the essence of the Word, but called Him created by humanity. For what is crucified? Isn't it the body? And how could the apostle designate the corporeal nature of the Word, if not by the saying “he created is”? Moreover, what is said here, “he created is,” has the right meaning. For, as noted above, the apostle did not say: the Word created Him, but “He created Him as the Lord,” and not only did He create, but He created among you and among you, and this also means that He made it known. And Peter himself made this clear in a noticeable way at the beginning of this first sermon when he said: “Men of Israel, listen to these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man of God, was known in you with miracles and signs and wonders, which God did in your midst, as you yourself knew” (Acts 2:22). So, what was expressed at the end with the words “created” was expressed at the beginning by the apostle with the words: “made known”; because by the signs and wonders that the Lord performed, it is known that Christ is not just a man, but God in the flesh and the Lord Himself. Similar to this is what was said in the Gospel of John: “For this reason, the Jews persecuted Him more... because not only did He destroy the Sabbath, but He also spoke of His Father God, doing things equal to God” (John 5, 16, 18). For then the Lord did not represent only Himself as God (He is not at all pretending to be God), but proved Himself by deeds, saying: “If... I do not If you believe, believe by My work: that you may understand... that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me...” (John 10:38). Thus, the Father created Him both as Lord and King among us, and among us, who were previously disobedient to Him. And it is clear that the one who is now known as the Lord and the King does not begin to be the King and the Lord, but only begins to show His dominion and extend it to those who disobey. 13) Therefore, if the heretics think that the Savior was not Lord and King until he became a man and suffered the cross, but from that time only began to be Lord, then let them know that they are clearly repeating the words of Samosatsky. If, as we explained and said above, He is the eternal Lord and King, because Abraham worships Him as his Lord, and Moses says: “And the Lord rained on Sodom and Gomorrah, and fire from the Lord came from heaven” (Gen. 19:24), and David sang: “The Lord said to my Lord: sit at My right hand” (Psalm 109:1), and: “Thy throne, O God, is for ever: the rod of righteousness is the rod of Thy kingdom” (Psalm 44:7), and: “Your kingdom is the kingdom of all ages” (Psalm 144:13), then it is clear that before He became man, He was the eternal King and Lord as the Father’s Image and the Father’s Word. And since the Word is the eternal Lord and King, it is also clear that this is not about essence. Peter said of the Son: “He created it,” but about His dominion over us, which He assumed upon Himself when He became a man and, having delivered everyone through the cross, became the Lord and King of all. If, because of what is written, “he created,” the heretics persist and, out of misunderstanding or out of their Christ-defying will, do not want to recognize the words “created” and “made known” as equivalent, then let them hear that Petrov’s words in this case have the right meaning. Whoever becomes a master over someone, acquires those already existing under his dominion. If the Lord is the Creator and the eternal King of all, when he became man, then he acquired us, then from this it is clear that what Peter says in this case does not mean that the essence of the Word is a work, but indicates the subsequent subordination of all to the Savior and His dominion over all. And this is similar to what was explained above. Just as we proposed the sayings: “Be God my protector” (Psalm 30:3), and: “The Lord is a refuge for the needy” (Psalm 9:10), and the word showed that these sayings do not mean that God Himself comes into being, but indicate the good deed He does to everyone, so Peter’s saying has the same meaning. 14) The Son of God Himself as the Word is the Lord of the universe, but we, before we received being, were initially subject to the slavery of corruption and the legal oath, then, gradually conceiving for ourselves what does not exist, as the blessed apostle says, we began to serve “not existing gods by nature” (Gal. 4:8), did not recognize the true God, and preferred what does not exist to the truth, but in the end, just as of old the people, burdened in Egypt, groaned, and we, having the law implanted in us, with unutterable sighs of the spirit began to ask and say: “Lord our God, gain us” (Is. 26:13), and He became for us, as it were, “a house of refuge and a protector God,” and thus became our Lord. It was not He who began to be, but we began to have Him as our Lord. God, as good and as the Father of the Lord, having had mercy on everyone and deigning that everyone might know Him, finally creates that His Son is clothed in a human body, made a man and named Jesus, so that in this body, having offered Himself for all, He could free Him all from God’s foolishness and corruption and Himself become Lord and King of all. And about this, namely, that He thus became Lord and King, Peter said: “He created His Lord and Christ and sent Him to eat,” and this means the same thing that the Father created Him as a man, because it is natural for man to be created. Not only did He create a man, but He created so that He might rule over everyone and sanctify everyone with the anointing. For, although He existed in the image of God, the Word took upon Himself the slave the image, however, the perception of the flesh did not enslave the Word, which by nature is the Lord. On the contrary, the liberation of all mankind was accomplished by the Word, and the Word Himself by nature, the Lord, having become man, through the slave form itself is made the Lord of all and Christ, namely, for the sanctification of all by the Spirit, and as God, becoming God’s protector and saying: “I will be their God” (Heb. 8, 10), not then is he especially made, and not only then does he begin to be God, but what He always is, as quickly as He pleases, is also for those who need it, so Christ, by nature the eternal Lord and King, is not then especially made the Lord when He is sent, and not at that time begins to be Lord and King, but what He always is, is then created in the flesh and, having delivered everyone, so thus becomes Lord of the living and the dead. For, finally, everything is in service to Him, and this is what David sings: “The Lord said to my Lord: Sit at My right hand, until I will make Your enemies Your footstool” (Psalm 109:1). It was fitting for the Redemption to be accomplished not through anyone else, but through Him who is Lord by nature, so that we, created through the Son, would not call another Lord and would not fall into Arian and pagan foolishness by serving creation more than God who created all things. 15) This is the meaning of this saying according to my weak understanding. Peter had a true and good reason for speaking this way to the Jews. For the Jews, having deviated from the truth, although they expect the coming of Christ, they do not think that Christ will endure suffering, and they say, which they themselves do not understand: we know that when Christ comes, he will remain “forever: what do you say: it is fitting for him to be exalted?” (John 12:34) Moreover, they assume that Christ is not the Word who came in the flesh, but a simple man, as all Kings were. Therefore, the Lord, admonishing Cleopas and those who were with him, taught them that “Christ” first “must suffer” (Luke 24:26), and admonishing the other Jews that He who came is God, says to them: “If these are the words of the gods, the word of God will come to them, and the Scripture cannot be destroyed: whose Father is holy and ambassador to the world, you say that You said blasphemy, and said without saying: I am the Son of God” (John 10:35, 36). 16) Therefore Peter, having learned this from the Savior, and in both cases 1 leading the Jews to true understanding, says: “The Divine Scriptures declare to you, Jews, that Christ is coming. And although you consider Him to be a simple man, as one of the descendants of David, yet what is written about Him makes it clear that He is not what you claim. On the contrary, the Scriptures proclaim that He is Lord and God, immortal and the Giver of life. For Moses said: see your life “hanging before your eyes” (Deut. 28:66), and David in the 109th psalm says: “the Lord said to my Lord: sit at my right hand, until I will make your enemies your footstool” (Psalm 109:1), and in the 15th psalm: “not leave my soul in hell, so that Thy Reverend One may see corruption” (Ps. 15:10). And that such sayings do not refer to David, he himself testifies to this, calling the coming one his Lord. And you yourself see that David died and his remains are with you. But that Christ should be such as the Scriptures depict Him, you will no doubt agree on this. These words were spoken by God, and there can be no lie in them. Therefore, if you can say that the Foretold One came even earlier, and you can prove by the signs and wonders performed by this comer that He is God, then you have the right to argue with us. And if you cannot prove that He has already come, but you are still waiting for Him, then inquire from Daniel about the time, because what Daniel said refers to the present time. If the present time is the same one that was foretold from ancient times, and you have seen what has happened among us today, then know that this Jesus, “Whom you crucified,” is the expected Christ, because David and all the prophets died, and the graves of all of them are with you. The Resurrection that has now taken place has shown that what was written refers to this Jesus. For the words indicate the crucifixion: see your “belly” “hanging”; in the piercing of the rib with a copy, what was said was fulfilled: “Like a sheep led to the slaughter” (Isa. 53:7). And that He not only resurrected, but also raised the ancient dead from their graves (as very many of you saw this yourself), this is also predicted in the words: “Thou shalt not leave My soul in hell,” and: “Devouring the death that was possible, and again was taken away... God” (Is. 25:8). And the fact that He performed such signs as were among us shows that He who came in the flesh is God, that He is Life and Lord of death. For it was fitting for Christ, Who gives life to others, not to “be kept” from death. But this could not have happened if, as you think, Christ was a simple man. On the contrary, He is the Son of God, because all people are subject to death. Therefore, let no one doubt, but “surely... let all the house of Israel understand” (Acts 2:36) that this Jesus, whom you saw in the form of a man doing signs and such works as no one had ever done, is Christ and Lord of all. Having become a man and being named Jesus, as we said above, He was not diminished by human infirmities, but in the very fact that He was made man, He most especially reveals Himself as the Lord of the living and the dead. “Because,” as the apostle said, “in the wisdom of God, not the understanding of the world, through the wisdom of God, God deigned to save those who believe by the violence of preaching” (1 Cor. 1:21). Since we, people, did not want to know God through His Word and serve God’s Word - our Master by nature, then God deigned to reveal His dominion in man and draw everyone to Himself. It was indecent to do this through a simple person, so that, having a man as our master, we would not become man-worshipers. Therefore, “the Word Himself became flesh,” and His name was called Jesus, and thus “the Father made His Lord and Christ”; and this means: He created that He should rule and reign, “that in the name of Jesus, which ye have crucified, just as every knee bows, so we recognize the Son Himself as both Lord and King, and through Him we know the Father.” 17) Many of the Jews, hearing this, came to their senses and finally recognized Christ, as it is written in Acts. But since the Arians decide to remain Jews and argue with Peter, we will offer them the same sayings. Perhaps they will at least understand this, having learned that such expressions are usually used in Divine Scripture. That Christ is the eternal Lord and King, this became clear from what was said before, and no one doubts this, because as the Son of God He is like God, and as like God, without a doubt, He is both Lord and King. For He Himself says: “He who has seen Me has seen the Father” (John 14:9). And that this very thing that Peter said: “He created the Lord and His Christ” does not mean that the Son is a work, one can see from the blessing of Isaac, although this image is weak in comparison with what we are talking about. So, Isaac said to Jacob: “Be a master over your brother” (Gen. 27:29), and to Esau: “Behold, “I will make you his master” (Gen. 27:37). If the phrase “created” meant the essence and beginning of Jacob’s existence, then in this case the Arians should not have even thought of anything like that about God’s Word, because the Son of God is not a creature, like Jacob; at least, having learned something from others, they could no longer indulge in their madness. If Isaac’s words do not refer to the essence and not to the beginning of being, while Jacob by nature is a creature and a work, then do they not surpass the devil himself in fury when that very thing, which on the basis of such sayings they do not dare to attribute to those created by nature, is applied to the Son of God, saying: He is a work? Isaac said: “become” and “created,” meaning by this not the beginning of Jacob’s existence and not the essence of Jacob, because he said this when more than thirty years had passed from the birth of Jacob; He understood the power that Jacob subsequently had over his brother. 18) Moreover, Peter expressed himself this way, without thereby indicating that the essence of the Word is a work, because he had already confessed Him as the Son of God: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16), but he understood also over us by grace the created and fulfilled kingdom and dominion of Christ. For, in saying this, he did not remain silent about the eternal and Fatherly Divinity of the Son of God, on the contrary, even before he said that the Spirit was poured out on us, and to give the Spirit with authority is not the work of a creature and a work, but God is a gift, because creatures are sanctified by the Holy Spirit; The Son, not sanctified by the Spirit, but rather Himself giving the Spirit to everyone, shows to those about Himself that He is not a creature, but the true Son of the Father. And since it is said about Him, who gives the Spirit, that He was created, it means that He was created among us by the Lord according to humanity; He gives the Spirit, because He is God’s Word. For he always was and is both the Son and the Lord and the All-King of all, being in everything like the Father and having everything that the Father has, as He Himself said (John 16:15). Let us finally consider what is said in Proverbs: “The Lord made Me the beginning of His ways for His works” (Proverbs 8:22); although it has already been proven about the Word that It is not a work, it is most proven that It is not a creature, because the words work and creature are identical; why the proof that the Word is not a work also serves as proof that It is not a creature. And others will be amazed that heretics invent excuses for wickedness and do not come to shame after each denunciation they make. At first they intended to deceive simple people, asking them: Did the Jehovah not create things that are not from things that are not, or things that are? And did you have a son before you gave birth to him? since this turned out to be fragile, they invented a new question: is there one Uncreated or are there two of them? Then those who were convicted immediately added this: is the Son free and is He of a changeable nature? But when this was rejected, they also came up with the idea of ​​saying: “Only the best of the Angels.” since the truth has exposed this too, now, bringing all this together, they think to confirm their heresy with the words: work and creation. For they again point to this and do not deviate from their malice, changing and perverting the same thing in various ways in order to deceive someone with it, even with this variety. It is true that what has been said so far shows more than anything else how vain this plan of theirs is, however, since everywhere they repeat the saying taken from Proverbs, and to many who do not know the Christian faith it seems as if their words are not without significance, then it is necessary to especially examine the saying of the Creator, as we examined the saying: “The creature is faithful to Him who created Him,” and thereby show that in everything, so in this too, they have nothing as a basis except one dream. 19) And first let us see what at the beginning, when they invented the heresy, they presented to Alexander of blessed memory. Then they wrote: “A creature, but not as one of the creatures; a work, but not as one of the works; birth, but not as one of the births.” Let everyone pay attention to the cunning and cunning of this heresy. Noticing the bitterness of her evil wisdom, she intensifies to embellish herself with the verisimilitude of her sayings. He expresses his wisdom, namely: “The Son is a creature,” and at the same time considers it possible to hide, saying: “But not like one of the creatures.” It would be better to say that by writing this, this heresy further exposed its wickedness. For if, according to your words, the Son is truly a creature, then why are you hypocrites, saying: but not as one of the creatures? If He is definitely a work, then why not as one of the works? This is where one can see the poison of heresy. Saying: He is a birth, but not as one of the births, puts many sons on the same line and teaches that the Lord is one of them. Thus, according to them, He is no longer the Only Begotten, but as one of many brethren He is called both birth and Son. What is the need for hypocrisy: calling Him a creature and saying that He is not a creature? If you add: not as one of the creatures, then such a trick of yours will turn out to be unreasonable, because you again call Him one of the creatures, and what another would say about other creatures, then you, truly buoyant and blind (Matthew 23:17), are philosophizing about the Son. For what other creature is the same as every other was created, in order to affirm to you this about the Son as something exceptional? All visible creation was created in six days; and in the first light was created, which “is called God... day” (Gen. 1:5); in the second the firmament was created; in the third, God, gathering together the waters, revealed dry land and produced various fruits on it; in the fourth he created the sun, and the moon, and the whole host of stars; in the fifth he created animals in the sea and birds in the air; in the sixth he created four-legged animals living on the earth, and finally, man. And His invisible being from the creation of the world “is understood by creatures, is visible” (Rom. 1:20). And light is not like night; the sun is not like the moon; dumb animals are not like rational people; angels are not like thrones, and thrones are not like powers. On the contrary, although they are all creatures, nevertheless, each created thing according to its genus, in its own essence, as it was created, is and remains such. 20) Therefore, let the Word either be excluded from the number of works, and as the Creator returned to the Creator, and confessed by nature to be the Son, or, if He is definitely a creature, let him be recognized as being in the same order as other creatures in relation to each other. Let each of them be called a creature, but not as one of the creatures, a birth or a work, but not as one of the works or births. For the words: birth and creation, you recognized as identical, writing: “born” or “created.” Although the Son is superior to other creatures, nevertheless, He is a creature, like other creatures. For even in the creatures themselves by nature one can find that some are superior to others. “Star differs from star in glory” (1 Cor. 15:41). And all other creatures are comparatively different from one another. However, for this very reason, some do not dominate, and others do not subjugate the most perfect; some do not serve as creative causes, and others are not created first; on the contrary, everyone has one property - to be produced and created, they themselves confess their Creator, as David sings: “the heavens tell the glory of God, but the firmament proclaims His handiwork” (Psalm 18:2); just as the wise Zerubbabel says: “the whole earth calls for the truth, and heaven blesses it... all things shake and tremble” (2 Ezra 4:36). And if the whole earth sings and blesses the Creator and the truth, and trembles, but the Creator of the earth is the Word, and He Himself proclaims: “I am... the truth” (John 14:6), then, of course, the Word is not a creature, but the Father’s only own Word. Everything is arranged by Him, and It is glorified by everyone as the Creator, about which It Itself says: “I have ordered it with Him” (Proverbs 8:29); and: “My Father is working hitherto, and I am working” (John 5:17). The saying “until now” shows that the Word, as the Word, eternally abides in the Father. For it is characteristic of the Word to do the works of the Father and not to be outside the Father. 