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Moses and Aaron, the brothers, [these] also became brothers not by nature but by faith; both put Pharaoh to flight and lead out from there a chosen people; both part the sea of life and save the faithful; the one water they sweeten, the other, not being present, they cause to spring forth; they rain down manna, they cause birds to gush forth, a strange and heavenly food; by the type of the cross they conquer the spiritual Amalek. they become all things, they accomplish all things, performing all those ancient wonders in their mystical outcomes. And they ascend the mountain, the great watchtower of piety, and enter into the darkness, and not even here are they slightly separated from one another, neither in rank nor in the power of the spirit, each desiring the other; and they receive tablets not of stone, but spiritual and built up beyond shattering; and they give laws not only to Jews but to all nations and races. And in the difference of their practices, they altered only one of the Mosaic precepts, having an end different from his; for not like Moses have they failed to reach the land to which they were hastening, but they both saw it and knew it and beheld it and led in those who followed, guiding them by the hand. And not only was their spiritual end similar, but also their physical and visible one; for in Rome both also completed the course of martyrdom, being slain by Nero, struggling steadfastly and as it were in no other way for piety. these things are common to the two; for common to them is also the mystery, common is the command of Christ, common is both the preaching of Christ and the chief point of the salvation of men; for in Peter I perceive Paul, and in Paul I contemplate Peter.

11 I wish, therefore, to separate them and to examine what belongs to them individually. But how could one tear apart those who are united in spirit? For he who has said Peter straightway adds Paul, and he who has mentioned Paul no longer fails to think of Peter too. I fear, therefore, lest this not be pleasing to the two most divine men, I fear lest they be jealous of the attempt and disapprove of my wish. But for my discourse, Peter and Paul, forgive me; for in no other way could I present to the hearers the characters belonging to each.

12 But O most divine Peter—for I shall begin to speak from you, since you were also the first to be chosen by Christ, calling upon God to appear to me as a helper of my discourse, whom you longed for, whom when he called you immediately followed, for whom you also laid down your soul. May all you who know how to delve into the depths of discourse hear what I say. God is the summit of beings, not as joined to them but as exceedingly exalted above them, not by any measure of distance but by an immeasurability both of place and of nature, altogether unknown and incomprehensible, having come into being neither from itself nor from another. For that which has come into being from another is not God; for the power that brought it into being will appear greater than it. But neither does something that previously did not exist then receive its being from itself; for whence it came to this and by what powers, from thence it has its existence; if by its own, there is something previously existing, in which the powers will be established, but if by another's, there is something pre-existing it and naturally preferred. Therefore, God receives being neither from himself nor from another, but is the creator of all things, whether intellectual and immaterial or material and visible. For created things do not co-exist with the creator in essence, unless perhaps in cause, nor are they without beginning and without time, boasting God as their cause yet being substantiated later and taking time as a measure of motion. God is therefore, as I said, the beginning of all things, who first created the immaterial substances and brought forth the intelligible order from non-being; for it was necessary for the things of the first creation to be nearer to the nature of the created thing. and he makes them secondary lights, ministering spirits for service

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Μωυσὴς καὶ Ἀαρὼν οἱ αὐτάδελφοι, [οἱ] ἀδελφοὶ καὶ οὗτοι οὐ τῇ φύσει ἀλλὰ τῇ πίστει γενόμενοι· ἀμφότεροι κατατροποῦνται τὸν Φαραὼ καὶ ἐξάγουσιν ἐκεῖθεν λαὸν περι ούσιον· ἀμφότεροι τὴν τοῦ βίου διχάζουσι θάλασσαν καὶ διασώζουσι τοὺς πιστούς· ὕδωρ τὸ μὲν γλυκαίνουσι, τὸ δὲ μὴ τυγχάνον πηγάζουσι· βρέχουσι μάννα, βλύουσιν ὄρνιθας, ξένην τροφὴν καὶ οὐράνιον· σταυροῦ τύπῳ νικῶσι τὸν νοη τὸν Ἀμαλήκ. πάντα γίνονται, πάντα κατορθοῦσι, πάντα δια πραττόμενοι τὰ παλαιὰ ἐκεῖνα τεράστια ἐν μυστικαῖς ταῖς ἐκβάσεσιν. ἀνέρχονται δὲ καὶ εἰς τὸ ὄρος, τὴν μεγάλην τῆς εὐσεβείας περιωπήν, καὶ τοῦ γνόφου ἐντὸς γίνονται, καὶ οὐδ' ἐνταῦθα μικρὸν ἀποδιαστάντες ἀλλήλων οὔτε τῇ τάξει οὔτε τῇ δυνάμει τοῦ πνεύματος, ἑκατέρου ἑκάτερος ἐφιέ μενος· καὶ δέχονται πλάκας οὐ λιθίνας μέν, πνευματικὰς δὲ καὶ ὑπερανῳκισμένας τῆς συντριβῆς· καὶ νομοθετοῦσιν οὐκ Ἰουδαίους μόνον ἀλλ' ἔθνη πάντα καὶ γένη. καὶ ἐπιτηδευ μάτων διαφορᾷ ἓν μόνον τῶν Μωσαϊκῶν ἐνηλλάξαντο ὡς διάφορον πρὸς ἐκεῖνον σχόντες τὴν τελευτήν· οὐ γὰρ ὡς Μωυσὴς εἰς ἣν ἐπείγοντο οὐ πεφθάκασι, ἀλλὰ καὶ εἶδον ταύτην καὶ ἔγνωσαν καὶ ἐθεάσαντο καὶ τοὺς ἀκολουθήσαν τας εἰσῆξαν χειραγωγήσαντες. καὶ οὐ τὸ νοητὸν σφίσι μόνον τέλος παρόμοιον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ αἰσθητὸν καὶ φαινόμενον· ἐν Ῥώμῃ γὰρ καὶ ἄμφω τὸ τοῦ μαρτυρίου διανύουσι στάδιον, Νέρωνι φονευθέντες, στερρῶς καὶ ὡς οὐκ ἄλλως ἐρχῆν ὑπὲρ τῆς εὐσεβείας ἀγωνιζόμενοι. ταῦτα κοινὰ τοῖν δυοῖν· κοινὸν γὰρ τού τοις καὶ τὸ μυστήριον, κοινὸν Χριστοῦ τὸ παράγ γελμα, κοινὸν Χριστοῦ καὶ τὸ κύρυγμα καὶ τὸ τῆς τῶν ἀνθρώπων σωτηρίας κεφάλαιον· ἐν Πέτρῳ γοῦν τὸν Παῦλον νοῶ καὶ Πέτρον ἐν τῷ Παύλῳ συνθεωρῶ.

