De Filio (Orat. 30)
Gregory, of Nazianzus
Gregorius Nazianzenus, The Five Theological Orations, Mason, Cambridge, 1899
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.’)