beings, inasmuch as He is both before eternity and above eternity and "His kingdom" is a "kingdom of all the ages." Amen. <ΧI.> <1> Come now, let us celebrate with peaceful hymns the divine and arch-unifying Peace. For this is the unifier of all things, and the begetter and producer of the concord and connaturality of all things. Wherefore also all things desire it, since it converts their divided multitude to a total unity and unites the civil war of the whole into a like-formed community. By participation in the divine peace, at any rate, the more senior of the unifying powers are united both to themselves and to each other and to the one peace-ruling principle of all things, and they unite what is under them both to themselves and to each other and to the one and perfect principle and cause of the peace of all things, which, having partlessly mounted upon the whole as if by some folding clasps of the divided things, defines and terminates and secures all things, and does not allow them, being divided, to be poured out towards the infinite and indefinite, becoming disordered and unestablished and bereft of God and departing from their own union and being confusedly commingled with each other. Concerning, then, what the divine peace and quietude itself is, which the holy Justus calls speechlessness and immobility over every known procession, and how it is at rest and keeps quiet, and how it is in itself and within itself and is wholly super-unified to its whole self, and neither by entering into itself and multiplying itself does it abandon its own union, but even proceeds to all things while remaining wholly within by the excess of its all-surpassing union, is neither lawful nor possible for any of the beings to say or to conceive. But having attributed this also as unspeakable and unknown to it, as being beyond all things, let us examine its intelligible and speakable participations, and this as is possible for men, and for us who fall short of many good men. <2> And first this must be said, that it is the subsistent cause of Peace-itself and of the whole and of each particular, and that it commingles all things with each other according to their unconfused union, according to which, being indivisibly and unseparatedly united, nevertheless each thing stands pure according to its own form, not being muddled by the mixing with its opposites nor blunting any of its unitive precision and purity. Let us then contemplate a certain single and simple nature of the peaceful union, uniting all things to itself and to themselves and to each other and preserving all things in an unconfused cohesion of all things, both unmixed and commingled. Through