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Title 2. -Concerning God being inescapable; and that He oversees all things, and nothing is hidden from Him.
There is none who shall deliver out of my hands. He is a seer of the works of men's hands; and nothing of what they do is hidden from him. The Lord oversees all things, comprehending things unsearchable, both glorious and wonderful, of which there is no number. Who is this that hides counsel from me, and keeps words in his heart, thinking to hide them from me? God is he that tries the hearts and reins. The Lord is high, and he regards the lowly, and the high he knows from afar. Whither shall I go from thy spirit, and whither shall I flee from thy presence? Hades and destruction are manifest before the Lord; how not also the hearts of men? The eyes of the Lord are in every place, watching the evil and the good. Am I a God at hand, says the Lord, and not a God afar off? If any man shall hide in secret places, shall I not see him? Do I not fill heaven and earth, says the Lord? The Lord will reveal deep and secret things, knowing what is in darkness, and light is with him. He that contains all things, has knowledge of a voice; for this reason no one speaking unrighteous things shall be hidden, nor shall convicting justice pass him by. He is a witness of his reins, and a true overseer of his heart, and a hearer of his tongue. It is impossible to escape thy hand. The eyes of the Lord are ten thousand times brighter than the sun, looking upon all the ways of men. The most high Lord knew all conscience, and looked upon the sign of the age, declaring the things that are past, and the things that are to come, and revealing the traces of hidden things. No thought escaped him; not one word was hidden from him. He has ordered the mighty works of his cosmic wisdom, who is before the age, and unto the age. He was not added to, nor diminished. The works of all flesh are before him, and it is not possible to be hidden from his eyes. As the potter's clay is in his hand, according to his 95.1080 good pleasure, so is man in the hand of him that made him, to render to him according to judgment. His wisdom is great; he is strong in power, seeing all things, and he will know every work of man. The word of God is living, and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing even to the dividing of soul and spirit, of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts of the heart. And there is no creature that is not manifest in his sight; but all things are naked and opened unto his eyes, with whom we have to do. Nothing is unprovided for, nothing is neglected by God. The sleepless eye watches all things; he is present to all, providing salvation for each. If God did not leave the sea urchin outside his oversight, does he not oversee your affairs? Nothing has passed him by, nor will it, but all things are present, and things expected by us from afar are seen by the divine eye as already present. He who is everywhere is not comprehended in any particular part, equally containing the whole. God does all things with measure and order, and nothing is without measure with him, because nothing is without number. It belongs to the Godhead alone to see the thoughts. God has filled all things, and has passed through all things, and has left nothing empty, nor desolate of him. For what place will anyone occupy, in which God is not? For before every created thing is God, and he is found everywhere. Every man is lawless and unnatural, who thinks the eye of God overlooks anything.
Title 3. -Concerning God and his works being incomprehensible; and that not
we ought to seek hidden things, or be over-curious. God said to Moses: You shall not be able to see my face; for no one shall see
man my face, and live. Your knowledge has been made wonderful to me; it is become mighty, and I am not able to attain to it. He that increases knowledge, increases sorrow. To whom have you likened the Lord, or to what likeness have you likened him? Not an image
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Τίτλ. Βʹ. -Περὶ τοῦ ἄφευκτον εἶναι τὸν Θεόν· καὶ ὅτι πάντα ἐφορᾷ, καὶ οὐδὲν αὐτὸν λέληθεν.
