42

the description of things beyond us), providing occasions for children to shake off their sluggishness by way of condescension, seem by way of accommodation to engage in childish games, like, say, playing with nuts, and joining them in playing with knucklebones, or also setting before them multicolored flowers, and multicolored garments enticing to the senses, they would lead them away or astonish them, since the children for the time being had no other occupation, and after a short time their parents handing them over to schools, then also imparting to them more perfect reason and their own affairs, so, perhaps, the teacher says through these words, God over all also now casts us, as though we were utterly children, into astonishment or even diversion through the historical nature for the time being of visible created things, through the sight and knowledge of them, then also instilling the contemplation of the more spiritual principles within them, and finally leading to the more mystical knowledge of Himself, as far as is possible, through theology, which is entirely pure of all that is in species and quality and shape and quantity, both in 14Ε_174 multitude and bulk, of variety and composition in the preliminary studies, as towards the goal of contemplation, is said by the God-bearing Gregory "to be at play," and by the God-bearing Dionysius "to be charmed" and "to be ecstatic."

For in reality, when viewed in parallel by comparison to the things that are properly and truly existent, 1416 and that will be revealed later, present and visible things seem to be a game, and even further from this. For when compared to the truth of the properly divine and archetypal realities, the arrangement of present and visible things will not be considered to exist at all by those who are deemed worthy to contain, as far as possible, the whole beauty of the divine loveliness, just as a game, when compared to some true and existing reality, is not considered to exist at all.

178. ANOTHER CONTEMPLATION ON THE SAME

Another contemplation on the same. And perhaps also the transient nature of the material things we handle,

being transferred and transferable in one way or another, and having no firm foundation, except for the first principle according to which they are wisely and providentially borne and bear, and though thought to be held by us, they escape more than they are held, and they, as it were, repel from themselves our desire which submits to be held by them, and they are entirely unable to hold or be held, since indeed they possess as the only stable limit of their nature to flow away and not to stand still, was reasonably called a game of God by the teacher, as through these things He leads us to the things that truly exist, and are never shaken.

179. ANOTHER CONTEMPLATION ON THE SAME

14Ε_176 Another contemplation on the same. But if even we ourselves, according to the prevailing consequence of our nature

at present, being now born in the likeness of the other animals on earth, then becoming children, then, when our youth like a short-lived flower has reached the wrinkle of old age, being destined to die, and being transferred to another life, we were called "a game of God" by this God-bearing teacher, not without reason. For compared to the future archetype of the divine and true life, the present

42

τήν τῶν ὑπέρ ἡμᾶς πραγμάτων ὑπογραφήν), ἀφορμάς τοῖς τέκνοις παρέχοντες τήν νωθεῖαν ἀποσείσασθαι συγκαταβάσεως τρόπῳ, δοκοῦσι κατά συμπεριφοράν παιδικά παίγνια μετιέναι, ὡς φέρε εἰπεῖν καρυατίζειν, καί ἀστραγάλοις μετ᾿ αὐτῶν συμπεριφέρεσθαι, ἤ καί ἄνθη πολύχροα τούτοις παρατιθέντες, καί πολυβαφεῖς ἐσθῆτας τῶν αἰσθήσεων θελκτηρίους, ἀπῆγον ἤ κατέπληττον, ὡς τῶν παίδων ἑτέραν τέως ἐργασίαν οὐκ ἐχόντων, μετά βραχύ δέ καί παιδευτηρίοις αὐτούς τῶν γονέων παραδιδόντων, εἶτα καί λόγου τελεωτέρου καί πραγμάτων ἰδίων μεταδιδόντων, οὕτω τυχόν καί τόν ἐπί πάντων Θεόν φησι διά τῶν εἰρημένων ὁ διδάσκαλος διά τῆς τέως ἱστοριώδους τῶν φαινομένων κτισμάτων φύσεως εἰς ἔκπληξιν ἤ καί ἀπαγωγήν διά τῆς αὐτῶν θέας καί γνώσεως νῦν ἡμᾶς οἷα κομιδῇ παῖδας ἐμβάλλοντα, ἔπειτα καί τήν τῶν ἐν αὐτοῖς πνευματικωτέρων λόγων θεωρίαν ἐνιέντα, καί τελευταῖον ἐπί τήν ἑαυτοῦ καθώς ἐστιν ἐφικτόν διά θεολογίας μυστικωτέραν γνῶσιν ἐνάγοντα, τήν πάσης τῆς ἐν εἴδει καί ποιῷ καί σχήματι καί ποσῷ, τῷ ἐν 14Ε_174 πλήθει τε καί ὄγκῳ παντάπασι καθαρεύουσαν, ποικιλίας τε καί συνθέσεως ἐν τοῖς προπαιδεύμασιν, ὡς πρός τό τέρμα τῆς θεωρίας, " παίζειν" εἴρηται τῷ θεοφόρῳ Γρηγορίῳ, καί τῷ θεοφόρῳ ∆ιονυσίῳ " θέλγεσθαί" τε καί "ἐξίστασθαι ἑαυτοῦ».

