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exalted." 75 And Micah says this very same thing, and Daniel and Ezekiel. But concerning Moses the lawgiver, the history says that the Lord spoke to Moses, face to face, as someone would speak to his own friend. And the God of all things himself said, "Mouth to mouth I will speak to him, in a vision, and not in riddles." What then shall we say? That they saw the divine nature? {ERAN.} By no means. For God himself said, "No one shall see my face and live." {ORTH.} Do those who said they have seen God lie, then? {ERAN.} May it not be so; for they saw what it was possible for them to see. {ORTH.} Does the philanthropic Master, then, measure the revelations according to the capacity of those who see? {ERAN.} Entirely so. {ORTH.} And he has made this clear through the prophet. "For I," he said, "have multiplied visions, and by the hand of the prophets I was represented in likenesses." He did not say, I was seen, but "I was represented in a likeness." But a likeness does not reveal the very nature of the one seen. For not even the image of the king shows the king's very nature, even if it preserves clear characteristics of the king. {ERAN.} This is unclear and obscure. {ORTH.} So those who beheld those revelations did not see the substance of God? {ERAN.} For who is so mad as to dare to say this? {ORTH.} But it is said, nevertheless, that they have seen. {ERAN.} It is said. {ORTH.} But we, using pious reasonings and believing the divine declarations, which cry out explicitly, "No one has ever seen God," say that they have not seen the divine nature, but certain visions commensurate with their own capacity. {ERAN.} So we say. {ORTH.} So then, let us also think this way about the angels, hearing that "Every day they see the face of your Father." For 76 they do not see the divine substance, the uncircumscribable, the incomprehensible, the inconceivable, which contains all things, but a certain glory measured according to their nature. {ERAN.} These things are acknowledged to be so. {ORTH.} After the incarnation, however, he was seen also by the angels, according to the divine apostle, not in a likeness of glory, but using a true and living one, as a kind of veil, the covering of the flesh. "Who was manifested," he says, "in the flesh, was justified in the spirit, was seen by angels." {ERAN.} I accepted this as scriptural, but I do not accept the innovations of names. {ORTH.} What name have we innovated? {ERAN.} That of the veil. For what scripture has called the flesh of the Lord a veil? {ORTH.