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from their preaching and from the very nature of things, we learn as much as is possible for us. For Scripture says: The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament proclaims the work of his hands; and, His invisible attributes from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, both his eternal power and deity. For just as someone, seeing a house brilliantly and artfully constructed or a vessel skillfully fitted together, would immediately think of the builder or craftsman and marvel, so I too, having been formed from non-being and brought into being, even if I have not been able to see the 246 molder and provider, yet from my own well-ordered and most wonderful constitution I came to a knowledge of His wisdom—not as to what it is, but insofar as I have been able to understand—that I was not brought forth automatically, nor have I come into being from myself, but He Himself formed me as He willed, appointing me to rule over all created things, but also making me less than some, and when I was shattered, recreating me again with a better renewal, and then also removing me from things here by His divine command and transferring me to another life, unending and eternal, being unable in any of these things to resist the strength of His providence, nor to add anything to myself nor take anything away, whether in respect to age or to the form of my appearance, nor being strong enough to renew for myself what has grown old, nor to correct what has been corrupted. For none of mankind has ever been strong enough to accomplish any of these things, not a king, not a wise man, not a rich man, not a ruler, nor anyone else pursuing human endeavors; For, he says, no king or those in high positions had another beginning of birth, but one is the entrance into life for all, and the exit is the same. From these things concerning myself, therefore, I am led by the hand to a knowledge of the Creator’s mighty work; and along with these things, considering also the well-ordered constitution and preservation of all creation, that all things in themselves are subject to change and alteration—the intelligible things according to choice, both in progress toward the good and departure from the good, and the sensible things according to generation and corruption, 248 growth and diminution, and change in quality and local motion—and from these things they proclaim with unutterable voices that they have come to be from the uncreated and unchangeable and unalterable God, and are held together, and are preserved, and are ever provided for. For how could contrary natures have come together for the completion of one world and remained indissoluble, unless some all-powerful force brought these things together and always kept them indissoluble? For how could anything have remained, if He himself had not willed it? Or how could that which was not called by Him have been preserved? says the Scripture. For if a ship without a pilot does not hold together, but is easily sunk, and a small house would not stand without someone providing for it, how could the world for so many ages have held together, a creation so great, so beautiful and wonderful, without some glorious and great and wonderful governance and all-wise providence? For behold how long the heaven has existed, and it has not been dimmed; the power of the earth has not grown weak, though bearing fruit for so long a time; the springs have not ceased to gush forth since they came to be; the sea, receiving so many rivers, has not exceeded its measure; the courses of the sun and the moon are not altered; the orders of the day and the night have not been changed. from all these things the ineffable power and magnificence of God is made manifest to us, being testified to by prophets and apostles; but no one will be able to comprehend or praise His glory worthily. For all things, both the intelligible and as many as are under 250 sense, the divine Apostle, who had Christ speaking in him, understood and said: We know in part and we prophesy in part; but when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away. wherefore also, being astounded at the utterly infinite

