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sub-numerations, on which you pride yourself, as if the reality of things lay in the order of their names. For if this is so, what prevents, by the same reasoning, since the same things are both numbered before and numbered after in the divine Scripture on account of the equality of their nature, them from being both more honorable and less honorable than themselves? And the same argument holds for me concerning the terms God and Lord; and further, concerning the prepositions, "of whom," and "through whom," and "in whom," by which you apply a technical system to the Godhead for us, assigning one to the Father, another to the Son, and another to the Holy Spirit. For what would you have done, if each of these had been fixedly assigned to each, when, although all are used with all, as is clear to the diligent, you introduce through these so great an inequality both of worth and of nature? Even these things are sufficient for those not overly unreasonable. But since it is difficult for you, once you have rushed against the Spirit, to be checked in your course, but rather, like the fiercest of boars, to contend to the end, and to thrust yourself upon the sword, until you have received the whole wound within, come, let us consider what argument is still left to you.

21 Again and often you bring up for us the "unwritten." That this is therefore not strange, nor an interpolation, but was known and laid bare both to those of old and to those of now, has already been shown by many who have discussed this, as many as have not encountered the divine Scriptures lazily nor superficially, but have penetrated the letter and looked within, were counted worthy to see the hidden beauty, and were illumined by the light of knowledge. But let us also briefly demonstrate, as far as is possible, so that we may not seem to be redundant, nor more ambitious than is necessary, building upon another's foundation. But if the fact that he is not very clearly written of as God, nor often by name, like the Father formerly and the Son later, becomes a cause of blasphemy for you, and of this superfluous contentiousness and impiety, we will resolve this harm for you, by philosophizing a little about things and names, and especially according to the usage of Scripture.

22 Of things, some do not exist, but are spoken of; some exist, but are not spoken of; some neither exist nor are spoken of; and some both exist and are spoken of. Do you demand proofs of these from me? I am ready to provide them. In Scripture God sleeps, and wakes, and is angry, and walks, and has the cherubim for a throne. And yet when has he been subject to passion? When have you heard of God having a body? This, though not existing, has been imagined. For we have named, as far as is possible for us, the things of God from our own experience. His being still from us, and as it were neglecting us, for reasons he himself knows, is "to sleep." For our sleep is like this, inactive and without action. But to do good suddenly out of a change, is "to be awake." For waking is the release from sleep, just as visitation is from turning away. And we have made punishment "to be angry"; for so with us punishment comes from anger. And to operate now here, now there, is "to walk." For the transition from one place to another, is walking. And to rest in the holy powers, and as it were to delight in them, is "to sit" and "to be enthroned." This too is from us. For the Godhead rests in nothing so much as in the saints. And swiftness of motion, "flight"; and oversight, "face"; and giving and receiving, "hand"; and any other of God's powers or operations at all has represented to us something else of a corporeal nature.

23 Again, from where have you received "unbegotten," or "without beginning," your citadels, or we "immortal"? Show these by name, or we will set them aside, since it is not written, or we will strike them out. And you are dead by your own propositions, your names having been pulled down, and the wall of refuge in which you trusted. Or is it clear that it is from the things that imply them, even if they are not stated? Of what things? "I am the first, and I am after these things." And, "Before me there is no other god, and after me there will be none." For the whole of "is" is mine; neither begun, nor to be ended. Taking these things, the fact that there is nothing