which the divine minds, being united to their own intellections, are united also to the things intellected and again ascend to the unknown conjunction of the things established beyond mind. Through which souls, uniting their own manifold rational principles and gathering them towards a single intellectual purity, proceed in a way and order proper to themselves through immaterial and partless intellection to the union beyond intellection. Through which the one and indissoluble interconnection of all things subsists according to its divine harmony and is fitted together in a perfect symphony and concord and connaturality, being brought together without confusion and held together without division. For the entirety of the perfect peace extends to all beings according to the most simple and unmixed presence of its unifying power, uniting all things and connecting the extremes through the means to the extremes, being yoked together according to a single connatural friendship, and bestowing the enjoyment of itself even to the ultimate extremities of the universe, and making all things cognate by unities, by identities, by unions, by gatherings, while the divine peace, of course, stands indivisibly, showing all things in one and passing through all things and not departing from its own identity; for it proceeds to all things and imparts itself to all things in a manner proper to them and overflows with an abundance of peaceful fecundity and remains, through a pre-eminence of union, whole to whole and in its whole self super-unified. <3> But how, one might say, do all things desire peace? For many things rejoice in otherness and distinction

ὑπάρχοντα, καθ' ὅσον καὶ πρὸ αἰῶνός ἐστι καὶ ὑπὲρ αἰῶνα καὶ «ἡ βασιλεία» αὐτοῦ «βασιλεία πάντων τῶν αἰώνων». Ἀμήν. <ΧI.> <1> Ἄγε δὴ τὴν θείαν καὶ ἀρχισυνάγωγον εἰρήνην ὕμνοις εἰρηναίοις ἀνευφημήσωμεν. Aὕτη γάρ ἐστιν ἡ πάντων ἑνωτικὴ καὶ τῆς ἁπάντων ὁμονοίας τε καὶ συμφυΐας γεννητικὴ καὶ ἀπεργαστική. ∆ιὸ καὶ πάντα αὐτῆς ἐφίεται τὸ μεριστὸν αὐτῶν πλῆθος ἐπιστρεφούσης εἰς τὴν ὅλην ἑνότητα καὶ τὸν ἐμφύλιον τοῦ παντὸς πόλεμον ἑνούσης εἰς ὁμοειδῆ συνοικίαν. Τῇ μετοχῇ τῆς θείας εἰρήνης αἱ γοῦν πρεσβύτεραι τῶν συναγωγῶν δυνάμεων αὐταί τε πρὸς ἑαυτὰς καὶ πρὸς ἀλλήλας ἑνοῦνται καὶ πρὸς τὴν μίαν τῶν ὅλων εἰρηναρχίαν καὶ τὰ ὑφ' ἑαυτὰς ἑνοῦσιν αὐτά τε πρὸς ἑαυτὰ καὶ πρὸς ἄλληλα καὶ πρὸς τὴν μίαν καὶ παντελῆ τῆς πάντων εἰρήνης ἀρχὴν καὶ αἰτίαν, ἥτις ἀμερῶς ἐπιβεβηκυῖα τοῖς ὅλοις ὥσπερ τισὶ κλείθροις τῶν διῃρημένων συμπτυκτικοῖς τὰ πάντα ὁρίζει καὶ περατοῖ καὶ ἀσφαλίζεται καὶ οὐκ ἐᾷ διαιρεθέντα χυθῆναι πρὸς τὸ ἄπειρον καὶ ἀόριστον, ἄτακτα καὶ ἀνίδρυτα καὶ ἔρημα θεοῦ γιγνόμενα καὶ τῆς ἑαυτῶν ἑνώσεως ἐξιόντα καὶ ἐν ἀλλήλοις παμμιγῶς