The Knowledge of the One True God
Because a spiritual spring has arrived, and the remainder of the month of new moons has come, we celebrate the feast of passing, called Passover by the Hebrew voice, in which Christ is hidden, so that, bearing his spiritual flesh and his holy blood, we might 'celebrate the feast with unleavened bread of sincerity and truth' (1 Cor 5:8), through which we shall also complete the festival of the high feast and that of the weeks, called Pentecost, in which we shall reap perfect gleanings and most full ears from those that blossomed in the spring.
Concerning both of the seasons, the holy one said, praising God: 'You prepared sun and moon, harvest and spring, you made these, remember your creation' (Ps 74:17), this whole earth, I mean indeed humanity, with only one reigning after the destruction of death, from Adam until Moses reigned and the devil held his power.
A testimony of water becoming living is taken from the Gospel of the Savior, who said: 'But whoever drinks of the water that I will give him shall become in him a spring of water living, leaping into eternal life' (John 4:14), and again: 'He who believes in me, just as the scripture said, rivers of living water shall flow from his belly' (John 7:38). For just as the one drinking from the water which Jesus gives shall have a spring of living water in him, so rivers of living water shall flow from the belly of the one drinking.
In that day the Lord shall be one, and His name one. He shall encircle all the earth and the wilderness from Gaber to Rehob, according to the south of Jerusalem; but Rama shall remain in its place; from the gate of Benjamin to the first gate, to the gate of the corners, and to the tower of Anameel, to the royal substructures, they shall dwell in it, and there shall no longer be a curse, and Jerusalem shall dwell securely (Zech 14:9-11).
When the aforementioned things exist as a gift of God, the polytheism of such a kind will be destroyed, by the one alone having composed all things and being known and confessed. For in the past, while there was difference between the last and first sea, the calling of the Jews and the Greeks—for these seas were given—it was not confessed by all that there is one God. The idolaters thought many to be gods, one...
Even the Jews. But when the gospel has come, the knowledge of the one and only progenitor has risen above men, as Paul, speaking in Christ, writes: 'Is God not only of the Jews, but also of the Gentiles? Yes, also of the Gentiles, since God is one' (Rom 3:4). For this is what it signifies, that God is one.
Therefore, on the day in which the expected one, the Only-begotten Son of God, is to come, with all error and false glory being abolished, the one and only true God shall be confessed, so that those having possessed the knowledge of the truth may alone worship and serve him, since the works of hands are no longer being called gods, as the divine Logos says: 'The gods who did not make the heaven and the earth, let them perish from the earth and from under the heaven' (Jer 5:4).
It has been said in the previously set forth passages that the Lord will destroy all the woods from the earth, removing from it the unclean spirit, so that the demons are no longer considered gods, concerning whom the theologian says that to him 'the unmanifest and the hidden things of wisdom' are revealed by the Master of all: 'All the gods of the Gentiles are demons.'
Not only, therefore, when these pseudonymous gods have been refuted by no longer being supposed to be gods will the one God be known, 'having turned' the apostates 'from idols to serve the living and true God' (1 Tim 1:1), but also by being piously seen that neither the world is God, nor any part of it, nor are men still worshipping or revering the creation instead of the Creator, so as no longer to worship the sun and the moon or serve them.
In this way, the oneness of God will remain, on the day in which the sun of righteousness makes and shows himself, and his name will be one. For it is signified by one name, being in agreement with the exact thought and having piety of all, the fulfillment of what was said in the hymns: 'Wonderful is your name in all the earth' (Ps 8:1), and again: 'You have magnified your holy name above all' (Ps 113:3), and again: 'As your name, O God, so is your praise to the ends of the earth' (Ps 72:17). In agreement with the hymn, the prophet Habakkuk also says these things concerning the true God: 'The earth is full of his praise' (Hab 2:14).
Since everywhere on the earth the designation of the one God has been proclaimed and glorified, another name...