21) If what the Father does, then the Son also does, and what the Son creates, that is the Father’s creation; but the Son is the work and creation of the Father: then the Son will either produce Himself and create Himself (because the same thing that the Father does is the work of the Son), and this is absurd and impossible; or, creating and doing what the Father does, He Himself will not be either a work or a creature, so that He, being the creative cause, among other things created, would not be the creator of what He Himself became; or rather, to avoid being unable to create. For if, according to your words, He came from something that does not exist, how is it possible for Him to make something that does not exist into existence? If a creature creates, Himself being a creature, then the same thing will have to be imagined about each creature, namely, that it can create. But if you agree to this, then what is the need for the Word, when lower creatures could receive existence from higher creatures, or, in general, every created thing could first hear from God: let it be! Or: let it be created! And in this way would every creature be created? But this is not in Scripture, it is impossible, because nothing created is a creative cause. Everything is brought into being by the Word, but the Word would not have brought everything into being if He Himself were among the creatures. Angels cannot create either, because they too are creatures, although Valentinus, Marcion and Basilides adhere to this idea, and you become their zealots. And the sun, being a creature, will never bring anything from non-existence into being, and man will not create man, and stone will not create stone, and a tree will not make a tree grow. On the contrary, God forms a man in the womb as a mother, provides mountains, gives growth to a tree, and man, according to his ability to acquire knowledge, composes, finishes this substance and, as he has learned, processes what already exists, but is content with the fact that he has done it; and realizing his nature, if he needs anything, he asks God for it. 22) Therefore, if God produces and composes from ready-made substances (such is pagan wisdom, and according to it God can only be called an artist, and not a Creator), then let the Word process this same substance, according to God’s command and serving God. If God calls non-existent things into being through His Word, then the Word is not among those that do not exist and are called; otherwise we will have to look for another word, by which It is also called, because what does not exist is brought into being by the Word. And if God creates and creates through Him, then It Itself is not among those created and created, but rather is the Word of the Creating God. And about this Word, from the works of the Father, performed by the Word Himself, it is known that It is in the Father and the Father in Him, that whoever saw Him saw the Father, because the essence of the Father belongs to the Word, and the Son is in everything like the Father. How does God create through the Son if He is not the Father’s Word and not the Father’s Wisdom? And how will the Son be the Word and Wisdom, if he is not the own birth of the Father’s essence, but Himself came from something that does not exist? When all things are from non-existent and are creatures, and the Son, according to the heretics, is one of the creatures that once did not exist, why does He alone reveal the Father? Why does no one else, except the one Son, know the Father? For if it is possible for the Son, being a creature, to know the Father, then let the Father be known by all, according to the measure of each creature, because they, like the Son, are all works. If it is impossible for created things to see or know, on the contrary, God’s vision and knowledge surpasses the strength of all creatures, for God Himself said: no one will see “My face and live” (Ex. 33:20); and the Son said: “no one knows the Father but the Son...” (Matthew 11:27), then the Word is not the same with created things, which alone knows and alone sees the Father, as He Himself said: “not that any one has seen the Father but He” from the Father (John 6:46), and: “no one knows the Father but the Son...”, although it does not seem so. Aria. Why did only the Son know, if He alone is not the Father’s own Son? Why would he be the Father's own Son, if He is a creature, and not the true Son from the Father? For the sake of piety, it will not be burdensome to repeat the same thing many times, namely: it is wicked to think that the Son is one of all, it is also blasphemous and unreasonable to assert that He is a creature, but not as one of the creatures, a work, but not as one of the works, a birth, but not as one of the births. Why is the Son not like one of all these, if, according to them, He did not exist until He was born? For it is characteristic of creatures and works not to be until they are brought into being, and to come from nothing, even if they were superior to others in glory, because all other creatures will turn out to be distinguished from each other in this respect, as is seen in visible creatures. 23) But if, according to the heretics, the Son was a creature and a work, but not as one of the creatures, because he was distinguished from them by glory, then Scripture would have to designate and show His superiority in comparison with other creatures; it would be necessary, for example, to say that He is higher than the Archangels, more honorable than the Thrones, brighter than the sun and the moon, higher than the sky. But now this is not indicated about Him. The Father shows that He is His own and only Son, saying: “You are My Son” (Psalm 2:7), and: “This is My beloved Son, in Him I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:17). That is why the angels served Him as not the same with them, and they worship Him not as the highest in glory, but as not the same with all creatures and with themselves, the one and own Son of the Father. And if they worshiped Him as superior in glory, then each of the lower ones would have to worship the one superior to him. But this is not so: the creature does not worship the creature; the servant worships the Lord and the creature God. Peter the Apostle Cornelius, who wanted to bow to him, forbids this, saying: “and I... am a man” (Acts 10:26). And the angel in the revelation to John, when he wanted to bow to him, also forbids this, saying: “See, neither: I am the slander of yours and your brethren of the Prophets and those who keep the words of this book: worship God” (Apoc. 22:9). Therefore, worship belongs to the one God, and the angels themselves know this. Although they surpass others in glory, they are all creatures and do not accept worship, but they themselves worship the Lord. When the Sampsons' father Manoah wanted to make a sacrifice to the angel, the angel forbade him, saying: offer it not to me, but to God (Judges 13:16). The Lord is also worshiped by angels, for it is written: “And let all the Angels of God worship Him” (Heb. 1:6); and all the nations, as Isaiah says: “Egypt will be weary, and the purchases of Ethiopia, and the Shebaimites, the high men will come to You and become Your servants,” and after this: “And they will worship You, and they will pray in You, for in You there is God... and there is no God except You” (Is. 45:14). He also receives the disciples who worship and confirms to them who He is, saying: “Aren’t you saying, “I am the teacher and the Lord: and you say well, that I am” (John 13:13). And when Thomas says to Him: “My Lord and my God” (John 20:28), he allows him to say this, even accepts what is said, without forbidding him, because, as other prophets say and as David sings: He is “Lord of hosts” (Psalm 47:9), the Lord of hosts, which means: Lord of hosts, true God and Almighty, although the Arians are intolerable to hear this. 24) He would not have been worshiped, and these things would not have been said about Him, if He were among the creatures. Now, since He is not a creature, but the own birth of the essence of the venerable God and the Son by nature, they worship him and believe that He, like the Father, is God, Lord of hosts, Ruler and Almighty. For He Himself said: “Everything that the Father has is Mine” (John 16:15). It is characteristic of the Son to have what belongs to the Father and to be such, so that the Father is contemplated in Him, so that all things are created by Him, and in Him the salvation of all is accomplished and confirmed. In order for the denunciation of the Aryan heresy to be even more clear, it would be good to ask them about this: since all beings are creatures and they are all brought into being from nothing, and according to your words, the Son Himself is a creature, and a work, and one of those who once did not exist, then why did God create everything through Him alone and “without Him there was nothing”? Or why, when it is said “all,” does everyone imagine that by the phrase “all” it is not the Son that is designated, but created things? When the Scriptures speak of the Word “everyone,” he again imagines that the Word is not among those designated by the phrase “all,” but compares with the Father the One by whom the Father provides for everything, works out and creates the salvation of all, although all beings could have received being by the same command by which the Word received being from the One God. God does not bother, commanding, He is not so weak to accomplish everything that He alone could create the One Son, but for the creation of other beings He needed an accomplice and helper - the Son. Everything that God pleases comes into existence without being touched. On the contrary, as soon as He wanted, everything happened, and no one resisted His will. So, why did not everything come into being according to the command of the One God, according to which the Son came into being? Or let them say why “all things were” by the Son, although the Son Himself was created? One can expect all sorts of foolishness from the Arians; to this, however, they will say: “God, having desired to create created nature, saw that it could not accept upon itself the unmoderable hand of the Father and the Father’s creative power, therefore initially He alone produces and creates the One only and calls Him the Son and the Word, so that through Him everything else could come into being?” This was not only said, but Eusebius, Arius, and Asterius, who made sacrifices, even dared to write. 25) How can someone not condemn them for this in complete wickedness, when with great foolishness they have dissolved it for themselves and drunk with it to such an extent, they are not ashamed of the truth? If, on the assumption that God would have troubled himself with the creation of other creatures, they say that He Himself created one Son, then all creation will cry out against them, who utter things about God that are unworthy of God, and Isaiah will also cry out, saying in Scripture: “The eternal God... who has built the ends of the earth, will not hunger, nor will he be weary; below is the invention of His wisdom” (Is. 40:28). If God, as if recognizing for Himself unworthy to create everything else, created the One Son, and entrusted the Son as an assistant to create everything else, then this is also unworthy of God, because there is no arrogance in God. However, the Lord will enlighten them, saying: “Are not two birds valued by a single assar? And not one of them will fall to the earth without your heavenly Father (Matthew 10:29), and also: “Do not worry about your soul, what you eat... or about your body, what you put on. Is not the soul more than food, and the body clothing? Look at the birds of the air, how they neither sow nor reap, nor gather into barns, but your heavenly Father feeds them. Aren't you better at eating them? Whoever took care of you can add one lick to his age? And why are you worrying about clothes? Look at the villagers, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin: but I tell you, as Solomon was clothed with all his glory, as if he were one of these. If the hay of the village is today and is swept into the oven in the morning, God clothes it like that, isn’t there much more lack of faith than you?” (Matthew 6:25–30). If it is not unworthy of God to provide for things even so unimportant, about the hair on the head, about the sparrow and about the hay of the village, then it was not unworthy of God to do this. For what He provides for, He creates with His own Word. Otherwise, those who assert this will fall into great inconsistency, because the creatures will be separated from the very work of creation and one will be called the work of the Father, and the other the work of the Son. It is necessary either for everything, together with the Son, to receive existence from the Father, or, if everything created comes into existence through the Son, not to say that the Son is one of the created. 26) Moreover, others will expose their lack of understanding in another way. If the Word is of created nature, then why, when this nature is unbearable to be the direct work of God, out of all created things, one Word, as you say, could receive being from the uncreated and most pure essence of God? It is necessary either because it is possible for the Word to have the same opportunity for all nature, or because it is impossible for nature not to have this opportunity for the Word, because It, according to your words, is one of the created beings. Also, if, due to the impossibility of created nature to be a direct work of God, there was a need for a mediator, then since the Word was created and is a creature, and during His creation, of all necessity, a mediator was needed, because the Word Itself is included in the same created nature, which cannot be a participant in God’s work, but has a need for a mediator. And if some kind of mediator is found for the Word, then for this mediation another mediator is again required, and thus, ascending and searching with thought, another will find a great crowd of flocking mediators, as a result of which it will be impossible for the creation to come into being, because it always requires a mediator for itself, and this mediator cannot come into being without another mediator, since they are all of created nature, which, as you claim, cannot be a participant in the work of the One God. Therefore, what foolishness are the Arians filled with when even for that which has come into being, they recognize it as impossible for it to come into being! Or, perhaps, still looking for a mediator, they imagine that all this has not yet come into existence. For according to their wicked and violent understanding, creatures cannot come into being until a mediation is found. 27) But they object: “So through Moses God brought the people out of Egypt, through him he gave the law, although Moses was a man. Therefore, it is possible for like to come into being through like.” It would be proper for them to say this, covering their faces, so as not to suffer great shame. Moses was sent not to create, not to call into existence the non-existent, not to create people like him, but to serve only as a word before the people and before King Pharaoh. There is a great difference in this: to serve is characteristic of those created as slaves, but to create and create belongs to the One God and His own Word and Wisdom. Therefore, at creation, no one will find anything other than the one Word of God. Everything was produced by Wisdom, and without the Word nothing came into being. Not just one is used for service, but many of all kinds of creatures, whomever one pleases can be sent to the Lord. For there are many archangels, many thrones, powers and dominions, thousands of thousands and thousands more, serving and ready to be messengers, many prophets, twelve apostles, and also Paul, and Moses himself is not alone, but with him Aaron and subsequently the other seventy were filled with the Holy Spirit, and Moses was succeeded by Joshua, and Joshua was the judge, not one judge, but many kings. Therefore, if the Son were a creature and one of the created, then it would be necessary for many to be like sons, so that the Lord could have many similar servants, since there are many of them in other kinds of creatures. If this is not visible, but on the contrary, there are many creatures, but the Word is one, who will not see from this that the Son is different from all and incomparable with creatures, but is the Father’s own Son? Therefore, there are not many Words, but only one, the One Word of the Father, the One Image of the One God. But they say: “There is only one sun, and there is only one earth.” Let these foolish ones say that there is one water and one fire, and then they will hear that every created being is one in its essence, but in relation to the service and work that is entrusted to each, it is insufficient and does not satisfy him alone. For “God said: let there be lights in the firmament of heaven, to illuminate the earth, and to separate between day and night: and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and for years. Then it is said: and God made two great lights: the great light at the beginning of the day, and the lesser light at the beginning of the night, and the stars. And I set... in the firmament of heaven, to be a light on the earth, and to rule day and night” (Genesis 1:14-18). 28) Behold, there were many lights, and not just one sun and not just one moon. But although each luminary is essentially one, yet they all have one common service, and the deficiency of each is filled by the other, and the need to illuminate is satisfied by all. The sun is given the power to appear only during the day, and the moon at night, and the stars, together with them, determine the times and years, and each luminary serves as a sign as required by need. Likewise, the earth does not serve everything, but only to produce fruits and support animals. And the firmament was appointed to separate “between water and water,” and the luminaries were also established on it. Thus, fire and water with all other substances received existence in order to be part of bodies. And in general, none of the created things exists separately, but all of them, serving as members of each other, form a single body - the world. Therefore, if the same is assumed about the Son, considering the Word to be part of the whole and part without other parts to be insufficient to fulfill the ministry entrusted to Him, then let everyone throw stones at them. And if this is clearly wicked, then let it be recognized that the Word is not one of the created things, but is the Father’s only own Word, the Creator of creatures. But the heretics object: “The Word is a creature and the only one created, but it learned to create from God, as from a teacher and artist, and thus served God who taught. The sophist Asterius, as one who had learned to renounce the Lord, dared to write this, without noticing the absurd consequences of this. If creativity is something that is being studied, then let them think about whether to tell them that God Himself is the Creator not by nature, but by science, and therefore can lose creativity. Moreover, if the Wisdom of God acquired constructiveness through teaching, is She already Wisdom when it needs teaching? And what was She like until she learned? She was not yet Wisdom, since She lacked teaching. Consequently, she was something empty and insignificant Wisdom, but she received the name Wisdom as a result of her success, and will remain Wisdom until she retains what she has learned. For what does not come from nature, but comes about as a result of learning, can be unlearned over time. But to say anything like this about God’s Word is not appropriate for Christians, but for pagans. 29) If creativity is acquired by teaching, in the opinion of these foolish ones, then envy and weakness are attributed to God: envy, because He did not teach many to create, so that around Him, as there were many archangels and angels, there were so many creators; weakness because he could not create alone, but had the need of an accomplice or helper, although it has been proven that what was created nature could receive existence from the One God, if only the Son, according to their words, was created, could receive existence from the One God. But God lacks nothing, so let this not be so! He Himself said: “I am complete” (Is. 1:11). And it was not as a result of the teaching that the Word became the Creator, but as the Father’s Image and the Father’s Wisdom, he accomplishes what is characteristic of the Father, and God did not create the Son for the perfection of created beings. For even with the Son, the Father appears to still be working, as the Lord Himself says: “My Father is working hitherto, and I am working” (John 5:17). If the Son, in your opinion, received being in order for what happened after the Son to be done, and the Father turns out to be doing it with the Son, then in this respect the creation of such a Son, according to your teaching, is unnecessary. Moreover, why does God, wanting to create us, look for a mediator, as if His will was not enough to do what is pleasing to Him? The Scriptures say: “do whatever you please” (Psalm 113:11), and: “will...Who can resist Him?” (Rom. 9:19) If His will alone is sufficient to create everything, then again the need for a mediator according to your teaching is unnecessary. For the example you presented of Moses, the sun and the moon also turned out to be unstable. And this will also put you to shame. If God, wanting to create a created nature and reflecting on it with Himself, conceives and creates the Son according to your teaching, in order to create us through Him, then look at what wickedness you dared to utter. 