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to correct them, come let us show that it is not ignorance of what God is in substance, but the contentiousness to know, this is to be ignorant of God. For tell me, if two men were contending with each other to know the size of heaven, and one says that the human eye cannot comprehend it, but the other would contend that it is possible, measuring and traversing the whole of it with the span of his hand, whom would we say knows the size of heaven, the one who contends to know how many spans it has, or the one who confesses his ignorance? Then in the case of heaven, the one who yields to its magnitude, this will be the one who knows its magnitude more, but in the case of God shall we not use even this reverence? And how is this not the utmost madness? For that we are required only to know this much, that God is, not to meddle with His substance, hear what Paul says: "For he that cometh to God must believe that He is." And again the prophet, accusing someone of impiety, does not accuse him of this, that he does not know what God is, but that he does not know that God is. "For he says, the fool has said in his heart, there is no God." Just as, therefore, what makes that man impious is not being ignorant of what God is in substance, but being ignorant that God is; so it is sufficient for piety to know that God is. But they have also another argument that they have practiced. What is this one then? "It is said," he says, "God is a spirit." Is this, then, descriptive of His substance, tell me? And who will endure these things, having come even in any way to the doors of the divine Scriptures? For according to this argument God will also be fire; for just as it is written that "God is a Spirit," so it is written that "Our God is a consuming fire," and again: "A fountain of living water." And He will not be only spirit and fountain and fire, but also soul and wind and human mind and other things much more absurd than these; for one must not indeed go through everything in the argument, nor imitate their madness. For this "spirit" signifies many things, such as our soul, just as Paul also says: "Deliver such a one to Satan, that the spirit may be saved," and wind, just as the prophet says: "With a violent wind you will shatter them." And the spiritual gift is also called thus: "For the Spirit itself bears witness with our spirit," he says, and again: "I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also." And anger is also called thus. For Isaiah says: "Were you not the one who purposed in your harsh spirit to destroy them?" And the help from God is also called spirit: "For the breath before our face is Christ the Lord." Therefore, according to them, God will be all these things for us and will be composed of so many things. But so that we may not