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But let us proceed to the next parts of the argument, through which it seems to me that the argument contemplated according to the higher philosophy is more appropriately related to the saying. For the time to be silent is placed first, and after silence he gave the time to speak. When, then, and concerning what is it better to be silent? One of those looking toward morality might say that in many ways silence is more seemly than speech, just as Paul distinguishes the opportune moment for silence and for speech, sometimes legislating to be silent, and sometimes permitting to speak. Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths; this is the law of silence. But only such as is good for building up the faith, that it may give grace to those who hear; this is the time to speak. Let the women keep silent in the churches; again he gave the time for silence. But if they wish 5.410 to learn anything of which they are ignorant, let them ask their own husbands at home; again he indicated the opportune moment for speech. Do not lie to one another; this too is an opportune moment for silence. Let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor; again, the authority of speech. and it is possible to say many such things also from the older scripture: When the sinner stood against me I was mute and was humbled and kept silent from good things, and Like a deaf man I did not hear, and like a mute who does not open his mouth. And When the sinner stands against him, he who remains unmoved toward the requital of evil becomes speechless, but in those things where it is fitting to use speech, he opens his mouth in parables, he utters riddles, he fills his mouth with praise, he makes his tongue a pen. But why, when there are countless examples in scripture, must one elaborate the argument in matters that are agreed upon? But what came to my mind before these things, how the opportune moment for being silent and for speaking is in harmony with the contemplation assigned concerning tearing and sewing, this I wish to take up again and state in a few words. For there the Word, having torn away the soul that was badly attached to the adversary, led it to the knowledge of that which truly is through 5.411 attachment, which the preceding argument has shown to be beyond reason, and here for this reason it seems to me that to be silent has been placed first, that is, because that concept and name which is above all, which the soul, torn away from evil, both seeks always and desires to be sewn to what has been found, this is higher than any interpretive voice. Which he who contentiously tries to drag down under the meaning of reason unknowingly sins against the divine; for that which is believed to be above all is certainly also above reason. But