Greek
ἡμῶν». 5.88 ∆ιὸ ἔαρος πνευματικοῦ γεγενημένου, ἐνεστηκότος λοιπὸν τοῦ μηνὸς τῶν νέων, τὴν διαβατηρίων ἑορτὴν ἄγομεν, πάσχα καλουμένην Ἑβραίων φωνῇ, ἐν ᾗ Χριστὸς τέθυται, ἵνα, τῶν πνευματικῶν σαρκῶν αὐτοῦ καὶ ἱεροῦ αἵματος αὐτοῦ ἐμφορούμενοι, «ἑορτάσωμεν ἐν ἀζύμοις εἰλικρινείας καὶ ἀληθείας», μεθ' ἣν πανήγυριν καὶ τὴν τῶν ἑβδομάδων ἑορτὴν ἐπιτελέσομεν, πεντηκοστὴν καλουμένην, ἐν ᾗ θερίσομεν τέλεια δράγματα καὶ πληρε̣στάτους στάχυς γεγενημένα τὰ ἀνθήσαντα ἐν τῷ ἔαρι. 5.89 Πε̣ρὶ ἀμφοτέρων τῶν καιρῶν ὑμνῶν τὸν Θεὸν ὁ ἅγιος εἶπεν· «Σὺ κατηρτίσω ἥλιον καὶ σελήνην, θέρος καὶ ἔαρ, σὺ ἐποίησας αὐτά, μνήσθητι 155 τῆς κτίσεώς σου», ταύτης πάσης τῆς γῆς, λέγω δὴ τῆς ἀνθρωπότητος, μόνος βασιλεύων καταλυθέντ̣ος τοῦ θανάτου τοῦ ἀπὸ Ἀδὰμ μέχρι Μωϋσέως βασιλεύσαντος καὶ τοῦ τὸ κράτος αὐτοῦ ἔχοντος διαβόλου. 5.90 Μαρτύριον τοῦ ὕδωρ ζῶν γενέσθαι τὸν πότιμον θεῖον λόγον παραλημπτέον ἐκ τοῦ Εὐα̣γγελίου, τοῦ Σωτῆρος εἰρηκότος· «Ὃς δὲ ἂν πίῃ ἐκ τοῦ ὕδατος οὗ ἐγὼ δώσω αὐτῷ, γενήσεται ἐν αὐτῷ πηγὴ ὕδατος ζῶντος ἁλλομένου εἰς ζωὴν αἰώνιον», καὶ πάλιν· «Ὁ π̣ιστεύων εἰς ἐμέ, καθω`̣ς̣ εἶπεν ἡ γραφή, ἐκ τῆς κοιλίας αὐτοῦ ῥεύσουσιν ποταμοὶ ὕδατος ζῶντος.» Ὡς γὰρ πηγὴν ἐν αὐτῷ ὕδατος ζῶντος ἕξει ὁ πίνων ἐκ τοῦ ὕδατος ὃ δίδ̣ωσιν Ἰησοῦς, οὕτω ποταμοὶ ὕδατος ζῶντος ῥεύσουσιν ἐκ τῆς κοιλίας τοῦ πιόντος. 5.91 Zach. XIV, 9–11: Ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ ἔσται Κύριος εἷς, καὶ τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ ἕν. Κυκλῶν πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν καὶ τὴν ἔρημον ἀπὸ Γάβελ ἕως Ῥεμμὼν κατὰ νότον Ἰερουσαλήμ· Ῥαμὰ δὲ ἐπὶ τόπου μενεῖ· ἀπὸ τῆς πύλης Βενιαμὶν ἕως τῆς πύλης τῆς πρώτης, ἕως τῆς πύλης τῶν γωνιῶν καὶ ἕως τοῦ πύργου Ἁναμεήλ, ἕως τῶν ὑποληνίων τοῦ βασιλέως κατοικήσουσιν ἐν αὐτῇ, καὶ οὐκ ἔσται ἀνάθεμα ἔτι, καὶ κατοικήσει Ἰερουσαλὴμ πεποιθότως. 5.92 Ὅταν τὰ προειρημένα ὑπαρχθῇ δωρεᾷ Θεοῦ, τὸ τηνικάδε ἡ πολυθεότης οἰχήσεται, μόνου τοῦ τὰ πάντα συστησαμένου γι̣νωσκομένου καὶ ὁμολογουμένου. Πάλαι μὲν γὰρ διαφορᾶς οὔσης ἐσχάτης καὶ πρώτης θαλάττης, τῆς τῶν Ἰουδαίων κλήσεως καὶ τῶν Ἑλλήνων, –αὗται γὰρ ἀπεδόθησαν α̣ἱ θάλασσαι, –οὐχ ὡμολογεῖτο ὑπὸ πάντων εἷς εἶναι Θεός. Οἱ μὲν εἰδωλολάτραι πολλοὺς ᾤοντο θεοὺς εἶναι, ἕνα δὲ οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι. Ἐλθόντος δὲ τοῦ εὐαγγελίου, τοῦ ἑνὸς καὶ μόνου γενεσιάρχου γνῶσις