συμφυρόμενα. Περὶ μὲν οὖν αὐτῆς, ὅ τι ποτέ ἐστι, τῆς θείας εἰρήνης καὶ ἡσυχίας, ἣν ὁ ἱερὸς Ἰοῦστος ἀφθεγξίαν καλεῖ καὶ ἐπὶ πᾶσαν γιγνωσκομένην πρόοδον ἀκινησίαν, ὅπως τε ἠρεμεῖ καὶ ἡσυχίαν ἄγει καὶ ὅπως ἐν ἑαυτῇ καὶ εἴσω ἑαυτῆς ἔστι καὶ πρὸς ἑαυτὴν ὅλην ὅλη ὑπερήνωται καὶ οὔτε εἰς ἑαυτὴν εἰσιοῦσα καὶ πολλαπλασιάζουσα ἑαυτὴν ἀπολείπει τὴν ἑαυτῆς ἕνωσιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ πρόεισιν ἐπὶ πάντα ἔνδον ὅλη μένουσα δι' ὑπερβολὴν τῆς πάντα ὑπερεχούσης ἑνώσεως, οὔτε εἰπεῖν οὔτε ἐννοῆσαί τινι τῶν ὄντων οὔτε θεμιτὸν οὔτε ἐφικτόν. Ἀλλ' ὡς ἄφθεγκτον καὶ τοῦτο καὶ ἄγνωστον ἐπ' αὐτὴν ἀναθέντες ὡς πάντων οὖσαν ἐπέκεινα τὰς νοητὰς αὐτῆς καὶ ·ητὰς μετουσίας καὶ τοῦτο ὡς δυνατὸν ἀνδράσι καὶ ἡμῖν πολλῶν ἀνδρῶν ἀγαθῶν ἀπολειπομένοις ἐπισκοπήσωμεν. <2> Καὶ πρῶτόν γε τοῦτο ῥητέον, ὅτι τῆς αὐτοειρήνης καὶ τῆς ὅλης καὶ τῆς καθ' ἕκαστόν ἐστιν ὑποστάτις καὶ ὅτι πάντα πρὸς ἄλληλα συγκεράννυσι κατὰ τὴν ἀσύγχυτον αὐτῶν ἕνωσιν, καθ' ἣν ἀδιαιρέτως ἡνωμένα καὶ ἀδιαστάτως ὅμως ἀκραιφνῆ κατὰ τὸ οἰκεῖον ἕκαστα εἶδος ἕστηκεν οὐκ ἐπιθολούμενα διὰ τῆς πρὸς τὰ ἀντικείμενα κράσεως οὐδὲ ἀπαμβλύνοντά τι τῆς ἑνωτικῆς ἀκριβείας καὶ καθαρότητος. Μίαν οὖν τινα καὶ ἁπλῆν τῆς εἰρηνικῆς ἑνώσεως θεωρήσωμεν φύσιν ἑνοῦσαν ἅπαντα ἑαυτῇ καὶ ἑαυτοῖς καὶ ἀλλήλοις καὶ διασώζουσαν πάντα ἐν ἀσυγχύτῳ πάντων συνοχῇ καὶ ἀμιγῆ καὶ συγκεκραμένα. ∆ι' ἣν οἱ θεῖοι νόες ἑνούμενοι ταῖς νοήσεσιν ἑαυτῶν ἑνοῦνται καὶ τοῖς νοουμένοις καὶ αὖθις ἐπὶ τὴν ἄγνωστον ἀναβαίνουσι τῶν ὑπὲρ νοῦν ἱδρυμένων συναφήν. ∆ι' ἣν αἱ ψυχαὶ τοὺς παντοδαποὺς ἑαυτῶν λόγους ἑνοῦσαι καὶ πρὸς μίαν νοερὰν συνάγουσαι καθαρότητα προβαίνουσιν οἰκείως ἑαυταῖς ὁδῷ καὶ τάξει διὰ τῆς ἀΰλου καὶ ἀμεροῦς νοήσεως ἐπὶ τὴν ὑπὲρ νόησιν ἕνωσιν. ∆ι' ἣν ἡ μία καὶ ἀδιάλυτος πάντων συμπλοκὴ κατὰ τὴν θείαν αὐτῆς ἁρμονίαν ὑφίσταται καὶ ἐναρμόζεται συμφωνίᾳ παντελεῖ καὶ ὁμο νοίᾳ καὶ συμφυΐᾳ συναγομένη τε ἀσυγχύτως, ἀδιαιρέτως τε συνεχομένη. ∆ιήκει γὰρ ἡ τῆς παντελοῦς εἰρήνης ὁλότης ἐπὶ πάντα τὰ ὄντα κατὰ τὴν ἁπλουστάτην αὑτῆς καὶ ἀμιγῆ τῆς ἑνοποιοῦ δυνάμεως παρουσίαν ἑνοῦσα πάντα καὶ συνδέουσα τὰ ἄκρα διὰ τῶν μέσων τοῖς ἄκροις κατὰ μίαν ὁμοφυῆ συζευγνύμενα φιλίαν καὶ τὸ ἀπολαύειν αὑτῆς δωρουμένη καὶ ταῖς ἐσχάταις τοῦ παντὸς ἀποπερατώσεσι καὶ πάντα ὁμόγνια ποιοῦσα ταῖς ἑνότησι, ταῖς ταὐτότησι, ταῖς ἑνώσεσι, ταῖς συναγωγαῖς ἀδιαιρέτως δηλαδὴ τῆς θείας εἰρήνης ἑστώσης καὶ ἐν ἑνὶ πάντα δεικνυούσης καὶ διὰ πάντων φοιτώσης καὶ τῆς οἰκείας ταὐτότητος οὐκ ἐξισταμένης, πρόεισι γὰρ ἐπὶ πάντα καὶ μεταδίδωσι πᾶσιν οἰκείως αὐτοῖς ἑαυτῆς καὶ ὑπερβλύζει περιουσίᾳ τῆς εἰρηνικῆς γονιμότητος καὶ μένει δι' ὑπεροχὴν ἑνώσεως ὅλη πρὸς ὅλην καὶ καθ' ὅλην ἑαυτὴν ὑπερηνωμένη. <3> Πῶς δέ, φαίη τις, ἐφίεται πάντα εἰρήνης; Πολλὰ γὰρ ἑτερότητι καὶ διακρίσει χαίρει