30) Firstly, from this it turns out that the Son Himself received existence for our sake, and not we for His sake, for we were not created for His sake, but He was created for our sake, which is why, more than we do to Him, He owes us gratitude, just as a wife does to her husband. For, says Scripture, “husband was not created for wife’s sake, but woman for man’s sake” (1 Cor. 11:9). And therefore, just as the husband is “the image and glory of God... the wife is the glory of her husband” (1 Cor. 11:7), so we are the image of God and received existence for the glory of God, and the Son is our image and exists for our glory, we are created for being, and the Word of God, according to your teaching, is not created for being, but as an instrument for our needs, therefore we are not from Him, but He exists as a result of our need. And those who admit only this thought do not exceed the measure of all madness? If the Word came into being for us, then He did not come from God before us, because not having Him in Himself, He thinks about us, but having us in Himself, as they say, He thinks about His Word. If this is so, then perhaps the Father did not desire the Son at all, and not wanting Him, He created Him, but desiring us, for our sake He created Him, because He conceived Him after us. And thus, according to the teaching of these wicked people, the Son, who receives existence as an instrument, is already superfluous when those for whom He was created receive existence. If the One Son, as powerful, received existence from the One God, and we, as weak ones, received existence from the Word, then why does God not think about Him as powerful, but about us? Or why doesn’t the powerful prefer the weak? Or why, having created Him first, does he not think about Him first? Or why, thinking first about us, does not produce us first, when His will is sufficient for the production of everything? On the contrary, although He creates Him first, He nevertheless thinks about us first and desires us before the Mediator. However, he calls us, whom he wants to create and about whom he thinks, creatures, and Him, whom he creates for our sake, he calls the Son and His own heir. Meanwhile, it would be better for us to be called sons, for whose sake He creates Him, or God should first think about Him and desire Him as the real Son, through whom He creates us all. This is what is regurgitated and vomited by heretics. 31) One should not remain silent about how the truth is wise, but even more so it is proper to announce this loudly. It was not for our sake that God came into existence. The Word, on the contrary, for His sake we received being, and “in Him all things were created...” (Col. 1:16). It was not because of our weakness that He, as mighty, received being from the One Father, so that through Him, as an instrument, He could create the Father and us. Let this not happen! This is not the teaching of truth. Even if it pleased God not to create creatures, nevertheless, there was “the Word of God,” and in Him was the Father. It was impossible for creatures to obtain existence without the Word, therefore they received existence through Him, which is fair. since the Word is by nature the Son of God's essence, since He is from God and in God, as He Himself spoke about this, it was impossible for creatures not to receive existence through Him. Just as light illuminates everything with its radiance, and nothing would be illuminated without this radiance, so the Father, as if by hand, made everything with the Word and does nothing without Him. Therefore, as Moses commemorated this, “God said: let there be light”; and: “let the waters be gathered together,” and: “let the earth overflow,” and: “let us make man” (Gen. 1, 3, 9, 24, 26), just as Saint David sings: “He spoke, and it was: He commanded, and it was created” (Psalm 33:9). Not with that “speech” so that, as among people, some helper would hear and, having learned the will of the speaker, go and do it: this is characteristic of creatures, but it is indecent to imagine or speak about the Word in this way, because God’s Word is constructive and creative, It is the Father’s will. Therefore, the Divine Scripture did not say that the one who heard how or what creatures should receive existence according to the will of the Father, listened to this and answered, but, having said only: “God said: let it be,” added: “and so it was” (Gen. 1:9), because what was pleasing to God and thought by Him was immediately brought into being and accomplished by the Word. When God commands others or angels, or talks to Moses, or makes a promise to Abraham, then the one who hears responds, and one says: “By what reason will I understand?” (Gen. 15:8) another: “Choose... another” (Ex. 4:13), and again: “If they ask me, What is His name? Why am I bringing the river to them? (Ref. 3:13) And the angel, as he said to Zechariah: “Here saith the Lord,” so he himself asks the Lord: “Lord Almighty, how long wilt thou have mercy on Jerusalem?” (Zech 1, 12, 17), and expects to hear good and comforting words. Each of them has a mediator - the Word and God's Wisdom, which announces the will of the Father. When God does and the Word creates, then there is neither question nor answer, because the Father is in the Word, and the Word is in the Father. Then it is enough to desire, and the deed is accomplished, so that the word “speech” serves as a notification of the will, and the words “and it came to pass” denote the deed accomplished by the Word and Wisdom, in which the Father’s will is contained. And this again: “God spoke,” is announced by the Word. For it is said: “You have created all things by Wisdom” (Psalm 103:24), and: “By the Word of the Lord the heavens were established” (Psalm 33:6), and: “There is one Lord Jesus Christ, by Him are all things, and we by Him” (1 Cor. 8:6). 32) From this it can be seen that the Arians are not arguing with us about heresy, but apparently arguing with us, they are rebelling against the Divinity Itself. If we had a voice saying: “This is My Son,” then our accusation would be unimportant to them. And if this is the voice of the Father, and the disciples heard, the Son Himself says about Himself: “before... all the hills He gives birth to Me” (Proverbs 8:25), then aren’t they like the fabulous giants and Arians now fighting against God, according to the word of the Psalmist, having “a tongue like a sharp sword” for evil (Psalm 56:5)? They were not afraid of the Father’s voice, did not respect the words of the Savior, did not believe the saints, although one of them writes: “Who is the radiance of glory and the image of His hypostasis” (Heb. 1:3), and: “Christ, God’s power and God’s wisdom” (1 Cor. 1:24), and the other sings: “For with You is the source of life, in Your light we will see light" (Psalm 35:10), and: "Thou hast created all things with wisdom" (Psalm 103:24), and the prophets say: "And the word of the Lord came to me" (Jer. 2:1), and John says: "In the beginning was the Word"; and Luke: "As He delivered to us, who from the beginning were visionaries and servants." Word” (Luke 1:2), just as David also says: “I sent my Word, and I healed” (Psalm 106:20). All this brings the Arian heresy to disgrace everywhere, but makes it possible to understand the eternity of the Word and that the Word is not alien to the Father’s essence, but actually belongs to it. For who has ever seen light without radiance? Or who would dare to say that the image of the hypostasis is alien to it? Is it not even more frantic to think that God was ever without the Word and without Wisdom? Scripture has presented us with such outlines and such images, so that we, since human nature is not able to comprehend God, from them, at least partially and unclearly, to the best of our ability, could understand Him. And how to know that God exists and provides for things is enough for creation: “from the majesty and beauty of creatures, comparatively, their Creator is known” (Wis. 13:5), and for our teaching we do not require spoken words from the creature, but, listening to the Scriptures, we believe, noticing this order and this harmony in everything, we recognize that He is the Creator, Lord and God of all, we comprehend His wonderful providence and rule of the world in everything: so, with sufficient evidence of the Divinity of the Son, the above sayings are unnecessary, or better yet, a crazy thing doubt and ask with heretics how can the Son be eternal? Or how can He be from the Father's essence and not be a part? To be from something means to be part of that something; and what is given is no longer the whole. 33) Such are the wise tricks of those of other minds. And just as in what was said before, we previously exposed their vanity in this, so the exact meaning of these sayings and images used in Scripture shows us in the essay a vile heretical teaching. For in the Scriptures we see always the existing Word, existing from the Father, actually belonging to the essence of Him whose Word it is, having in Itself neither previous nor subsequent. We see the radiance from the sun, which actually belongs to the sun, which does not fragment or diminish the solar essence, so that the essence remains complete, and the radiance is complete and complete, and does not diminish the essence of light, like its true birth. We see the Son not from outside, but from the Father begotten, and the Father abiding entirely, and the Son always existing - the image of a hypostasis, preserving in Himself similarity with the Father and His unchangeable image, which is why whoever sees the Son sees in Him that hypostasis of which He is the Image, and by the effectiveness of the Image understands the true Divinity of the hypostasis. Teaching this, the Savior Himself said: “The Father abides in Me, He does the works... even as I do” (John. 14, 10, 12), and: “I and the Father are one” (John 10, 30), and: “I am in the Father, and the Father in Me” (John 14, 10). Therefore, let the anti-Christ heresy attempt to first explain the images taken from created things and say: “The sun was once without radiance, or the radiance does not actually belong to the essence of light, or, although it does, it occurs through separation and is a part of the light.” And also, let him explain the origin of the Word and say: “The Word is alien to the mind, or: it did not once exist, or: it does not actually belong to the essence of the mind, or: the word is a separate part of the mind.” Let him explain about the image, about light and about power, as well as about the word and about radiance, and then let him imagine what he wants. And if the heretics cannot dare to do this, then is it not great madness for them to strain their strength in vain to understand something that exceeds everything created and their own nature and to undertake the impossible? 34) If in these created and corporeal beings such births are sought that they are not parts of the essences from which they come, and are not produced by suffering, and do not diminish the essences that gave birth, then are not the heretics again going mad when they look for and assume parts and suffering in the incorporeal and true God, and attribute divisions to the impassive and unchangeable God, in order to disturb the ears of simple-minded people and turn them away? from the truth? For who, hearing the word “Son,” does not imagine in thought what actually belongs to the Father’s essence? And who, at the initial announcement, heard that God has a Son and created everything with His own Word, did not accept this in the same sense as we are now philosophizing? And when the vile Arian heresy appeared, who, having heard what the heretics asserted, was not immediately amazed that they were affirming something alien, and sowing disagreement with the teaching that was sown in them at the beginning? In the beginning, it is understood in every soul that God “has a Son - Word, Wisdom, Power, and this is His image and radiance. And from what has been said, concepts are immediately born of their own accord: about being always, about being from the Father, about likeness, about the eternity of birth from essence, and not a single concept about a creature or work. When “as a sleeping man... the enemy” (Matt. 13:25) man sowed these concepts: “creature; it was when it was not” and “how is this possible”, then the tares had already appeared - this is the harmful heresy of the anti-Christ. And heretics, as if suddenly deprived of any correct way of thinking, like robbers, invade and dare to say: “How can the Son eternally coexist with the Father? For people have their sons over time. The father is already thirty years old, and the son has just been born. And in general, every son of man was not until he was born.” And the heretics also repeat: “How can the Son be the Word or the Word the image of God? The human word, consisting of syllables, barely expresses the will of the speaker, when it immediately ceases and disappears.” 35) Therefore, as if forgetting the accusations stated above against them and again being entangled in similar bonds of wickedness, they reason as has now been said. But the word of truth convicts them thus. If they talk about any person, then let them talk about his word and his son in a human way. If they talk about God, who created men, then let them imagine it not in a human way, but in a different way and above human nature. For as is he who gives birth, so is birth necessarily, and as is the Father of the Word, so is His Word. A person born in time also gives birth to children in time. And since he came from nothing, his word ceases and does not remain. But God is “not like a man”; Scripture also said this (Judith. 8:16). He is "He who is" and always abides (Ex. 3:14). Therefore, His Word is “He”, and It is eternal with the Father, like the radiance of light. The human word is composed of syllables, has neither life nor effectiveness, but expresses only the thought of the speaker, as soon as it comes out of the mouth, it already passes away, no longer appearing, because it did not exist at all until it was spoken. Therefore, the human word has neither life nor effectiveness, and in general, it is not a person. It is the same, as I have already said, for the reason that the person who gives birth to it has a nature that came from nothing. But God’s Word is not a spoken word, as someone else would say, It is not sonorous speech, and it is not God’s command that the Son is, but like the radiance of light, so the Word of God is a perfect Birth from the Perfect, therefore the Image of God is God, for it is said: “God is the Word.” Human words are not used for action, therefore man acts not with words, but with his hands; human hands have real existence, but the human word is not independent. As for the word of God, then, as the Apostle said, “the word of God is living, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing even to the dividing of soul and spirit, members and marrow, and judging by the mind and thought of the heart: and there is no creation that is not manifest before Him, but all naked and declared before His eyes, to Him is the word” (Heb. 4, 12, 13). Therefore, It is the Creator, without Him “nothing came into existence” and nothing could come into existence. 36) One should not try to find out why the Word of God is not like ours, because, as has already been said, God is not like us. It is also indecent to search for how the Word is from God, or how It is God’s radiance, or how God gives birth and what is the image of God’s birth. Whoever dares to undertake such research is mad, because he wants to interpret in words what is ineffably characteristic of God’s nature and known only to God and His Son. This means the same thing as asking: where is God, why is He God, and what is the Father like? But just as it is impious and characteristic of those who do not know God to propose such questions, so it is not permissible to venture into such research about the birth of God’s Son, and to measure God and His Wisdom by one’s nature and one’s weakness. But therefore, one should not imagine this contrary to the truth, and if anyone becomes perplexed during these studies, then one should not disbelieve what is written. It is better for those who are perplexed to remain silent and believe, than not to believe because of bewilderment. The perplexed person can still be excused, because although he was questioning, he then completely calmed down. But whoever, out of bewilderment, imagines something inappropriate for himself and speaks about God that is unworthy of God, is not excusable in his insolence, because in such bewilderment he can extract some help for himself from the Divine Scriptures and understand well what is written, and imagine in his mind, as if for an example, our word. Just as it is actually from us, and not our external work, so God’s Word is actually from God and is not a work. It is not the same as the human word, otherwise God must be imagined as a man. For behold, many and various words of men pass away daily, because the first words do not endure, but disappear. This again happens because their fathers, like people, have transitory ages and successively changing ideas, but what they stop in thought and reflect on is what they talk about, which is why they have many words, and after many there is not one left at all. As soon as the speaker stops speaking, the word is immediately lost. But the Word of God is one and the same, and as it is written, the Word of God “endures forever” (Psalm 119:89), without changing and remaining not first or second after the first, but always the same. since God is one, it is fitting that there should be one Divine Image, one Word and one Wisdom. 37) Therefore, I am amazed how the heretics, when God is one, according to their own imagination, introduce many images, wisdom and words and claim that “one word is the proper and by nature the Father’s word, by which God also created the Son; the true Son is called the Word only by imagination (κατ´ ὲπινοιαν), as well as the vine, the way, the door, the tree of life. And by name only, they say, the Son is called Wisdom, but there is another own and true Wisdom of the Father, ungenerately co-existing with the Father, by which, having created the Son, by the participation of this wisdom He also called Him Wisdom.” And this is not only taught by them in words, but Arius also placed it in his Thalia, and the sophist Asterius, as we said in the previous word, wrote this: “Blessed Paul did not say: we preach Christ “this” God’s power or “this” God’s Wisdom, but without applying a member he says: God’s power and God’s Wisdom, preaching that there is another power that actually belongs to God Himself, natural and He is ungenerately present, and she is the mother of Christ, the creator of the whole world, teaching about her, the Apostle in the Epistle to the Romans says: “For His invisible from the creation of the world was thought by the created, the essence is visible, and His everlasting power and Divinity” (Rom. 1, 20). Just as no one will say that the Divinity named here is Christ, and not the Father Himself, so, I think, His enduring power and Divinity are not the only begotten Son, but the Father who begat the Son; The apostle teaches that another is God’s power and wisdom, revealed through Christ.” And a little later the same Asterius says: “Although His ever-present Power and Wisdom, which, according to true reasoning, is without beginning and unborn, is without a doubt one and the same, yet many powers and wisdoms, separately created by God, and among them the first-born and only-begotten Christ, all similarly depend on the God who possesses them, and all are rightly called the powers of God himself, who created them and uses them in action. So, for example, about the rods sent by God as punishment for human sins, the prophet says that God himself calls them not only power, but also great power (Joel 2:25), and blessed David in many psalms calls not only angels, but also power to glorify God.” 38) Are they not worthy of all hatred for this one thing they said? If, as the heretics believe, the Lord is not the Son by birth from the Father and by the assimilation of essence, but is called the Word for the sake of rational creatures, Wisdom for the sake of those endowed with wisdom and power for the sake of those endowed with power, then, without a doubt, He is also called the Son for the sake of those who are adopted, and perhaps He also has being by design for the sake of those who exist in being. Therefore, what is He? He cannot be anything that is named if all these are only His names and if He has in Himself one ghost of being, adorning ourselves with these names for our sake. But this arrogance is truly diabolical or even greater! They themselves want to be truly independent, but they think about the Word of God that it exists only in name. And aren’t these their broadcasts strange? They call Wisdom co-inherent with the Father; They assert that Christ is not this Wisdom, but that there are many created powers and wisdoms, and that one of them is the Lord, which they apply to the caterpillar and springs. Aren't they insidious? Hearing among us that the Word coexists with the Father, they suddenly raise a murmur, saying: “Consequently, according to what you affirm, there are two not created.” Having asserted that His Wisdom is uncreated, do they not see that the reproach that is vainly made to us falls on them? And again, isn’t this idea of ​​theirs completely foolish – to assert that the uncreated wisdom inherent in God is God himself? What is co-present not with oneself, but with someone else, for example, the evangelists say about the Lord: he was with the disciples, because he was not with himself, but with the disciples. Unless they say that God can have wisdom, which is associated with Him and completes His essence, being itself uncreated, and heretics present it as the creator of the world in order to take away creativity from the Son, because they are forced to affirm everything, so as not to philosophize about the Lord in truth. 