Chapter Iii. That no man should consider that the Son has any lack of God-befitting glory, though He be found to say, Father, glorify Thy Son.

xvii. 1 These things spake Jesus; and lifting up His eyes to heaven He said, Father, the hour is come; glorify Thy Son, that Thy Son may also glorify Thee.

Having given His disciples a sufficiency of things necessary for salvation, and incited them by fitting words and arguments to a more accurate apprehension of His doctrines, and made them best able to battle against temptation, and confirmed the courage of each one, he straightway changes the form of His speech for our profit, and turns it into a kind of prayer, allowing no interval to elapse between His discourse to them and His prayer to God the Father; herein also by His own conduct suggesting to us a type of admirable life. For the man who aims at serving God ought, I think, to bear in mind that he ought at all events either to be fond of discoursing to his brethren of things profitable or necessary for their salvation, or, if he be not so engaged, to hasten to employ the service of the tongue in supplications to God, so as to render it impossible for any random words to slip in between; for in this way the governance of the tongue may be well and suitably ordered. For is it not quite obvious that, in vain conversations, things blameworthy may very readily escape a man? Moreover, a wise man has said: In themultitude of words thou shalt not escape sin: but he that refraineth his lips is wise.

You may find besides another thing to admire, which is in no small degree profitable for us. The beginning of His prayer has reference to His own glory and that of God the Father, and afterwards, in intimate connexion with this, He introduces His prayer for us. And why is this? The reason is one which convinces the pious man that loves God, and actually disposes the worker of good deeds to prayer. For just as we ought to perform good actions, and do all things, not turning to our own glory our zeal herein, but to the glory of the Father of the Universe, I mean God, for He says: Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father Which is in heaven; so also it best befits us, when occasion calls us to prayer, to pray for what redounds to God's glory before what concerns ourselves, as indeed Christ also Himself enjoins us when He says: After this manner pray ye: Our Father Which art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy Name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done as in Heaven so on earth. Give us this day our daily bread. What Christ here does, then, ought to be to us the pattern of prayer. For it was necessary that not an elder or messenger, but Christ Himself, should manifest Himself to be our Leader and Guide in all good, and in the way which leadeth to God. For we are called, and are in very truth, as the prophet says, taught of God.

And what He says to His Father it is right that we should consider with the greatest care. For I think we ought in a spirit of the most earnest attention to handle the investigation of His words, and most carefully search after the true intent of His teaching. Father, then, He says, The hour is come; glorify Thy Son that Thy Son may also glorify Thee. So far as the mere form of His language is concerned, one could think that the speaker had some lack of glory; but any one who considers the majesty of the Only-begotten would, I think, quickly shrink from so grievous a conclusion. For it were great folly to think that the Son has any lack of glory, or falls short of the honour which is His due, though He is the Lord of glory, for so the inspired writings call Him. Especially when in another place we observe Him saying to His Father: O Father, glorify Me with the glory which I had with Thee before the world was. Then who can any longer doubt, or who is so demented and so far the enemy of all truth as not to know and confess that the Only-begotten is not bereft of Divine glory so far as His own Nature is concerned; but that since being in the form of God, and in perfect equality with Him, He counted it not a prize to be on an equality with God, but nevertheless descended to the humiliation of human nature, and emptied Himself of His glory, wearing this mean body; and from love towards us putting on the likeness of human littleness, now that the fitting time had actually arrived, at which He was destined, after fulfilling the mystery of our redemption, to gird Himself about with His pristine and essential glory; having wrought out the salvation of the whole world, and secured life and the knowledge of God to those that are therein; herein I say He shows that He has God's Will and favour, and makes this speech to Him, saying that He ought to recover the majesty due unto His Nature.

