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light, as a garment. He clothes himself with light, as with a garment, as being filled with knowledge from all sides, as having an incomprehensible essence. And the light signifies the purest knowledge of God; For He dwells in light, according to Paul, unapproachable. For "to dwell" signifies being wholly knowledge, being incomprehensible to intelligible beings; for he said the light was unapproachable. For in harmony with these things the Apostle also says: "Who alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light." For so great is that light, that no one dares to draw near; for the excess of its splendor turns away the eyes. For if the perceptible sun compels this for those who try to gaze insatiably, who is able to comprehend the unapproachable light? He is, therefore, also true light, and he wraps himself in light as a garment, and dwells in unapproachable light, and "Cloud and darkness are round about him," and "He made darkness his hiding place." And these are not contrary to one another; for unapproachable light is the same as darkness and gloom to those who cannot see; for it is possible to perceive things neither in the one, nor in the other; and both this and that, however, declare the invisibility of the divine nature. But also John the theologian, discoursing about the same economy, called it light, saying: "And the light shines in the darkness, 55.647 and the darkness did not comprehend it." This He puts on as a garment, when he completely covers and hides the power of the divinity with the weaknesses of the flesh, such as hungering, thirsting, wearying, and enduring things similar to these. But he wraps himself in light, when he reveals his own divinity, rebuking the sea, shaking the earth, darkening the sun; for he no longer allows the divinity to be hidden by the humanity. "Stretching out the heaven like a curtain."

2. Through these things he taught the ease of creation. For as it is easy for a man to stretch out a skin and make a tent, so the God of all things spread out the great vaults of the heavens, using only his word. "Who covers his upper chambers with waters." This also the blessed Moses taught; for he said that God had spoken: "Let there be a firmament in the midst of the water, and let it divide the water which is above the firmament from the water which is below the firmament." "Who makes the clouds his chariot, who walks on the wings of the winds." Through these things he declared the providence that reaches everywhere. For he is over both winds and clouds, and he himself directs and governs these, and gives the need that arises from them in its season. And at the same time he teaches that the divine nature is present everywhere and is over all things. For since of all perceptible things the nature of the winds is the swiftest (for in an instant it runs from the west to the east, and from the east to the west), not finding another more precise image among perceptible things, he said that God is borne on the wings of the winds, indicating through these things that he is present everywhere. And we find that the God of all things appeared to the sons of Israel in a cloud, and in the tent he made his own appearance through a cloud. And indeed, when Solomon was dedicating the house, a cloud covered the house; and the Lord Christ on the mountain showed a bright cloud around himself to the three apostles; and as he was being taken up, a bright cloud received him from their eyes. "Who makes his angels spirits, and his ministers a flaming fire." He showed him to be the creator not only of visible things, but also of invisible things. And he called them both spirits and fire, teaching through both what is powerful and what is swift. For the nature of the spirit is sharp; and the energy of fire is strong. And the God of all things, using angels as ministers, both benefits the worthy and punishes their adversaries. For this reason he also made mention of fire, the

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φῶς, ὡς ἱμάτιον. Περιβάλλεται φῶς, ὡς ἱμάτιον, ὡς γνώσεως πανταχόθεν πεπληρωμένος, ὡς ἀκατάληπτον ἔχων οὐ σίαν. Καὶ τὴν ἀκραιφνεστάτην δὲ τοῦ Θεοῦ γνῶσιν ση μαίνει τὸ φῶς· Οἰκεῖ γὰρ φῶς, κατὰ Παῦλον, ἀπρόσ ιτον. Τὸ γὰρ, οἰκεῖν, τὸ ὅλον εἶναι γνῶσιν σημαίνει, δυσ περινόητον ὑπάρχοντα τοῖς νοητοῖς· ἀπρόσιτον γὰρ εἶπε τὸ φῶς. Συνῳδὰ γὰρ τούτοις καὶ ὁ Ἀπόστολος λέγει· Ὁ μόνος ἔχων ἀθανασίαν, ὁ φῶς οἰκῶν ἀπρόσιτον. Τοσοῦτον γάρ ἐστιν ἐκεῖνο τὸ φῶς, ὡς μηδένα πελάζειν τολμᾷν· ἀποστρέφει γὰρ τὰς ὄψεις ἡ τῆς αἴγλης ὑπερβολή. Εἰ γὰρ ὁ αἰσθητὸς τοῦτο ποιεῖν ἥλιος ἀναγ κάζει τοὺς ἀπλήστως καθορᾷν πειρωμένους, τίς ἱκανὸς τοῦ ἀπροσίτου φωτὸς ἐν περινοίᾳ γενέσθαι; Ἔστι μὲν οὖν καὶ αὐτὸς φῶς ἀληθινὸν, ἀναβάλλεται δὲ καὶ φῶς ὡς ἱμάτιον, καὶ φῶς οἰκεῖ ἀπρόσιτον, καὶ Νεφέλη καὶ γνό φος κύκλῳ αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἔθετο σκότος ἀποκρυφὴν αὐ τοῦ. Καὶ οὐκ ἐναντία ταῦτα ἀλλήλοις· τὸ γὰρ ἀπρόσιτον φῶς τοῖς ὁρᾷν οὐ δυναμένοις τῷ γνόφῳ καὶ τῷ σκότει ταὐτόν ἐστιν· οὔτε γὰρ τὰ ἐν τούτῳ, οὔτε τὰ ἐν ἐκείνῳ δυνατὸν κατιδεῖν· καὶ τοῦτο μέντοι κἀκεῖνο τῆς θείας φύσεως δηλοῖ τὸ ἀόρατον. Οὐ μὴν ἀλλὰ καὶ Ἰωάννης ὁ θεολόγος περὶ τῆς αὐτῆς οἰκονομίας διηγούμενος, φῶς αὐτὴν ἐκάλεσε λέγων· Καὶ τὸ φῶς ἐν τῇ σκοτίᾳ φαί 55.647 νει, καὶ ἡ σκοτία αὐτὸ οὐ κατέλαβε. Ταύτην ὡς ἱμά τιον ἐνδύεται μὲν, ὅτε ὁλοκλήρως τοῖς ὑστερήμασι τῆς σαρκὸς σκέπει τε καὶ κρύπτει τὴν δύναμιν τῆς θεότη τος, οἷον πεινῶν, διψῶν, κοπιῶν, καὶ τὰ τούτων ὑπομέ νων παραπλήσια. Ἀναβάλλεται δὲ φῶς, ἡνίκα ἑαυτοῦ φανεροῖ τὴν θεότητα, ἐπιτιμῶν τῇ θαλάσσῃ, σαλεύων τὴν γῆν, σκοτίζων τὸν ἥλιον· οὐκ ἔτι γὰρ συγχωρεῖ τὴν θεότητα ὑπὸ τῆς ἀνθρωπότητος κρύπτεσθαι. Ἐκτείνων τὸν οὐρανὸν ὡσεὶ δέῤῥιν.

