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to have called the regions of Hades an abyss. And the Lord himself makes this clearer, saying in the oracle to Job: "Have you come to the spring of the sea, and have you walked in the tracks of the abyss? Do the gates of death open to you in fear, and have the gatekeepers3.3.17 of Hades cowered at seeing you?"; and the evil powers in the abyss, about which it is said, "Praise him from the earth, you dragons and all abysses," and also the darkness above the abyss, about which Moses said, "and darkness was upon the abyss," having learned all these things, if indeed he had encountered the divine scriptures with effort and not superficially, he would not have dared to call the hearts of the saints 3.3.18 the abysses, and he would have known how it is said both "abyss calls to abyss at the voice of your cataracts," and again, "the abysses were troubled, the abundance of the sound of water," and again, "the abyss is as his garment 3.3.19 its covering." He would have examined these things and things akin to them, if he had any care for the comprehension of them. But now, having thus readily and loosely declared the hearts of the saints to be the abysses, he did not even thus understand that he who said "before he made the abysses" taught that he himself existed before the holy and God-loving men who have been from of old; so that it is from every side impossible to apply the aforementioned 3.3.20 words to the flesh of the Savior. But he, having moved on to another saying of the same scripture, also interprets this thus, saying: What, then, is this passage, "before the springs of the waters came forth"? He says it is the holy apostles. The scripture of Exodus 3.3.21 presents this mystery to us, foretelling of old the types of the apostles, for as there were twelve apostles in number, it mentions twelve springs. And saying these things he does not understand that there were also twelve tribes of Israel and twelve patriarchs of these, and one book of the twelve prophets, but also twelve hours of the day and twelve months of the whole 3.3.22 year. Why then did the number twelve pertain more to the apostles than to all those others, if indeed a certain quantitative number provided him the reason for such an interpretation of the saying? But he should have seen that the prophets of God also, inasmuch as they partook of the same Holy Spirit, were not alien to the springs. Wherefore it is said of them in the Psalms, "in the congregations bless God the Lord from the 3.3.23 springs of Israel." Therefore it is necessary to confess that the Son of God, who says "before the springs of the waters came forth," existed also before those springs. But hear how he interprets, saying: "Reasonably, therefore, the Master spoke through the prophet Solomon concerning his birth according to the flesh, saying 'before the springs of the waters came forth.'" 3.3.24 And he adds: "For thus the Savior said to the holy springs, 'Go and make disciples of all the nations.'" Then, as if summarizing his argument, he adds the conclusion to his own narrative, saying: "It is clear from every side that the holy apostles were also tropically named springs by the prophet." And he wishes the apostles to be the springs, but the prophets do not please 3.3.25 him. Why, except that he could not place the flesh of the Savior before them? And yet, even before the physical, perceptible springs, which Moses also mentioned in the creation account, saying, "but a spring went up from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground," and again, "a river flows out of Eden to water the garden," the Son of God pre-existed, he who teaches these things about himself in Proverbs. But he who gives oracles to Job also mentions springs of the sea, saying, "Have you come to the spring of the sea, 3.3.26 and have you walked in the tracks of the abyss?" And since scripture also teaches that there are certain waters above the heavens, the one saying "Praise him, you heavens of heavens, and you waters that are above the heavens," it follows that we should understand there to be certain springs of those waters too, of whatever nature they may be, so that he who said he pre-existed "before the springs of the waters came forth" 3.3.27 might be shown to be older than those also. But he who paid attention to none of these things

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τοῦ ᾅδου χωρία κεκληκέναι ἄβυσσον. καὶ αὐτὸς δὲ ὁ κύριος σαφέστερον τοῦτο παρίστη, ἐν τῷ πρὸς τὸν Ἰὼβ χρηματισμῷ λέγων «ἦλθες δὲ ἐπὶ πηγὴν θαλάσσης, ἐν δὲ ἴχνεσιν ἀβύσσου περιεπάτησας; ἀνοίγονται δέ σοι φόβῳ πύλαι θανάτου, πυ3.3.17 λωροὶ δὲ ᾅδου ἰδόντες σε ἔπτηξαν»; καὶ τὰς ἐν τῇ ἀβύσσῳ δὲ δυνάμεις πονηράς, περὶ ὧν εἴρηται «αἰνεῖτε αὐτὸν ἐκ τῆς γῆς, δράκοντες καὶ πᾶσαι αἱ ἄβυσσοι», καὶ ἔτι τὸ ἐπάνω τῆς ἀβύσσου σκότος, περὶ οὗ Μωσῆς ἔφη «καὶ σκότος ἐπάνω τῆς ἀβύσσου», ταῦτα πάντα μαθών, εἴπερ ἦν ἐπιπόνως ἀλλὰ μὴ ἐξιτήλως ταῖς θείαις ἐντετυχηκὼς γραφαῖς, οὐκ ἂν τὰς τῶν ἁγίων καρδίας ἐτόλμα εἰπεῖν 3.3.18 τὰς ἀβύσσους, ἔγνω δ' ἂν ὅπως εἴρηται καὶ τὸ «ἄβυσσος ἄβυσσον ἐπικαλεῖται εἰς φωνὴν τῶν καταρρακτῶν σου» καὶ αὖθις «ἐταράχθησαν ἄβυσσοι, πλῆθος ἤχους ὕδατος» καὶ πάλιν «ἄβυσσος ὡς ἱμάτιον 3.3.19 τὸ περιβόλαιον αὐτοῦ». ταῦτα καὶ τὰ τούτοις ἀδελφὰ διηκρίβωσεν ἄν, εἴ τις ἦν αὐτῷ φροντὶς τῆς τούτων καταλήψεως. νῦν δὲ προχείρως οὕτως καὶ διαλελυμένως τὰς τῶν ἁγίων καρδίας τὰς ἀβύσσους εἶναι ἀποφηνάμενος, οὐδ' οὕτως συνῆκεν ὡς πρὸ τῶν ἁγίων καὶ θεοφιλῶν