And how does He ascend into heaven? Surely He That even in the flesh showed Himself able to accomplish the deeds of a God was not in this subject to another's power, but ascended of Himself, being the Wisdom and Might of God the Father. For we must think that thus in no other way He accomplishes the words of a God with power. For all things are from the Father, but not without the Son. For how could God the Father perform any of His proper functions, if His Wisdom and Might, I mean the Son, were not with Him, and accomplishing with Him those things in which His power is seen in active operation? Therefore also the wise Evangelist who wrote this book at the beginning of His work says: All things were made by Him; and without Him was not any thing made. Since then the doctrine of His Consubstantiality compels us by consequence to think that all things proceed from the Father, but wholly through the Son in the Spirit, and that He, having slain death and corruption and taken away from the devil his kingdom, was about to illumine the whole world with the light of the Spirit, and to show Himself thereby henceforth in very deed the true God by Nature, He is impelled to say, Father, glorify Thy Son, that Thy Son may also glorify Thee. And no man of sense would maintain that the Son asks glory from the Father as a man from man, but rather that He also promises to give Him glory, as it were, in return. For it would be very unbecoming, nay rather wholly foolish, to have such an idea about God. The Saviour indeed spake these words to show how very necessary His own glory was to the Father, that He might be known to be Consubstantial with Him. For just as it would entail dishonour on God the Father, that the Son That was begotten of Him should not be such as He That is God by Nature and of God ought to be, so I think, to have His own Son invested with those attributes, which He is conceived of as having, and which are predicated of Him, will confer honour and glory upon Him. The Father therefore is glorified in the glory of His Offspring, as I said just now; giving glory to the Son, by considering throughout His earthly career, both from how great, and of what, a Father the Only-begotten sprang; and in turn receiving glory from the Son by the consideration of how great indeed is the Son, of Whom He is the Father. The honour and glory then, which is Theirs essentially and by Nature, will be reflected from the Son on the Father, and in turn from the Father on the Son.

