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receives it on his head, with the stone returning against the one who threw it, so also the one who blasphemes that blessed substance, would never harm it at all, since it is much greater and higher than to receive any harm, but sharpens the sword against his own soul, becoming ungrateful toward his benefactor. Let us call, therefore, upon Him, the ineffable, the inconceivable God, the invisible, the incomprehensible, who overcomes the power of human tongue, who surpasses the comprehension of mortal thought, who is unsearchable to angels, unseen by the Seraphim, incomprehensible to the Cherubim, unseen by principalities, authorities, powers, and simply by all creation, but known only by the Son and the Spirit. And I know indeed that they will condemn my words for arrogance, because I said He is incomprehensible even to the higher powers; but for this reason I will condemn their great madness and folly. For arrogance is not to say that the creator is superior to the comprehension of all created things, but to say that it is possible for those who crawl on the ground, and are so far removed from them, to describe and comprehend with the weakness of their own reasonings Him who is incomprehensible to the powers above. For my part, if I do not show what I have promised, I would be justly liable to the charge of arrogance; but you, if after I have shown that He is incomprehensible to the powers above, you still insist and contend that you know Him, of how many pits, of how many precipices would you be worthy, arrogantly claiming to know with precision things unseen by all the bodiless powers? Come, then, let us proceed to the proofs themselves, turning our discourse again to prayer; for often the sequence of the prayer itself will provide us with the proof of the things we seek. Let us call, then, upon “Him who is the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light, whom no one of men has seen or can see, to whom be honor and everlasting power. Amen.” These are not my words, but Paul’s; but understand, I pray you, the reverence of his soul and his rooted fear. For having remembered God, he did not venture to proceed to the sequence of his teaching until he had paid the debt owed to Him, concluding his discourse in a doxology. For if “the memory of the just is with praises,” much more is the memory of God with acclaim. And he does this also in the introductions of his epistles; for often when beginning an epistle, as soon as he remembers God, he does not proceed to his teaching until he has rendered the doxology owed to