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Do you ask my name? For it is enough to be helped by my praises. Of Saint Amphilochius, bishop of Iconium. - He is called God, because He has placed all things in His own authority and security, and because He runs, which is to race, and to move, and to govern, and to give life to all things. 96.533 From the martyrology of Saint Babylas. - Numerian said: What is God? Tell me this very name, what does it mean? Babylas said: Do not seek the name of God; for you will not find it. For everything that is named is named by a greater, so that one may call, and the other obey. Who then named God? God is not a name, but an opinion about God. ELEMENT P. TITLE 25. -Concerning faith and piety towards God. Of the holy hieromartyr Ignatius the God-bearer, from his epistle to the Ephesians. -Nothing is hidden from you, if you have faith in Christ Jesus, and love, which is the beginning of life and the end. The beginning is faith; the end is love. And the two becoming in unity, is God; and all other things are consequent to virtue. No one professing to have faith, sins. No one possessing love hates. The tree is known by its fruit. Thus those who profess to be of Christ will be seen by what they do. For the work is not now of profession, but in the power of faith, if one is found unto the end. Of the same. -Our faith is our guide; and love, the way that leads up to God. From the epistle of the same to the Magnesians. -Let us learn to live according to Christianity. For whoever is called by another name besides this, is not of God. Of Irenaeus, from the fourth book of the refutation and overthrow of falsely-named knowledge. -Just as those who see the light are within the light, etc. Of Saint Titus, bishop of Bostra. -It must be said, then, that man was brought into life by the one who created him, trafficking in nothing else than only piety and virtue. For having acquired these, he would swim through this life well. But having neglected these, wandering, he would with difficulty be submerged. Of the same, from the fourth discourse. -Faith according to God is knowledge of God, through both the visible creation and natural conceptions with goodwill and love towards him, according to a knowledge of virtue and vice, pleasing God. Of Antipater the bishop. -Faith, by which alone it is given to know God. Of Methodius, from his work against Porphyry. -For our evil is indeed, etc. Of Theotimus. -One must know nothing besides God. Of Severian, bishop of Gabala, from his work against the heretics. -Not he who believes everyone is called faithful, but he who believes God, alone both is and is called faithful. Leave off questionings, and embrace faith; faith illuminates all things. Faith