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ὑπαριθμήσεις, αἷς σὺ μέγα φρονεῖς, ὥσπερ ἐν τῇ τάξει τῶν ὀνομάτων κειμένων τῶν πραγμάτων. εἰ γὰρ τοῦτο, τί κωλύει κατὰ τὸν αὐτὸν λόγον, ἐπειδὴ τὰ αὐτὰ καὶ προαριθμεῖται καὶ ὑπαριθ μεῖται παρὰ τῇ θείᾳ γραφῇ διὰ τὴν ἰσοτιμίαν τῆς φύσεως, αὐτὰ ἑαυτῶν εἶναι τιμιώτερά τε καὶ ἀτιμότερα; ὁ δὲ αὐτός μοι καὶ περὶ τῆς Θεὸς φωνῆς καὶ Κύριος λόγος· ἔτι δὲ τῶν προθέσεων, τῆς ἐξ οὗ, καὶ δι' οὗ, καὶ ἐν ᾧ, αἷς σὺ κατατεχνολογεῖς ἡμῖν τὸ θεῖον, τὴν μὲν τῷ πατρὶ διδούς, τὴν δὲ τῷ υἱῷ, τὴν δὲ τῷ ἁγίῳ πνεύματι. τί γὰρ ἂν ἐποίησας, παγίως ἑκάστου τούτων ἑκάστῳ νενεμημένου ὁπότε πάντων πᾶσι συντεταγμένων, ὡς δῆλον τοῖς φιλοπόνοις, τοσαύτην σὺ διὰ τούτων εἰσάγεις καὶ τῆς ἀξίας καὶ τῆς φύσεως ἀνισότητα; ἀπόχρη καὶ ταῦτα τοῖς μὴ λίαν ἀγνώμοσιν. ἐπειδὴ δέ σε τῶν χαλεπῶν ἐστίν, ἅπαξ ἐπιπηδήσαντα τῷ πνεύματι, τῆς φορᾶς σχεθῆναι, ἀλλὰ μή, καθάπερ τῶν συῶν τοὺς θρασυτέρους, εἰς τέλος φιλονεικεῖν, καὶ πρὸς τὸ ξίφος ὠθίζεσθαι, μέχρις ἂν πᾶσαν εἴσω τὴν πληγὴν ὑπολάβῃς, φέρε, σκεψώμεθα τίς ἔτι σοι λείπεται λόγος.

21 Πάλιν καὶ πολλάκις ἀνακυκλεῖς ἡμῖν τὸ ἄγραφον. ὅτι μὲν οὖν οὐ ξένον τοῦτο, οὐδὲ παρείσακτον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῖς πάλαι καὶ τοῖς νῦν γνωριζόμενον καὶ παραγυμνούμενον, δέδεικται μὲν ἤδη πολλοῖς τῶν περὶ τούτου διειληφότων, ὅσοι μὴ ῥᾳθύμως μηδὲ παρέργως ταῖς θείαις γραφαῖς ἐντυχόντες, ἀλλὰ διασχόντες τὸ γράμμα καὶ εἴσω παρακύψαντες, τὸ ἀπόθετον κάλλος ἰδεῖν ἠξιώθησαν, καὶ τῷ φωτισμῷ τῆς γνώσεως κατηυγάσθησαν. δηλώσωμεν δὲ καὶ ἡμεῖς ἐξ ἐπιδρομῆς, ὅσον ἐνδέχεται, τοῦ μὴ δοκεῖν εἶναι περιττοί τινες, μηδὲ φιλοτιμότεροι τοῦ δέοντος, ἐποικοδομοῦντες ἐπὶ θεμέλιον ἀλλότριον. εἰ δὲ τὸ μὴ λίαν σαφῶς γεγράφθαι θεὸν μηδὲ πολλάκις ὀνομαστί, ὥσπερ τὸν πατέρα πρότερον καὶ τὸν υἱὸν ὕστερον, αἴτιόν σοι γίνεται βλασφημίας, καὶ τῆς περιττῆς ταύτης γλωσσαλγίας καὶ ἀσεβείας, ἡμεῖς σοι λύσομεν ταύτην τὴν βλάβην, μικρὰ περὶ πραγμάτων καὶ ὀνομάτων καὶ μάλιστα παρὰ τῇ τῆς γραφῆς συνη θείᾳ φιλοσοφήσαντες.

