33

For thus this is often fulfilled; we see the sea in part from a mountain or a plain and we speak the truth in saying we have seen it. And if someone says that he has not seen it, he does not lie, but speaks the truth. For he does not know where its depth is, where its length is, he does not know its bulk, he does not know 53.6 its vastness. And from some hole we behold heaven, but we do not know its full extent. And if someone says, “I saw,” he saw; and if another says, “I did not see,” he did not see. For we truly saw as much as we could comprehend, but we did not see 53.7 it as it is. So also the prophets, as through a hole, through the narrow passage of their own body, were deemed worthy to see and in truth 53.8 they saw, but not as the infinity of the vision is. And thus the divine scriptures are fulfilled, harmonizing with one another, both that the prophets say they have seen—for they saw in truth—and that the Savior says “no one has ever seen God”; for they did not see him as he is. But he himself also saw the nature invisibly, and he has given to the one unable to see the power of grace to see the power of the vision. 54.1 But do not, playing the dramatist again, say: the prophets saw not with their eyes, but with their mind, almost understanding and not seeing. For because of this Isaiah says precisely, “Woe is me, for I am pierced, for being a man and having unclean lips, I dwell among a people with unclean lips, and I have seen the Lord Sabaoth”; and he did not say, “I saw with my mind,” but “with my eyes.” They saw, therefore, and they did not see, but as one was able, and in truth they saw, but they did not see as is the infinite 54.2 incomprehensibility. Thus also concerning paradise many allegorize, as the divinely-driven Origen wished to contribute fantasy rather than truth to life. And he says: paradise is not upon the 54.3 earth; supposedly from the saying spoken by the holy apostle that “I know a man, fourteen years ago, whether in the body I do not know, or out of the body I do not know, God knows, such a one was caught up to the third heaven.” But do not misread and say that it signifies the third part of the air; for in saying “up to the third 54.4 heaven” he does not speak of a third part, but of three in number. And he says, “I know such a man was caught up into paradise 54.5 and heard words which it is not lawful for a man to speak.” Glory to God the Almighty, who in every way makes things clear and speaks precisely, so that the true * may not be tripped up. For he did not join heaven and paradise in one brief phrase, but says, “I know a man was caught up to the third heaven” and again “was caught up into paradise.” But the phrase with the article distinguishes another person 54.6 and signifies a transfer to another place. As if someone had a mountain and a plain, with the plain encircling the mountain, and he wished to arrive on the other side of the mountain in the same plain, and when he wishes to make the journey through the plain to the place where he might wish to go beyond the mountain, this will be possible for him; but if he wishes first to ascend the mountain and from the mountain again to arrive at the place in the plain that is beyond the mountain, 54.7 this is also possible for him. Thus understand for me what was said by the apostle: first that he ascended into heaven, and then that he descended into paradise, according to what is said, “My beloved went down into his garden.” * and the Savior says, “Today you will be with me in paradise.” 55.1 But if paradise is not on earth and the things written in Genesis are not true, but are allegorized, nothing of the sequence 55.2 is true, but all things are allegorized. “In the beginning,” for it says, “God made the heaven and the earth”; and not

