being persuaded, but insofar as we advance through contemplation, uniting ourselves to him. Thus, therefore, we understand the Son to have been begotten from the Father, as light that has shone forth from light. For the image is sufficient to represent the co-eternity, the identity of substance, and the impassibility of the generation. For if he shone forth, he co-existed timelessly with the one who shone. For by what interval of time could the shining forth of light be interrupted? And if he is light from light, he would show himself to be the same as him from whom he has been begotten. But if again he who has been begotten is also light, the generation would also be impassible. For the shining forth does not happen by a cutting or a flow or a division of the light, but it proceeds impassibly from the substance itself. And let us hold the same knowledge concerning the Holy Spirit, that, just as the Son is from the Father, so also is the Spirit; except, indeed, that he will differ in the manner of his existence. For the one, light from light, shone forth by way of generation, but the other, light from light also, did not proceed by way of generation but by way of procession; thus co-eternal with the Father, thus the same in substance, thus proceeding impassibly from there. Thus we understand the monad in the triad, and we know the triad in the monad. Having comprehended these things and having received this measure from the Lord of knowledge, we set forth what has been apprehended to the sons of the church, exhorting them to think thus, until they receive a more perfect shining forth of knowledge, since it is indeed prudent to pay attention with care to what has been set forth by us. For we have not imagined some elegant or exaggerated proof, or one having boastfulness, but having collected according to our ability what is rather pious and fitting for true knowledge, we have set forth the knowledge of the one divinity in three perfect hypostases. And holding such opinions concerning the Holy Trinity, let us approach with the word the grace of the Word which comes from the economy. For the account of the economy is also ineffable; but again we must examine this too according to our ability. When the Word perceived that the re-creation of his own creatures needed to take place, and the debt of Adam's punishment, which he incurred by transgressing, needed to be paid, then indeed, not departing from the heavens, he has come down to us; for the descent was not of a body, but the will of divine energy. And using a betrothed virgin, descended from the Davidic line on account of the promises to him, for the need of the economy, and entering her womb like some divine seed, he forms a temple for himself, the perfect man, taking some part of her nature and making it substantial for the formation of the temple. And having put this on in a supreme union, proceeding as God and man together, thus he fulfilled the economy for our sake. Since Adam, by sinning, subjected the race to death and made the whole of nature liable to the debt, the Son, being God and man, reverses the transgression of Adam. And insofar as he is man, he lives blamelessly and willingly accepts death, through his perfect con-

