2

nor saying in imitation of the Apostle, "Brothers, I do not yet consider myself to have apprehended it," but contemplating the comprehension of the essence of God, and measuring the unattainable with his own reasoning, and considering God to be only so great as he himself has encompassed in his reasoning; and in general, the one who makes his own mind the measure of things that exist, not considering that it is easier to measure out the whole sea with a small cup than for the human mind to grasp the ineffable majesty of God, being puffed up for no reason and exalted in the futility of his own mind, cannot say, "I believed, therefore I have spoken;" since it is not even possible for him to add what follows, namely, "But I was greatly humbled;" for he lives with pride and arrogance, and 30.108 exults in empty words, not possessing the strength that comes from faith. Then he humbles not only himself, but also all humanity akin to himself and partaker of his nature.

For I said, he says, in my ecstasy: "Every man is a liar." So that he who is not helped by faith, but comes to reason from his own resources, trusting in human preparations for the comprehension of the truth, is a liar, falling far short of the truth. And he says that he spoke this word in ecstasy. And what is ecstasy? It is either that having looked around upon human nature, and having investigated if there is any truth among men, and being able to find it nowhere without the help from God, becoming astounded at the strangeness of the matter, I cried out, that "Every man is a liar;" or in that ecstasy, which I feigned before Achish, pretending epilepsy and madness, since I saw myself come into the necessity of lying about myself, and fabricating things that were not, in order to escape the danger from the enemies, then I said, that "Every man is a liar;" even if not by choice, nor for the harm of one's neighbors, but at any rate for some circumstantial reasons resorting to lying. But the Prophet does not contradict himself in his statement, as some of the sophists attempt to refute him, saying that the Prophet has fallen into a self-refuting argument. For if every man is a liar, and David is also a man; he was obviously also a liar; and if he is a liar, he is not to be believed concerning the things he declares. But if this statement is not true, and not every man is a liar, we will acquit David also of the charge of falsehood. But if he is not lying, let us believe him concerning the things he declares; but in believing, we will again be led around to the necessity of disbelieving. So that if David is telling the truth, he invalidates his own statement, being a man, and not lying; but if he is lying, he is inherently not to be believed; for who will pay attention to someone who speaks falsely? Therefore, since he once declared every man to be a liar, let David be lying, in order that he may confirm his statement; or, telling the truth himself, he has nullified the declaration. But these things are for those who are playing games, and who delight in twists of words before the inexperienced; but the truth is not so. For "men" are called those still held by human passions; but he who has already become higher than carnal passions, and through the perfection of the mind has passed over to the state of the angels, this one, whenever he speaks about 30.109 human affairs, obviously excepts himself from the rest. For he who said is not false: "I said: You are gods, and all sons of the Most High; but you die like men." "You are gods." And certainly if to any other, also to David is such an address fitting. For he is also a son of the Most High, the one who through virtue has been made akin to God, and not dying like a man, but having the living God in himself. Therefore I said, he says, in my ecstasy: "Every man is a liar." Let those hear who in the flesh are entangled by the passions, but exalt their own mind above the