33

γὰρ οὕτω πολλάκις τοῦτο πληροῦται· ὁρῶμεν τὴν θάλασσαν ἐκ μέρους τινὸς ἐξ ὄρους ἢ πεδιάδος καὶ ἀληθεύομεν ἐν τῷ λέγειν ἑωρακέναι. κἂν δέ τις εἴπῃ ὅτι οὐχ ἑώρακεν, οὐ ψεύδεται, ἀλλ' ἀληθεύει. οὐκ οἶδε γὰρ ποῦ τὸ βάθος ποῦ τὸ μῆκος, οὐκ οἶδε τὸν ὄγκον οὐκ οἶδε 53.6 τὸ κύτος. καὶ ἀπὸ ὀπῆς τινος θεωροῦμεν οὐρανόν, τὴν δὲ ἐπέκτασιν οὐκ ἐπιστάμεθα. κἂν εἴπῃ τις εἶδον, εἶδεν· κἂν ἄλλος εἴπῃ οὐκ εἶδον, οὐκ εἶδεν. εἴδομεν γὰρ ἀληθῶς ὡς χωροῦμεν, οὐκ εἴδομεν 53.7 δὲ καθό ἐστιν. οὕτω καὶ οἱ προφῆται ὡς δι' ὀπῆς διὰ τοῦ στενωποῦ τοῦ ἰδίου σώματος κατηξιώθησαν ἰδεῖν καὶ ἐν ἀληθείᾳ 53.8 εἶδον, ἀλλ' οὐχ ὡς ἔχει τὸ ἄπειρον τῆς θεωρίας. καὶ οὕτω πεπλήρωνται συνᾴδουσαι πρὸς ἀλλήλας αἱ θεῖαι γραφαί, τό τε τοὺς προφήτας λέγειν ἑωρακέναι εἶδον γὰρ ἐν ἀληθείᾳ καὶ τὸ τὸν σωτῆρα λέγειν «θεὸν οὐδεὶς πώποτε τεθέαται»· οὐκ εἶδον δὲ καθό ἐστιν. ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτὸς εἶδεν ἀοράτως τὴν φύσιν, δέδωκε δὲ τῷ μὴ δυναμένῳ ὁρᾶν δύναμιν χαρίσματος εἰς τὸ ἰδεῖν τὴν δύναμιν τῆς θεωρίας. 54.1 Ἀλλὰ μὴ πάλιν δραματουργῶν λέγῃς· εἶδον μὲν οἱ προφῆται οὐκ ὀφθαλμοῖς, ἀλλὰ διανοίᾳ, συνιέντες μονονουχὶ καὶ μὴ ὁρῶντες. διὰ τοῦτο γὰρ ἀκριβῶς λέγει Ἠσαΐας «τάλας ἐγώ, ὅτι κατανένυγμαι, ὅτι ἄνθρωπος ὢν καὶ ἀκάθαρτα χείλη ἔχων ἐν λαῷ ἀκάθαρτα χείλη ἔχοντι ἐγὼ οἰκῶ καὶ κύριον σαβαὼθ εἶδον»· καὶ οὐκ εἶπεν, εἶδον τῇ διανοίᾳ, ἀλλὰ «τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς μου». εἶδον οὖν καὶ οὐκ εἶδον, ἀλλ' ὡς ἠδύνατο, ἐν ἀληθείᾳ δὲ εἶδον, οὐκ εἶδον δὲ ὡς ἔχει τὸ ἄπειρον 54.2 τῆς ἀκαταληψίας. οὕτως καὶ περὶ παραδείσου πολλοὶ ἀλληγοροῦσιν, ὡς ὁ θεήλατος Ὠριγένης ἠθέλησε φαντασίαν μᾶλλον ἤπερ ἀλήθειαν τῷ βίῳ συνεισενέγκασθαι. καί φησιν· οὐκ ἔστι παράδεισος ἐπὶ τῆς 54.3 γῆς· δῆθεν ἀπὸ τοῦ ῥητοῦ τοῦ παρὰ τοῦ ἁγίου ἀποστόλου εἰρημένου ὅτι «οἶδα ἄνθρωπον πρὸ ἐτῶν δεκατεσσάρων, εἴτε ἐν σώματι οὐκ οἶδα, εἴτε ἐκτὸς τοῦ σώματος οὐκ οἶδα, ὁ θεὸς οἶδεν, ἁρπαγέντα τὸν τοιοῦτον ἕως τρίτου οὐρανοῦ». ἀλλὰ μὴ παραναγίνωσκε καὶ λέγε ὅτι τὸ τρίτον τοῦ ἀέρος σημαίνει· οὐ γὰρ εἰπὼν «ἕως τρίτου 54.4 οὐρανοῦ» περὶ μέρους τρίτου λέγει, ἀλλὰ περὶ τριῶν ἀριθμῶν. καί φησιν «οἶδα τὸν τοιοῦτον ἄνθρωπον ἁρπαγέντα εἰς τὸν παράδεισον 54.5 καὶ ἀκούσαντα ῥήματα ἃ οὐκ ἐξὸν ἀνθρώπῳ εἰπεῖν». δόξα τῷ παντοκράτορι θεῷ, τῷ κατὰ πάντα τρόπον διατρανοῦντι καὶ λεπτολογοῦντι, ἵνα οἱ ἀληθινοὶ * μὴ σφάλλωνται. οὐ γὰρ ἐν μιᾷ συντομίᾳ τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ τὸν παράδεισον συνῆψεν, ἀλλὰ «οἶδα ἄνθρωπον» φησίν «ἁρπαγέντα ἕως τρίτου οὐρανοῦ» καὶ πάλιν «ἁρπαγέντα εἰς τὸν παράδεισον». τὸ δὲ μετὰ τοῦ ἄρθρου ἑτέρου προσώπου ἐστὶ δια54.6 ληπτικὸν καὶ ἑτέρου τόπου μεταστατικόν. ὡς εἴ τις ἔχοι ὄρος καὶ πεδιάδα, τὴν δὲ πεδιάδα ἐγκυκλεύουσαν τὸ ὄρος, βουληθείη δὲ εἰς τὸ πέραν τοῦ ὄρους ἐν τῇ αὐτῇ πεδιάδι παραγενέσθαι, καὶ ὅτε μὲν θελήσει διὰ τῆς πεδιάδος τὴν ὁδοιπορίαν ποιήσασθαι εἰς τὸν τόπον, ὅπου δἂν ἐθέλοι ἐπέκεινα τοῦ ὄρους ἀπελθεῖν, δυνατὸν ἔσται αὐτῷ τοῦτο· εἰ δὲ θελήσει πρῶτον μὲν ἐμβῆναι εἰς τὸ ὄρος καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ ὄρους πάλιν εἰς τὸν τόπον τῆς πεδιάδος τῆς ἐπέκεινα τοῦ ὄρους 54.7 γενέσθαι, καὶ οὕτως αὐτῷ δυνατόν. οὕτω μοι νόει καὶ τὸ παρὰ τοῦ ἀποστόλου εἰρημένον· πρῶτον μὲν εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν ἀναβεβηκέναι, ἔπειτα δὲ εἰς τὸν παράδεισον καταβεβηκέναι, κατὰ τὸ εἰρημένον «κατέβη ὁ ἀδελφιδοῦς μου εἰς κῆπον αὐτοῦ». * καὶ ὁ σωτήρ φησι «σήμερον μετ' ἐμοῦ ἔσῃ ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ». 55.1 Εἰ δὲ οὐκ ἔστιν ἐπὶ γῆς ὁ παράδεισος καὶ οὐκ ἀληθινὰ τὰ ἐν Γενέσει γεγραμμένα, ἀλλὰ ἀλληγορεῖται, οὐδὲν ἀληθεύει τῆς ἀκο55.2 λουθίας, ἀλλὰ πάντα ἀλληγοροῦνται. «ἐν ἀρχῇ, γάρ φησι, ἐποίησεν ὁ θεὸς τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ τὴν γῆν»· καὶ οὐκ