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wherever the craftsman leads, not resisting, nor being meddlesome. For this reason he also reminds us of our nature, and he makes mention of clay and a potter. And yet the substance of the potter and the clay is the same. 2.17 If where there is the same substance, there is such great obedience; where the interval is infinite both in substance and in knowledge and in all other things, what pardon will he obtain who is so rash and shameless as to meddle with the things of God who made him? Consider, O man, who you are; for this he makes clear by what he says: "Who are you?" Are you not clay? not ashes and dust? not dust? not smoke? not grass? not a flower of grass? 2.18 For the prophets continually bring all these images forward, striving to demonstrate the worthlessness of our nature. But he who is meddled with by you, is indestructible, unchangeable, ever existing and existing in the same way, without beginning, without end, inconceivable, transcending mind, conquering reason, inexpressible, unutterable, incomprehensible not to me and you only and to prophets and apostles, but also to the powers above, the pure, the invisible, the bodiless, who continually dwell in heaven.

3.t Chapter 3. That not only to us but also to the powers above

is the Godhead incomprehensible

3.1 When, therefore, you see the seraphim flying around that high and exalted throne, walling off their own faces with the screen of their wings and covering their feet and backs and faces and uttering a cry full of astonishment, do not think that they have feathers and feet and wings; 3.2 for those powers are invisible; but through these images reckon the unapproachable, the incomprehensible nature of him who sits upon the throne. For even to them he is incomprehensible and unapproachable, even though he condescends; for he did not then appear as he was. For God does not sit, nor is he contained by a throne, nor is he encompassed by place. 3.3 But if they were not strong enough to see him sitting and established on a throne and encircled by them—all of which things are of one condescending, not of one sitting—but, not bearing the lightning that leaped forth from thence, they walled off their faces with the screen of their wings and only gave glory, only sang hymns with much shuddering, offering up that mystical melody of the sanctification; 3.4 Will you not go away and bury yourself and sink down, you who wish to meddle with such rashness with the providence of God's power, which is unutterable and ineffable and incomprehensible even to the powers above? 3.5 For all his things are clear with exactness only to the Son and the Holy Spirit, but to no other; and of these things John the evangelist has declared the one, and Paul the apostle the other. Therefore the son of thunder, being exceedingly beloved by Christ and having this as a mark, which was a proof of the greatest virtue, and enjoying so much boldness as even to recline upon his breast, thus says: "No one has ever seen God," calling sight knowledge; 3.6 "the only-begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he has made him known." Christ also, making this clear through himself, long ago speaking to the people of the Hebrews says: "No one has seen the Father, except he who is from God; this one has seen the Father." 3.7 But the chosen vessel, having fallen into the account of his economy and wishing to say all the secret things which he had learned, how he knew them, thus says: "But we speak wisdom in a mystery, the hidden wisdom, which God foreordained before the ages, for our glory, which none of the rulers of this age knew. 3.8 For if they had known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. But, as it is written, what eye has not seen and ear has not heard and has not entered into the heart of man, what God has prepared for those who love"

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ἂν ὁ τεχνίτης ἄγῃ, μὴ ἀντιτείνοντα, μηδὲ περιεργαζόμενον. ∆ιὸ καὶ τῆς φύσεως ἡμᾶς ἀναμιμνῄσκει τῆς ἡμετέρας, καὶ πηλοῦ μέμνηται καὶ κεραμέως. Καίτοι γε κεραμέως καὶ πηλοῦ ἡ αὐτὴ οὐσία. 2.17 Εἰ δὲ ἔνθα ἡ αὐτὴ οὐσία, τοσαύτη ἡ ὑπακοή· ἔνθα ἄπειρον τὸ μέσον καὶ οὐσίας καὶ γνώσεως καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἁπάντων, ποίας τεύξεται συγγνώμης ὁ οὕτως ἰταμὸς καὶ ἀναιδὴς ὥστε πολυπραγμονεῖν τὰ τοῦ πεποιηκότος αὐτὸν Θεοῦ; Ἐννόησον, ὦ ἄνθρωπε, τίς εἶ· τοῦτο γὰρ δηλοῖ δι' ὧν λέγει· «Σὺ τίς εἶ;» Οὐχὶ πηλός; οὐχὶ τέφρα καὶ σποδός; οὐχὶ κόνις; οὐ καπνός; οὐ χόρτος; οὐκ ἄνθος χόρτου; 2.18 Ταύτας γὰρ πάσας τὰς εἰκόνας εἰς μέσον οἱ προφῆται συνεχῶς φέρουσι, τὴν εὐτέλειαν ἡμῶν τῆς φύσεως παραστῆσαι φιλονεικοῦντες. Ὁ δὲ πολυπραγμονούμενος ὑπὸ σοῦ, ἀνώλεθρος, ἀναλλοίωτος, ἀεὶ ὢν καὶ ὡσαύτως ὤν, ἄναρχος, ἀτελεύτητος, ἀπερινόητος, ὑπερβαίνων νοῦν, νικῶν λογισμόν, ἀνέκφραστος, ἄρρητος, ἀκατάληπτος οὐκ ἐμοὶ καὶ σοὶ μόνον καὶ προφήταις καὶ ἀποστόλοις, ἀλλὰ καὶ ταῖς ἄνω δυνάμεσι, ταῖς καθαραῖς, ταῖς ἀοράτοις, ταῖς ἀσωμάτοις, ταῖς διηνεκῶς ἐν οὐρανῷ διατριβούσαις.

