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“He who repents over the evils of men;” this is, He who forgives or sympathizes; for He does not repent as if He Himself were the cause of the evil. But often Scripture has used a word, which here signifies one thing, as if it indicated another in its appearance; as when it says in Exodus: “Moses was keeping the flock of Jethro his son-in-law.” But on the contrary, Jethro was the father-in-law, and Moses the son-in-law. And that the invisible God is incomprehensible and unattainable by any mind, for which reason, for the most part, divine declarations are not simply manifest to all as they happen to be, but have a hidden meaning, can be found also in the books of outside philosophies. For they have these words: Unspoken are the counsels of the heavenly God to mortals, Each fenced off by ineffable providences; Of which it is not lawful for a mortal to grasp the immeasurable by measure.

CHAP. 36. And the passage in John, “And this is eternal

life, that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent;” and again, “Believe in God, and believe in me,” the Macedonians have studied most blasphemously, asserting that the Holy Spirit is not mentioned, as if foreign in nature; and for this reason is excluded from being true God. But much has already been said about this in response to similar problems, both in the first discourse in the tenth chapter, and in this book in the fourteenth chapter; and it will be said now also. If, then, eternal life, which is about the 39.968 Father and the Son, is knowledge, and the Spirit has been shown to be both life and the Spirit of God; then He too is the only true God, being ever understood with the Father, as His Spirit. Therefore, by one eternal life He taught one knowledge, and not a different one, following in the proposed chapter. And the evangelist, saying, “By this we know that God is in us, from His Spirit which He has given us,” declares that It is mentioned together and is present together with the Father. That the Son is not understood without the Holy Spirit is clear; for the Father says to Him, “My Spirit, which is upon you;” and He Himself says, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me.” And Paul, indicating the commonality of the divinity, and that the Holy Spirit is spoken of together in the thought of Scripture, even if it is not specifically mentioned, writes: “Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.” At another time, then, again, he mentions the Holy Spirit, either alone, or with the Father. Therefore I think it is more necessary for them to say as the all-wise Moses did: “If I have found grace with you, show me yourself; that I may see you plainly;” so that they might at last know the Trinity, indivisible in nature and harmony. For as it seems, they do not yet know plainly what many prophets and kings desired to see and hear, and did not obtain; but we not only hear, but also see, as it says in Luke.

CHAP. 37. They have been equally deceived also concerning what is written in Luke;

“No one knows the Son except the Father; nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him;” and elsewhere: “Not that anyone has seen God, except He who is from 39.969 God.” For they think that the phrase, “No one else knows,” pushes the divine Spirit out of divine knowledge; not paying attention that the voice saying, “except He who is from God,” does not exclude It from seeing and knowing the Father, since Paul likewise wrote concerning It: “the Spirit which is from God;” and the Son said: “the Spirit, who proceeds from the Father;” then also in another place, where Paul was silent in word, but not in mind, about the Son, but taught that the Spirit alone sees and knows the Father in the

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«Ὁ μετανοῶν ἐπὶ ταῖς κακίαις τῶν ἀνθρώπων·» τοῦτ' ἔστιν, Ὁ συγγινώσκων ἢ συμπαθῶν· οὐ γὰρ ὡς αὐτὸς ὢν αἴτιος τῆς κακίας, ἢ μετανοεῖ. Πολλάκις δὲ ἡ Γραφὴ τὴν λέξιν, τὴν ἐνταῦθα σημαίνουσαν τόδε τι, ἔθηκεν ὡς ἄλλο τῷ φαινομένῳ μηνύουσαν· ὡς ἡνίκα λέγῃ ἐν Ἐξόδῳ· «Ἦν Μωϋσῆς ποιμαίνων τὰ πρόβατα Ἰοθὼρ γαμβροῦ αὐτοῦ.» Ἦν δὲ τοὐναντίον Ἰοθὼρ πενθερὸς, γαμβρὸς δὲ Μωϋσῆς. Ὅτι δὲ καὶ νῷ παντὶ ἀχώρητος καὶ ἀνέφικτος ὁ ἀόρατος Θεὸς διὸ ὡς ἐπίπαν αἱ θεηγορίαι οὐχ ὡς ἔτυχε πᾶσιν ἁπλῶς ἐμφανῆ, ἀλλὰ κρύφιον ἔχουσι νοῦν, ἔστιν εὑρεῖν καὶ ἐν βιβλίοις τῶν ἔξω φιλοσοφημάτων. Ἔχουσι γὰρ ταῦτα· Ἄῤῥητα δ' οὐρανίοιο Θεοῦ μελεδήματα θνητοῖς, Ἀφράστοισιν ἕκαστα διαφραχθέντα προνοίαις· Ὦν βροτὸν οὐ θέμις ἐστὶ μέτρῳ τ' ἀμέτρητ' ἀνελέσθαι.

