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appears, but the unapproachable does not even endure investigation, nor even the beginning of an approach, when we also had need of the image of the sea. We said that He did not say He *is* unapproachable light, but "dwelling in unapproachable light"; and if the house is unapproachable, much more so is God who dwells in it. Paul said these things, not to circumscribe God in a place, but to show from great superabundance His incomprehensibility and His unapproachability. We brought forward also other powers, the Cherubim, and we showed how above them there is a firmament, how a crystal stone, how a likeness of a throne and a form of a man and electrum and fire and a bow and after all those things the prophet says, "This is the vision of the likeness of the glory of the Lord" and through all these things we were showing you God's condescension, and how this very thing was unbearable to the powers above. But I am not simply recapitulating these things; but since I owe you the debt of that promise, I wish to learn with precision what I have paid, and what is left. So too do those who owe debts, bringing forth the ledger, where the whole account is written down, and showing it to their creditors, they pay what is remaining. And I therefore, having opened the memory of your mind like a book, having shown with my word as with a finger what has been paid, will proceed now to what remains. What then was left to show? That neither principalities, nor authorities, nor dominions, nor any other created power exists that has precise comprehension of God. For there are, there are also other powers whose names we do not even know. Consider the madness of the heretics; we do not even know the names of the servants, and they meddle with the very substance of the Master. For there are angels and archangels and thrones and dominions and principalities and authorities; but these are not the only classes in the heavens, but infinite nations and unutterable tribes which no word can represent. And from where is it clear that there are more powers than these, whose names we do not even know? Paul, who said these things, also says this, speaking thus about Christ: "He seated him above every principality and authority and power and every name that is named, not only in this age,

