Most men think that the word “Godhead” is used in a peculiar degree in respect of nature: and just as the heaven, or the sun, or any other of the constituent parts of the universe are denoted by proper names which are significant of the subjects, so they say that in the case of the Supreme and Divine nature, the word “Godhead” is fitly adapted to that which it represents to us, as a kind of special name. We, on the other hand, following the suggestions of Scripture, have learnt that that nature is unnameable and unspeakable, and we say that every term either invented by the custom6    Reading with Oehler συνηθείας for the οὐσίας of the Paris Edit. of men, or handed down to us by the Scriptures, is indeed explanatory of our conceptions of the Divine Nature7    Reading with Oehler τῶν περὶ τὴν θείαν φύσιν νοουμένων, for τῶν τι περὶ τὴν θ. φ. νοουμένων in the Paris Edit., but does not include the signification of that nature itself. And it may be shown without much difficulty that this is the case. For all other terms which are used of the creation may be found, even without analysis of their origin, to be applied to the subjects accidentally, because we are content to denote the things in any way by the word applied to them so as to avoid confusion in our knowledge of the things signified. But all the terms that are employed to lead us to the knowledge of God have comprehended in them each its own meaning, and you cannot find any word among the terms especially applied to God which is without a distinct sense. Hence it is clear that by any of the terms we use the Divine nature itself is not signified, but some one of its surroundings is made known. For we say, it may be, that the Deity is incorruptible, or powerful, or whatever else we are accustomed to say of Him. But in each of these terms we find a peculiar sense, fit to be understood or asserted of the Divine nature, yet not expressing that which that nature is in its essence. For the subject, whatever it may be, is incorruptible: but our conception of incorruptibility is this,—that that which is, is not resolved into decay: so, when we say that He is incorruptible, we declare what His nature does not suffer, but we do not express what that is which does not suffer corruption. Thus, again, if we say that He is the Giver of life, though we show by that appellation what He gives, we do not by that word declare what that is which gives it. And by the same reasoning we find that all else which results from the significance involved in the names expressing the Divine attributes either forbids us to conceive what we ought not to conceive of the Divine nature, or teaches us that which we ought to conceive of it, but does not include an explanation of the nature itself. Since, then, as we perceive the varied operations of the power above us, we fashion our appellations from the several operations that are known to us, and as we recognize as one of these that operation of surveying and inspection, or, as one might call it, beholding, whereby He surveys all things and overlooks them all, discerning our thoughts, and even entering by His power of contemplation into those things which are not visible, we suppose that Godhead, or θεότης, is so called from θέα, or beholding, and that He who is our θεατής or beholder, by customary use and by the instruction of the Scriptures, is called θεός, or God. Now if any one admits that to behold and to discern are the same thing, and that the God Who superintends all things, both is and is called the superintender of the universe, let him consider this operation, and judge whether it belongs to one of the Persons whom we believe in the Holy Trinity, or whether the power extends8    Reading with Oehler διήκει for προσήκει throughout the Three Persons. For if our interpretation of the term Godhead, or θεότης, is a true one, and the things which are seen are said to be beheld, or θεατά, and that which beholds them is called θεός, or God, no one of the Persons in the Trinity could reasonably be excluded from such an appellation on the ground of the sense involved in the word. For Scripture attributes the act of seeing equally to Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. David says, “See, O God our defender9    Ps. lxxxiv. 9.”: and from this we learn that sight is a proper operation of the idea10    Reading with Oehler ἰδέας for ἰδέαν. of God, so far as God is conceived, since he says, “See, O God.” But Jesus also sees the thoughts of those who condemn Him, and questions why by His own power He pardons the sins of men? for it says, “Jesus, seeing their thoughts11    S. Matt. ix. 4.” And of the Holy Spirit also, Peter says to Ananias, “Why hath Satan filled thine heart, to lie to the Holy Ghost?12    Acts v. 3.” showing that the Holy Spirit was a true witness, aware of what Ananias had dared to do in secret, and by Whom the manifestation of the secret was made to Peter. For Ananias became a thief of his own goods, secretly, as he thought, from all men, and concealing his sin: but the Holy Spirit at the same moment was in Peter, and detected his intent, dragged down as it was to avarice, and gave to Peter from Himself13    Reading with Oehler παρ᾽ ἑαυτοῦ for δι᾽ ἑαυτοῦ. the power of seeing the secret, while it is clear that He could not have done this had He not been able to behold hidden things.

