De Theologia (Orat. 28)

Gregory, of Nazianzus

Gregorius Nazianzenus, The Five Theological Orations, Mason, Cambridge, 1899

Ἐπειδὴ ἀνεκαθήραμεν τῷ λόγῳ τὸν θεόλογον, οἷόν τε εἶναι χρὴ διελθόντες, καὶ οἷστισι φιλοσοφητέον, καὶ ἡνίκα, καὶ ὅσον·—ὅτι ὡς οἷόν τε καθαροῖς, ἵνα φωτὶ καταλαμβάνηται φῶς· καὶ τοῖς ἐπιμελεστέροις, ἵνα μὴ ἄγονος ἦ εἰς ἄγονον χώραν ἐμπίπτων ὁ λόγος· καὶ ὅταν γαλήνην ἔχωμεν ἔνδον ἀπὸ τῆς ἔξω περιφορᾶς, ὥστε μή, καθάπερ οἱ λυττῶντες, τῷ πνεύματι διακόπτεσθαι· καὶ ὅσον ἐχωρήσαμεν, ἢ χωρούμεθα· —ἐπειδὴ ταῦτα οὕτω, καὶ ἐνεώσαμεν ἑαυτοῖς θεῖα νεώματα, ὥστε μὴ σπείρειν ἐπ’ ἀκάνθαις, καὶ τὸ πρόσωπον τῆς γῆς ὡμαλίσαμεν, τῆ γραφῇ τυπωθέντες τε καὶ τυπώσαντες· φέρε, τοῖς τῆς θεολογίας ἤδη προσβῶμεν λόγοις, προστησάμενοι τοῦ λόγου τὸν πατέρα, καὶ [*](1. 1 ἐπειδὴ] ἔπει ’δε be ’Or. I’ || 3 καθαροῖς] -ον d1 || 7 be: λύζοντες d2 ǁ 8 ἐπειδὴ] ἔπει ’δε ef || 11 τοις τῆς θεολ.] om τῆς d: ομ τῆς θεολ. c1) [*](1. Having spoken of the conditions under which theological subjects jects should be treated, we proceed to our theological enquiry itself, invoking the assistance of the Trinity.) [*](1. ἀνεκαθήραμεν] lit. ’cleaned up’; a ref. to the passage of Plato quoted above p. 11.) [*](3. φωτὶ καταλαμβάνηται φῶς] cf. John i 5; but Gr.'s interpretation of his text is a very doubtful one.) [*](4. ἐπιμελεστέροις] ‘among thougthful men,’ Ἄγονος=ἄκαρπος Mark iv 19.) [*](6. περιφορᾶς] cf. Oral, in Ful. 1 § 100 πλοῦτον, εὐκλείαν, εὐκλείαν, δυναστείαν, ἃ τῆς κάτω περιφορᾶς of Gr. 's. ἐστὶ καὶ ὀνειρώδους τέρψεως. Hesych. renders the word by ἢ κατὰ κίνησις—‘whirl.’ Cp. Plat. Rep. 10 p. 616; Eccl. ii 2.) [*](7. τῷ πνεῦμ’. διακόπτεσθαι] ‘be stopped for want of breath.’) [*](ib. ἐχωρήσαμεν, ἢ χωρούμεθα] Our limits are fixed by our own capacity and by that of those whom we address.) [*](8. ἐνεώσαμεν...ἀκάνθαις] Jer. iv 3.) [*](10. τὸ πρόσ’. τ. γ. ὡμαλίσαμεν] Is. xxviii 25.) [*](12 προστησάμενοι τ. λ.] ’making God the προστάτης, or patron, of the ’;—a favourite expression of Gr's.)

τὸν υἱόν, καὶ τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον, περὶ ὧν ὁ λόγος, ὥστε τὸν μὲν εὐδοκεῖν, τὸν δὲ συνεργεῖν, τὸ δὲ ἐμπνεῖν· μᾶλλον δὲ μίαν ἐκ τῆς μιᾶς θεότητος γενέσθαι τὴν ἔλλαμψιν ἑνικῶς διαιρουμένην, καὶ συναπτομένην διαιρέτως, ὃ καὶ παράδοξον.

