Τί λέγεις; ἐνταῦθα στησόμεθα τοῦ λόγου μέχρι τῆς ὕλης καὶ τῶν ὁρωμένων; ἢ ἐπειδὴ τοῦ κόσμου παντὸς ἀντίτυπον τὴν Μωυσέως σκηνὴν οἶδεν ὁ λόγος, τοῦ ἐξ ὁρατῶν τε καὶ ἀοράτων λέγω συστήματος, τὸ πρῶτον [*](5 ἀήθεια] ἀλήθεια de ’El.’ || 6 om ἥμιν bf Ἴ’ φύσιν] λύσιν ’Reg. Cypr.’ 31. 17 om η be || 19 συστηματος] + η be) [*](2. συμπλεκ. κ. διιστ.] The seasons lock one another in embrace, because there is no sharp line of demarcation between them, and then part. The poetical preacher sees in the first action a law of love, in the second, of order.) [*](4. ταῖς ἐγγύτησι] ‘by their close approach to each other (the pi. indicates the nearness of each to the next) filching from each other (mid.) ἃς much and as little ἃς day and night do, in order not to distress us by anything startling (lit. by the unaccustomedness, which would mark a different kind of transition).’) [*](6. πάθη] Cp. § 29 παθήματα.) [*](7. ἠμἐρας..δυν] a ref. to Gen. i 16, 18 (Ps. cxxxvi 7); but δὺν. does not occur in the LXX. there, 8. θηρίοις κτλ.] a ref. to Ps. ciii (civ) 20 — 23.) [*](11. συνῆκας κτλ.] Job xxxviii 31.) [*](ib. 6 ἀριθμῶν κτλ.] Ps. cxlvi (cxlvii) 4.) [*](13. δόξης...διαφ.] 1 Cor. xv 41.) [*](14. διὰ τούτων πλ. τ. ἤμ’.] the astrologer.) [*](31. The spiritual beings who people heaven.) [*](16. μέχρι] Cp. § 9.) [*](17. τ. κόσμου π.ἀντ] The παντὸς is placed emphatically; the type includes the unseen as well as the seen. Ὁ λόγος, ‘our reason.’ does not refer to any passage of Scripture; it was the traditional interp. of his time. See however Wisd. ix 8 (xviii 24) and cp. West- cott Hebrews p. 237 foil.)
70
καταπέτασμα διασχόντες, καὶ ὑπερβάντες τὴν αἴσθησιν, εἰς τὰ ἅγια παρακύψωμεν, τὴν νοητὴν φύσιν καὶ ἐπουράνιον; οὐκ ἔχομεν οὐδὲ ταύτην ἀσωμάτως ἰδεῖν, εἰ καὶ ἀσώματος, πῦρ καὶ πνεῦμα προσαγορευομένην ἢ γινομένην. ποιεῖν γὰρ λέγεται τοὺς ἀγγέλους αὐτοῦ πνεύματα, καὶ τοὺς λειτουργοὺς αὐτοῦ πυρὸς φλόγα· εἰ μὴ ποιεῖν μέν ἐστι τὸ συντηρεῖν τῷ λόγῳ, καθ’ ὃν ἐγένοντο. πνεῦμα δὲ ἀκούει καὶ πῦρ· τὸ μὲν ὡς νοητὴ φύσις, τὸ δὲ ὡς καθάρσιος· ἐπεὶ καὶ τῆς πρώτης οὐσίας τὰς αὐτὰς οἶδα κλήσεις. πλὴν ἡμῖν γε ἀσώματος ἔστω, ἢ ὅτι ἐγγύτατα. ὁρᾷς ὅπως ἰλιγγιῶμεν περὶ τὸν λόγον, καὶ οὐκ ἔχομεν οἷ προέλθωμεν, ἢ τοσοῦτον ὅσον εἰδέναι ἀγγέλους τινὰς καὶ ἀρχαγγέλους, θρόνους, κυριότητας, ἀρχάς, ἐξουσίας, λαμπρότητας, ἀναβάσεις, νοερὰς δυνάμεις, ἢ νόας, καθαρὰς φύσεις καὶ ἀκιβδήλους, ἀκινήτους πρὸς τὸ χεῖρον ἢ δυσκινήτους, περὶ τὸ πρῶτον αἴτιον ἀεὶ χορευούσας· ἢ πῶς ἄν τις αὐτὰς ἀνυμνήσειεν, ἐκεῖθεν ἐλλαμπομένας τὴν καθαρωτάτην
[*](2 παρακυψομεν ?cd ΙΙ 8 τὸ ’δε] τὼ ’δε a || καθάρσιος] κάθαρσις ’in quibus.’ || 9 επει] ἐπειδὴ ’Reg. a’ || om τὰς e ΙΙ 1 προσέλθωμεν f) [*](1. διασχόντες] Cp. ἑ 3.) [*](3. εἰ καὶ ἀσώματος] sc. εἴη. Gr. will not pronounce upon the ques- tion whether the heavenly φύσις, i.e. the angels, are incorporeal or not (cp. ἑ 8); but, even if they are, we cannot conceive of them except through corporeal images (cp. §§ 12, 13), such as are suggested by the language of Scripture.) [*](4. προσαγ. ἢ γιν.] ‘is called, or is made.’) [*](5. ποιεῖν γ. λέγεται] Ps. ciii (civ) 4, Heb. i 7.) [*](6. εἰ μὴ ποιεῖν] ’unless by "making’’ is meant keeping them to the law of their original creation.’ To ’make’ the angels winds suggests a change in their mode of existence; but Gr. thinks that it may denote what is contained in the original act of creation, and not something sub- sequent.) [*](8. ἀκούει] audit, ’it is called.’) [*](9. τῆς π. οὐσίας] sc. θεοῦ; cp. § 7.) [*](11. ἰλιγγιῶμεν] Cp. § 21.) [*](13. λαμπρότητας, ἀναβάσεις] It seems as if these, like the foregoing, were recognised titles for spiritual beings; but they do not appear to be used by any other of the Fathers. Ἀνάβασις is a strange designation for a personal being, and, if it not for the ν. δὺν. which follows, it might have been thought that Gr. had turned from the angelic beings to their actions, and that referred (as perh. it does in any case) to Jacob’s dream.) [*](14. νόας] ace. pi. of νοῦς.) 71
ἔλλαμψιν, ἢ ἄλλως ἄλλην κατὰ τὴν ἀναλογίαν τῆς φύσεως καἰ τῆς τάξεως· τοσοῦτον τῷ καλῷ μορφουμένας καὶ τυπουμένας, ὥστε ἄλλα γίνεσθαι φῶτα καὶ ἄλλους Φψτίζειν δύνασθαι ταῖς τοῦ πρώτου φωτὸς ἐπιρροαῖς τε καὶ διαδόσεσι· λειτουργοὺς θείου θελήματος, δυνατὰς ἰσχύι φυσικῇ τε καὶ ἐπικτήτῳ, πάντα ἐπιπορευομένας, πᾶσι πανταχοῦ παρούσας ἑτοίμως, προθυμίᾳ τε λειτουργίας καὶ κουφότητι φύσεως· ἄλλας ἄλλο τι τῆς οἰκουμένης μέρος διειληφυίας, ἢ ἄλλῳ τινὶ τοῦ παντὸς ἐπιτεταγμένας, ὡς οἶδεν ὁ ταῦτα τάξας καὶ διορίσας· πάντα εἰς ἓν ἀγούσας, πρὸς μίαν σύννευσιν τοῦ τὰ πάντα δημιουργήσαντος· ὑμνῳδοὺς θείας μεγαλειότητος, θεωροὺς δόξης ἀιδίου καὶ ἀιδίως, οὐχ ἵνα δοξασθῇ θεός, — οὐ γὰρ ἔστιν ὃ προστεθήσε- ται τῷ πλήρει, τῷ καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις χορηγῷ τῶν καλῶν, — ἀλλ’ ἵνα μὴ λείπῃ τὸ εὐεργετεῖσθαι καὶ ταῖς πρώταις μετὰ θεὸν φύσεσι; ταῦτα εἰ μὲν πρὸς ἀξίαν ὕμνηται, τῆς τριάδος ἡ χάρις, καὶ τῆς μιᾶς ἐν τοῖς τρισὶ θεότητος· εἰ δὲ τῆς ἐπιθυμίας ἐνδεέστερον, ἔχει τὸ νικᾷν καὶ οὕτως ὁ λόγος. τοῦτο γὰρ ἠγωνίζετο παραστῆσαι, ὅτι νοῦ κρείττων
[*](4 του πρώτου usque ad fin. desunt in a || 14 om τοῖς c) [*](1. ἢ ἄλλως ἆ.] The ἢ offers an alternative or correction to the sup. τὴν καθ’. Cp. § 4.) [*](3. ἄλλα γ. φῶτα] ‘become in their turn lights,’ — ἄλλα in respect of the πρῶτον φῶς.) [*](5. δυνατὰς ἰσχύι] Ps. cii (ciii) 20. πᾶσι πανταχοῦ] Gr. does not of course mean at the same time; ἑτοίμως shews it.) [*](8. ἄλλας ἄλλο τι] Cp. Deut. xxxii 8 (LXX.), Dan. x 13, 20, SI. Διειλ. ‘having severally received.’) [*](9. ἢ ἄλλῳ τινί] ’or (if not a portion of the inhabited globe) set over some other part of the universe,’ e.g. a star.) [*](10. εἰς ἐν] ‘bringing all into unity, with reference to the approval, for which alone they care μίαν),’ etc.) [*](13. οὐχ ἵνα δ θ.] In scriptural language the reverse might as truly have been said.) [*](14. τῷ πλήρει] Cp. § 11.) [*](15. ἴνα μὴ Xeiirrj κτλ.] ‘but that even these first beings after God may never fail Δ’ be the recipients of benefits? They might have seemed too great to receive anything. 18. καὶ οὕτως] Even if he does not speak as well as he wished, has gained his point, viz. to shew that even the angels are beyond our understanding; much more (μὴ ὅτι, cp. ἑ 11) God Himself.) 72
καὶ ἡ τῶν δευτέρων φύσις, μὴ ὅτι τῆς πρώτης καὶ μόνης, ὀκνῶ γὰρ εἰπεῖν, ὑπὲρ ἅπαντα.
[*](2 ἀπάντα] ἅπαντας ‘Reg. Cypr.’)[*](1. τῆς πρ. κ. μ.] Unless we are to suppose that there is some irregularity in the grammar, we must supply φύσεως, so that the clause, if written out in full, would run μὴ εἰπεῖν ὅτι ἡ τῆς πρώτης κ. μ. φύσεως φύσις.)[*](1. ὀκνῶ γὰρ εἰπεῖν] Cp. § 13. The formula implies that the statement would be not incorrect, but capable of misconception. To say that the divine nature is ’above all’ might appear to coordinate it with other things, as one, though the highest, of a series: so Gr. prefers to say μόνης, to bring out its absolute uniqueness.)