Οὐκ ἔστιν ὃς ἐξελεῖται ἐκ τῶν χειρῶν μου. Ὁρατής ἐστιν ἔργων χειρῶν ἀνθρώπων· λέληθε δὲ αὐτὸν οὐδὲν ὧν πράττουσιν. Κύριος πάντα ἐφορᾷ, καταλαμβάνων ἀνεξιχνίαστα, ἔνδοξά τε καὶ ἐξαίσια, ὧν οὐκ ἔστιν ἀριθμός. Τίς οὗτος ὁ κρύπτων με βουλὴν, συνέχων δὲ ῥήματα ἐν καρδίᾳ, ἐμὲ οἴεται κρύπτειν; Ἐτάζων καρδίας καὶ νεφροὺς ὁ Θεός. Ὑψηλὸς Κύριος, καὶ ταπεινὰ ἐφορᾷ, καὶ τὰ ὑψηλὰ ἀπομακρόθεν γινώσκει. Ποῦ πορευθῶ ἀπὸ τοῦ πνεύματός σου, καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ προσώπου σου ποῦ φύγω; Ἅδης καὶ ἀπώλεια φανερὰ παρὰ Κυρίῳ· πῶς οὐχὶ καὶ αἱ καρδίαι τῶν ἀνθρώπων; Ἐν παντὶ τόπῳ ὀφθαλμοὶ Κυρίου σκοπεύουσι κακούς τε καὶ ἀγαθούς. Θεὸς ἐγγίζων εἰμὶ ἐγὼ, λέγει Κύριος, καὶ οὐ Θεὸς πόῤῥωθεν; Εἰ κρυβήσεταί τι ἐν κρυφίοις, κἀγὼ οὐκ ὄψομαι αὐτό; Μὴ οὐχὶ τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ τὴν γῆν ἐγὼ πληρῶ, λέγει Κύριος; Κύριος ἀποκαλύψει βαθέα καὶ ἀπόκρυφα, γινώσκων τὰ ἐν σκότει, καὶ φῶς μετ' αὐτοῦ ἐστι. Τὸ συνέχον τὰ πάντα, γνῶσιν ἔχει φωνῆς· διὰ τοῦτο φθεγγόμενος ἄδικα οὐδεὶς οὐ μὴ λάθῃ, οὐδ' οὐ μὴ παρελεύσεται αὐτὸν ἐλέγχουσα δίκη. Τῶν νεφρῶν αὐτοῦ μάρτυς, καὶ τῆς καρδίας αὐτοῦ ἐπίσκοπος ἀληθὴς, καὶ τῆς γλώσσης ἀκουστής. Τὴν σὴν χεῖρα ἐκφυγεῖν ἀδύνατόν ἐστιν. Οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ Κυρίου μυριοπλάσιον ἡλίου φωτεινότεροι, ἐπιβλέποντες πάσας τὰς ὁδοὺς τῶν ἀνθρώπων. Ἔγνω Κύριος ὁ ὕψιστος πᾶσαν συνείδησιν, καὶ ἐπέβλεψεν εἰς σημεῖον αἰῶνος, ἀπαγγέλλων τὰ παρελθόντα, καὶ τὰ ἐσόμενα, καὶ ἀποκαλύπτων ἴχνη ἀποκρύφων. Οὐ παρῆλθεν αὐτὸν πᾶν διανόημα· οὐκ ἐκρύβη ὑπ' αὐτοῦ εἷς λόγος. Τὰ μεγαλεῖα αὐτοῦ τῆς σοφίας τῆς κοσμικῆς ἐκόσμησεν, ὅς ἐστι πρὸ τοῦ αἰῶνος, καὶ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα. Οὐ προσετέθη, οὔτε ἠλαττώθη. Ἔργα πάσης σαρκὸς ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ, καὶ οὐκ ἔστι κρυβῆναί τι ἀπὸ τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν αὐτοῦ. Ὡς πηλὸς κεραμέως ἐν χειρὶ αὐτοῦ, κατὰ τὴν 