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in the age of clearness, or how much seeing through a mirror and in a riddle falls short of face to face.

And the disciples of the Lord around the blessed Peter and John also establish this, they too no less confirming by the constant increase and progress towards the greater in the present life the excellence of the knowledge preserved in the age to come. Who, after they were shown to be worthy of the election from the Lord, of the life with him, of the mission from him, of the distribution of spiritual gifts, after hearing: To you it has been given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, after such knowledge, after the revelation of things hidden from others, yet at some later time, around the very time of the Lord’s 31.684 passion, they hear: I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. From these and such things we learn that the divinely inspired Scripture knows so much of the infinity of knowledge, and so much of the inability of human nature to attain the divine mysteries in the present, with more always being added to each one according to progress, but always falling short of what is worthy of all, until that which is perfect comes, when that which is in part will be done away; therefore neither is one name sufficient to declare all the glories of God at once, nor is each one received entirely without risk. For if someone says, God, he has not declared, Father; and from Father, creator is missing.

And again to these there is need of goodness, wisdom, power, and the rest of the things that are mentioned in the holy Scripture. Again, if we take the word Father entirely according to our usage, in reference to God, we are impious; for it suggests passion and emanation, and ignorance, and weakness, and all such things. And likewise also, creator. For in our case there is need of time, matter, tools, help; from all of which the pious opinion about God must be pure, as far as is possible for a human. For, as I said, to speak worthily, even if all minds were joined for the investigation, and all tongues ran together for the proclamation, no one would ever attain it.

And the most wise Solomon clearly presents this concept to us, saying: I said, I will be wise; and it was far from me, farther than it was; not by fleeing, but by its incomprehensibility being made manifest especially to those to whom knowledge has been more abundantly given by the grace of God. The divinely inspired Scripture, therefore, of necessity uses several names and words for a certain partial, and that enigmatic, representation of the divine glory. But for us at present there is neither the power nor the leisure to recount all the things everywhere said by the divinely inspired Scripture concerning the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, because you are pressing us; but by setting forth a few things out of all, we think these are sufficient for your conscience, both for the manifestation of our mind from the Scriptures, and for the full conviction of you yourselves and of those who wish it concerning us. For just as many things announce to us the one pious concept, so also from a few things the well-disposed person, I think, recognizes the piety in all.

31.685 We believe therefore and confess one only true and good God, and Father almighty, from whom are all things; the God and Father of our Lord and God Jesus Christ. And one, his only-begotten Son, our Lord and God Jesus Christ, alone true, through whom all things were made, both the visible and the invisible; and in whom all things consist; who in the beginning was with God, and was God; and after these things, according to the Scripture, he was seen on earth, and conversed with men; who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but emptied himself, and through the birth from a Virgin taking the form of a servant, and being found in fashion as a man, fulfilled all the things written for him and about him

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αἰῶνι τρανότητος, ἢ ὅσον ἀπολιμπάνεται τοῦ πρόσωπον πρὸς πρόσωπον τὸ δι' ἐσόπτρου βλέπειν καὶ ἐν αἰνίγματι.

Συν ιστῶσι δὲ τοῦτο καὶ οἱ περὶ τὸν μακάριον Πέτρον καὶ Ἰωάννην μαθηταὶ τοῦ Κυρίου, τῇ κατὰ τὸν παρόντα βίον ἀεὶ πρὸς τὸ μεῖζον ἐπιδόσει καὶ προκοπῇ τὸ ὑπερ βάλλον τῆς ἐν τῷ μέλλοντι τηρουμένης αἰῶνι γνώσεως οὐκ ἔλαττον καὶ αὐτοὶ πιστούμενοι. Οἵτινες, μετὰ τὸ ἄξιοι φανῆναι τῆς παρὰ τοῦ Κυρίου ἐκλογῆς, τῆς σὺν αὐτῷ διαγωγῆς, τῆς παρ' αὐτοῦ ἀποστολῆς, τῆς τῶν πνευματικῶν χαρισμάτων διανομῆς, μετὰ τὸ ἀκοῦ σαι· Ὑμῖν δέδοται γνῶναι τὰ μυστήρια τῆς βα σιλείας τῶν οὐρανῶν, μετὰ τὴν τοιαύτην γνῶ σιν, μετὰ τὴν ἀποκάλυψιν τῶν τοῖς λοιποῖς ἀποῤῥήτων, ὅμως ὕστερόν ποτε, περὶ αὐτὸ λοιπὸν τοῦ Κυρίου 31.684 τὸ πάθος, ἀκούουσιν· Ἔτι πολλὰ ἔχω λέγειν ὑμῖν, ἀλλ' οὐ δύνασθε βαστάζειν ἄρτι. Ἐκ τούτων καὶ τῶν τοιούτων μανθάνομεν, ὅτι τοσοῦτον μὲν οἶδεν ἡ θεόπνευστος Γραφὴ τῆς ἐπι γνώσεως τὸ ἀπέραντον, τοσοῦτον δὲ τῆς ἀνθρωπίνης φύσεως τὸ τῶν θείων μυστηρίων ἐν τῷ παρόντι ἀν έφικτον, ἀεὶ μὲν κατὰ προκοπὴν ἑκάστῳ προσ τιθεμένου τοῦ πλείονος, ἀεὶ δὲ τοῦ πρὸς ἀξίαν ἀπο λιμπανομένου ἁπάντων, ἄχρις ἂν ἔλθῃ τὸ τέλειον, ὅτε τὸ ἐκ μέρους καταργηθήσεται· οὐκοῦν οὔτε ἑνὸς ὀνόματος ἀρκοῦντος πάσας ὁμοῦ δηλῶσαι τὰς τοῦ Θεοῦ δόξας, οὔτε ἑκάστου ἐξ ὁλοκλήρου ἀκινδύνως παραλαμβανομένου. Ἄν τε γὰρ εἴπῃ τις, Θεὸς, οὐκ ἐδήλωσε τὸ, Πατήρ· τῷ δὲ, Πατὴρ, λείπει τὸ, κτίστης.

