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with much fear, being amazed, he withdrew, crying out and saying: “I will confess to you that you are fearfully wonderful; wonderful are your works.” And again: “Your knowledge is too wonderful for me, it is mighty, I cannot attain to it.” Do you see the gratitude of a servant? “I thank you,” he says, “for this, that I have an incomprehensible Master,” not speaking here about substance; for that he has passed over as confessedly incomprehensible; but concerning God’s being everywhere present he says these things, showing that he does not know even this, how He is everywhere present. For that he speaks concerning these things, hear what follows: “If I ascend into heaven, you are there; if I descend into Hades, you are present.” Did you see how He is everywhere present? But the prophet does not know, but is dizzy and perplexed and troubled just by taking it into his mind? How then is it not the height of folly for those who are so far from his grace to meddle with the very substance of God? And yet this is the prophet who says: “The unseen and secret things of your wisdom you have made known to me.” But nevertheless, having learned the unseen and secret things of His wisdom, he says of this very thing that it is unapproachable and incomprehensible; “For great is the Lord,” he says, “and great is his strength, and of his understanding there is no number,” that is, there is no comprehension. What do you say? Is wisdom incomprehensible to the prophet, and substance comprehensible to us? Is this madness not evident? His greatness has no limit, and you would describe His substance? These things Isaiah also said, philosophizing: “Who shall declare his generation?” He did not say: who declares, but: “Who shall declare,” and he closed off the future. And David says: “Your knowledge is too wonderful for me”; but Isaiah says this declaration is closed not from himself, but also from all human nature. But let us see if Paul knew, since he had enjoyed greater grace; he himself is the one who says: “We know in part, and we prophesy in part.” And not only here, but also elsewhere, discoursing not about substance but about wisdom, and that which appears in providence, I do not mean that in general, by which He provides for angels and archangels and the powers above, but examining that part of providence by which He provides for men on earth, and of this again a part. For he does not examine this whole, by which He makes the sun to rise, by which He breathes souls, by which He forms bodies, by which He feeds men on earth, by which He holds the world together, by which He gives the yearly provisions; but leaving all these things aside and having examined a small part