7

does he not clearly teach the invisibility of the divine nature? For he says thus: “Whom no man has seen, nor can see.” If, then, the vision of the divine nature is impossible for men, and I say for angels too, tell me how the unseeable and invisible was seen on earth. 73 {ERAN.} The prophet said that he was seen on earth. {ORTH.} And the apostle said, “To the incorruptible, invisible, only God,” and, “Whom no man has seen, nor can see.” {ERAN.} What then? Does the prophet lie? {ORTH.} By no means, for both these and those words are from the divine Spirit. Let us inquire, then, how the invisible was seen. {ERAN.} Do not bring me human reasonings and syllogisms. For I am persuaded only by the divine Scripture. {ORTH.} You should not accept any argument that is not at all confirmed by scriptural testimony. {ERAN.} If you bring me the solution to this dispute from the divine Scripture, I will accept it without contention and will not speak against it. {ORTH.} Do you not know that a little while ago we made the evangelical saying clear through the apostolic testimony, and the divine apostle has shown us how the Word became flesh, saying explicitly, “For surely he does not take hold of angels, but he takes hold of the seed of Abraham.” The same teacher, then, will now teach us how God the Word was seen on earth, and conversed with men. {ERAN.} I am persuaded by both the apostolic and the prophetic words. Show me then, according to your promise, the interpretation of the prophecy. {ORTH.} The divine apostle, writing to Timothy, set these things down also: “Confessedly, great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifested in the flesh, was justified in the spirit, was seen by angels, was preached among the nations, was believed on in the world, was taken up in glory.” It is clear, then, that the divine nature is invisible, but the flesh is visible, and through the visible the invisible was seen, working the miracles through it and revealing its own power. For with his hand he created the sense of sight and healed the one blind from birth. And again, he restored the power of hearing to the deaf, and loosed the bound tongue, using his fingers instead of an instrument, and applying his spittle like some kind of potent medicine. So again, by walking on the sea he revealed the omnipotence of his divinity. 74 Appropriately, then, the divine apostle said, “He who was manifested in the flesh.” For through that the unseeable nature was made manifest, through that the hosts of angels also saw it; for it says, “He was seen by angels.” Therefore, the incorporeal nature enjoyed this gift along with us. {ERAN.