The Freedom of the Sons and the Error of the Myth-Makers

reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and having established among us the word of reconciliation. Therefore we intercede for Christ as the God entreating through us. We pray on behalf of Christ: 'be reconciled to God.'

And again, as he used to preach all other things, he cried out loudly that even what seemed difficult was made easy to Christ because of his philanthropic economy, all glory and strength overflowing, doing this by work, so that one might not overlook the unbegotten, unmixed, and unchangeable divinity of the one from the glorious passion, lest a scripture of pride should offend. And he was saying such things: 'not to judge anything in you except Jesus Christ and this one crucified' (cf. 1 Cor 2:8). And to the Romans: 'the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe' (Rom 3:22).

Each is justified by God through the faith he speaks of toward the Son. And to the Galatians: 'knowing that no man is justified by works of the law except through faith in Jesus Christ, and we believed in Jesus Christ so that we might be justified from the faith of Christ and not from works of the law, because no flesh shall be justified by works of the law' (Gal 2:16). And he explains also to others that 'neither circumcision avails nor uncircumcision, but a new faith working through love' (Gal 5:6).

Of the word deepening the mind, it is to be developed. Therefore he intends to teach that the appearance of Christ is something new and that the only faith was found for all men; according to which he leaves no place, neither in Judaism nor in Hellenism. And this could be understood also according to: 'behold, the old things have passed away, all things have become new' (Rev 21:5). And so that it may be understood, he who knows God ceases to say that the circumcision is not perfect.

And the Son took up into salvation and teaching for all the true and free light; and he presents this to some of them as being mystically unknown through the inward memory of the exodus from Egypt. Therefore, the venerable Son of God bears witness to his own nature to the freedom from above, and not as a sister having the creation—for everything produced is a slave to the one who brought it into being, and the created thing is a slave to the one who created it.

He says to Peter: 'From whom do the kings of the earth receive taxes or custom? From their own sons or from others?' Answering: 'From others,' Jesus said to him, 'so then the sons are free. In order that we might not scandalize them, having gone into the sea, cast a hook and the first fish coming up, Peter, and having opened its mouth, you will find a stater. Taking that, give it to them instead of me and you.' (Matt 22:16-22). These things indeed concerning these. But they still do not cease.

Concerning those mythologizing that the Father made the Son by the ministry of creation. 8.1 Dealing blasphemously and mythologizing, they say that the Father made a Son most necessary to minister to Him regarding the rest of the creatures, no longer understanding how this depended on this speculative word of theirs: envy and sloth and other material things. 8.2 For it is necessary indeed even to see these things. For if it is good to create—just as it is good and only proper and only exceptional of the divine abundant nature, so that he might also be glorified by the one who receives it—instead of having created all things through Himself, did He somewhat grow weary? 8.3 And if indeed it is great for those being created to be carried along by the greater, if according to them the Father is greater than His own Son the Word, did He court those glorifying Him for His making through another? 8.4 And if indeed they have not fled from all things at once, both pride and weakness, the making of the proceeding through a mediator makes the one doing it through Himself appear greater in glory than the one doing it through another. 8.5 For not being the ever-existing, He obeys the waves, and as long as He is not yet passing through, He receives the fitting measures and does not have in Him anything lacking; not only is the proud one proud, but he would already be shown to be lacking in all things and in authority. And when Jesus says to Lazarus, having died, 'Come out' (John 11:43), and to another, 'Your sins are forgiven you' (Mark 2:5), and to another, 'I command you, come out of him'—the fact that God does these things through another, according to their mind, shows the God the Father, whose thoughts are your workings, is not able to pass through all things by Himself without the help of the one through whom or in whom He acts.