Chapter 20

20. Eἰ μὲν οὖν τὸν ἄνθρωπον, ὃν ἐφόρεσεν ὁ Λόγος, αὐτὸν εἶναι λέγουσι τὸν Υἱὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ τὸν μονογενῆ, καὶ μὴ τὸν Λόγον Υἱὸν, ὁ ἄνθρωπος ἂν εἴη ἀκολούθως ὁ ‘ἐν τῷ Πατρὶ,ʼ ἐν ᾧ καὶ ὁ Πατὴρ ‘ἐν αὐτῷ·’ καὶ ὁ ἄνθρωπος ἂν εἴη, ὁ ‘ἓν’ ὢν αὐτὸς καὶ ὁ Πατὴρ, καὶ ‘ὁ ἐν τοῖς κόλποις τοῦ Πατρὸς, καὶ ‘τὸ φῶς τὸ ἀληθινόν· Ἀναγκασθήσονται δὲ καὶ ‘δι᾿ αὐτοῦ’ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου εἰπεῖν τὸν κόσμον γεγενῆσθαι, καὶ τὸν ἄνθρωπον εἶναι τὸν ‘ἐλθόντα μὴ κρῖναι τὸν κόσμον, ἀλλὰ σῶσαι’ αὐτόν· αὐτὸν δὲ εἶναι καὶ πρὶν Ἀβραὰμ γενέσθαι. ‘Ἰησοῦς’ γὰρ, φησὶν, ‘εἷπεν αὐτοῖς· Ἀμὴν, ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμίν, πρὶν Ἀβραὰμ γενέσθαι, ἐγώ εἰμι.’ Καὶ πῶς οὐκ ἄτοπον κατʼ αὐτοὺς τὸν ἐκ σπέρματος Ἀβραὰμ μετὰ δύο καὶ τεσσαράκοντα γενεὰς γενόμενον λέγειν, ‘πρὶν’ Ἀβραὰμ γενέσθαι,’ ὑπάρχειν; πῶς δὲ οὐκ ἄτοπον, εἰ ἡ σὰρξ, ἣν ἐφόρεσεν ὁ Λόγος, αὕτη ἐστὶν ὁ Υἱὸς, λέγειν τὴν ἐκ Μαρίας σάρκα ταύτην εἶναι, διʼ ἧς ὁ κόσμος ἐγένετο; πῶς δὲ φήσουσι καὶ τὸ ‘ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ ἦν;’ τὸ γὰρ πρὸ τῆς κατὰ σάρκα γενέσεως τοῦ Υἱοῦ σημαίνων ὁ εὐαγγελιστὴς, ἐπήγαγε λέγων, ‘ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ ἦν.’ Πῶς δὲ εἰ μὴ ὁ Λόγος Υἱός ἐστιν, ἀλλʼ ὁ ἄνθρωπος Υἱὸς, δύναται τὸν κόσμον σῶσαι, εἶς ὢν καὶ αὐτὸς τοῦ κόσμου; Εἰ δὲ ἀναισχυντοῖεν ἐπὶ τούτοις, ποῦ ἔσται ὁ Λόγος, τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ὄντος ‘ἐν τῷ Πατρί; ʼ πόστος δὲ ἔσται ὁ Λόγος πρὸς τὸν Πατέρα, τοῦ ἀνθρώπου καὶ τοῦ Πατρὸς ‘ἓν᾿ ὄντων; Εἱ δὲ ὁ ἄνθρωπος μονογενής ἐστι, πόστος ἔσται ὁ Λόγος; Ἢ γὰρ δεύτερον εἶναι αὐτὸν λέξειέ τις· ἢ εἰ ὑπὲρ τὸ μονογενές ἐστιν, αὐτὸς ἂν εἴη ὁ Πατήρ. ἅσπερ γὰρ εἷς ἐστιν ὁ Πατὴρ, οὕτως ἓν καὶ τὸ ἐξ αὐτοῦ μονογενές. Τί δὲ καὶ πλέον ὁ Λόγος ἔχει τοῦ ἀνθρώπου, εἴ γε οὐχ ὁ Λόγος Υἱός ἐστι; Διὰ μὲν γὰρ Υἱοῦ καὶ τοῦ Λόγου ὁ κόσμου γεγενῆσθαι γέγραπται, καὶ κοινόν ἐστι τῷ τε Λόγῳ καὶ τῷ Υἱῷ τὸ δημιουργεῖν τὸν κόσμον· τὸ δὲ ὁρᾶν τὸν Πατέρα οὐκ ἔτι ἐν τῷ Λόγῳ γέγραπται, ἀλλʼ ἐν τῷ Υἱῷ· καὶ τὸ σώζειν τὸν κόσμον οὐκέτι διὰ τοῦ Λόγου ἐλέχθη, ἀλλὰ διὰ τοῦ μονογενοῦς Υἱοῦ, ‘Εἶπεʼ γὰρ, φησὶν, ‘ὁ Ἰησοῦς· Τοσοῦτον χρόνον μεθʼ ὑμῶν εἰμι, καὶ οὐκ ἔγνωκάς με, Φίλιππε; ὁ ἑωρακὼς ἐμὲ. ἑώρακε τὸν Πατέρα. ᾿Καὶ τὸν Πατέρα δὲ οὐχ ὁ Λόγος γέγραπται γινώσκειν, ἀλλʼ ὁ Υἱός· ὁρᾷν δὲ τὸν Πατέρα οὐχ ὁ Λόγος εἴρηται, ἀλλʼ ‘ὁ μονογενὴς Υἱὸς, ὁ ὢν εἰς τὸν κόλπον τοῦ Πατρός. ᾿