} So then, before the appearance of the Savior, did the angels not see God? {ORTH.} The apostle said that having been manifested in the flesh he was seen by angels. {ERAN.} But the Lord said, “See that you do not despise one of these little ones. For truly I say to you, that their angels daily see the face of your Father who is in heaven.” {ORTH.} But the Lord said again, “Not that anyone has seen the Father, except he who is from God; he has seen the Father.” For this reason the evangelist cries out plainly, “No one has ever seen God,” and confirms the Lord’s word: “The only-begotten Son,” he says, “who is in the bosom of the Father, he has made him known.” And Moses the great, desiring to see the invisible nature, heard the Lord God himself saying, “No one shall see my face and live.” {ERAN.} How then shall we understand that “Their angels daily see the face of your Father?” {ORTH.} As we are accustomed to understand the things concerning the men who were thought to have seen God. {ERAN.} Speak more clearly; for I have not understood. {ORTH.} Is God also visible to men? {ERAN.} By no means. {ORTH.} But yet we hear the divine Scripture saying, “God appeared to Abraham by the oak of Mamre,” and Isaiah saying, “I saw the Lord sitting on a high and

7

διδάσκει σαφῶς τῆς θείας φύσεως τὸ ἀθέατον; Λέγει δὲ οὕτως· "Ὃν εἶδεν οὐδεὶς ἀνθρώπων, οὐδὲ ἰδεῖν δύναται." Εἰ τοίνυν ἀδύνατος ἀνθρώ ποις, ἐγὼ δέ φημι καὶ ἀγγέλοις, ἡ τῆς θείας φύσεως θεωρία, εἰπὲ πῶς ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ὁ ἀθέατος καὶ ἀόρατος ὤφθη. 73 {ΕΡΑΝ.} Ὁ προφήτης εἶπεν ὅτι ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ὤφθη. {ΟΡΘ.} Καὶ ὁ ἀπόστολος εἶπεν, "Ἀφθάρτῳ ἀοράτῳ μόνῳ θεῷ," καί, "Ὃν εἶδεν οὐδεὶς ἀνθρώπων, οὐδὲ ἰδεῖν δύναται." {ΕΡΑΝ.} Τί οὖν; ψεύδεται ὁ προφήτης; {ΟΡΘ.} Μὴ γένοιτο, τοῦ θείου γὰρ πνεύματος καὶ ταῦτα κἀκεῖνα τὰ ῥήματα. Ζητήσωμεν τοίνυν πῶς ὁ ἀόρατος ὤφθη. {ΕΡΑΝ.} Μή μοι λογισμοὺς ἀνθρωπίνους καὶ συλλογισμοὺς προσ ενέγκῃς. Ἐγὼ γὰρ μόνῃ πείθομαι τῇ θείᾳ γραφῇ. {ΟΡΘ.} Μηδένα δέξῃ λόγον ἥκιστα βεβαιούμενον γραφικῇ μαρ τυρίᾳ. {ΕΡΑΝ.} Ἐάν μοι τῆς ἀμφιλογίας τὴν λύσιν ἐκ τῆς θείας προσ ενέγκῃς γραφῆς, ἀδηρίτως δέξομαι καὶ οὐκ ἀντιφθέγξομαι. {ΟΡΘ.} Οἶσθ' ὅτι καὶ πρὸ βραχέος τὴν εὐαγγελικὴν ῥῆσιν διὰ τῆς ἀποστολικῆς μαρτυρίας σαφῆ πεποιήκαμεν, καὶ δεδήλωκεν ἡμῖν ὁ θεῖος ἀπόστολος πῶς ὁ λόγος σὰρξ ἐγένετο, διαρρήδην εἰπών, "Οὐ γὰρ δήπου ἀγγέλων ἐπιλαμβάνεται, ἀλλὰ σπέρματος Ἀβραὰμ ἐπι λαμβάνεται." Ὁ αὐτὸς τοίνυν καὶ νῦν ἡμᾶς διδάξει διδάσκαλος πῶς ὁ θεὸς λόγος ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ὤφθη, καὶ τοῖς ἀνθρώποις συνανεστράφη. {ΕΡΑΝ.