Τούτοις δὲ πάλιν χρεία ἀγαθότητος, σοφίας, δυνά μεως, καὶ τῶν λοιπῶν τῶν φερομένων ἐν τῇ ἁγίᾳ Γραφῇ. Πάλιν δὲ τὸ, Πατὴρ, ὁλόκληρον κατὰ τὴν ἡμετέραν χρῆσιν, ἐὰν ἐκλάβωμεν ἐπὶ Θεοῦ, ἀσεβοῦ μεν· πάθος γὰρ καὶ ἀπόῤῥοιαν, καὶ ἄγνοιαν, καὶ ἀσθένειαν, καὶ ὅσα τοιαῦτα ἐπιφημίζει. Ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ τὸ, κτίστης. Ἐφ' ἡμῶν γὰρ χρεία χρόνου, ὕλης, σκευῶν, βοηθείας· ὧν ἁπάντων καθαρεύειν δεῖ τὴν εὐσεβῆ περὶ Θεοῦ δόξαν, ὡς δυνατὸν ἀνθρώπῳ. Τοῦ γὰρ πρὸς ἀξίαν, ὡς ἔφην, κἂν εἰ πᾶσαι μὲν διάνοιαι πρὸς τὴν ἔρευναν συναφθεῖεν, πᾶσαι δὲ γλῶσσαι πρὸς τὴν ἐπαγγελίαν συνδράμοιεν, οὐδέποτε ἄν τις ἐφ ίκοιτο. Ταύτην δὲ ἡμῖν τὴν ἔννοιαν σαφῶς παρίστησι καὶ ὁ σοφώτατος Σολομὼν λέγων· Εἶπα· Σοφισθή σομαι· καὶ αὕτη ἐμακρύνθη ἀπ' ἐμοῦ μακρὰν, ὑπὲρ ὃ ἦν· οὐ τῷ φεύγειν, ἀλλὰ τῷ ἐκείνοις μάλι στα φανεροῦσθαι αὐτῆς τὸ ἀκατάληπτον, οἷς Θεοῦ χάριτι περισσοτέρως προσγέγονεν ἡ γνῶσις. Ἡ μὲν οὖν θεόπνευστος Γραφὴ πλείοσιν ὀνόμασιν ἀναγκαίως χρῆται καὶ ῥήμασιν εἰς μερικήν τινα, καὶ ταύτην αἰνιγματώδη, τῆς θείας δόξης παράστασιν. Ἡμῖν δὲ πάντα μὲν τὰ πανταχοῦ ὑπὸ τῆς θεοπνεύστου Γραφῆς περί τε Πατρὸς καὶ Υἱοῦ καὶ ἁγίου Πνεύματος εἰρη μένα τὸ παρὸν ἀναλέγειν οὔτε δύναμις, οὔτε σχολὴ, διὰ τὸ κατεπείγειν ὑμᾶς· ὀλίγα δὲ ἐκ πάντων παραθέμενοι, ἀρκεῖν ἡγούμεθα καὶ ταῦτα τῇ ὑμετέρᾳ συνειδήσει, πρός τε τὴν τοῦ ἡμετέρου ἐκ τῶν Γρα φῶν φρονήματος φανέρωσιν, καὶ τὴν ὑμῶν αὐτῶν καὶ τῶν βουλομένων ἐφ' ἡμῖν πληροφορίαν. Ὡς γὰρ τὰ πολλὰ μίαν ἡμῖν τὴν εὐσεβῆ ἔννοιαν ἐξαγγέλ λει, οὕτω καὶ ἐκ τῶν ὀλίγων ὁ εὐγνώμων, οἶμαι, τὸ ἐν πᾶσιν εὐσεβὲς ἐπιγινώσκει. 31.685 Πιστεύομεν τοίνυν καὶ ὁμολογοῦμεν ἕνα μόνον ἀληθινὸν καὶ ἀγαθὸν Θεὸν, καὶ Πατέρα παντο κράτορα, ἐξ οὗ τὰ πάντα· τὸν Θεὸν καὶ Πατέρα τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν καὶ Θεοῦ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ. Καὶ ἕνα τὸν μονογενῆ αὐτοῦ Υἱὸν Κύριον καὶ Θεὸν ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦν Χριστὸν, μόνον ἀληθινὸν, δι' οὗ τὰ πάντα ἐγένετο, τά τε ὁρατὰ καὶ τὰ ἀόρατα· καὶ ἐν ᾧ τὰ πάντα συνέστηκεν· ὃς ἐν ἀρχῇ ἦν πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν, καὶ Θεὸς ἦν· καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα, κατὰ τὴν Γραφὴν, ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ὤφθη, καὶ τοῖς ἀνθρώποις συνανεστρά φη· ὃς ἐν μορφῇ Θεοῦ ὑπάρχων, οὐχ ἁρπαγμὸν ἡγήσατο τὸ εἶναι ἴσα Θεῷ, ἀλλ' ἑαυτὸν ἐκένωσε, καὶ διὰ τῆς ἐκ Παρθένου γεννήσεως μορφὴν δούλου λαβὼν, καὶ σχήματι εὑρεθεὶς ὡς ἄνθρωπος, πάντα τὰ εἰς αὐτὸν καὶ περὶ αὐτοῦ γεγραμμένα ἐπλή