ἐπεὶ δέ ἐστιν [*](1 μελλοι] -λει ‘Reg. a’ || 6 προς το ειπ be || 8 om τε a || 11 om αν ‘Or. 1’ || 12 λεγοι] -ει ‘Reg. a tres Colb. Or. 1’ ut vid || τρεις ουδε τεσσαρες] τρια ουδε -ρα cde : τρεις ουδε -ρας b || 16 om γαρ d || εστιν] + ειπειν c) [*](2. ἀποχρώντως] ‘sufficiently,’ ‘adequately.’) [*](4. οὐδὲ ἐκεῖ] in the case of incorporeal existences.) [*](ib. μέχρι τοῦ εἰπεῖν] In accordance with the double meaning of all such words, μέχρι has here the inclusive sense (‘so long as’), not the exclusive (‘until’). It is much less common when μ. is used prepositionally, as here. Οὐ στήσεται μέχρι τ. εἰ. ‘will not stop short with saying.’ Cp. § 16, 31.) [*](5. πολυπραγμονῶν] ‘inquiring’ The word does not necessarily imply censure, esp. in the later Greek. Cyril Jer. uses it of God (Procat. § 2). The τοῦ ὄντος does not specially refer to God (ὁ ὤν), but quite generally to any existing thing which is under discussion.) [*](8. ἀπειπεῖν] ‘to reject,’ ‘deny.’) [*](ib. ἵνα ἔκ τε] depends on δεὸ.) [*](ib. ὧν οὔκ ἐστι] by attraction for τούτων ἃ οὐκ ἑ. ; so directly after, τῆς οὗ ἐστὶ θ. for τῆς τούτου ὅ ἐστι.) [*](11. τὰ πέντε δὶς ὅσα ἑ.] ‘how many twice five is.’) [*](13. τῶν ἐντὸς δεκάδος ἢ δ. ἀ.] ‘of the numbers below ten or between the multiples of ten.’) [*](15. ἐρείδοL . . . εἰd] ‘satisfy . . . with’; lit. ‘plant firmly . . . upon.’) [*](19. ἤ] This elliptical and idio- matic use of ἤ suggests the alternative, ‘deny this if you can; or let us take it as self-evident and pass on.’ The μὲν is strictly answered by ἐπεὶ δέ, and there ought not to be such a break between them as is indicated by the usual division of chapters.)
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ἀσώματον ἡμῖν τὸ θεῖον, μικρόν τι προσεξετάσωμεν. πότερον οὐδαμοῦ τοῦτο, ἢ ἔστιν ὅπου; εἰ μὲν γὰρ οὐδαμοῦ, ζητήσαι τις ἃν τῶν ἄγαν ἐξεταστικῶν, πῶς ἂν καὶ εἴη. εἰ γὰρ τὸ μὴ ὃν οὐδαμοῦ, τὸ μηδαμοῦ τυχὸν οὐδὲ ὄν. εἰ δέ ἐστί που, πάντως ἐπείπερ ἐστὶν ἢ ἐν τῷ παντὶ ἢ ὑπὲρ τὸ πᾶν. ἀλλ’ εἰ μὲν ἐν τῷ παντί, ἤ τινι, ἢ πανταχοῦ. καὶ εἰ μὲν ἔν τινι, ὑπ’ ἐλάττονος περιγραφήσεται τοῦ τινός, εἰ δὲ πανταχοῦ, ὑπὸ πλείονος καὶ ἄλλου πολλοῦ, λέγω δὲ τὸ περιεχόμενον τοῦ περιέχοντος, εἰ τὸ πᾶν ὑπὸ τοῦ παντὸς μέλλοι περισχεθήσεσθαι, καὶ μηδένα τόπον εἶναι περιγραφῆς ἐλεύθερον. ταῦτα μέν
