But since substance according to the first division is into body and incorporeal, how is the incorporeal not a substance existing in itself? Another. That which is able to separate itself from suffering with the body and not be destroyed is also able to be separated from the body and not be destroyed; therefore it is more beautiful and more honorable than the body, as being the cause of the body's being beautiful by its own presence. Such a thing we say is the rational soul, being an intelligent spirit, both life-giving and cognitive and self-moving, with which we say that both angels and demons are consubstantial. And, to speak generally, every substantial thing that can be contained by something is a body to that which contains it. And we say the divine is incorporeal, not that it is incorporeal (for God in his own substance is beyond the corporeal just as he is also beyond the incorporeal, as being the creator of each of these; for God did not make what he himself is), but, just as we are accustomed to always honor the divine with the more honorable material things among us, so also with names, not as though God needs these, but as we show our concept of him by them. In this way, therefore, we name him incorporeal, although we know that he is beyond the incorporeal, as its creator. But let this also be posited in the argument as wholly indicative that there is something incorporeal. For if there were nothing incorporeal among beings, there would not be body either. But since there is something incorporeal, just as there is something corporeal, for this reason it is necessary to distinguish opposites from each other with opposite names. For we also call God uncreated, distinguishing him from created things by the name of 'uncreated.' And if created things did not exist, God would not be distinguished from them by the name of 'uncreated.' According to this distinction, therefore, which is made by the name of 'uncreated,' God is shown to be beyond both corporeal and incorporeal things. For if the name 'created' contains all things collectively, both corporeal and incorporeal, it is clear that he who is distinguished from created things by this name is of necessity also distinguished from both corporeal and incorporeal things. And that which belongs to other incorporeal things, not being contained by bodies, this also belongs to God, not as to the incorporeal but as to that which is beyond the incorporeal. And since not having a creator and master is more honorable than having a creator and master, for this reason we call God uncreated. For that which is uncreated can have neither a creator nor a master. Likewise, since not being contained by something is more honorable than being contained, for this reason we call him incorporeal. Question. From where is it clear if there is a God at all? Answer. From the constitution and persistence of beings. For beings would not exist, if God did not pre-exist them, who all the parts of creation necessarily for the benefit of the whole cre