22 Τῶν πραγμάτων τὰ μὲν οὐκ ἔστι, λέγεται δέ· τὰ δὲ ὄντα οὐ λέγεται· τὰ δὲ οὔτε ἔστιν, οὔτε λέγεται· τὰ δὲ ἄμφω, καὶ ἔστι, καὶ λέγεται. τούτων ἀπαιτεῖς με τὰς ἀποδείξεις; παρασχεῖν ἕτοιμος. ὑπνοῖ τῇ γραφῇ θεός, καὶ γρηγορεῖ, καὶ ὀργίζεται, καὶ βαδίζει, καὶ θρόνον ἔχει τὰ χερουβίμ· καίτοι πότε γέγονεν ἐμπαθής; πότε δὲ σῶμα θεὸν ἀκήκοας; τοῦτο οὐκ ὂν ἀνεπλάσθη. ὠνομάσαμεν γάρ, ὡς ἡμῖν ἐφικτόν, ἐκ τῶν ἡμετέρων τὰ τοῦ θεοῦ. τὸ μὲν ἠρεμεῖν αὐτὸν ἀφ' ἡμῶν, καὶ οἷον ἀμελεῖν, δι' ἃς αὐτὸς οἶδεν αἰτίας, ὑπνοῦν. τὸ γὰρ ἡμέτερον ὑπνοῦν τοιοῦτον, ἀνενέργητόν τε καὶ ἄπρακτον. τὸ δὲ ἀθρόως εὖ ποιεῖν ἐκ μεταβολῆς, γρηγορεῖν. ὕπνου γὰρ λύσις ἐγρήγορσις, ὥσπερ ἀποστροφῆς ἐπίσκεψις. τὸ δὲ κολά ζειν ὀργίζεσθαι πεποιήκαμεν· οὕτω γὰρ ἡμῖν ἐξ ὀργῆς ἡ κόλασις. τὸ δὲ νῦν μὲν τῇδε, νῦν δὲ τῇδε ἐνεργεῖν, βαδίζειν. ἡ γὰρ ἀπ' ἄλλου πρὸς ἄλλο μετάβασις, βαδισμός. τὸ δὲ ἀναπαύεσθαι ταῖς ἁγίαις δυνάμεσι, καὶ οἷον ἐμφιλοχωρεῖν, καθέζεσθαι καὶ θρονίζεσθαι. καὶ τοῦτο ἡμέτερον. οὐδενὶ γὰρ οὕτως ὡς τοῖς ἁγίοις τὸ θεῖον ἐνα ναπαύεται. τὸ δὲ ὀξυκίνητον, πτῆσιν· τὴν δὲ ἐπισκοπήν, πρόσ ωπον· τὸ διδόναι δὲ καὶ προσίεσθαι, χεῖρα· καὶ ἄλλη τις ὅλως τῶν τοῦ θεοῦ δυνάμεων ἢ ἐνεργειῶν ἄλλο τι τῶν σωματικῶν ἡμῖν ἀνεζωγράφησεν.

23 Πάλιν σὺ πόθεν τὸ ἀγέννητον λαβὼν ἔχεις, ἢ τὸ ἄναρχον, τὰς σὰς ἀκροπόλεις, ἢ καὶ ἡμεῖς τὸ ἀθάνατον; δεῖξον ταῦτα ὀνομαστί, ἢ ἀθετήσομεν, ἐπειδὴ οὐ γέγραπται, ἢ διαγράψομεν. καὶ τέθνηκας ἐκ τῶν σῶν ὑποθέσεων, καθαιρεθέντων σοι τῶν ὀνομάτων, καὶ τοῦ τείχους τῆς καταφυγῆς ἐφ' ᾧ ἐπεποίθεις. ἢ δῆλον ὅτι ἐκ τῶν ταῦτα συναγόντων, κἂν μὴ ταῦτα λέγηται; τίνων τούτων; Ἐγώ εἰμι πρῶτος καὶ ἐγὼ μετὰ ταῦτα. καί, Πρὸ ἐμοῦ οὐκ ἔστιν ἄλλος θεὸς καὶ μετ' ἐμὲ οὐκ ἔσται. ὅλον γὰρ τὸ ἔστιν ἐμόν· οὔτε ἠργμένον, οὔτε παυσόμενον. ταῦτα λαβών, τὸ μὲν μὴ εἶναί τι