11 Βούλομαι μὲν οὖν διαχωρίσαι τούτους καὶ τὰ αὐτοῖς ἰδίως ὑπάρχοντα ἐπισκέψασθαι. ἀλλὰ τοὺς συνηνωμένους ἐν πνεύματι πῶς ἂν ἔχοι τις διασπάσασθαι; καὶ γὰρ ὁ Πέτρον [τις] εἰρηκὼς καὶ Παῦλον ἐπιφέρει εὐθύς, ὁ δὲ Παύ λου μνησθεὶς οὐκέτι ἔχει μὴ καὶ Πέτρον συνεννοούμενον. δέδοικα γοῦν μὴ οὐ φιλητὸν τοῦτο τοῖν θειοτάτοιν ἀνδροῖν, δέδοικα μὴ παραζηλώσωσι τὸ ἐγχείρημα καὶ ἀποδοκιμάσωσί μου τὸ βούλημα. ἀλλά μοι δὴ τῷ λόγῳ, Πέτρε καὶ Παῦλε, συγγνοίητε· οὐ γὰρ ἄλλως παραστῆσαι δυναίμην τοὺς ἑκα τέρῳ προσόντας χαρακτῆρας τοῖς ἀκροάμοσιν.

12 Ἀλλ' ὦ θειότατε Πέτρε-ἀπὸ σοῦ γὰρ λέγειν ἀπάρξο μαι, ἐπεὶ καὶ πρῶτος προσελήφθης Χριστῷ, θεὸν ἐπικαλεσάμενος φανῆναί μοι τοῦ λόγου συλλήπτορα, ὃν ἐπόθησας, ᾧ κεκληκότι παρευθὺς ἠκολούθησας, ὑπὲρ οὗ σὺ καὶ τέθεικας τὴν ψυχήν. ἀκούοιτέ μοι τῶν λεγομένων ὅσοι προκύπτειν εἰς βάθη λόγων ἐπίστασθε. θεός ἐστι μὲν τῶν ὄντων ἀκρότης οὐχ ὡς συνημ μένη ἀλλ' ὡς ὑπερηρμένη ἄγαν αὐτῶν, οὐ μέτρῳ τινὶ διαστή ματος ἀλλ' ἀμετρίᾳ καὶ τόπου καὶ φύσεως, ἄγνωστος πάντη καὶ ἀκατάληπτος, οὔθ' ὑφ' ἑαυτῆς οὔθ' ὑφ' ἑτέρου γεγενη μένη. τὸ γὰρ ὑπό του γενόμενον οὐ θεός· κρείττων γὰρ ἐκείνου ἡ ὀντοποιὸς φανήσεται δύναμις. ἀλλ' οὔτε μὴ ὄν τι πρότερον εἶθ' ὑφ' ἑαυτοῦ τὸ εἶναι λαμβάνει· ὅθεν καὶ γὰρ εἰς τοῦτο προ ῆλθε καὶ οἵαις δυνάμεσι, ἐκεῖθεν τὴν ὕπαρξιν ἔσχηκεν, εἰ μὲν οἰκείαις, ἔστι τι πρότερον ὑφιστά μενον, ἐν ᾧ τὰ τῶν δυνάμεων ἑδρασθήσεται, εἰ δ' ἀλλο τρίαις, ἔστι τι προϋπάρχον ἐκείνου καὶ φυσικῶς προτιμώ μενον. οὔτε γοῦν ὑφ' ἑαυτοῦ λαμβάνει τὸ εἶναι οὔθ' ὑφ' ἑτέρου θεός, ἐστὶ δὲ τῶν ἁπάντων δημιουργὸς εἴτε νοερῶν καὶ ἀΰλων εἴτε ὑλικῶν καὶ ὁρωμένων. οὐ γὰρ τῷ δημιουργῷ κατ' οὐσίαν τὰ δημιουργήματα συνυφίσταται εἰ μὴ ἄρα δὴ κατ' αἰτίαν, οὐδ' ἄναρχα τυγχάνει καὶ ἄχρονα, αἴτιον αὐ χοῦντα θεὸν καὶ ἐς ὕστερον οὐσιωθέντα καὶ χρόνον λαβόντα μέτρον κινήσεως. θεὸς οὖν ἐστιν ὡς ἔφην ἡ πάντων ἀρχή, ὃς πρῶτον τὰς ἀΰλους οὐσίας δεδημιούργηκε καὶ τὸν νοητὸν διάκοσμον ἐκ τοῦ μὴ ὄντος παρήγαγεν· ἔδει γὰρ τὰ τῆς πρώτης δημιουργίας ἐγγυτέρω εἶναι τῆς τοῦ δημιουργήματος φύσεως. καὶ φῶτα δεύτερα τούτους ἐργάζεται, λειτουργικὰ πνεύματα πρὸς διακονίαν