95.1080 εὐδοκίαν αὐτοῦ, οὕτως ἄνθρωπος ἐν χειρὶ τοῦ ποιήσαντος αὐτὸν, ἀποδοῦναι αὐτῷ κατὰ κρίσιν. Πολλὴ ἡ σοφία αὐτοῦ· ἰσχυρὸς ἐν δυναστείᾳ, βλέπων τὰ πάντα, καὶ αὐτὸς ἐπιγνώσεται πᾶν ἔργον ἀνθρώπου. Ζῶν ὁ λόγος τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ ἐνεργὴς, τομώτερος ὑπὲρ πᾶσαν μάχαιραν δίστομον, καὶ διϊκνούμενος ἄχρι μερισμοῦ ψυχῆς καὶ πνεύματος, ἁρμῶν τε καὶ μυελῶν, καὶ κριτικὸς ἐνθυμήσεων καρδίας. Καὶ οὐκ ἔστι κτίσις ἀφανὴς ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ· πάντα δὲ γυμνὰ καὶ τετραχηλισμένα τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς αὐτοῦ, πρὸς ὃν ἡμῖν ὁ λόγος. Οὐδὲν ἀπρονόητον, οὐδὲν ἀμέλητον παρὰ τῷ Θεῷ. Πάντα σκοπεύει ὁ ἀκοίμητος ὀφθαλμός· πᾶσι πάρεστιν, ἐκπορίζων ἑκάστῳ τὴν σωτηρίαν. Εἰ ἔχινον ἔξω τῆς αὐτοῦ ἐπισκοπῆς ὁ Θεὸς οὐκ ἀφῆκε, τὰ σὰ οὐκ ἐπισκοπεῖ; Οὐδὲν αὐτὸν παρῆλθεν, οὐδὲ μέλλει, ἀλλὰ πάντα ἐνέστηκε, καὶ τὰ πόῤῥωθεν ἡμῖν προσδοκώμενα ὡς ἤδη παρόντα ὑπὸ τοῦ θείου ὀφθαλμοῦ καθορᾶται. Ὁ πανταχοῦ ὣν κατ' οὐδὲν μέρος ἰδιαζόντως καταλαμβάνεται, ἐπίσης περιέχων τὸ πᾶν. Ἅπαντα μέτρῳ καὶ τάξει ποιεῖ ὁ Θεὸς, καὶ οὐδὲν ἄμετρον παρ' αὐτῷ, ὅτι μηδὲν ἀναρίθμητον. Μόνης τῆς θεότητός ἐστι τὸ τῆς διανοίας ὁρᾷν Πάντα πεπλήρωκεν ὁ Θεὸς, καὶ διὰ πάντων διῆλθεν, καὶ κενὸν οὐδὲν, οὐδὲ ἔρημον ἀπολέλοιπεν αὐτοῦ. Ποῖον γάρ τις τόπον ἐφέξει, ἐν ᾧ οὐχ ὁ Θεάς ἐστι; Πρὸ γὰρ παντὸς γενητοῦ ὁ Θεός ἐστι, καὶ εὑρίσκεται πανταχοῦ. Ἔκθεσμος ἅπας καὶ ἔκφυλος, ὁ τὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ ὀφθαλμὸν οἰόμενός τι παρορᾷν.
Τίτλ. Γʹ. -Περὶ τοῦ ἀκατάληπτον εἶναι τὸν Θεὸν, καὶ τὰ ἔργα αὐτοῦ· καὶ ὅτι οὐ
δεῖ ἡμᾶς τὰ κρυπτὰ ζητεῖν, ἣ περιεργάζεσθαι. Εἶπεν ὁ Θεὸς πρὸς Μωϋσῆν· Οὐ δυνήσῃ ἰδεῖν τὸ πρόσωπόν μου· οὐ γὰρ μὴ ἴδῃ
ἄνθρωπος τὸ πρόσωπον μου, καὶ ζήσεται. Ἐθαυμαστώθη ἡ γνῶσίς σου ἐξ ἐμοῦ· ἐκραταιώθη, καὶ οὐ μὴ δύναμαι πρὸς αὐτήν. Ὁ προστιθεὶς γνῶσιν, προστίθησιν ἄλγημα. Τίνι ὡμοιώσατε Κύριον, ἢ τίνι ὁμοιώματι ὡμοιώσατε αὐτόν; Μὴ εἰκόνα