Ἀνιόντι δέ μοι προθύμως ἐπὶ τὸ ὄρος, ἢ τό γε ἀληθέστερον εἰπεῖν, προθυμουμένῳ τε ἅμα καὶ ἀγωνιῶντι, τὸ μὲν διὰ τὴν ἐλπίδα, τὸ δὲ διὰ τὴν ἀσθένειαν, ἵνα τῆς νεφέλης εἴσω γένωμαι, καὶ θεῷ συγγένωμαι τοῦτο γὰρ κελεύει θεός), εἰ μέν τις Ἀαρών, συνανίτω καὶ στηκέτω πλησίον, κἂν ἔξω μένειν τῆς νεφέλης δέῃ, τοῦτο δεχόμενος. εἰ δέ τις Ναδάβ, ἢ Ἀβιούδ, ἢ τῆς γερουσίας, ἀνίτω μέν, ἀλλὰ στηκέτω πόρρωθεν, κατὰ τὴν ἀξίαν τῆς καθάρσεως. εἰ δέ τις τῶν πολλῶν καὶ ἀναξίων ὕψους τοιούτου καὶ θεωρίας, εἰ μὲν ἄναγνος πάντῃ, μηδὲ προσίτω, οὐ γὰρ ἀσφαλές· εἰ δὲ πρόσκαιρα γοῦν ἡγνισμένος, κάτω μενέτω, καὶ μόνης ἀκουέτω τῆς φωνῆς καὶ τῆς σάλπιγγος, τῶν ψιλῶν τῆς εὐσεβείας ῥημάτων· καπνιζόμενόν τε τὸ ὄρος βλεπέτω καὶ καταστραπτόμενον, ἀπειλήν τε ὁμοῦ καὶ θαῦμα τοῖς ἀνιέναι μὴ δυναμένοις. εἰ δέ τις θηρίον ἐστὶ [*](3 τῆς μιας] μιᾶς τῆς d 2. 8 ασθενειαν] ἀλήθειαν cd ’Or. I1’ || 15 προσίτω οὐ γὰρ] προσιτετω οὐδὲ γὰρ ’Or. I’ ǁ 18 καπνιζόμενον τε] και καπν. c: om τε e || 19 βλεπέτω] ’in nonnullis βλεπων’) [*](4. ἑνικῶς ἑνικῶς κτλ.] ‘an illumination which, though one, comes in three different modes, and which, though coming in different modes, is united.’) [*](2. Like Moses, Gr. is called up the mountain to converse with He invites his hearers to join him as far as may be permitted, like Aaron or the elders. ’Beasts’ are warned away.) [*](6. ἀνιόντι] Ex. xix 3 foil.) [*](7. ἀγωνιῶντι] ‘filled with anxious fear.’) [*](8. ἵνα] depends upon ἀνιόντι. τῆς νεφέλης Ex. xxiv 18.) [*](10. Ἀαρών] Ex. xix 24.) [*](11 τοῦτο] sc. ἔξω μένειν. Gr. infrequently uses δέχεσθαι m tne sense of ’accepting’’ a situation, i.e. not rebelling against it.) [*](12. Ναδάβ κτλ.] Ex. xxiv 1.) [*](13. κ. τ. ἀξίαν τ. καθάρσεως] ‘acinto cording to the degree of his purification.’ Cp. Ex. xix 22.) [*](16. πρόσκαιρα γ. ἡγν.] Ex. xix 14, 15.) [*](18. τ. φιλῶν τ. εὐσ. ῥημάτων] Cp. Deut. iv 12 (Heb. xii 19). They are to hear τὰ ψιλὰ ῥ’. as distinguished from attempting to understand depths of their meaning.) [*](20. θη̣ρίον] Ex. xix 13. Cp. Greg. Moral, vi 27 ’bestia montem tangit, cum mens irrationabilibus desideriis subdita ad contemplationis alta se erigit: sed lapidibus percutitur, quia summa non sustinens ipsis superni ponderis ictibus necatur.’)