If any man concede that, owing to the degradation of His Incarnation, our Lord here speaks more humbly than His true Nature warrants, for this was His custom, he will not altogether miss arriving at a proper conclusion, but will not quite attain to the truth in the inquiry. For, if He were seeking only honour from the Father, there would be nothing unlikely in setting down the request to the inferiority of human nature; but, since He promises to glorify the Father in turn, does it not follow of necessity, that we should readily embrace the view we have just given?  

ΚΕΦΑΛΗ Γ. Ὅτι τῆς θεοπρεποῦς δόξης οὐκ ἐπιδεᾶ θεωρήσαι τις ἂν τὸν Υἱὸν, κἂν εὑρίσκηται λέγειν Πάτερ δόξασον τὸν Υἱόν σου.
« Ταῦτα ἐλάλησεν ὁ Ἰησοῦς, καὶ ἐπάρας τοῦς ὀφθαλμοὺς αὐτοῦ εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν εἶπε Πάτερ, ἐλήλυθεν ἡ ὥρα: δόξασόν σου τὸν Υἱὸν, ἵνα καὶ ὁ Υἱός σου δοξάσῃ σε. » ἈΠΟΧΡΩΝΤΩΣ τοῖς μαθηταῖς τὰ εἰς σωτηρίαν ἐφόδια δωρησάμενος, καὶ τοῖς καθήκουσι λογισμοῖς τε καὶ λόγοις εἰς ἀκριβεστέραν τῶν δογμάτων ἀκονήσας διάληψιν, καὶ καταστήσας ὅτι μάλιστα μαχιμωτάτους εἰς πειρασμοὺς, φρόνημά τε τὸ νεανικὸν εὖ μάλα ῥιζώσας ἐν ἑκάστῳ, χρησίμως μεθίστησιν εὐθὺς τοῦ λόγου τὸ σχῆμα, καὶ εἰς προσευχῆς διαπλάττει τρόπον: οὐδένα καιρὸν διὰ μέσου χωρεῖν ἐπιτρέψας τῆς τε πρὸς αὐτοὺς διαλέξεως καὶ τῆς πρὸς Θεὸν καὶ Πατέρα: τύπον ἡμῖν πολιτείας ἐξόχου κἀν τούτῳ δὴ πάλιν τὰ καθ' ἑαυτὸν ὑποφαίνων. χρῆναι γὰρ οἶμαι μὴ ἀγνοεῖν τὸν ᾧπέρ ἐστι πρὸς εὐσέβειαν ὁ σκοπὸς, ὅτι προσήκοι δὴ πάντως ἢ πρὸς ἀδελφοὺς τὰ λυσιτελῆ τε καὶ ἀναγκαῖα διαλέγεσθαι φιλεῖν, ἤγουν εἰ μὴ τοῦτο δρῴη τυχὸν, ταῖς εἰς Θεὸν ἱκετείαις τὴν τοῦ λόγου χρείαν ἐπείγεσθαι δαπανᾶν, ὡς μηδεμίαν ἐκ τούτου περισσολογίας ὁρᾶσθαι παρείσδυσιν: οὕτω γὰρ ἂν ἴοι κατὰ λόγον τὸν πρέποντα τῆς γλώττης ἡ εὐκοσμία. τίνι γὰρ οὐ σφόδρα καταφανὲς, ὡς εὔκολος λίαν ἐν ταῖς εἰκαιολογίαις μάλιστα τῶν οὐκ ἔξω ψόγων ἡ ἐπεισφορά; καὶ γοῦν ἔφη τις σοφός “Ἐκ πολυ” λογίας οὐκ ἐκφεύξῃ ἁμαρτίαν, φειδόμενος δὲ χειλέων “νοήμων ἔσῃ.” Ἀποθαυμάσεις δέ τι πρὸς τούτῳ καὶ ἕτερον οὐ μετρίαν ἡμῖν ἐμποιοῦν τὴν ὄνησιν. ποιεῖται γὰρ τὴν τῆς προσευχῆς ἀπαρχὴν ὑπὲρ δόξης τῆς ἑαυτοῦ καὶ τῆς τοῦ Πατρός: συναναπλέκει δὲ μετὰ τοῦτο καὶ παρεισκομίζει παραχρῆμα τὴν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν. καὶ τίς ἡ πρόφασις; ἀναπείθει δὴ πάλιν τὸν ἐπιεικῆ καὶ θεοφιλέστατον, καὶ τεχνίτην ἀληθῶς εἰς προσευχὴν ἐργάζεται. ὥσπερ γὰρ ἀγαθουργεῖν ἡμᾶς καὶ πάντα δρᾶν ἀναγκαῖον, οὐκ εἰς δόξαν τὴν ἡμετέραν τὴν εἰς τοῦτο σπουδὴν παρατρέποντας, ἀλλ' εἰς τὴν τοῦ Πατρὸς τῶν ὅλων, φημὶ δὴ τοῦ Θεοῦ: “λαμψάτω γάρ φησι τὸ φῶς ὑμῶν ” ἔμπροσθεν τῶν ἀνθρώπων, ὅπως ἴδωσι τὰ καλὰ ἔργα ὑμῶν, “καὶ δοξάσωσι τὸν Πατέρα ὑμῶν τὸν ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς:” οὕτω καὶ εἰς εὐχὴν διανιστάντος ἡμᾶς