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you, and I will make the second thing clear to you. But if your mind grows numb towards clarity, why do you compel me to agree with strange opinions? Have all things of God been interpreted for us both by Christ and by His disciples and by the best men in theology, or has something also been partially hidden and remained unknown, as surpassing the human mind? I think you would not say it is not so. Therefore, you too be silent on those things about which your betters have been silent, but proclaim with a clear voice the things proclaimed by them with a piercing cry; for it is necessary for us to be pious, using the established words most truly.

2.10 What need is there to falsify them harmfully and, so that we might appear wiser and skilled in theology, to be unaware that we are falling into the ignorance of perdition, the most pitiful thing of all? The heaven is manifest to us for contemplation, and earth, water, air, fire are set forth. First imagine the beauties in heaven, know the movements of the wandering and fixed stars; from these you will know the wisdom of God. Then in this way philosophize for me about the things below, examine the variety of nature; you will learn that all things are of God. And of these you will not find the complete causes or origins or elements for your comprehension, what matter is, what form is, and if they subsist by themselves and how both have come together, but you will understand in general the purpose of nature, whether it is different for all different forms or similar for similar ones, or sometimes different for similar ones, and sometimes similar for differing ones; what are the most obscure principles of seeds, but in their growth most clear; what is the purpose for the creator of generation and corruption, if indeed everything that has come into being perishes, and I do not speak of men on account of the fall, since in a way it also abides and is preserved, but also in other living beings on account of happenstance.

2.11 We must philosophize on these things and make our reflections on such things as precise, but we must hold to the sayings of theology as they were from the beginning of the[ology]; but the things spoken by the teachers disturb them. And I will no longer say that this is of Cyril, and this of Basil and again of Athanasius and of the Gregories and others, but joining them all together and setting them forth in one section I shall bring out against all one fitting solution. One of these theologizes that the Spirit is poured forth from the Son, another that it is sent forth, another that it is given and another that it is supplied or sent out, and some inscribed some things or all inscribed all things in their own writings. I myself say that the Spirit is poured forth from the Son, I agree with those who say it is also given, and I do not refuse that it is supplied by Him, and I do not deny that it proceeds and is sent and the other names, neither in their utterances nor previously in their meanings. But, friend, that which is poured out and is supplied and is given, is not thereby also given its being from that from which it is poured and supplied and given. For the water from a vessel and the ray from the sun-mirrors are both sent and given from these, but they are not given their being from these. And let not the example in things of a different substance disturb you; for of examples, taking as much as is fitting for the subject, we cast away the remainder. For where could an example be found that is in every way fitting for the Godhead? For what you say and we in other cases, have much that is discordant, but a certain small resemblance to the subject at hand, and they characterize something of what is around the essence, I mean relation or mode or motion or whatever is external, and are not by nature able to represent the very being of that which is beyond being.

2.12 Therefore, having the starting points of the arguments from here, we understand the pouring forth or giving or supplying or manifestation not as a mode of the essential existence of the Spirit, but as a representation of some other distinctiveness. We accept and utter such expressions, but we are completely silent about the procession. For what

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σύ, κἀγώ σοι διασα φήσω τὸ δεύτερον. εἰ δὲ ναρκᾷ σου ὁ νοῦς πρὸς σαφή νειαν, τί βιάζεις ἐμὲ δόξαις ἀλλοκότοις συντίθεσθαι; ἆρα πάντα ἡμῖν ἡρμήνευται τὰ τοῦ θεοῦ παρά τε Χριστοῦ καὶ παρὰ τῶν αὐτοῦ μαθητῶν καὶ παρὰ τῶν ἀρίστων ἐν θεο λογίᾳ ἀνδρῶν, ἢ καί τι παρυποκέκρυπται καὶ ἀδιάγνωστον ἔμεινεν, ὡς ὑπερβαῖνον νοῦν τὸν ἀνθρώπινον; οἶμαι, οὐκ ἂν οὐχ οὕτως ἔχειν ἐρεῖς. σιώπα γοῦν καὶ αὐτὸς ἐν οἷς οἱ κρείττους σεσιωπήκασι, κήρυττε δὲ λαμπρᾷ τῇ φωνῇ τὰ τούτοις διαπρυσίῳ κεκηρυγμένα βοῇ· δέον γὰρ εὐσεβεῖν ἡμᾶς ἀληθέστατα χρωμένους ταῖς κειμέναις τῶν λέξεων.

2.10 Τίς ἀνάγκη παραποιεῖν αὐτὰς βλαβερῶς καί, ὡς ἂν φανῶμεν σοφώτεροι καὶ πρὸς θεολογίαν ἐπήβολοι, λανθάνειν ἡμᾶς ἑαυτοὺς εἰς ἄγνοιαν ἀπωλείας ἐμπίπτοντας, τὸ πάντων ἐλεεινότατον; ὁ οὐρανὸς ἡμῖν εἰς σκέψιν ἐμφαίνεται, ἔκκειται δὲ γῆ, ὕδωρ, ἀήρ, πῦρ. φαντάσθητι πρῶτον τὰ ἐν οὐρανῷ κάλλη, γνῶθι τὰς κινήσεις τῶν ἀστέρων τῶν πλανωμένων καὶ ἀπλανῶν· σοφίαν ἐκ τούτων γνωρίσεις θεοῦ. εἶθ' οὕτως περὶ τῶν κάτω μοι φιλοσόφησον, ἐξέτασον τὴν ποι κιλίαν τῆς φύσεως· πάντα μαθήσῃ εἶναι θεοῦ. καὶ τούτων οὐκ ἐντελεῖς τὰς αἰτίας ἢ τὰς ἀρχὰς ἢ στοιχεῖα εὑρήσεις εἰς τὴν κατάληψιν, τίς τε ἡ ὕλη, τί τὸ εἶδος, καὶ εἰ συνεστήκασιν καθ' αὑτὰ καὶ ὅπως ἄμφω συνδεδραμήκασιν, τὸν σκοπὸν δὲ ὁλοσχερῶς νοήσεις τῆς φύσεως, εἰ τοῖς δια φόροις πᾶσι διάφορος εἴδεσιν ἢ τοῖς ὁμοίοις ὅμοιος ἢ ἐνίοτε μὲν ὁμοίοις διάφορος, διαφορουμένοις δ' ἐνίοτε ὅμοιος· τίνες οἱ τῶν σπερμάτων λόγοι οἱ ἀδηλότατοι, ἐν δὲ τῇ ἐκφύσει ἀριδηλότατοι· τίς ὁ σκοπὸς τῷ δημιουργῷ τῆς γενέ σεως καὶ τῆς φθορᾶς, εἴπερ πᾶν τὸ γενόμενον φθείρεται, καὶ οὐκ ἐν ἀνθρώποις λέγω διὰ τῆν πτῶσιν, ἐπεί γέ πως καὶ παραμένει καὶ διασώζεται, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν ἄλλοις ζώοις διὰ τὴν σύμπτωσιν.

2.11 Ταῦτα φιλοσοφητέον ἡμῖν καὶ περὶ τοιούτων τὰς σκέψεις ποιητέον ὡς ἀκριβεῖς, τῶν δὲ τῆς θεολογίας ῥημάτων ὡς ἔσχον ἐξ ἀρχῆς ἀνθεκτέον τῆς θε[ολογίας]· ἀλλὰ θράττουσιν αὐτοὺς τὰ παρὰ τῶν διδασκάλων ἀγορευόμενα. καὶ οὐκέτι ἐρῶ ὡς Κυρίλλου μὲν τόδε, Βασιλείου δὲ τόδε καὶ αὖθις Ἀθανασίου καὶ τῶν Γρηγορίων καὶ ἄλλων, ἀλλ' ὁμοῦ πάντα συνάψας καὶ εἰς μίαν περικοπὴν παραθέμενος τοῖς πᾶσιν ἀντεπεξαγάγω λύσιν μίαν τὴν ἐφαρμόττουσαν. ὁ μὲν ἐκ τούτων προχεῖσθαι θεολογεῖ τὸ πνεῦμα ἐκ τοῦ υἱοῦ, ὁ δὲ προίεσθαι, ἅτερος δίδοσθαι καὶ ἄλλος χορηγεῖσθαι ἢ ἐκ πέμπεσθαι, καί τινές τινα ἢ πάντες πάντα ταῖς οἰκείαις συγγραφαῖς ἐνεχάραξαν. ἐκχεῖσθαι μὲν παρὰ τοῦ υἱοῦ καὶ αὐτὸς τὸ πνεῦμά φημι, συμφάσκω τοῖς εἰποῦσι καὶ δίδοσθαι, καὶ χορηγεῖσθαι παρὰ τούτου οὐκ ἀπαναίνομαι, καὶ προιέναι καὶ πέμπεσθαι καὶ τἆλλα τῶν ὀνομάτων οὐκ ἀπαρνοῦμαι, οὔτε ταῖς προφοραῖς οὔτε πρότερον ταῖς νοήσεσιν. ἀλλ', ὦ φίλος, οὐχ, ὅπερ ἐκχεῖται μὲν καὶ χορηγεῖται καὶ δίδοται, ἐξ ἐκείνου δὴ καὶ οὐσίωται ἐξ οὗ καὶ χεῖται καὶ χορηγεῖται καὶ δίδοται. τὸ γὰρ ἐξ ἄγγους ὕδωρ καὶ ἡ ἐκ τῶν πυρείων ἀκτὶς ἐκ τούτων μὲν καὶ πέμπονται καὶ δίδονται, ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐκ τούτων οὐσίωνται. καὶ μή σε θορυβείτω τὸ ἐν ἑτεροου σίοις παράδειγμα· τῶν γὰρ παραδειγμάτων ὅσον ἁρμόττον πρὸς τὴν ὑπόθεσιν προσλαμβάνοντες τὸ περιττὸν ἀποβάλλο μεν. ποῦ γὰρ καὶ εὑρεθείη παράδειγμα κατὰ πᾶν προσῆκον θεότητι; καὶ ἃ γὰρ ὑμεῖς φατε καὶ ἐν ἄλλοις ἡμεῖς, πολὺ τὸ ἀπᾷδον ἔχουσι, μικρὰν δέ τινα πρὸς τὸ προκείμενον τὴν ἐμφέρειαν, καί τι τῶν περὶ τὴν οὐσίαν χαρακτηρίζουσι, σχέσιν λέγω ἢ τρόπον ἢ κίνησιν ἢ ὅσα τῶν ἔξω, καὶ οὐκ αὐτὸ τὸ εἶναι τοῦ ὑπὲρ τὸ εἶναι πεφύκασι παριστᾶν.

2.12 Ἐντεῦθεν οὖν ἔχοντες τῶν λόγων τὰς ἀφορμὰς καὶ τὴν ἔκχυσιν ἢ δόσιν ἢ χορηγίαν εἴτε ἔκφανσιν οὐ τρόπον νοοῦ μεν τῆς τοῦ πνεύματος οὐσιώδους ὑπάρξεως, ἀλλά τινος ἰδιοτροπίας ἄλλης παράστασιν. τὰς μὲν τοιαύτας φωνὰς παραδεχόμεθα καὶ προφέρομεν, σιωπῶμεν δὲ παντελῶς τὴν ἐκπόρευσιν. ἃ γὰρ