πονηρὸν καὶ ἀνήμερον καὶ ἀνεπίδεκτον πάντῃ λόγων θεωρίας καὶ θεολογίας, μὴ ἐμφωλευέτω ταῖς ὕλαις κακούργως καὶ κακοηθῶς, ἵνα τινὸς λάβηται δόγματος ἢ ῥήματος, ἀθρόως προσπηδῆσαν, καὶ σπαράξῃ τοὺς ὑγιαίνοντας λόγους ταῖς ἐπηρείαις, ἀλλ’ ἔτι πόρρωθεν στηκέτω, καὶ ἀποχωρείτω τοῦ ὄρους, ἢ λιθοβοληθήσεται, καὶ συντριβήσεται, καὶ ἀπολεῖται κακῶς κακός· λίθοι γὰρ τοῖς θηριώδεσιν οἱ ἀληθεῖς λόγοι καὶ στερροί. εἴτε πάρδαλις εἴη, συναποθνησκέτω τοῖς ποικίλμασιν· εἴτε λέων ἁρπάζων καὶ ὠρυόμενος καὶ ζητῶν ἥντινα βρῶσιν ποιήσεται τῶν ἡμετέρων ψυχῶν ἢ λέξεων· εἴτε σῦς καταπατῶν τοὺς καλούς τε καὶ διαυγεῖς μαργαρίτας τῆς ἀληθείας· εἴτε λύκος Ἀραβικὸς καὶ ἀλλόφυλος, ἢ καὶ τούτων ὀξύτερος τοῖς σοφίσμασιν· εἴτε ἀλώπηξ, δολερά τις ψυχὴ καὶ ἄπιστος, καὶ ἄλλοτε ἄλλη, τοῖς καιροῖς καὶ ταῖς χρείαις συμμορφουμένη, ἢν νεκρὰ τρέφει καὶ ὀδωδότα σώματα, ἢ ἀμπελῶνες μικροί, [*](1 om ἀνήμερον καὶ e ǁ 3 ῥήματος η δόγματος f || 7 κακὸς κάκως c || 10 ποιήσεται] -σηται d) [*](1. ἀνεπίδεκτον π. λόγων θ. κ. θ.] ‘altogether incapable of taking in the words of contemplation and theology,’ 2. μὴ ἐμφωλευέτω] from φωλεός ‘a den’; ‘let him not lurk in the ’ which Gr. imagines to clothe the base of the hill.) [*](4. ἀθρόως] ’all at once’; explained by Suid. = ταχέχως: otherwise it would be in accordance with the etymology to understand it of the animal gathering itself up for the spring. Cp. § 21.) [*](ib. τ. ὑγιαίν. λόγους] 1 Tim. vi 3, 2 Tim. i 13.) [*](5. ταῖς ἐπηρείαις] ‘abuse’; cp. ἐπηρεάζομεν above i 6.) [*](ib. ἔτι πόρρωθεν] a kind of com- parative= πορρωτέρω. Cp. v 5 μικρὸν ἄνωθεν.) [*](8. στερροί] Cp. above i 3.) [*](9. τοῖς ποικίλμασιν] Jer. xiii 23.) [*](ib. λέων...ὠρυόμενος] 1 Pet. v 8.) [*](11. σῦς καταπατῶν] Matt, vii 6.) [*](12. λύκος Ἀραβικός] Hab. i 8 (LXX.); cp. Zeph. iii 3. The words κ. ἀλλόφυλος (i.e. ‘or Philistine’) seem to be added to emphasize mystic interpretation of Ἀραβικός.) [*](15. τοῖς καιροῖς κ. τ. χρείαις συμμ.] ‘shifting shape according to opportunities and necessities.’) [*](16. ἀμπελῶνες μ] Cant, ii 15 ἀλώπεκας μικροὺς ἀφανίζοντας ἀμπελῶνας. Gr. joins μικροὺς with ἀμπ. instead of ἀλώπ., understanding the sentence to denote the meanness of the ‘foxes’ (i.e. jackals), which did not venture to attack the large vineyeards, and spoiled the small ones instead.)

τῶν μεγάλων διαπεφευγότων· εἴτε τι ἄλλο τῶν ὠμοβόρων, καὶ ἀποβλήτων τῷ νόμῳ, καὶ οὐ καθαρῶν εἰς βρῶσίν τε καὶ ἀπόλαυσιν. βούλεται γὰρ τούτων ἀπ’ ἀποχωρήσας ὁ λόγος οὕτω πλαξὶ στερραῖς καὶ λιθίναις ἐγγράφεσθαι, καὶ ταύταις ἀμφοτέρωθεν, διά τε τὸ φαινόμενον τοῦ νόμου καὶ τὸ κρυπτόμενον· τὸ μὲν τοῖς πολλοῖς καὶ κάτω μένουσι, τὸ δὲ τοῖς ὀλίγοις καὶ ἄνω φθάνουσιν.