2

μηδὲ κατὰ μίμησιν τοῦ Ἀποστόλου λέγων τὸ, Ἀδελφοὶ, ἐγὼ ἐμαυτὸν οὔπω λογίζομαι κατει ληφέναι, ἀλλὰ περινοῶν οὐσίας Θεοῦ κατάληψιν, καὶ τῷ ἰδίῳ λογισμῷ ἐκμετρῶν τὰ ἀνέφικτα, καὶ τοσοῦτον λογιζόμενος εἶναι τὸν Θεὸν, ὅσον αὐτὸς τῷ λογισμῷ περιέλαβεν· καὶ ὅλως, ὁ τὸν οἰκεῖον νοῦν μέτρον τῶν ὄντων ποιούμενος, οὐ λογιζόμενος, ὅτι ῥᾷόν ἐστι κοτύλῃ μικρᾷ τὴν πᾶσαν θάλασσαν ἐκμετρῆσαι, ἢ τῷ ἀνθρωπίνῳ νῷ τῆς ἀφάτου μεγαλειότητος τοῦ Θεοῦ περιδράξασθαι, εἰκῆ φυσιούμενος καὶ ἐπαιρό μενος τῇ ματαιότητι τοῦ νοὸς αὐτοῦ, οὐ δύναται λέγειν τὸ, Ἐπίστευσα, διὸ ἐλάλησα· ἐπειδὴ οὐδὲ τὸ ἐφεξῆς ἐπάγειν αὐτῷ δυνατὸν, τὸ, Ἐγὼ δὲ ἐταπεινώθην σφόδρα· τύφῳ γὰρ καὶ ἀλαζονείᾳ συζῇ, καὶ 30.108 διακένοις ῥήμασιν ἐπαγάλλεται, τὸ ἐκ τῆς πίστεως ἰσχυρὸν μὴ κεκτημένος. Εἶτα οὐχ ἑαυτὸν ταπεινοῖ μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ πᾶσαν ὁμοῦ τὴν συγγενῆ ἑαυτῷ καὶ κοινωνὸν τῆς φύσεως ἀνθρωπότητα.

