Son And Unicorn

Καὶ ὁ ἠγαπημένος ὡς υἱος μονοκερώτων. Ὁ μονογενὴς Υἱος, ὁ διδοὺς ζωὴν τῷ κόσμῳ, ὅταν μὲν προσφέρῃ θυσίαν καὶ προσφορὰν ἑαυτὸν τῷ Θεῷ ὑπὲρ τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν ἡμῶν, καὶ ἀμνὸς ὀνομάζεται, τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ πρόβατον. Ἴδε γὰρ, φησὶν, ὁ ἀμνὸς τοῦ Θεοῦ· καὶ πάλιν· Ὡς πρόβατον ἐπὶ σφαγὴν ἤχθη. Ὅταν δὲ ἀμύνασθαι δέῃ καὶ καθελεῖν τὴν δυναστείαν τὴν ἐπιφυομένην τῷ γένει τῶν ἀνθρώπων, ἐκτεθηριωμένην τινὰ καὶ ἀπηγριωμένην δύναμιν, τότε υἱος μονοκερώτων ὀνομάζεται. Ζῶον γὰρ, ὡς ἐν τῷ Ἰὼβ μεμαθήκαμεν, ὁ μονόκερώς ἐστιν ἄμαχον τὴν δύναμιν, ανυπότακτον τοῖς ἀνθρώποις. Οὐ γὰρ δήσεις αὐτὸν, φησὶν, ἱμάντι, οὐδε κοιμηθήσεται ἐπὶ φάτνης. Καὶ πολλὰ περὶ τοῦ ἐλευθεριάζειν τὸ ζώον καὶ μὴ ὑπείκειν τοῖς ἀνθρώποις ἐν ἐκείνῳ τῷ μέρει τῆς προφητείας εἴρηται. Καὶ παρατετήρηται, ὅτι ἐπ' ἀμφότερα κεχρηται τῇ εἰκόνι τοῦ μονοκέρωτος ἡ Γραφή· ποτὲ μὲν ἐπαινετῶς, ἄλλοτε δὲ διαβεβλημένως. Ῥῦσαι γὰρ, φησὶν, ἐκ ῥομφαὶς τὴν ψυχήν μου, καὶ ἀπὸ κεράτων μονοκερώτων τὴν ταπείνωσιν μου. Τὸν πολεμοποιὸν λαὸν διαβάλλων ταῦτα φησι παρὰ τὸν καιρὸν τοῦ πάθους ἐπαναστάντα αὐτῷ. Πάλιν δὲ, Ὑψωθήσεται, φησὶν, ὡς μονοκέρωτος τὸ κέρας μου. Ἔοικεν οὖν διὰ μὲν τὸ ἁμυντικὸν τοῦ ζώου ἐπὶ τὴν τῶν χειρόνων εἰκασίαν  πολλάκις παραλαμβάνεσθαι, διὰ δὲ τὸ ὑψίκερων καὶ ἑλευθέριον πρὸς τὴν τοῦ βελτίονος ἄγεσθαι εἰκασίαν. Καὶ ὅλως, ἐπειδὴ τὸ κέρας ὑπὸ τῆς Γραφῆς ἀντὶ τῆς δόξης πολλαχοῦ παρειλημμένον ἔστιν εὑρεῖν, ὡς τὸ, Ὑψώσει κέρας λαοῦ αὐτοῦ· καὶ, Τὸ κέρας αὐτοῦ ὑψωθήσεται ἑν δόξῃ· ἢ καὶ ἐπειδὴ τὸ κέρας ἀντὶ δυνάμεως πολλάκις παραλαμβάνεται· ὡς τὸ, Ὕπερασπιστής μου καὶ κέρας σωτηρίας μου· Χριστὸς δὲ Θεοῦ δύναμις· διὰ τοῦτο ὡς ἔν ἔχων κέρας, τουτέστι μίαν δύναμιν ἔχων τὴν τοῦ Πατρὸς, μονόκερως προσηγόρευται. Ἅγιος Βασίλειος ὁ Μέγας, Ὁμιλία Ἐις Τους Ψαλμούς, Εἰς Τον ΚΗ' Ψαλμον  Source: Migne PG 29 296

'And beloved as a son of the unicorns.' 1 The only begotten Son who gave life to the world when He offered himself to the Lord as a sacrifice and oblation for our sins, is named the lamb of God and the sheep, 'Behold the lamb of God,' 2 and 'As a sheep led to the slaughter.'  3 But when to ward off and pull down the growing power of the race of men, like some unbroken and untamed power, so He is named the son of the unicorn. For we learn in Job that the unicorn is an animal of unconquerable virtue and never subject to men. It says, 'For you will not bind him nor will he sleep in a stable.'  4 For that the animal is a great lover of liberty and not tameable by men is spoken of in this part of prophecy. But it has been observed that in one part of Scripture the likeness to a unicorn is used in laudatory fashion and in another to dispraise. 'Seize,' David says,'my soul from the swords and my humility from the horns of the unicorns.' 5 He spoke these things against a warring people, when a time of distress had come upon him. For again it is said, 'He shall exult my horn like the unicorn.' 6 And it seems on account of the passion of the animal for revenge that is often understood in a bad sense, and contrariwise on account of its high horn and desire for freedom, it is used in a good sense. And in sum, because we find that Scripture often employs the horn as a sign of glory, for example, 'He shall exult the horn of his people,' 7 and 'His horn he shall exult in glory,' 8  this is because the horn is understood as virtue, that is, 'My protector and horn of my salvation.'  9 And Christ is the power of God, therefore He is named as He who has one horn, that is, He has one common power with the Father. Saint Basil of Caesarea, Homilies on the Psalms, from Psalm 28 1 Ps 28.6 2 Jn 1.29 3 Act 8.32, Isa 53.7 4 Job 39.10 5 Ps 21.22 6 Ps 91.11 7 Ps 148.14 8 Ps 111.9 9 Ps 17.3