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was given; "ordained, for it says, by angels in the hand of a mediator". And again: "For if the word spoken by angels was steadfast". And very fittingly the God of all through an angel both reminded of the servitude and foretold the things concerning the child to be born. That angels and archangels, and whatever else is incorporeal, except for the Holy Trinity, have a created nature, the divine Scripture clearly teaches us. For the prophet David exhorts these also to sing hymns; "For praise him, he says, all his 6 angels, praise him, all his powers". And teaching the reason he added: "For he spoke, and they came to be, he commanded and they were created". And again in another psalm, "Who makes his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire". And the three blessed children in the furnace weaving the divine hymn, and having spoken that most excellent and very fitting prelude: "Bless the Lord, all you works of the Lord", they immediately added, "Bless the Lord, you angels of the Lord, all you powers of the Lord bless the Lord". But I think it is superfluous to speak at length about these things; for all the God-inspired Scripture is full of this teaching. III Did angels pre-exist heaven and earth, or were they made with them? I have considered such questions to be superfluous. For what benefit will come to those who have known the time of the creation of the angels? And I know the divine apostle charging the admirable Timothy: "to charge certain persons not to teach a different doctrine, nor to give heed to myths and endless genealogies". Nevertheless I will say what I have supposed to be in accord with the aim of the divine Scripture; we have been taught that only the divine nature is uncircumscribed, since it is indeed uncreated and without beginning, and eternal; but those things that have begun to be clearly have a circumscribed being. Therefore, even when we say the nature of the 7 angels is incorporeal, we say that their hypostasis is circumscribed. For how could one conceive of "a thousand thousands and ten thousand times ten thousand", according to the divine Daniel, without reckoning that each one is in its own circumscription? But that the angels have a circumscribed substance, I think no one will dispute; for the Lord Christ said that each of men has been placed under the guardianship of one; "For see, he says, that you do not despise one of the least of those who believe in me; for their angels always behold the face of my Father who is in heaven". And the divine Scripture says that an angel is set over each nation. For the angel conversing with the prophet Daniel, spoke of a prince of the Persians, and a prince of the Greeks, and