ΚΕΦ. Λςʹ. Καὶ τὴν ἔχουσαν παρ' Ἰωάννῃ περιοχὴν, «Αὕτη δέ ἐστιν ἡ αἰώνιος

ζωὴ, ἵνα γινώσκωσίν σε, τὸν μόνον ἀληθινὸν Θεὸν, καὶ ὃν ἀπέστειλας Ἰησοῦν Χριστόν·» καὶ πάλιν· «Πιστεύετε εἰς τὸν Θεὸν, καὶ εἰς ἐμὲ πιστεύετε,» βλασφήμως λίαν Μακεδονιανοὶ ἐμελέτησαν, φάσκοντες τὸ ἅγιον Πνεῦμα μὴ μνημονεύεσθαι, ὡς δῆθεν ὀθνεῖον τῇ φύσει· καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ἐκβάλλεσθαι τοῦ εἶναι ἀληθινὸν Θεόν. Ἀλλ' εἴρηται μὲν ἤδη εἰς ὁμοιότροπα προβλήματα πολλὰ περὶ τούτου, καὶ μέντοι ἐν τῷ πρώτῳ λόγῳ ἐν κεφαλαίῳ δεκάτῳ, καὶ ἐν τῷδε τῷ βιβλίῳ ἐν κεφαλαίῳ τεσσαρεσκαιδεκάτῳ· ῥηθήσεται δὲ καὶ νῦν. Εἰ τοίνυν ἡ αἰώνιος ζωὴ, ἡ περὶ τοῦ 39.968 Πατρὸς καὶ τοῦ Υἱοῦ, ἔστι γνῶσις, καὶ τὸ Πνεῦμα δὲ ἀποδέδεικται εἶναι ζωή τε καὶ Πνεῦμα τοῦ Θεοῦ· ἄρα καὶ αὐτὸς μόνος ἀληθινὸς Θεὸς ὑπάρχει, νοούμενος ἀεὶ μετὰ τοῦ Πατρὸς, ὡς Πνεῦμα αὐτοῦ. ∆ιὸ μιᾷ αἰωνίῳ ζωῇ μίαν γνῶσιν, καὶ οὐ διάφορον, ἑπομένην ἐν τῷ ἐκκειμένῳ κεφαλαίῳ ἐδίδαξεν. Λέγων δὲ καὶ εὐαγγελιστὴς, «Ἐν τούτῳ γινώσκομεν, ὅτι ἐν ἡμῖν ἐστιν ὁ Θεὸς, ἐκ τοῦ Πνεύματος αὐτοῦ, οὗ ἔδωκεν ἡμῖν,» συμμνημονεύεσθαι αὐτὸ καὶ συμπαρεῖναι τῷ Πατρὶ δηλοῖ. Ὅτι δὲ οὔτε ὁ Υἱὸς χωρὶς τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος νοεῖται, εὔδηλον· λέγει γὰρ ὁ μὲν Πατὴρ πρὸς αὐτόν· «Τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἐμὸν, ὅ ἐστιν ἐπὶ σοί·» αὐτὸς δέ φησι· «Πνεῦμα Κυρίου ἐπ' ἐμέ.» Καὶ ὁ Παῦλος δὲ, τῆς θεότητος τὸ ἐπίκοινον, καὶ τὸ συνεκφωνεῖσθαι τὸ ἅγιον Πνεῦμα τῇ διανοίᾳ τῆς Γραφῆς, κἂν μήποτε ἰδικῶς ἐμφέρηται, σημαίνων, γράφει· «Σπουδάζοντες τηρεῖν τὴν ἑνότητα τοῦ Πνεύματος ἐν τῷ συνδέσμῳ τῆς εἰρήνης.» Ἄλλοτε οὖν πάλιν τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος, ἢ κατὰ μόνας, ἢ σὺν τῷ Πατρὶ μνημονεύει. Ἀναγκαῖον οὖν οἶμαι μᾶλλον λέγειν αὐτοὺς ὡς ὁ πάνσοφος Μωϋσῆς· «Εἰ εὕρηκα χάριν παρὰ σοὶ, ἐμφάνισόν μοι σεαυτόν· γνωστῶς ἴδω σε·» ἵν' ὀψέ ποτε γνοῖεν τὴν τῇ φύσει καὶ συμφωνίᾳ ἀδιαίρετον Τριάδα. Ὡς ἔοικεν γὰρ, οὔπω γνωστῶς ἴσασιν, ἃ πολλοὶ μὲν προφῆται καὶ βασιλεῖς ἠθέλησαν ἰδεῖν καὶ ἀκοῦσαι, καὶ οὐκ ἔτυχον· ἡμεῖς δὲ οὐχὶ ἀκούομεν μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ βλέπομεν, ὡς παρὰ Λουκᾷ λέγει.

