we accomplish most honorable things by our own hands. By "right hand," His aid in favorable circumstances, from the fact that we too use the right hand for more honorable things and for those requiring the greatest strength. By "touching," His more accurate discernment and exaction of even the very subtle and hidden things, from the fact that among us those who are touched cannot hide anything in themselves. By "feet" and "walking," His coming and presence for the assistance of those in need, or for defense against enemies, or for some other action; from the fact that among us arrival is accomplished by the use of the feet. By "oath," the unchangeable nature of His counsel, from the fact that among us agreements with one another are confirmed by an oath. By "wrath" and "anger," His hostility and aversion toward evil. For we too become angry when we hate things contrary to our judgment. By "forgetfulness" and "sleep" and "drowsiness," a postponement of defense against enemies, and a delay of the customary help to His own. And simply stated, all things spoken of God in a corporeal manner have a certain hidden meaning, teaching us things beyond us from things that are our own.
CHAPTER XIII.
The uncreated, however, and the uncircumscribed and the super-essential, and such things, are common to the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. For this reason they are also called properties of the divine nature; of the divine nature, because they are natural 77.1149 and not hypostatic, belonging equally to the three hypostases of the Godhead; but properties, as being completely unshared by any other nature except the divine essence alone, not being observed at all in either men or angels. It is also called essence, and nature, and form, [one and the same thing; and essence, as having being in itself; and nature,] as producing the hypostases; and form, as being comprehensive of all things formed under it, that is, of the characters. And the things contained are called individuals and hypostases and persons. And individuals, because none of them admits of cutting or division. For while the human essence, which is the same as saying humanity, is divided into perceptible men, none of them can be cut into other men, being rational and mortal animals, capable of intellect and knowledge; and according to this reasoning, all particulars are individuals. And hypostases, as standing and remaining under the nature, since this is universal and contemplated conceptually; while the particulars exist and have their being in reality. And persons, because each of them has its own character, incommunicable to the others. Therefore, regarding the Godhead, we profess one essence, one nature, one form; but three individuals, three hypostases, three persons, known by their corresponding characters, that is, properties. And the Son is called the character of the paternal hypostasis, not because He Himself is the property of the Father (for who that has a share of reason would suppose this?), but because insofar as the Father is Father, He is characterized and known by having a Son. And because the Son, having all things of the Father in Himself, while remaining Son, shows Him from whom He is, just like an unvarying natural image of Him. Therefore He says: He who has seen me has seen the Father. And the God who is without beginning by nature, being Mind, is the source of a consubstantial Word. And being Father, He is the begetter of a homoousian Son. For this reason the same is both the Word of God and the Son of the Father.
CHAPTER XIV. 12
μάλιστα τιμιώτερα διὰ τῶν οἰκείων κατορθοῦμεν χειρῶν. ∆εξιὰν δὲ, τὴν ἐπὶ τοῖς αἰσίοις αὐτοῦ βοήθειαν, ἐκ τοῦ καὶ ἡμᾶς μᾶλλον ἐπὶ τῶν τιμιωτέρων καὶ πλείστης ἰσχύος δεομένων τῇ δεξιᾷ κεχρῆσθαι. Ψηλάφησιν δὲ, τὴν ἀκριβεστέραν αὐτοῦ καὶ τῶν λίαν λεπτῶν τε καὶ κρυπτῶν διάγνωσίν τε καὶ εἴσπραξιν, ἐκ τοῦ παρ' ἡμῖν μὴ δύνασθαι τοὺς ψηλαφωμένους ἐν ἑαυτοῖς κρύπτειν τι. Πόδας δὲ καὶ βάδισιν, τὴν πρὸς ἐπικουρίαν τῶν δεομένων ἢ ἐχθρῶν ἄμυναν, ἢ ἄλλην τινὰ πρᾶξιν, ἔλευσίν τε καὶ παρουσίαν· ἐκ τοῦ παρ' ἡμῖν διὰ τῆς τῶν ποδῶν χρήσεως ἀποτελεῖσθαι τὴν ἄφιξιν. Ὅρκον δὲ, τὸ ἀμετάθετον τῆς βουλῆς αὐτοῦ, ἐκ τοῦ παρ' ἡμῖν δι' ὅρκου τὰς πρὸς ἀλλήλους βεβαιοῦσθαι συνθήκας. Ὀργὴν δὲ καὶ θυμὸν, τὴν πρὸς τὴν κακίαν ἀπέχθειάν τε καὶ ἀποστροφήν. Καὶ γὰρ ἡμεῖς τὰ ἐναντία τῆς γνώμης μισοῦντες ὀργιζόμεθα. Λήθην δὲ καὶ ὕπνον καὶ νυσταγμὸν, καὶ ὑπέρθεσιν τῆς κατὰ τῶν ἐχθρῶν ἀμύνης, καὶ τὴν τῆς συνήθους βοηθείας πρὸς τοὺς οἰκείους ἀναβολήν. Καὶ ἁπλῶς εἰπεῖν, πάντα τὰ σωματικῶς εἰρημένα ἐπὶ Θεοῦ, κεκρυμμένην ἔχει τινὰ ἔννοιαν, ἐκ τῶν καθ' ἡμᾶς τὰ ὑπὲρ ἡμᾶς ἐκδιδάσκουσαν.
