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on the earth, because your magnificence is raised above the heavens; out of the mouth of babes and sucklings you have perfected praise.” Do you see that everywhere he calls the babe a suckling? Then, foreseeing in the spirit the shamelessness of men to come, he was not satisfied with this example alone, but also by a second and a third he made this certain for us. For just as Moses, when he was sent to the Jews, received proof of three signs, so that, if they should disbelieve the first, they might hear the voice of the second, and if they should despise this one too, being put to shame by the third they might receive the prophet, so also he sets forth three examples: one, that of the child, saying: “When I was a child, I thought as a child”; a second, that of the mirror, and a third, that of the riddle. For having said, “When I was a child,” he added: “For now we see through a mirror, in a riddle.” Behold a second example of our present weakness and of our knowledge being imperfect; again, a third, the “in a riddle.” For the child sees many things and hears and speaks, but nothing clearly does he see, or hear, or speak; and he thinks, but nothing articulated. So I too know many things, but I do not understand their manner. For that God is everywhere I know, and that He is wholly everywhere; but how, I do not know. That He is without beginning and eternal I know; but how, I do not know. For reason does not accept knowing how it is possible for a substance to be, having its being neither from itself nor from another. I know that He begot a Son, but how, I am ignorant; I know that the Spirit is from Him, but how He is from Him I do not understand. I eat food, but how it is divided into phlegm, into blood, into humor, into bile, I am ignorant. We are ignorant of these things which we see, eating every day, and do we busy ourselves with the substance of God? Where then are those who say they have grasped the whole of knowledge, who have fallen into the abyss of ignorance? For those who say that at present they have grasped the whole, render themselves devoid of complete knowledge in the future. For I, who say that I know in part, even if I say that this knowledge is done away with, I am proceeding toward what is better and more perfect, when the partial knowledge is done away with and has become more perfect; but he who says that he has complete and entire and perfect knowledge, and then confesses that it is done away with in the future, shows himself to be devoid of knowledge, since this is done away with, and another, more perfect knowledge is not introduced, if indeed this, according to them, is the perfect one. Do you see how, by striving to have everything here, they will have neither what is here, and