τοῖς ἀνθρώποις ὑπῆρκται, ὡς τὸν ἐν Χριστῷ λαλοῦντα Παῦλ̣ον γράφειν· «Μὴ Ἰουδαίων μόνον ὁ Θεός, οὐχὶ καὶ ἐθνῶν; Ναὶ καὶ ἐθνῶν, ἐπείπερ εἷς ὁ Θεός.» Του῀̣το γὰρ ἀποσημαίνει τὸ εἶναι εἷς ὁ Θεός. 5.93 Ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τοίνυν̣ ἐν ᾗ ἐλεύσεται ὁ προσδοκώμενος ἥκειν ὁ Μονογενὴς Υἱὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ, πάσης πλανήσεως καὶ ψευδοδοξίας καταλυθείσης, ὁ εἷς καὶ μόνος ἀληθινὸς Θεὸς̣ ὁμολογηθήσεται, ὡς αὐτῷ μόνῳ προσκυνεῖν καὶ λατρεύειν τοὺς γνῶσιν τῆς ἀληθείας ἐσχηκότας, οὐκέτ' ὄντων τῶν χειροποιήτων θεῶν, τοῦ θείου λόγου φάσκοντος· «Θεοὶ οἳ οὐκ ἐποίησαν τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ τὴν γῆν ἀπολέσθωσαν ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς καὶ ὑποκάτωθεν τοῦ οὐρανοῦ.» 5.94 Εἴρηται ἐν τοῖς πρότερον προκειμένοις ὡς ὀλοθρεύσει Κύριος ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς πάντα τὰ ξύλα, ἐξαιρῶν ἀπ' αὐτῆς τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἀκάθαρτον, ὡς μηδὲ τοὺς δαίμονας ἔτι νομίζεσθαι θεούς, περὶ ὧν ὁ θεολόγος φησὶν ᾧ «τὰ ἄδηλα καὶ τὰ κρύφια τῆς σοφίας» πεφανέρωται ὑπὸ τοῦ δεσπότου τῶν ὅλων· «Πάντες οἱ θεοὶ τῶν ἐθνῶν δ̣αιμόνια.» 5.95 Οὐ μόνον δέ, τούτων τῶν ψευδωνύμων θεῶν ἀναιρεθέντων τῷ μηκέτι ὑπολαμβάνεσθαι θεοὶ εἶναι ὁ μόνος Θεὸς γνωσθήσεται, «ἐπιστρεψάντων» τῶν ἀπ̣η̣ρτημένων «ἀπὸ τῶν εἰδώλων εἰς τὸ δουλεύειν Θεῷ ζῶντι καὶ ἀληθινῷ», ἀλλὰ καὶ τῷ εὐσεβῶς τεθεωρῆσθαι ὅτι οὐδὲ ὁ κόσμος Θεός ἐστιν, οὐδέ τι μέρος αὐτοῦ, οὐ λατρευόντων ἔτι ἢ σεβομένων τῶν ἀνθρώπων τῇ κτίσει παρὰ τὸν κτίσαντα, ὥστε μηκέτι προσκυνεῖν τῷ ἡλίῳ καὶ τῇ σελήνῃ ἢ λατρεύειν αὐτοῖς. 5.96 Τούτῳ τῷ τρόπῳ Θεοῦ ἑνὸς ἐσομένου, ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ᾗ ποιεῖ καὶ δείκνυσιν ὁ τῆς δικαιοσύνης ἥλιο̣ς, καὶ τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ ἓν ἔσται. Πάντων γὰρ σύμφωνον καὶ ἠκριβ̣ωμένην νόησιν καὶ εὐσεβῆ ἐχόντων, ἑνὶ ὀνόματι σημαίνεται, πληρουμένου τοῦ λεχθέντος ἐν ὕμνοις· «Θαυμ̣αστὸν τὸ ὄνομά σου ἐν πάσῃ τῇ γῇ», καὶ ἔτι· «Ἐμεγάλυνας ἐπὶ πάντας τὸ ὄνομα τὸ ἅγιόν σου», καὶ πάλιν· «Καθὼς τὸ ὄνομά σου, ὁ Θεός, οὕτω καὶ ἡ αἴνεσίς σου ἐπὶ τὰ πέρατα τῆς γῆς.» Συμφώνως τῷ ὑμνῳδῷ καὶ ὁ προφήτης Ἁμβακοὺμ περὶ τοῦ ἀλ̣ηθινοῦ Θεοῦ τάδε φησίν· «Αἰνέσεως αὐτοῦ πλήρης ἡ γῆ.» 5.97 Ἐπειδὴ ἁπανταχοῦ γῆς βεβόηται καὶ δοξάζεται ἡ τοῦ ἑνὸς Θεοῦ προσηγορία, ἄλλο ὄνομα