δὲ ἡ οὐσία κατὰ τὴν πρώτην διαίρεσιν εἰς σῶμα καὶ ἀσώματον, πῶς οὐκ ἔστι τὸ ἀσώματον οὐσία ἐφ' ἑαυτῆς ὑπάρχουσα; Ἄλλο. Τὸ δυνάμενον ἑαυτὸ χωρίζειν τοῦ προσπάσχειν σώματι καὶ μὴ φθείρεσθαι δύναται καὶ χωρισθῆναι τοῦ σώ ματος καὶ μὴ φθείρεσθαι· διὸ κάλλιον καὶ τιμιώτερόν ἐστι τοῦ σώματος, ὡς αἴτιον ὑπάρχον τοῦ καλὸν εἶναι τὸ σῶμα τῇ αὑτοῦ παρουσίᾳ. Τὸ τοιοῦτόν φαμεν εἶναι τὴν λογικὴν ψυ χήν, πνεῦμα οὖσαν νοερόν, ζωτικήν τε καὶ γνωστικὴν καὶ αὐτο κίνητον, ἧς ὁμοουσίους εἶναί φαμεν τούς τε ἀγγέλους καὶ τοὺς δαίμονας. Καί, καθόλου εἰπεῖν, πᾶν ἐνούσιον, τὸ ὑπό τινος δυνάμενον κρατεῖσθαι, σῶμά ἐστι τῷ κρατοῦντι αὐτό. Καὶ τὸ θεῖόν φαμεν εἶναι ἀσώματον, οὐχ ὅτι ἔστιν ἀσώματον (ἐπέ κεινα γάρ ἐστιν ὁ θεὸς τῇ αὑτοῦ οὐσίᾳ ὥσπερ τοῦ σώματος οὕτως καὶ τοῦ ἀσωμάτου, ὡς ἑκατέρου τούτων ὑπάρχων δη μιουργός· οὐδὲ γὰρ ἐποίησεν ὁ θεὸς ἃ αὐτὸς ὑπάρχει), ἀλλ', ὥσπερ εἰώθαμεν ἐν τοῖς παρ' ἡμῖν τιμιωτέροις ὑλικοῖς ἀεὶ γεραίρειν τὸ θεῖον, οὕτως καὶ ἐν τοῖς ὀνόμασιν, οὐχ ὡς τοῦ θεοῦ τούτων δεομένου, ἀλλ' ἡμῶν τὴν περὶ αὐτοῦ ἔννοιαν αὐ τοῖς ἐνδεικνυμένων. Τούτῳ οὖν τῷ τρόπῳ ὀνομάζομεν αὐτὸν ἀσώματον, καίτοι εἰδότες αὐτὸν ἐπέκεινα ὑπάρχοντα τοῦ ἀσω μάτου, ὡς τούτου δημιουργόν. Κείσθω δὲ ὅλως καὶ τοῦτο ἐν τῷ λόγῳ δεικτικὸν ὑπάρχον τοῦ εἶναί τι ἀσώματον. Eἰ δὲ μηδὲν ἦν ἐν τοῖς οὖσιν ἀσώματον, οὐδ' ἂν τὸ σῶμα. Ἀλλ' ἐπειδή ἐστί τι ἀσώματον, ὥσπερ ἐστί τι σῶμα, διὰ τοῦτο ἀνάγκη τοῖς ἐναντίοις ὀνόμασι τὰ ἐναντία ἀλλήλων διαστέλ λειν. Καὶ γὰρ τὸν θεὸν καλοῦμεν ἄκτιστον, τῷ τοῦ ἀκτίστου ὀνόματι τῶν κτιστῶν αὐτὸν διαστέλλοντες. Καὶ εἰ μὴ ἦσαν τὰ κτιστά, οὐδὲ θεὸς τούτων διεστέλλετο τῷ τοῦ ἀκτίστου ὀνόματι. Κατὰ ταύτην οὖν τὴν γινομένην τῷ τοῦ ἀκτίστου ὀνόματι διαστολὴν δείκνυται ὁ θεὸς σωμάτων τε καὶ ἀσωμάτων ὑπάρχων ἐπέκεινα. Eἰ γὰρ τὸ κτιστὸν ὄνομα πάντα συλλήβδην περιέχει τὰ σώματά τε καὶ τὰ ἀσώματα, δῆλον ὅτι ὁ τούτῳ τῷ ὀνόματι τῶν κτιστῶν διαστελλόμενος ἐξ ἀνάγκης καὶ σωμάτων τε καὶ ἀσωμάτων διέσταλται. Καὶ ὅπερ πρόσεστι τοῖς ἄλλοις ἀσωμάτοις, τὸ μὴ κρατεῖσθαι ὑπὸ σωμάτων, τοῦτο πρόσεστι καὶ τῷ θεῷ, ὡς τῷ ἀσωμάτῳ οὐχὶ ἀλλ' ὡς τῷ ἐπέκεινα τοῦ ἀσωμάτου. Καὶ ἐπειδὴ τὸ μὴ ἔχειν δημιουρ γὸν καὶ δεσπότην τοῦ ἔχειν δημιουργὸν καὶ δεσπότην τιμιώ τερόν ἐστι, διὰ τοῦτο τὸν θεὸν καλοῦμεν ἄκτιστον. Τὸ γὰρ ὑπάρχον ἄκτιστον οὔτε δημιουργὸν δύναται ἔχειν οὔτε δεσπό την. Ὡσαύτως δὲ ἐπειδὴ τὸ μὴ κρατεῖσθαι ὑπό τινος τοῦ κρατεῖσθαι τιμιώτερόν ἐστι, διὰ τοῦτο καλοῦμεν αὐτὸν ἀσώ ματον. Ἐρώτησις. Πόθεν δῆλον εἰ ὅλως ἔστι θεός; Ἀπόκρισις. Ἐκ τῆς τῶν ὄντων συστάσεώς τε καὶ διαμονῆς. Oὐ γὰρ ἂν ἦν τὰ ὄντα, μὴ τοῦ θεοῦ προϋπάρχοντος αὐτῶν, τοῦ πάντα τὰ μέρη τῆς κτίσεως χρειωδῶς πρὸς λυσιτέλειαν τῆς ὅλης κτί