De Filio (Orat. 30)
Author namesGrégoire de Nazianze · Gregoire de Nazianze · Grégoire le Théologien · Gregory of Nazianzus · Gregorius Nazianzenus
- Scientific editors
- Arthur James Mason
- Edition reference
- The Five Theological Orations of Gregory of Nazianzus · Cambridge · Cambridge University Press · 1899
- CTS identifier
urn:cts:greekLit:tlg2022.tlg010.local001- Corpus release
- 2.2.0 · 2026-08-29
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Chapter 1
Ἐπειδή σοι τὰς μὲν ἐκ τῶν λογισμῶν στροφὰς καὶ πλοκὰς ἱκανῶς διεσείσαμεν τῆ δυνάμει τοῦ πνεύματος, τὰς δὲ παρὰ τῶν θείων γραφῶν ἐνστάσεις τε καὶ ἀντιθέσεις, αἷς οἱ τοῦ γράμματος ἱερόσυλοι καὶ τὸν νοῦν τῶν γεγραμμένων κλέπτοντες τοὺς πολλοὺς σφετερίζονται, καὶ τὴν ὁδὸν τῆς ἀληθείας ταράσσουσι, συλλήβδην μὲν ἤδη λελύκαμεν, καὶ οὐκ ἀμυδρῶς, ὡς ἐμαυτὸν πείθω, τοῖς εὐγνωμονεστέροις῾ τὰς μὲν ὑψηλοτέρας καὶ θεοπρεπεστέρας φωνὰς προσνείμαντες τῇ θεότητι, τὰς δὲ ταπεινοτέρας καὶ ἀνθρωπικωτέρας τῷ νέῳ δι’ ἡμᾶς Ἀδὰμ καὶ θεῷ παθητῷ κατὰ 1. Ι ἐπειδὴ] ἔπει ’δε be || σοι] σου b || 2 τῆ] ἐν τῆ bee ‘Reg. a’ || 3 πάρα] ἄπο b || 6 om μὲν b 1. We have gone rapidly through the Eunomian objections, especially those taken from Scripture, and have laid down a general canon for the interpretation of the texts. We will now take the texts seriatim. 1. στροφάς] Cp. iii 16. πλακὰς is likewise a wrestling metaphor. 2. διεσείσαμεν] Διασείειν is to ‘shake to pieces,’ used of a examination. Plut. de Gen. Socr. 580 D διερωτῶν καὶ διασείων τὸν Εὐθύφρονα. There seems to be no connexion with the preceding metaphors. 4. τοῦ γρ. ἱερόσυλοι] explained by the next clause, τὸν νοῦν..,κλἐπτ. The ‘letter’ is like a temple, which the sacrilegious heretic robs of its ‘meaning.’ 5. σφετερίζονται] ‘take possession of.’ 10. τῷ νέῳ . . . ‘A δάμ] The phrase is not free from danger. An ἱερόσυλος τοῦ γράμματος might make out that the νέος ’Α. was, in ’s view, a different person from the Divine Person implied in τῆ θεότητι. Cp. iii 18, 19. It must be remembered that the Nestorian heresy had not yet been formulated. ib. θεῷ παθητῷ] a daring oxymoron. Gr. would of course deny that the Godhead of Christ was subjected to suffering, though the Divine Person was so subjected, in virtue of the nature which He assumed. τῆς ἁμαρτίας· τοῖς δὲ καθ’ ἕκαστον οὐκ ἐπεξεληλύθαμεν, ἐπειγομένου τοῦ λόγου· σὺ δὲ καἰ τούτων ἐπιζητεῖς ἐν βραχεῖ τὰς λύσεις, τοῦ μὴ παρασύρεσθαι λόγοις πιθανότητος, ἡμεῖς καὶ ταύτας κεφαλαιώσομεν εἰς ἀριθμοὺς διελόντες διὰ τὸ εὐμνημόνευτον.
Chapter 2
Ἔστι γὰρ ἓν μὲν αὐτοῖς ἐκεῖνο καὶ λίαν πρόχειρον τό· Κύριος ἔκτισέ με ἀρχὴν ὁδῶν αὐτοῦ εἰς ἔργα αὐτοῦ. πρὸς ὃ πῶς ἀπαντησόμεθα; οὐ Σολομῶντος κατηγορήσομεν; οὐ τὰ πρὶν ἀθετήσομεν διὰ τὴν τελευταίαν παράπτωσιν; οὐχὶ τῆς σοφίας αὐτῆς ἐροῦμεν εἶναι τὸν λόγον, τῆς οἷον ἐπιστήμης καὶ τοῦ τεχνίτου λόγου, καθ’ ὃν τὰ πάντα συνέστη; πολλὰ γὰρ ἡ γραφὴ προσωποποιεῖν οἶδε καὶ τῶν ἀψύχων, ὡς τό· Ἡ θάλασσα εἶπε τάδε καὶ τάδε· καί, Ἡ ἄβυσσος εἶπεν, οὐκ ἔστιν ἐν ἐμοί· καί, Οἱ οὐρανοὶ 3 Βραχει] βράχεσι edg ’duo Reg.’ || 4 ημεις] + ’δε ’in nonnul.’ || ταυτας] ταύτα aceg 2. 6 ἐν] ἐν cdeg || 11 τεχνίτου] τεχνικοῦ eg 1. π. κατὰ τῆς ἁμ] a compact expression; ‘suffering against sin,’ i.e. overcoming sin by means of suffering. 2. No. 1. — The Lord created Me ...with a view to His works. We will not shirk the difficulty by making the words a mere personification. It is our Lord who speaks. But the cause which He alleges to have been in vircv at His creation shews that He is speaking of the creation of His manhood, which was created ivith a view to the works of verity and judgment in our salvation. When afterwards He speaks of His Godhead, He uses very different language; He begetteth Me — there is no cause there. 6. λαὶ λίαν πρόκ.] ‘exceedingly handy.’ The μὲν is answered πρὸς δ πῶς ἀπ’. 7. K. ἔκτισέ με] Prov. viii 11. The Heb. word is kanah, not bara which is the word used in Gen. i 1. It signifies comparare; and prob. κτᾶσθαι (which is the rendering of Aquila, Symmachus, and Theodotion) is nearer to it than the LXX. κτίζειν. Cp. Bas. adv. Eun. ii 20. Into that question, however, Gr. does not enter. 9. τὴν τελ. παράπτωσιν] sc. Solomon's. 10. τῆς σοφίας αὐτῆς] ’of Wisdom itself,’ as distinct from that Person in whom all wisdom is gathered up and displayed. Delitzsch, commenting on the passage in Prov., says, "Wisdom is not God, but ’s; she has personal existence in the Logos of the N.T., but is not herself the Logos." Gr. further explains this Wisdom, to be ’the science, so to speak, and the artistic principle ὅκ’ which the universe is composed.’ Gr. intends to carefully the τεχν. λόγος from the person of ’the Word.’ 13. ἢ θάλασσα. . . ἢ ἄβυσσος] Job xxviii 14; cp. Is. xxiii 4. 14. οἱ οὐρανοί] ’s. xviii 2 (xix Ι). διηγούμενοι δόξαν θεοῦ· καὶ πάλιν ῥομφαία τι διακε- λεύεται, καὶ ὄρη καὶ βουνοὶ λόγους ἐρωτῶνται σκιρτήσεως. τούτων οὐδέν φαμεν, εἰ καί τισι τῶν πρὸ ἡμῶν ὡς ἰσχυρὰ τέθειται. ἀλλ’ ἔστω τοῦ σωτῆρος αὐτοῦ, τῆς ἀληθινῆς σοφίας, ὁ λόγος. μικρὸν δὲ συνδιασκεψώμεθα. τί τῶν ὄντων ἀναίτιον; θεότης. οὐδεὶς γὰρ αἰτίαν εἰπεῖν ἔχει θεοῦ· ἢ τοῦτο ἂν εἴη θεοῦ πρεσβύτερον. τίς δὲ τῆς ἀνθρωπότητος, ἢν δι’ ἡμᾶς ὑπέστη θεός, αἰτία; τὸ σωθῆναι πάντως ἡμᾶς. τί γὰρ ἕτερον; ἐπειδὴ τοίνυν ἐνταῦθα καὶ τὸ ἔκτισε καὶ τὸ Γεννᾷ με σαφῶς εὑρίσκομεν, ἁπλοῦς ὁ λόγος. ὃ μὲν ἂν μετὰ τῆς αἰτίας εὑρίσκωμεν, προσθῶμεν τῇ ἀνθρωπότητι· δ δὲ ἁπλοῦν καὶ ἀναίτιον, τῇ θεότητι λογισώμεθα. ἆρ’ οὖν οὐ τὸ μὲν ἔκτισεν εἴρηται μετὰ τῆς αἰτίας; Ἔκτισε γάρ μέ, φησιν, ἀρχὴν ὁδῶν αὐτοῦ εἰς ἔργα αὐτοῦ. ἔργα δὲ χειρῶν αὐτοῦ ἀλήθεια καὶ κρίσις, ὧν 1 διηγοῦνται b || 5 ’δε] καὶ e ΙΙ 6 ἔχει] ἔχοι df II 9 παντως] πάντας g || 11 εὑρίσκωμεν] ομεν a 1 ῥομφαία] Zech. xiii 7; cp Jer, xlvii 6 μάχαιρα). 2.ὄρη κ. βουνοὶ] Ps. cxiii (cxiv) 6. 3. εἰ καί τισι τῶν πρὸ ἡμ.] He prob. refers to Basil, who, in the Hom. in Princ. Proverb. ἑ 3, where he has no controversial animus, expounds very strikingly the ’personification’ of that wisdom which speaks to us out of nature. Very likely other Catholic authors adopted the same view. Bas. himself, however, when in controversy with the Eunomians, gives the same account as Gr. does here (adv. Enn. iv p. 293 Ληπτέον οὖν . . . ἐπὶ τοῦ τὴν μορφὴν δούλου λαβόντος). That account, it may be added, is derived from Athanasius, who says (de Deer. Nic. Syn. p. 220 B), To δὲ πρόσωπον τοῦ μὲν σωτῆρός ἐστι, τότε δὲ λέγεται ὅτε λοιπὸν λαβὼν τὸ σῶμα λέγει κτλ. Cp. the fuller passage in Ath. Or. ii c. Ar. ἑ 44 f.; also Eus. adv. Marcell. ii 3. Among other expositors whom Gr. knew, Origen (de Princ. i 2) identifies Wisdom with the eternal Son, and, though he does not admit any imaginable period before the generation of Wisdom, thinks that Wisdom speaks of herself as having been created, inasmuch as she comtains in herself from the outset the beginnings and outlines of the creation that was to be. Denys of Rome on the other hand (in Ath. de Deer. Nic. Syn. Ρ. 232) dwells upon the various significations of the word κτίζειν in the Bible, and understands it here to mean ’appointing,’ ‘setting over the works which were made through ’ For another explanation, with which, however, Gr. was hardly likely to be acquinted, see nil. de Trin. xii 35 foil. 7. ἢ τοῦτο] ‘otherwise this;’ which is the ’cause’ of God, ’would be prior to God.’ 10. τὸ γεννᾷ με] Prov. viii 25. 11. μετὰ τῆς αἰτίας] ‘coupled with a mention of cause.’ 15. ἀλήθεια κ. κρίσις] Ps. ex (cxi) 7. These, which are the works of our salvation τοῦ σωθῆναι π. ἡμᾶς), are identified as ’the works’ with view to which Wisdom was ‘created.’ ἕνεκεν ἐχρίσθη θεότητι. χρίσις γὰρ αὕτη τῆς ἀνθρωπό- τητος. τὸ δὲ Γεννᾷ με χωρὶς αἰτίας· ἢ δεῖξόν τι τούτῳ προσκείμενον. τίς οὖν ἀντερεῖ λόγος, κτίσμα μὲν λέγεσθαι τὴν σοφίαν κατὰ τὴν κάτω γέννησιν, γέννημα δὲ κατὰ τὴν πρώτην καὶ πλέον ἄληπτον;
Chapter 3
τούτω δὲ ἕπεται καὶ τὸ δοῦλον ἀκούειν εὖ δουλεύοντα πολλοῖς, καὶ τὸ μέγα εἶναι αὐτῷ κληθῆναι παῖδα θεοῦ. τῷ ὄντι γὰρ ἐδούλευσε σαρκί, καὶ γενέσει, καὶ πάθεσι τοῖς ἡμετέροις, διὰ τὴν ἡμετέραν ἐλευθερίαν, καὶ πᾶσιν οἷς σέσωκεν ὑπὸ τῆς ἁμαρτίας κατεχομένους. 3. 10 κατεχομενους] -οις f 1. ἐχρίσθη θεότητι] Gr. falls again into the danger of Nestorian language, and speaks as if there were a created person (identified with the created ’Wisdom’) who was ’anointed with Godhead.’ mention of unction is so abrupt that I cannot help suspecting that in some version accessible to Gr. the word nissachti in Prov. viii 23 Ἱ was set ’) was translated ‘Ι was anointed.’ So the Heb. word understood by Fiirst, Bertheau, and others; but I know no other indication of such a rendering in any ancient version. 4. τὴν κάτω γ.] ‘His birth upon earth.’ 5. πλόον ἄληπτον] used instead of ἀληπτοτέρα bee. it implies more decidedly that ἡ κάτω γ. was itself ἄληπτος. 3. Under the same head come the texts tvhich speak of Him ἃς a Servant, vant, and make it a great thing for Him to be called a child of God. His Incarnation did indeed put Him in a state ὁ servitude; and it ὕας indeed α great thing for His manhood to be so united to God. 6. εὖ δουλ. πολλοῖς] Is. liii 11. 