Ἐγὼ γὰρ εἶπα, φησὶν, ἐν τῇ ἐκστάσει μου· Πᾶς ἄνθρωπος ψεύστης. Ὥστε ὁ μὴ ἐκ πίστεως βοηθούμενος, ἀλλ' οἴκοθεν ἐπὶ τὸν λόγον ἐρχόμενος, ταῖς ἀνθρωπίναις πα ρασκευαῖς πρὸς τὴν κατάληψιν τῆς ἀληθείας θαῤῥῶν, ψεύστης ἐστὶ, παραπολὺ τῆς ἀληθείας ἐκπίπτων. Τοῦτον δέ φησιν εἰρηκέναι τὸν λόγον ἐν τῇ ἐκστά σει. Τίς δέ ἐστιν ἡ ἔκστασις; Ἤτοι ὅτι περιβλεψά μενος τὴν ἀνθρωπίνην φύσιν, καὶ διερευνησάμενος, εἴ πού τίς ἐστιν ἐν ἀνθρώποις ἀλήθεια, μηδαμοῦ ταύτην εὑρεῖν δυνηθεὶς ἄνευ τῆς παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ βοηθείας, ἔκθαμβος γενόμενος ἐπὶ τῷ παραδόξῳ τοῦ πράγματος, ἐξεβόησα, ὅτι Πᾶς ἄνθρωπος ψεύ στης· ἢ ἐν τῇ ἐκστάσει ἐκείνῃ, ἣν κατεσχηματισά μην ἐπὶ τοῦ Ἀγχοὺς, ἐπιληψίαν καὶ παραφορὰν ὑποκρινάμενος, ἐπειδὴ εἶδον εἰς ἀνάγκην ἐλθόντα ἐμαυτὸν τοῦ καταψεύσασθαι ἐμαυτοῦ, καὶ ἀναπλά σασθαι τὰ μὴ ὄντα, ὑπὲρ τοῦ τὸν ἀπὸ τῶν πολε μίων κίνδυνον ἐκφυγεῖν, τότε εἶπον, ὅτι Πᾶς ἄνθρω πος ψεύστης· κἂν μὴ κατὰ προαίρεσιν, μηδ' ἐπὶ κακῷ τῶν πλησίον, ἀλλὰ πάντως διά τινας περιστα τικὰς αἰτίας καταφεύγων ἐπὶ τὸ ψεύδεσθαι. Οὐ μὴν ἑαυτῷ περιπίπτει κατὰ τὸν λόγον ὁ Προφήτης, ὥσπερ τινὲς τῶν σοφιστικῶν ἐπιχειροῦσιν αὐτὸν δι ελέγχειν, τῷ κατὰ περιτροπὴν ἐλέγχῳ ἐμπεπτωκέ ναι λέγοντες τὸν Προφήτην. Εἰ γὰρ πᾶς ἄνθρω πος ψεύστης, ἄνθρωπος δὲ καὶ ὁ ∆αβίδ· ψεύστης ἦν καὶ αὐτὸς δηλονότι· εἰ δὲ ψεύστης, οὐ πιστευτέον αὐ τῷ περὶ ὧν ἀποφαίνεται. Μὴ ὄντος δὲ ἀληθοῦς τοῦ λόγου τούτου, μηδὲ ὄντος παντὸς ἀνθρώπου ψεύστου, ἀφήσομεν καὶ τὸν ∆αβὶδ τῆς τοῦ ψεύδους αἰτίας. Εἰ δὲ οὐ ψεύδεται, πιστεύσωμεν αὐτῷ περὶ ὧν ἀπο φαίνεται· πιστεύοντες δὲ, πάλιν εἰς τὴν τοῦ ἀπιστεῖν ἀνάγκην περιαχθησόμεθα. Ὥστε εἰ μὲν ἀληθεύει ∆αβὶδ, λύει τὸν ἑαυτοῦ λόγον, καὶ ἄνθρωπος ὢν, καὶ μὴ ψευδόμενος· εἰ δὲ ψεύδεται, αὐτόθεν ἔχει τὸ μὴ πιστεύεσθαι· τίς γὰρ προσέξει ψευδολογοῦντι; Ὥστε ἐπειδὴ ἅπαξ ἀπεφήνατο πάντα ἄνθρωπον εἶναι ψεύ στην, ψευδέσθω ∆αβὶδ, ἵνα τὸν λόγον πιστώσηται· ἢ ἀληθεύων αὐτὸς, παρέλυσε τὴν ἀπόφασιν. Ἀλλὰ ταῦτα μὲν παιζόντων ἐστὶ, καὶ ταῖς τῶν λόγων στροφαῖς ἐπαγαλλομένων πρὸς τοὺς ἀπείρους· τὸ δὲ ἀληθὲς οὐχ οὕτως ἔχει. Ἄνθρωποι γὰρ λέγονται οἱ τοῖς ἀνθρωπίνοις ἔτι παθήμασι κατεχόμενοι· ὁ δὲ ὑψηλότε ρος ἤδη τῶν σαρκικῶν παθημάτων γενόμενος, καὶ διὰ τὴν τοῦ νοῦ τελείωσιν πρὸς τὴν τῶν ἀγγέλων κατάστασιν μετελθὼν, οὗτος ὅταν περὶ τῶν ἀν 30.109 θρωπίνων διαλέγηται, ἑαυτὸν ὑπεξαιρεῖται τῶν λοι πῶν δηλονότι. Ἀψευδὴς γὰρ ὁ εἰπών· Ἐγὼ εἶπα· Θεοί ἐστε, καὶ υἱοὶ Ὑψίστου πάντες· ὑμεῖς δὲ ὡς ἄνθρωποι ἀποθνήσκετε. Θεοί ἐστε. Πάντως δὲ εἴ τινι ἄλλῳ, καὶ τῷ ∆αβὶδ ἡ τοιαύτη προσηγορία πρέπουσα. Καὶ γὰρ καὶ υἱὸς Ὑψίστου, ὁ διὰ τῆς ἀρετῆς ᾠκειωμένος Θεῷ, καὶ οὐκ ἀποθνήσκων ὡς ἄνθρωπος, ἀλλὰ ζῶντα ἔχων ἐν ἑαυτῷ τὸν Θεόν. Ἐγὼ οὖν εἶπον, φησὶν, ἐν τῇ ἐκστάσει μου· Πᾶς ἄνθρωπος ψεύστης. Ἀκουέτωσαν οἱ τῇ μὲν σαρκὶ διὰ τῶν παθημάτων συμπεφυρμένοι, τὸν δὲ νοῦν ἑαυτῶν ὑπεραίροντες τῶν