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and rarely, not who humbly greets the one of lesser honor, but who speaks of God with moderation; and knows some things to say, others to hold back, and of others to confess ignorance; and yields the word to the one entrusted with it, and accepts that someone is more spiritual, and has advanced further in contemplation. By nature every word is unsound, and easily moved, and has no freedom because of the opposing word. And the word about God, all the more so, the greater the subject, and the more the zeal, and the more grievous the danger. And fearing what, what shall we dare? Mind or word, or hearing? with danger shaking in these three. For it is difficult to comprehend and impossible to interpret, and more laborious to find a purified hearing. What envy of a praiseworthy ascent? And what fall is such as to be torn asunder by pride, and not to know the lowliness of human ascent, and how much 95.1085 the one highest of all yet falls short of the true height? It is better to labor in one's thoughts with the guidance of the Spirit, than to be impious with ease while pursuing comfort. For no one has ever breathed all the air, nor has a mind comprehended, or a voice contained, the essence of God completely. One kind of theology, the one that is most true, is fitting for those completely purified in mind; another for the many, the kind which is able to call their minds to piety and righteous action in their communion with one another, delivering them from the beastly life. What then is the light, by which this dark cave of human nature is not illuminated in the present life? Or perhaps desire looks toward what is unattainable and incomprehensible? For what word in us is such as to trace out the nature of what is sought? Who could find such a meaning of nouns and verbs, as to produce in us a worthy concept of the transcendent light? How shall I name the immortal? how shall I represent the immaterial? how shall I show the invisible? how shall I grasp the unmagnified, the unquantified, the unqualitied, the unformed, which is found neither in place, nor in time, the thing beyond all trial and every defining imagination? whose work is life, and the substance of all things conceived according to the good? But lest the word should labor in vain, extending itself to the incomprehensible; for it is impossible for this to come under comprehension; let us cease being meddlesome, having gained this much only from our inquiries, as to form through them some ineffable concept of greatness. And as much as we believe the good by nature to be higher than our knowledge, so much more do we increase our grief for ourselves; because we humans were once in communion with this which surpasses every apprehensive power. Unrestrained and heaven-running is the divine nature, unattainable to those who pursue, approaching those who believe. Human words cannot interpret the essence of God. There are times when they even attempt to theologize, where the truth is unattainable, and speculation is perilous. If you seek God, O mind, going out from yourself, seek.

Title 4. -Concerning the love and fear of God; and that they surpass every good thing. The angel of the Lord called to Abraham from heaven, and said to him: Abraham.

And he said: Behold, here I am. And He said: Do not lay your hand upon the 95.1088 boy, nor do anything to him. For now I know that you fear God, and have not spared your beloved son for my sake. And now, Israel, what does the Lord God require of you, but to fear him, and to walk in all his ways? You shall love the Lord your God with all your strength. The Lord is the stronghold of those who fear him. Let all the earth fear the Lord. Behold, the eyes of the Lord are upon those who fear him. The angel of the Lord will encamp around those who fear him, and will deliver them. Fear the Lord, all his saints. The beginning of wisdom is the fear of the Lord. Blessed is the man who fears the Lord. Nail down from the