Michael the prince of the Jews. And Moses the great in his song says: "When the Most High divided the nations, as he scattered the sons of Adam, he set the bounds of the nations according to the number of the angels of God". If, therefore, one was appointed to rule these, and another those, and each of men is under the care of one, it is clear that they have a circumscribed substance. And if this is true, as indeed it is true, then they require a place. For only the divine, being uncircumscribed, is not in a place. But if that which is circumscribed is in a place, how is it possible for the angels to pre-exist heaven and earth? For if that which contains does not exist, how can that which is contained exist? 8 IV But, some say, one must say that the angels pre-exist heaven and earth; for, one says, if there were no angels, how was the God of all hymned? But those who say these things are ignorant that this argument makes them also without beginning and eternal; for if the God of all needed those who hymn him, and he always had them hymning him, then the angels are co-eternal with the God of all. But if not always, but when he wished he created them, then there was an age in which the God of all did not have those who hymn him. Therefore the Lord God does not need those who hymn him; for his nature is without need; but through goodness alone he has granted being to angels, and to archangels, and to all creation; and what ministry did they have, existing before the creation, when there was no one needing their help? For that for the of men

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ἐδόθη· " διαταγείς, γάρ φησι, δι' ἀγγέλων ἐν χειρὶ με σίτου ". καὶ πάλιν· "εἰ γὰρ ὁ δι' ἀγγέλων λαληθεὶς λόγος ἐγένετο βέβαιος ". καὶ μάλα προσφόρως ὁ τῶν ὅλων Θεὸς δι' ἀγγέλου καὶ τῆς δουλείας ἀνέμνησε καὶ τὰ περὶ τοῦ τεχθησομένου παιδὸς προηγόρευσεν. ὅτι δὲ κτιστὴν ἔχουσι φύσιν καὶ ἄγγελοι καὶ ἀρχάγ γελοι, καὶ εἴ τι ἕτερόν ἐστιν ἀσώματον, πλὴν τῆς ἁγίας τριάδος, ἡ θεία σαφῶς ἡμᾶς διδάσκει γραφή. ὑμνεῖν γὰρ καὶ τούτοις ∆αβὶδ παρακελεύε ται ὁ προφήτης· " αἰνεῖτε γὰρ αὐτόν, φησί, πάντες οἱ 6 ἄγγελοι αὐτοῦ, αἰνεῖτε αὐτὸν πᾶσαι αἱ δυνάμεις αὐτοῦ ". καὶ τὴν αἰτίαν διδάσκων ἐπήγαγεν· " ὅτι αὐτὸς εἶπε, καὶ ἐγενήθησαν, αὐτὸς ἐνετείλατο καὶ ἐκτίσθη σαν ". καὶ πάλιν ἐν ἑτέρῳ ψαλμῷ, " ὁ ποιῶν τοὺς ἀγγέλους αὐτοῦ πνεύματα, καὶ τοὺς λειτουργοὺς αὐτοῦ πυρὸς φλόγα ". καὶ οἱ τρεῖς μακάριοι παῖδες ἐν τῇ καμίνῳ τὸν θεῖον ὕμνον ὑφαίνοντες, καὶ τὸ πανάριστον ἐκεῖνο καὶ λίαν ἁρμόδιον εἰρη κότες προοίμιον· " εὐλογεῖτε πάντα τὰ ἔργα Κυρίου τὸν Κύριον ", εὐθὺς ἐπήγαγον, " εὐλογεῖτε ἄγγελοι Κυρίου τὸν Κύριον, πᾶσαι αἱ δυνάμεις Κυρίου τὸν Κύ ριον ". ἀλλὰ γὰρ παρέλκον οἶμαι περὶ τούτων μακρηγορεῖν· πᾶσα γὰρ ἡ θεόπνευστος γραφὴ τῆσδε τῆς