[*](10. 3 τις ἀν’] om ἀν’ d ΙΙ 7 η τινι] ἐν τινι e || 10 μέλλοι] -λει d) [*](10. Gr. makes a digression to enquire how God is related to space.) [*](2. ἐστιν ὅπου] ‘somewhere,’ like ἐστιν ὧν in i 5.) [*](3. πῶς ἂν καἰ εἴη] ‘how it can exist at all.’) [*](5. πάντως ἐπείπερ ἐστὶν ἢ... ἤ] ‘it must of course be because it is either ...or.’) [*](7. ἤ τινι, ἢ πανταχοῦ] ‘it must reside either in α section of the universe, or extending throughout the whole: The passage which follows is characterized by Gr. himself (in § 11) as σκολιὸν γριφοειδές. Editors, therefore, and translators may be excused if they have made nonsense of it by wrong punctuation and by impossible renderings. The drift, however, is plain enough. Gr. places his opponent in a dilemma. If the Divine Being is located in a section of the universe, it is circumscribed by something relatively small τοῦ τινός=the supposed section, ἐλάττονος in comparison with τὸ πᾶν); a notion which is manifestly absurd. If on the other hand it is located in the universe at large, yet still (ex hypothesi) within the universe, then, though the thing which circumscribes it is relatively great πλ. καὶ ἄλλου πολλοῦ=‘greater than other great things’), yet none less it is as much circumscribed as in the former case. This follows from the very statement that τὸ θεῖον is ‘in’ the universe, which at once involves the relation of the thing containing to the thing contpined (grammatically τὸ περιεχόμενον is in apposition to the subject of περιγραφήσεται, and τοῦ περιέχοντος to ἐλάττονος τοῦ τινός and to πλείονος respectively). To complete the argument, however, it is necessary to postulate εἰ...μέλλοι) that the universe is not positively infinite but contained within itself if within nothing else, and that as it consists of space-relations it cannot he exempt from the possibility of circumscription. (The grammar of the last clause is apparently irregular, and some word like χρὴ must be supplied from μέλλοι; but it is possible that Gr. intends μέλλοι to stand absolutely and impersonally in both clauses (=‘it is to be a ’), making τό πᾶν περισχ. ace. and inf., like μ. τόπον εἶναι).) 38
εἰ ἐν τῷ παντί. καὶ ποῦ πρὶν γενέσθαι τὸ πᾶν; οὐδὲ γὰρ τοῦτο μικρὸν εἰς ἀπορίαν. εἰ δὲ ὑπὲρ τὸ πᾶν, ἆρ᾿ οὐδὲν ἦν τὸ διορίζον αὐτὸ τοῦ παντός; ποῦ δὲ τὸ ὑπὲρ τοῦτο; καὶ πῶς ἐνοήθη τὸ ὑπεραῖρον καὶ ὑπεραιρόμενον, οὐκ ὄντος ὅρου τινὸς τοῦ τέμνοντος ταῦτα καὶ διορίζοντος; ἢ χρὴ πάντως εἶναι τὸ μέσον, καὶ ᾧ περατοῦται τὸ πᾶν καὶ τὸ ὑπὲρ τὸ πᾶν; καὶ τί ἄλλο τοῦτο ἢ τόπος ἐστίν, ὅνπερ ἐφύγομεν; καὶ οὔπω λέγω τὸ περιγραπτὸν πάντως εἶναι τὸ θεῖον, καὶ εἰ διανοίᾳ καταληπτόν· ἓν γὰρ περιγραφῆς εἶδος καὶ ἡ κατάληψις.
