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God before the ages.” He says this, showing God's care for us. For those are especially thought to honor and to love us, who from above prepared to do us good. “For our glory.” That is, for our glory which was hidden 95.585; when no one of the powers above learned the mystery before us. “Which none of the rulers of this age knew, for if they had known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.” He means Pilate and Herod; for concerning Pilate, the Scripture says that he did not know. It is likely that Herod did not know either; and if one should say it was spoken concerning the Jews, one would not be mistaken. For they did not know either. For they knew Christ, but not the economy in the matter itself; for instance, what the death and the cross intended, they did not know. For this reason he did not say, ‘They do not know me,’ but, ‘They do not know what they are doing’; that is, they are ignorant of the economy being accomplished, and the mystery. For they do not know that thus the cross is to shine forth, and there is to be salvation for the world, and reconciliation for men with God. And he opportunely called him Lord of glory, since the cross seems to be a thing of dishonor. “But as it is written: What eye has not seen, and ear has not heard, and has not entered into the heart of man, what God has prepared for those who love him.” Having spoken concerning the cross and the one crucified, he shows from testimony what things will be laid up for those who have known him and confessed him as Lord. I mean the Lord of glory himself, the crucified one. “But God has revealed it to us through his Spirit.” Not through external wisdom; and at the same time he shows the greatness of the honor to us, to learn through his Spirit. For if the Spirit who knows the secret things of God had not revealed it, we would not have learned. “For the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God.” Here ‘searches’ is indicative not of ignorance, but of precise knowledge; for he uses this word also of the Father, saying, ‘He who searches the hearts.’ “For who among men knows the things of a man, except the spirit of the man which is in him? So also no one has known the things of God, except the Spirit of God. But we have not received the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. Perhaps he speaks of the knowledge of the Spirit, showing that it is thus equal to the knowledge of God, as a man's own knowledge is to himself. “Which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit.” He shows that he learned all things from thence. 