ἀνδρῶν τῶν ἐξ αἰῶνος γενομένων ἑαυτὸν ὑπάρχειν ἐδίδαξεν ὁ εἰπὼν «πρὸ τοῦ τὰς ἀβύσσους ποιῆσαι»· ὡς πανταχόθεν μὴ δύνασθαι τῇ σαρκὶ τοῦ σωτῆρος ἐφαρμόζειν τὰς προκειμένας 3.3.20 λέξεις. ὁ δὲ ἐφ' ἑτέραν μεταβὰς ῥῆσιν τῆς αὐτῆς γραφῆς, καὶ ταύτην οὕτως ἑρμηνεύει λέγων τί τοίνυν ἔστιν καὶ τουτὶ τὸ κεφάλαιον «πρὸ τοῦ προ ελθεῖν τὰς πηγὰς τῶν ὑδάτων»; τοὺς ἱεροὺς ἀποστόλους εἶναί φησιν. τοῦτο δὲ ἡμῖν τὸ μυστήριον παρίστησιν ἡ τῆς Ἐξόδου 3.3.21 γραφὴ τοὺς τῶν ἀποστόλων τύπους πάλαι προαγορεύουσα, δώ δεκα γὰρ ὄντων τὸν ἀριθμὸν τῶν ἀποστόλων δώδεκα πηγῶν μέμνηται. καὶ ταῦτα λέγων οὐ συνίησιν ὡς καὶ τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ δώδεκα ἦσαν φυλαὶ καὶ δώδεκα οἱ τούτων πατριάρχαι μία τε βίβλος ἡ τῶν δώδεκα προφητῶν, ἀλλὰ καὶ δώδεκα τῆς ἡμέρας ὧραι καὶ μῆνες τοῦ παντὸς 3.3.22 ἔτους δώδεκα. τί οὖν μᾶλλον τοῖς ἀποστόλοις ἢ ἐκείνοις ἅπασιν ὁ τῶν δώδεκα διέφερεν ἀριθμός, εἰ δὴ τοῦ ποσοῦ τις ἀριθμὸς τὴν αἰτίαν αὐτῷ τῆς τοιασδὶ τοῦ λόγου παρεῖχεν ἑρμηνείας; χρῆν δὲ συνιδεῖν ὡς καὶ οἱ τοῦ θεοῦ προφῆται, καθ' ὃ τοῦ αὐτοῦ μετέσχον πνεύματος ἁγίου, οὐκ ἦσαν ἀλλότριοι τῶν πηγῶν. διὸ λέλεκται περὶ αὐτῶν ἐν Ψαλμοῖς «ἐν ἐκκλησίαις εὐλογεῖτε τὸν θεὸν κύριον ἐκ 3.3.23 πηγῶν Ἰσραήλ». ὥστε καὶ πρὸ ἐκείνων τῶν πηγῶν ἀναγκαῖον ὁμολογεῖν τὸν υἱὸν εἶναι τοῦ θεοῦ τὸν λέγοντα «πρὸ τοῦ προελθεῖν τὰς πηγὰς τῶν ὑδάτων». ὁ δὲ ἐπάκουσον ὅπως ἑρμηνεύει, λέγων εἰκότως οὖν περὶ τῆς κατὰ σάρκα γενέσεως ὁ δεσπότης διὰ τοῦ προφήτου Σολομῶνος λέγων «πρὸ τοῦ προελθεῖν τὰς πηγὰς τῶν ὑδάτων» ἔφη. 3.3.24 καὶ ἐπιφέρει οὕτω γὰρ ὁ σωτὴρ πρὸς τὰς ἱερὰς πηγὰς ἔφη «πορευ θέντες μαθητεύσατε πάντα τὰ ἔθνη». εἶθ' ὥσπερ συναγαγὼν τὸν λόγον, τὸ συμπέρασμα ἐπάγει τῇ ἑαυτοῦ διηγήσει λέγων πανταχόθεν δῆλόν ἐστιν τοὺς ἱεροὺς ἀποστόλους καὶ πηγὰς τροπικῶς ὠνομάσθαι ὑπὸ τοῦ προφήτου. καὶ τοὺς μὲν ἀποστόλους τὰς πηγὰς εἶναι βούλεται, οὐκ ἀρέσκουσιν 3.3.25 δὲ αὐτῷ οἱ προφῆται· διατί, ἀλλ' ἢ ὅτι μὴ ἐδύνατο τὴν σάρκα τοῦ σωτῆρος πρὸ ἐκείνων διδόναι; καίτοι καὶ πρὸ τῶν κατὰ φύσιν αἰσθητῶν πηγῶν, ὧν καὶ Μωσῆς ἐμνημόνευσεν ἐν τῇ κοσμοποιίᾳ εἰπὼν «πηγὴ δὲ ἀνέβαινεν ἐκ τῆς γῆς, καὶ ἐπότιζεν πᾶν τὸ πρόσωπον τῆς γῆς» καὶ αὖθις «ποταμὸς δὲ ἐκπορεύεται ἐξ Ἐδὲμ ποτίζειν τὸν παράδεισον», προϋπῆρχεν ὁ τοῦ θεοῦ υἱὸς ὁ ταῦτα ἐν Παροιμίαις περὶ ἑαυτοῦ διδάσκων. ὁ δὲ τῷ Ἰὼβ χρηματίζων καὶ πηγῶν θαλάσσης μνημονεύει λέγων «ἦλθες δὲ ἐπὶ πηγὴν θαλάσσης, 3.3.26 ἐν δὲ ἴχνεσιν ἀβύσσου περιεπάτησας»; ἐπεὶ δὲ καὶ ὑπεράνω τῶν οὐρανῶν ὕδατά τινα εἶναι ἡ γραφὴ διδάσκει ἡ λέγουσα «αἰνεῖτε αὐτὸν οἱ οὐρανοὶ τῶν οὐρανῶν, καὶ τὰ ὕδατα τὰ ὑπεράνω τῶν οὐρανῶν», ἀκόλουθόν ἐστιν κἀκείνων τῶν ὑδάτων ὁποῖα δ' ἂν ὑπάρχῃ τὴν φύσιν νοῆσαί τινας εἶναι πηγάς, ὅπως κἀκείνων πρεσβύτερος ἀποδειχθῇ ὁ εἰρηκὼς ἑαυτὸν προϋπάρχειν «πρὸ τοῦ προελθεῖν τὰς 3.3.27 πηγὰς τῶν ὑδάτων». ὁ δὲ μηδενὶ τούτων ἐπιστήσας