39) Where did they find it generally said in the Divine Scripture, or from whom did they hear, that besides this Son there is another word and another wisdom, and therefore they invent such inventions? Is it true that it is written: “The food of My words is not like fire... or like a stone that burns away a stone” (Jer. 23:29)? And in Proverbs it is said: “I will teach you My words” (Proverbs 1:23). But these are the commandments and commandments that God spoke to the saints through His own and one true Word. The Psalmist said about these words: “My feet have been barred from every evil way, so that I may keep Your words” (Psalm 119:101). And the Savior, making it clear that such words are not the same as those that He and Him spoke, said: “the verbs that I spoke to you” (John 6:63). Such words are not the essence of births or sons, there are not so many constructive words, not so many images of the One God, not so many who became men for our sake, and not one of these many words is that Word which “was made flesh” , according to what John said. About the only existing Word of God, John preached: “The Word became flesh,” and: “All things were made.” Therefore, about this One Our Lord Jesus Christ and about His unity with the Father, those testimonies have been written and serve as proof, in which the Father declares that there is one Son, and the saints have learned and say that there is one Word, and He is the only begotten Son. The works He accomplished prove the same. For everything visible and invisible came into being through Him, and “without Him nothing came to be.” The saints have no idea about anyone else or anything else and do not invent words or wisdom, which Scripture does not show by name or deeds and which are only named by these heretics. For this is their invention, their anti-Christ assumption, they use the name of the Word and Wisdom for evil, while inventing something else for themselves, these miserable people deny the true Word of God, the true and only Wisdom of the Father, and finally imitate the Manichaeans. For the Manichaeans, looking at the works of God, deny the only existing and true God, and invent for themselves another God, although they cannot show either the works of this God or any evidence about Him in the Divine Scriptures. 40) So, if in the Divine Scriptures no other wisdom is found besides this Son, and we have not heard anything like this from the fathers, but the heretics confess and write that there is a wisdom uncreatedly co-existing with the Father, which actually belongs to Him and the creator of the world, then this Son will be the same one who, according to them, is eternally co-existing with the Father. For He is also the Creator, as it is written: “Thou hast created all things by Wisdom.” And Asterius himself, as if forgetting what he wrote before, when he enters into a dispute with the pagans, like Caiaphas, subsequently involuntarily does not name either many wisdoms or caterpillars, but already confesses one Wisdom, writing like this: “One God is the Word, but there are many verbal beings; there is one essence and one nature of Wisdom, but there are many wise and perfect beings.” And after a few words he says again: “Who are those who are worthy to be called sons of God? Of course, they will not say that they are words, and they will not claim that there are many wisdoms. since the Word is one and Wisdom, according to what has been proven, is one, it is impossible to assign to this multitude of sons the essence of the Word and give the name Wisdom.” Therefore, it is not surprising that the Arians quarrel with the truth, when in mutual disputes they disagree with themselves and sometimes claim that there are many wisdoms, and sometimes declare that She is one, then they apply Wisdom to the caterpillar, then they say that She is co-existing and actually belongs to the Father; sometimes the Father alone is recognized as uncreated, sometimes both Wisdom and His power are called uncreated; They argue with us, who claim that the Word of God always abides, and they themselves forget their words, saying that Wisdom is uncreatedly inherent in God. So in everything their mind is darkened, they deny true Wisdom and seek non-existent wisdom, like the Manichaeans they invent for themselves another God and deny the true God. 41) But let other heresies and Manichaeans hear that one is the Father of Christ, the Lord and Creator of creation, who created everything with His Word, especially let the Arians hear that there is one Word of God, the only proper and sincere Son from God’s essence, having the unity of Divinity inseparable from His Father, as we have said about this many times, having learned this from the Savior Himself. For otherwise, why does the Father create through Him and in Him, reveal Himself to whomever He wants, and enlighten whomever He wants? Or why is the Son named together with the Father in the sacrament of baptism? If they say that the Father is not enough, then the answer is evil. And if it is enough (which is only permissible to say), then why is the Son needed either in the work of creation or at the holy font? What kind of communication does a creature have with the Creator? Or why, in the common wisdom of all mysteries, is the created thing included with the Creator? Or why was faith given to us, as you say, in the One Creator and in the One Creation? If in order for us to unite with the Divine, then what is the need for the creature? But if in order for us to enter into union with the Son, who is a creature, then the naming of the Son in baptism, due to what you affirm, is unnecessary. God, who adopted the Son, is the only one who is able to adopt us as sons. Moreover, if the Son is a creature, then since one is the nature of verbal creatures, there will be no help from creature to creature, because all creatures need grace from God. Shortly before this, we said how much consistency there is in the fact that everything is brought into being by the Word. since the sequence of speech required that in order to mention to us about holy baptism, as I think and as I am sure, it is necessary to say that the Son is named with the Father, and not because the Father is not self-satisfied, and not simply without any reason. But since the Son is God’s Word, God’s own Wisdom and, being the Father’s radiance, is always with the Father, therefore the Father Himself, who teaches grace, can teach it in no other way than in the Son, because the Son is in the Father as radiance in the light. “God” not as insufficient, but as the Father, “with His Wisdom,” “the foundation of the earth” (Proverbs 3:19), created everything by the Word that comes from Him, and confirms the holy font with the Son. Where the Father is, there is the Son, as and where there is light, there is radiance. And just as whatever the Father does, he does through the Son, and the Lord Himself says: whatever I see the Father doing, I also do (John 5:19), so in the baptism taught, whoever the Father baptizes, the Son baptizes, and whoever the Son baptizes is sanctified by the Holy Spirit. And also, just as when the sun appears, one can say that there is light and radiance, because the light is one and cannot be divided and separated, so again, where the Father is or where the Father is named, there, without a doubt, the Son also dwells. But in baptism the Father is named, therefore it is necessary for the Son to be named together. 42) Therefore, speaking the promise to the saints, the Lord said this: “I and the Father will come, “and we will make our abode with him” (John 14:23), and also: “Because I and You are one, they also will be one in Us” (John 17:21). And the grace taught is one, from the Father and given in the Son, as Paul writes in every epistle: “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom. 1:7) 2. Light must be together with the ray, and radiance must be visible together with its own light. Therefore, the Jews, together with the Arians, deny the Son, and do not have the Father. Leaving “the Source of wisdom,” as Baruch said, reproaching them (Bar. 3:12), and the Wisdom that is from Him - our Lord Jesus Christ, for Christ, says the apostle, “God’s power and God’s Wisdom” (1 Cor. 1:24), they rejected from themselves, saying: “not the imams of the king except Caesar” (John. 19, 15). And the Jews bear the punishment deserved by their renunciation: along with the city, they also lost their minds. Heretics are in danger of losing the very fullness of the sacrament, I mean baptism. For if the mystery is taught in the name of the Father and the Son, they do not name the true Father, denying the One who is from Him and similar to Him in essence, they also deny the true Son; they name another, according to their own imagination, created from non-existent things, then isn’t the baptism they teach empty and useless, having only an imaginary appearance, but in reality not helping piety in the least? The Arians teach baptism not into the Father and the Son, but into the Creator and the creature, into the Creator and into the work. Just as the creature is different and the Son is different, so the baptism that they supposedly teach is different and not true, although they outwardly pronounce the written name of the Father and the Son. He is not the one who teaches who only says: Lord! but whoever connects the right faith with this name. Therefore, the Savior not only commanded to baptize, but says: first “teach”, and then baptize “in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19), so that right faith comes from teaching, and the mystery of baptism is united with faith. 43) And many other heresies, pronouncing only the Names, but thinking incorrectly, and therefore, as it is said, not having sound faith, make the water they teach useless as poor in piety, which is why the one sprinkled by them is more defiled by wickedness than washed. Likewise, the pagans, although they pronounce God’s name with their lips, are accused of atheism, because they do not know the truly existing and true God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. So the Manichaeans, Phrygians and disciples of Samosatsky, although they pronounce the Names, are nevertheless heretics. So, finally, those who philosophize in the Aryan way, although they read what is written and pronounce the Names, deceive those who receive baptism from them, because they themselves are more wicked than other heretics and gradually succeed in wickedness before them, even justifying them by the unbridledness of their tongue. Other heresies invent something beyond the truth and err either in the teaching about the body of the Lord, saying that the Lord did not borrow flesh from Mary, or in the fact that there was no death of the Lord at all, and the Lord did not become a man at all, seemed only a man, but was not really one, apparently had a body, not having it, and apparently only seemed a man, as if in a sleepy dream. The Arians clearly disrespect the teaching of the Father Himself, because, hearing in the Scriptures the testimony of His Divinity in the Son, as in an image, they blaspheme His Divinity and say that the Son is a creature, and carry with them like dirt in a bag, and like a snake’s venom they throw everywhere such speech about Him: “He did not exist.” Since such their teaching is disgusting for everyone, then they do not think of using human protection to support the falling heresy, so that a simple person, seeing him or even being afraid of him, would not comprehend the harmfulness of their evil. Therefore, aren’t those who are deceived by them worthy of pity? And shouldn’t we mourn them when, deluded by the temporary, they are deprived of their benefits and lose hope in the future? Apparently accepting baptism in the name of something that does not exist, they will not accept anything. Entering into an agreement with a creature, they will not receive any help from the creature. Believing in the Son, who is not similar to the Father and alien to Him in essence, are not united with the Father, not having His own Son, begotten by nature from Him, who is in the Father and in whom the Father, as the Son himself said (John 14:10). On the contrary, being mistaken in this, pitiful people will, of course, be abandoned by the Divine. Earthly pomp will not follow them after their death, and when this Lord, whom they have denied, sees sitting on the throne of His Father and judging the living and the dead, then they will not be able to call to their aid any of those who have deceived them now, because they too will be seen judged and repenting of their iniquities and their wickedness. 44) We proposed this for now before explaining what was said in Proverbs, in refutation of the unreasonable fables arbitrarily composed by heretics, so that they, knowing how indecent it is to call the Son of God a creature, themselves would learn with due understanding to read this passage as a Parable, which contains a right thought. For it is written: “The Lord made Me the beginning of His ways for His works” (Proverbs 8:22). But since this is a parable and it is said in a parable, then the proposed speech should not be accepted simply; one must find the person about whom it is said, and then piously adapt the meaning of the speech to him. For what is said in parables is not clearly stated, but is expressed covertly, as the Lord Himself taught this, saying in the Gospel of John: “These things are spoken to you in parables: but the hour will come, when I did not speak to you in parables, but in reality” (John 16:25). Therefore, it is necessary to discover the meaning of this saying and seek it out as if it were hidden, and not simply accept it as something said “in reality,” so as not to deviate from the truth in the interpretation. Therefore, if this is written about an angel or about some other created being, then let this predicate “created Me” be understood as about one of the creatures similar to us. If the Wisdom of God, by which everything that has received existence was created, says this about itself, then shouldn’t it be understood that when it says: “created,” it does not express something contrary to the saying “gave birth”? She does not classify Herself among the creatures, as if forgetting that She herself creates and builds, or not knowing the difference between the Creator and creatures, but expresses a certain thought, as in parables, “not manifest,” but said in secret, which she inspired the saints to speak prophetically. Soon afterwards, she herself, accordingly, “created”, expressing the same thought in other words, says: “Wisdom created for herself a house” (Proverbs 9:1). It is clear that the house of Wisdom is our body, which She took upon Herself and became human. And John rightly says: “The Word became flesh.” In Solomon, Wisdom speaks of Herself prudently, not like this: “I am a creature,” but only: “The Lord made Me the beginning of His ways for His works”; “created” “Me”, not by giving me existence, and not because I have a common beginning and origin with creation. 45) And here the Word spoke through Solomon, denoting not the essence of His Divinity and not His eternal, sincere birth from the Father, but again His humanity and dispensation for us. Therefore, as was noted before, it did not say: I am a creature or became a creature, but only “created.” Creatures, having a created essence, belong to the number of created things, and they are said to be created, and creation, without a doubt, is created. This one phrase “created” does not necessarily indicate essence or birth, but expresses that about whom it is said something else happens to him, and about whom it is said that it is created is no longer necessarily a creature by nature and essence. And this difference is known to Divine Scripture. About creatures it says: “the earth is filled with Thy creation” (Psalm 103:24), and: “the creation itself... groans and suffers” (Rom. 8:22), and the Apocalypse says: “and the third part of the creatures that are in the sea, having souls, die” (Apoc. 8:9), just as Paul says: “every creature of God is good, and nothing but it is noteworthy and acceptable with thanksgiving” (1 Tim. 4:4), and in the book of Wisdom it is written: “And by Thy wisdom He formed man, that He may rule over the creatures created by Thee” (Wis. 9:2). And what Scripture says about these creatures in the proper sense: they are created, this can also be heard from the Lord Himself, who says: “He who created from the beginning, male and female I created” (Matthew 19:4), and Moses writes in the song: “ask the first days that were before you; from one day God created man on earth, and from one end to heaven” (Deut. 4:32). Paul, in his letter to the Colossians, says: “Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation: for by Him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, if they are dominions, if they were principalities, if they were of power: all things were created by Him and in Him: and He is before all” (Col. 1:15-17). 46) So, that beings that by nature have a created essence are called creatures and are created, to remind you of this, the passages cited from Scripture filled with them are sufficient; and that the one word used “created” does not necessarily mean the essence and origin, David sings about this: “Let this be written for a generation, and the people of the land will praise the Lord” (Psalm 101:19), and also: “Create a pure heart in me, O God” (Psalm 50:12). Paul, in his letter to the Ephesians, says: “having abolished the law of the commandments of the teachings, so that he might create both into one new man” (Eph. 2:15), and again: “put on the new man, created by God in righteousness and in the likeness of the truth” (Eph. 4:24). David did not speak about any essentially created people and did not pray for anything else. besides the heart that he had, he meant the renewal and sanctification of the heart according to God. And Paul did not mean just two peoples, essentially being built up in the Lord, and he advised us to put on no other kind of man; he called a virtuous life a man according to God, and by those being built up in Christ he meant two peoples, being renewed in Christ. Similar to this is what was said in Jeremiah: “The Lord created salvation for a new planting, in which salvation men will live” (Jer. 31:22). The prophet, in saying this, does not denote any essence of creation, but prophesies about salvation, renewed in men and accomplished for us in Christ. Since such is the difference between creatures and that which is spoken of only by “creation,” then if you find somewhere in the Divine Scripture that the Lord is called a creature, show it and stand your ground. If it is not written anywhere that He is a creature, but He speaks about Himself in Proverbs: “The Lord created Me,” then be ashamed of the difference now explained and said in detail, and when you hear “created,” understand that He does not call Himself a creature, but His humanity, which is inherent in being created. Are you not clearly in error when, hearing the words “created” in Paul and David, you understand not the essence and beginning of being, but renewal; Hearing this saying “created” from the Lord, do you classify His essence among the creatures? And also hearing: “Wisdom created for herself a house, and established seven pillars,” you interpret the phrase “house” allegorically, and taking the phrase “creation” in its literal meaning, you turn it into the phrase “creature.” You were not ashamed of the fact that the Lord is the Creator, nor were you afraid of the fact that He is the Father’s only own birth, but, as if having determined yourself to confrontation, you argue with Him and think about Him much less than about people. 