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ἐκ τοῦ κηρύγματος αὐτῶν καὶ ἐξ αὐτῆς τῆς τῶν πραγμάτων φύσεως, κατὰ τὸ ἐγχωροῦν ἡμῖν μανθάνομεν. λέγει γὰρ ἡ Γραφή· Οἱ οὐρανοὶ διηγοῦνται δόξαν Θεοῦ, ποίησιν δὲ χειρῶν αὐτοῦ ἀναγγέλλει τὸ στερέωμα· καί, Τὰ ἀόρατα αὐτοῦ ἀπὸ κτίσεως κόσμου τοῖς ποιήμασι νοούμενα καθορᾶται, ἥ τε ἀΐδιος αὐτοῦ δύναμις καὶ θεότης. Καθάπερ γάρ τις, οἰκίαν ἰδὼν λαμπρῶς καὶ ἐντέχνως κατεσκευασμένην ἢ σκεῦος εὐφυῶς συνηρμοσμένον, τὸν οἰκοδόμον ἢ τέκτονα εὐθὺς ἂν ἐννοήσας θαυμάσειεν, οὕτω κἀγώ, ἐκ μὴ ὄντων διαπλασθεὶς καὶ εἰς τὸ ὂν παραχθείς, εἰ καὶ τὸν 246 πλάστην καὶ παροχέα θεάσασθαι οὐ δεδύνημαι, ἀλλ' ἐκ τῆς εὐαρμόστου καὶ θαυμασιωτάτης μου κατασκευῆς εἰς γνῶσιν ἦλθον τῆς αὐτοῦ σοφίας, οὐ καθ' ὅ τί ἐστιν, ἀλλὰ καθὰ δεδύνημαι νοεῖν, ὅτι οὐκ αὐτομάτως παρήχθην, οὐδὲ ἀφ' ἑαυτοῦ γεγένημαι, ἀλλ' αὐτὸς ἔπλασέ με καθὼς ἠβουλήθη, πάντων μὲν προκατάρχειν τάξας τῶν κτισμάτων, τινῶν δὲ καὶ ἐλαττώσας, καὶ συντριβέντα πάλιν κρείττονι ἀνακαινίσει ἀναπλάσας, εἶτα καὶ ὑπεξάγων τῶν ἐντεῦθεν τῷ θείῳ αὐτοῦ προστάγματι καὶ πρὸς ἑτέραν μετατιθεὶς βιοτὴν ἀτελεύτητον καὶ αἰώνιον, ἐν οὐδενὶ τούτων δυναμένου μου ἀνθίστασθαι τῇ ἰσχύϊ τῆς αὐτοῦ προνοίας, μήτε τι προστιθέναι ἐμαυτῷ μήτε ὑφαιρεῖν, εἴτε καθ' ἡλικίαν εἴτε κατὰ τὸ τῆς μορφῆς εἶδος, μήτε τὰ πεπαλαιωμένα μοι ἀνακαινίζειν ἐξισχῦσαι, μήτε τὰ διεφθαρμένα ἐπανορθοῦν. οὐδεὶς γὰρ τῶν ἀνθρώπων τούτων τι ἴσχυσέ ποτε κατεργάσασθαι, οὔτε βασιλεύς, οὔτε σοφός, οὔτε πλούσιος, οὔτε δυνάστης, οὔτε τις ἄλλος ἀνθρώπινα μετερχόμενος ἐπιτηδεύματα· Οὐδεὶς γάρ, φησί, βασιλέων ἢ τῶν ἐν ὑπεροχαῖς ὄντων ἑτέραν ἔσχε γενέσεως ἀρχήν, μία δὲ πάντων εἴσοδος εἰς τὸν βίον, ἔξοδός τε ἴση. Ἐκ τούτων οὖν τῶν περὶ ἐμὲ εἰς γνῶσιν τῆς τοῦ ∆ημιουργοῦ μεγαλουργίας χειραγωγοῦμαι· σὺν τούτοις δὲ καὶ τὴν εὐάρμοστον κατασκευὴν καὶ συντήρησιν τῆς κτίσεως ἁπάσης ἐννοῶν, ὅτι αὐτὰ μὲν καθ' ἑαυτὰ τροπῇ ὑπόκεινται πάντα καὶ ἀλλοιώσει, τὰ μὲν νοητὰ κατὰ προαίρεσιν, τήν τε ἐν τῷ καλῷ προκοπὴν καὶ τὴν ἐκ τοῦ καλοῦ ἀποφοίτησιν, τὰ δὲ αἰσθητὰ κατὰ γένεσιν καὶ φθοράν, 248 αὔξησίν τε καὶ μείωσιν, καὶ τὴν κατὰ ποιότητα μεταβολὴν καὶ τοπικὴν κίνησιν, καὶ ἐκ τούτων κηρύττουσι φωναῖς ἀλαλήτοις ὑπὸ τοῦ ἀκτίστου καὶ ἀτρέπτου καὶ ἀναλλοιώτου γεγενῆσθαι Θεοῦ, συνέχεσθαί τε, καὶ συντηρεῖσθαι, καὶ ἀεὶ προνοεῖσθαι. πῶς γὰρ ἂν αἱ ἐναντίαι φύσεις εἰς ἑνὸς κόσμου συμπλήρωσιν ἀλλήλαις συνεληλύθεισαν καὶ ἀδιάλυτοι μεμενήκεισαν, εἰ μή τις παντοδύναμος δύναμις ταῦτα συνεβίβασε καὶ ἀεὶ συνετήρει ἀδιάλυτα; Πῶς γὰρ ἔμεινεν ἄν τι, εἰ μὴ αὐτὸς ἠθέλησεν; ἢ τὸ μὴ κληθὲν ὑπ' αὐτοῦ πῶς ἂν διετηρήθη; φησὶν ἡ Γραφή. Εἰ γὰρ πλοῖον ἀκυβέρνητον οὐ συνίσταται, ἀλλ' εὐκόλως καταποντίζεται, καὶ οἰκία μικρὰ οὐκ ἂν στῇ χωρὶς τοῦ προνοοῦντος, πῶς ἂν ὁ κόσμος ἐπὶ τοσούτων χρόνων συνέστη, δημιούργημα οὕτω μὲν μέγα, οὕτω δὲ καλὸν καὶ θαυμαστόν, ἄνευ ἐνδόξου τινὸς καὶ μεγάλης καὶ θαυμαστῆς διακυβερνήσεως καὶ πανσόφου προνοίας; ἰδοὺ γὰρ ὁ οὐρανὸς πόσον ἔχει χρόνον, καὶ οὐκ ἠμαυρώθη· τῆς γῆς ἡ δύναμις οὐκ ἠτόνησε, τοσοῦτον τίκτουσα χρόνον· αἱ πηγαὶ οὐκ ἐπέλιπον ἀναβλύζειν ἐξ οὗ γεγόνασιν· ἡ θάλασσα, τοσούτους δεχομένη ποταμούς, οὐχ ὑπερέβη τὸ μέτρον· οἱ δρόμοι τοῦ ἡλίου καὶ τῆς σελήνης οὐκ ἠλλοίωνται· αἱ τάξεις τῆς ἡμέρας καὶ τῆς νυκτὸς οὐ μετετράπησαν. ἐκ τούτων πάντων ἡ ἄφατος τοῦ Θεοῦ δύναμις καὶ μεγαλοπρέπεια ἡμῖν ἐμφανίζεται, μαρτυρουμένη ὑπὸ προφητῶν καὶ ἀποστόλων· ἀλλ' οὐδεὶς κατ' ἀξίαν νοῆσαι ἢ εὐφημῆσαι τὴν δόξαν αὐτοῦ δυνήσεται. πάντα γὰρ τά τε νοητὰ καὶ ὅσα ὑπὸ τὴν 250 αἴσθησιν ὁ θεῖος Ἀπόστολος, ὁ τὸν Χριστὸν ἔχων ἐν ἑαυτῷ λαλοῦντα, κατανοήσας εἶπεν· Ἐκ μέρους γινώσκομεν καὶ ἐκ μέρους προφητεύομεν· ὅταν δὲ ἔλθῃ τὸ τέλειον, τότε τὸ ἐκ μέρους καταργηθήσεται. διὸ καί, ἐκπληττόμενος τὸν ὑπεράπειρον