7. μέγα. . . παῖδα θ.] Is. xlix 6. From what follows, it seems that Gr. (and his opponents) understood παῖδα = τέκνον or υἱόν. 8. ἐδοὑλ. σαρκί] Gr. seems to be undecided whether to take πολ. λοῖς as neut., including σάρξ, λένεσις, πάθη, or as masc, viz. πᾶσιν οἶς κτλ. The ’Attic attraction’ οἶς misled De Billy into supposing that πᾶσιν likewise was neut. (omnibus illis per quae). It is difficult to determine whether the same mistake caused the copyists to write κατεχομένους, or whether Gr. himself neglected to complete the attraction by saying (as he should have done) κατεχομένοις. That Ue ’s translation is wrong is shewn by the absence of the article before κατεχομένους; if Gr. had meant ’and all those things whereby He hath saved those who were enslaved,’ he have said τοὺς κάτεχ’. In view of the preponderating authority for κατεχομένους, it seems best to retain it in the text, understanding it to be a construction ad sensum, agreeing with the οὓς which lies hidden in the attracted ὄις. τί δὲ μεῖζον ἀνθρώπου ταπεινότητι ἢ θεῷ πλακῆναι, καὶ γενέσθαι θεὸν ἐκ τῆς μίξεως, καὶ τοσοῦτον ἐπισκεφθῆναι ἀνατολῇ ἐξ ὕψους, ὥστε καὶ τὸ γεννώμενον ἅγιον υἱὸν ὑψίστου κληθῆναι, καὶ χαρισθῆναι αὐτῷ τὸ ὄνομα τὸ ὑπὲρ πᾶν ὄνομα; τοῦτο δὲ τί ποτε ἄλλο ἐστὶν ἢ θεός; καὶ τὸ πᾶν γόνυ κάμψαι τῷ κενωθέντι δι’ ἡμᾶς, καὶ τὴν θείαν εἰκόνα δουλικῇ μορφῇ συγκεράσαντι, καὶ γνῶναι πάντα οἶκον Ἰσραήλ, ὅτι καὶ κύριον αὐτὸν καὶ χριστὸν ὁ θεὸς ἐποίησεν; γέγονε γὰρ ταῦτα ἐνεργείᾳ μὲν τοῦ γεννήματος, εὐδοκία δὲ τοῦ γεννήτορος.
Chapter 4
Δεύτερον δὲ τί τῶν μεγίστων αὐτοῖς καὶ ἀμάχων; δεῖ γὰρ αὐτὸν βασιλεύειν ἄχρι τοῦδε καὶ ὑπ’ οὐρανοῦ δεχθῆναι ἄχρι χρόνων ἀποκαταστάσεως, καὶ τὴν ἐκ δεξιῶν καθέδραν ἔχειν, ἕως τῆς τῶν ἐχθρῶν ἐπικρατήσεως. τὸ μετὰ τοῦτο δὲ τί; λῆξαι τῆς βασιλείας, ἢ τῶν οὐρανῶν ἀπωσθῆναι; τίνος παύσοντος; ἢ δι’ ἢν τινα τὴν αἰτίαν; ὡς τολμηρὸς ἐξηγητὴς σύ, καὶ λίαν ἀβασίλευτος. καὶ μὴν 4 τὸ ὄνομα] om τὸ cef || 8 ὅτι kcu] om καὶ f 4. 16 ἀπωσθῆναι] αποσθηναι ac: ἀποστῆναι e || om τὴν ag 1. μεῖζον] in ref. to μέγα above. ib. θεῷ πλακῆναι] again has a Nestorian sound. 2. μίξεως] On this and similar words as applied to the Incarnation see Petavius de Inc. iii 2. ib. ἐπισκ. ἀνατολῇ] Luke i 78. Gr. prob. forgot the context of the words, and thought that they were used in the address of Gabriel to the B.V.M. or some such place. His meaning here is plainly that the human nature assumed by the Son of God was thus ’visited.’ 3. τὸ γεννώμενον ἅγ.] Luke i 35. 4. χαρισθῆναιαὐτῷ τὸὄ.] Phil, ii 9. 6."/> πᾶν γόνυ... τῷ κενωθέντι] Phil. ii 10, 7. 7. γνῶναι π. οἶκον ’I.] Acts ii The point, of course, lies in the ἐποίησεν. 9. ἐνεργ. τοῦ γεννήματος] ‘by the active operation of that which was Begotten? as distinct from the κτίσμα. Tαῦτα refers to the whole series from τί δὲ μεῖζον onwards. 4. No. 2. He must reign until. The word until does not always negative the extension of the alleged action beyond the time mentioned. And besides, Christ's reign is two- fold. It is absolute, even over the refractory; and it is progressive, over those who are made willing to submit, In the first sense it never ends, in the second it ends with the completion of the submission. 12. δεῖ γὰρ αὐτὸν β.] 1 Cor. xv 25. τοῦδε, ’such and such a time? ib. ὑπ’ οὐρανοῦ δ.] Acts iii 21. 13. τὴν ἐκ δεξίων κ.] Ps. cix (ex) 1. ἀκούεις τῆς βασιλείας αὐτοῦ μὴ εἶναι πέρας. ἀλλὰ τοῦτο πάσχεις παρὰ τὸ μὴ γινώσκειν, ὅτι τὸ ἕως οὐ πάντως ἀντιδιαιρεῖται τῷ μέλλοντι, ἀλλὰ τὸ μέχρι τοῦδε μὲν τίθησι, τὸ ὑπὲρ τοῦτο δὲ οὐκ ἀναίνεται. ἢ πῶς νοήσεις, ἵνα μὴ τἄλλα λέγω, τό· Ἔσομαι μεθ’ ὑμῶν ἕως τῆς συντελείας τοῦ αἰῶνος ; ἆρ’ ὡς μετὰ τοῦτο οὐκ ἐσομένου ; καὶ τίς ὁ λόγος; οὐ μόνον δέ, ἀλλὰ καὶ παρὰ τὸ μὴ διαιρεῖν τὰ σημαινόμενα. βασιλεύειν γὰρ λέγεται καθ’ ἓν μέν, ὡς παντοκράτωρ, καὶ θελόντων καὶ μή, βασιλεύς· καθ’ ἕτερον δέ, ὡς ἐνεργῶν τὴν ὑποταγήν, καὶ ὑπὸ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ βασιλείαν τιθεὶς ἡμᾶς, ἑκόντας δεχομένους τὸ βασιλεύεσθαι τῆς μὲν οὖν ἐκείνως νοουμένης βασιλείας οὐκ ἔσται πέρας. τῆς δευτέρας δὲ τί; τὸ λαβεῖν ἡμᾶς ὑπὸ χεῖρα καὶ σωζομένους. τί γὰρ δεῖ τὴν ὑποταγὴν ἐνεργεῖν ὑποτεταγμένων; μεθ’ ἢν ἀνίσταται κρίνων τὴν γῆν, καὶ διαιρῶν τὸ σωζόμενον καὶ τὸ ἀπολλύμενον· μένον ’ μεθ’ ἢν ἵσταται θεὸς ἐν μέσῳ θεῶν, τῶν σωζομένων, διακρίνων καὶ διαστέλλων, τίνος ἕκαστος τιμῆς καὶ μονῆς ἄξιος.