} You seem not to read the divine scripture very diligently. For you would not have found fault with what was said by us as in an image. For first, for the divine apostle to say that the invisible nature was manifested through the flesh, allows one to think of the flesh as a veil of the divinity. Then, the divine apostle clearly used the name in the epistle to the Hebrews. And he says thus: "Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which he inaugurated for us through the curtain, that is, his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith," and what follows. {ERAN.} The proof is indisputable; for it has been confirmed by apostolic testimony. {ORTH.} Do not, therefore, accuse us of innovation. For we shall also provide you with another prophetic testimony, calling the Lord's flesh plainly a robe and a garment. {ERAN.} If it should appear enigmatic and ambiguous, we will speak against it; but if it is clear, we will both accept it and confess our thanks. 77 {ORTH.} I will prepare 77 you yourself to testify to the truth of the promise. Do you know that when Jacob the patriarch blessed Judah, he defined the leadership of Judah by the master's generations? "A ruler shall not fail," he said, "from Judah, nor a leader from his thighs, until he comes for whom it is reserved, and he is the expectation of the nations." But this indeed to the

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ἐπηρμένου." 75 Καὶ ὁ Μιχαίας δὲ ταὐτὸ τοῦτο λέγει, καὶ ὁ ∆ανιὴλ καὶ ὁ Ἰεζεκιήλ. Περὶ δὲ Μωσέως τοῦ νομοθέτου φησὶν ἡ ἱστορία, ὅτι ἐλάλησε κύριος τῷ Μωϋσῇ, ἐνώπιος ἐνωπίῳ, ὡς εἴ τις λαλήσει πρὸς φίλον αὑτοῦ. Καὶ αὐτὸς δὲ ὁ τῶν ὅλων ἔφη θεός, ὅτι "Στόμα κατὰ στόμα λαλήσω αὐτῷ, ἐν εἴδει, καὶ οὐ δι' αἰνιγμάτων." Τί οὖν ἐροῦ μεν; ὅτι τὴν θείαν ἐθεάσαντο φύσιν; {ΕΡΑΝ.} Οὐδαμῶς. Αὐτὸς γὰρ ὁ θεὸς ἔφη· "Οὐδεὶς ὄψεται τὸ πρόσωπόν μου, καὶ ζήσεται." {ΟΡΘ.} Ψεύδονται τοίνυν οἱ τὸν θεὸν ἑωρακέναι φήσαντες; {ΕΡΑΝ.} Μὴ γένοιτο· εἶδον γὰρ ἅπερ ἰδεῖν αὐτοὺς οἷόν τε ἦν. {ΟΡΘ.} Τῇ δυνάμει ἄρα τῶν ὁρώντων ὁ φιλάνθρωπος δεσπότης τὰς ἀποκαλύψεις μετρεῖ; {ΕΡΑΝ.} Πάνυ γε. {ΟΡΘ.} Καὶ τοῦτο δῆλον διὰ τοῦ προφήτου πεποίηκεν. "Ἐγώ, γὰρ ἔφη, ὁράσεις ἐπλήθυνα, καὶ ἐν χερσὶ προφητῶν ὡμοιώθην." Οὐκ εἶπεν, ὤφθην, ἀλλ' "ὡμοιώθην." Ἡ δὲ ὁμοίωσις οὐκ αὐτὴν δηλοῖ τοῦ ὁρωμένου τὴν φύσιν. Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἡ τοῦ βασιλέως εἰκὼν αὐτοῦ δείκνυσι τοῦ βασιλέως τὴν φύσιν, κἂν ἐναργεῖς διασώζῃ τοῦ βασιλέως τοὺς χαρακτῆρας. {ΕΡΑΝ.} Ἄδηλόν ἐστι τοῦτό γε καὶ ἀσαφές. {ΟΡΘ.} Οὐκοῦν οὐδὲ τοῦ θεοῦ τὴν οὐσίαν εἶδον οἱ τὰς ἀποκαλύψεις ἐκείνας θεασάμενοι; {ΕΡΑΝ.