sanctifies all things; faith makes the one who has it worthy of the Holy Spirit; for Stephen was full of faith. If faith had not run ahead, power would not have followed the saint. Where there is faith, there power follows, there the Holy Spirit 96.536 dwells; where there is unbelief, there is weakness, there the evil spirit. The beginning of good things is faith; the spring of good things is faith in God. Let us take up the weapon of salvation. For those who oppose the truth and faith say that its irrationality is harmful, and if an examined reasoning is not attached, faith brings no profit at all to the believer. See for me the crooked words. See for me the subtleties of the bitter serpents. But one must not be disturbed. For this, brothers, one must know, that there are many ways of not knowing. One is able to know that God exists; but how he is, he does not know; since even among us humans there are many ways of knowledge. I know this man who lives in this city. But I do not also know what work he pursues. I know another who pursues this work. But I do not also know from where he comes by birth; and in part I know, and in part I am ignorant, and not in every way, neither does partial knowledge introduce complete knowledge; nor does not knowing in every respect negate the partial. What then? I know God, that he is good, that he is, that he is immortal, that he is incorruptible, that he is inconceivable, that he is incomprehensible, that he is unchangeable. All these things I know and knowing, I worship. But how he is I do not know,

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ἐρωτᾷς τὸ ὄνομά μου; Ἀπόχρη γὰρ ὠφελεῖσθαι τὰς ἐμὰς εὐφημήσεις. Τοῦ ἁγίου Ἀμφιλοχίου ἐπισκόπου Ἰκονίου. - Θεὸς λέγεται, διὰ τὸ τεθεικέναι πάντα τῇ ἑαυτοῦ ἐξουσίᾳ καὶ ἀσφαλείᾳ, καὶ διὰ τὸ θέειν, ὅπερ ἐστὶ τρέχειν, καὶ κινεῖν, καὶ κυβερνᾷν, καὶ ζωογονεῖν τὰ πάντα. 96.533 Ἐκ τοῦ μαρτυρολογίου τοῦ ἁγίου Βαβυλᾶ. - Νουμεριανὸς εἶπε· Τί ἐστι Θεός; αὐτὴν τὴν προσηγορίαν εἰπέ μοι, τί ἑρμηνεύεται; Βαβυλὰς εἶπε· Θεοῦ ὄνομα μὴ ζήτει· οὐ γὰρ εὑρήσεις. Πᾶν γὰρ τὸ ὀνομαζόμενον ὑπὸ τοῦ κρείττονος ὀνομάζεται, ἵνα τὸ μὲν καλῇ, τὸ δὲ ὑπακούῃ. Τίς οὖν ὁ ὀνομάσας Θεόν; Θεὸς οὐκ ὄνομα, ἀλλὰ δόξα περὶ Θεοῦ. ΣΤΟΙΧΕΙΟΝ Π. ΤΙΤΛ. ΚΕʹ. -Περὶ πίστεως καὶ εὐσεβείας εἰς Θεόν. Τοῦ ἁγίου ἱερομάρτυρος Ἰγνατίου τοῦ Θεοφόρου, ἐκ τῆς πρὸς Ἐφεσίους αὐτοῦ ἐπιστολῆς. -Οὐδὲν λανθάνει ὑμᾶς, ἐὰν εἰς Χριστὸν Ἰησοῦν ἔχητε τὴν πίστιν, καὶ τὴν ἀγάπην, ἥτις ἐστὶν ἀρχὴ ζωῆς καὶ τέλος. Ἀρχὴ μὲν ἡ πίστις· τέλος δὲ ἡ ἀγάπη. Τὰ δὲ δύο ἐν ἑνότητι γινόμενα, Θεός ἐστι· τὰ δὲ ἄλλα πάντα εἰς καλοκαγαθίαν ἀκόλουθά εἰσιν. Οὐδεὶς πίστιν ἐπαγγελλόμενος ἔχειν, ἁμαρτάνει. Οὐδεὶς ἀγάπην κεκτημένος μισεῖ. Φανερὸν τὸ δένδρον ἀπὸ τοῦ καρποῦ αὐτοῦ. Οὕτως οἱ ἐπαγγελλόμενοι Χριστοῦ εἶναι, δι' ὧν πράσσουσιν ὀφθήσονται. Οὐ γὰρ νῦν ἐπαγγελίας τὸ ἔργον, ἀλλὰ δυνάμει πίστεως, ἐάν τις εὑρεθῇ εἰς τέλος. Τοῦ αὐτοῦ. -Ἡ πίστις ἡμῶν ἀναγωγεὺς ἡμῶν· ἡ δὲ ἀγάπη, ὁδὸς ἡ ἄνω φέρουσα πρὸς Θεόν. Ἐκ τῆς πρὸς Μαγνησίους τοῦ αὐτοῦ ἐπιστολῆς. -Μάθωμεν κατὰ Χριστιανισμὸν ζῇν. Ὅστις γὰρ ἄλλῳ ὀνόματι καλεῖται πλεῖον τούτου, οὐκ ἔστι τοῦ Θεοῦ. Τοῦ Εἰρηναίου, ἐκ τοῦ δʹ ἐλέγχου καὶ ἀνατροπῆς τῆς ψευδωνύμου γνώσεως. -Ὥσπερ οἱ βλέποντες τὸ φῶς, ἐντός εἰσι τοῦ φωτός, κ. τ. ἑ. Τοῦ ἁγίου Τίτου ἐπισκόπου Βοστρῶν. -Ῥητέον τοίνυν ὅτι παρήχθη πρὸς τοῦ δημιουργήσαντος ὁ ἄνθρωπος εἰς βίον, ἐμπορευόμενος ἕτερον οὐδὲν, ἢ μόνον εὐσέβειάν τε καὶ ἀρετήν. Ταῦτα γὰρ κτησάμενος, καλῶς ἂν διανήξαιτο τόνδε τὸν βίον. Ἀμελήσας δὲ τούτων, χαλεπῶς ἂν διαβαπτισθείη πλανώμενος. Τοῦ αὐτοῦ, ἐκ τοῦ δʹ λόγου. -Ἔστιν ἡ κατὰ Θεὸν πίστις γνῶσις Θεοῦ, διά τε τῆς ὁρωμένης δημιουργίας, καὶ τῶν φυσικῶν ἐννοιῶν μετ' εὐνοίας καὶ ἀγάπης τῆς πρὸς αὐτὸν κατ' ἐπιστήμην ἀρετῆς καὶ κακίας εὐαρεστοῦσα Θεῷ. Ἀντιπάτρου ἐπισκόπου. -Πίστις, ᾗ μόνῃ δέδοται Θεὸν εἰδέναι. Μεθοδίου, ἐκ τοῦ κατὰ Πορφυρίου. -Ἡμέτερον μὲν ὄντως ἐστὶ κακὸν, κ. τ. ἑ. Θεοτίμου. -Παρὰ τὸν Θεὸν οὐδὲν ἐπίστασθαι δεῖ. Σευηριανοῦ ἐπισκόπου Γαβάλων, ἐκ τοῦ κατὰ τῶν αἱρετικῶν. -Οὐχ ὁ παντὶ πιστεύων πιστὸς λέγεται, ἀλλ' ὁ Θεῷ πιστεύων, μόνος πιστὸς καὶ ἔστι, καὶ λέγεται. Κατάλιπε ζητήσεις, καὶ ἄσπασαι πίστιν· πίστις τὰ πάντα φωτίζει. Πάντα πίστις ἁγιάζει· πίστις Πνεύματος ἁγίου καταξιοῖ τὸν ἔχοντα· Στέφανος γὰρ πλήρης πίστεως. Εἰ μὴ προέδραμεν ἡ πίστις, δύναμις οὐκ ἠκολούθει τῷ ἁγίῳ. Ὅπου πίστις, ἐκεῖ ἀκολουθεῖ δύναμις, ἐκεῖ τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον 96.536 κατοικεῖ· ὅπου ἀπιστία, ἐκεῖ ἀσθένεια, ἐκεῖ τὸ πονηρὸν πνεῦμα. Ἀρχὴ τῶν ἀγαθῶν, πίστις· πηγὴ τῶν ἀγαθῶν, ἡ ἐπὶ Θεὸν πίστις. Λάβωμεν τὸ ὅπλον τῆς σωτηρίας. Λέγουσι γὰρ οἱ τῇ ἀληθείᾳ καὶ πίστει ἀντιπίπτοντες, ὅτι τὸ ἀλόγιστον αὐτῆς βλαβερὸν, κἂν μὴ ἐξητασμένος ᾖ λογισμὸς συνημμένος, ἡ πίστις οὐδαμῶς κέρδος φέρει τῷ πιστεύοντι. Ὅρα μοι τὰ σκολιὰ ῥήματα. Ὅρα μοι τῶν πικρῶν ὄφεων τὰς ποικιλίας. Ἀλλ' οὐ δεῖ ταράττεσθαι. Ἐκεῖνο γὰρ, ἀδελφοὶ, εἰδέναι χρὴ, ὅτι οὐκ εἰδέναι πολλοὶ τρόποι. ∆ύναταί τις εἰδέναι, ὅτι ἔστι Θεός· τὸ πῶς δέ ἐστιν, οὐκ οἶδεν· ἐπεὶ καὶ ἐφ' ἡμῶν τῶν ἀνθρώπων πολλαὶ τῆς γνώσεως ὁδοί. Οἶδα τόνδε τὸν ἄνθρωπον ἐν τῇδε τῇ πόλει διάγοντα. Οὐ μὲν οἶδα καὶ ποίαν ἐργασίαν μετέρχεται. Οἶδα ἕτερον τήνδε μετιόντα τὴν ἐργασίαν. Οὐ μὲν οἶδα καὶ πόθεν φέρει τὸ γένος· καὶ μέρει μὲν γινώσκω, μέρει δὲ ἀγνοῶ, καὶ οὐ πάντως, οὔτε μερικὴ γνῶσις ὁλόκληρον εἰσάγει γνῶσιν· οὔτε τὸ μὴ κατὰ πάντα γινώσκειν, τὴν μερικὴν ἀναιρεῖ. Τί οὖν; Οἶδα τὸν Θεὸν ὅτι ἀγαθός ἐστιν, ὅτι ἔστιν, ὅτι ἀθάνατός ἐστιν, ὅτι ἄφθαρτός ἐστιν, ὅτι ἀπερινόητος, ὅτι ἀκατάληπτος, ὅτι ἀναλλοίωτος. Ταῦτα πάντα οἶδα καὶ εἰδὼς προσκυνῶ. Τὸ δὲ πῶς ἐστιν οὐκ οἶδα,