47) This very saying shows that it is only your invention to call the Lord a creature. The Lord, knowing that His essence is the only-begotten Wisdom, the Father's birth and is not the same with the creatures created and by nature, now lovingly says: “The Lord made Me the beginning of His ways,” and this means: the Father “made the body... completed Mine is” (Heb. 10:5), and “created Me” for men, for the sake of human salvation. For just as, hearing from John: “The Word was made flesh,” we imagine that the Word itself was not wholly flesh, but that He was clothed with flesh and became man, and hearing that Christ “was made a curse for us” (Gal. 3:13), and: “He who knew no sin... made sin for us” (2 Cor. 5:21), we imagine that He was not wholly made curse and sin, but that He took upon Himself the curse that lay upon us, according to what the Apostle said: “You redeemed us from the curse” (Gal. 3:13), and, according to the word of Isaiah, bore our sins (Isaiah 53:4), and according to what is written in Peter, “Bear them up in Your body on the tree” (1 Pet. 2:24), so if we hear “created” in Proverbs, we must imagine that the Word is not entirely a creature by nature, but that He put on a created body, that for our sake God “created” Him, for us, according to what is written, making Him a created body, so that we could be renewed and deified in Him. Therefore, what seduced you, foolish ones, into calling the Creator a creature? Or where did you buy this new wisdom for yourself and are proud of it? The parables speak of creation, but the Son is not called creation, but birth, and according to the distinction explained before this, on the basis of the Scriptures, the distinction between the words “creation” and “creature” is recognized as actually belonging to the Son by nature, that is, that He is the only-begotten Wisdom and Creator of creatures; when they say “created,” they do not speak about the essence of the Son, but mean that He became the beginning of many paths, so that the expression “created” is opposed to the expression birth, and the expression “beginning of paths” is opposed to the fact that the Son is the only begotten Word. 48) And if the Son is birth, then why do you call Him a creature? No one calls what he creates born, and no one calls creatures their own births. Also, if the Son is the only begotten, then how does He become the beginning of ways? He who himself was created at the beginning of everything is, of necessity, not the only one, having those who come after him. And Reuben, having become the beginning of children, was not the only begotten, but the first in time, and by nature and affinity one of those born after him. Consequently, if the Word is the beginning of ways, then It will be the same as the ways, and the ways will be the same as the Word, although It is created first in time before the ways. The beginning of the city is the same as the other parts of the city, and these parts, taken together with the beginning, constitute a whole and unified city, like many members of a single body. And it cannot be said that some in the city are creative, and some are created and subordinate to another part, but the whole city equally depends on the trusteeship of the builder and was produced by him. Therefore, if the Lord, in the same sense, is created at the beginning of everything, then He Himself, of necessity, with everything else constitutes a single creature and is no different from other creatures, although He is made the beginning of all; He is not the Lord of the other parts of creation, although He is older than them in time, because He Himself, along with the others, has a single cause of creation and a Single Lord. If, according to your words, He is a creature, then how can He be created by the One and the First, so that He could be the beginning of everything, when from the previous it is clearly clear that in creatures there is not a single independent and first-created one, but each one has the beginning of being together with all the others, although it differs from the others in glory. Each of the stars and each of the great luminaries did not appear in such a way that some were first and others second, but on one day, by the same command, they were all called into being. This is how the existence of four-legged animals, birds, fish, animals and plants began, and so the human race was created in the image of God. For although Adam alone was created from the earth, there were in him the foundations for the succession of a whole race. 49) Going up from the visible creation of this world, let us consider “the invisible things... of Him... which are thought of by those who are made” (Rom. 1:20), and there we will see not every being separately, and not one first, another second, but all of the same kind are in the aggregate, because the apostle does not list one by one and does not say: whether an angel, or a throne, or dominion and power, but collectively he names everyone of the same rank: whether angels, whether archangels or beginnings (Col. 1:16). This is the origin of creatures. Therefore, if the Word is a creature, then, as stated above, He had to come into being not first before other powers, but together with them, although He greatly surpasses these powers in glory. This can be seen in the other powers, namely, that together they received existence, and there is neither first nor second between them, but they differ from each other in glory, some on the right hand, others around, others on the left, but all together sing songs and stand before the Lord in service. Consequently, if the Word is a creature, then He will be neither the first nor the beginning of other creatures. If the Word is before all (which is true), and He alone is the first and the Son, then in essence it is no longer the beginning of everything, because the beginning of all creatures is itself numbered among the creatures. And if it is not a beginning and not a creature, then it is clear that in essence and nature it is far removed from creatures and is different from them; Being one itself, it is the likeness and image of the One and True God. Therefore, the Scriptures do not place Him along with creatures; on the contrary, David reproaches those who even dare to think anything like that about Him and says: “Who is like You in God, Lord?” and: “who... will be like the Lord among the sons of God?” (Psalm 85:8; Psalm 88:7,9). And Baruch says: “This is our God, and no one will be imputed to Him” (Bar. 3:36), He creates, and creatures are created, He is, in fact, the Father’s essence, the Word and Wisdom, while created beings, having no prior existence, were created by the Word Himself. 50) So, the saying that you constantly repeat, “The Son is a creature,” has no truth in it and is your only dream, and Solomon accuses you of having repeatedly lied to him. He called the Son not a creature, but God's birth and God's Wisdom, saying: “God is the foundation of the earth with Wisdom” (Proverbs 3:19), and: “Wisdom has built for herself an house” (Proverbs 9:1). Even the very place we are considering exposes your wickedness. For it is written: “The Lord made Me the beginning of His ways for His works” (Proverbs 8:22). So, if the Son first of all says about Himself: “I created Me,” not that I will create works, but “for His works,” then either this “creation” is later than Himself, or it turns out that He Himself is later than the works, and the one who is created finds those works for which he receives being already completed before Him. If this is true, then what about Him first of all? How did “all things come to pass” (John 1:3), and “are made whole in Him” (Col. 1:17)? For behold, according to your words, the works for which He was created and sent took place before Him. But this is not so, and let it not be so! This heretical thought is false. God's Word is not a creature, but a Creator; at the same time he speaks about Himself: “creating Me,” when It clothed itself in created flesh. And this can again be understood from this very saying. Being the Son and Father, having God as His own birth, now, however, He calls the Father Lord, not because the Son is a slave, but because He took upon Himself the form of a slave. For just as it was fitting for the Word, who is from the Father, to call God Father (which is also characteristic of the Son in relation to the Father), so, having come to do the work and taking on the form of a servant, it became fitting for Him to call the Father Lord. And He Himself taught this distinction with complete certainty, saying in the Gospel: “They confess, Father,” and then: “Lord of heaven and earth” (Matthew 11:25). In relation to Himself, He says that God is the Father; in relation to creatures he calls Him Lord. And this clearly shows that when he has put on created things, then he calls the Father Lord. The Holy Spirit also makes this difference clear in David’s prayer, saying in the psalms: “give Thy power to Thy servant, and save the Son of Thy handmaid” (Psalm 85:16). He is different, who by nature and true is God's Son, and the children of slaves are different, that is, the nature of those created is different, and therefore He, as the Son, has the Father's power, these same ones have a need for salvation. 51) If they mock the fact that he is called a Youth, then let them know that Isaac is called Abraham’s youth (Gen. 21:8), and the son of Suman is called a youth (2 Kings 4:18). since we are slaves, then when the Son became like us, in justice He Himself, like us, calls the Father Lord. And He did this out of love for mankind, so that we, being by nature slaves, but having received the Spirit of the Son, would boldly call Father by grace the One who is our Lord by nature. But just as we, calling the Lord Father, do not deny our slavery by nature, because we are His work, “He made us, not we” (Psalm 99:3); so, when the Son, taking on the form of a servant, says: “The Lord made Me the beginning of His ways,” let them not deny the eternity of His Divinity and the fact that “in the beginning was the Word,” and: “all things were created by Him,” and: “all things... were created in Him” (Col. 1:16). What is said in Proverbs, as I have already said, does not mean the essence, but the humanity of the Word. For if He calls Himself created into works, then it is clearly with the intention of designating not the essence, but His economy perfected in works, which is second in being. Creatures brought into being and created are primarily created in order to be and exist, but the second thing for them in being is to do what the Word commands them, as the like can be seen in all creatures. Adam was created not to do, but to first be a man, for after this he accepted the commandment to “do” (Gen. 2:15). Noah was created not for the sake of the ark, but in order to first be and become a man, and then he accepted the commandment to build the ark. If anyone searches, he will find the same about every person. And the great Moses first became a man, and then the rule of the people was entrusted to him. Therefore, the same can be understood here. For you see, it is not created into being, but “in the beginning was the Word,” and then it is sent into action for their construction. Before the works were done, there was always the Son, but there was no need yet to create Him. When the works are created, and then the need for house-building comes to set things right, then the Word betrays Himself, condescends and becomes like the works. And this is what It meant with this saying “created.” Wanting to express a similar thought, the Son speaks through the prophet Isaiah: “And now thus says the Lord, who created Me from the womb of His servant, who brought together Jacob and Israel to Him: I will be gathered together and glorified before the Lord” (Is. 49:5). 52) You see, and here it is not created into being, but in order to gather the tribes that existed before the Gatherer was created. As there “created”, so here “created from the womb”, and just as there “created into works”, so here “he gathered together”. Therefore, from everything it is clear that the Word already exists, and then it is said about Him “creation” and “created from the womb.” And just as before the creation from the womb there were those tribes for which he was created from the womb, so clearly there were also the works for which he was created. And how, when “in the beginning was the Word,” then, according to what was said before, there were no works yet, when things were created, and need demanded it, then it is said “created.” If any son, out of necessity, when his subjects are lost and through his own negligence are taken captive by enemies, is sent by his father to gather and return them, and he goes, puts on slave-like clothing, takes on the appearance of a slave, so that those who hold the slaves in their power do not recognize him as a ruler and do not give in to flight, and so that this does not prevent him from condescending to the slaves whom the enemies are hiding underground, and after that If someone asks the son why this was done, and he will answer: this is how the father created and prepared me for his affairs, then by saying this, the son does not allow himself to be understood that he is a slave and the work of his father, because he does not speak about the beginning of his existence, but understands the care of affairs entrusted to him subsequently. So the Lord, having clothed himself in our flesh, and “in the image” was found “as a man” (Phil. 2:7), if those looking at Him and marveling at Him asked, could answer: “The Lord made Me the beginning of His ways for His works,” and: He created Me “who are fellow Israelites.” This also the Spirit, foreshadowing in the psalms, said: “Thou hast set Him over Thy hand” (Psalm 8:7), and the Lord Himself, making it clear about Himself, says: “I have been appointed King by Him over Zion, His holy mountain” (Psalm 2:6). But just as it was not then that he perceived the beginning of existence and reign, when he physically shone to Zion, on the contrary, this Word of God and the eternal King deigned that His human kingdom should shine in Zion and that the Jews and we, redeemed from the sin that reigned in all, should become subordinate to His fatherly kingdom, so the one who is assigned to deeds is not assigned to those deeds that do not yet exist, but to those that already exist. committed and require correction. 53) Therefore, the sayings “created, created from the womb, set to eat,” having the same meaning, point not to the beginning of being, not to the created essence of the Son, but to that renewal which, through His goodness, is accomplished in us. And using these sayings, He also taught about Himself that He had existence before this, when He said: “Before even Abraham was not, I am” (John 8:58), and: “When he prepared heaven, he was with Him” (Proverbs 8:27), and: “I was arranging with Him” (Proverbs 8:29). Just as He was “before even Abraham did not exist,” Israel came into existence after Abraham, and it is clear that if, having existed before, He is subsequently created, then this creation does not mean the beginning of being, but the incarnation, in which He gathers the tribes of Israel, so eternally coexisting with the Father, He is the Creator of creation, and it is clear that the work is later than Him and the phrase “created” does not mean the beginning of His existence, but the economy of works that He accomplished in flesh. It was fitting for Him, who is not the same as works, and it is better to say, for Him, who is the Creator of works, to take upon Himself the renewal of works, so that He, created for our sake, could recreate everything in Himself. And having said “created,” he immediately added the reason, naming the deeds, so that by this “created into deeds,” it was expressed: “done by man to renew deeds.” Expressions of this kind are common in Divine Scripture. For when he makes it clear that the Word was born according to the flesh, then he also adds the reason why the Word became man. And when either the Son Himself speaks about His Divinity, or His servants proclaim about Him, then everything is expressed in simple speech, in a detached sense, without adding a reason, because He is the Father’s radiance. Just as the Father does not exist for any reason, so there is no need to search for the reason and His radiance. Therefore it is written: “in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was to God, and God was the Word”; and it was not added, why is this? And when “the Word became flesh,” then Scripture also presents the reason why the Word became flesh, saying: “and dwelt in us.” And also the Apostle, having said: “Who is in the form of God,” did not present the reason until he said: “He has taken on the form of a servant.” For then he adds the reason, saying: “He humbled Himself... even to death, the death of the cross” (Phil. 2:7,8), because for this He became flesh and took upon Himself the form of a servant. 54) The Lord Himself spoke about many things in parables, but making it clear about Himself, said detachedly: “I am in the Father, and the Father in Me” (John 14:10), and: “I and the Father are one” (John 10:30), and: “he who has seen Me, has seen the Father” (John 14:9), and: “I am the light of the world” (John 14:9). John 8:12), and: “I am... the truth” (John 14:6), without adding a reason to each saying, without explaining why, so as not to give the idea that He was later than for the sake of which He became this, because the reason, without which He Himself would not have become this, would necessarily have to precede Him. So Paul, “chosen as an Apostle for the gospel... which the Lord promised the Prophets first” (Rom. 1, 1, 2), had before himself the Gospel, of which he became a minister. And John, on whom it was entrusted to precede the Lord, had before himself the Lord. But the Lord, having before Himself no reason to be the Word, except that He is the Father’s begotten and only-begotten Wisdom, when made man, then represents the reason for which He will bear flesh. For in order for Him to become man, the need of men precedes it, without which He would not have taken on flesh. Explaining what the need was for which the Lord became man, He Himself said: “I came down from heaven, not to do My will, but the will of Him who sent Me... This is the will of Him who sent Me... and I will not destroy everything that I have given, but I will raise it up on the last day. This is the will of My Father, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day” (John 6:38–40), and again: “I have come as light into the world, so that everyone who believes in Me shall not remain in darkness” (John 12:46). And he also says: “For this I was born, and for this I came into the world, that I may bear witness to the truth” (John 18:37). John wrote: “For this reason the Son of God has appeared, that He might destroy the works of the devil” (1 John 3:8). 55) So, the Savior came to testify, accept death for us, resurrect people and destroy “the works of the devil”, this is the reason for His appearance in the flesh. The Resurrection would not have happened otherwise if there had been no death. What would death be like if he did not have a mortal body? And the apostle, having learned this from the Lord, said: “before the children have partaken of flesh and blood, and He sincerely partook of the same, so that by death he will abolish the power of death... the devil, and deliver these, who through the fear of death through all life are guilty of work” (Heb. 2, 14, 15), and: “before... death by man become, and by man the resurrection of the dead" (1 Cor. 15:21), and again: "for the weakness of the law, in which the flesh was weak, God sent His Son in the likeness of the flesh of sin, and for sin, judge sin in the flesh, so that the righteousness of the law may be fulfilled in us, who do not walk in the flesh, but in the Spirit" (Rom. 8:3, 4). John says: “For God did not send His Son into the world to judge the world, but by Him the world might be saved” (John 3:17). The Savior also said about Himself: “I came into this world for judgment, so that those who do not see may see, and those who see will be blind” (John 9:39). Therefore, He did not come for Himself, but for our salvation, to abolish death, condemn sin, give sight to the blind, and raise everyone from the dead. If He came not for Himself, but for us, then He was created not for Himself, but for us. And if He is not created for Himself, but for us, then He Himself is not a creature, but, having clothed ourselves in our flesh, speaks of Himself that He is being created. And that the Scriptures have this idea, you can learn about this from the Apostle. For in the Epistle to the Ephesians he says: “He has destroyed the wall of the fence, having destroyed enmity in His flesh, having abolished the law of the teaching commandments, so that He may create both into one new man, creating the world” (Eph. 2:14, 15). If “both” are created in Him, and they are in His body, then carrying both in Himself, He is rightly called as if created. In Himself He united the created ones, and He Himself was in them the same as they are, and since both were created in Him, He can decently say about Himself: “The Lord created Me.” As He who took upon Himself our infirmities, He Himself is called weak, although He is not weak, because there is God’s power. For us He became sin and an oath, although He Himself did not sin, but only bore our sins and our oath. Thus, creating us in Himself, He can speak of Himself: “creating Me into works,” although He Himself is not a creature. And if, according to the heretics, since the essence of the Word is created, the Word, being a creature, says: “The Lord created Me,” then It was not created for our sake. Since it was not created for our sake, we were not created in Him. And having not been created in Him, we do not have Him within ourselves, but we have Him from without, even if we have received teaching from Him as from a mentor. In the same case, the sin of the flesh still reigns no less than before, remaining in the flesh, and will not be eradicated from it. But the apostle asserts the opposite of this, saying a little before the above words: “For of this we are a workmanship, created in Christ Jesus” (Eph. 2:10). If we are created in Christ, then it is not He who is created, but we are created in Him, and for our sake this phrase “created” is used. Out of our need, the Word, although He is the Creator, appropriated to Himself a speech befitting creatures. And this saying “created” is not characteristic of Him as the Word, but is characteristic of us, created in Him. And just as there is always a Father, and therefore there is always His Word, the ever-existent Word always says: “I rejoiced in Him, and rejoiced every day before Him” (Prov. 8:30), and: “I am in the Father, and the Father in Me” (John. 14:10), so when, according to our need, the Word became man, accordingly, like us, He speaks about Himself in what is characteristic of us: “The Lord created Me,” so that after His indwelling in the flesh, sin would be completely expelled from the flesh, and our wisdom would become free. And what should the Word say when he became a man? Should I say that in the beginning I was a man? But this was both indecent and unfair to Him. As much as it was indecent to say about the Word, so much is characteristic and in the proper sense can be said about man, “created” and “created him.” Therefore, the reason for creation is also added, namely the need that business had. But where a reason is attached, there this very reason, without a doubt, completely resolves what the passage means. And here the Word, when saying “created”, represents the reason for the “deed”, while speaking about the birth from the Father, speaking detachedly, it immediately adds: “before... all the hills I give birth” (Proverbs 8:25). The Word does not say why he gives birth, as in the saying “he created Me” he added: “into deeds,” but he says detachedly “he gives birth to Me,” as in the Gospel “in the beginning was the Word.” Even if works had not been created, then there was God’s Word, “and God is the Word.” But It would not have become a man if the need of people themselves had not become the reason for this. Therefore the Son is not a creature. And if He were a creature, He would not have said: “He gives birth to Me,” because creatures are the external works of the Creator, and Birth is not from the outside, as a matter, but the property of the Father’s essence. And therefore, works are creatures, and the Son is God’s Word, the only begotten Son. 57) And truly, Moses did not say about the creation: in the beginning he was born, and: in the beginning he was, but he says: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Gen. 1: 1). David did not sing: “Thy hands” gave birth to me, but: “Make me and create me” (Psalm 119:73). About creatures everywhere he uses the expression “create”, otherwise he speaks about the Son, for he did not say: create, but “gave birth” (Psalm 109:3), and: “brings me forth” (Proverbs 8:25), and: “My heart will vomit out the good word” (Psalm 44:2). And about the creation it is said that in the beginning he created, but about the Son: “in the beginning was the Word.” There is also a difference in the fact that creatures are created in continuation of the beginning and have a continuous beginning of existence. Therefore, what was said about them “in the beginning created” is equivalent to what was said about them “from the beginning.” And the Lord, knowing what He created, Himself teaches us this when, in shame of the Pharisees, He says: “He who created them from time immemorial, I created male and female” (Matthew 19:4). The created, since it never existed, received being from the beginning and was created. The Holy Spirit also made this clear, saying in the Psalms: “In the beginning, O Lord, You founded the earth” (Psalm 101:26), and again: “Remember Your host, which You acquired from the beginning” (Psalm 73:2). It is clear that what is done “in the beginning” has the beginning of creation and that God acquired the host from a certain beginning. And that the expression “create in the beginning” in the meaning of the word “create” means: “he began to create,” this is explained to us by Moses when, at the end of all peacemaking, he says: “And God bless the seventh day, and sanctify it, for in that rest from all His works which God began to create” (Gen. 2:3). Consequently, creatures began to come into being, but God’s Word, having no beginning of being, in all fairness did not begin to be and come into being, but was always there. And things have a beginning in their creation, the beginning precedes what is created, but God’s Word, not belonging to the number of those created, itself becomes the Creator of everything that has a beginning. The existence of what is created is measured from the moment of creation, and from a certain beginning God begins to create it with the Word, so that everyone knows that it did not exist until it was created. The Word has existence not in another beginning, but in the Father, and according to the teachings of the heretics, without beginning, which is why He Himself is without beginning in the Father, being not a creature, but the birth of the Father. 58) Thus, the Divine Scripture knows this difference between birth and works, and it shows that birth is the Son, who did not begin from any beginning, but is eternal, while about work, as an external matter for the Creator, it makes it clear that it began to come into being. So John, when theologically speaking about the Son and knowing this difference of sayings, did not say: in the beginning he received being or was created, but “in the beginning was the Word,” so that in the very saying “be” the word “birth” was implied, and so that no one would conclude about the Son that He came into being in the continuation of time, but believed that He exists always and eternally. Why do you, Arians, after all these proofs, without understanding the sayings in Deuteronomy, dare to even dishonor the Lord in this, saying that He is a work, or a creature, or a birth? For you say that the words “birth” and “product” mean the same thing. And yet, by doing this you make it known that you are ignorant and wicked. The first saying is the following: “Is not this your Father Himself who acquired you, and created you, and created you?” (Deut. 32:6). And a little lower in the same song it is said: “Thou hast forsaken the God who gave birth to thee, and thou hast forgotten the God who nourishes thee” (Deut. 32:18). The meaning contained in these words is very wonderful! Moses did not say “gave birth” in the first place, so that this saying would not seem indifferent to the saying “created,” and the heretics had no excuse to say: “Moses himself said that at the beginning “God said: Let us make man” (Gen. 1:26), and after that he says: “Thou hast forsaken the God who gave birth to thee,” as if these sayings are indifferent, and birth and creation are one and the same thing same." On the contrary, after the sayings “acquire” and “create,” he subsequently added the saying: gave birth, so that the speech would apparently explain itself. For by the phrase “create” it means what is in reality natural to people, namely, that they are works and works, while by the phrase “gave birth” expresses God’s love for mankind, revealed to people after their creation. And since with all this they became ungrateful, Moses, already reproaching them, first says: “Do you repay the Lord with this?” then he adds: “Is not this your Father Himself who acquired you, and created you, and created you?” And then he also says: “Having been devoured by the demon, and not by God, by God, they did not know: they are new and recent, and their fathers did not know them. You forsook the God who gave birth to you” (Deut. 32:6, 17, 18). 59) God not only created them people, but also called them sons, as if he gave birth to them. For here, too, the expression “begat” means “son,” just as through the prophet it says: “Sons have begotten and raised up” (Isa. 1:2), and in general, when Scripture wants to express this concept “son,” it makes it clear not by the expression “created,” but certainly by the expression “begat.” John also seems to have this thought, saying: “Given unto them the realm to become children of God, who believe in His name: who were not born of blood, nor of carnal lust, nor of manly lust, but were born of God” (John 1:12, 13). Prudence is very useful here too. John, with the phrase “to be,” expresses that people are called sons not by nature, but by adoption, but he used the phrase “being born” because they, too, have fully received the name “son.” But people, as the prophet says, “rejected” the Benefactor (Isa. 1, 2). And that is, God’s love for mankind, that God subsequently, by grace, becomes the Father of those whom He created, becomes the Father when the people He created, as the Apostle said, receive the Spirit of His Son into their hearts, “crying: Abba, Father” (Gal. 4:6). These, “the little ones who received” the Word, received from Him “the realm of being children of God,” otherwise, being creatures by nature, they would not have become sons if they had not received the Spirit of the Son, the Son who exists by nature and is true. Therefore, in order for this to happen, “the Word became flesh,” may it make man capable of receiving the Divinity into himself. The same thought can be seen in the prophet Malachi, who says: “Is not God the only one who created you? Isn’t there one Father for you all” (Mal. 2:10)? And here, too, the prophet first said “created,” and then added “Father,” showing that initially we are creatures by nature, and God created us with the Word, but later we are adopted, and God the Creator becomes our Father. Therefore, the Father is the property of the Son, and the property of the Father is not the creature, but the Son, and thus this also shows that by nature we are not sons, but the Son abiding in us, and also God is not our Father by nature, but the Word abiding in us, about whom and through whom we cry “Abba Father.” And just as this is undeniable, so the Father, if he sees His Son in someone, then He Himself calls them sons and speaks of them as “begotten.” since the phrase “to beget” signifies “son” and the phrase “to create” refers to “works,” then for this very reason we are called first not begotten, but created. For it is written: “Let us make man” (Gen. 1:26); later, after we have received the grace of the Spirit, we are said to be born. Without a doubt, the great Moses, in his songs with a good thought, first used the expression “acquisitive,” and subsequently the expression “gave birth,” so that the Israelites, having heard the word “gave birth,” would not forget their original nature, but would know that initially they were creatures, and even when by grace people are called born as sons, they are still by nature creatures. 60) And that creation and birth are not the same thing, but are distant from each other both in nature and in the meaning of the words themselves, this is shown by the Lord Himself in the same Proverbs. For having said: “The Lord made Me the beginning of His ways,” he added: “Before all the hills He gives birth to Me” (Proverbs 8:22, 25). So, if the Word by nature and essence were a creature, and there were no difference between birth and creation, then he would not have added “gives birth” to “Me,” but would have been satisfied with the phrase “created” as meaning the same thing as the phrase “gave birth.” Now, having said: “I created Me the beginning of His ways in His works,” he not only added: “He gives birth to Me,” but, in conjunction with the conjunction “the same,” as if protecting with this the phrase “created,” he says: “Before all the hills He gives birth to Me.” For the phrase “gives birth to Me,” placed in connection with the phrase “created,” constitutes one thought and shows that just as the phrase “created” is used for a reason, so “gives birth to Me” precedes creation. As if, on the contrary, he said: “The Lord gives birth to Me,” and then added: “before all the hills created Me,” then, without a doubt, the creation would precede birth, so, having said before creating and then adding “before all ... gives birth to Me,” it is necessary to show that birth precedes the creation. For, saying: before all He gives birth to Me, He makes it clear that He is different from all, since before this it was proven by the truth itself that none of the creatures preceded the other, but everything created was suddenly produced together by one and the same command. Therefore, the meaning of the phrase “created” is not the same as that of the expression “gives birth to Me.” On the contrary, when saying “created,” the “beginning of paths” is stated, but when expressing “gives birth to Me,” he did not say: first “gives birth to Me,” but: “before all others gives birth to Me...”. And He who is before all is not the beginning of all, but different from all. But if he is different from all, and the beginning of all is understood to be among all, then it is clear that he is different from creatures. From this it is clear that the Word, being different from all and existing before all, is subsequently created as the beginning of the ways to deeds, due to the incarnation of man, as the Apostle said: “He who is the firstfruits, the firstborn from the dead... may He be preeminent in all” (Col. 1:18). 61) since such is the difference in the expressions “created” and “gives birth to Me,” “the beginning of ways” and “before all,” then, just as God, the Creator of men, according to what has been said, subsequently becomes their Father, for the sake of His Word dwelling in them, so the opposite must be said about the Word: God, His Father by nature, then becomes His Creator and Creator, when the Word is clothed in created and created flesh, and is made man. Just as people, having received the Spirit of the Son, become children through Him, so the Word of God, when it took on human flesh, is then called created and created. Therefore, if we are sons by nature, then it is clear that He, by nature, is a creature and a work. And if we are made sons by adoption and by grace. it is clear that the Word, having become a man to bestow grace on us, said about Himself: “The Lord created Me.” Moreover, since the Lord, having clothed himself with created things, became similar to us in body, therefore he is rightly called both our brother and firstborn. For although after us He became man for our sake and our brother in the likeness of the body, yet at the same time He is called the firstborn in us, and indeed He is so, because when all people perished through Adam’s crime, His flesh was saved before others and freed as having become the body of the Word Himself, and we are already saved after it as stewards of the Word. For in this body the Lord becomes our leader into the heavenly kingdom and to His Father, saying: “I am the way” (John 14:6) and “the door,” and by Me all must enter (John 10:9). Therefore, he is also called the firstborn from the dead, not because he died before us (we died first), but because, having accepted death for us and rendered it inactive, the first rose again as a man, resurrecting His body for us. since He has risen, then, finally, we too are raised from the dead by Him and for His sake. 62) If the Lord is also called the firstborn of creation (Col. 1:15), then he is named not as being compared with creatures and not as the first of them in time (for how can He be the firstborn when He is the only begotten?), but according to the condescension of the Word to creatures, by which He became the brother of many. The only begotten is only begotten because he has no other brothers, but the firstborn is called firstborn because he has other brothers. Therefore, nowhere in Scripture is the Lord called the firstborn of God and God's creature. The names “Only Begotten”, “Son”, “Word”, “Wisdom” show a close relationship to the Father and a relationship with Him. “We have seen His glory, the glory of the only begotten from the Father” (John 1:14), and: “God sent His only begotten Son” (1John 4:9), and: “For ever, O Lord, Your Word abides” (Psalm 119:89), and: “in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was to God” (John 1, 1), and: “Christ, God’s power and God’s Wisdom” (1 Cor. 1:24), and: “This is My beloved Son” (Matthew 3:17), and: “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16). The naming “firstborn” shows condescension towards the creature, because it is called the firstborn of the creature. And the saying “created” shows mercy towards deeds, because it is created “into deeds.” So, if the Lord is the only begotten, as indeed he is, then explain to me the name firstborn. If he is the firstborn, then let him not be the only begotten, for it is impossible for one and the same person to be both the only begotten and the first begotten, unless in different respects, and the only begotten, as has already been said, is called by birth from the Father, but the first begotten by condescension to the creation, and because He made many His brothers. And without a doubt, in fairness, we can say that of these two contradictory sayings, the quality of the only begotten comes more predominant to the Word, because there is no other Word or other Wisdom, but He alone is the true Son of the Father, and as noted before, without adding any reason, but detachedly it is said about Him: “the only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father” (John 1:18), and with the name “Firstborn” combines the reason indicated in creation, which Paul added, saying: “For by Him all things were created” (Col. 1:16). If all creatures were created by Him, then He is different from creatures, and not a creature, but the Creator of creatures. 63) So, the Lord is called the firstborn, not because He is from the Father, but because through Him the creation received its being. And just as before creation He was the Son, through whom creation came into being, so before the name “firstborn of all creation,” nevertheless, there was the Word itself “to God, and God is the Word.” But the wicked, not understanding this, go everywhere and say: “If “the firstborn of all creation,” then it is clear that He Himself is one of the creatures.” Senseless! If “the firstborn” in general is “of all creation,” then it follows that the apostle did not say “the firstborn of all creation”, “the firstborn of other creatures,” so as not to be considered one of the creatures, but he wrote: “the firstborn of all creation,” so that it would be clear that he is “another of the creation.” Reuben is called the firstborn not of all the children of Jacob, but of Jacob himself and his brothers (Gen. 35:23), so that they would not consider him different from the children of Jacob. And the Apostle did not say about the Lord Himself: “as if He were the firstborn” in all, lest anyone should think that He bears a body different from ours, but “the firstborn in many brethren” (Rom. 8:29) in the likeness of the flesh. Therefore, if the Word were one of creatures, then Scripture would say about Him: the firstborn of other creatures. And now, since the Saints say: “the firstborn of all creation,” this directly shows that the Son of God is different from all creation, and not a creation. For if He is a creature, He will also be the firstborn of Himself. How is it possible, Arians, to be both more original and later than oneself? Moreover, if He is a creature, and every creature came into being through Him and came into existence through Him, how can a creature both create and be one of those made about Him? Since the inconsistency of such an invention of the Arians is itself visible, the truth convicts them that the Son is called “the firstborn of many brethren” according to the affinity of the flesh, “the firstborn from the dead” because the resurrection of the dead is from Him and after Him, and “the firstborn of all creation” according to the love of mankind of the Father, according to which by His Word not only all things are made, but also the creation itself, as He said about it The Apostle, through the “revelation of the sons of God... will one day be freed” from the work of corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God (Rom. 8:19, 21). After the same liberation of the creature, the Lord will be the first-born of it, as well as of all those who have become children, so that with the name of Him the first will remain that which is after Him, depending on the Word as from a certain beginning. 64) I think that with such an understanding of the Scriptures, even the most wicked will be ashamed. For if what we assert is unjust, on the contrary, they want the Word to be the first-born of all creation, as in essence a creature, then let them judge that, according to their assumption, He will be the brother of dumb and inanimate creatures, and will become like them, because these creatures also form a part of all creation, but the first-born must be first-born in one time, and in kind and likeness be identical with all. But in asserting this, do not heretics exceed every measure of wickedness? Or who will patiently listen to this from them? Or how not to hate them for one such thought? It is obvious to everyone that not for his own sake, as a creature, and not because in essence he has some kind of affinity with all creation, the Word is called the firstborn of creation, but because the Word, first creating creatures, descended to the created ones so that they could come into being (otherwise, they would not have tolerated His unmoderated nature and truly Fatherly lordship, if, by the Father’s love for mankind, the Word condescended to help them, and, having accepted His power, did not bring them into the essence), so, secondly, and also because, by the condescension of the Word, creation itself is adopted by Him. And thus, as it has been said, the Word becomes the firstborn of creation in every way, both by that which creates, and by that which is introduced into the universe itself for all. For it is thus written: “When he... brings the Firstborn into the universe, he says: And let all the angels of God worship Him” (Heb. 1:6). Let those who oppose Christ hear and torment themselves, the entry of the Word into the universe is the reason that He is called the firstborn of all. And thus, It is the only begotten Son of the Father, because It is one from the Father; he is called the firstborn of the creation after the adoption of all. But as the firstborn among the brethren and “from the dead, the firstfruits of those who died” (1 Cor. 15:20), so, since in everything it was fitting for Him to take precedence, He is created therefore as the beginning of the ways, so that we too, having entered this path and entered by the One who says: “I am the way and the door,” and also having partaken of the knowledge of the Father, hear: “the blessedness of the blameless in the way” ( Psalm 119:1), and: “blessed are those who are pure in heart: for they will see God” (Matthew 5:8). 