Chapter 5
τούτῳ σύναπτε καὶ τὴν ὑποταγήν, ἢν ὑποτάσσεις τῷ πατρὶ τὸν υἱόν. τί, λέγεις, ὡς νῦν οὐχ ὑποτεταγμένου ; δεῖται δὲ ὅλως ὑποταγῆναι θεῷ θεὸς ὤν ; ὡς περὶ λῃστοῦ τινός, ἢ ἀντιθέου, ποιῇ τὸν λόγον. ἀλλ’ οὕτω σκόπει· ὅτι ὥσπερ κατάρα ἤκουσε δι’ ἐμὲ ὁ τὴν ἐμὴν λύων κατάραν· καὶ ἁμαρτία ὁ αἴρων τὴν ἁμαρτίαν τοῦ κόσμου· καὶ Ἀδὰμ ἀντὶ τοῦ παλαιοῦ γίνεται νέος· οὕτω καὶ τὸ ἐμὸν ἀνυπότακτον ἑαυτοῦ ποιεῖται, ὡς κεφαλὴ τοῦ παντὸς σώματος. ἕως μὲν οὖν ἀνυπότακτος ἐγὼ καὶ στασιώδης, τῇ τε ἀρνήσει τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ τοῖς πάθεσιν, ἀνυπότακτος τὸ κατ’ ἐμὲ καὶ Χριστὸς λέγεται. ὅταν δὲ ὑποταγῇ αὐτῷ τὰ πάντα, — ὑποταγήσεται δὲ καὶ τῆ ἐπιγνώσει καὶ τῇ μεταποιήσει, — τότε καὶ αὐτὸς τὴν ὑποταγὴν πεπλήρωκε, προσάγων ἐμὲ τὸν σεσωσμένον. τοῦτο γὰρ ἡ ὑποταγὴ Χριστοῦ, κατά γε τὸν ἐμὸν λόγον, ἡ τοῦ πατρικοῦ θελήματος πλήρωσις. ὑποτάσσει δὲ καὶ υἱὸς πατρί, καὶ υἱῷ πατήρ· ὁ μὲν ἐνεργῶν, ὁ δὲ εὐδοκῶν, ὂ καὶ πρότερον εἴπομεν. καὶ οὕτω τὸ ὑποτεταγμένον ὁ ὑποτάξας θεῷ παρίστησιν, ἑαυτοῦ ποιούμενος τὸ ἡμέτερον. τοιοῦτον εἶναί μοι φαίνεται καὶ τό· 5. 3 om θέω e || 11 Χριστος] ο χρ. bdf 5. The text speaks of the subjec- of the Son. It speaks of Him in us, or of us in Him. When we are wholly subject, then Christ, our becomes subject, and not before. And so far from our language implying that the Son at at present in α state of rebellion, it is He who brings about our sztbjectiou. So also when He cries Why hast Thou for- saken Me ? it is we who speak in His person . 1. σύναπτε] ‘ Connect with this.’ 2. τί, ληεις, ὡς] The words are those of the Eunomian, from τί to τὸν λόγον ; unless perh. the first question, τί λέγεις, is addressed to the Eunomian, in the sense, ‘ Why do you speak as if we made out that ’etc. The Catholic, of course, following St Paul, spoke of a future ’subjection’ of the Son to the Fation ther. The Eunomian, who wished to make out that the ’s position is always and necessarily a subHead, ordinate one, as being that of a creature, retorted, ’What? is He not subject now, but requires to be reduced to subjection, — although you make Him out to be God ? Such language is only suitable to a robber, or to a rival claimant of the Godhead.’ 5. κατάρα ἤκουσε] ’ bore the designation of α curse? Gal. hi 13. 6. ἁμαρτία] 2 Cor. v 21. ‘O αἴρων, John i 29. ib. ‘Αδὰμ...νέος] 1 Cor. xv 45 ; cp. Col. iii 9, 10. 8. κεφαλή] Eph. i 22 etc. 17. ὂ κ. πρ. εἴπομεν] ἑ 3 sub fin. Ὁ θεός, ὁ θεός μου, πρόσχες μοι, ἵνα τί ἐγκατέλιπές με ; οὐ γὰρ αὐτὸς ἐγκαταλέλειπται, ἢ ὑπὸ τοῦ πατρός, ἢ ὑπὸ τῆς ἑαυτοῦ θεότητος, ὃ δοκεῖ τισίν, ὡς ἃν φοβουμένης τὸ πάθος, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο συστελλομένης ἀπὸ τοῦ πάσχοντος. τίς γὰρ ἢ γεννηθῆναι κάτω τὴν ἀρχήν, ἢ ἐπὶ τὸν σταυρὸν ἀνελθεῖν ἠνάγκασεν; ἐν ἑαυτῷ δέ, ὅπερ εἶπον, τυποῖ τὸ ἡμέτερον. ἡμεῖς γὰρ ἦμεν οἱ ἐγκαταλελειμμένοι καὶ παρεωραμένοι πρότερον, εἶτα νῦν προσειλημμένοι καὶ σεσωσμένοι τοῖς τοῦ ἀπαθοῦς πάθεσιν· ὥσπερ καὶ τὴν ἀφροσύνην ἡμῶν καὶ τὸ πλημμελὲς οἰκειούμενος τὰ ἑξῆς διὰ τοῦ ψαλμοῦ φησίν· ἐπειδὴ προδήλως εἰς Χριστὸν ὁ εἰκοστὸς πρῶτος ψαλμὸς ἀναφέρεται.