of His providence, by which He cast out the Jews, but received those from the nations, and at this small part, as if at an infinite sea, being seized with dizziness and seeing a gaping depth, he leaped away at once and cried out loudly, saying: “O the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments.” He did not say: incomprehensible, but “unsearchable.” And if it cannot be searched, much more is it impossible to be comprehended. “And his ways past finding out.” His ways are past finding out, and He is comprehensible? Tell me. And what do I say about the ways? The rewards laid up for us are incomprehensible: “For eye has not seen them, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God has prepared for them that love him.” And His gift is unspeakable: “For thanks be to God,” he says, “for his unspeakable gift,” and “his peace surpasses all understanding.” What do you say? His judgments are unsearchable, His ways past finding out, His peace surpasses all understanding, His gift is unspeakable, the things which God has prepared for them that love him have not entered into the heart of man, His greatness has no end, His understanding has no number, all things are incomprehensible, and He alone is comprehensible? And what excess of madness would this not have? Seize the heretic; do not let him depart. Say: what does Paul say? “We know in part.” He is not speaking about the substance, but about the economies. Indeed; if the discourse were also about the economies, from a greater

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μετὰ φόβου πολλοῦ θαυμάσας ἀνεχώρησε βοῶν καὶ λέγων· «Ἐξομολογήσομαί σοι ὅτι φοβερῶς ἐθαυμαστώθης· θαυμάσια τὰ ἔργα σου.» Καὶ πάλιν· «Ἐθαυμαστώθη ἡ γνῶσίς σου ἐξ ἐμοῦ, ἐκραταιώθη, οὐ μὴ δύνωμαι πρὸς αὐτήν.» Ὁρᾷς εὐγνωμοσύνην οἰκέτου; «Εὐχαριστῶ σοι, φησί, διὰ τοῦτο ὅτι ἀκατάληπτον ἔχω ∆εσπότην», οὐ περὶ οὐσίας ἐνταῦθα λέγων· ἐκεῖνο μὲν γὰρ ὡς ὡμολογημένον ἀκατάληπτον εἶναι παρῆκε· περὶ δὲ τοῦ πανταχοῦ παρεῖναι τὸν Θεὸν ταῦτά φησι δεικνὺς ὅτι οὐδὲ αὐτὸ τοῦτο οἶδε, πῶς πανταχοῦ πάρεστιν. Ὅτι γὰρ περὶ τούτων φησίν, ἄκουε τῶν ἑξῆς· «Ἐὰν ἀναβῶ εἰς τὸν οὐρανόν, σὺ ἐκεῖ εἶ· ἐὰν καταβῶ εἰς τὸν ᾅδην, πάρει.» Εἶδες πῶς πανταχοῦ πάρεστιν; Ἀλλ' ὁ προφήτης οὐκ οἶδεν, ἀλλ' ἰλιγγιᾷ καὶ διαπορεῖ καὶ θορυβεῖται μόνον εἰς νοῦν αὐτὸ λαβών; Πῶς οὖν οὐκ ἐσχάτης ἀνοίας τοὺς τοσοῦτον ἀπέχοντας τῆς ἐκείνου χάριτος αὐτὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ πολυπραγμονεῖν τὴν οὐσίαν; Καίτοι οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ προφήτης ὁ λέγων· «Τὰ ἄδηλα καὶ τὰ κρύφια τῆς σοφίας σου ἐδήλωσάς μοι.» Ἀλλ' ὅμως τὰ ἄδηλα καὶ τὰ κρύφια τῆς σοφίας αὐτοῦ μαθών, περὶ αὐτῆς φησι ταύτης ὅτι ἀπρόσιτός ἐστι καὶ ἀκατάληπτος· «Μέγας γὰρ Κύριος, φησί, καὶ μεγάλη ἡ ἰσχὺς