} Ἐγὼ καὶ τοῖς ἀποστολικοῖς καὶ τοῖς προφητικοῖς πείθο μαι λόγοις. ∆εῖξον τοίνυν, κατὰ τὴν ὑπόσχεσιν, τῆς προφητείας τὴν ἑρμηνείαν. {ΟΡΘ.} Τιμοθέῳ γράφων ὁ θεῖος ἀπόστολος καὶ ταῦτα τέθεικεν· " ̔Ομολογουμένως μέγα ἐστὶ τὸ τῆς εὐσεβείας μυστήριον· θεὸς ἐφανερώθη ἐν σαρκί, ἐδικαιώθη ἐν πνεύματι, ὤφθη ἀγγέλοις, ἐκη ρύχθη ἐν ἔθνεσιν, ἐπιστεύθη ἐν κόσμῳ, ἀνελήφθη ἐν δόξῃ." ∆ῆλον τοίνυν, ὡς ἀόρατος μὲν ἡ θεία φύσις, ὁρατὴ δὲ ἡ σάρξ, καὶ διὰ τῆς ὁρατῆς ἡ ἀόρατος ὤφθη, δι' αὐτῆς ἐνεργήσασα τὰ θαύματα καὶ τὴν οἰκείαν ἀποκαλύψασα δύναμιν. Τῇ μὲν γὰρ χειρὶ τὴν ὀπτικὴν ἐδη μιούργησεν αἴσθησιν καὶ τὸν ἐκ γενετῆς τυφλὸν ἐθεράπευσε. Καὶ αὖ πάλιν τὴν ἀκουστικὴν ἐνέργειαν ἀπέδωκε τῷ κωφῷ, καὶ τὴν πεπεδη μένην ἔλυσε γλῶτταν, ἀντὶ μὲν ὀργάνου τοῖς δακτύλοις χρησάμενος, οἷον δέ τι φάρμακον ἀλεξίκακον τὸ πτύσμα προσενεγκών. Οὕτω πάλιν ἐπὶ θαλάττης βαδίσας τὸ τῆς θεότητος ὑπέφηνε παντοδύναμον. 74 Ἁρμοδίως τοίνυν ὁ θεῖος ἀπόστολος, "Ὃς ἐφανερώθη ἐν σαρκί," εἶπε. ∆ι' ἐκείνης γὰρ ἡ ἀθέατος ἐπεφάνη φύσις, δι' ἐκείνης αὐτὴν εἶδον καὶ τῶν ἀγγέλων οἱ δῆμοι· "Ὤφθη, γάρ φησιν, ἀγγέλοις." Μεθ' ἡμῶν οὖν ἄρα τῆς δωρεᾶς ταύτης καὶ τῶν ἀσωμάτων ἡ φύσις ἀπέλαυσεν. {ΕΡΑΝ.} Οὐκοῦν πρὸ τῆς τοῦ σωτῆρος ἐπιφανείας οὐχ ἑώρων οἱ ἄγγελοι τὸν θεόν; {ΟΡΘ.} Ὁ ἀπόστολος εἶπεν ὅτι φανερωθεὶς ἐν σαρκὶ ὤφθη ἀγγέ λοις. {ΕΡΑΝ.} Ἀλλ' ὁ κύριος εἶπεν, "Ὁρᾶτε, μὴ καταφρονήσητε ἑνὸς τῶν μικρῶν τούτων τῶν ἐλαχίστων. Ἀμὴν γὰρ λέγω ὑμῖν, ὅτι οἱ ἄγγελοι αὐτῶν καθ' ἡμέραν ὁρῶσι τὸ πρόσωπον τοῦ πατρὸς ὑμῶν τοῦ ἐν οὐρανοῖς." {ΟΡΘ.} Ἀλλ' ὁ κύριος πάλιν εἶπεν, "Οὐχ ὅτι τὸν πατέρα τις ἑώρακεν, εἰ μὴ ὁ ὢν παρὰ τοῦ θεοῦ, οὗτος ἑώρακε τὸν πατέρα." ∆ιά τοι τοῦτο καὶ ὁ εὐαγγελιστὴς ἄντικρυς βοᾷ, "Θεὸν οὐδεὶς ἑώρακε πώποτε," καὶ βεβαιοῖ τοῦ κυρίου τὸν λόγον· "Ὁ μονογενής, γάρ φησιν, υἱός, ὁ ὢν εἰς τὸν κόλπον τοῦ πατρός, ἐκεῖνος ἐξηγήσατο." Καὶ Μωϋσῆς ὁ μέγας, ποθήσας ἰδεῖν τὴν ἀόρατον φύσιν, ἤκουσεν αὐτοῦ λέγοντος τοῦ δεσπότου θεοῦ, "Οὐδεὶς ὄψεται τὸ πρόσωπόν μου, καὶ ζήσεται." {ΕΡΑΝ.} Πῶς οὖν νοήσομεν ὅτι "Οἱ ἄγγελοι αὐτῶν καθ' ἡμέραν ὁρῶσι τὸ πρόσωπον τοῦ πατρὸς ὑμῶν;" {ΟΡΘ.} Ὡς νοεῖν εἰώθαμεν τὰ περὶ τῶν ἑωρακέναι τὸν θεὸν νομισ θέντων ἀνθρώπων. {ΕΡΑΝ.} Εἰπὲ σαφέστερον· οὐ νενόηκα γάρ. {ΟΡΘ.} Μὴ καὶ τοῖς ἀνθρώποις ὁρατὸς ὁ θεός; {ΕΡΑΝ.} Οὐδαμῶς. {ΟΡΘ.} Ἀλλ' ὅμως ἀκούομεν τῆς θείας λεγούσης γραφῆς, "Ὤφθη ὁ θεὸς τῷ Ἀβραὰμ πρὸς τῇ δρυῒ τῇ Μαμβρῇ," καὶ Ἡσαΐου λέγοντος, "Εἶδον τὸν κύριον καθήμενον ἐπὶ θρόνου ὑψηλοῦ καὶ