3.t Κεφ. γʹ. Ὅτι οὐχ ἡμῖν μόνον ἀλλὰ καὶ ταῖς ἄνω δυνάμεσιν

ἀκατάληπτον τὸ θεῖον

3.1 Ὅταν οὖν ἴδῃς τὰ σεραφεὶμ τὰ περιιπτάμενα τὸν θρόνον τὸν ὑψηλὸν ἐκεῖνον καὶ ἐπηρμένον, τῇ προβολῇ τῶν πτερύγων ἀποτειχίζοντα τὰς ἑαυτῶν ὄψεις καὶ τοὺς πόδας καλύπτοντα καὶ νῶτα καὶ πρόσωπα καὶ κραυγὴν ἀφιέντα ἐκπλήξεως γέμουσαν, μὴ πτερὰ νόμιζε καὶ πόδας καὶ πτέρυγας αὐτοῖς εἶναι· 3.2 ἀόρατοι γὰρ αἱ δυνάμεις ἐκεῖναι· ἀλλὰ διὰ τῶν εἰκόνων τούτων τὸ ἀπρόσιτον, τὸ ἀκατάληπτον τοῦ καθημένου ἐπὶ τοῦ θρόνου λογίζου. Καὶ γὰρ καὶ ἐκείναις ἀκατάληπτος καὶ ἀπρόσιτός ἐστι, καίτοι συγκαταβαίνων· οὐδὲ γὰρ ὅπερ ἦν ἐφαίνετο τότε. Θεὸς γὰρ οὐ κάθηται, οὐδὲ θρόνῳ περιέχεται, οὐδὲ τόπῳ περιείληπται. 3.3 Εἰ δὲ καθήμενον καὶ ἐπὶ θρόνου ἱδρυμένον καὶ κυκλούμενον ὑπ' αὐτῶν-ἅπερ ἐστὶν ἅπαντα συγκαταβαίνοντος, οὐ καθημένου-οὐκ ἴσχυσαν ἰδεῖν, ἀλλὰ μὴ φέρουσαι τὴν ἐκεῖθεν ἐκπηδῶσαν ἀστραπήν, τῇ προβολῇ τῶν πτερύγων τὰς ὄψεις ἀπετείχιζον καὶ μόνον ἐδοξολόγουν, μόνον ὕμνουν μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς φρίκης τὸ μυστικὸν ἐκεῖνο τοῦ ἁγιασμοῦ ἀναφέρουσαι μέλος· 3.4 Οὐκ ἀπελθὼν κατορύξεις σεαυτὸν καὶ καταδύσεις, τῆς ἀρρήτου καὶ ἀφράστου καὶ ταῖς ἄνω δυνάμεσιν ἀκαταλήπτου Θεοῦ δυνάμεως τὴν πρόνοιαν μετὰ τοσαύτης περιεργάζεσθαι βουλόμενος τῆς ἰταμότητος; 3.5 Τὰ γὰρ ἐκείνου Υἱῷ καὶ Πνεύματι ἁγίῳ δῆλα μόνον ἅπαντα μετ' ἀκριβείας, ἑτέρῳ δὲ οὐδενί· καὶ τούτων τὸ μὲν Ἰωάννης ὁ εὐαγγελιστής, τὸ δὲ Παῦλος ὁ ἀπόστολος παρεδήλωσεν. Ὁ μὲν οὖν τῆς βροντῆς υἱὸς καὶ σφόδρα ἐπέραστος ὢν τῷ Χριστῷ καὶ τοῦτο παράσημον ἔχων, ὅπερ ἦν μεγίστης ἀρετῆς ἀπόδειξις καὶ τοσαύτης ἀπολαύων παρρησίας ὡς καὶ ἐπὶ τὸ στῆθος αὐτοῦ κατακλίνεσθαι, οὕτω φησί· «Θεὸν οὐδεὶς ἑώρακε πώποτε», ὅρασιν τὴν γνῶσιν λέγων· 3.6 «Ὁ μονογενὴς Υἱὸς ὁ ὢν εἰς τὸν κόλπον τοῦ Πατρός, ἐκεῖνος ἐξηγήσατο.» Τοῦτο καὶ ὁ Χριστὸς δηλοποιῶν δι' ἑαυτοῦ πάλαι τῷ δήμῳ τῶν Ἑβραίων διαλεγόμενός φησιν· «Οὐδεὶς ἑώρακε τὸν Πατέρα, εἰ μὴ ὁ ὢν ἐκ τοῦ Θεοῦ· οὗτος ἑώρακε τὸν Πατέρα.» 3.7 Τὸ δὲ σκεῦος τῆς ἐκλογῆς εἰς τὸν τῆς οἰκονομίας αὐτοῦ λόγον ἐμπεσὼν καὶ τὰ ἀπόρρητα, ἅπερ ἔμαθεν, ἅπαντα βουλόμενος εἰπεῖν, πῶς αὐτὰ ἔγνω, οὕτω λέγει· «Λαλοῦμεν δὲ σοφίαν ἐν μυστηρίῳ, τὴν ἀποκεκρυμμένην, ἣν προώρισεν ὁ Θεὸς πρὸ τῶν αἰώνων, εἰς δόξαν ἡμῶν, ἣν οὐδεὶς τῶν ἀρχόντων τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου ἔγνω. 3.8 Εἰ γὰρ ἔγνωσαν, οὐκ ἂν τὸν Κύριον τῆς δόξης ἐσταύρωσαν. Ἀλλά, καθὼς γέγραπται, ἃ ὀφθαλμὸς οὐκ εἶδε καὶ οὖς οὐκ ἤκουσε καὶ ἐπὶ καρδίαν ἀνθρώπου οὐκ ἀνέβη, ἃ ἡτοίμασεν ὁ Θεὸς τοῖς ἀγαπῶσιν