348 NOV ATI AN THE BOM AN PRESBYTER blessing,whence he meant it to be understoodthatthesame personisGod and Angel. But yet He cannot be received as God the Father ; but as God and Angel, as ChristHe can be received. And Him, as the authorof thisblessing, Jacob alsosignifiedby placinghishands crossedupon thelads, as if theirfatherwas Christ,and showing,from thusplacing hishands,the figureand futureform of the passion.Letno one,therefore,who does not shrinkfrom speakingof Christ as an Angel, thus shrink from pronouncing Him God also, when he perceivesthat He Himself was invoked in the blessingof these lads,by the sacrament of the passion,in timatedin the type of the [crossed]hands,as both God and Angel. CHAPTER XX.1 Argument. — Itisprovedfrom theScripturesthatChristwas calledan angel. But yet itisshownfrom otherpartsof holyScripturetliatHe is God also. But ifsome heretic,obstinatelystrugglingagainstthetruth, should persistin all these instanceseitherin understand ing that Christ was properlyan angel,or should contend thatHe must be so understood,he must in thisrespectalso be subdued by the forceof truth. For if,sinceallheavenlj things,earthlythings,and things under the earth,aresub jectedto Christ,even the angels themselves,with allother creatures,as many as are subjectedtoChrist,arecalledgods, rightlyalsoChristisGod. And ifany angel at allsubjected to Christ can be calledGod, and this,if itbe said,isalso professedwithout blasphemy,certainlymuch more can this be fittingfor Christ,Himself the Son of God, forHim tobe pronounced God. For ifan angelwho issubjectedtoChrist is exaltedas God, much more, and more consistently,shall Christ,to whom allangelsare subjected,be said to be God. For itisnot suitableto.nature,thatwhat isconcededtothe 1AccordingtoPamelius,ch.XT.