τίνος οὖν ἕνεκεν ταῦτα διῆλθον, καὶ περιεργότερον ἴσως ἢ κατὰ τὰς τῶν πολλῶν ἀκοάς, καὶ κατὰ τὸν νῦν κεκρατηκότα τύπον τῶν λόγων, ὃς τὸ γενναῖον καὶ ἁπλοῦν ἀτιμάσας τὸ σκολιὸν καὶ γριφοειδὲς ἐπεισήγαγεν· ὡς ἐκ [*](2 ει δε] ουδ e || 5 η] ει f || 9 om εἰ ‘Reg. Cypr.’ 11. 12 καὶ om κάτα b) [*](1. καὶ που] ’And, still assuming that τὸ θεῖον is located in the universe, where was it,’ etc.) [*](2. οὐδέν ἢν τὸ δ.] Gr. turns to the other horn of his first dilemma, and asks, What is there (if τὸ θεῖον is above the universe) to divide between tween the universe and it? The past tense ἦν, ἐνοήθη) in the preg- nant Greek idiom refers back to the moment when the opponent is supposed to have adopted the con- clusion.) [*](3. τὸ ὑπὲρ τοῦτο] i.e. ὑπὲρ τὸ πᾶν.) [*](4. τὸ ὑπεραῖρον κ. ὒ.] ὑπεραίρειν ‘to transcend’ (cp. § 3) represents εἶναι ὑπὲρ τὸ πᾶν. The single art., not repeated before ὑπεραιρόμενον, shews, of course, that the difficulty lies not in conceiving of the two things themselves, but in conceiving their relation to each other.) [*](5. ἢ χρή] In English we say, ’Must there not be?’; in Greek there any alternative,) or must there be?’) [*](6. καὶ ᾧ π.] Καὶ here adds another description of τὸ μέσον, not a separate thing; and in τὸ μ. the art. is used as in τὸ διορίζον just above.) [*](7. τοῦτο] sc. τὸ μέσον.) [*](8. ἐφύγομεν] when we asked ποῦ τὸ ὑπὲρ τὸ πᾶν].) [*](ib. καὶ οὔπω λοῶ κτλ.] ‘And I do not now insist upon the fact that τὸ π. εἶναι).’) [*](9. ἐν γάρ] ’for comprehension is one form of circumscription.’) [*](11 The purpose of the digression was to exemplify the barren dialectic of the Eunomians, as well as to shew that God is incomprehensible. He is so, not because He grudges the knowledge to man, whom He loves.) [*](14. γριφοειδές] from γρῖφος, ‘a crab-pot,’ and so ‘a conundrum.’ is a hit at the Eunomian style of argument.) [*](ib. ὡς]=ὥστε. The tree is known by its fruits (Matt, vii 20) and the absence of light among the Eunomian theologians by the obscurity of their language.)
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τῶν καρπῶν τὸ δένδρον γινώσκεσθαι, λέγω δὲ τὸ ἐνεργοῦν τὰ τοιαῦτα δόγματα σκότος ἐκ τοῦ ζόφου τῶν λεγομένων; οὐ γὰρ ἵνα καὶ αὐτὸς παράδοξα λέγειν δόξω, καὶ περιττὸς φαίνωμαι τὴν σοφίαν, πλέκων συνδέσμους καὶ διαλύων κρατούμενα· τοῦτο δὴ τὸ μέγα θαῦμα τοῦ Δανιήλ· ἀλλ’ ἵν ἐκεῖνο δηλώσαιμι, ὅ μοι λέγειν ὁ λόγος ἀπ’ ἀρχῆς ὥρμησεν. τοῦτο δὲ ἦν τί; τὸ μὴ ληπτὸν εἶναι ἀνθρωπίνῃ διανοίᾳ τὸ θεῖον, μηδὲ ὅλον ὅσον ἐστὶ φαντάζεσθαι· καὶ τοῦτο οὔτε διὰ φθόνον,—μακρὰν γὰρ τῆς θείας φύσεως φθόνος, τῆς γε ἀπαθοῦς καὶ μόνης ἀγαθῆς καὶ κυρίας, καὶ μάλιστα τῶν ἑαυτοῦ κτισμάτων περὶ τὸ τιμιώτατον· τί γὰρ Λόγῳ πρὸ τῶν λογικῶν; ἐπεὶ καὶ αὐτὸ τὸ ὑποστῆναι τῆς ἄκρας ἀγαθότητος·—οὔτε εἰς τιμὴν ἑαυτοῦ καὶ δόξαν τοῦ πλήρους, ἵνα τῷ ἀνεφίκτῳ τὸ τίμιον ἔχῃ καὶ τὸ σεβάσμιον. τοῦτο γὰρ πάντως σοφιστικὸν καὶ ἀλλότριον, μὴ ὅτι θεοῦ, ἀλλ’ οὐδὲ ἀνθρώπου μετρίως ἐπιεικοῦς, καί τι δεξιὸν ἑαυτῷ συνειδότος, ἐκ τοῦ κωλύειν ἑτέρους τὸ πρωτεῖον πορίζεσθαι.