Him. Hear, for instance, what he says when writing to the Galatians: “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.” And again elsewhere: “To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.” Does he then do this for the Father only, and not so for the Son? Hear how he has done this very same thing for the only-begotten as well; for after saying, “I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh,” he added, “To them belong the adoption, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises; from them is the Christ according to the flesh, who is God over all, blessed forever. Amen.” For just as to the Father, so also to the only-begotten he first gave the doxology, and then came to the sequence of his discourse; for he had heard Christ saying, “That all may honor the Son, just as they honor the Father.” And, that you may learn that this prayer itself will provide us the proof, let us bring it forward. “The King of kings,” he says, “and Lord of lords, who alone has immortality, dwelling in unapproachable light.” Stop here and ask the heretic what this means, “dwelling in unapproachable light,” and pay attention to the precision

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δέχεται κορυφῇ, πρὸς τὸν ἀκοντίσαντα ἐπανιόντος τοῦ λίθου, οὕτω δὴ καὶ ὁ βλασφημῶν τὴν μακαρίαν ἐκείνην οὐσίαν, ἐκείνην μὲν οὐδὲν ἂν παραβλάψειέ ποτε πολλῷ μείζονα οὖσαν καὶ ὑψηλοτέραν ἢ ὥστε δέξασθαί τινα βλάβην, κατὰ δὲ τῆς ἑαυτοῦ ψυχῆς τὸ ξίφος ἀκονᾷ, ἀγνώμων περὶ τὸν εὐεργέτην γενόμενος. Καλῶμεν τοίνυν αὐτὸν τὸν ἀνέκφραστον, τὸν ἀπερινόητον Θεόν, τὸν ἀόρατον, τὸν ἀκατάληπτον, τὸν νικῶντα γλώττης δύναμιν ἀνθρωπίνης, τὸν ὑπερβαίνοντα θνητῆς διανοίας κατάληψιν, τὸν ἀνεξιχνίαστον ἀγγέλοις, τὸν ἀθέατον τοῖς Σεραφίμ, τὸν ἀκατανόητον τοῖς Χερουβίμ, τὸν ἀόρατον ἀρχαῖς, ἐξουσίαις, δυνάμεσι καὶ ἁπλῶς πάσῃ τῇ κτίσει, ὑπὸ δὲ Υἱοῦ καὶ Πνεύματος μόνου γνωριζόμενον. Καὶ οἶδα μὲν ὅτι ἀλαζονείαν καταγνώσονται τοῦ λόγου, ὅτι καὶ ταῖς ἀνωτέραις δυνάμεσιν ἀκατάληπτον αὐτὸν εἶπον εἶναι· ἐγὼ δὲ διὰ τοῦτο πολλὴν αὐτῶν καταγνώσομαι μανίαν καὶ ἀπόνοιαν. Ἀλαζονεία γὰρ οὐ τὸ λέγειν ὅτι τῆς τῶν γεννητῶν ἁπάντων καταλήψεως ἀνώτερός ἐστιν ὁ δημιουργός, ἀλλὰ τὸ λέγειν ὅτι τὸν ταῖς ἄνω δυνάμεσιν ἀκατάληπτον δυνατὸν αὐτοῖς τοῖς χαμαὶ ἑρπομένοις καὶ τοσοῦτον ἐκείνων ἀφεστηκόσι, τῇ τῶν οἰκείων λογισμῶν ἀσθενείᾳ περιγράψαι καὶ περιλαβεῖν. Ἐγὼ μέν, ἂν μὴ δείξω τοῦτο ὅπερ ὑπεσχόμην, δίκαιος ἂν εἴην ἀλαζονείας ὑποστῆναι ἔγκλημα· ὑμεῖς δέ, εἰ μετὰ τὸ δεῖξαί με ταῖς ἄνω δυνάμεσιν ὄντα ἀκατάληπτον, διϊσχυριζόμενοι ἔτι καὶ φιλονεικεῖτε αὐτὸν εἰδέναι, πόσων ἂν εἴητε βαράθρων, πόσων δὲ κρημνῶν ἄξιοι, τὰ ταῖς ἀσωμάτοις δυνάμεσιν