[737] P. of Samosata held the Divine Word, or Reason, to be a mere Attribute, and not a Person. The Person of our Lord would thus be simply Human, only with a Divine influence. See St. Ath. Def. of Nic. Def. c. v. § 11, Tr. This text of St. Paul is quoted against P. of Samosata, Conc. Ant. i. Labbe, t. i, p. 846, by the orthodox Bishops. See also Epiph. Hær. 45. The heretics might allow what is said here of the Word as an Attribute; the refutation follows presently.
[738] One ms. has, "first the things in heaven," &c., which agrees with the sense.
[739] i.e. "In Him," in the beginning of the verse, is said in such a sense as to agree with "through Him."
[740] [Chrys. here seems to insist on the local sense of eis, "into," which above, and in Rev. Ver., is translated "unto." All things in Him consist, being created into Him. But the fancy is of doubtful value.--J.A.B.]
[741] tou pleromatos. Here used of the universe, somewhat as 1 Cor. x. 26, only in a more extended sense.
[742] Cat. "and first of men even as he that was first of Creation after the flesh," then one Par. and Br. M. read, "For this cause both here and there the word Firstborn' is used. But what is Firstborn of all creation'? It is for First Created,' as Firstborn from the dead' is for Who rose again before all.' And as there he puts Who is before all,' so here also he has put Firstfruits.'" [A Paris ms. has the same reading, except that for "First Created" it has "First Creator."--J.A.B.]
[743] Rec. text arche, St. Chrys. has aparche [and so six cursives. But this reading is clearly wrong, and vitiates the following statements of Chrys. For the meaning of "beginning" here, see Lightfoot.--J.A.B.]
[744] The same mss. add, "but only the Firstborn, and not even this in the first place, but after saying, Who is the Image,'" &c.
[745] nekros gegone, alluding to the expression, prototokos ek nekron.
[746] ["The reconciliation is always represented as made to the Father. The reconciler is sometimes the Father Himself, sometimes the Son."--Lightfoot.--J.A.B.]
[747] apokatallaxai as apolutrosis, above? [The compound verb may mean to reconcile completely or finally.--J.A.B.]
[748] Or "by itself" (heauto), i.e. separate from the Divine Person, as it would be if there had been a several Human Personality. (Cat. and Bodl. heauton.)
[749] Bodl. Extr. [Catena], "He made not him staying on earth," &c.
[750] [Chrys. shows no suspicion of that combination of the Jewish (Essene) doctrine of angels with the Gnostic doctrine of æons, which we now know to have prevailed at Colossæ (see Lightfoot on Col., Int. II.).--J.A.B.]
[751] Judg. ii. 5; see Ps. lxxxiv. 6 (2 Sam. v. seems hardly applicable).
[752] Downes conjectures, "Peace on earth." Luke ii. 13.
[753] Gr. autous, one suspects anous (anthropous), which has been conjectured.
[754] "Feedeth" is said of God in the text. On the passage, St. Chrys. does not notice the mention of the Angel. He quotes it, however, in his first Homily de laudibus B. Pauli. He also infers the doctrine from Acts xii. 15; Hom. xxvi. St. Jerome, on Isa. lxvi. 20, quotes all these passages. Bp. Bull, Ser. xii. adds, Eccl. v. 6.
[755] See St. Hermas, Past. 1, ii. pr. 6, § 1, and Cotelerius, note 14, t. i., p. 93, who cites Origen, Hom. xii. in Luc. S. Greg. Nyss. de Vita Mosis, p. 194; Petavius, Theol. Dog. de Ang. l. ii. c. 8, cites St. Basil, contr. Eunom. p. 70, and on Ps. xxxiii. p. 220, &c.
[756] [There was among the forms of prayer in Chrys.'s day this, "Ask for the angel of peace." See Field's Annotations.--J.A.B.]
[757] In Hom. xxxii. on St. Matt. he mentions a prayer for Peace. See also Const. Ap. 1. viii. c. 37 fin.
[758] St. Matt. x. 12, St. Luke x. 5, but neither accurately. [That is, neither Gospel is here accurately quoted. Chrys. often makes slight mistakes in quoting, as we do.--J.A.B.]
[759] i.e. the Bishop. [This is the person several times above called "he that is over," hoproestos, the same word that is employed by Justin Martyr, I. Apol. c. 65, for the person presiding in an assembly for worship.--J.A.B.]
[760] ta semna.
[761] This implies that he was Bishop, and consequently that these Homilies were delivered at Constantinople. [Below he distinctly declares himself to be the Bishop.--J.A.B.]
[762] So Sav. Ben. "our."
[763] Or "even so, let him attend to me."
[764] Miriam.
[765] therapeuete.
[766] [This would seem clearly to indicate that these homilies were delivered at Constantinople. The passage below, on ch. iii. 2-4, does not necessarily show the contrary.--J.A.B.]
[767] prosantes. "Up hill," "against the grain."