65) So, since the truth has shown that the Word is not a creature by nature, it should already be said why it is called the beginning of ways. since the first path through Adam was lost, instead of paradise we strayed into death and heard: “you are earth, and you will go back to earth” (Gen. 3:19), then the man-loving Word of God, by the will of the Father, is clothed in created flesh, so that that flesh, which the first man killed by crime, may be revived by Him with the blood of His body and renew for us “a new and living way,” as said the Apostle, “by the veil, that is, by His flesh” (Heb. 10:19, 20). He gives this to be understood, and in another place he says: “Even if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation: the ancient thing was made, behold, he was all new” (2 Cor. 5:17). If a new creation arose, then someone had to be the first of this creation. The simple and earthy man alone, as we became as a result of the crime, could not be the first, because in the original creation people also became unfaithful, and through them the original creation perished; another was needed, renewing the original creation and preserving that which had become a new creation. Therefore, it is humanely none other than the Lord, the beginning of a new creation is created in the way, and rightly says of Himself: “The Lord made Me the beginning of His ways for His works” (Proverbs 8:22), so that man would no longer live according to that original creation, but since the beginning of a new creation had been laid, then having Christ as the beginning of its ways, we have already followed Him, who says about Himself: “I am the way.” Teaching this, the blessed apostle in his letter to the Colossians said: “He is the head of the body of the Church, who is the firstfruits, the firstborn from the dead, for he may be preeminent in all” (Col. 1:18). 66) If, as has been said, because of the Resurrection from the dead the Lord is called for this the firstfruits, the Resurrection was accomplished when, bearing our flesh, He gave Himself up to death for us, then it is clear that what He said: “making Me the beginning of ways” does not mean His essence, but His coming in the body, because death was characteristic of the body. And just as death is characteristic of the body, so the bodily coming will be characterized by what is said: “The Lord made Me the beginning of His ways,” because when the Savior was thus created according to the flesh, became the firstfruits of those being created and has our firstfruits - the human flesh He took upon Himself, then, in accordance with this, future people are created after Him, as David says: “Let this be written for a generation and people the inhabitants will praise the Lord" (Psalm 101:19), and also in the twenty-first psalm: "the coming generation of the Lord will be proclaimed, and His righteousness will be proclaimed to the people to be born as those who have what the Lord has done" (Psalm 21:31, 32). We will no longer hear: “If you take away a day from it, you will die” (Gen. 2:17), but we hear: “Where I am, you will be also” (John. 14:3), which is why we say: “For this we are creatures, created... for good works” (Eph. 2:10). Also, since God’s work, that is, man created perfect, as a result of crime became insufficient and was mortified by sin, and it was indecent for God’s work to remain imperfect, then all the saints pleaded for this, saying in the one hundred and thirty-seventh psalm: “Wait for the Lord and reward for me: Lord... do not despise the work of Your hand” (Psalm 137:8). Therefore, that perfect Word of God is taxed an imperfect body and is called being created into works, so that He, having repaid the debt for us, would fill with Himself what was lacking in man. And man lacked immortality and the path to heaven. And this means what the Savior said: “I have glorified You on earth; I will do, the works that I do testify of Me" (John 5:36). The works that he is talking about here, which were given to Him by the Father to do, are the very ones for which He is created, speaking about Himself in Proverbs: "The Lord made Me the beginning of His ways for His works." For it means one and the same thing to say: “The Father gave me... works”, and: “The Lord created Me to do works.” 67) So, fighters against God, when the Son accepted the work, let him do it? From this the meaning of the words “created” will be revealed. If you say that he accepted at the beginning, when he brought them from non-existence into being, then this is false, then the works were not yet accomplished, but it is clear that He is talking about the acceptance of works that already exist. But it is inadmissible to understand the time preceding the time when “the Word became flesh”; otherwise, the coming of the Word will turn out to be unnecessary, because this coming was for the reception of works. Consequently, it remains, finally, to say that when the Son became man, then he also received works. For then he completed them, healing our wounds and granting us the resurrection from the dead. If, when “the Word became flesh,” then works were given to Him, then it is clear that when He became man, then He was created into works. So, the phrase “created” does not mean the essence of the Word, which has already been said many times, but His bodily existence. Since the deeds, as a result of the crime, became imperfect and insufficient, then it is said about the Word bodily that It is being created, and, having completed the deeds and made them whole, “will present... To the Father the Church,” as the Apostle said, “has no filth, or vice, or anything from such, but may she be holy and blameless” (Eph. 5:27). Therefore, just as in the beginning the human race received its existence by the Word, so it is perfected and restored by Him, and, moreover, with even greater grace, because, having risen from the dead, we will no longer fear death, but will always reign in heaven in Christ. This happened because God’s own Word Himself, who is from the Father, put on flesh and became man. If the Word, having been a creature, became man, then man would still remain the same as he was, not united with God. For being a creature, could he be united with the Creator through creation? Or what kind of help would there be for like from like, who themselves need the same help? If the Word were a creature, how would He have the power to cancel God's sentence and forgive sin, when it is written in the prophets that it belongs to God? “Who is God like You, who takes away sins and leaves iniquities?” (Mic. 7:18). God said: “You are earth, and you will go back to earth” (Gen. 3:19), and people became mortal. Therefore, is it possible to forgive sin for a created being? On the contrary, the Lord Himself allows, as He said: “unless the Son sets you free” (John 8:36). And the Son who freed himself really proved of Himself that He is not a creature, not the only one created, but His own Word and the image of the Father’s essence, because in the beginning the Father condemned sin, and He alone forgives sins. Since the Word says: “You are earth, and you will go back to earth,” then in accordance with this But through the Word and about Him, liberation and the abolition of condemnation are accomplished. 68) But they say: “If the Savior is a creature, then God could only speak and thereby resolve the oath.” The same can be said to heretics: if the Savior had not come at all, then God could only say and resolve their oath. But we must keep in mind what is useful for people, and not take into account that everything is possible for God. Even before Noah’s ark, God could have destroyed the people who sinned then, but he did this after the construction of the ark. And without Moses he could only speak and bring the people out of Egypt, but it was useful to do this through Moses. Even without judges, God could save the people, but it was useful for the Israelites if, in due course, they had a judge. The Savior could have come at the beginning or, having come, not been betrayed to Pilate, but He came at the end of the ages, and when they were looking for Him, He said: “I am” (John 18:5). What the Lord does is useful to people; it should not have been otherwise. What is useful and decent, that is what He provides. Therefore He came, not “to let them serve Him, but to serve Him” (Matthew 20:28) and to bring about our salvation. Without a doubt, He could have spoken the law from heaven, but He knew that it was beneficial for people to speak it from Sinai, and He did this so that Moses could ascend, and the Israelites, hearing the word close, could all the more believe. However, the blessed reason why this was done can be seen from the following. If God had omnipotently uttered and resolved the oath, then the power of the Commander would have been visible in this, and man would have become the same as Adam was before the crime, having received grace from the outside, without adapting it to the body (for even then man was brought into heaven as such), but at the same time he, perhaps, would have become even worse, because he learned to break the law. And in such a state, if he were deceived into becoming a serpent, the need would again arise for God to pronounce a command and resolve the oath. And therefore, the need for this would continue indefinitely, but people would still be guilty, servile to sin. Constantly sinning, they would constantly have a need for forgiveness, and would never be freed from guilt, being themselves flesh and, due to the weakness of the flesh, always overcome by the law. 69) Also, if the Son were a creature, then man would still remain mortal, not being united with God, because the creation would not unite creatures with God, and itself would require a uniter for itself, and one part of the creation could not serve as salvation for the whole creation, itself having a need for salvation. So, to prevent this, God sends His Son, and the Son becomes man, having taken upon Himself created flesh, so that since everyone is guilty of death, He Himself, being different from everyone, brings His own body to death for everyone, and the Word, as if all had died through Him (because indeed all had died in Christ), would finally fulfill the sentence, and through Him all would become free from sin and from curses for sin, and indeed endure forever, having risen from the dead and having put on immortality and incorruptibility. since the Word was clothed with flesh, then by this flesh, as has been repeatedly demonstrated, all remorse of the serpent was rendered completely invalid. Even if something evil were reborn as a result of bodily movements, it would be cut off, and thus the death that follows sin would be destroyed, as the Lord himself says: “The prince of this world is coming, and in Me he will have nothing” (John 14:30). And for this reason he appeared, as John wrote, “to destroy the works of the devil” (1 John 3:8). since these deeds were destroyed by His flesh, then through this we were all freed according to the affinity of the flesh, and we ourselves were united with the Word. And having been united with God, we will no longer remain on earth, but, as the Lord Himself said, “where” He and we will be (John 14:3), and we will no longer fear the serpent, because he was brought into inaction by the flesh, driven away by the Savior and hearing from Him: “Follow Me, Satan” (Matthew 4:10). Thus, the serpent outside paradise is cast into eternal fire. We no longer need to beware of a seducing wife, “for on the resurrection they neither marry nor commit violence, but as the angels of God... they are” (Matthew 22:30). And “in Christ Jesus... there will be a new creation” (Gal. 6:15), “neither... male nor female” (Gal. 3:28), but all things and Christ in all. And where Christ is, will there be any other fear or danger? 70) But this would not have followed if the Word were a creature, because the devil, who is also a creature, would always be at war with the creature, and man, being a mediator, himself always remaining guilty of death, would not have in himself about whom and by whom He could become free from all fear, united with God. By this, the truth itself shows that the Word is not one of the created things, but rather Himself is their Creator. This is why He took upon Himself the created and human body, so that He, as the Creator, renewing this body, would deify it in Himself, and thus bring all of us, in the likeness of His body, into the heavenly kingdom. But again, man would not have been deified, having united with creation, if the Son had not been the true God. Man would not have appeared to the Father if the one who took on the body were not truly the Father’s Word by nature. And just as we would not have been freed from sin and curse if the flesh in which the Word was clothed had not been human by nature (because we would have had nothing in common with what was alien to us), so man would not have been deified if he who had become flesh had not by nature been from the Father, the true and proper Father’s Word. For this purpose, such a union was accomplished so that, according to the nature of Existence, from the Divinity it would be combined with Himself according to the nature of man, and so that through this the salvation and deification of man would become solid. Consequently, those who deny that the Son by nature is from the Father and is actually the essence of the Father, let them also deny that He received true human flesh from the Ever-Virgin Mary. Likewise, there would be no benefit for us humans if God’s Word were not true and by nature the Son, and if the flesh He took upon Himself was not true. On the contrary, the Word took upon Himself true flesh, although Valentine is raging. The Word was by nature the true God, although the Arians were raging. In this flesh, the Word became for us the firstfruits of a new creation, becoming man created for us and, as it is said, renewing that path for us. 71) So, the Word is neither a creature nor a work, for it is one and the same thing: a creature, a work, a work. And if the Word were a creature and a work, then it would also be a deed. Therefore, It did not say about Itself: “He created Me”, or: He created Me along with works, so as not to give the idea that It was a creature by nature and essence. Nor did it say: I created, let me do works, so that again the wicked, in their evil mind, would not consider Him for our sake to have been made like an instrument. It also did not announce about Itself: He created Me before works, so that, both from the fact that It is before all, it follows that It is birth, and by the fact that It was created before works, it would not lead to the idea that the words “birth” and “creation” are identical with each other. On the contrary, with strict prudence he said: “I created Me into work.” And this means: the Father created Me that in the flesh He might become man. And therefore from this it again becomes clear that the Word is not work, but birth. Just as he who enters a house is not part of the house, but is something else and not the house, so he who is created into works by nature is not the same as the works. For if, as you Arians assert, the Word of God is a work, then by what hand and wisdom was It brought into being? Everything brought into existence was brought into existence by God’s hand and Wisdom, as God Himself says: “All... this my hand has created” (Is. 66:2). David sings: “In the beginning, O Lord, You founded the earth, and the works of Your hand are the heavens” (Psalm 102:26), and in the one hundred and forty-second psalm: “I remembered the days of old, having learned in all Your works, in the creations I have learned Your hand” (Psalm 142:5). Therefore, if creation was made by God’s hand, it is written that “all things... were” in the Word, “and without Him nothing was made” (John 1:3), and also: “there is one Lord Jesus... Who is all things” (1 Cor. 8:6), and: “all things are in Him” (Col. 1:17), then it is clear that the Son is not a work, but He is God’s hand and Wisdom. Knowing this, the martyrs Ananias, Azariah, and Misail, who were in Babylon, denounced Arian wickedness. For having said, “Bless all the works of the Lord, the Lord” (Dan. 3:57), in a series of works they listed everything that is in heaven and on earth, and every creature, but did not name the Son, for they did not say: bless the Word, sing hymns to Wisdom, letting them know that all other creatures sing hymns and are the essence of the works, but the Word is not a work and He is not among those who sing hymns, but He and the Father are hymned, they worship Him, they theologize about Him, because He is Father's Word, Father's Wisdom and Creator of Affairs. The Spirit spoke this with perfect discernment in the Psalms: “For the Word of the Lord is righteous, and all His works are in faith” (Psalm 32:4), as in another psalm he says: “For Your works are great, O Lord: You have done all things by Wisdom” (Psalm 103:24). 72) If the Word were deeds, then, without a doubt, He would also be brought into being by Wisdom, and Scripture would not distinguish Him from works, and would not call them works, but preach about Him as the Word of God and God’s own Wisdom. Now Scripture, distinguishing Him from works, shows that this Wisdom is the Creator of works, and not the work. Paul observes the same distinction, writing to the Hebrews: “For the Word of God is living and active, and sharper than any two-edged sword, even penetrating to the dividing of soul and spirit, members and marrow, and judging by the mind and the thoughts of the heart. And there is no creature revealed before Him, but all naked and declared before His eyes: to Him we have a word” (Heb. 4:12, 13). You see, he called created things creation, but he understands the Son to be the real Word of God, since He is not the same as creatures. And again, saying: “all naked and declared before His eyes: to Him we have a word,” makes it clear that He is different from all creatures. Therefore, the Son judges, and each of the creatures that have come into being is obliged to give Him an answer. Likewise, by the fact that all creation groans with us for liberation “from the work of corruption” (Rom. 8:21), it is shown that the Son is different from creatures. For if He were a creature, then He Himself would be among those who sigh and would need someone to make Him, along with everyone else, a Son and free Him. If the whole creation sighs for liberation from the work of corruption, and the Son is not among those sighing and demanding liberation, but He Himself makes sons and frees everyone, saying to the Jews of that time: “But the servant does not abide in the house forever: the Son abides forever. If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8:35, 36), then this shows more clearly than light that the Word of God is not a creature, but the true and sincere Son of the Father by nature. So, about this saying: “The Lord has made Me the beginning of ways” (Proverbs 8:22), although briefly, I think it is enough to say in order to give the most learned people a reason to invent something stronger to overthrow the Arian heresy. But heretics, reading the next verse and interpreting it poorly, believe: since it is written: “before the world was the foundation of Me,” then this too is said about the Divinity of the Word, and not about His appearance in the flesh. Therefore, it is necessary, having analyzed this verse, to show the error of the heretics. 73) It is written: “God is the foundation of the earth through wisdom” (Proverbs 3:19). Therefore, if the earth is founded by Wisdom, how is He who lays the foundation founded? But this is also said in detail, and we must look for the meaning in what has been said, and through this find out that just as with Wisdom the Father creates and founds the earth so that it is unshakable and abides, so Wisdom itself is founded in us, so that it becomes the firstfruits and foundation of the new creation in us and our renewal. And here the Lord did not say: first the world created Me, the Word or the Son, so as not to give the thought that it had a beginning, as if it were created. For first of all we must ask: Is He the Son? And about this it is primarily to test the Scriptures. Peter, when the apostles were questioned, confessed this, saying: “Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Matthew 16:16). The father of the Arian heresy asked about this first of all: “If you are the Son of God” (Matthew 4:6)? For I knew that this truth is the main thing in our faith; knew that if He was the Son, then there would be an end to the devil’s torment. And if He is a creature and one of the descendants of the deceived Adam, then the devil has nothing to worry about. Therefore, the Jews of that time were indignant that the Lord called Himself the Son of God, and God His Father. For if He had called Himself one of the creatures or said about Himself: I am a work, then it would not have been strange for those listening, and they would not have considered such words blasphemy, knowing that angels also came to the fathers. But since He called Himself the Son, they saw in this a sign not of creation, but of the Divinity and nature of the Father. 