ΚΕΦ. ΛΖʹ. Ἐν ἴσῳ πεπλάνηνται καὶ περὶ τὸ γεγραμμένον ἐν τῷ Λουκᾷ·

«Οὐδεὶς γινώσκει τὸν Υἱὸν, εἰ μὴ ὁ Πατήρ· οὐδὲ τὸν Πατέρα τις ἐπιγινώσκει, εἰ μὴ ὁ Υἱὸς, καὶ ᾧ ἐὰν βούληται ὁ Υἱὸς ἀποκαλύψαι·» καὶ ἑτέρωθι· «Οὐχ ὅτι τὸν Θεόν τις ἑώρακεν, εἰ μὴ ὁ ὢν ἐκ 39.969 τοῦ Θεοῦ.» Ἡγοῦνται γὰρ, ὡς ἡ, «Οὐδεὶς ἄλλος γινώσκει,» λέξις ἐξωθεῖ τῆς θείας γνώσεως τὸ θεϊκὸν Πνεῦμα· οὐ προσέχοντες, ὡς ἡ λέγουσα φωνὴ, «εἰ μὴ ὁ ὢν ἐκ τοῦ Θεοῦ,» οὐκ ἐκβάλλει αὐτὸ τοῦ ὁρᾷν καὶ γινώσκειν τὸν Πατέρα, ἅτε καὶ Παύλου ὁμοίως γράψαντος περὶ αὐτοῦ· «Πνεῦμα τὸ ἐκ τοῦ Θεοῦ·» καὶ τοῦ Υἱοῦ φήσαντος· «Πνεῦμα, ὃ παρὰ τοῦ Πατρὸς ἐκπορεύεται·» εἶτα καὶ ἐν ἑτέρῳ πάλιν τοῦ Παύλου σιωπήσαντος μὲν τῇ λέξει, οὐχὶ δὲ τῷ νῷ, τὸν Υἱὸν, διδάξαντος δὲ τὸ Πνεῦμα μόνον ὁρᾷν καὶ εἰδέναι τὸν Πατέρα ἐν ταῖς