τοῦ καιροῦ πρὸ τῶν ἡμετέρων τὰ εἰς Θεοῦ δόξαν αἰτεῖν πρεπωδέστατον, ὥσπερ οὖν ἀμέλει καὶ αὐτὸς ὁ Χριστός “Οὕτω, φησὶν, ὑμεῖς ” προσεύχεσθε Πάτερ ἡμῶν ὁ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς, ἁγιασθήτω “τὸ ὄνομά σου, ἐλθέτω ἡ βασιλεία σου, γενηθήτω τὸ θέλημά ” σου ὡς ἐν οὐρανῷ καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς: τὸν ἄρτον ἡμῶν τὸν “ἐπιούσιον δὸς ἡμῖν σήμερον.” τύπος οὖν ἄρα προσευχῆς εἰς ἡμᾶς τὸ πραττόμενον. ἔδει γὰρ ἔδει παντὸς ἡμῖν ἀγαθοῦ, καὶ τοῦ πρὸς Θεὸν ἀνακομίζοντος τρόπου ἡγεμόνα καὶ καθηγητὴν, οὐ πρέσβυν, οὐκ ἄγγελον, ἀλλ' αὐτὸν ἀναφαίνεσθαι τὸν Χριστόν. κεκλήμεθα γὰρ καί ἐσμεν ὄντως κατὰ τὴν τοῦ προφήτου φωνὴν Διδακτοὶ Θεοῦ. Τί δὲ δὴ καί φησι πρὸς τὸν ἑαυτοῦ Πατέρα, πρέπον ἂν εἴη νουνεχέστατα κατιδεῖν. δεῖν γὰρ οἶμαι μετὰ δριμείας τινὸς τῆς ἐπιτηρήσεως τῇ τῶν λεγομένων θεωρίᾳ προσβάλλοντας φιλοθηρεῖν εὖ μάλα τὴν τῶν δογμάτων ἀκρίβειαν. Πάτερ τοίνυν φησὶν ἐλήλυθεν ἡ ὥρα, δόξασόν σου τὸν Υἱὸν ἵνα καὶ ὁ Υἱός σου δοξάσῃ σε. καὶ ὅσον μὲν ἧκεν εἰς τὴν τῶν εἰρημένων διασκευὴν, οἰηθείη μὲν ἄν τις εὐκλείας ἐπιδεᾶ καθεστάναι τυχὸν τὸν τοιαῦτα λέγοντα: ἐννοήσας γεμὴν τὸ τοῦ Μονογενοῦς ἀξίωμα, ῥᾳδίως ἂν οἶμαι τῶν οὕτως ἀθλίων ἀποπηδήσαι λογισμῶν. ἠλίθιον γὰρ κομιδῇ τὸ δόξης τινὸς οἴεσθαι ἐπιδεᾶ καὶ τῆς αὐτῷ πρεπούσης ἀμοιρῆσαι τιμῆς τὸν Υἱὸν, καίτοι τῆς δόξης ὄντα Κύριον: οὕτω γὰρ αὐτὸν αἱ θεόπνευστοι καλοῦσι γραφαί. ἄλλως τε καὶ ἑτέρωθί που θεωρήσαι τις ἂν λέγοντα πρὸς τὸν Πατέρα “Πάτερ δόξασόν ” με τῇ δόξῃ ᾗ εἶχον πρὸ τοῦ τὸν κόσμον εἶναι παρὰ σοί.“ εἶτα τίνι λοιπὸν ἀμφίλογον, τίς δὲ οὕτω τὸν νοῦν ἀπόπληκτος καὶ πάσης ἀληθείας ἐχθρὸς, ὡς μὴ συνιέναι τε καὶ ὁμολογεῖν ὅτι δόξης μὲν οὐκ ἐστέρηται τῆς θεοπρεποῦς ὅσον εἰς οἰκείαν φύσιν ὁ Μονογενής: ἐπειδὴ δὲ ὑπάρχων ἐν μορφῇ καὶ τῇ κατὰ πᾶν ἰσότητι τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ Πατρὸς, οὐχ ἁρπαγμὸν ἡγήσατο τὸ εἶναι ἴσα Θεῷ, καταβέβηκε μὲν εἰς τὴν καθ' ἡμᾶς ταπείνωσιν, ἑαυτὸν δὲ κεκένωκε, τὸ ἀδοξότατον τουτὶ πεφορεκὼς σῶμα καὶ τῆς ἀνθρωπίνης σμικρότητος τὴν ὁμοίωσιν ἐξ ἀγάπης ὑποδὺς, ὡς ἤδη παρόντος τε καὶ ἐνεστηκότος τοῦ καθήκοντος χρόνου, καθ' ὃν ἔδει πάλιν αὐτὸν τὴν τοῦ μυστηρίου χρείαν ἀποπληρώσαντα, τὴν ἀρχαίαν τε καὶ οὐσιώδη μεταμφιέσασθαι δόξαν, ὅλην ἀνασώσαντα τὴν οἰκουμένην, ἀνασώσαντά τε πρὸς ζωὴν καὶ θεογνωσίαν τοὺς ἐν αὐτῇ, συνευδοκητὴν καὶ συνεθελητὴν πάλιν κἀν τούτῳ δεικνὺς τὸν Πατέρα: τὴν πρὸς αὐτὸν ποιεῖται διάλεξιν, χρῆναι δὴ πάντως ἑαυτὸν ἀνακομίζεσθαι λέγων εἰς τὸ τῆς ἰδίας φύσεως ἀξίωμα; Ἄνεισι δὲ πῶς; ἢ δηλονότι τῶν τῆς θεότητος ἔργων ἀποτελεστὴς καὶ μετὰ σαρκὸς ἀναδεικνύμενος, οὐχ ὡς ὑπουργὸς τῆς ἑτέρου τυχὸν ἐνεργείας, ἀλλ' ὡς σοφία καὶ δύναμις ὑπάρχων τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ Πατρός. οἰησόμεθα γὰρ οὕτω καὶ οὐχ ἑτέρως αὐτὸν τὰ τῆς θεότητος ἔργα μετ' ἐξουσίας ἀποπληροῦν. πάντα μὲν γὰρ παρὰ τοῦ Πατρὸς, πλὴν οὐ δίχα τοῦ Υἱοῦ. πῶς γὰρ ἂν ἐργάσαιτό τι τῶν αὐτῷ πρεπόντων ὁ Θεὸς καὶ Πατὴρ, οὐχὶ δὴ συνούσης τε αὐτῷ καὶ συναποτελούσης τὰ ἐφ' οἷς ἂν νοοῖτο τυχὸν ἡ κατ' ἐνέργειαν κίνησις, τῆς τε σοφίας καὶ τῆς δυνάμεως αὐτοῦ, φημὶ δὴ τοῦ Υἱοῦ; διὰ τοῦτο καὶ ὁ σοφὸς Εὐαγγελιστὴς, ὁ τὴν τοῦδε τοῦ βιβλίου συγγραφὴν πηξάμενος, ἐν ἀρχαῖς τοῦ λόγου φησὶν ὅτι ” Πάντα δι' αὐτοῦ ἐγένετο, καὶ χωρὶς αὐτοῦ ἐγένετο οὐδὲ ἕν.“ ἐπειδὴ τοίνυν ὁ τῆς ὁμοουσιότητος ἀναπείθει λόγος ἀκολούθως ἡμᾶς ἐννοεῖν ὅτι πάντα μὲν ἐκ Πατρὸς, δι' Υἱοῦ δὲ πάντως ἐν Πνεύματι: νεκρώσας δὲ θάνατον καὶ φθορὰν, καὶ τὴν τοῦ διαβόλου τυραννίδα περιελὼν, ὅλην ἔμελλε τὴν ὑφ' ἡλίῳ ταῖς διὰ τοῦ Πνεύματος καταφαιδρύνειν φωταγωγίαις, ἀναδείκνυσθαί τε διὰ τούτου λοιπὸν Θεὸς κατὰ φύσιν ὄντως καὶ ἀληθινὸς, ἀναγκαίως φησί Πάτερ δόξασόν σου τὸν Υἱὸν ἵνα καὶ ὁ Υἱός σου δοξάσῃ σε. καὶ οὐ δή τις νοῦν ἔχων ἐρεῖ, δόξαν μὲν αἰτεῖν παρὰ Πατρὸς τὸν Υἱὸν, καθάπερ ἄνθρωπον ἐξ ἀνθρώπου τυχὸν, διδόναι δὲ καὶ αὐτὸν ὡς ἐξ ἀμοιβῆς ἐπαγγέλλεσθαι: σμικροπρεπὲς γὰρ λίαν, μᾶλλον δὲ ἀσύνετον παντελῶς, τὸ τοιαύτην ἔχειν ἐπὶ Θεοῦ τὴν διάληψιν: ἀναγκαιοτάτην δὲ τῷ Πατρὶ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ δόξαν ἐπιδεικνὺς, ἵνα γινώσκηται καὶ ὁμοούσιος, ταυτὶ λελάληκεν ὁ Σωτήρ. ὥσπερ γὰρ ἀδοξίας ἔσται παραίτιον τῷ Θεῷ καὶ Πατρὶ τὸ μὴ τοιοῦτον ἔχειν τὸν ἐξ αὐτοῦ φύντα τε καὶ γεγεννημένον Υἱὸν, ὁποῖον ἂν εἶναι πρέποι τὸν ἐκ Θεοῦ Θεὸν κατὰ φύσιν, οὕτως οἶμαι καὶ δόξαν αὐτῷ περιποιήσει καὶ καύχημα, τὸ ἐν τούτοις ὄντα τὸν ἴδιον ἔχειν Υἱὸν, ἐν οἷσπερ ἂν ὑπάρχειν αὐτὸς καὶ νοοῖτο καὶ λέγοιτο. δοξάζεται τοίνυν ὁ Πατὴρ ἐν τῇ τοῦ γεννήματος δόξῃ, καθάπερ ἔλεγον ἀρτίως, διδοὺς μὲν τὴν δόξαν ἐν τῷ νοεῖσθαι διὰ πραγμάτων ποίου τε καὶ τίνος ἐξέφυ Πατρὸς ὁ Μονογενὴς, ἀντικομιζόμενος δὲ ὥσπερ ἐν τῷ νοεῖσθαι πάλιν τίνος τε καὶ οἵου Πατὴρ ὑπάρχει κατὰ ἀλήθειαν. οὐσιῶδες οὖν ἄρα καὶ φυσικὸν παρὰ μὲν τοῦ Πατρὸς εἰς Υἱὸν, παρὰ δὲ τοῦ Υἱοῦ πρὸς τὸν Πατέρα διαβήσεται τῆς δόξης τὸ καύχημα. Εἰ δέ τις δοίη τυχὸν καὶ διὰ τὸ τῆς ἐνανθρωπήσεως ταπεινὸν, ἐλάττονά πως ἢ καθ' ἑαυτὸν κἀνθάδε λαλεῖν τὸν Κύριον: κατείθισται γὰρ καὶ τοῦτο αὐτῷ: λογισμοῦ τοῦ πρέποντος ἀμοιρήσει μὲν οὐδαμῶς, τῶν γεμὴν ἐξ ἀκριβείας θεωρημάτων οὐ λίαν ἐφάψεται. εἰ μὲν γὰρ ἐξῄτει μόνον αὐτὸς τὴν παρὰ τοῦ Πατρὸς δόξαν, οὐδὲν ἀπεικὸς τοῖς τῆς ἀνθρωπότητος μέτροις τὴν αἴτησιν ἐγκαλεῖν: ἐπειδὴ δὲ καὶ ἀντιδοξάζειν ἐπαγγέλλεται τὸν Πατέρα, πῶς οὐκ ἀναγκαῖον ἤδη φαίνεται τοῖς ἀρτίως ἡμῖν προαποδοθεῖσι θεωρήμασι προθυμότερον ἐπιπηδᾶν;