he who attempts to grasp the indefinite with reason no longer grants that to be above all, against which he sets up his own reason, thinking it to be of such a kind and of such a magnitude as reason was able to express, not knowing that in being persuaded that the divine is beyond knowledge, in this is preserved the fitting conception of that which truly is. Why? Because everything in creation by nature looks to what is akin to it, and none of the things that exist, having gone outside itself, remains in being, not fire in water, not water in fire, not the terrestrial in the deep, not the aquatic on dry land, not the earthy in the air, nor again the aerial on the earth; but each thing remaining in its own natural boundaries exists only as long as it remains within its own boundaries. But if it should go outside itself, it will also be outside of being. 5.412 And just as the power of the senses, remaining in its natural activities, is not able to cross over to the neighboring one; for neither does <the> eye perform the functions of hearing, nor does touch converse, nor does hearing taste, nor does the tongue perform the functions of sight or hearing, but each has as the limit of its own power its natural activity; so also all of creation is not able to go outside itself through apprehensive contemplation, but it always remains within itself and whatever it may see, it sees itself; and if it should think it sees something beyond itself, it does not have the nature to see what is outside itself. For example, it forces itself to pass beyond the concept of interval in the contemplation of existing things, but it does not pass beyond it. For with every concept that is found it certainly contemplates along with it that which is comprehended in its substance

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Ἡμεῖς δὲ πρὸς τὰ ἐφεξῆς τοῦ λόγου προέλθωμεν, δι' οὗ μοι δοκεῖ μᾶλλον ὁ κατὰ τὴν ὑψηλοτέραν φιλοσοφίαν θεωρηθεὶς λόγος οἰκείως πρὸς τὸ ῥητὸν ἔχειν. προτέτακται γὰρ ὁ τοῦ σιγᾶν καιρὸς καὶ μετὰ τὴν σιγὴν ἔδωκε τὸν τοῦ λέγειν καιρόν. πότε οὖν καὶ περὶ τίνων τὸ σιγᾶν ἐστιν ἄμεινον; εἴποι μὲν ἄν τις τῶν πρὸς τὸ ἦθος βλεπόντων πολλαχῇ τὴν σιωπὴν εὐσχημονεστέραν εἶναι τοῦ λόγου, οἷον καθὼς διακρίνει τῆς σιωπῆς τε καὶ τοῦ λόγου τὴν εὐκαιρίαν ὁ Παῦλος, ποτὲ μὲν νομοθετῶν τὸ σιγᾶν, ποτὲ δὲ ἐπιτρέπων τὸ λέγειν. Πᾶς λόγος σαπρὸς ἐκ τοῦ στόματος ὑμῶν μὴ ἐκπορευέσθω· οὗτος σιωπῆς ὁ νόμος· Ἀλλ' εἴ τις ἀγαθὸς πρὸς οἰκοδομὴν τῆς πίστεως, ἵνα δῷ χάριν τοῖς ἀκούουσιν· οὗτος ὁ τοῦ λέγειν καιρός. Αἱ γυναῖκες ἐν ταῖς ἐκκλησίαις σιγάτωσαν· πάλιν ἔδωκε τῇ σιγῇ τὸν καιρόν· Εἰ δέ τι μαθεῖν 5.410 θέλουσιν, ὧν ἀγνοοῦσιν, ἐν οἴκῳ τοὺς ἰδίους ἄνδρας ἐπερω τάτωσαν· πάλιν ὑπέδειξε τοῦ λόγου τὴν εὐκαιρίαν. Μὴ ψεύδεσθε εἰς ἀλλήλους· καὶ αὕτη σιωπῆς εὐκαιρία· Λαλείτω ἀλήθειαν ἕκαστος μετὰ τοῦ πλησίον αὐτοῦ· πάλιν