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§ 35. But sinning in knowledge: See how he interprets the saying, "woe to those who sin in knowledge," and the saying, "the servant who knew his master's will, and did not do it, will be beaten with many stripes."

Or of knowledge: Perhaps he calls knowledge that which is acquired from teaching, which forgetfulness can often obscure, which he also says above comes from hearing; but unforgettable knowledge must be considered that which is acquired untaught from natural contemplation or illumination.

But these things for us: Note that there is also another treatise of his concerning the just and the divine tribunal; and note also that this chapter has twenty-three arguments, demonstrating that evil is not a being.

ON CHAPTER 5

§ 1. Not the supra-essential: The ancients called God "One," not as the beginning of numbers,

but because He is set apart from all things and (14S_208> has nothing numbered with Him of the things after Him, but also because of His uncompounded and simple nature; but this does not show what the essence of God is; for essence in the proper sense cannot be said of God; for He is supra-essential.

Of the thearchic ousiarchy: He calls ousiarchy the principle and cause of all essence; for the Godhead itself is beyond all essence. And procession he calls the divine energy, which brought forth all essence.

For the divine name of the Good: How God is called good. But see how he says the Good, that is, His divine name, extends to all beings and is in non-beings; but the One is beyond beings and extends beyond it; and Life is beyond living things, and Wisdom extends beyond intellectual, and rational, and sensible things, so that it is clear that the Good, that is, God, is the cause of being and life and wisdom, and being is the cause of life and wisdom, understand accordingly for beings (for the rest).

And extends to non-beings: And the Good extends to non-beings, as calling them into being, or also according to what was said by the father himself, that even non-being itself is good, when it is contemplated in God on account of His supra-essentiality. But he says the non-beings are material beings, as we have often shown above; or thus, since God is not circumscribed by place, he rightly says that He is also beyond non-beings, in order to show His uncircumscribable nature.

And beyond living things: It is necessary to note how, when he speaks of angels and men, he calls angels "intelligible" and our souls "intellectual", as we have often presented above, setting out the interpretations of "intelligible" and "intellectual". But now, since he speaks first of God, he rightly calls the angels along with us "intellectual", since they too are nourished by intellection through knowing God, as far as is possible, by being turned (14S_210> toward the divine wisdom, just as human souls are, and also the sensible things, that is, the irrational ones. Nevertheless, all ensouled things partake of divine wisdom even in their natural impulses, as the divine Basil also shows in the Hexaemeron, and also the fact that all things came to be in wisdom, according to the saying, "in wisdom you have made all things." And Wisdom is the Son who is; all things therefore came to be in the Son who is, he says.

§ 2. Manifestive: He calls "manifestive" those things that manifest, or represent. Of that which is beyond all goodness: Note that we say well that He is beyond

all goodness and godhead; therefore, understand the subordinate godheads of angels and of just men.

In secret places: As in, "he made darkness his secret place," and again: "in the secret place of the storm."

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§ 35. Εν γνώσει δέ ἁμαρτάνοντας: Ὅρα πῶς ἑρμηνεύει τό, «οὐαί τοῖς ἐν γνώσει ἁμαρτάνουσι», καί τό, «ὁ δοῦλος ὁ εἰδώς τό θέλημα τοῦ κυρίου αὐτοῦ, καί μή ποιῶν αὐτό, δαρήσεται πολλάς».

Ἤ τῆς γνώσεως: Γνῶσίν φησιν ἴσως τήν ἐκ διδασκαλίας προσγινομένην, ἥν καί λήθη πολλάκις δύναται ἀμαυρῶσαι, ἥν καί ἀνωτέρω φησίν ἐξ ἀκοῆς ἐγγίνεσθαι· ἄληστον δέ τήν γνῶσιν οἰητέον τήν ἐκ φυσικῆς θεωρίας ἤ ἐλλάμψεως ἀδιδάκτως προσγινομένην.

Ἀλλά ταῦτα μέν ἡμῖν: Σημείωσαι, ὅτι καί ἄλλο ἐστίν αὐτοῦ σύνταγμα περί δικαίου καί θείου δικαιωτηρίου· σημείωσαι δέ, καί ὅτι εἴκοσι καί τρεῖς συλλογισμούς ἔχει τό κεφάλαιον τοῦτο, ἀποδεικνύντας, ὅτι οὐκ ἔστιν ὄν τό κακόν.

ΕΙΣ ΤΟ ΚΕΦΑΛΑΙΟΝ Ε'

§ 1. Οὐ τήν ὑπερούσιον: Ἕν ὠνόμασαν τόν Θεόν οἱ πάλαι οὐχ ὡς ἀριθμῶν

ἀρχήν, ἀλλά διά τό πάντων ἐξῃρῆσθαι καί (14S_208> μηδέν ἔχειν συναριθμούμενον τῶν μετ' αὐτόν, ἀλλά καί διά τό ἀσύνθετον καί ἁπλοῦν· οὐ τοῦτο δέ παρίστησι, τίς ἡ οὐσία τοῦ Θεοῦ· κυρίως γάρ οὐσία ἐπί Θεοῦ οὐκ ἄν λέγοιτο· ἔστι γάρ ὑπερούσιος.