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καὶ ὀλιγάκις, οὐδὲ ὅστις ταπεινῶς προσαγορεύει τὸν ἀτιμότερον, ἀλλ' ὅστις περὶ Θεοῦ μετρίως φθέγγεται· καὶ τὰ μὲν εἰπεῖν οἶδεν, τὰ δὲ κατέχειν, τῶν δὲ ὁμολογῆσαι τὴν ἄγνοιαν· καὶ παραχωρεῖται τοῦ λόγου τῷ πιστευθέντι, καὶ εἶναί τινα πνευματικώτερον δέχεται, καὶ διαβεβηκότα μᾶλλον ἐν θεωρίᾳ. Φύσει μὲν ἅπας λόγος σαθρὸς, καὶ εὐκίνητος, καὶ διὰ τὸν ἀντίμαχον λόγον ἐλευθερίαν οὐκ ἔχων. Ὁ δὲ περὶ Θεοῦ, τοσούτῳ μᾶλλον, ὅσῳ μεῖζον τὸ ὑποκείμενον, καὶ ὁ ζῆλος πλείων, καὶ ὁ κίνδυνος χαλεπώτερος. Καὶ τί φοβηθέντες, τί θαῤῥήσομεν; νοῦν ἢ λόγον, ἢ ἀκοήν; ἐν τρισὶ τούτοις κινδύνου σαλεύοντος. Καὶ γὰρ νοῆσαι χαλεπὸν καὶ ἑρμηνεῦσαι ἀμήχανον, καὶ ἀκοῆς κεκαθαρμένης τυχεῖν ἐργωδέστερον. Τίς φθόνος ἐπαινετῆς ἀναβάσεως; Καὶ τί πτῶμα τοιοῦτον, οἷον ἐπάρσει περιπαρῆναι, καὶ μὴ γνῶναι τῆς ἀνθρωπίνης ἀναβάσεως τὴν ταπείνωσιν, καὶ ὅσον 95.1085 ἔτι λείπεται τοῦ ἀληθινοῦ ὕψους ὁ πάντων ἀνώτερος; Κρεῖσσον καμεῖν ἐν τοῖς λογισμοῖς μετὰ τῆς ὁδηγίας τοῦ Πνεύματος, ἢ προχείρως ἀσεβεῖν τὴν ῥᾳστώνην διώκοντα. Οὔτε ἀέρα ἔπνευσέ τις ὅλον πώποτε, οὔτε οὐσίαν παντελῶς Θεοῦ, ἢ νοῦς ἐχώρησεν, ἢ φωνὴ περιέλαβεν. Ἄλλη μὲν τοῖς ἐκκεκαθαρμένοις παντελῶς τὴν διάνοιαν ἁρμόζει ἡ θεολογία, ἡ μάλιστα ἀληθής· ἄλλη δὲ τοῖς πολλοῖς, ἡ δυναμένη τὴν διάνοιαν αὐτῶν εἰς εὐσέβειαν ἐκκαλεῖσθαι καὶ δικαιοπραγίαν ἐν τῇ πρὸς ἀλλήλους κοινωνίᾳ, ἀπαλλάττουσα τοῦ θηριώδους βίου. Τί ποτε ἄρα ἐστὶ τὸ φῶς, ᾧ τὸ ζοφῶδες τοῦτο τῆς ἀνθρωπίνης φύσεως σπήλαιον ἐν τῷ παρόντι βίῳ οὐκ ἀπαυγάζεται; Ἢ τάχα πρὸς ἀνήνυστον, καὶ ἀκατάληπτον ἡ ἐπιθυμία βλέπει; Τίς γὰρ ἐν ἡμῖν λόγος τοιοῦτος, ὡς ἀνιχνεῦσαι τοῦ ζητουμένου τὴν φύσιν; Τίς ἐξεύροι ὀνομάτων τε καὶ ῥημάτων σημασίαν τοιαύτην, ὡς ἀξίαν ἡμῖν ἔννοιαν τοῦ ὑπερκειμένου φωτὸς ἐμποιεῖσθαι; Πῶς ὀνομάσω τὸ ἀθάνατον; πῶς παραστήσω τὸ ἄϋλον; πῶς δὲ δείξω τὸ ἀειδές; πῶς διαλάβω τὸ ἀμέγεθες, τὸ ἄποσον, τὸ ἄποιον, τὸ ἀσχημάτιστον, τὸ μήτε τόπῳ, μήτε χρόνῳ εὑρισκόμενον, τὸ ἐξώτερον παντὸς πειρασμοῦ καὶ πάσης ὁριστικῆς φαντασίας; οὗ ἔργον ζωὴ, καὶ ἡ πάντων τῶν κατὰ τὸ ἀγαθὸν νοουμένων ὑπόστασις; Ἀλλ' ὡς μὴ μάτην ὁ λόγος κάμῃ, τοῖς ἀχωρήτοις ἑαυτὸν ἐπεκτείνων· ἀμήχανον γὰρ ὑπὸ κατάληψιν τοῦτο ἐλθεῖν· πολυπραγμονοῦντες παυσώμεθα, τοσοῦτον μόνον ἐκ τῶν ζητηθέντων κερδάναντες, ὅσον δι' αὐτῶν ἔννοιάν τινα μεγέθους ἄφραστον ἀνατυπώσασθαι. Ὅσον δὲ τῆς γνώσεως ἡμῶν ὑψηλότερον εἶναι τὸ ἀγαθὸν τῇ φύσει πιστεύομεν, τοσοῦτον μᾶλλον τὸ πένθος ἑαυτοῖς ἐπιτείνομεν· ὅτι τούτου τοῦ ὑπεραίροντος πᾶσαν δύναμιν καταληπτικὴν ἐν μετουσίᾳ ποτὲ ἦμεν οἱ ἄνθρωποι. Ἀκράτητος καὶ οὐρανοδρόμος ἡ θεία φύσις, ἀνέφικτος τοῖς διώκουσιν, ἐγγίζουσα τοῖς πιστεύουσιν. Ἀνθρώπιναι λέξεις Θεοῦ οὐσίαν ἑρμηνεῦσαι οὐ δύνανται. Ἔστιν ὅτε καὶ θεολογεῖν ἐπιχειροῦσιν, ὅπου καὶ ἡ ἀλήθεια ἀνέφικτος, καὶ ὁ στοχασμὸς ἐπικίνδυνος. Εἰ ζητεῖς Θεὸν, ὦ διάνοια, ἐξελθοῦσα ἀπὸ σαυτῆς ἀναζήτει.