Τῷ ὄντι γάρ ἐκ παραλλήλου κατά παράθεσιν θεωρούμενα πρός τά κυρίως καί ἀληθῶς ὄντα, 1416 καί ἐς ὕστερον φανησόμενα, τά παρόντα καί φαινόμενα καί παίγνιον εἶναι δοκεῖ, καί ἔτι τούτου ποῤῥωτέρω. Πρός γάρ τήν τῶν κυρίως θείων καί πρωτοτύπων πραγμάτων ἀλήθειαν συγκρινομένη τῶν παρόντων καί ὁρωμένων πραγμάτων ἡ διακόσμησις οὐδέ τό παράπαν εἶναι νομισθήσεται τοῖς ὅλον χωρεῖν κατά τό δυνατόν τό τῆς θείας ὡραιότητος κάλλος ἀξιουμένοις, ὥσπερ οὐδέ τό παίγνιον ἀληθινῷ τινι καί ὄντι πράγματι συγκρινόμενον εἶναι καθάπαξ νομίζεται.

ΡΟΗ (178). ΑΛΛΗ ΘΕΩΡΙΑ ΕΙΣ ΤΟ ΑΥΤΟ

Ἄλλη θεωρία εἰς τό αὐτό. Τυχόν δέ καί τό μεταπτωτικόν ὧν ἐγχειρίζομεν ὑλικῶν πραγμάτων ἄλλην

ἄλλως μεταφερόντων τε καί μεταφερομένων, καί μηδεμίαν βάσιν ἐχόντων στερέμνιον, πλήν τοῦ πρώτου λόγου καθ᾿ ὅν φέρονται σοφῶς τε καί προνοητικῶς καί φέρουσι, καί τῷ κρατεῖσθαι ὑφ᾿ ἡμῶν νομίζεσθαι, διαφευγόντων πλέον ἤ κρατουμένων, καί τήν ἔφεσιν ἡμῶν τῶν αὐτοῖς ἀνεχομένων κρατεῖσθαι, μᾶλλον ἑαυτῶν οἷον ἀπωθουμένων, καί κρατεῖν ἤ κρατεῖσθαι παντελῶς μή δυναμένων, οἷα δή μόνον σταθερόν τῆς ἑαυτῶν φύσεως ὅρον κεκτημένων τό ἀποῤῥεῖν καί μή ἵστασθαι, παίγνιον εἰκότως ἐῤῥέθη Θεοῦ τῷ διδασκάλῳ, ὡς διά τούτων μετάγοντος ἡμᾶς ἐπί τά ὄντως ὄντα, καί μηδέποτε σαλευόμενα.

ΡΟΘ (179). ΑΛΛΗ ΘΕΩΡΙΑ ΕΙΣ ΤΟ ΑΥΤΟ

14Ε_176 Ἄλλη θεωρία εἰς τό αὐτό. Εἰ δέ καί ἡμεῖς αὐτοί, κατά τήν κρατοῦσαν ἐπί τοῦ παρόντος τῆς φύσεως

ἡμῶν ἀκολουθίαν, νῦν μέν καθ᾿ ὁμοιότητα τῶν λοιπῶν ἐπί γῆς ζώων γεννώμενοι, ἔπειτα παῖδες γινόμενοι, εἶτα ἄνθους ὡκυμόρου δίκην τῆς νεότητος ἐπί τό ῥίκνον τῆς παλαιότητος φθασάσης τεθνηξόμενοι, καί πρός ἕτερον βίον μετατιθέμενοι, "παίγνιον ἐρήθημεν τοῦ Θεοῦ" τῷ θεοφόρῳ τούτῳ διδασκάλῳ, οὐκ ἔξω τοῦ εἰκότος. Πρός γάρ τήν μέλλουσαν τῆς θείας καί ἀληθοῦς ζωῆς ἀρχετυπίαν ἡ παροῦσα