πεισμένους, ἐφ' ὅσον δὲ χωροῦμεν διὰ τῆς θεωρίας ἑαυτοὺς ἐκείνῳ συνάπτοντας. Oὕτω τοίνυν νοοῦμεν τὸν υἱὸν ἐκ πατρὸς γεγεννῆσθαι, ὡς φῶς ἐκ φωτὸς ἐκλάμψαν. Ἱκανὴ γὰρ ἡ εἰκὼν παραστῆσαι τό τε συναΐδιον τό τε τῆς οὐσίας ταὐτὸν τό τε τῆς γεννήσεως ἀπαθές. Eἰ γὰρ ἐξελάμφθη, τῷ ἐκλάμψαντι ἀχρόνως συνυπέστη. Τίνι γὰρ φωτὸς ἔκλαμψις χρόνου μέσῳ διακόπτοιτο; Καὶ εἰ φῶς ἐκ φωτός, τὸ ταὐτὸν ἐκείνῳ δηλώσειεν, ἀφ' οὗ καὶ γεγέννηται. Eἰ δὲ πάλιν φῶς καὶ τὸ γεγεννημένον, ἀπαθὴς ἂν εἴη καὶ ἡ γέννησις. Oὐ γὰρ κατὰ τομὴν ἢ ·εῦσιν ἢ διάστασιν τοῦ φωτὸς ἡ ἔκλαμψις γίνεται, ἀλλ' ἐκ τῆς οὐσίας αὐτῆς ἀπαθῶς προ έρχεται. Τὴν αὐτὴν δὲ γνῶσιν καὶ περὶ τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύμα τος κατέχωμεν, ὅτι, ὥσπερ ὁ υἱὸς ἐκ τοῦ πατρός, οὕτως καὶ τὸ πνεῦμα· πλήν γε δὴ τῷ τρόπῳ τῆς ὑπάρξεως διοίσει. Ὁ μὲν γάρ, φῶς ἐκ φωτός, γεννητῶς ἐξέλαμψεν, τὸ δέ, φῶς μὲν ἐκ φωτὸς καὶ αὐτό, οὐ μὴν γεννητῶς ἀλλ' ἐκπορευτῶς προῆλθεν· οὕτως συναΐδιον πατρί, οὕτως τὴν οὐσίαν ταὐ τόν, οὕτως ἀπαθῶς ἐκεῖθεν ἐκπορευθέν. Oὕτως ἐν τῇ τριάδι τὴν μονάδα νοοῦμεν, καὶ ἐν τῇ μονάδι τὴν τριάδα γνω ρίζομεν. Ταῦτα χωρήσαντες καὶ τοῦτο τὸ μέτρον παρὰ τοῦ κυρίου τῆς γνώσεως λαβόντες τοῖς υἱέσι τῆς ἐκκλησίας τὸ κατα ληφθὲν ἐκτιθέμεθα, οὕτω μὲν φρονεῖν παρακαλοῦντες, ἕως ἂν τελεωτέραν τῆς γνώσεως τὴν ἔκλαμψιν δέξωνται, ἐπεί γε τοῖς παρ' ἡμῶν ἐκτεθεῖσιν σὺν ἐπιμελείᾳ προσέχειν σωφρο νικόν. Oὐ γάρ τι κομψὸν ἢ ὑπέρογκον ἢ μεγαλαυχίας ἔχον ἀπόδειξιν ἐφαντάσθημεν, ὅσον δὲ εὐσεβὲς μᾶλλον καὶ πρέ πον τῇ ἀληθεῖ γνώσει κατὰ δύναμιν συλλέξαντες τῆς μιᾶς θεότητος τὴν ἐν τελείαις τρισὶν ὑποστάσεσιν γνῶσιν ἐξεθέ μεθα. Καὶ περὶ μὲν τῆς ἁγίας τριάδος οὕτω δοξάζοντες ἐπὶ τὴν ἐξ οἰκονομίας χάριν τοῦ λόγου τῷ λόγῳ προσέλθω μεν. Ἄῤῥητος μὲν γὰρ καὶ τῆς οἰκονομίας ὁ λόγος· ἀλλὰ τὸ κατὰ δύναμιν πάλιν ἡμῖν καὶ τοῦτον ἐξεταστέον. Ὅτε τῶν οἰκείων πλασμάτων συνεῖδεν ὁ λόγος χρῆ ναι τὴν ἀνάπλασιν γενέσθαι καὶ τῆς τοῦ Ἀδὰμ τιμωρίας, ἣν παραβὰς ὤφλησε, τὸ χρέος ἀποδοθῆναι, τότε δή, τῶν οὐρα νῶν οὐκ ἀποστάς, πρὸς ἡμᾶς κατελήλυθεν· οὐ γὰρ ἦν σώ ματος ἡ κατάβασις, ἀλλὰ θείας ἐνεργείας βούλησις. Μέσῃ δὲ παρθένῳ, ἐκ ∆αυϊτικοῦ καταγομένῃ γένους διὰ τὰς πρὸς αὐτὸν ἐπαγγελίας, πρὸς τὴν τῆς οἰκονομίας χρείαν χρησάμε νος, καὶ ταύτης τὴν νηδὺν εἰσδὺς οἱονεί τις θεῖος σπόρος, πλάττει ναὸν ἑαυτῷ, τὸν τέλειον ἄνθρωπον, μέρος τι λαβὼν τῆς ἐκείνης φύσεως καὶ εἰς τὴν τοῦ ναοῦ διάπλασιν οὐσιώσας. Ἐνδὺς δὲ τοῦτον κατ' ἄκραν ἕνωσιν, θεὸς ὁμοῦ καὶ ἄν θρωπος προελθών, οὕτω τὴν καθ' ἡμᾶς οἰκονομίαν ἐπλή ρωσεν. Ἐπειδήπερ ἁμαρτὼν ὁ Ἀδὰμ θανάτῳ τὸ γένος ὑπέβαλεν καὶ τὴν φύσιν ὅλην ὑπεύθυνον τῷ χρέει πεποίηκεν, θεὸς ὑπάρχων ὁ υἱὸς καὶ ἄνθρωπος ἀνακαλεῖται τοῦ Ἀδὰμ τὸ παράπτωμα. Καὶ ᾗ μὲν ἄνθρωπος, ἀμέμπτως πολιτεύεται καὶ θάνατον ἑκούσιον καταδέχεται, διὰ μὲν τῆς ἄκρας πολι