Τίτλ. ∆. -Περὶ ἀγάπης καὶ φόβου Θεοῦ· καὶ ὅτι παντὸς ἀγαθοῦ ὑπερέχουσιν. Ἐκάλεσεν ἄγγελος Κυρίου τὸν Ἀβραὰμ ἐξ οὐρανοῦ, καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ· Ἀβραάμ.

Ὁ δὲ εἶπεν· Ἰδοὺἐγώ. Εἶπε δέ· Μὴ ἐπιβάλῃς τὴν χεῖρά σου ἐπὶ τὸ παι 95.1088 δάριόν σου, μηδὲ ποιήσῃς αὐτῷ μηθέν. Νῦν γὰρ ἔγνων ὅτι φοβῇ σὺ τὸν Θεὸν, καὶ οὐκ ἐφείσω τοῦ υἱοῦ σου τοῦ ἀγαπητοῦ δι' ἐμέ. Καὶ νῦν, Ἰσραὴλ, τί Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς ἀπαιτεῖ παρὰ σοῦ, ἀλλ' ἢ φοβεῖσθαι αὐτὸν, καὶ πορεύεσθαι ἐν πάσαις ταῖς ὁδοῖς αὐτοῦ; Ἀγαπήσεις Κύριον τὸν Θεόν σου ἐξ ὅλης τῆς δυνάμεώς σου. Κραταίωμα Κύριος τῶν φοβουμένων αὐτόν. Φοβηθήτω τὸν Κύριον πᾶσα ἡ γῆ. Ἰδοὺ οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ Κυρίου ἐπὶ τοὺς φοβουμένους αὐτόν. Παρεμβαλεῖ ἄγγελος Κυρίου κύκλῳ τῶν φοβουμένων αὐτὸν, καὶ ῥύσεται αὐτούς. Φοβήθητε τὸν Κύριον, πάντες οἱ ἅγιοι αὐτοῦ. Ἀρχὴ σοφίας, φόβος Κυρίου. Μακάριος ἀνὴρ ὁ φοβούμενος τὸν Κύριον. Καθήλωσον ἐκ τοῦ