Chapter 6
τῆς δὲ αὐτῆς ἔχεται θεωρίας καὶ τὸ μαθεῖν αὐτὸν τὴν ὑπακοὴν ἐξ ὧν ἔπαθεν, ἥ τε κραυγή, καὶ τὰ δάκρυα, καὶ τὸ ἱκετεῦσαι, καὶ τὸ εἰσακουσθῆναι, καὶ τὸ εὐλαβές· ἃ δραματουργεῖται καὶ πλέκεται θαυμασίως ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν. ὡς μὲν γὰρ λόγος, οὔτε ὑπήκοος ἦν, οὔτε ἀνήκοος. τῶν γὰρ ὑπὸ χεῖρα ταῦτα, καὶ τῶν δευτέρων, τὸ μὲν τῶν 1 ἐγκατέλειπες a || 3 ἑαυτοῦ] αὐτοῦ ac 1. ὁ θεός, 6 θεός μου] Ps. xxi 2 (xxii 1) ; cp. Matt, xxvii 46. 3. ὂ δοκεῖ τισίν] to some of the Docetic sects. See Evang. Petri § 5 ἢ δύναμίς μου, ἢ δύναμις, κατέλείψας με. 5. τὴν ἀρχήν] ‘ to begin with, ‘ at all? 6. τυποῖ τὸ ἤμ’.] ’ represents us.’ 9. ἀφροσύνην...πλημμελω vs. 3 καἰ οὐκ εἰς ἄνοιαν ἐμοί ; vs. 1 οἱ λόγοι τῶν παραπτωμάτων μου. 11. εἰκοστbςπρ] The numbering of the Pss. in the LXX. differs from that in the Hebrew. 6. His learning obedience, His strong crying and tears, are a sacred in which He represents us, entering into a full realisation of οἶσ’ circumstances. He learns by personal experience to be lenient to our falls. When the text in question proceeds to say that God will be all in all, it does not mean the Father as distinguished from the Son, but the Godhead as α whole. 13. μαθεῖν] Heb. v 8 ; cp. vs. 7. 16. δραματουργεῖται] ‘ It ἲς a drama, wonderfully constructed for our advantage.’ ’The saint,’ says Elias, ’ applies the name of a drama to that which our Saviour endured as representing mankind. He does not mean that it was unreal and fictitious, like other dramas; but only that Christ impersonates and plays the part of the human ’ i.e. not the part which belongs perly to His eternal and divine self. 17. τῶν). ὒ. χεῖρα τ.] The apart from the Incarnation, was neither obedient nor disobedient. Such language applies only to subjects and inferiors. Τὸ μέν, sc. ὑπήκοος; τὸ δέ, ἀνῆκ’. εὐγνωμονεστέρων, τὸ δὲ τῶν ἀξίων κολάσεως. ὡς δὲ δούλου μορφή, συγκαταβαίνει τοῖς ὁμοδούλοις καὶ δούλοις, καὶ μορφοῦται τὸ ἀλλότριον, ὅλον ἐν ἑαυτῷ ἐμὲ φέρων μετὰ τῶν ἐμῶν, ἵνα ἐν ἑαυτῷ δαπανήσῃ τὸ χεῖρον, ὡς κηρὸν πῦρ, ἢ ὡς ἀτμίδα γῆς ἥλιος, κἀγὼ μεταλάβω τῶν ἐκείνου διὰ τὴν σύγκρασιν. διὰ τοῦτο ἔργῳ τιμᾷ τὴν ὑπακοήν, καὶ πειρᾶται ταύτης ἐκ τοῦ παθεῖν. οὐ γὰρ ἱκανὸν ἡ διάθεσις, ὥσπερ οὐδὲ ἡμῖν, εἰ μὴ καὶ διὰ τῶν πραγμάτων χωρήσαιμεν. ἔργον γὰρ ἀπόδειξις διαθέσεως. οὐ χεῖρον δὲ ἴσως κἀκεῖνο ὑπολαβεῖν, ὅτι δοκιμάζει τὴν ἡμετέραν ὑπακοήν, καὶ πάντα μετρεῖ τοῖς ἑαυτοῦ πάθεσι τέχνῃ φιλανθρωπίας, ὥστε ἔχειν εἰδέναι τοῖς ἑαυτοῦ τὰ ἡμέτερα, καὶ ποσὸν μὲν ἀπαιτούμεθα, ποσὸν δὲ συγχωρούμεθα, λογιζομένης μετὰ τοῦ πάσχειν καὶ τῆς ἀσθενείας. εἰ γὰρ τὸ φῶς ἐδιώχθη 6. 2 om καὶ δούλοις c || 11 ἑαυτοῦ] οἰκείοις b 2. δούλου μορφὴ] Phil, ii 7. 3. μορφ. τὸ ἀλλότριον] ’assumes a form which is not His own.’ 4. δαπανήσῃ] ‘consume,’ and so ‘destroy.’ Cp. ἑ 18 δαπανητικὸν τῶν μοχθηρῶν ἕξεων; v 10 δαπανώμενον. 6. ἔργω not merely by precept. 8. διὰ τ. πρ. χώρ’.] i give it practical effect' ; lit. ’proceed by way action.' 10. δοκιμάζει] ’is applying a test to’; not in the usual sense, by temptation of us, but by Himself experiencing what temptation must be to us. So He takes a measure of all that we go through, by means of His own sufferings. It may seem as if κἀκεῖνο were but a repetition of what had already been said in ἔργῳ τιμᾷ τ. ὑπακ. κ. πειρᾶται ταύτης. The difference is that in the earlier sentences Gr. speaks of us as represented by Christ ; we suffer, as it were, and obey in Him. Here he states the converse truth, that Christ identifies His lot with ours; He enters into our experiences in order to know at first hand what obedience on our part costs. 11. τέχνῃ φιλανθρ.] by a which His love of man (Tit. iii 4) suggested. 