Δοκεῖ μὲν οὖν τοῖς πολλοῖς ἰδιαζόντως κατὰ τῆς φύσεως ἡ φωνὴ τῆς θεότητος κεῖσθαι καὶ ὥσπερ ὁ οὐρανὸς ἢ ὁ ἥλιος ἢ ἄλλο τι τῶν τοῦ κόσμου στοιχείων ἰδίαις φωναῖς διασημαίνεται ταῖς τῶν ὑποκειμένων σημαντικαῖς, οὕτω φασὶ καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς ἀνωτάτω καὶ θείας φύσεως ὥσπερ τι κύριον ὄνομα προσφυῶς ἐφηρμόσθαι τῷ δηλουμένῳ τὴν φωνὴν τῆς θεότητος. ἡμεῖς δὲ ταῖς τῆς γραφῆς ὑποθήκαις ἑπόμενοι ἀκατονόμαστόν τε καὶ ἄφραστον αὐτὴν μεμαθήκαμεν: καὶ πᾶν ὄνομα, εἴτε παρὰ τῆς ἀνθρωπίνης συνηθείας ἐξηύρηται εἴτε παρὰ τῶν γραφῶν παραδέδοται, τῶν περὶ τὴν θείαν φύσιν νοουμένων ἑρμηνευτικὸν εἶναι λέγομεν, οὐκ αὐτῆς τῆς φύσεως περιέχειν τὴν σημασίαν. Καὶ οὐ πολλῆς ἄν τις δεηθείη πραγματείας πρὸς τὴν ἀπόδειξιν τοῦ ταῦτα οὕτως ἔχειν. τὰ μὲν γὰρ λοιπὰ τῶν ὀνομάτων, ὅσα ἐπὶ τῆς κτίσεως κεῖται, καὶ δίχα τινὸς ἐτυμολογίας εὕροι τις ἂν κατὰ τὸ συμβὰν ἐφηρμοσμένα τοῖς ὑποκειμένοις, ἀγαπώντων ἡμῶν ὁπωσοῦν τὰ πράγματα διὰ τῆς ἐπ' αὐτῶν φωνῆς σημειώσασθαι πρὸς τὸ ἀσύγχυτον ἡμῖν γίνεσθαι τῶν σεσημειωμένων τὴν γνῶσιν. ὅσα δὲ πρὸς ὁδηγίαν τῆς θείας κατανοήσεώς ἐστιν ὀνόματα, ἰδίαν ἔχει ἕκαστον ἐμπεριειλημμένην διάνοιαν καὶ οὐκ ἂν χωρὶς νοήματός τινος οὐδεμίαν εὕροις φωνὴν ἐν τοῖς θεοπρεπεστέροις τῶν ὀνομάτων, ὡς ἐκ τούτου δείκνυσθαι μὴ αὐτὴν τὴν θείαν φύσιν ὑπό τινος τῶν ὀνομάτων σεσημειῶσθαι, ἀλλά τι τῶν περὶ αὐτὴν διὰ τῶν λεγομένων γνωρίζεσθαι. λέγομεν γὰρ εἶναι τὸ θεῖον ἄφθαρτον, εἰ οὕτω τύχοι, ἢ δυνατὸν ἢ ὅσα ἄλλα σύνηθές ἐστι λέγειν. ἀλλ' εὑρίσκομεν ἑκάστου τῶν ὀνομάτων ἰδιάζουσαν ἔμφασιν πρέπουσαν περὶ τῆς θείας φύσεως νοεῖσθαι καὶ λέγεσθαι, οὐ μὴν ἐκεῖνο σημαίνουσαν, ὅ ἐστι κατ' οὐσίαν ἡ φύσις: αὐτὸ γὰρ ὅ τι ποτέ ἐστιν, ἄφθαρτόν ἐστιν: ἡ δὲ τοῦ ἀφθάρτου ἔννοια αὕτη, τὸ μὴ εἰς φθορὰν τὸ ὂν διαλύεσθαι. οὐκοῦν ἄφθαρτον εἰπόντες, ὃ μὴ πάσχει ἡ φύσις, εἴπομεν: τί δέ ἐστι τὸ τὴν φθορὰν μὴ πάσχον, οὐ παρεστήσαμεν. οὕτω κἂν ζωοποιὸν εἴπωμεν, ὃ ποιεῖ διὰ τῆς προσηγορίας σημάναντες τὸ ποιοῦν τῷ λόγῳ οὐκ ἐγνωρίσαμεν. καὶ τὰ ἄλλα πάντα κατὰ τὸν αὐτὸν λόγον ἐκ τῆς ἐγκειμένης ταῖς θεοπρεπεστέραις φωναῖς σημασίας εὑρίσκομεν, ἢ τὸ μὴ δέον ἐπὶ τῆς θείας φύσεως γινώσκειν ἀπαγορεύοντα ἢ τὸ δέον διδάσκοντα, αὐτῆς δὲ τῆς φύσεως