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That which is not also: How can that which is not partake of the good? For if it does not subsist, it has neither desire nor participation in any of the things that are. It must be said, therefore, that this divine man understands 'that which is not' in different ways: for sometimes he calls the Divine itself so, as being none of the things that are, sometimes matter, and at other times he also calls evil so, according to different conceptions. It is possible, then, to say that matter partakes of the good, insofar as it was changed into form and was freed from its former formlessness; or that evil partakes of the good, insofar as by a good choice even that which seems to be evil wishes to be, and because evil always wishes to be; and everything that desires to be, desires the good. But two leaves above, he says that God is also beyond the things that are; therefore one might well say that God is beyond the things that are, and that 'that which is not' partakes of the good, as being also beyond the 14S_122 things that are, and being none of the things that are. Note as necessary how he says 'that which is not' is found to be beautiful and good, when it is spoken of God; for God is called both 'being' and 'not being,' as being none of the things that are, but transcendently removed from all things in an unknown way; for there is nothing that knows in what way God is nothing.

The substantial existences: Well said, 'substantial'. Existences in themselves are superior to substances, but now, since he speaks about created things, he reasonably added 'substantial' to 'existences'. They are called 'unions,' not because they were compiled together forming some one thing, but because God was their source and origin, and from Him all beings were brought forth, illumined and subsisting by procession, so as to appear in distinctions of hypostases. 'Samenesses' are the uplifting and unitive powers of the intelligibles toward God, as are also 'similarities,' since they are both from Him and near Him. 'Othernesses,' insofar as otherness is a descending and divisible power, was multiplied in the subordinate and last processions of the divine will into visible things. 'Dissimilarities' again, because that which is made would be other than its creator in every way, and not alike. 'Communions' of opposites are the mixtures of the elements; for all bodies are from the four elements. 'Interconnections' of things of the same order are the arrangements of the worlds, both visible and intelligible, by procession, multiplied from the one substance of matter into the bodies of the firmaments, and like a chain, holding on to one another; from these come thoughts and the rest. 'Unminglings' of the united are, as in the case of the community of the human race, and the particularity of each person; for by the common principle of substance we are all united, but by the particularity of each, we have the unmingled. 14S_124 All the rests: He speaks of three rests and motions, which he also enumerates, of minds and of souls, and of bodies; one must, therefore, understand them appropriately. The minds, then, both rest and are moved, as Isaiah says and Ezekiel concerning the seraphim and cherubim; since they are the ones ascending and descending, as Moses says; for to be turned unceasingly toward God and to be established in the uplifting toward Him, even if they should be sent forth and descend to subordinate things, for the sake of the providence of those who are to be helped, this is to stand firmly in nearness to God, and to be moved to the ministries concerning those who are benefited; and they are moved in thinking transcendent things, and they stand still in being thought by their inferiors, as intelligible things, remaining in their own identity; for they are guardians of themselves and abidings, and they are appropriated to themselves, and turned back upon themselves, and not scattered toward things foreign to godliness. And indeed all inferior things are turned toward the transcendent things. And the motions of minds and souls are wheel-like and circular, as Ezekiel also says, since they proceed from themselves, and return to themselves, not departing from themselves. And these things are said of the incorporeal; but rest and motion in the case of bodies will be understood, while the

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Ὅτι καί τό μή ὄν: Πῶς δύναται τό μή ὄν μετέχειν τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ; Εἰ γάρ μή ὕπεστιν αὐτό, οὔτε ἔφεσιν ἔχει, οὔτε μετοχήν πρός τι τῶν ὄντων. Λεκτέον οὖν ὅτι τό μή ὄν διαφόρως νοεῖ ὁ θεῖος οὗτος ἀνήρ· ποτέ μέν γάρ αὐτό τό Θεῖον οὕτω καλεῖ, ὡς μηδέν ὄν τῶν ὄντων, ποτέ δέ τήν ὕλην, ἔτι δέ ὅτε καί τό κακόν οὕτω καλεῖ κατά διαφόρως ἐννοίας. Ἔστιν οὖν εἰπεῖν ὅτι ἡ ὕλη μετέχει τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ, καθό μετεβλήθη εἰς εἶδος καί ἀπηλλάγη τῆς πρῴην ἀμορφίας· ἤ ὅτι τό κακόν μετέχει τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ, καθό προαιρέσει καλῇ καί αὐτό τό δοκοῦν θέλει κακόν εἶναι, καί ὅτι ἀεί βούλεται εἶναι τό κακόν· πᾶν δέ τοῦ εἶναι ἐφιέμενον, τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ ἐφίεται. Ἄνω δέ πρό δύο φύλλων, τόν Θεόν φησι καί ὑπέρ τά ὄντα εἶναι· οὐκοῦν καλῶς ἄν εἴποι τις τόν Θεόν ὑπέρ τά ὄντα εἶναι, καί τό μή ὄν μετέχειν τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ, ὡς καί ὑπέρ τά 14S_122 ὄντα ὄντος, καί μηδέν ὄντος τῶν ὄντων. Σημείωσαι ἀναγκαῖον, πῶς φησι, τό μή ὄν εὑρίσκεται καλόν καί ἀγαθόν, ὅτε περί Θεοῦ λέγεται· ὁ γάρ Θεός καί ὄν λέγεται, καί μή ὄν, ὡς οὐδέν ὤν τῶν ὄντων, ἀλλ' ὑπερηρμένος ἀγνώστως τῶν ἁπάντων· οὐ γάρ ἐστί τι τό γινῶσκον κατά τί οὐδέν ἐστιν ὁ Θεός.