12. ποσὸν μὲν ἀπαιτ.] De Billy translates quantumque et a nobis exigi et condonari debeat, which gives the required sense, but is grammatically impossible. If πόσον be read, the only possible meaning is that Christ learns by practical experience what is demanded of us and what allowance is made for us. This, however, is unsatisfactory, so far as συγχωρ. is concerned. It is best to read ποσόν, and to make ἀπαιτ., συγχωρ., independent verbs coordinate with δοκιμ., μετρεῖ. They thus express the result of ’s gracious experiment ; ‘ and a certain ἲς still made upon us, and a allowance is now made ὂν us, our infirmity being taken into account along with what we have to bear.’ 14. τὸ φῶς...σκοτίᾳ] John i 5. διὰ τὸ πρόβλημα, φαῖνον ἐν τῇ σκοτίᾳ, τῷ βίῳ τούτῳ, ὑπὸ τῆς ἄλλης σκοτίας, τοῦ πονηροῦ λέγω καὶ τοῦ πειραστοῦ, τὸ σκότος πόσον, ὡς ἀσθενέστερον ; καὶ τί θαυμαστόν, εἰ ἐκείνου διαφυγόντος παντάπασιν ἡμεῖς ποσῶς καὶ κατα- ληφθείημεν ; μεῖζον γὰρ ἐκείνῳ τὸ διωχθῆναι, ἤπερ ἡμῖν τὸ καταληφθῆναι, παρὰ τοῖς ὀρθῶς ταῦτα λογιζομένοις. ἔτι δὲ προσθήσω τοῖς εἰρημένοις ἐκεῖνο, ἐνθυμηθεὶς τό· Ἐν ᾧ γὰρ πέπονθεν αὐτὸς πειρασθείς, δύναται τοῖς πειραζομένοις βοηθῆσαι, σαφῶς πρὸς τὴν αὐτὴν φέρον διάνοιαν. ἔσται δὲ ὁ θεὸς τὰ πάντα ἐν πᾶσιν ἐν τῷ καιρῷ τῆς ἀποκαταστάσεως· οὐχ ὁ πατήρ, πάντως εἰς αὐτὸν ἀναλυθέντος τοῦ υἱοῦ, ὥσπερ εἰς πυρὰν μεγάλην λαμπάδος πρὸς καιρὸν 4 ἐκείνου διαφυγ.] κἀκείνου φυγόντος b || καὶ] γε df 1. διὰ τὸ πρόβλημα] ‘ because of the screen (or shade) ’ which partly concealed Him. The πρόβλημα was the fleshly nature which Christ assumed. If it had not been for that, the Evil One would not have ventured to ‘ persecute ’ Him. The thought is a favourite one with Gr. Cp. Or. xxiv 9 πεῖραν προσάγει τῷ ἀπειράστῳ, ἐπειδὴ δεύτερον Ἀδὰμ εἶδε τοῦ θεοῦ τὸ φαινόμενον, ὡς καὶ τοῦτον καταπαλαίσων· ἠγνόει γὰρ ὅτι περιπεσεῖται θεότητι, προσδραμὼν ἀνθρωπότητι. Or. xxxix 13 ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ᾤετο ἀήττητος εἶναι τῆς κακίας ὁ σοφιστής, θεότητος ἐλπίδι δελεάσας ἡμᾶς, σαρκὸς προβλήματι δελεάζεται, ἴν’, ὡς τῷ Ἀδὰμ προσβαλών, τῷ θεῷ περιπέσῃ. Or. xl 10 ἐάν σοι προσβάλῃ...ὁ τοῦ φωτὸς διώκτης καὶ πειπαστής, — προσβαλεῖ δέ, καὶ γὰρ καὶ τῷ Λόγῳ καὶ θεῷ μου προσέβαλε διὰ τὸ κάλυμμα, τῷ κρυπτῷ φωτὶ διὰ τὸ φαινόμενον,—ἔχεις ᾦ νικήσεις. Cp. Greg. Nyss. Or. Cat. § 26 ἀπατᾶται γὰρ καὶ αὐτὸς τῷ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου προβλήματι ὁ προαπατήσας τὸν ἄνθρωπον τᾦ τῆς μονῆς δελεάσματι. See Lightfoot on Ign. Eph. § 19, and Petaviua de Inc. ii 5. 3. τὸ σκότος πόσον] διωχθήσεται. Τὸ σκ.=ἡμεῖς, cp. Eph. v 8. It is difficult to draw any distinction between σκότος and σκοτία ; but σκότος is more concrete, so to speak, and possibly in the preceding clause τοῦ πονηροῦ is intended for a gen. dependent upon σκοτίας, not in app. to it. 4. ποσῶς καὶ καταλ.] The word is chosen with ref. to John i 5. Although Christ escaped uninjured from the temptation, it is not wonderful, Gr. says, that we should (not only be ‘ persecuted ’ by the tempter but) even to some extent be ’overtaken.’ The wonder is that He should even have been subject to assault, not that we should fail under it. 7. ἐν ᾦ γὰρ π.] Heb. ii 18. 9. ξσται δέ ὁ θ. τὰ π.] 1 Cor. xv 28. Gr. resumes the discussion from § 4. τῆς ἀποκ. , Acts iii 21. 11. οὐχ ὁ π.] Gr. will not allow that ὁ θεὸς here = ὁ πατήρ, as otherwise it would suggest that the Son is ’resolved’ again into Him, in Sabellian fashion, — like a brand snatched for a time out of a great burning pile and then joined to it again. ἀποσπασθείσης, εἶτα συναφθείσης, — μηδὲ γὰρ Σαβέλλιοι τῷ ῥητῷ τούτῳ παραφθειρέσθωσαν, — ἀλλ’ ὅλος θεός, ὅταν μηκέτι πολλὰ ὦμεν, ὥσπερ νῦν τοῖς κινήμασι καὶ τοῖς πάθεσιν, οὐδὲν ὅλως θεοῦ, ἢ ὀλίγον, ἐν ἡμῖν αὐτοῖς φέροντες, ἀλλ’ ὅλοι θεοειδεῖς, ὅλου θεοῦ χωρητικοὶ καὶ μόνου. τοῦτο γὰρ ἡ τελείωσις, πρὸς ἣν σπεύδομεν· τεκμηριοῖ δὲ μάλιστα Παῦλος αὐτός. ὂ γὰρ ἐνταῦθα περὶ θεοῦ φησὶν ἀορίστως, ἀλλαχοῦ σαφῶς περιορίζει Χριστῷ. τί λέγων ; Ὅπου οὐκ ἔνι Ἔλλην, οὐδὲ Ἰουδαῖος, περιτομὴ καὶ ἀκροβυστία, βάρβαρος, Σκύθης, δοῦλος, ἐλεύθερος· ἁλλὰ τὰ πάντα καὶ ἐν πᾶσι Χριστός.