ἑρμηνείαν οὐ περιέχοντα. Ἐπεὶ τοίνυν τὰς ποικίλας τῆς ὑπερκειμένης δυνάμεως ἐνεργείας κατανοοῦντες ἀφ' ἑκάστης τῶν ἡμῖν γνωρίμων ἐνεργειῶν τὰς προσηγορίας ἁρμόζομεν, μίαν δὲ καὶ ταύτην εἶναι [λέγομεν τοῦ θεοῦ] τὴν ἐνέργειαν, τὴν ἐποπτικὴν καὶ ὁρατικὴν καὶ ὡς ἄν τις εἴποι θεατικήν, καθ' ἣν τὰ πάντα ἐφορᾷ καὶ πάντα ἐπισκοπεῖ, τὰς ἐνθυμήσεις βλέπων καὶ ἐπὶ τὰ ἀθέατα τῇ θεωρητικῇ δυνάμει διαδυόμενος, ὑπειλήφαμεν ἐκ τῆς θέας τὴν θεότητα παρωνομάσθαι καὶ τὸν θεωρὸν ἡμῶν θεὸν ὑπό τε τῆς συνηθείας καὶ τῆς τῶν γραφῶν διδασκαλίας προσαγορεύεσθαι. Εἰ δὲ συγχωρεῖ τις ταὐτὸν εἶναι τὸ θεᾶσθαι τῷ βλέπειν καὶ τὸν ἐφορῶντα πάντα θεὸν ἔφορον τοῦ παντὸς καὶ εἶναι καὶ λέγεσθαι, λογισάσθω τὴν ἐνέργειαν ταύτην, πότερον ἑνὶ πρόσεστι τῶν ἐν τῇ ἁγίᾳ τριάδι πεπιστευμένων προσώπων ἢ διὰ τῶν τριῶν διήκει ἡ δύναμις. εἰ γὰρ ἀληθὴς ἡ τῆς θεότητος ἑρμηνεία καὶ τὰ ὁρώμενα θεατὰ καὶ τὸ θεώμενον θεὸς λέγεται, οὐκέτι ἂν εὐλόγως ἀποκριθείη τι τῶν ἐν τῇ τριάδι προσώπων τῆς τοιαύτης προσηγορίας διὰ τὴν ἐγκειμένην τῇ φωνῇ σημασίαν. τὸ γὰρ βλέπειν ἐπίσης μαρτυρεῖ ἡ γραφὴ καὶ πατρὶ καὶ υἱῷ καὶ ἁγίῳ πνεύματι. Ὑπερασπιστὰ ἡμῶν, ἴδε, ὁ θεός, φησὶν ὁ Δαβίδ: ἐκ δὲ τούτου μανθάνομεν ἰδίαν θεοῦ, καθὸ θεὸς νοεῖται, ἐνέργειαν τὸ ὁρᾶν, ἐκ τοῦ εἰπεῖν Ἴδε, ὁ θεός. ἀλλὰ καὶ ὁ Ἰησοῦς ὁρᾷ τὰς ἐνθυμήσεις τῶν καταγινωσκόντων, διότι συγχωρεῖ τὰς ἁμαρτίας ἐξ αὐθεντίας [τῶν ἀνθρώπων]. Ἰδὼν γάρ, φησίν, ὁ Ἰησοῦς τὰς ἐνθυμήσεις αὐτῶν. καὶ περὶ τοῦ πνεύματος λέγει πρὸς τὸν Ἀνανίαν ὁ Πέτρος Ἵνα τί ἐπλήρωσεν ὁ σατανᾶς τὴν καρδίαν σου ψεύσασθαί σε τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον; δεικνὺς ὅτι τῶν ἐν κρυπτῷ τολμωμένων παρὰ τοῦ Ἀνανίου μάρτυς ἦν ἀψευδὴς καὶ ἐπιΐστωρ τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον, δι' οὗ καὶ τῷ Πέτρῳ τῶν λανθανόντων ἡ φανέρωσις ἦν. ὁ μὲν γὰρ ἐγένετο κλέπτης αὐτὸς ἑαυτοῦ λανθάνων, ὡς ᾤετο, πάντας καὶ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν ἐπικρυπτόμενος: τὸ δὲ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον ὁμοῦ τε ἐν Πέτρῳ ἦν καὶ τὴν ἐκείνου διάνοιαν πρὸς τὴν φιλοχρηματίαν κατασυρεῖσαν ἐφώρασε καὶ δι' ἑαυτοῦ δίδωσι τῷ Πέτρῳ διιδεῖν τὰ λανθάνοντα: οὐκ ἂν δηλονότι τοῦτο ποιοῦν, εἴπερ ἦν τῶν κρυφίων ἀθέατον.