ἡ ἐξουσία τοῦ λόγου. καὶ πολλὰ τοιαῦτα ἔστιν εἰπεῖν καὶ ἐκ τῆς ἀρχαιοτέρας γραφῆς· Ἐν τῷ συστῆναι τὸν ἁμαρτωλὸν ἐναντίον μου ἐκωφώθην καὶ ἐταπεινώθην καὶ ἐσίγησα ἐξ ἀγαθῶν, καὶ Ὡσεὶ κωφὸς οὐκ ἤκουον καὶ ὡσεὶ ἄλαλος οὐκ ἀνοίγων τὸ στόμα αὐτοῦ. καὶ Ἐν τῷ συστῆναι τὸν ἁμαρτωλὸν ἄφωνος γίνεται ὁ πρὸς τὴν ἀντίδοσιν τοῦ κακοῦ μένων ἀκίνητος, ἐν οἷς δὲ προσήκει τῷ λόγῳ χρήσασθαι, ἀνοίγει ἐν παραβολαῖς τὸ στόμα, φθέγγεται προβλήματα, πληροῖ τὸ στόμα αἰνέσεως, κάλαμον ποιεῖ τὴν γλῶσσαν. ἀλλὰ τί χρή, μυρίων ὄντων ἐν τῇ γραφῇ τῶν ὑποδειγμάτων, λεπτουργεῖν ἐν τοῖς ὁμολογουμένοις τὸν λόγον; ὃ δέ μοι πρὸ τούτων ἐπὶ νοῦν ἦλθεν, ὡς συμφωνούσης τῆς περὶ τοῦ σιγᾶν τε καὶ λαλεῖν εὐκαιρίας τῇ ἀποδοθείσῃ περὶ τοῦ ῥήγματος καὶ τῆς ῥαφῆς θεωρίᾳ, τοῦτο βούλομαι πάλιν ἐπαναλαβὼν δι' ὀλίγων εἰπεῖν. ἐκεῖ τε γὰρ τὴν κακῶς τῷ ἐναντίῳ προσφυεῖσαν ψυχὴν ἀπορ ρήξας ὁ λόγος εἰς γνῶσιν ἤγαγε τοῦ ὄντως ὄντος διὰ τῆς 5.411 προσκολλήσεως, ὅπερ ὑπὲρ λόγον εἶναι ὁ προλαβὼν ἀποδέδω κε λόγος, ἐνταῦθά τε διὰ τοῦτό μοι δοκεῖ τὸ σιγᾶν προτετά χθαι, τοῦτ' ἔστι διότι τὸ ὑπὲρ πᾶν ἐκεῖνο νόημά τε καὶ ὄνομα, ὃ ἡ τοῦ κακοῦ ἀπορραγεῖσα ψυχὴ καὶ ζητεῖ διὰ παντὸς καὶ ἐνραφῆναι τῷ εὑρεθέντι ἐφίεται, τοῦτο πάσης ἑρμηνευτικῆς φωνῆς ἐστιν ὑψηλότερον· ὅπερ ὁ φιλονεικῶν ὑπὸ τὴν τοῦ λόγου σημασίαν καθέλκειν λανθάνει πλημμελῶν εἰς τὸ θεῖον· τὸ γὰρ ὑπὲρ πᾶν εἶναι πεπιστευμένον καὶ ὑπὲρ λόγον πάντως ἐστίν. ὁ δὲ λόγῳ διαλαμβάνειν ἐπιχειρῶν τὸ ἀόριστον οὐκέτι δίδωσι τὸ ὑπὲρ πᾶν εἶναι ἐκεῖνο, ᾧ ἀντεξάγει τὸν ἴδιον λόγον, τοιοῦτόν τι καὶ τοσοῦτον εἶναι οἰόμενος, οἷον καὶ ὅσον εἰπεῖν ὁ λόγος ἐχώρησεν, οὐκ εἰδὼς ὅτι ἐν τῷ πεπεῖσθαι ὑπὲρ γνῶσιν εἶναι τὸ θεῖον ἐν τούτῳ ἡ θεοπρεπὴς περὶ τοῦ ὄντως ὄντος φυλάσσεται ἔννοια. διὰ τί; ὅτι πᾶν τὸ ἐν τῇ κτίσει ὂν πρὸς τὸ συγγενὲς ἐκ φύσεως βλέπει καὶ οὐδὲν τῶν ὄντων ἔξω ἑαυτοῦ γενόμενον ἐν τῷ εἶναι μένει, οὐ πῦρ ἐν ὕδατι, οὐκ ἐν πυρὶ τὸ ὕδωρ, οὐκ ἐν τῷ βυθῷ τὸ χερσαῖον, οὐκ ἐν τῇ χέρσῳ τὸ ἔνυδρον, οὐκ ἐν ἀέρι τὸ ἔγγειον, οὐκ ἐν γῇ πάλιν τὸ ἐναέριον· ἀλλ' ἐν τοῖς ἰδίοις ἕκαστον μένον ὅροις τῆς φύσεως ἕως τότε ἔστιν, ἕως ἂν ἐντὸς τῶν ἰδίων ὅρων μένῃ. εἰ δὲ ἔξω ἑαυτοῦ γένοιτο, ἐκτὸς καὶ τοῦ εἶναι γενήσεται. 5.412 καὶ ὥσπερ τῶν αἰσθητηρίων ἡ δύναμις ταῖς κατὰ φύσιν ἐνεργείαις παραμένουσα μεταβῆναι πρὸς τὴν παρακειμένην οὐ δύναται· οὔτε γὰρ <ὁ> ὀφθαλμὸς τὰ τῆς ἀκοῆς ἐνεργεῖ, οὔτε ἡ ἁφὴ διαλέγεται, οὔτε ἡ ἀκοὴ γεύεται, οὔτε ἡ γλῶσσα τὰ τῆς ὄψεως ἢ τὰ τῆς ἀκοῆς ἐνεργεῖ, ἀλλ' ἕκαστον ὅρον ἔχει τῆς ἰδίας δυνάμεως τὴν κατὰ φύσιν ἐνέργειαν· οὕτω καὶ πᾶσα ἡ κτίσις ἔξω ἑαυτῆς γενέσθαι διὰ τῆς καταληπτικῆς θεωρίας οὐ δύναται, ἀλλ' ἐν ἑαυτῇ μένει ἀεὶ καὶ ὅπερ ἂν ἴδῃ, ἑαυτὴν βλέπει· κἂν οἰηθῇ τι ὑπὲρ ἑαυτὴν βλέπειν, τὸ ἐκτὸς ἑαυτῆς ἰδεῖν φύσιν οὐκ ἔχει. οἷον τὴν διαστηματικὴν ἔννοιαν ἐν τῇ τῶν ὄντων θεωρίᾳ παρελθεῖν βιάζεται, ἀλλ' οὐ παρέρχε. παντὶ γὰρ τῷ εὑρισκομένῳ νοήματι συνθεωρεῖ πάντως τὸ συγκαταλαμβανόμενον τῇ ὑποστάσει