Chapter 7
τρίτον ἀρίθμει τό· μεῖζον· τέταρτον τό· θεόν μου καὶ θεὸν ὑμῶν. εἰ μὲν οὖν μείζων μὲν ἐλέγετο, μὴ ἴσος δέ, τάχα ἂν ἦν τι τοῦτο αὐτοῖς· εἰ δὲ ἀμφότερα σαφῶς εὑρίσκομεν, τί φήσουσιν οἱ γεννάδαι; τί τὸ ἰσχυρὸν αὐτοῖς ; πῶς συμβήσεται τὰ ἀσύμβατα ; τὸ γὰρ αὐτὸ τοῦ 1 αποσπαθεισης a || 10 om τὰ af 7, 12 μεῖζον] ω suprascripto c || 13 μείζων] ον ac ω suprascr.) g ’tres Reg. tres ’ || 14 ισοd ον ac? g ’tres Reg. tres ’ || om τι b 1. μηδέ γὰρ Σαβ.] Gr. does not wish the Sabellians either μηδέ), i.e. any more than the Eunomians, to wrest this text to their own destruction. Elias seems to tke παραφθ. in a deponent sense, but without authority. 2. ὅλος θεός] God in the most unrestricted sense. Exegetically Gr. is no doubt wrong: ὁ θεός, as usual, means the Father, to whom the Son Himself has just been said to be made subject. But his suggestion of the way in which the great result will be brought about is full of beauty. 3. κινήμασι] motions of will, like κίνησις in iii 2. 5. ὅλοι θεοειδεῖς] not = πάντες θ. He means that we shall be entirely Godlike, Godlike through and through, capable of taking in all God and nothing but God. 6. ἡ τελ. πρὸς ἢν σπ] Perh. a ref. to Heb. vi 1. 8. περιορίζει X.] ’definitely ἃς. signs to Christ.’ ib. ὅπου οὐκ ἔνι] Col. iii n. St Ρ. is not here speaking of the future, but of the present. 7, Νο. 3 and 4. — The Father is greater; My God and your God. He is greater inasmztch as the Son springs from Him, — the Son who elsewhere is called His equal ; it implies no superiority of nature. 12. μεῖζον] John xiv 28. The use of the neut. does not imply that Gr. found it in his text of St John, where it would convey a wholly false impression. It is used in an abstract way, as it is used six lines below, τὸ μεῖζον μέν ἐστι κτλ. ib. θεόν μου] John xx 17. 15. γεννάδαι] iron, ’these fine gentlemen.’ αὐτοῦ ὁμοίως μεῖζον καὶ ἴσον εἶναι τῶν ἀδυνάτων· ἢ δῆλον ὅτι τὸ μεῖζον μέν ἐστι τῆς αἰτίας, τὸ δὲ ἴσον τῆς φύσεως ; καὶ τοῦτο ὑπὸ πολλῆς εὐγνωμοσύνης ὁμολογοῦμεν ἡμεῖς. τάχα δ’ ἂν εἴποι τις ἄλλος τῷ ἡμετέρῳ λόγῳ προσφιλονεικ[ῶν, μὴ ἔλαττον εἶναι τὸ ἐκ τοιαύτης αἰτίας εἶναι τοῦ ἀναιτίου. τῆς τε γὰρ τοῦ ἀνάρχου δόξης μετέχοι ἄν, ὅτι ἐκ τοῦ ἀνάρχου · καὶ πρόσεστιν ἡ γέννησις, πρᾶγμα τοσοῦτον, τοῖς γε νοῦν ἔχουσι, καὶ οὕτω σεβάσμιον. τὸ γὰρ δὴ λέγειν, ὅτι τοῦ κατὰ τὸν ἄνθρωπον νοουμένου μείζων, ἀληθὲς μέν, οὐ μέγα δέ. τί γὰρ τὸ θαυμαστόν, εἰ μείζων ἀνθρώπου θεός ; ταῦτα μὲν οὖν ἡμῖν εἰρήσθω πρὸς τοὺς τὸ μεῖζον κομπάζοντας.
Chapter 8
Θεὸς δὲ λέγοιτο ἄν, οὐ τοῦ λόγου, τοῦ ὁρωμένου δέ· πῶς γὰρ ἂν εἴη τοῦ κυρίως θεοῦ θεός ; ὥσπερ καὶ πατήρ, 4 αλλος] ἄλλο d ’unus ’ || ὑμετέρω acd eg ΙΙ προσφιλονεικων] φιλονεικων d ΙΙ 9 του] τὸ b || μείζων] ον abg ’duo ’ ων c cum ο suprascr. || io om τὸ defg || μειζων] ον a ’duo ’ || 11 om ἥμιν de 1. τῶν ἁδὺν.] sc. ἐστί ; ‘ is an impossibility.’ ib. If it is not an impossibility, we must suppose that the word ’greater’ refers to causation, and ’equal ’ to nature. 3. ὑπὸ π. εὐγν.] an idiomatic use of the prep., similar to that after a pass. verb. Cp. v 33. ib. ἡμεῖς] ‘ we ’ as distinguished from the ἄλλος τις. 4. ἡμετέρῳ] Although most of the best MSS. read ὑμ., that reading seems to a misunderstanding. Gr. has just admitted ὁμολογ. ἡμεῖς) that the Father is greater than the Son by reason of being His αἰτία. Some one else, he says, of course on the orthodox side, might find fault with for the admission, and urge that in this case no manner of inferiority attaches to being ’caused’ and not ’cause.’ As Gr. has already (iii II ) made the remark in his own person, it is only a rhetorical device to put it here in the mouth of another. The rendering of De Billy, ’ monem nostrum acriori animi conib. tentione prosequens, not only misunsibility, derstands the argument, but does violence to the meaning of προσφιλ. 9. τοῦ κατὰ τὸν ἆ. νοουμ.] ’than our Lord regarded as ’ lit. ’than Him who is considered according to the ’ i.e. the man that is in Him. It is another instance of that inexact language by which some fathers speak of ’the God ’ and ’the Man’ in Christ, meaning the Goddue head and the Manhood. Cp. just below the contrast between ὁ Λόγος and ὁ ὁρώμενος. 10. τί γάρ τὸ θαυμαστόν] See Westcott’s note in loc. 8. He is our Saviour's God, beme cause of our Saviour ’s humanity. That ἲς where heretics go tvrong, ὅγ’ not distinguishing the two natures. 13. οὐ τοῦ Λ.] i.e. not of the Word as Word, but as Word Incarnate. Tοῦ δρῷμ’. is masc. 14. τοῦ κ. θεοῦ θεός] He ἲς τοῦ κυρίως θεοῦ θεός : not however in virtue of the ’s Godhead, but because ὁ κυρίως θεός is also man. οὐ τοῦ ὁρωμένου, τοῦ λόγου δέ. καὶ γὰρ ἦν διπλοῦς· ὥστε τὸ μὲν κυρίως ἐπ᾿ ἀμφοῖν, τὸ δὲ οὐ κυρίως, ἐναντίως ἢ ἐφ᾿ ἡμῶν ἔχει. ἡμῶν γὰρ κυρίως μὲν θεός, οὐ κυρίως δὲ πατήρ. καὶ τοῦτό ἐστιν ὃ ποιεῖ τοῖς αἱρετικοῖς τὴν πλάνην, ἡ τῶν ὀνομάτων ἐπίζευξις, ἐπαλλαττομένων τῶν ὀνομάτων διὰ τὴν σύγκρασιν. σημεῖον δέ· ἡνίκα αἱ φύσεις διίστανται, ταῖς ἐπινοίαις συνδιαιρεῖται καὶ τὰ ὀνόματα. Παύλου λέγοντος ἄκουσον· Ἵνα ὁ θεὸς τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, ὁ πατὴρ τῆς δόξης. Χριστοῦ μὲν θεός, τῆς δὲ δόξης πατήρ. εἰ γὰρ καὶ τὸ συναμφότερον ἕν, ἀλλ’ οὐ τῇ φύσει, τῇ δὲ συνόδῳ τούτων. τί ἂν γένοιτο γνωριμώτερον;