but also in the one to come." Do you see that there are certain names there that are destined to become known, which are unknown now? For this reason he said, "Not only named in this age, but also in the one to come." And what is surprising if they do not have precise comprehension of the substance? For this is no great thing to prove. For these powers above, the principalities and authorities and dominions, do not know many of His dispensations. And this again we will prove from the apostolic words themselves, that certain of His dispensations they learned with us, and before us did not know; and not only did they learn with us, but also through us. "For in other generations," he says, "it was not made known as it has now been revealed to His holy apostles and prophets, that the Gentiles should be fellow heirs, and of the same body, and partakers of His promise—but the promises were given to the Jews—through the gospel of which I, Paul, became a minister." And how is this clear, that the powers above learned it now? For what has been said was said about men. Hear, then. "To me," he says, "the least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ." What is "unsearchable"? That which cannot be investigated; and not only unable to be found, but not even able to be tracked. Let them hear again how he gives them arrows, thick and fast. For if the riches are unsearchable, how is the one who bestowed the riches not unsearchable? "...and to make all see what is the dispensation of the mystery which has been hidden in God, so that now to the principalities and authorities through the Church the manifold wisdom of God might be made known." Did you hear how *now*, not before this, those powers knew these things? For what

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φαίνεται, τὸ δὲ ἀπρόσιτον οὐδὲ ἐρεύνης ἀνέχεται, οὐδὲ προσόδου τὴν ἀρχήν, ὅτε καὶ τῆς τοῦ πελάγους εἰκόνος ἐδεήθημεν. Εἴπομεν ὅτι οὐκ εἶπε φῶς ὢν ἀπρόσιτον, ἀλλὰ «φῶς οἰκῶν ἀπρόσιτον»· εἰ δὲ ὁ οἶκος ἀπρόσιτος, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ὁ ἐνοικῶν Θεός. Ταῦτα δὲ ἔλεγεν ὁ Παῦλος, οὐχ ἵνα τόπῳ περιγράψῃ τὸν Θεόν, ἀλλ' ἵνα ἐκ πολλοῦ τοῦ περιόντος τὸ ἀπερινόητον αὐτοῦ καὶ τὸ ἀπρόσιτον παραστήσῃ. Παρηγάγομεν καὶ ἑτέρας δυνάμεις, τὰ Χερουβίμ, καὶ ἐδείξαμεν πῶς ἐπάνω αὐτῶν στερέωμα, πῶς λίθος κρυστάλλου, πῶς ὁμοίωμα θρόνου καὶ εἶδος ἀνθρώπου καὶ ἤλεκτρον καὶ πῦρ καὶ τόξον καὶ μετὰ πάντα ἐκεῖνά φησιν ὁ προφήτης· «Αὕτη ἡ ὅρασις ὁμοιώματος δόξης Κυρίου» καὶ διὰ πάντων τούτων ἐδείκνυμεν ὑμῖν τοῦ Θεοῦ τὴν συγκατάβασιν καὶ αὐτὴν ταύτην ἀφόρητον οὖσαν ταῖς ἄνω δυνάμεσιν. Οὐχ ἁπλῶς δὲ ταῦτα ἀνακεφαλαιοῦμαι· ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ χρέος ὑμῖν ὀφείλω τῆς ὑποσχέσεως ἐκείνης, βούλομαι καταμαθεῖν μετὰ ἀκριβείας τί μὲν κατέβαλον, τί δὲ ὑπολέλειπται. Οὕτω καὶ οἱ τὰ δανείσματα ὀφείλοντες ποιοῦσι, τὸ γραμματεῖον ἐς μέσον ἀγαγόντες, ἔνθα ὁ λόγος πᾶς ἐγγέγραπται, καὶ τοῖς δανεισταῖς τοῖς ἑαυτῶν ἐπιδείξαντες, τὰ λειπόμενα καταβάλλουσι. Κἀγὼ τοίνυν καθάπερ βιβλίον ἀναπτύξας τὴν μνήμην τῆς διανοίας