Who speaks of Christ's majesty and divinity? That by expla- (continued)
TRACTATE 3 87 suffer for you." This is grace, and a great grace. Who praises it worthily?
15. I am speaking about Christ's lowliness, my brothers. Who speaks of Christ's majesty and divinity? That by explanation or by speech we might in any way at all speak of Christ's humility, we are not capable; rather, we are quite incapable. We entrust the whole Christ to your thoughts; we do not fully satisfy you who hear us. Ponder the lowliness of Christ. But who, you say, could explain this to us, if you should not describe it? Let him describe it within. He who dwells within describes it better than he who shouts from without.^^ Let him himself show you the grace of his lowliness, he who has begun to dwell in your hearts.- ' (2) But now if we fail in explaining and propounding his lowliness, who may speak of his majesty? If "the Word made flesh" confounds us, who will explain "in the beginning was the Word"?^^ Hold tight, then, my brothers, this wholeness [of Christ].
16. "The Law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ." Through a servant the Law was given; it made men guilty. Through an emperor pardon was given; it set free the guilty. "The Law was given through Moses." Let the servant not consign to himself anything greater than what was done through him. Chosen for a great ministry as a faithful man in the house, but still a servant,^^ he can act according to the Law; he cannot release from the guilt of the Law. Thus "the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ."
17. And that no one perchance may say, "And were not grace and truth accomplished through Moses, who saw
God?", [the Evangelist] immediately added, "No one has at any time seen God." And how did God become known to
49. The CCL text uniquely reads quid loquitur, without a critical note to suggest a reason for the variant reading. I suspect this is a misprint and so have translated the otherwise universally attested reading. The CCL reading is difficult to translate: "How does one speak of . . . (?)." 50. Cf. Tractate 1.7. 51. Cf. Eph 3.17. 52. Cf. Jn 1.14 and 1. 53. Cf. Heb 3.5— 6 and Nm 12.7.