[*](3 παραδοξα] -ξον c ΙΙ 7 ἢν τι] τι ἢν e || 16 μετρίως] τελείως f)[*](3. καἰ αὐτός] like them.)[*](4. συνδέσμους] The words are a reference to Dan. v 12, where Theodotion's version has ἀναγγέλλων κρατούμενα καἰ λύων συνδέσμους, and a little before, πνεῦμα περισσὸν ἐν αὐτῷ. While Dan., however, ’shewed hard sentence’ and ‘dissovled doubts,’ the Eunomians ’wove’ doubts (fetters).)[*](6. δηλώσαιμι] ‘I did it, not that I may gain credit (subj.), but that might demonstrate (opt.) what Ι started with.’)[*](8. μηδὲ ὅλον] The ὅλον is ad- verbial, ‘nor nor at all to form an imagination of His greatness.’)[*](10. ἀπαθοῦς] not ‘incapable of suffering’ but ‘free from passions’ such as jealousy.)[*](11. τὸ τιμιώτατον] i.e. man. The next clause τί γὰρ Λ.) justifies τιμιώτατον.)[*](13. τῆς ἄκρασ ἀγ.] sc. ἐστί: very existence is an outcome of.’)[*](14. τοῦ πλήρους] agrees with ἑαυτοῦ, and = πλήρους ὄντος; cp. § 31. It is a ref. to Is. 11. Cp. Athan. Or. ii c. Ar. § 29.)[*](ib. τῷ ἀνεφίκτῳ] from ἐφικνέομαι ‘to arrive at’; ‘His inaccessibility.)[*](16. μὴ ὅτι] cp. § 4. θεοῦ is governed verned by ἀλλότριον, ‘foreign to the character of God.’)[*](ib. οὐδέ] loosely thrown in, as instead of ἀλλ’. he had said ἀνάξιον. 17. δεξιὸν ἑ. συνειδότος] ‘has anything of a proper conscience.’)[*](ib. ἐκ τοῦ κ.ἑ.] a clause epexegetic of τοῦτο.)40
Ἀλλ’ εἰ μὲν καὶ δι’ ἄλλας αἰτίας, εἰδεῖεν ἂν οἱ ἐγγυτέρω θεοῦ, καὶ τῶν ἀνεξιχνιάστων αὐτοῦ κριμάτων ἐπόπται καὶ θεωροί, εἴπερ εἰσί τινες τοσοῦτοι τὴν ἀρετήν, καὶ ἐν ἴχνεσιν ἀβύσσου περιπατοῦντες, τὸ δὴ λεγόμενον. ὅσον δ’ οὖν ἡμεῖς κατειλήφαμεν, μικροῖς μέτροις μετροῦντες τὰ δυσθεώρητα, τάχα μέν, ἵνα μὴ τῷ ῥᾳδίῳ τῆς κτήσεως ῥᾴστη γένηται καὶ ἡ τοῦ κτηθέντος ἀποβολή· φιλεῖ γὰρ τὸ μὲν πόνῳ κτηθὲν μᾶλλον κρατεῖσθαι, τὸ δὲ ῥᾳδίως κτηθὲν καὶ ἀποπτύεσθαι τάχιστα, ὡς πάλιν ληφθῆναι δυνάμενον· καὶ οὕτως εὐεργεσία καθίσταται τὸ μὴ πρόχειρον τῆς εὐεργεσίας, τοῖς γε νοῦν ἔχουσι. τάχα δέ, ὡς μὴ ταὐτὸν ἡμᾶς τῷ πεσόντι ἑωσφόρῳ πάσχειν, ἐκ τοῦ τὸ φῶς ὅλον χωρῆσαι κατέναντι κυρίου παντοκράτορος τραχηλιᾷν, καὶ πίπτειν ἐκ τῆς ἐπάρσεως πτῶμα πάντων ἐλεεινότατον. τυχὸν δέ, ἵν’ ἦ τι πλέον ἐκεῖθεν ἆθλον φιλοπονίας καὶ λαμπροῦ βίου τοῖς ἐνταῦθα κεκαθαρμένοις καὶ μακροθυμοῦσι πρὸς τὸ ποθούμενον. διὰ τοῦτο μέσος ἡμῶν τε καὶ θεοῦ ὁ σωματικὸς οὗτος ἵσταται γνόφος, ὥσπερ ἡ νεφέλη τὸ πάλαι τῶν Αἰγυπτίων καὶ τῶν Ἑβραίων. καὶ τοῦτό ἐστιν ἴσως, ὃ ἔθετο σκότος ἀποκρυφὴν αὐτοῦ, [*](12. 