95.588 “Comparing spiritual things with spiritual.” When something is spiritual and secret, we bring testimonies from spiritual things; for instance, when I say that Christ rose, that he was born of a Virgin, I bring forward testimonies and types and proofs: Jonah’s sojourn in the whale, and his subsequent deliverance, the childbirths of the barren women, of Sarah and Rebecca, and the rest; when again I say that Christ was born of a Virgin, the sprouting of the trees in paradise that came to be, not by seeds being cast, nor by rains coming down, nor by a furrow being cut. For the things to come were prefigured and pre-scribed, as in a shadow by the former things, so that these things might be believed when they came to pass. And I show again how men are from the earth, how from a man alone a woman, and in no way by intercourse; how the earth itself is from nothing, the power of the Creator being sufficient for all things; thus I compare spiritual things with spiritual, and in no way have I need of external wisdom, nor of reasonings, nor of preparations. “But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God.” A natural man is he who gives everything over to the reasonings of the soul, and does not think he needs any help from above, which is foolishness. For God gave us reason that it might learn and receive the things from him, not that it might think itself self-sufficient. “For they are foolishness to him.” This is not from the nature of the matter, but from the weakness of one who was not able to attain to their greatness through the things of the soul

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Θεὸς πρὸ τῶν αἰώνων.» Τοῦτό φησιν, τὴν περὶ ἡμᾶς κηδεμονίαν δεικνύμενος τοῦ Θεοῦ. Καὶ γὰρ ἐκεῖνοι μάλιστα καὶ τιμᾷν καὶ φιλεῖν ἡμᾶς νομίζονται, ὡς ὑπὲρ ἂν ἄνωθεν ὦσιν ἡμᾶς παρασκευασάμενοι εὖ ποιεῖν. «Εἰς δόξαν ἡμῶν.» Τουτέστιν, εἰς δόξαν τὴν ἡμετέραν ἀποκεκρυμμέ 95.585 νην· ὅταν οὐδεὶς πρὸ ἡμῶν ἔμαθε τῶν ἄνω δυνάμεων τὸ μυστήριον. «Ἣν οὐδεὶς τῶν ἀρχόντων τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου ἔγνωκεν, εἰ γὰρ ἔγνωσαν, οὐκ ἂν τὸν Κύριον τῆς δόξης ἐσταύρωσαν.» Πιλάτον καὶ Ἡρώδην φησί· περὶ μὲν γὰρ τοῦ Πιλάτου ἡ Γραφὴ λέγει, ὅτι οὐκ ᾔδει. Εἰκὸς δὲ μηδὲ τὸν Ἡρώδην εἰδέναι· εἰ δὲ καὶ περὶ τῶν Ἰουδαίων τις εἰρῆσθαι εἴποι, οὐκ ἂν ἁμάρτοι. Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἐκεῖνοι ἔγνωσαν. Τὸν Χριστὸν ἔγνωσαν γὰρ, ἀλλὰ οὐ τὴν ἐν αὐτῷ τῷ πράγματι οἰκονομίαν· οἷόν τι ἐβούλετο ὁ θάνατος καὶ ὁ σταυρὸς, οὐκ ᾔδεσαν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο οὐκ ἔλεγεν, ὅτι Οὐκ οἴδασιν ἐμέ· ἀλλ' Οὐκ οἴδασι τί ποιοῦσι· τουτέστι τὴν οἰκονομίαν τὴν τελουμένην, καὶ τὸ μυστήριον ἀγνοοῦσιν. Οὐ γὰρ οἴδασιν ὅτι οὕτως ἔχει λάμψαι ὁ σταυρὸς, καὶ τῆς οἰκουμένης ἔσεσθαι σωτηρία, καὶ τῷ Θεῷ πρὸς τοὺς ἀνθρώπους καταλλαγή. Εὐκαίρως δὲ Κύριον δόξης ἐκάλεσεν, ἐπειδὴ ὁ σταυρὸς ἀδοξίας εἶναι δοκεῖ. «Ἀλλὰ καθὼς γέγραπται· ἃ ὀφθαλμὸς οὐκ εἶδεν, καὶ οὖς οὐκ ἤκουσεν, καὶ ἐπὶ καρδίαν ἀνθρώπου οὐκ ἀνέβη, ἃ ἡτοίμασεν ὁ Θεὸς τοῖς ἀγαπῶσιν αὐτόν.» Εἰπὼν περὶ τοῦ σταυροῦ καὶ τοῦ σταυρωθέντος, δείκνυσιν ἐκ μαρτυρίας οἷα ἀποκείσεται τοῖς αὐτὸν ἐγνωκόσι, καὶ ὁμολογήσασι Κύριον. Αὐτὸν δὲ τὸν Κύριον τῆς δόξης φημὶ, τὸν ἐσταυρωμένον. «Ἡμῖν δὲ ὁ Θεὸς ἀπεκάλυψεν διὰ τοῦ Πνεύματος αὐτοῦ.» Οὐ διὰ τῆς ἔξωθεν σοφίας· ἅμα δὲ καὶ τὸ μέγεθος δείκνυσι τῆς εἰς ἡμᾶς τιμῆς, τὸ διὰ τοῦ Πνεύματος αὐτοῦ μαθεῖν. Εἰ μὴ γὰρ τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἐπιστάμενον τὰ ἀπόῤῥητα τοῦ Θεοῦ ἀπεκάλυψεν, οὐκ ἂν ἐμάθομεν. «Τὸ γὰρ Πνεῦμα πάντα ἐρευνᾷ, καὶ τὰ βάθη τοῦ Θεοῦ.» Οὐκ ἀγνοίας, ἀλλ' ἀκριβοῦς γνώσεως ἐνταῦθα τὸ ἐρευνᾷν ἐνδεικτικόν· ταύτῃ γὰρ τῇ λέξει καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ Πατρὸς κέχρηται λέγων· Ὁ δὲ ἐρευνῶν τὰς καρδίας. «Τίς γὰρ οἶδεν ἀνθρώπων τὰ ἀνθρώπου, εἰ μὴ τὸ πνεῦμα τοῦ ἀνθρώπου τὸ ἐν αὐτῷ; οὕτως καὶ τὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ οὐδεὶς ἔγνωκεν, εἰ μὴ τὸ Πνεῦμα τοῦ Θεοῦ. Ἡμεῖς δὲ οὐ τὸ πνεῦμα τοῦ κόσμου ἐλάβομεν, ἀλλὰ τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἐκ τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἵνα εἴδωμεν τὰ ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ χαρισθέντα ἡμῖν. Τάχα περὶ τῆς τοῦ Πνεύματος γνώσεως λέγει, δεικνὺς ὅτι οὕτως ἐξισοῖ πρὸς τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ γνῶσιν, ὡς ἡ ἀνθρώπου γνῶσις αὐτὴ πρὸς ἑαυτήν. «Ἃ καὶ λαλοῦμεν, οὐκ ἐν διδακτοῖς ἀνθρωπίνης σοφίας λόγοις, ἀλλ' ἐν διδακτικοῖς Πνεύματος.» ∆είκνυσιν ὅτι πάντα ἐκεῖθεν ἐμάνθανεν. 95.588 «Πνευματικοῖς πνευματικὰ συγκρίνοντες.» Ὅταν τι πνευματικὸν καὶ ἀπόῤῥητον ᾖ, ἀπὸ τῶν πνευματικῶν τὰς μαρτυρίας ἄγομεν· οἷον, ὅταν λέγω, ὅτι ἀνέστη Χριστὸς, ὅτι ἀπὸ Παρθένου ἐγεννήθη, παράγω μαρτυρίας καὶ τύπους καὶ ἀποδείξεις· τοῦ Ἰωνᾶ τὴν ἐν τῷ κήτει διατριβὴν, καὶ τὴν μετὰ ταῦτα ἀπαλλαγὴν, τῶν στειρῶν τοὺς τόκους, τῆς Σάῤῥας καὶ Ῥεβέκκας, καὶ τῶν λοιπῶν· ὅταν πάλιν ἐκ Παρθένου λέγω γεγεννῆσθαι Χριστὸν, τὴν ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ τῶν δένδρων βλάστην γεγενημένην, οὐ σπερμάτων καταβληθέντων, οὐχ ὑετῶν κατενεχθέντων, οὐκ αὔλακος ἀνατμηθείσης. Τὰ γὰρ μέλλοντα διεπλάττετο καὶ διεγράφετο, ὡς ἐν σκιᾷ τοῖς προτέροις, ἵνα πιστευθῇ ταῦτα παραγινόμενα. Καὶ δείκνυμι πάλιν πῶς ἀπὸ γῆς ἄνθρωποι, πῶς ἀπὸ ἀνθρώπου μόνου γυνὴ, καὶ οὐδαμοῦ συνουσίᾳ· πῶς αὐτὴ ἡ γῆ ἀπ' οὐδενὸς, τῆς δυνάμεως τῷ ∆ημιουργῷ πρὸς πάντα ἀρκούσης· οὕτω πνευματικοῖς πνευματικὰ συγκρίνω, καὶ οὐδαμοῦ χρείαν ἔχω τῆς ἔξωθεν σοφίας, οὐδὲ λογισμῶν, οὐδὲ παρασκευῶν. «Ψυχικὸς δὲ ἄνθρωπος οὐ δέχεται τὰ τοῦ Πνεύματος τοῦ Θεοῦ.» Ψυχικός ἐστιν, ὁ τὸ πᾶν τοῖς λογισμοῖς τῆς ψυχῆς διδοὺς, καὶ μὴ νομίζων ἄνωθέν τινος δεῖσθαι βοηθείας, ὅπερ ἐστὶν ἀνοίας. Καὶ γὰρ ἔδωκεν ἡμῖν τὸν λογισμὸν ὁ Θεὸς, ἵνα μανθάνῃ καὶ δεῆται τὰ παρ' αὐτοῦ, οὐχ ἵνα ἐξαρκεῖν ἑαυτῷ νομίζῃ. «Μωρία γὰρ αὐτῷ ἐστιν.» Τοῦτο δὲ οὐ τῆς φύσεως τοῦ πράγματος, ἀλλὰ τῆς ἀσθενείας τοῦ μὴ δυνηθέντος τοῦ μεγέθους αὐτῶν ἐφικέσθαι διὰ τῶν τῆς ψυχῆς