} Τίς γὰρ οὕτω μέμηνεν ὥστε τοῦτο φάναι τολμῆσαι; {ΟΡΘ.} Εἴρηται δὲ ὅμως ὡς ἑωράκασιν. {ΕΡΑΝ.} Εἴρηται. {ΟΡΘ.} Ἡμεῖς δὲ καὶ λογισμοῖς εὐσεβέσι χρώμενοι, καὶ ταῖς ἀποφάσεσι ταῖς θείαις πιστεύοντες, αἳ βοῶσι διαρρήδην, "Θεὸν οὐδεὶς ἑώρακε πώποτε," φαμὲν αὐτοὺς οὐ τὴν θείαν φύσιν ἑωρακέναι, ἀλλ' ὄψεις τινὰς τῇ σφῶν δυνάμει συμμέτρους. {ΕΡΑΝ.} Οὕτως φαμέν. {ΟΡΘ.} Οὕτω τοίνυν καὶ περὶ τῶν ἀγγέλων νοήσωμεν, ἀκούοντες ὅτι "Καθ' ἡμέραν ὁρῶσι τὸ πρόσωπον τοῦ πατρὸς ὑμῶν." Οὐ γὰρ 76 τὴν θείαν οὐσίαν ὁρῶσι, τὴν ἀπερίγραφον, τὴν ἀκατάληπτον, τὴν ἀπερινόητον, τὴν περιληπτικὴν τῶν ὅλων, ἀλλὰ δόξαν τινὰ τῇ αὐτῶν φύσει συμμετρουμένην. {ΕΡΑΝ.} Ὡμολόγηται ταῦτα οὕτως ἔχειν. {ΟΡΘ.} Μετὰ μέντοι τὴν ἐνανθρώπησιν ὤφθη καὶ τοῖς ἀγγέλοις, κατὰ τὸν θεῖον ἀπόστολον, οὐχ ὁμοιώματι δόξης, ἀλλ' ἀληθεῖ καὶ ζῶντι χρησάμενος, οἷόν τινι παραπετάσματι, τῷ τῆς σαρκὸς προ καλύμματι. "Ὃς ἐφανερώθη, γάρ φησιν, ἐν σαρκί, ἐδικαιώθη ἐν πνεύματι, ὤφθη ἀγγέλοις." {ΕΡΑΝ.} Τοῦτο μὲν ὡς γραφικὸν ἐδεξάμην, τὰς δὲ τῶν ὀνομάτων καινοτομίας οὐ δέχομαι. {ΟΡΘ.} Ποῖον ἡμεῖς κεκαινοτομήκαμεν ὄνομα; {ΕΡΑΝ.} Τὸ τοῦ παραπετάσματος. Ποία γὰρ γραφὴ τὴν τοῦ κυρίου σάρκα παραπέτασμα προσηγόρευσεν; {ΟΡΘ.} Ἔοικας μὴ μάλα σπουδαίως τὴν θείαν ἀναγινώσκειν γραφήν. Ἦ γὰρ ἄν, οὐκ ἐμέμψω τῷ παρ' ἡμῶν ὡς ἐν εἰκόνι ῥηθέντι. Πρῶτον μὲν γὰρ καὶ τὸ διὰ σαρκὸς φανερωθῆναι τὴν ἀόρατον φύσιν φάναι τὸν θεῖον ἀπόστολον, παραπέτασμα τῆς θεότητος ἐπιτρέπει τὴν σάρκα νοεῖν. Ἔπειτα δὲ σαφῶς ὁ θεῖος ἀπόστολος ἐν τῇ πρὸς Ἑβραίους ἐπιστολῇ ἐχρήσατο τῷ ὀνόματι. Λέγει δὲ οὕτως· "Ἔχοντες οὖν, ἀδελφοί, παρρησίαν εἰς τὴν εἴσοδον τῶν ἁγίων ἐν τῷ αἵματι Ἰησοῦ, ἣν ἐνεκαίνισεν ἡμῖν ὁδὸν πρόσφατον καὶ ζῶσαν, διὰ τοῦ καταπετάσματος, τοῦτ' ἔστι τῆς σαρκὸς αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἱερέα μέγαν ἐπὶ τὸν οἶκον τοῦ θεοῦ, προσερχώμεθα μετὰ ἀληθινῆς καρδίας ἐν πληρο φορίᾳ πίστεως," καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. {ΕΡΑΝ.} Ἀναντίρρητος ἡ ἀπόδειξις· ἀποστολικῇ γὰρ κεκύρωται μαρτυρίᾳ. {ΟΡΘ.} Μὴ τοίνυν ἡμᾶς γράφου καινοτομίας. Παρεξόμεθα γάρ σοι καὶ ἑτέραν προφητικὴν μαρτυρίαν, στολὴν ἄντικρυς τοῦ κυρίου τὴν σάρκα καὶ περιβολὴν ὀνομάζουσαν. {ΕΡΑΝ.} Εἰ αἰνιγματώδης ὀφθείη καὶ ἀμφίβολος, ἀντιλέξομεν· εἰ δέ γε σαφής, καὶ στέρξομεν καὶ χάριν ὁμολογήσομεν. 77 {ΟΡΘ.} Αὐτόν σε τῇ ἀληθείᾳ τῆς ἐπαγγελίας μαρτυρῆσαι παρα 77 σκευάσω. Οἶσθα ὅτι τὸν Ἰούδαν εὐλογῶν Ἰακὼβ ὁ πατριάρχης, ταῖς δεσποτικαῖς περιέγραψε γοναῖς τὴν Ἰούδα ἡγεμονίαν; "Οὐκ ἐκλείψει, γὰρ ἔφη, ἄρχων ἐξ Ἰούδα, καὶ ἡγούμενος ἐκ τῶν μηρῶν αὐτοῦ, ἕως ἂν ἔλθῃ ᾧ ἀπόκειται, καὶ αὐτὸς προσδοκία ἐθνῶν." Ταύτην δέ γε τοῖς