διδασκαλίας ἀνάπλεως. III Προϋπάρχουσιν οὐρανοῦ καὶ γῆς ἄγγελοι, ἢ σὺν τούτοις ἐγένοντο; Περιττὰς μὲν ἐγὼ τὰς τοιαύτας ζητήσεις ὑπείληφα. τίς γὰρ ὄνησις προσ γενήσεται τοῖς ἐγνωκόσι τὸν τῆς τῶν ἀγγέλων δημιουργίας καιρόν; οἶδα δὲ καὶ τὸν θεῖον ἀπόστολον τῷ θαυμασίῳ Τιμοθέῳ παρεγγυῶντα· " παραγγεῖλαι τισὶ μὴ ἑτεροδιδασκαλεῖν, μηδὲ προσέχειν μύθοις καὶ γενεαλογίαις ἀπεράντοις ". ἐρῶ δὲ ὅμως ὅπερ συμβαίνειν ὑπείληφα τῷ σκοπῷ τῆς θείας γραφῆς· ἀπερίγραφον μόνην ἐδιδάχθημεν εἶναι τὴν θείαν φύσιν, ἅτε δὴ ἄκτιστον οὖσαν καὶ ἄναρχον, καὶ ἀΐδιον· τὰ δέ γε ἀρξάμενα τοῦ εἶναι περιγεγραμ μένον ἔχει δηλονότι τὸ εἶναι. οὐκοῦν καὶ ἀσώματον λέγοντες εἶναι τῶν 7 ἀγγέλων τὴν φύσιν, περιγεγράφθαι φαμὲν αὐτῶν τὴν ὑπόστασιν. πῶς γὰρ ἄν τις νοήσαι " χιλίας χιλιάδας καὶ μυρίας μυριά δας ", κατὰ τὸν θεῖον ∆ανιήλ, μὴ ἕκαστον λογιζόμενος ἐν ἰδίᾳ εἶναι περι γραφῇ; ἀλλ' ὅτι μὲν περιγεγραμμένην ἔχουσιν οἱ ἄγγελοι τὴν οὐσίαν, οὐδένα ἀντερεῖν οἶμαι· καὶ γὰρ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἕκαστον ὑφ' ἑνὸς ἔφη τετάχ θαι κηδεμονίαν ὁ δεσπότης Χριστός· " ὁρᾶτε γάρ, φησί, μὴ κα ταφρονήσετε ἑνὸς τῶν ἐλαχίστων τῶν πιστευόν των εἰς ἐμέ· ὅτι οἱ ἄγγελοι αὐτῶν διαπαντὸς ὁρῶσι τὸ πρόσωπον τοῦ πατρός μου τοῦ ἐν οὐρα νοῖς ". καὶ ἑκάστῳ δὲ ἔθνει ἄγγελον ἐφεστάναι φησὶν ἡ θεία γραφή. ὁ γὰρ τῷ προφήτῃ ∆ανιὴλ προσδιαλεγόμενος ἄγγελος, καὶ ἄρχοντα περσῶν εἴρηκε, καὶ ἄρχοντα ἑλλήνων, καὶ Μιχαὴλ τὸν ἄρχοντα τῶν ἰουδαίων. καὶ Μωϋσῆς δὲ ὁ μέγας ἐν τῇ ᾠδῇ φησιν· " ὅτε διεμέριζεν ὁ Ὕψιστος ἔθνη, ὡς διέσπειρεν υἱοὺς Ἀδάμ, ἔστησεν ὅρια ἐθνῶν κατὰ ἀριθμὸν ἀγγέλων Θεοῦ ". εἰ τοίνυν ὁ μὲν τούτων, ὁ δὲ ἐκείνων ἄρχειν ἐτάχθη, ἕκαστος δὲ τῶν ἀν θρώπων ὑπὸ τὴν ἑνὸς φροντίδα τελεῖ, εὔδηλον ὡς περιγεγραμμένην ἔχουσι τὴν οὐσίαν. εἰ δὲ τοῦτο ἀληθές, ὥσπερ οὖν ἀληθές, τόπου ἄρα προσδέον ται. μόνον γὰρ τὸ θεῖον, ὡς ἀπερίγραφον, οὐκ ἐν τόπῳ. εἰ δὲ τὸ περιγε γραμμένον ἐν τόπῳ, πῶς οἷόν τε προϋπάρχειν οὐρανοῦ καὶ γῆς τοὺς ἀγγέλους; οὐ γὰρ ὄντος τοῦ φέροντος, πῶς ἔνεστι τὸ φερόμενον εἶναι; 8 IV Ἀλλά, φασί τινες, χρῆναι λέγειν προϋπάρχειν οὐρανοῦ καὶ γῆς τοὺς ἀγ γέλους· ἀγγέλων γάρ, φησί, οὐκ ὄντων πῶς ὁ τῶν ὅλων ὑμνεῖτο Θεός; Ἀλλ' οἱ ταῦτα λέγοντες ἀγνοοῦσιν ὡς καὶ ἀνάρχους αὐτοὺς καὶ ἀϊδίους οὗτος ὁ λόγος ποιεῖ· εἰ γὰρ ἐδεῖτο τῶν ὑμνούντων ὁ τῶν ὅλων Θεός, ἀεὶ δὲ τούτους εἶχεν ὑμνοῦντας, συναΐδιοι ἄρα οἱ ἄγγελοι τῷ τῶν ὅλων Θεῷ. εἰ δὲ οὐκ ἀεί, ἀλλ' ὅτε περ ἠβουλήθη τούτους ἐδημιούργησεν, ἦν ἄρα τις αἰών, ἐν ᾧπερ τοὺς ὑμνοῦντας οὐκ εἶχεν ὁ τῶν ὅλων Θεός. οὐκοῦν οὐ δεῖται τῶν ὑμνούντων ὁ δεσπότης Θεός· ἀνενδεῆ γὰρ ἔχει τὴν φύσιν· δι' ἀγαθότητα δὲ μόνην καὶ ἀγγέλοις, καὶ ἀρχαγγέλοις, καὶ πάσῃ τῇ κτίσει τὸ εἶναι δεδώρηται· ποίαν δὲ καὶ λειτουργίαν εἶχον πρὸ τῆς κτίσεως ὄντες, οὐδενὸς ὄντος τοῦ τῆς τούτων ὠφελείας προσδεομένου; ὅτι γὰρ εἰς τὴν τῶν ἀνθρώπων