Αἱ οὐσιώδεις ὑπάρξεις: Καλῶς τό οὐσιώδεις. Ὑπάρξεις καθ' ἑαυτάς ἀνώτεραι τῶν οὐσιῶν εἰσι, νῦν δέ, ἐπειδή περί τῶν κτιστῶν φησιν, εἰκότως τῷ 'ὑπάρξεις' προσέθηκε τό 'οὐσιώδεις'. Ἑνώσεις δέ λέγονται, οὐχ ὅτι συνέκειντο σωρηδόν ἕν τι ἀποτελοῦντα, ἀλλ' ὅτι πηγή αὐτῶν καί ἀρχή ἦν ὁ Θεός, καί ἐξ αὐτοῦ παρήχθησαν ἐλλάμψαντα καί ὑποστάντα καθ' ὑπόβασιν ἅπαντα τά ὄντα ὡς καί εἰς διακρίσεις ὑποστάσεων φηνῆναι. Ταὐτότητες δέ εἰσιν αἱ ἀναγωγοί καί ἑνωτικαί πρός Θεόν δυνάμεις τῶν νοητῶν, ὡς καί ὁμοιότητες, ἐπειδή καί ἐξ αὐτοῦ εἰσι καί προσεχεῖς αὐτῷ. Ἑτερότητες δέ καθό καταγωγός οὖσα ἡ ἑτερότης καί μεριστή, ἐν ταῖς ὑποβεβηκυίαις καί ἐσχάταις προόδοις τοῦ θείου θελήματος εἰς ὁρατά ἐπληθύνθη. Ἀνομοιότητες δέ πάλιν, ἐπειδή τό γινόμενον ἕτερον ἄν εἰη τοῦ δημιουργήσαντος κατά πάντα, καί οὐκ ἐμφερές. Κοινωνίαι δέ τῶν ἐναντίων αἱ τῶν στοιχείων εἰσί κράσεις· ἐκ γάρ τῶν τεσσάρων στοιχείων εἰσί τά σώματα πάντα. Ἀλληλουχίαι δέ τῶν ὁμοστοίχων εἰσίν αἱ τῶν κόσμων, τοῦ τε ὁρατοῦ καί τοῦ νοητοῦ, καθ' ὑπόβασιν κατατάξεις, ἐκ μιᾶς οὐσίας τῆς ὕλης εἰς σώματα πληθυνθεῖσαι στερεωμάτων, καί οἱονεί σειρά, ἀλλήλων ἐχόμεναι· ἐκ τούτων νοήσεις καί τά ἑξῆς. Ἀσυμμιξίαι δέ τῶν ἡνωμένων εἰσίν, ὡς ἐπί τῆς τοῦ ἀνθρωπείου γένους κοινότητος, καί τῆς καθ' ἕκαστον ἄνθρωπον ἰδιότητος· τῷ μέν γάρ κοινῷ τῆς οὐσίας λόγῳ πάντες ἡνώμεθᾳ, τῇ δέ καθ' ἕκαστον ἰδιότητι, τό ἀσύμμικτον ἔχομεν. 14S_124 Αἱ στάσεις πᾶσαι: Στάσεις καί κινήσεις λέγει τρεῖς, ἄς καί καταλέγει, νοῶν καί ψυχῶν, καί σωμάτων· δεῖ τοίνυν· προσφόρως νοεῖν. Οἱ μέν οὖν νόες ἵστανται καί κινοῦνται, ὡς Ἠσαΐας φησί καί Ἰεζεκιήλ περί τῶν σεραφίμ καί χερουβίμ· ἐπειδή αὐτοί εἰσιν οἱ ἀναβαίνοντες καί καταβαίνοντες, ὥς φησι Μωϋσῆς· τό μέν γάρ ἐπεστράφθαι ἀλήκτως ἐπί τόν Θεόν καί ἱδρῦσθαι ἐν τῇ πρός αὐτόν ἀνατάσει, κἄν ἀποστέλλοιντο καί καταβαίνοιεν ἐπί τά ὑποβεβηκότα, προνοίας χάριν τῶν ὠφεληθησομένων, τοῦτό ἐστι τό ἑστάναι βεβαίως ἐν τῇ πρός Θεόν ἐγγίσει, καί κινεῖσθαι εἰς τάς περί τούς εὐεργετουμένους διακονίας· κινοῦνται δέ ἐν τῷ νοεῖν τά ὑπερβεβηκότα, καί ἑστᾶσιν ἐν τῷ νοεῖσθαι παρά τῶν καταδεεστέρων, ὡς νοητά, μένοντα ἐν τῇ οἰκείᾳ ταυτότητι· φρουραί γάρ εἰσι ἑαυτῶν καί μοναί, καί εἰς ἑαυτά οἰκειοῦνται, καί ἐφ' ἑαυτά συνεστραμμένα, καί ἀσκέδαστα ἐπί τά ἀλλότρια τῆς θεοσεβείας. Καί γοῦν πάντα τά καταδεέστερα ἐπέστραπται ἐπί τά ὑπερβεβηκότα. Αἱ δέ κινήσεις τῶν νοῶν καί ψυχῶν τροχοειδεῖς εἰσι καί κυκλικαί, ὡς καί Ἰεζεκιήλ φησιν, ἐπείπερ ἐξ ἑαυτῶν προΐασι, καί εἰς ἑαυτά ἐπαναστρέφουσιν ἀνεξόδευτα ἑαυτῶν. Καί ταῦτα μέν ἐπί τῶν ἀσωμάτων· στάσις δέ καί κίνησις ἐπί τῶν σωμάτων νοηθήσεται, μενούσης μέν τῆς