ΚΕΦΑΛ. ΙΓʹ.
Τὸ μέντοι ἄκτιστον καὶ ἀπερίγραπτον καὶ ὑπερούσιον, καὶ τὰ τοιαῦτα, κοινὰ Πατρὸς, καὶ Υἱοῦ, καὶ ἁγίου Πνεύματος. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ τῆς θείας φύσεως ἰδιώματα λέγονται· τῆς θείας μὲν φύσεως, ὅτι φυσι 77.1149 κὰ, καὶ οὐχ ὑποστατικὰ, ταῖς τρισὶν ὁμοτίμως προσόντα τῆς Θεότητος ὑποστάσεσιν· ἰδιώματα δὲ, ὡς ἄλλῃ πάσῃ φύσει, πλὴν μόνης τῆς θείας οὐσίας, πάμπαν ἀμέθεκτα, μήτε ἀνθρώποις, μήτε ἀγγέλοις ὅλως ἐνθεωρούμενα. Καλεῖται δὲ καὶ οὐσία, καὶ φύσις, καὶ μορφὴ, [τὸ ἓν καὶ ταυτόν· καὶ οὐσία μὲν, ὡς τὸ καθ' αὑτὸ εἶναι ἔχουσα· φύσις δὲ,] ὡς φύουσα τὰς ὑποστάσεις· μορφὴ δὲ, ὡς ὅλων τῶν μορφουμένων τῶν ὑπ' αὐτὴν, ἤτοι τῶν χαρακτήρων συλληπτική. Τὰ δὲ περιεχόμενα λέγονται καὶ ἄτομα καὶ ὑποστάσεις καὶ πρόσωπα. Καὶ ἄτομα μὲν, διὰ τὸ μηδὲν αὐτῶν τομὴν ἢ διαίρεσιν ὑποδέχεσθαι. Τῆς γὰρ ἀνθρωπίνης οὐσίας, ταυτὸν δ' εἰπεῖν ἀνθρωπότητος, εἰς τοὺς κατ' αἴσθησιν ἀνθρώπους διαιρουμένης, οὐδεὶς αὐτῶν εἰς ἄλλους ἀνθρώπους τέμνεσθαι δύναται, ζῶα λογικὰ καὶ θνητὰ, νοῦ καὶ ἐπιστήμης δεκτικά· καὶ κατὰ τοῦτον τὸν λόγον, οἱ ἐπὶ μέρους ἅπαντες, ἄτομα. Ὑποστάσεις δὲ, ὡς ὑπὸ τὴν φύσιν ἑστῶτα καὶ μένοντα, καθόλου ταύτης οὔσης καὶ θεωρουμένης ἐννοηματικῶς· τῶν δὲ μερικῶν ὄντων καὶ τὸ εἶναι ἐχόντων πραγματικῶς. Πρόσωπα δὲ, διότι ἕκαστον αὐτῶν οἰκεῖον ἔχει χαρακτῆρα τοῖς λοιποῖς ἀκοινώνητον. Τοιγαροῦν ἐπὶ τῆς Θεότητος μίαν οὐσίαν, μίαν φύσιν, μίαν μορφὴν δογματίζομεν· ἄτομα δὲ τρία, τρεῖς ὑποστάσεις, τρία πρόσωπα, χαρακτῆρσι καταλλήλοις, εἴτουν ἰδιώμασι, γνωριζόμενα. Χαρακτὴρ δὲ λέγεται τῆς πατρικῆς ὑποστάσεως ὁ Υἱὸς, οὐχ ὅτι αὐτός ἐστι τὸ ἴδιον τοῦ Πατρὸς (τίς γὰρ τοῦτ' ἂν ὑπονοήσειε λόγου μετεσχηκώς), ἀλλ' ὅτι καθὸ Πατὴρ ὁ Πατὴρ, ἐκ τοῦ ἔχειν Υἱὸν χαρακτηρίζεται καὶ γνωρίζεται. Καὶ ὅτι πάντως τὰ τοῦ Πατρὸς ἔχων ὁ Υἱὸς ἐν ἑαυτῷ, μένων Υἱὸς, δείκνυσι τὸν ἐξ οὗ, καθάπερ εἰκὼν αὐτοῦ φυσικὴ ἀπαράλλακτος. ∆ιό φησιν· Ὁ ἑωρακὼς ἐμὲ, ἑώρακε τὸν Πατέρα. Νοῦς δὲ ὢν ὁ ἄναρχος φύσει Θεὸς, ὁμοφυοῦς ὑπάρχει Λόγου πηγαστικός. Πατὴρ δὲ ὢν, γεννητικός ἐστιν ὁμοουσίου Υἱοῦ. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ Θεοῦ Λόγος καὶ Υἱὸς τοῦ Πατρὸς ὁ αὐτός.
ΚΕΦΑΛ. Ι∆ʹ. 12