βʹ. Τὴν τῆς δημιουργίας εὐκολίαν διὰ τούτων ἐδίδαξεν. Ὡς γὰρ ἀνθρώπῳ ῥᾴδιον δέῤῥιν ἐκτεῖναι καὶ ποιῆσαι σκηνὴν, οὕτως ὁ τῶν ὅλων Θεὸς τὰ μεγάλα τῶν οὐρανῶν διεπέτασε κύτη, λόγῳ χρησάμενος μόνῳ. Ὁ στεγάζων ἐν ὕδασι τὰ ὑπερῷα αὐτοῦ. Τοῦτο καὶ ὁ μακάριος ἐδί δαξε Μωϋσῆς· ἔφη γὰρ τὸν Θεὸν εἰρηκέναι· Γενηθήτω στερέωμα ἐν μέσῳ τοῦ ὕδατος, καὶ ἔστω διαχωρίζον ἀνὰ μέσον ὕδατος τοῦ ἐπάνω τοῦ στερεώματος, καὶ ἀνὰ μέσον ὕδατος τοῦ ὑποκάτω τοῦ στερεώματος. Ὁ τιθεὶς νέφη τὴν ἐπίβασιν αὐτοῦ, ὁ περιπατῶν ἐπὶ πτερύγων ἀνέμων. ∆ιὰ τούτων τὴν πανταχοῦ δι ήκουσαν ἐδήλωσε πρόνοιαν. Ἐφέστηκε γὰρ καὶ ἀνέμοις καὶ νέφεσι, καὶ αὐτὸς ἰθύνει ταῦτα καὶ κυβερνᾷ, καὶ τὴν ἐντεῦθεν φυομένην εἰς καιρὸν δίδωσι χρείαν. ∆ιδάσκει δὲ κατὰ ταὐτὸν, ὡς ἡ θεία φύσις πανταχοῦ πάρεστι καὶ τοῖς πᾶσιν ἐφίσταται. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ τῶν αἰσθητῶν ἁπάντων ὀξυτάτη τῶν ἀνέμων ἡ φύσις (ἐν ἀκαρεῖ γὰρ ἀπὸ τῶν ἑσπερίων ἐπὶ τὴν ἕω διατρέχει, καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς ἕω πρὸς τὴν ἑσπέραν), οὐχ εὑρὼν ἑτέραν ἀκριβεστέραν ἐν τοῖς αἰσθητοῖς εἰκόνα, ἐπὶ πτερύγων ἀνέμων ἔφη τὸν Θεὸν ἐποχεῖσθαι, πανταχοῦ αὐτὸν παρεῖναι διὰ τούτων παραδηλῶν. Εὑρίσκομεν δὲ καὶ τοῖς υἱοῖς Ἰσραὴλ ἐν νε φέλῃ τὸν τῶν ὅλων ἐπιφανέντα Θεὸν, καὶ ἐν πῇ σκηνῇ διὰ νεφέλης τὴν οἰκείαν ποιησάμενον ἐπιφάνειαν. Καὶ μέντοι τοῦ Σολομῶντος τὸν οἶκον ἐγκαινίζοντος, νεφέλη τὸν οἶκον ἐκάλυψε· καὶ ὁ ∆εσπότης Χριστὸς ἐν τῷ ὄρει τοῖς τρισὶν ἀποστόλοις φωτεινὴν περὶ αὑτὸν νεφέλην ὑπέδειξε· καὶ ἀναλαμβανόμενον, νεφέλη φωτεινὴ ὑπέλα βεν αὐτὸν ἀπὸ τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν αὐτῶν. Ὁ ποιῶν τοὺς ἀγγέλους αὐτοῦ πνεύματα, καὶ τοὺς λειτουργοὺς αὐ τοῦ πῦρ φλέγον. Ἔδειξεν οὐ τῶν ὁρατῶν αὐτὸν μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν ἀοράτων δημιουργόν. Τοὺς δὲ αὐτοὺς καὶ πνεύματα καὶ πῦρ προσηγόρευσε, τὸ δυνατὸν καὶ τὸ ταχὺ δι' ἑκατέρων διδάσκων. Ὀξεῖα μὲν γὰρ τοῦ πνεύ ματος ἡ φύσις· ἰσχυρὰ δὲ τοῦ πυρὸς ἡ ἐνέργεια. Ἀγγέ λοις δὲ χρώμενος ὑπουργοῖς ὁ τῶν ὅλων Θεὸς καὶ εὐεργε τεῖ τοὺς ἀξίους, καὶ κολάζει τοὺς ἐναντίους. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ πυρὸς ἐμνημόνευσε, τὴν