Θεαρχικῆς οὐσιαρχίας: Οὐσιαρχίαν φησί τήν πάσης ἀρχήν οὐσίας καί αἰτίαν· αὐτή γάρ ἡ θεότης ὑπέρ πᾶσαν οὐσίαν. Πρόοδον δέ τήν θείαν ἐνέργειαν λέγει, ἥτις πᾶσαν οὐσίαν παρήγαγε.

Καί γάρ ἡ τἀγαθοῦ θεωνυμία: Πῶς ἀγαθός λέγεται ὁ Θεός. Ὅρα δέ πῶς φησι τό ἀγαθόν, ἤτοι τήν αὐτοῦ θεωνυμίαν, ἐκτείνεσθαι εἰς τά ὄντα πάντα καί εἰς τά οὐκ ὄντα εἶναι· τό δέ ἕν ὑπέρ τά ὄντα εἶναι καί ὑπερεκτείνεσθαι αὐτό· τήν δέ ζωήν ὑπέρ τά ζῶντα εἶναι, καί τήν σοφίαν ὑπέρ τά νοερά καί λογικά καί αἰσθητικά ἐκτείνεσθαι, ὡς εἶναι δῆλον, ὅτι τό ἀγαθόν, τοὐτέστιν ὁ Θεός, καί τοῦ ὄντος καί ζωῆς καί σοφίας αἴτιον, τό δέ ὄν, ζωῆς καί σοφίας αἴτιον, τοῖς οὖσι νόει ἀκολούθως (τοῖς λοιποῖς).

Καί εἰς τά οὐκ ὄντα ἐκτείνεται: Καί εἰς τά οὐκ ὄντα ἐκτείνεται τό ἀγαθόν, ὡς εἰς τό εἶναι καλοῦν αὐτά, ἤ καί κατά τό εἰρημένον αὐτῷ τῷ πατρί, ὅτι καί αὐτό τό μή ὄν καλόν, ὅταν ἐν Θεῷ διά τό ὑπερούσιον θεωρῆται. Ὄντα δέ τά οὐκ ὄντα ὑλικά φησιν, ὡς πολλάκις ἐδηλώσαμεν ἄνω· ἤ οὕτως, ἐπειδή οὐ περιγράφεται τόπῳ ὁ Θεός, εἰκότως φησί καί ὑπέρ τά οὐκ ὄντα αὐτόν εἶναι, ἵνα δείξῃ τό ἀπερίγραπτον αὐτοῦ.

Καί ὑπέρ τά ζῶντα: Ἐπισημήνασθαι χρή, πῶς, ὅταν μέν περί ἀγγέλων φησί καί ἀνθρώπων, τούς ἀγγέλους νοητά φησι, τάς δέ ἡμετέρας ψυχάς νοεράς, ὡς πολλάκις ἀνωτέρω παρεστήσαμεν καί τάς ἑρμηνείας ἐκθέμενοι τοῦ νοητοῦ καί νοεροῦ. Νῦν δ' ἐπειδή περί τοῦ Θεοῦ πρῶτόν φησιν, εἰκότως καί τούς ἀγγέλους μεθ' ἡμῶν νοερούς φησιν, ἅτε καί αὐτούς διά τοῦ νοεῖν τόν Θεόν, ὅσον οἷόν τε, τρεφομένους τῇ νοήσει, τῷ ἐπεστράφθαι (14S_210> ἐπί τήν θείαν σοφίαν, ὡς καί αἱ ἀνθρώπιναι ψυχαί, καί τά αἰσθητικά δέ, τουτέστι τά ἄλογα. Ἔμψυχα δέ ὅμως πάντα σοφίας μετέχουσι θείας καί ἐν ταῖς φυσικαῖς αὐτῶν ὁρμαῖς, ὡς καί ὁ θεῖος Βασίλειος ἐν τῇ Ἑξαημέρῳ δείκνυσι, καί αὐτό δέ τό ἐν σοφίᾳ γενέσθαι πάντα, κατά τό εἰρημένον, «πάντα ἐν σοφίᾳ ἐποίησας». Ἡ δέ σοφία ἐστίν ὁ Υἱός ὁ ὤν· πάντα οὖν ἐν τῷ Υἱῷ τῷ ὄντι ἐγένοντο, φησίν.

§ 2. Ἐκφαντορικάς: Ἐκφαντορικάς φησι τάς ἐκφαινούσας, ἤτοι παριστάσας. Τῆς ὑπέρ πᾶσαν ἀγαθότητα: Σημείωσαι, ὅτι καλῶς λέγομεν, ὅτι ἐστίν ὑπέρ

πᾶσαν ἀγαθότητα καί θεότητα· ὑποβεβηκυίας οὖν θεότητας νόησον ἀγγέλων καί ἀνθρώπων δικαίων.

Ἐν ἀποκρύφοις: Ὡς τό, «ἔθετο σκότος ἀποκρυφήν αὐτοῦ», καί πάλιν· «ἐν ἀποκρύφῳ καταιγίδος».