9 ἀποπτύεσθαι] -εται ‘Or. Ι’ || 13 χώρησαι] + καὶ e || 19 om το ef) [*](12. Perhaps one reason for difficulty of knowing God properly is to make us value the knowledge; another, to save us from pride, or to enhance the reward of earnest search. In any case, the infirmity of our bodily nature ttecessarily colours all our ideas of God.) [*](1. δι’ ἄλλας αἰ.] other than those which he is about to allege.) [*](2. ἀνεξιχν. ... κριμάτων] Cp. Rom. xi 33. The form of the sen- tence is quite general, and may in- clude both angelic beings and (though somewhat ironically) privi- human beings also.) [*](4. ἐν ἴχν. ἀβ. περιπ.] Job xxxviii 16 (LXX.).) [*](6. τῷ ῥᾳδίῳ τῆς κτ.] ‘lightly the gotten, lightly spent.’) [*](8. μᾶλλον κρατεῖσθαι] ‘the more firmly held.’) [*](10. τὸ μὴ πρόχειρον] The very fact that the benefit is not too easily attained is itself a benefit.) [*](12. ἑωσφόρῳ] Is. xiv. 12.) [*](13. χωρῆσαι, ‘take in.’) [*](ib. κατέναντι κ. π. τρ] Job xv 25. Trax is to lift up the neck, like a rearing horse.) [*](15. ἐκεῖθεν] ‘on yonder side’ death: cp. i 8.) [*](19 τῶν Αἶγ’. κ. τ. ‘Εβ.] Ex. xiv 20. That cloud was only an obleged struction on the Egyptian side of it.) [*](20. ὃ ἔθετο σκότος] ‘the the darkness which He ’’ etc. Ps. xvii (xviii) 12.)
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τὴν ἡμετέραν παχύτητα, δι’ ἢν ὀλίγοι καὶ μικρὸν διακύπτουσιν. τοῦτο μὲν οὖν φιλοσοφείτωσαν οἷς ἐπιμελὲς, καὶ ἀνίτωσαν ἐπὶ πλεῖστον τῆς διασκέψεως. ἡμῖν δ’ οὑν ἐκεῖνο γνώριμον τοῖς δεσμίοις τῆς γῆς, ὅ φησιν ὁ θεῖος Ἱερεμίας, καὶ τὸ παχὺ τοῦτο σαρκίον περιβεβλημένοις, ὅτι ὥσπερ ἀδύνατον ὑπερβῆναι τὴν ἑαυτοῦ σκιάν, καὶ τῷ λίαν ἐπειγομένῳ,—φθάνει γὰρ ἀεὶ τοσοῦτον, ὅσον καταλαμβάνεται, —ἢ τοῖς ὁρατοῖς πηλσιάσαι τὴν ὄψιν δίχα τοῦ ἐν φωτὸς καὶ ἀέρος, ἢ τῶν ὑδάτων ἔξω τὴν νηκτὴν φύσιν διολισθαίνειν, οὕτως ἀμήχανον τοῖς ἐν σώμασι δίχα τῶν σωματικῶν πάντη γενέσθαι μετὰ τῶν νοουμένων. ἀεὶ γάρ τι παρεμπεσεῖται τῶν ἡμετέρων, κἂν ὅτι μάλιστα χωρίσας ἑαυτὸν τῶν ὁρωμένων ὁ νοῦς, καὶ καθ’ ἑαυτὸν γενόμενος, προσβάλλειν ἐπιχειρῇ τοῖς συγγενέσι καὶ ἀοράτοις. γνώσῃ δὲ οὕτως.