Chapter 9
Πέμπτον λεγέσθω τὸ λαμβάνειν αὐτὸν ζωήν, ἢ 8. 3 εχει] εχον c || θεος] + ο θεος e2 || 6 ηνικα] + ἀν b κυρίως θεοῦ θεός: not however in virtue of the Son's Godhead, but because ὁ κυρίως θεός is also man. 2. ἐπ’ ἀμφοῖν] In regard to both natures in Christ a term is properly applied and a term improperly. The same is true with regard to us; one term is properly applied in regard to us and the other improperly: but the term properly applied in regard to Christ is applied improperly in regard to us, and vice uversa. The term God (in θεός μου καὶ θ. ὑμῶν) is improperly applied in regard to Christ as God, and properly in regard to Christ as man and to us. The term Father is properly applied to Christ as God, and improperly to Christ as man and to us. 5. ἡ τῶν ὀν. ἐπίζευξις] The communicatio idiomatum. Gr. is not thinking only of the particular text, or of the words ‘God’ and ‘Father.’ 7. ταῖς ἐπινοίαις] Cp. iii 13, which shews that ταῖς ἐπ. is to be taken with συνδ., not with διιστ. ‘When the natures are mentioned separately, the nomenclature follows the distinction of the sense.’ 8. ἵνα ὁ θεός] Eph. i 17. 9. X. μὲν θεός, τῆς δὲ δ. π.] An interpretation as uncritical as it is doctrinally precarious. It rests upon the assumption that δόξα is the offspring in respect of which the Father is Father, and not (as in 1 Cor. ii 8, Jam. ii 1, 1 Pet. iv 14) an epithet; and the contrast which it draws between the personal name of the Incarnate Lord, and the ‘glory’ which is assumed to be His Divine Nature, is unsound. 11. οὐ τῇ φύσει] So Gr. rejects the yet unborn heresy of Eutyches. It might, however, have been still better if he had said τὸ συναμφ. εἷς. The ἕν, of course, means ‘a single whole.’ 9. No. 5.—Life, power, etc. are given to Him. This too is because He is Man. But it would be equally true of Him as God; it does not imply that these are given Him at some point subsequent to His eternal generation. 13. λεγέσθω] ‘be counted’ = ἀρίθμει in § 7. ib. λαμβάνειν] ζωήν John v 26; κρίσιν ib. 22, 27 ; κληρ. ἐθνῶν Ps. ii 8; ἐξ. π. σαρκός John xvii 2; δόξαν in the context seems to point to John xvii 1, 5, but cp. 1 Pet. i 21, 2 Pet. i 17; μαθητάς John xvii 6. κρίσιν, ἢ κληρονομίαν ἐθνῶν, ἢ ἐξουσίαν πάσης σαρκός, ἢ δόξαν, ἢ μαθητάς, ἢ ὅσα λέγεται. καὶ τοῦτο τῆς ἀνθρωπότητος. εἰ δὲ καὶ τῷ θεῷ δοίης, οὐκ ἄτοπον. οὐ γὰρ ὡς ἐπίκτητα δώσεις, ἀλλ’ ὡς ἀπ’ ἀρχῆς συνυπάρχοντα, καὶ λόγῳ φύσεως, ἀλλ’ οὐ χάριτος.
Chapter 10
Ἕκτον τιθέσθω τὸ μὴ δύνασθαι τὸν υἱὸν ἀφ’ ἑαυτοῦ ποιεῖν μηδέν, ἐὰν μή τι βλέπη τὸν πατέρα ποιοῦντα. τοῦτο δὲ τοιοῦτόν ἐστιν· οὐ τῶν καθ’ ἕνα τρόπον λεγομένων τὸ δύνασθαι ἢ μὴ δύνασθαι· πολύσημον δέ. τὸ μὲν γάρ τι λέγεται κατὰ δυνάμεως ἔλλειψιν, καί ποτε, καὶ πρός τι, ὡς τὸ μὴ δύνασθαι τὸ παιδίον ἀθλεῖν, ἢ τὸ σκυλάκιον βλέπειν, ἢ πρὸς τόνδε διαγωνίζεσθαι. ἀθλήσει γὰρ ἴσως ποτέ, καὶ ὄψεται, καὶ διαγωνιεῖται πρὸς τόνδε, κἂν πρὸς ἕτερον ἀδυνάτως ἔχῃ. τὸ δέ, ὡς ἐπὶ πλεῖστον, ὡς τό· Οὐ δύναται πόλις κρυβῆναι ἐπ’ ἄνω ὄρους κειμένη. τάχα γὰρ ἂν καὶ κρυφθείη τις, ἐπιπροσθοῦντος μείζονος. τὸ δέ, ὡς οὐκ εὔλογον· Οὐ δύνανται οἱ υἱοὶ τοῦ 9. 2 τοῦτο] ταύτα b || 3 δοίης] δώῃς ‘ Reg. b ’ 10. 7 μηδὲν] οὐδὲν ’Reg. ’ || 14 ὡς ἔπι πλεῖστον ὡς τὸ οὐ] ὡς ἔπι τὸ πλεῖστον οὐ b || 17 ευλογον] + ὡς τὸ f II om οἱ b 3. τῷ θεῷ] See note on ἑ 7 τοῦ κατὰ τὸν ἄνθρ. νοουμ. 4. ἐπίκτητα] Cp. ii 31. 10. ’λθ’. 6. — The Son cannot do, except He see the Father doing. ‘Cannot’is a word of many meanings; cannot now, cannot as a rule, cannot reasonably, cannot because not, cannot naturally though miracle might do it. 6. μὴ δύνασθαι] John v 19. 8. οὐ τῶν καθ’ ἕνα τρ. λ.] The gen. is due to the technical language of logic, like ἀδυνάτων in § 7. ’Can’ and ’cannot’ do not belong to that logical class of words which can only be used in one sense. They have manyshades of signification πολύς.). Gr. uses the sing. πολύσημον) be. cause he is only going to consider the negative, ’cannot.’ 9. τὸ μὲν γάρτι] ’for ’ lit. ‘ ’ Sometimes it denotes lack of power — not always absodo, lutely predicated, but with reference to time and circumstances ποτε, πρός τι). 14. τὸ δέ, ὡς ἐπὶ πλεῖστον] Somewill times it denotes a general rule, which does not invariably…
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