74) Therefore, the Arians, at least in imitation of their father the devil, should have been curious, and if the Lord said: I founded the Word and the Son to philosophize, as they philosophize, and if he did not say so, not to invent what is not. But He did not say: before the age “the foundation” of Me is the Word and the Son, but He simply says “the foundation of Me,” wanting by this, as I noted before, to again show that this too is not said for His own sake, but for the sake of those who are edified in Him. Knowing this, the Apostle writes: “For no one can lay another foundation than the one that lies, which is Jesus Christ. Let everyone be careful how he edifies” (1 Cor. 3, 10, 11). The foundation must be the same as those who are edified, so that mutual conformity can be possible. Therefore, the Lord, as being the Word, since He is the Word, does not have in conformity with Himself those who are the same as He is, because He is the only begotten, thus having become man, He has those like Himself, because He put on flesh similar to their flesh. Therefore, according to humanity, He is placed as the foundation, so that we too can be built up on Him like precious stones and become a temple of the Holy Spirit living in us. But just as He is the foundation, and we are the stones built on Him, so again He is the vine, and we are like rods, united with Him not according to the essence of Divinity (this is impossible), but also according to humanity, because the rods must be like the vine, and we must be like Him in the flesh. Moreover, it is proper to expose heretics who reason humanly with human examples borrowed from the same words. The Lord did not say: He made Me the foundation, so that heretics would not find in this a shameless pretext for wickedness, as if He is a work and has the beginning of His existence. But he says: “the basis of Me.” What is laid as a foundation is laid down for the sake of the stones that are edified on it, and this is not simply done, but when the stone is removed from the mountain and lowered into the depths of the earth. While the stone is in the mountain, it is not laid as a foundation. But when need demands, and the stone is carried and cast into the depths of the earth, then, if he gets the opportunity to speak, he will say: “Now he who brought me here from the mountain founded me.” Consequently, the Lord did not have the beginning of existence from that time when he was placed in the foundation, the Word was before this, but when he put on our body, cut off and received by Him from Mary, then he says: “the foundation is Me,” and this means: He surrounded Me, the Word, with an earthly body. Thus, it is laid down for us as a foundation, taking upon Himself what is ours, so that we, as fellow-bodies in Him, formed and bound together in the likeness of the flesh, having attained perfect manhood, may remain immortal and incorruptible. 75) Let no one be confused by the saying “before the world... before the earth could be created, and before the mountains could be raised” (Proverbs 8:23,25). And this is very opportunely added by the Word to the words “foundation” and “created,” because this also applies to the economy according to the flesh. The grace given to us by the Savior, although, as the Apostle says, “appeared” and was given only with the coming of the Savior (Tit. 2:11), however, it was prepared before we received being, or better yet, even “before the foundation of the world” (1 Pet. 1:20). And what a good and wonderful reason for this! It was indecent for God to formulate advice about us later, so as not to appear as if he did not know what would befall us. Therefore, the God of all, creating us with His Word, knowing our situation better than ourselves and foreknowing that we, created perfect, would subsequently become transgressors of the commandment and for disobedience we would be cast out of paradise, as one who loves mankind and is good, in His own Word, by which He created us, prepares the economy of our salvation, so that even though we fall away, deceived by the serpent, we will not remain. completely dead, on the contrary, having in the Word deliverance and salvation prepared for us, we rose again and remained immortal when the Word itself was created for us as the beginning of the ways, and the Firstborn of creation became the firstborn among the brethren and the very firstfruits of the dead was resurrected. This is what the blessed Apostle Paul teaches. For interpreting what is said in Proverbs: before the age and before the earth was created, in the letter to Timothy he says this: “Suffer the gospel according to the power of God, who saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His good pleasure and grace given to us in Christ Jesus before the ages of eternity, which has now been revealed by the enlightenment of our Savior Jesus Christ, who destroyed for death, and life to shine forth” (2 Tim. 1:8-10), and in the letter to the Ephesians: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly things in Christ Jesus, because He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, to be holy and blameless before Him in love; He first called us sons as sons of Jesus Christ into Him” (Eph. 1, 3–5). 76) Therefore, how did He choose before we came into being, if we were not, as the Lord said, prefigured in Him? In general, how did He name us as sons before the creation of men, if “before the age” the Son Himself was not laid as the foundation, taking upon Himself the dispensation for us? Or how, what else does the Apostle add, “we were made heirs, before we were named” (Eph. 1:11), if “before the age” the Lord Himself was not laid as the foundation, why did He deign to take upon Himself the whole burden of our condemnation for us in the flesh and then adopt us in Himself? How did we receive grace “before eternal times,” without having yet received existence, having happened in time, if this grace that preceded us was not prepared in Christ? Therefore, at the judgment, when everyone accepts according to their deeds, the Lord will say: “Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world” (Matthew 25:34). How then, or in whom was it prepared before our creation, if not in the Lord, who laid the foundation for this before the ages, so that we, like well-made stones built upon Him, might partake of life and grace from Him? This (as far as a person can piously understand this) happened so that we, as I already said, having risen from a short-term death, could live forever. But we, earthly people, would not have had this opportunity if the hope of life and salvation had not been prepared for us in Christ before the ages. So, the Word, descending into our flesh and in it created by the beginning of the ways “into His works”, since, according to what was said, the Father’s will was in Him, is rightly placed as the foundation “before the age”, before the earth was created, “before the mountains were set up ... before they came into being as a source” (Prov. 8, 23, 24), so that even then, at the end of the present age, they pass by the earth and the mountains and all the images of visible things, we did not decay like all this, but even after that we could still live, having in the Word Himself according to this election the life and spiritual blessing prepared for us. Thus, we will be able to have life that is not only temporary, but even after all this to continue, living in Christ, because even before this our life was founded and prepared in Christ Jesus. 77) Yes, and it would be indecent for our life to be founded in something other than the Lord who existed “before the ages,” “in whom also the worlds were created” (Heb. 1:2). since our life is in Him, it is possible for us to inherit eternal life, because God is good and, as always good, has deigned this, knowing that our weak nature needs His help and salvation. And just as a wise architect, intending to build a house, already has thoughts of renovating this house again, if after construction it falls into disrepair over time, and with this thought he prepares and gives to the workers in the building everything necessary for renovation, and the preparation for renovation precedes the house itself, so before us, the foundation for the renewal of our salvation is laid in Christ, so that in Him we can be recreated. And this advice, this intention was prepared before the age, but the deed was accomplished when need demanded, and the Savior came. For the Lord Himself will replace everything for us with Himself in heaven, receiving us into eternal life. Although this is enough to prove that God’s Word is not a creature, and that this saying contains a right meaning, however, since the expression being explained has a right meaning in all respects, then this meaning should also be indicated. And these foolish ones will be ashamed, perhaps, of many arguments. But for this we again need to remember what was said before, because we are talking about the same parable and the same Wisdom. The Word did not say about Itself that It is by nature a creature, but says in Proverbs: “The Lord created Me.” And it is obvious that this means a thought, not clearly expressed, but hidden, which, however, we can find if we remove the veil from the parable. Who, hearing that the Creating Wisdom says about Himself: “The Lord made Me the beginning of His ways,” will not immediately seek the meaning, reasoning like this: can the Creating Wisdom be created? Who, having heard that the only begotten Son of God calls Himself the created beginning of ways, will not inquire into the meaning, wondering how the only begotten Son can become the beginning of many others? It's a mystery; but it is said: “He who understands... will understand... a parable and a dark word, the sayings of the wise and fortune-telling” (Proverbs 1:6). 78) Although the only begotten and source of God's Wisdom creates and builds everything, for it is said: “Thou hast created all things by Wisdom,” and: “The earth is filled with Thy creation” (Psalm 103:24). However, so that what was created not only had existence, but also good-being, God deigned that His Wisdom would descend to creatures, so that in all creatures in general and in each individual there would be a certain imprint and likeness of His image, and so that what was brought into being would turn out to be both a wise and worthy of God deed. For just as our word is the image of the true Word - the Son of God, so again the image of the true Wisdom of God is the wisdom revealed in us, in which, having the power of knowledge and thinking, we become receptive to creative Wisdom and through It we come to the state of knowing Her Father. For it is said: whoever has the Son in him also has the Father (1 John 2:23). “Whoever accepts Me, accepts Me who sent me” (Matthew 10:40). since in us and in all deeds there is such an imprint of created wisdom, then true and creative Wisdom, having taken upon Herself what belongs to Her imprint, rightly says about Himself: “The Lord created Me for His works.” Whatever the wisdom that is within us would say, the Lord Himself calls it His own. And although He, as the Creator, was not created, yet, because of the created image of His deeds, He says this as if about Himself. And as the Lord Himself said: “Whoever accepts you, accepts Me” (Matthew 10:40), because in us there is His imprint, so, not being among those who are created, since His image and imprint are created in deeds, as if He Himself were this image, He says: “The Lord made Me the beginning of His ways into His works.” The imprint of Wisdom is placed in deeds, as I said, so that the world would know in Wisdom its Creator - the Word, and through the Word the Father. And this is what Paul said: “The things of God are clearly in them; for God has shown them to eat. For His invisible being, from the creation of the world, has been conceived by the things that are created, and is visible” (Rom. 1:19, 20). Therefore, the Word is not essentially a creature, but what is said in Proverbs refers to the wisdom that exists and is named within us. 79) If they don’t believe this either, then let them tell us themselves whether there is any wisdom in creatures or not? If not, then why does the Apostle accuse him, saying: “For in the wisdom of God there is no understanding of the world through the wisdom of God” (1 Cor. 1:21)? Or if there is no wisdom, then why are there “many... wise ones” in Scripture (Wisdom 6:26)? For “the wise man will fear evil” (Proverbs 14:16), and “with wisdom a house is built” (Proverbs 24:3). And Ecclesiastes says: “The wisdom of a man will enlighten His face” (Eccl. 8:1), and he reproaches the foolish, saying: “Do not say: what happened, since the days of old were more blasphemous than these? for thou didst not ask this question in wisdom” (Eccl. 7:11). And if, as he says about wisdom and the Sirah: “I poured out His work on all His works, with all flesh according to His giving, and gave it as a gift to those who love Him” (Sir. 1, 9, 10), the same outpouring is a sign of the essence not of the source and only-begotten Wisdom, but of the wisdom depicted in the world, what is incredible if this creative and true Wisdom, the imprint of which is the wisdom and knowledge poured out into the world, according to what was said above, as if saying about Himself: “The Lord created Me for His works.” For even in the world Wisdom is not created, but created in deeds, by which “the heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament proclaims His handiwork” (Psalm 18:2). But if people incorporate this wisdom into themselves, then they will come to know the true Wisdom of God, they will know that they were truly created in the image of God. If the king's son, when the father wanted to build a city, began to inscribe his name on each building that was built, both for safety, so that the buildings themselves would be preserved because of his name inscribed on each building, and so that they could remember him and his father by name. After the completion of the city they ask him: how was the city built, and he will answer: reliably, because by the will of his father, I am depicted on every building, and my name was created in these buildings, then saying this, he will understand not your created essence, but your image imprinted in the name. Thus, in similarity with the example presented, the true Wisdom responds to those who marvel at the wisdom in creatures: “The Lord created Me into works,” because My image is in them, and to such an extent I condescended in the work of creation.” 80) One should also not be surprised if the Son speaks of His image in us as Himself. The Lord once (let us not tire of repeating the same thing) said to Saul, who was then persecuting the Church, on which was His imprint and image, as if He Himself was persecuted: “Saul, why are you persecuting Me?” (Acts 9:4). Therefore, if, as it is said, this imprint of wisdom, existing in deeds, said: “The Lord created Me to do deeds,” then no one would be surprised at this. Thus, if the true and creative Wisdom itself is the Only Begotten Word of God, which is characteristic of Her image, then it says, as it were, about Himself: “The Lord created Me into works,” no one should, leaving the wisdom embedded in the world and in works, think that “created” is said about the essence of the source Wisdom, otherwise, by mixing wine with water, he will steal the truth, because the source Wisdom is creative and constructive, and Her imprint is embedded in deeds, like an image of an image. The Word calls it the beginning of the ways, because such wisdom becomes a certain beginning and, as it were, the beginnings of the knowledge of God. According to its initial guidance, man, as if having entered on the path and protecting it with the fear of God, as Solomon said: “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (Prov. 1:7), and then, ascending in thought and understanding the creative Wisdom in creation, he will understand Her Father in it, as the Lord Himself said: “He who has seen Me has seen the Father” (John 14:9), and as he writes John: “confess the Son, and have the Father” (1 John 2:23). He says: “before... the foundation of Me,” because deeds are unshakable and eternally remain established in the image of this Wisdom. And then, so that when hearing about this wisdom created in works, no one would think that the true Wisdom - the Son of God - is a creature by nature, of necessity adds: before the mountains, before the earth, before the waters and “before all the hills she gives birth to Me” (Proverbs 8:25), so that by saying: before all creation (since in the previous words all creation is depicted), - to show those that Wisdom according to essence is not created together with deeds. For if it was created into works and precedes works, then it is clear that it precedes the creation itself. And therefore, by nature and essence, She is not a creature, but, as the Word adds, she is a birth. And how creation and birth differ or are far apart in nature is explained above. 81) since Wisdom adds: “Whenever she prepares the sky, she runs with it” (Proverbs 8:27), then you need to know that she does not say this in the sense that the Father does not prepare the sky or the high clouds through Her. For there is no doubt that everything was created by Wisdom, and without Her “there was nothing.” On the contrary, Wisdom says: “Everything came into being by Me and through Me. since it is necessary to introduce wisdom in deeds, then although in essence I was with the Father, nevertheless, out of condescension towards creatures, I imprinted My image in deeds in relation to them, so that the whole world would be like a single body, not in discord, but in harmony with itself.” Therefore, all those who, according to the wisdom given to them, look at creatures with a right mind, are able to say themselves: “By Thy creation all things endure” (Psalm 119:91). And those who were careless about this will hear: “The words of being wise, being a fool, the understanding of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them: For He is invisible from the creation of the world conceived by the created, the essence is visible, and His ever-present power and Divinity in being... unresponsible. Having already understood God, you have not glorified God, but... served the creature more than the Creator of everything. He who is blessed forever, amen” (Rom. 1:19–22, 25). And they will be ashamed to hear this, “since, as has been explained, in the wisdom of God, not in the understanding of the world, through the wisdom of God, God deigned to save those who believe by the violence of preaching” (1 Cor. 1:21). God deigned that they would know Him no longer as in former times and not through the image and shadow of Wisdom, but He made it so that true Wisdom itself received flesh upon itself, became man, suffered the death of the cross, so that, finally, all believers could be saved by faith in this. And this is that Divine Wisdom, which initially revealed itself, and through itself and His Father through His image in creatures (by which it is called created), later this Wisdom, that is, the Word, “was made flesh,” as John said, after I brought it into being. inaction, death and saved our race, revealed Himself even more fully, and through Himself and His Father, saying: grant to them, “that they may know Thee the one true God, and whom Thou hast sent Jesus Christ” (John 17:3). 82) And the whole earth was filled with His knowledge. For there is one knowledge of the Father through the Son and of the Son from the Father, and the Father rejoices in this, and with the same joy the Son rejoices in the Father, saying: “I rejoiced in Him, and rejoiced before Him every day” (Proverbs 8:30). This again shows that the Son is not alien to the Father’s essence, but actually belongs to it. For behold, it was not for our sake that He received existence, as the wicked say, and He is not at all from those who do not exist, God did not acquire the source of joy outside of Himself, on the contrary, what has been said serves as a sign of property and similarity. Therefore, was there ever a time when the Father did not rejoice? And if he was always happy, then there was always something to be happy about. What does the Father rejoice about, is it not that he sees Himself in His own image, which is His Word? If “even the sons of men rejoice, having completed the world,” as is written in the same Proverbs (Proverbs 8:31), then this also has the same meaning. For even in this case he rejoiced not because of the joy that had come to Him, but because he again saw the works being done in His image, and why here too His Image serves God as a pretext for joy. What does the Son rejoice about, is it not that he sees himself in the Father? For this means the same as what was said: “He who has seen Me has seen the Father,” and: “I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me” (John 14:9, 10). So, from everything it is revealed that your praise is vain, Christ-fighters, that in vain you triumphed and proclaimed everywhere: “The Lord made Me the beginning of His ways,” reinterpreting the meaning of this saying, or better yet, conveying your own imagination, and not Solomon’s thought. For it has been proven that your wisdom is one dream. The saying of the Proverbs and everything said above proves that the Son by nature and essence is not a creature, but the Father’s own birth, Wisdom and the true Word, “With Him all things were, and without Him nothing was.” That Christ had to suffer and that He was God come in the flesh Compendium: 1 Cor. 1, 3; 2 Cor. 1, 2; Gal. 1, 3; Ephesus 1, 2; Phil. 1, 2; Col. 1, 3; 1Sol. 1, 1 ; 2Sol. 1, 2; 1 Tim. 1, 2; 2 Tim. 1, 2 You might be interested in: