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What reasoning can prove? There is none; but we need faith alone, if we are to be persuaded that a mortal body both was raised and came to an immortal life, having no limit nor end; which indeed he signified elsewhere, saying: “Christ being raised from the dead dies no more; death has no more dominion over him,” so that the miracle is twofold, both to be raised and to be raised in this way. For this reason he said regarding faith: “... that I may know the power of his resurrection.” And if it is not possible to discover the resurrection by reasoning, much more so the birth from above. And Paul, speaking of these things and of the cross and the passion, committed those things also to the power of faith; then having set this whole argument in motion, proceeding he said: “Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended.” He did not say: I do not count myself to know, but “to have apprehended;” he testified of himself neither complete ignorance nor complete knowledge. For to say, “I do not count myself to have apprehended” is of one who indicates that he for the present stands on the way and is walking and going further, but has by no means laid hold of the end. This he also advises to others, saying thus: “Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in anything you be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you.” Not reasoning, he said, will teach, but God will reveal. Do you see that the discussion is not about life and conduct, but about doctrines and faith? For conduct and life do not need revelation, but doctrines and knowledge do. And elsewhere, declaring this very thing, he said: “If any man think that he knoweth anything, he knoweth nothing yet.” He did not say simply: he knows nothing, but “as he ought to know;” for he has knowledge, but not exact and perfect knowledge. And that you may learn that this is true, let us say nothing about the things above, but if you wish, let us bring the discussion down to the visible creation. Do you not see this heaven? That it preserves the image of a vault we know, and this itself not from reasoning, but having learned it from the divine Scripture; and that it encompasses all the earth, this too we know, having likewise heard it from there; but what its substance is, we do not know. But if someone were to insist and be contentious, let him say what the substance of heaven is; Is it frozen crystal? Is it condensed cloud? Is it thicker air? But no one could say anything clearly. Do you still need proof, tell me, to learn the madness of those who say they know God? You cannot state the nature of the heaven that is seen every day, and you profess to know with precision the substance of the invisible God? And who is so senseless as not to condemn the utter madness of those who say these things? For these reasons, then, I exhort you all to try to heal, according to your ability, those who have fallen into a disease of frenzy and are delirious, speaking to them with gentleness and kindness; for this doctrine was born to them from folly, and great is the puffing up of their mind; and inflamed wounds do not bear even the laying on of a hand, nor do they endure a rougher touch. For this reason the wise among physicians soothe such sores with a soft sponge. Since, therefore, these too have an inflamed ulcer in their soul, as if drawing gentle and drinkable water with a soft sponge, so let us, by pouring on all that has been said, try to suppress their puffing up and take down all their swelling; and if they are insolent, and if they kick, and if they spit, and if they do anything whatsoever, do not abandon the treatment, beloved. For it is necessary for those treating a paralytic person to endure many such things; but nevertheless one must not desist even so, but rather for these very reasons one must especially pity them and weep, because such is the nature of their sickness. These things I say to the stronger and those who are uninfluenced and able to receive no harm from their company; but if anyone is weaker, let him flee their gatherings, let him leap away from their assemblies, so that the pretext of friendship may not become an occasion for impiety. Thus also does Paul, he himself to the

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παραστῆσαι λογισμός; Οὐκ ἔστιν οὐδείς· ἀλλὰ πίστεως ἡμῖν δεῖ μόνης, εἰ μέλλοιμεν πείθεσθαι ὅτι σῶμα θνητὸν καὶ ἀνέστη καὶ εἰς ζωὴν ἦλθεν ἀθάνατον, πέρας οὐδὲν οὐδὲ τέλος ἔχουσαν· ὅπερ οὖν καὶ ἀλλαχοῦ σημαίνων ἔλεγεν· «Ὁ Χριστὸς ἐγερθεὶς οὐκέτι ἀποθνῄσκει, θάνατος αὐτοῦ οὐκέτι κυριεύει», ὥστε διπλοῦν τὸ θαῦμα, καὶ τὸ ἀναστῆναι καὶ τὸ οὕτως ἀναστῆναι. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ἔλεγεν ἐπὶ τῇ πίστει· «... τοῦ γνῶναι τὴν δύναμιν τῆς ἀναστάσεως αὐτοῦ». Εἰ δὲ τὴν ἀνάστασιν οὐ δυνατὸν λογισμοῖς εὑρεῖν, πόλλῳ μᾶλλον τὴν γέννησιν τὴν ἄνω. Περὶ δὲ τούτων διαλεγόμενος ὁ Παῦλος καὶ περὶ τοῦ σταυροῦ καὶ τοῦ πάθους λέγων, κἀκεῖνα τῇ τῆς πίστεως ἐπέτρεψε δυνάμει· εἶτα τοῦτον ἅπαντα κινήσας τὸν λόγον, προϊὼν εἶπεν· «Ἀδελφοί, ἐγὼ ἐμαυτὸν οὐ λογίζομαι κατειληφέναι.» Οὐκ εἶπεν· ἐγὼ ἐμαυτὸν οὐ λογίζομαι εἰδέναι, ἀλλὰ «κατειληφέναι»· οὔτε παντελῆ ἄγνοιαν, οὔτε παντελῆ γνῶσιν ἐμαρτύρησεν ἑαυτῷ. Τὸ γὰρ εἰπεῖν· «Οὐ λογίζομαι κατειληφέναι» δηλοῦντός ἐστιν ὅτι ἐπὶ τῆς ὁδοῦ τέως ἕστηκε καὶ βαδίζει καὶ πρόεισι περαιτέρω, τοῦ δὲ τέλους πάντως οὐκ ἐπείληπται. Τοῦτο καὶ ἑτέροις παραινεῖ λέγων οὕτως· «Ὅσοι τέλειοι, τοῦτο φρονῶμεν· καὶ εἴ τι ἑτέρως φρονεῖτε, καὶ τοῦτο ὁ Θεὸς ὑμῖν ἀποκαλύψει.» Οὐ λογισμός, εἶπε, διδάξει, ἀλλ' ὁ Θεὸς ἀποκαλύψει. Ὁρᾷς ὅτι οὐ περὶ βίου καὶ πολιτείας ἐστὶν ὁ λόγος, ἀλλὰ περὶ δογμάτων καὶ πίστεως; Πολιτεία γὰρ καὶ βίος οὐκ ἀποκαλύψεως δεῖται, ἀλλὰ δόγματα καὶ γνῶσις. Καὶ ἑτέρωθι δὲ τὸ αὐτὸ τοῦτο δηλῶν ἔλεγεν· «Εἴ τις δοκεῖ εἰδέναι τι, οὐδέπω οὐδὲν ἔγνωκεν.» Οὐκ εἶπεν ἁπλῶς· οὐδὲν ἔγνωκεν, ἀλλὰ «καθὼς δεῖ γνῶναι»· ἔχει μὲν γὰρ γνῶσιν, οὐκ ἀκριβῆ δὲ καὶ ἀπηρτισμένην. Καὶ ἵνα μάθῃς ὅτι τοῦτό ἐστιν ἀληθές, μηδὲν περὶ τῶν ἄνω διαλεχθῶμεν, ἀλλ' εἰ βούλει κάτω πρὸς τὴν ὁρωμένην κτίσιν τὸν λόγον ἀγάγωμεν. Οὐχ ὁρᾷς τουτονὶ τὸν οὐρανόν; ὅτι μὲν καμάρας εἰκόνα διασῴζει ἴσμεν, καὶ τοῦτο αὐτὸ οὐκ ἀπὸ λογισμῶν, ἀλλ' ἀπὸ τῆς θείας Γραφῆς μαθόντες· καὶ ὅτι πᾶσαν περιλαμβάνει τὴν γῆν, καὶ τοῦτο ἴσμεν, ὁμοίως παρ' ἐκείνης ἀκούσαντες· τίς δὲ τὴν οὐσίαν ἐστὶν ἀγνοοῦμεν. Εἰ δέ τις διϊσχυρίζοιτο καὶ φιλονεικοίη, λεγέτω τί τὴν οὐσίαν ἐστὶν ὁ οὐρανός· ἆρα κρύσταλλος πεπηγώς; ἆρα νέφος πεπυκνωμένον; ἆρα ἀὴρ παχύτερος; Ἀλλ' οὐδεὶς ἂν ἔχοι σαφῶς οὐδὲν εἰπεῖν. Ἔτι οὖν ἀποδείξεως, εἰπέ μοι, δεῖσθε πρὸς τὸ μαθεῖν τὴν μανίαν τῶν τὸν Θεὸν εἰδέναι λεγόντων; Τοῦ οὐρανοῦ τοῦ ὁρωμένου καθ' ἡμέραν τὴν φύσιν οὐκ ἔχεις εἰπεῖν, καὶ τοῦ ἀοράτου Θεοῦ μετὰ ἀκριβείας ἐπαγγέλλῃ τὴν οὐσίαν εἰδέναι; Καὶ τίς οὕτως ἀναίσθητος ὡς μὴ τὴν ἐσχάτην τῶν ταῦτα λεγόντων καταγινώσκειν μανίαν; ∆ιὰ δὴ ταῦτα παρακαλῶ πάντας ὑμᾶς καθάπερ τοὺς φρενίτιδι περιπεσόντας νόσῳ καὶ παραπαίοντας κατὰ δύναμιν τὴν ὑμετέραν πειρᾶσθαι θεραπεύειν μετὰ προσηνείας καὶ ἐπιεικείας αὐτοῖς διαλεγομένους· καὶ γὰρ ἐξ ἀπονοίας αὐτοῖς τὸ δόγμα τοῦτο ἐτέχθη, καὶ πολὺ τῆς διανοίας αὐτῶν τὸ φύσημα· τὰ δὲ φλεγμαίνοντα τῶν τραυμάτων οὐδὲ ἐπιβολὴν χειρὸς ἀνέχεται, οὐδὲ ἁφὴν ὑπομένει τραχυτέραν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο οἱ σοφοὶ τῶν ἰατρῶν μαλακῇ τινι σπογγιᾷ τὰ τοιαῦτα καταψήχουσιν ἕλκη. Ἐπεὶ οὖν καὶ τούτοις ἕλκος ἐστὶν ἐν τῇ ψυχῇ φλεγμαῖνον, ὥσπερ ἁπαλῇ τινι σπογγιᾷ προσηνὲς ὕδωρ καὶ πότιμον σπῶντες, οὕτω τὰ εἰρημένα ἅπαντα καταντλοῦντες, πειρώμεθα καταστέλλειν αὐτῶν τὸ φύσημα καὶ τὸν ὄγκον καθαιρεῖν ἅπαντα· κἂν ὑβρίζωσι, κἂν λακτίζωσι, κἂν ἐμπτύωσι, κἂν ὁτιοῦν ποιῶσι, μὴ καταλείπῃς τὴν ἰατρείαν, ἀγαπητέ. Τοὺς γὰρ ἄνθρωπον παραπλῆγα θεραπεύοντας ἀνάγκη πολλὰ τοιαῦτα ὑπομένειν· ἀλλ' ὅμως οὐδὲ οὕτως ἀφίστασθαι χρή, ἀλλὰ δι' αὐτὰ μὲν οὖν ταῦτα μάλιστα αὐτοὺς ταλανίζειν καὶ δακρύειν χρή, ὅτι τοιοῦτον αὐτῶν τῆς ἀρρωστίας ἐστὶ τὸ εἶδος. Ταῦτα πρὸς τοὺς ἰσχυροτέρους λέγω καὶ ἀνεπηρεάστους καὶ δυναμένους ἐκ τῆς ἐκείνων ὁμιλίας μηδεμίαν παραδέξασθαι βλάβην· ὡς εἴ τις ἀσθενέστερος εἴη, φευγέτω τούτων τὰς συνουσίας, ἀποπηδάτω τοὺς συλλόγους, ὥστε μὴ τὴν τῆς φιλίας ὑπόθεσιν ἀφορμὴν ἀσεβείας γενέσθαι. Οὕτω καὶ Παῦλος ποιεῖ, αὐτὸς μὲν τοῖς