Τί τοῦτο ἔπαθον, ὦ φίλοι καὶ μύσται καὶ τῆς ἀληθείας συνερασταί; ἔτρεχον μὲν ὡς θεὸν καταληψόμενος, μένος, καὶ οὕτως ἀνῆλθον ἐπὶ τὸ ὄρος, καὶ τὴν νεφέλην διέσχον, εἴσω γενόμενος ἀπὸ τῆς ὕλης καὶ τῶν ὑλικῶν, καὶ εἰς ἐμαυτὸν ὡς οἷόν τε συστραφείς. ῥαφείς. ἐπεὶ δὲ προσέβλεψα, μόλις εἶδον θεοῦ τὰ ὀπίσθια· καὶ τοῦτο τῆ πέτρᾳ σκεπασθείς, [*](3. 8 om μύσται καὶ d || 9 ἔτρεχον] εἶχον ac ‘ Reg. a tres Colb. Or. I ’ ǁ 10 ἀνῆλθον] ἀπῆλθον e) [*](1. ὠμοβόρων] = ὠμηστής ‘devouring raw flesh,’ The Law does expressly forbid the eating of such animals on that ground; but it appears to be the reason for the prohibition of most of the birds enumerated in Lev. xi, Deut. xiv.) [*](4. οὕτω] resumes the preceding clause—like sic demum; ’not it has got rid of these.’) [*](ib. πλαξὶ...λιθίναις] Ex. xxiv 12. Α somewhat difficult turn in the application of the narrative. Gr., or rather his λόγος as identified with him, has ascended the mountain, with a view to having impressed upon him, or upon it, the teaching of God, as the Commandments were upon the tables of stone. The epithets στερραῖς κ. θ. are intended to convey the thought of something — no transient impression.) [*](5. ἀμφοτέρωθεν] Ex. xxxii 15. Again a somewhat fantastic application. One side of the tables is seen—one part of the λόγος is —by every one; but there is a reverse which only few can read, viz. those who succeed in reaching the mountain top φθάνουσιν). This use of φθάνειν is familiar in the Ν. T.) [*](3. When he has reached the appointed spot, he can only see the ‘back parts’ of God.) [*](8. μύσται] Those who are initiated into the mysteries.) [*](9. καταληψόμενος] ‘as if I were about to apprehend God.’) [*](11. διέσχον] ‘penetrated’: cf. Horn. Il. v 99 ἀντικρὺ δὲ διέσχε. Gr. uses it § 31 of penetrating through the veil of the Tabernacle.) [*](ib. ὕλης] ’matter.’) [*](12. συστραφείς] ‘having gathered myself up’: cp. Plat. Rep. 1 p. 336 συστρέψας ἑαυτὸν ὥσπερ θηρίον ἧκεν ἐφ’ ἡμᾶς.) [*](13. τὰ ὀπίσθια] Ex. xxxiii 23.) [*](ib. τῇ πέτρᾳ σκεπασθείς] Ex. xxxiii 23 σκ. τῇ χειρί μου. This interpretation of the ‘ cleft in the rock,’ made familiar to Englishmen by ’s hymn, is very ancient. Cp. Iren. IV xx 9 ‘uidebit...in altitudine petrae, hoc est, in eo qui est secundum hominem eius aduentu,’ The Incarnation gives an assured point from which we may observe and study God, without being overwelmed by the greatness of the revelation. The glories of the Divine Nature are tempered for us, as it were, by the Human Life which encompasses us as we look out from it to the Divine. By the Incarnation, our field of contemplation is at once restricted and made clear.)