ἁπάσαις ἀθέατα ἀλαζονευόμενοι μετὰ ἀκριβείας εἰδέναι; Φέρε οὖν λοιπὸν ἐπὶ τὰς ἀποδείξεις αὐτὰς χωρῶμεν, πάλιν ἐπὶ τὴν εὐχὴν τὸν λόγον τρέψαντες· πολλάκις γὰρ αὐτὴ τῆς εὐχῆς ἡ ἀκολουθία παρέξει τῶν ζητουμένων ἡμῖν τὴν ἀπόδειξιν. Καλῶμεν τοίνυν «αὐτὸν τὸν βασιλέα τῶν βασιλευόντων καὶ κύριον τῶν κυριευόντων, τὸν μόνον ἔχοντα ἀθανασίαν, φῶς ἀπρόσιτον οἰκοῦντα, ὃν εἶδεν οὐδεὶς ἀνθρώπων οὐδὲ ἰδεῖν δύναται, ᾧ τιμὴ καὶ κράτος εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας. Ἀμήν.» Ταῦτα οὐκ ἐμά, ἀλλὰ Παύλου τὰ ῥήματα· σὺ δέ μοι κατάμαθε αὐτοῦ τῆς ψυχῆς εὐλάβειαν καὶ φόβον ἐρριζωμένον. Μνησθεὶς γὰρ τοῦ Θεοῦ, οὐ πρότερον ἠνέσχετο πρὸς τὴν ἀκολουθίαν ἐκβῆναι τῆς διδασκαλίας, ἕως τὸ ὀφειλόμενον αὐτῷ χρέος ἀπέδωκεν εἰς δοξολογίαν κατακλείσας τὸν λόγον. Εἰ γὰρ «μνήμη δικαίου μετ' ἐγκωμίων», πολλῷ μᾶλλον μνήμη Θεοῦ μετ' εὐφημίας. Ποιεῖ δὲ αὐτὸ καὶ ἐν προοιμίοις ἐπιστολῶν· ἀρχόμενος γὰρ ἐπιστολῆς πολλάκις, ἐπειδὰν μνησθῇ τοῦ Θεοῦ, οὐ πρότερον ἐπὶ τὴν διδασκαλίαν πρόεισιν, ἕως ἂν ἀποδῷ τὴν ὀφειλομένην αὐτῷ δοξολογίαν. Ἄκουσον γοῦν Γαλάταις γράφων πῶς φησι· «Χάρις ὑμῖν καὶ εἰρήνη ἀπὸ Θεοῦ πατρὸς ἡμῶν, καὶ Κυρίου Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, τοῦ δόντος ἑαυτὸν ὑπὲρ τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν ἡμῶν, ὅπως ἐξέληται ἡμᾶς ἐκ τοῦ ἐνεστῶτος αἰῶνος πονηροῦ κατὰ τὸ θέλημα τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ Πατρός, ᾧ ἡ δόξα εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας. Ἀμήν.» Καὶ πάλιν ἀλλαχοῦ· «Τῷ δὲ βασιλεῖ τῶν αἰώνων, ἀφθάρτῳ, ἀοράτῳ, μόνῳ σοφῷ Θεῷ τιμὴ καὶ δόξα εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας. Ἀμήν.» Ἆρα οὖν ἐπὶ τοῦ Πατρὸς αὐτὸ ποιεῖ μόνον, ἐπὶ δὲ τοῦ Υἱοῦ οὐχ οὕτως; Ἄκουσον πῶς καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ μονογενοῦς τὸ αὐτὸ τοῦτο πεποίηκεν· εἰπὼν γὰρ ὅτι «Ηὐχόμην ἀνάθεμα εἶναι ἀπὸ τοῦ Χριστοῦ ὑπὲρ τῶν ἀδελφῶν μου τῶν συγγενῶν μου κατὰ σάρκα», ἐπήγαγεν· «Ὧν ἡ υἱοθεσία καὶ αἱ διαθῆκαι καὶ ἡ νομοθεσία καὶ αἱ λατρεῖαι καὶ αἱ ἐπαγγελίαι· ἐξ ὧν ὁ Χριστὸς τὸ κατὰ σάρκα, ὁ ὢν ἐπὶ πάντων Θεὸς εὐλογητὸς εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας. Ἀμήν.» Ὥσπερ γὰρ τῷ Πατρί, οὕτω καὶ τῷ μονογενεῖ τὴν δοξολογίαν πρότερον ἀποδούς, τότε ἐπὶ τὴν ἀκολουθίαν ἦλθε τοῦ λόγου· ἤκουσε γὰρ τοῦ Χριστοῦ λέγοντος· «Ἵνα πάντες τιμῶσι τὸν Υἱόν, καθὼς τιμῶσι τὸν Πατέρα.» Καί, ἵνα μάθητε ὅτι αὐτὴ ἡμῖν ἡ εὐχὴ παρέξει τὴν ἀπόδειξιν, φέρε αὐτὴν εἰς μέσον ἀγάγωμεν. «Ὁ βασιλεὺς τῶν βασιλευόντων, φησί, καὶ κύριος τῶν κυριευόντων, ὁ μόνος ἔχων ἀθανασίαν, φῶς οἰκῶν ἀπρόσιτον.» Ἐνταῦθα στῆθι καὶ ἐρώτησον τὸν αἱρετικὸν τί ποτέ ἐστι τοῦτο «τὸ φῶς οἰκῶν ἀπρόσιτον», καὶ πρόσεχε τῇ ἀκριβείᾳ