τῆς ὑμετέρας, ὥσπερ δακτύλῳ τινὶ τῷ λόγῳ τὰ καταβληθέντα ἐπιδείξας, ἐπὶ τὰ λειπόμενα βαδιοῦμαι λοιπόν. Τί οὖν ἦν τὸ ὑπολελειμμένον δεῖξαι; Ὅτι οὔτε ἀρχαί, οὔτε ἐξουσίαι, οὔτε κυριότητες, οὔτε εἴ τις ἑτέρα κτιστὴ δύναμίς ἐστιν ἣ ἔχει τοῦ Θεοῦ τὴν ἀκριβῆ κατάληψιν. Εἰσὶ γάρ, εἰσὶ καὶ ἕτεραι δυνάμεις ὧν οὐδὲ τὰ ὀνόματα ἴσμεν. Ἐννοήσατε τὴν ἀπόνοιαν τῶν αἱρετικῶν· τῶν δούλων οὐδὲ τὰ ὀνόματα ἴσμεν καὶ τοῦ ∆εσπότου αὐτὴν τὴν οὐσίαν περιεργάζονται. Εἰσὶ μὲν γὰρ ἄγγελοι καὶ ἀρχάγγελοι καὶ θρόνοι καὶ κυριότητες καὶ ἀρχαὶ καὶ ἐξουσίαι· ἀλλ' οὐχ οὗτοι μόνοι οἱ δῆμοι ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς εἰσιν, ἀλλ' ἄπειρα ἔθνη καὶ φῦλα ἀμύθητα ἅπερ λόγος οὐδεὶς παραστῆσαι δύναται. Καὶ πόθεν δῆλον ὅτι καὶ τούτων πλείους εἰσὶ δυνάμεις ὧν οὐδὲ τὰ ὀνόματα ἴσμεν; Ὁ ταῦτα εἰρηκὼς Παῦλος καὶ τοῦτό φησιν οὑτωσὶ λέγων περὶ τοῦ Χριστοῦ· «Ἐκάθισεν αὐτὸν ὑπεράνω πάσης ἀρχῆς καὶ ἐξουσίας καὶ δυνάμεως καὶ παντὸς ὀνόματος ὀνομαζομένου, οὐ μόνον ἐν τῷ αἰῶνι

τούτῳ, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν τῷ μέλλοντι.» Ὁρᾶτε ὅτι τινά ἐστιν ὀνόματα ἐκεῖ Ϡέλλοντα γνώριμα γίνεσθαι, ἅπερ ἄδηλά ἐστι νῦν; ∆ιὰ τοῦτο εἶπεν· «Οὐ μόνον ἐν τῷ αἰῶνι τούτῳ ὀνομαζόμενα, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν τῷ μέλλοντι.» Καὶ τί θαυμαστὸν εἰ τῆς οὐσίας τὴν ἀκριβῆ κατάληψιν οὐκ ἔχουσι; τοῦτο γὰρ οὐδὲν μέγα ἀποδεῖξαι. Τῶν γὰρ οἰκονομιῶν αὐτοῦ πολλὰς οὐκ ἴσασιν αἱ ἄνω δυνάμεις αὗται, αἱ ἀρχαὶ καὶ ἐξουσίαι καὶ κυριότητες. Καὶ τοῦτο πάλιν ἀπ' αὐτῶν τῶν ἀποστολικῶν ἀποδείξομεν ῥημάτων ὅτι οἰκονομίας αὐτοῦ τινας μεθ' ἡμῶν ἔμαθον καὶ πρὸ ἡμῶν οὐκ ᾔδεσαν· οὐ μόνον δὲ μεθ' ἡμῶν ἔμαθον, ἀλλὰ καὶ δι' ἡμῶν. «Ἑτέραις γὰρ γενεαῖς οὐκ ἐγνωρίσθη, φησίν, ὡς νῦν ἀπεκαλύφθη τοῖς ἁγίοις ἀποστόλοις αὐτοῦ καὶ προφήταις, εἶναι τὰ ἔθνη συγκληρονόμα καὶ σύσσωμα καὶ συμμέτοχα τῆς ἐπαγγελίας αὐτοῦ-αἱ δὲ ἐπαγγελίαι τοῖς Ἰουδαίοις ἦσαν δεδομέναι-διὰ τοῦ εὐαγγελίου οὗ ἐγενόμην ἐγὼ Παῦλος διάκονος.» Καὶ πόθεν τοῦτο δῆλον ὅτι νῦν ἔμαθον αἱ ἄνω δυνάμεις; τὰ γὰρ εἰρημένα περὶ ἀνθρώπων εἴρηται. Ἄκουσον οὖν. «Ἐμοὶ τῷ ἐλαχιστοτέρῳ πάντων ἁγίων, φησί, ἐδόθη ἡ χάρις αὕτη εὐαγγελίσασθαι τοῖς ἔθνεσι τὸν ἀνεξιχνίαστον πλοῦτον τοῦ Χριστοῦ.» Τί ἔστιν «ἀνεξιχνίαστον»; Μὴ δυνάμενον ζητηθῆναι· οὐ μόνον δὲ μὴ δυνάμενον εὑρεθῆναι, ἀλλ' οὐδὲ ἀνιχνευθῆναι. Ἀκουέτωσαν πάλιν πῶς πυκνὰ καὶ ἐπάλληλα δίδωσιν αὐτοῖς τὰ βέλη. Εἰ γὰρ ὁ πλοῦτος ἀνεξιχνίαστος, πῶς ὁ δωρησάμενος τὸν πλοῦτον οὐκ ἀνεξιχνίαστος; «... καὶ φωτίσαι πάντας τίς ἡ οἰκονομία τοῦ μυστηρίου τοῦ ἀποκεκρυμμένου ἐν τῷ Θεῷ, ἵνα γνωρισθῇ νῦν ταῖς ἀρχαῖς καὶ ταῖς ἐξουσίαις διὰ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας ἡ πολυποίκιλος σοφία τοῦ Θεοῦ.» Ἤκουσας πῶς νῦν, οὐχὶ πρὸ τούτου, ἔγνωσαν ταῦτα αἱ δυνάμεις ἐκεῖναι; Ἃ γὰρ