αὐτοῦ καὶ τῆς συνέσεως αὐτοῦ οὐκ ἔστιν ἀριθμός», τοῦτ' ἔστι οὐκ ἔστι κατάληψις. Τί λέγεις; ἡ σοφία ἀκατάληπτος τῷ προφήτῃ καὶ ἡ οὐσία ἡμῖν καταληπτή; ἆρα οὐ φανερὰ αὕτη ἡ μανία; ἡ μεγαλωσύνη αὐτοῦ οὐκ ἔχει πέρας καὶ τὴν οὐσίαν αὐτοῦ περιγράφεις; Ταῦτα καὶ ὁ Ἡσαΐας φιλοσοφῶν ἔλεγε· «Τὴν γενεὰν αὐτοῦ τίς διηγήσεται;» Οὐκ εἶπε· τίς διηγεῖται, ἀλλά· «Τίς διηγήσεται» καὶ τὸ μέλλον ἀπέκλεισε. Καὶ ὁ μὲν ∆αυίδ φησιν· «Ἐθαυμαστώθη ἡ γνῶσίς σου ἐξ ἐμοῦ»· ὁ δὲ Ἡσαΐας οὐκ ἀφ' ἑαυτοῦ φησιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀπὸ πάσης τῆς ἀνθρωπίνης φύσεως ἀποκεκλεῖσθαι τὴν διήγησιν ταύτην. Ἀλλ' ἴδωμεν μήποτε ὁ Παῦλος ἔγνω, ἅτε δὴ μείζονος ἀπολελαυκὼς χάριτος· αὐτὸς μὲν οὖν ἐστιν ὁ λέγων· «Ἐκ μέρους γινώσκομεν καὶ ἐκ μέρους προφητεύομεν.» Καὶ οὐκ ἐνταῦθα μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀλλαχοῦ οὐ περὶ οὐσίας, ἀλλὰ περὶ σοφίας καὶ αὐτὸς διαλεγόμενος τῆς ἐν τῇ προνοίᾳ φαινομένης, οὐ τῆς καθόλου λέγω, καθ' ἣν ἀγγέλων καὶ ἀρχαγγέλων καὶ τῶν ἄνω προνοεῖ δυνάμεων, ἀλλ' ἐκεῖνο τῆς προνοίας τὸ μέρος ἐξετάζων, καθ' ὃ προνοεῖ τῶν ἐν τῇ γῇ ἀνθρώπων, καὶ ταύτης αὐτῆς πάλιν μέρος. Οὐδὲ γὰρ ταύτην ὅλην ἐξετάζει, καθ' ἣν ἀνατέλλει ἥλιον, καθ' ἣν ψυχὰς ἐμπνεῖ, καθ' ἣν σώματα διαπλάττει, καθ' ἣν τρέφει τοὺς ἐπὶ γῆς ἀνθρώπους, καθ' ἣν συγκρατεῖ τὸν κόσμον, καθ' ἣν τὰς ἐτησίους δίδωσι τροφάς· ἀλλὰ ταῦτα πάντα ἀφεὶς καὶ μικρόν τι μέρος ἐξετάσας τῆς προνοίας αὐτοῦ, καθ' ὃ τοὺς μὲν Ἰουδαίους ἐξέβαλε, τοὺς δὲ ἐξ ἐθνῶν εἰσεδέξατο, καὶ πρὸς αὐτὸ τοῦτο τὸ μικρὸν μέρος, ὥσπερ πρὸς πέλαγος ἄπειρον ἰλιγγιάσας καὶ βάθος ἰδὼν ἀχανές, ἀπεπήδησεν εὐθέως καὶ μέγα ἀνεβόησεν εἰπών· «Ὦ βάθος πλούτου καὶ σοφίας καὶ γνώσεως Θεοῦ, ὡς ἀνεξερεύνητα τὰ κρίματα αὐτοῦ». Οὐκ εἶπεν· ἀκατάληπτα, ἀλλ' «ἀνεξερεύνητα». Εἰ δὲ ἐρευνηθῆναι οὐ δύναται, πολλῷ μᾶλλον καταληφθῆναι ἀδύνατον. «Καὶ ἀνεξιχνίαστοι αἱ ὁδοὶ αὐτοῦ». Αἱ ὁδοὶ αὐτοῦ ἀνεξιχνίαστοι καὶ αὐτὸς καταληπτός; εἰπέ μοι. Καὶ τί λέγω περὶ τῶν ὁδῶν; τὰ ἔπαθλα τὰ ἀποκείμενα ἡμῖν ἀκατάληπτα· «Ὀφθαλμὸς γὰρ αὐτὰ οὐκ εἶδεν, οὐδὲ οὖς ἤκουσεν, οὐδὲ ἐπὶ καρδίαν ἀνθρώπου ἀνέβη ἃ ἡτοίμασεν ὁ Θεὸς τοῖς ἀγαπῶσιν αὐτόν.» Καὶ ἡ δωρεὰ αὐτοῦ ἀνεκδιήγητος· «Χάρις γὰρ τῷ Θεῷ, φησίν, ἐπὶ τῇ ἀνεκδιηγήτῳ αὐτοῦ δωρεᾷ» καὶ «εἰρήνη αὐτοῦ ὑπερέχει πάντα νοῦν». Τί λέγεις; τὰ κρίματα αὐτοῦ ἀνεξερεύνητα, αἱ ὁδοὶ αὐτοῦ ἀνεξιχνίαστοι, ἡ εἰρήνη ὑπερέχει πάντα νοῦν, ἡ δωρεὰ ἀνεκδιήγητος, ἃ ἡτοίμασεν ὁ Θεὸς τοῖς ἀγαπῶσιν αὐτὸν οὐκ ἀνέβη ἐπὶ καρδίαν ἀνθρώπου, ἡ μεγαλωσύνη πέρας οὐκ ἔχει, ἡ σύνεσις ἀριθμὸν οὐκ ἔχει, πάντα ἀκατάληπτα, καὶ αὐτὸς μόνος καταληπτός; Καὶ ποίαν οὐκ ἂν ἔχοι τοῦτο μανίας ὑπερβολήν; Κάτεχε τὸν αἱρετικόν· μὴ ἀφῇς ἀναχωρῆσαι. Εἰπέ· τί φησιν ὁ Παῦλος; «Ἐκ μέρους γινώσκομεν.» Οὐ περὶ τῆς οὐσίας φησίν, ἀλλὰ περὶ τῶν οἰκονομιῶν. Μάλιστα μέν· εἰ καὶ περὶ τῶν οἰκονομιῶν ἦν ὁ λόγος, ἐκ πλείονος