Eran. -The type must have the character of the archetype.
Orth. -Is man called an image of God?
Eran. -Man is not an image of God, but was made in the image of God.
Orth. -Listen then to the Apostle. He says: "For a man indeed ought not to cover his head, forasmuch as he is the image and glory of God."
Eran. -Granted, then, that he is an image of God.
Orth. -According to your argument then he must needs have plainly preserved the characters of the archetype, and have been uncreate, uncompounded, and infinite. He ought in like manner to have been able to create out of the non existent, he ought to have fashioned all things by his word and without labour, in addition to this to have been free from sickness, sorrow, anger, and sin, to have been immortal and incorruptible and to possess all the qualities of the archetype.
Eran. -Man is not an image of God in every respect.
Orth. -Though truly an image in the qualities in which you would grant him to be so, you will find that he is separated by awide interval from the reality.
Eran. -Agreed.
Orth. -Consider now too this point. The divine Apostle calls the Son the image of the Father; for he says "Who is the image of the invisible God?"
Eran. -What then; has not the Son all the qualities of the Father?
Orth. -He is not Father. He is not uncaused. He is not unbegotten.
Eran. -If He were He would not be Son.
Orth. -Then does not what I said hold good; the image has not all the qualities of the archetype?
Eran. -True.
Orth. -Thus too the divine Apostle said that Melchisedec is made like unto the Son of God.
Eran. -Suppose we grant that he is without Father and without Mother and without descent, as you have said. But how are we to understand his having neither beginning of days nor end of life?
Orth. -The holy Moses when writing the ancient genealogy tells us how Adam being so many years old begat Seth, and when he had lived so many years he ended his life. So too he writes of Seth, of Enoch, and of the rest, but of Melchisedec he mentions neither beginning of existence nor end of life. Thus as far as the story goes he has neither beginning of days nor end of life, but in truth and reality the only begotten Son of God never began to exist and shall never have an end.
Eran. -Agreed.
Orth. -Then, so far as what belongs to God and is really divine is concerned, Melchisedec is a type of the Lord Christ; but as far as the priesthood is concerned, which belongs rather to man than to God, the Lord Christ was made a priest after the order of Melchisedec. For Melchisedec was a high priest of the people, and the Lord Christ for all men has made the right holy offering of salvation.
Eran. -We have spent many words on this matter.
Orth. -Yet more were needed, as you know, for you said the point was a difficult one.
Eran. -Let us return to the question before us.
Orth. -What was the question?
Eran. -On my remarking that Christ must not be called man, but only God, you yourself besides many other testimonies adduced also the well known words of the Apostle which he has used in his epistle Timothy-"One God, one mediator between God and men, the man, Christ Jesus, who gave himself a ransom for all to be testified in due time."