τῷ σαρκωθέντι δι’ ἡμᾶς θεῷ Λόγῳ· καὶ μικρὸν διακύψας, οὐ τὴν πρώτην τε καὶ ἀκήρατον φύσιν, καὶ ἑαυτῇ, λέγω δὴ τῆ τριάδι, γινωσκομένην, καὶ ὅση τοῦ πρώτου καταπετάσματος εἴσω μένει καὶ ὑπὸ τῶν Χερουβὶμ συγκαλύπτεται, ἀλλ’ ὅση τελευταία καὶ εἰς ἡμᾶς φθάνουσα. ἡ δέ ἐστιν, ὅσα ἐμὲ γινώσκειν, ἡ ἐν τοῖς κτίσμασι καὶ τοῖς ὑπ’ αὐτοῦ προβεβλημένοις καὶ διοικουμένοις μεγαλειότης, ἤ, ὡς ὁ θεῖος Δαβὶδ ὀνομάζει, μεγαλοπρέπεια. ταῦτα γὰρ θεοῦ τὰ ὀπίσθια, ὅσα μετ’ ἐκεῖνον ἐκείνου γνωρίσματα, ὥσπερ αἱ καθ’ ὑδάτων ἡλίου σκιαὶ καὶ εἰκόνες ταῖς σαθραῖς ὄψεσι [*](1 om θέω acd ǁ 6 ὅσα] ὡς ‘Reg. a’) [*](1. διακύψας] ‘peering through the aperture,’ Εἶδον must be again before φύσιν.) [*](2. τὴν πρώτην] In ref. to Ex. xxxiii 20 οὐ δυνήσῃ ἰδεῖν μου τὸ πρόσωπον. Ἀκήρατος practically, if not etymologically, = ἀκέραιος ‘pure,’ ‘unmixed.’ Cp. Arist. de Mundo ii 5 στοιχεῖον ἅκ. τε καὶ θεῖον. Gr. adds λ. δ. τῇ τριάδι lest he should suggest the Sabellian notion of a self-conscious Nature distinct from the Persons in whom it resides.) [*](3. τ. πρώτου καταπ.] i.e. as reckoned from the seat of the Divine Presence, not as in Heb. ix 3 in the order of human approach.) [*](4. ὁ. τ. χερουβὶμ σηκ.] It seems more natural to suppose that Gr. refers to the Cherubim covering the Mercy Seat (Ex. xxv 20 [19]), than to the decoration of the veil (Ex. xxvi 31). Cp. Ezek. xxviii 14, 16, where, however, there is nothing in most texts of the LXX. to represent ’covering.’) [*](5. τελευταία] to recall τὰ ὀπίσθια. Φθάνουσα as above.) [*](id. ἢ δέ] Gr. does not of course mean to distinguish sharply between the πρώτη and τελευταία φύσις, as if they were separate natures. He means the expressed and unexpressed parts or aspects of the same nature. The danger of misunderstanding is not felt in Greek, where words like πρῶτος, μέσος and the like, are commonly monly used in a partitive sense; e.g. ὁ πρῶτος ποὺς ’the front of the foot.’) [*](6. ὅσα ἐμὲ γινώσκειν] sc. πάρεστι. ib. ὑπ’ αὐτοῦ] sc. τοῦ θεοῦ, to be supplied from θεοῦ τὰ ὀπίσθια above.) [*](8. μεγαλοπρέπεια] used of God nine times in the Pss.; μεγαλειότης is not. Prob. Gr. refers esp. to Ps. viii 2 (1), ciii (civ) 1 (in some texts), cx (cxi) 3, or cxliv (cxlv) 5, 12, where the word is used in connexion with God's works. Gr. prefers the word because it expresses Dot the abstract quality, like μεγαλειότης, but the impression produced by its manifesta- tion.) [*](9. ὅσα μετ’ ἐκεῖνον ἐκ. γνωρ.] ‘all the indications of Himself which He has lift behind Him,’ Elias pares Wisd. xiii 5.) [*](10. σαθραῖς ὄψεσι] Cp. i 3.)

παραδεικνῦσαι τὸν ἥλιον, ἐπεὶ μὴ αὐτὸν προσβλέπειν οἷόν τε, τῷ ἀκραιφνεῖ τοῦ φωτὸς νικῶντα τὴν αἴσθησιν. οὕτως οὖν θεολογήσεις, κἂν ἦς Μωυσῆς καὶ Φαραὼ θεός, κἂν μέχρι τρίτου κατὰ τὸν Παῦλον οὐρανοῦ φθάσῃς, καὶ ἀκούσῃς ἄρρητα ῥήματα· κἂν ὑπὲρ ἐκεῖνον γένη, ἀγγελικῆς τινὸς ἢ ἀρχαγγελικῆς στάσεως τε καὶ τάξεως ἠξιωμένος. κἂν γὰρ οὐράνιον ἅπαν, κἂν ὑπερουράνιόν τι, καὶ πολὺ τὴν φύσιν ὑψηλότερον ἡμῶν ἦ, καὶ ἐγγυτέρω θεοῦ, πλέον ἀπέχει θεοῦ καὶ τῆς τελείας καταλήψεως, ἢ ὅσον ἡμῶν ὑπεραίρει τοῦ συνθέτου καὶ ταπεινοῦ καὶ κάτω βρίθοντος κράματος.