talk nonsense, bringing forward things that do not even need refutation, come, ending the argument against them here, let us turn the whole matter to prayer, by how much more greatly they are impious, by so much more exhorting and beseeching on their behalf that they might at some time desist from their madness. For this is acceptable in the sight of God our Savior. "...who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth." Let us not, therefore, cease making supplications for them. For prayer is a great weapon, an unfailing treasure, a wealth that is never spent, a harbor free from waves, a foundation of calm, and the root and fountain and mother of countless good things is prayer, and more powerful than royalty itself. Often, therefore, when the very one who wears the diadem is feverish and lying on his bed and burning, physicians, guards, attendants, generals stand by, and neither the art of physicians, nor the presence of friends, nor the service of servants, nor an abundance of medicines, nor the luxury of preparation, nor a surplus of money, nor anything else human is able to assuage the pressing sickness; but if someone who has boldness toward God should enter and only touch his body and make a pure prayer for him, he has driven away all the sickness; and what wealth and the multitude of those serving and the knowledge of experience and the majesty of royalty could not do, this often one poor and destitute man was able to do

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αὐτοὺς διορθῶσαι, φέρε δείξωμεν ὅτι οὐ τὸ ἀγνοεῖν τί τὴν οὐσίαν ἐστὶν ὁ Θεός, ἀλλὰ τὸ φιλονεικεῖν εἰδέναι, τοῦτο ἔστι ἀγνοεῖν τὸν Θεόν. Εἰπὲ γάρ μοι, εἰ δύο ἀνθρώπων φιλονεικούντων πρὸς ἀλλήλους εἰδέναι τοῦ οὐρανοῦ τὸ μέγεθος, ὁ μὲν εἷς λέγει μὴ δύνασθαι αὐτὸ ἀνθρώπινον καταλαμβάνειν ὀφθαλμόν, ὁ δὲ ἕτερος φιλονεικοίη δυνατὸν εἶναι, τῇ σπιθαμῇ τῆς χειρὸς πάντα αὐτὸν μετροῦντα ἐπελθεῖν, τίνα ἂν φήσομεν εἰδέναι μέγεθος οὐρανοῦ, τὸν φιλονεικοῦντα εἰδέναι πόσας ἔχει σπιθαμὰς ἢ τὸν ὁμολογοῦντα ἀγνοεῖν; Εἶτα ἐπὶ μὲν οὐρανοῦ ὁ παραχωρῶν τῷ μεγέθει, οὗτος ἔσται ὁ μᾶλλον εἰδὼς τὸ μέγεθος, ἐπὶ δὲ τοῦ Θεοῦ οὐδὲ ταύτῃ χρησόμεθα τῇ εὐλαβείᾳ; καὶ πῶς οὐκ ἐσχάτης τοῦτο παραπληξίας; Ὅτι γὰρ τοσοῦτον ἀπαιτούμεθα μόνον εἰδέναι ὅτι ἔστι Θεός, οὐχὶ περιεργάζεσθαι αὐτοῦ τὴν οὐσίαν, ἄκουσον τί φησιν ὁ Παῦλος· «Πιστεῦσαι γὰρ δεῖ τὸν προσερχόμενον τῷ Θεῷ ὅτι ἔστι.» Καὶ πάλιν ὁ προφήτης ἐγκαλῶν ἀσέβειαν τινὶ οὐ τοῦτο ἐγκαλεῖ ὅτι οὐκ οἶδε τί ἐστιν ὁ Θεός, ἀλλ' ὅτι οὐκ οἶδεν ὅτι ἔστι Θεός. «Εἶπε γάρ, φησίν, ἄφρων ἐν καρδίᾳ αὐτοῦ, οὐκ ἔστι Θεός.» Ὥσπερ οὖν ἐκεῖνον ἀσεβῆ ποιεῖ οὐ τὸ ἀγνοεῖν τί τὴν οὐσίαν ἐστὶν ὁ Θεός, ἀλλὰ τὸ ἀγνοεῖν ὅτι ἔστι Θεός· οὕτως ἀρκεῖ πρὸς εὐσέβειαν τὸ εἰδέναι ὅτι ἔστιν ὁ Θεός. Ἀλλ' ἔχουσί τινα καὶ ἕτερον μεμελετημένον λόγον. Τίνα δὴ τοῦτον; «Εἴρηται, φησί, πνεῦμα ὁ Θεός.» Τοῦτο οὖν τῆς οὐσίας αὐτοῦ παραστατικόν, εἰπέ μοι; καὶ τίς ταῦτα ἀνέξεται, κἂν ὁπωσοῦν ἐπὶ θύρας τῶν θείων Γραφῶν ἐλθών; Ἔσται γὰρ κατὰ τοῦτον τὸν λόγον καὶ πῦρ ὁ Θεός· ὥσπερ γὰρ γέγραπται ὅτι «Πνεῦμα ὁ Θεός», οὕτω γέγραπται ὅτι «Ὁ Θεὸς ἡμῶν πῦρ καταναλίσκον», καὶ πάλιν· «Πηγὴ ὕδατος ζῶντος.» Οὐ πνεῦμα δὲ καὶ πηγὴ καὶ πῦρ ἔσται μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ψυχὴ καὶ ἄνεμος καὶ νοῦς ἀνθρώπινος καὶ ἕτερα πολλῷ τούτων ἀτοπώτερα· οὐ γὰρ δὴ πάντα ἐπεξιέναι χρὴ τῷ λόγῳ, οὐδὲ τὴν ἐκείνων μιμεῖσθαι μανίαν. Τὸ γὰρ πνεῦμα τοῦτο πολλὰ δηλοῖ, οἷον τὴν ψυχὴν τὴν ἡμετέραν, καθάπερ καὶ Παῦλός φησι· «Παράδοτε τὸν τοιοῦτον τῷ σατανᾷ, ἵνα τὸ πνεῦμα σωθῇ» καὶ ἄνεμον, καθάπερ ὁ προφήτης λέγει· «Πνεύματι βιαίῳ συντρίψεις αὐτούς.» Καλεῖται δὲ καὶ τὸ χάρισμα τὸ πνευματικὸν οὕτως· «Αὐτὸ γὰρ τὸ πνεῦμα συμμαρτυρεῖ τῷ πνεύματι ἡμῶν», φησί, καὶ πάλιν· «Προσεύξομαι δὲ τῷ πνεύματι, προσεύξομαι δὲ καὶ τῷ νοΐ.» Καλεῖται δὲ καὶ ὁ θυμὸς οὕτως. Καὶ γὰρ Ἡσαΐας φησίν· «Οὐ σὺ ἦσθα ὁ μελετῶν τῷ πνεύματί σου τῷ σκληρῷ ἀνελεῖν αὐτούς;» Καλεῖται δὲ καὶ ἡ βοήθεια ἡ παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ πνεῦμα· «Πνεῦμα γὰρ πρὸ προσώπου ἡμῶν Χριστὸς Κύριος.» Ταῦτα οὖν πάντα ἡμῖν ὁ Θεὸς ἔσται κατ' ἐκείνους καὶ ἐκ τοσούτων συγκείσεται. Ἀλλὰ γὰρ ἵνα μὴ ληρῶμεν, τὰ μηδὲ ἀντιλογίας δεόμενα παράγοντες εἰς μέσον, φέρε ἐνταῦθα τὸν πρὸς αὐτοὺς καταλύσαντες λόγον, ἐπὶ τὴν εὐχὴν τὸ πᾶν τρέψωμεν, ὅσῳ μειζόνως ἀσεβοῦσι, τοσούτῳ πλέον ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν παρακαλοῦντες καὶ δεόμενοι ἀποστῆναί ποτε τῆς μανίας αὐτούς. Τοῦτο γὰρ ἀποδεκτὸν ἐνώπιον τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν Θεοῦ. «... ὃς πάντας ἀνθρώπους θέλει σωθῆναι καὶ εἰς ἐπίγνωσιν ἀληθείας ἐλθεῖν». Μὴ τοίνυν διαλείπωμεν τὰς ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν ἱκετηρίας ποιούμενοι. Μέγα γὰρ ὅπλον εὐχή, θησαυρὸς ἀνελλιπής, πλοῦτος μηδέποτε δαπανώμενος, λιμὴν ἀκύμαντος, γαλήνης ὑπόθεσις καὶ μυρίων ἀγαθῶν ῥίζα καὶ πηγὴ καὶ μήτηρ ἐστὶν ἡ εὐχὴ καὶ αὐτῆς τῆς βασιλείας δυνατωτέρα. Πολλάκις οὖν αὐτοῦ τοῦ τὸ διάδημα περικειμένου πυρέττοντος καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς κλίνης κειμένου καὶ φλεγομένου, παρεστήκασιν ἰατροί, δορυφόροι, θεράποντες, στρατηγοί, καὶ οὔτε ἰατρῶν τέχνη, οὔτε παρουσία φίλων, οὐκ οἰκετῶν διακονία, οὐ φαρμάκων δαψίλεια, οὐ πολυτέλεια παρασκευῆς, οὐ χρημάτων περιουσία, οὐκ ἄλλο οὐδὲν τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων ἰσχύει παραμυθήσασθαι τὴν ἐπικειμένην ἀρρωστίαν· ἐὰν δέ τις παρρησίαν ἔχων πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν εἰσέλθῃ καὶ τοῦ σώματος ἅψηται μόνον καὶ καθαρὰν ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ ποιήσῃ τὴν εὐχήν, ἅπασαν τὴν ἀρρωστίαν ἐφυγάδευσε· καὶ ὅπερ οὐκ ἴσχυσεν ὁ πλοῦτος καὶ τὸ τῶν διακονουμένων πλῆθος καὶ ἡ τῆς ἐμπειρίας ἐπιστήμη καὶ ὁ τῆς βασιλείας ὄγκος, τοῦτο ἴσχυσεν ἑνὸς πένητος πολλάκις καὶ πτωχεύοντος