will cast themselves out of everything there? So great an evil it is not to remain within the limits which God set for us from the beginning. Thus also Adam, in the hope of greater honor, fell from that which he had; thus also it happens with the avaricious; many, often desiring greater things, have lost also what they had; so also these men, expecting to have everything here, have fallen even from the part. Therefore I exhort you to flee their madness; for I say it is the utmost madness to contend to know what God is in substance. And that you may learn that this is of the utmost madness, I will make this clear to you from the prophets; for the prophets are shown not only to be ignorant of what He is in substance, but are also at a loss as to how great His wisdom is; and yet the substance is not from the wisdom, but the wisdom from the substance. And when the prophets are unable to comprehend even this with accuracy, of how great a madness would it be to think one is able to subject the substance itself to one's own reasonings? Let us hear, then, what the prophet says concerning it: “Your knowledge has been made wonderful to me.” Or rather, let us take the discourse higher: “I will give thanks to you, for you are fearfully wonderful.” What does “fearfully” mean? Many things we admire only, but not with fear, such as the beauty of columns, the painting of walls, the bloom of bodies; again we admire the expanse of the sea and the boundless deep, but with fear, when we stoop down toward the depth. So then, the prophet also, having stooped down toward the infinite and gaping sea of the wisdom of God and grown dizzy,

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γῇ, ὅτι ἐπήρθη ἡ μεγαλοπρέπειά σου ὑπεράνω τῶν οὐρανῶν· ἐκ στόματος νηπίων καὶ θηλαζόντων κατηρτίσω αἶνον.» Ὁρᾷς ὅτι τὸν νήπιον πανταχοῦ τὸν θηλάζοντα λέγει; Εἶτα προορῶν τῷ πνεύματι τῶν μελλόντων ἀνδρῶν τὴν ἀναισχυντίαν οὐχὶ τῷ παραδείγματι τούτῳ μόνον ἠρκέσθη, ἀλλὰ καὶ δευτέρῳ καὶ τρίτῳ τοῦτο βέβαιον ἡμῖν ἐποίησε. Καθάπερ γὰρ ὁ Μωϋσῆς πρὸς Ἰουδαίους ἀποστελλόμενος τριῶν σημείων ἐλάμβανεν ἀπόδειξιν, ἵνα, ἐὰν ἀπιστήσωσι τῷ προτέρῳ, τῆς τοῦ δευτέρου φωνῆς ἀκούσωσι, ἂν δὲ καὶ ταύτης καταφρονήσωσι, τὸ τρίτον αἰσχυνθέντες καταδέξωνται τὸν προφήτην, οὕτω καὶ οὗτος τρία τίθησιν ὑποδείγματα· ἓν μὲν τὸ τοῦ παιδίου, λέγων· «Ὅτε ἤμην νήπιος, ὡς νήπιος ἐφρόνουν», δεύτερον τὸ τοῦ ἐσόπτρου καὶ τρίτον τὸ τοῦ αἰνίγματος. Εἰπὼν γάρ· «Ὅτε ἤμην νήπιος», ἐπήγαγε· «Βλέπομεν δὲ ἄρτι δι' ἐσόπτρου ἐν αἰνίγματι.» Ἰδοὺ καὶ δεύτερον ὑπόδειγμα τῆς παρούσης ἀσθενείας καὶ τοῦ ἀτελῆ τὴν γνῶσιν εἶναι· τρίτον πάλιν τὸ «ἐν αἰνίγματι». Καὶ γὰρ τὸ παιδίον ὁρᾷ μὲν πολλὰ καὶ ἀκούει καὶ φθέγγεται, τρανὸν δὲ οὐδὲν οὔτε ὁρᾷ, οὔτε ἀκούει, οὔτε φθέγγεται· καὶ φρονεῖ μέν, οὐδὲν δὲ διηρθρωμένον. Οὕτω καὶ ἐγὼ οἶδα πολλά, οὐκ ἐπίσταμαι δὲ αὐτῶν τὸν τρόπον. Ὅτι μὲν γὰρ πανταχοῦ ἔστιν ὁ Θεὸς οἶδα καὶ ὅτι ὅλως ἔστι πανταχοῦ· τὸ δὲ πῶς οὐκ οἶδα. Ὅτι ἄναρχός ἐστι καὶ ἀΐδιος οἶδα· τὸ δὲ πῶς οὐκ οἶδα. Οὐ γὰρ δέχεται λογισμὸς εἰδέναι πῶς οἷόν τε οὐσίαν εἶναι, μήτε παρ' ἑαυτῆς μήτε παρ' ἑτέρου τὸ εἶναι ἔχουσαν. Οἶδα ὅτι Υἱὸν ἐγέννησεν, τὸ δὲ πῶς ἀγνοῶ· οἶδα ὅτι τὸ Πνεῦμα ἐξ αὐτοῦ, τὸ δὲ πῶς ἐξ αὐτοῦ οὐκ ἐπίσταμαι. Βρώματα ἐσθίω, τὸ δὲ πῶς μερίζονται εἰς φλέγμα, εἰς αἷμα, εἰς χυμόν, εἰς χολήν, ἀγνοῶ. Ταῦτα ἅπερ βλέπομεν καθ' ἑκάστην ἡμέραν ἐσθίοντες ἀγνοοῦμεν, καὶ τὴν οὐσίαν τοῦ Θεοῦ πολυπραγμονοῦμεν; Ποῦ τοίνυν εἰσὶν οἱ τὸ πᾶν ἀπειληφέναι τῆς γνώσεως λέγοντες, οἱ πρὸς τὸ βάραθρον τῆς ἀγνωσίας καταπεσόντες; Οἱ γὰρ κατὰ τὸ παρὸν λέγοντες ἀπειληφέναι τὸ πᾶν, εἰς τὸ μέλλον ἐρήμους ἑαυτοὺς τῆς παντελοῦς καθιστῶσι γνώσεως. Ἐγὼ μὲν γὰρ ὁ λέγων ὅτι ἐκ μέρους γινώσκω, κἂν εἴπω ὅτι καταργεῖται ἡ γνῶσις αὕτη, πρὸς τὸ βέλτιον καὶ τελειότερον ὁδεύω, καταργηθείσης τῆς μερικῆς καὶ γενομένης τελειοτέρας· ἐκεῖνος δὲ ὁ λέγων παντελῆ καὶ ὁλόκληρον καὶ τελείαν ἔχειν τὴν γνῶσιν, εἶτα ὁμολογῶν αὐτὴν καταργεῖσθαι ἐν τῷ μέλλοντι, ἔρημον ἑαυτὸν ἀποφαίνει τῆς γνώσεως, ταύτης μὲν καταργουμένης, ἑτέρας δὲ τελειοτέρας οὐκ ἐπεισαγομένης, εἴπερ αὕτη ἐστὶ κατ' αὐτοὺς ἡ τελεία. Ὁρᾶτε πῶς φιλονεικοῦντες ἐνταῦθα τὸ πᾶν ἔχειν, οὔτε τὸ ἐνταῦθα ἕξουσι, καὶ ἐκεῖ τοῦ παντὸς ἑαυτοὺς ἐκβαλοῦσι; Τοσοῦτόν ἐστι κακὸν τὸ μὴ μένειν εἴσω τῶν ὅρων ὧν ἐξ ἀρχῆς ἡμῖν ἔταξεν ὁ Θεός. Οὕτω καὶ ὁ Ἀδὰμ ἐλπίδι πλείονος τιμῆς καὶ τῆς οὔσης ἐξέπεσεν· οὕτω καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν φιλαργύρων γίνεται· πολλοὶ πολλάκις μειζόνων ἐπιθυμοῦντες καὶ τὰ παρόντα ἀπώλεσαν· οὕτω καὶ οὗτοι προσδοκῶντες ἐνταῦθα τὸ πᾶν ἔχειν, καὶ τοῦ μέρους ἐξέπεσον. ∆ιὸ παραινῶ φεύγειν αὐτῶν τὴν μανίαν· μανίαν γὰρ ἔγωγέ φημι εἶναι ἐσχάτην τὸ φιλονεικεῖν εἰδέναι τί τὴν οὐσίαν ἐστὶν ὁ Θεός. Καὶ ἵνα μάθῃς ὅτι μανίας ἐσχάτης τοῦτο, ἀπὸ τῶν προφητῶν ὑμῖν τοῦτο ποιήσω φανερόν· οἱ γὰρ προφῆται οὐ μόνον τί τὴν οὐσίαν ἐστὶν ἀγνοοῦντες φαίνονται, ἀλλὰ καὶ περὶ τῆς σοφίας αὐτοῦ πόση τίς ἐστιν ἀποροῦσι· καίτοι γε οὐχ ἡ οὐσία ἀπὸ τῆς σοφίας, ἀλλ' ἡ σοφία ἐκ τῆς οὐσίας. Ὅταν δὲ μηδὲ ταύτην δύνωνται καταλαμβάνειν οἱ προφῆται μετὰ ἀκριβείας, πόσης ἂν εἴη μανίας τὸ τὴν οὐσίαν αὐτὴν νομίζειν δύνασθαι τοῖς οἰκείοις ὑποβάλλειν λογισμοῖς; Ἀκούσωμεν τοίνυν τί φησιν ὁ προφήτης περὶ αὐτῆς· «Ἐθαυμαστώθη ἡ γνῶσίς σου ἐξ ἐμοῦ.» Μᾶλλον δὲ ἀνωτέρω τὸν λόγον ἀγάγωμεν· «Ἐξομολογήσομαί σοι, ὅτι φοβερῶς ἐθαυμαστώθης.» Τί ἐστι «φοβερῶς»; Πολλὰ θαυμάζομεν μόνον, ἀλλ' οὐ μετὰ φόβου, οἷον κιόνων κάλλος, τοίχων ζωγραφίαν, ἄνθη σωμάτων· θαυμάζομεν πάλιν τῆς θαλάσσης τὸ πέλαγος καὶ τὸν ἄπειρον βυθόν, ἀλλὰ μετὰ φόβου, ὅταν πρὸς τὸ βάθος κατακύψωμεν. Οὕτω τοίνυν καὶ ὁ προφήτης πρὸς τὸ ἄπειρον καὶ ἀχανὲς πέλαγος τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ κατακύψας σοφίας καὶ ἰλιγγιάσας,