Catechetical Lectures 8

And a reading from Jeremiah:

'The great God and the mighty Lord;'

'great in counsel, and mighty in works, the Almighty, the Lord of great name,' and so forth.

By believing IN ONE GOD we cut off all the error of polytheism, using this as a weapon against the Greeks and against every adverse power of the heretics.

And by adding, IN ONE GOD THE FATHER, we fight against those of the circumcision, who deny the Only-begotten Son of God.

For as was said yesterday, even before making clear the things concerning our Lord Jesus Christ, by saying FATHER, we already made it clear that He is the Father of a Son;

that just as we conceive that He is God, so we may conceive that He has a Son also.

And we add to those things that He is also ALMIGHTY.

And this we say both because of the Greeks and the Jews [together] and all heretics.

For some of the Greeks said that God was the soul of the world;

and others, that His authority reaches only to heaven, and no longer also to earth.

And some, led astray with those men, having misused the passage which says, 'And Your truth reaches unto the clouds,' have dared to circumscribe God's providence as far as the clouds and heaven, and to alienate from God the things upon earth;

having forgotten the psalm which says, 'If I ascend up into heaven, You are there;'

'if I go down into hell, You are present.'

For if there is nothing higher than heaven, and hell is deeper than the earth;

He who holds the lower regions touches also the earth.

But the heretics again, as has been said before, do not know one Almighty God.

For He is Almighty who rules over all things, who has authority over all things.

But they who say that One is the master of the soul, and another of the body, make neither of them perfect, since each is lacking to the other.

For He who has authority over the soul, but has not authority over the body, how is He Almighty? And He who is master of bodies, but has no authority over spirits, how is He Almighty? But the Lord refutes these men, saying on the contrary:

'Rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.'

For if He has not authority over both, how does He subject both to punishment, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ? For how could He take the alien body and cast it into hell;

unless He first bind the strong man, and spoil his goods? But the divine Scripture and the doctrines of the truth know one God, ruling indeed over all things by His power, yet bearing with many because of His will.

For He rules even over the idolaters, but bears with them out of forbearance.

He rules also over the heretics who set Him at nought, but bears with them out of long-suffering.

He rules even over the devil, but bears with him out of long-suffering;

for it is not from inability that He bears with him, as if overcome.

'For he is the beginning of the Lord's creation, made to be mocked,' not by Him (for that were unworthy), but by the angels who were made by Him.

And He suffered him to live, that two things might come to pass;

both that he himself might be more shamefully overcome, and that men might be crowned.

O the all-wise providence of God, which takes the evil purpose for an occasion of salvation for the faithful!

For just as He took the brother-hating purpose of Joseph's brethren for an occasion of His own dispensation, and, having suffered them out of hatred to sell their brother, took it for an occasion of making him reign whom He willed;

so He suffered the devil to wrestle, that they who conquer might be crowned, and that, victory being gained, he might be the more shamed, being overcome by the weaker, while men might be greatly approved, having conquered him who was once an archangel.

Nothing then is exempted from the power of God.

For the Scripture says concerning Him, 'For all things are Your servants.'

All things indeed are His servants;

but one is His only Son, and one is His Holy Spirit, outside of all these;

and all things, being His servants, serve the Master through the one Son in the Holy Spirit.

God therefore rules over all things, and bears with murderers and robbers and fornicators, out of long-suffering;

having appointed a time for the term, in which He renders to each;

so that they who have a fixed term, but have an impenitent heart, may be the more condemned.

Kings of men are they who reign upon the earth, but not without the authority from above.

And Nebuchadnezzar once learned this by experience, saying:

'That His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and His dominion is from generation to generation.'

The wealth, the gold and the silver are not the devil's, as some suppose.

For the whole world of riches belongs to the faithful man, but to the unbeliever not even an obol;

and nothing is more unbelieving than the devil.

And God says plainly through the prophet:

'The gold is mine, and the silver is mine, [and to whomsoever I will I give it.]'

Only use it well, and there is no blame in the silver.

But when you use the good thing badly, then, being unwilling to blame your own management, you impiously refer the blame to the Creator.

A man may even be justified through riches.

'I was hungry, and you gave me to eat;'

'I was naked, and you clothed me.'

And do you wish to know that riches may become a door of the kingdom of heaven? 'Sell,' He says, 'your goods, and give to the poor, and you shall have treasure in heaven.'

But these things have been said by me because of the heretics, who anathematize possessions and riches and bodies.

For I would not have you to be a slave of riches, nor yet to regard as enemies the things given you by God for service.

Never then say that riches are the devil's.

For though he say, 'All these things will I give you, for they are delivered unto me,' one may even set at nought his word;

for one must not believe the liar.

And yet perhaps, being compelled by the power of Him who was present, he spoke the truth;

for he did not say, 'All these things will I give you, for they are mine;'

but, 'for they are delivered unto me.'

For he did not usurp the lordship, but confessed that the management had been entrusted to him for the time.

But let it be inquired in season by the expositors, whether he lies or speaks truth.

One therefore is God, the Father, the Almighty, whom the children of the heretics have dared to blaspheme.

For they have dared to blaspheme the Lord of Sabaoth, who sits above the Cherubim.

They have dared to blaspheme the Adonai, the Lord; they have dared to blaspheme the Almighty God who is in the prophets.

But do you worship one Almighty God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ;

fleeing from polytheism, and fleeing from every heresy, and saying with Job:

'But I will call upon the Lord, the Almighty, who does great things and unsearchable, glorious things also and marvellous, of which there is no number.'

Over all these things, honour is from the Almighty;

to whom be the glory both now and unto the ages of ages. Amen.