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And we say that there are paradigms: Plato, on the one hand, understood the ideas and paradigms in a lowly and unworthy manner of God, but the father, on the other hand, used the word, but piously explained the meaning. And he said that the divine wills are definitive and productive, the one, because by willing alone He constitutes and makes all things; the other, also because beings came to be heterogeneous and different. Note, therefore, that he calls paradigms the substance-making and unitively pre-existing logoi, that is, the predestinations, of beings in God.

§ 9. It proceeds, but not through masters: Rather, the blessed (14S_244> Clement followed a certain opinion which says that also in the generation of sensible beings there are certain primary causes, for instance those of the intelligible, that is, the energies of incorporeal angels, that is, producers into substance, and that the ideas, that is, the thoughts, of God have primary causes; concerning which ideas, being paradigmatic, the intelligibles are as primary and blessed and ruling energies; but in the case of sensibles, the said opinion says that the form upon matter is the primary and blessed and demiurgic cause; for it says that the logos of nature in generation, according to which sensibles were formed, is such a primary form. It seems, then, perhaps, that the blessed Clement has said this; but it is not possible to call these properly paradigms, that is, primary ideas, or rather primary causes; for these things are not from them, but from the thoughts of God, who alone is to be worshipped.

Of procession and goodness: He calls procession the fact that it is not only occupied with its own contemplation, but has been poured out and has proceeded and has substantiated beings.

All things indeed in herself: Because he says that God rejoices over all beings, according to the psalm: 'The Lord will rejoice in His works,' and in Proverbs: 'I was she in whom He delighted'. And 'pre-exists' here is used instead of 'predestined' and 'pre-conceived'.

Every doubleness: Since some said that the ideas and paradigms are hypostatic, he now rebukes these, being Greeks, and says: For if the ideas were not simply and unitively, being super-simple thoughts of the super-simple and super-unified God, God would be composite of a paradigm and (14S_246> Himself, which he called doubleness, And 'rejoicing' agrees with David: 'The Lord will rejoice', and so on.

Just as also one voice: Note that of the voice, that being incorporeal and one it is heard by many alike, and is not diminished by the multitude. So also God is partaken of by all equally; for this is 'unitively'. But according to the analogy of faith, and being divided He is not diminished.

§ 10. As that for the sake of which: Above in the chapter before this we said, having defined perfectly that the final cause is that for the sake of which the thing happens.

And the limit of all things: To the limit, infinity is certainly counter-conceived, but God is the limit of all things; for nothing goes beyond His providence and power; and also infinity, since according to the divine Scripture: 'and of His understanding there is no number'; and again: 'and of His kingdom there will be no end'. As therefore uncircumscribed and infinite; for God possesses these things supereminently and having surpassed all things and being the limit of every limit; for in Him all things are limited, and He is the infinity of every infinity. Even if, then, matter is also called infinity, as always being transformed and at other times changing into other forms, yet it is limited in God, even if it is unstable and indefinite, being led by God into formations. And reasonably God is the limit of such infinity and infinite to the limits of beings, as having also produced matter from non-beings; for Scripture says: 'from Him and through Him and to Him are all things'.

(14S_248> For in one, as often: The limit is opposed to infinity according to negation and affirmation, as the mortal and the immortal. And well the 'as

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Παραδείγματα δέ φαμεν εἶναι: Πλάτων μέν τάς ἰδέας καί τά παραδείγματα ταπεινῶς καί ἀναξίως Θεοῦ ἐξείληφεν, ὁ δέ πατήρ τῇ μέν λέξει ἐχρήσατο, τήν δέ ἔννοιαν εὐσεβῶς ἐξηγήσατο. Ἀφοριστικά δέ ἔφη τά θεῖα θελήματα καί ποιητικά, τό μέν, ὅτι μόνῳ τῷ βούλεσθαι τά πάντα ὑφίστησι καί ποιεῖ· τό δέ, καί διά τό ἑτεροειδῆ καί διάφορα τά ὄντα γενέσθαι. Σημείωσαι οὖν, ὅτι παραδείγματα καλεῖ τούς ἐν τῷ Θεῷ τῶν ὄντων οὐσιοποιούς καί ἑνιαίως προϋφεστῶτας λόγους, ἤτοι προορισμούς.

§ 9. Πρόεισι μέν, οὐ διά κυρίων: Μᾶλλον ὁ μακάριος (14S_244> Κλήμης δόξῃ τινί κατηκολούθησε λεγούσῃ, καί ἐν τῇ γενέσει τῶν ὄντων αἰσθητῶν εἶναι ἀρχικάς τινας αἰτίας, οἷον τά τῶν νοητῶν, ἤτοι ἀσωμάτων ἀγγέλων ἐνεργείας, ἤτοι εἰς οὐσίαν παραγωγούς, αἰτίας ἀρχικάς ἔχειν τάς ἰδέας, ἤτοι νοήσεις, τοῦ Θεοῦ· περί ἅς ἰδέας παραδειγματικάς οὔσας, τά νοητά εἶναι ὡς ἐνεργείας ἀρχικάς καί εὐδαιμονικάς καί ἡγεμονικάς· ἐπί δέ τῶν αἰσθητῶν, αἴτιον ἀρχικόν καί εὐδαιμονικόν καί δημιουργικόν τό εἶδος, τό ἐπί τῇ ὕλῃ ἡ εἰρημένη φησί δόξα· τόν γάρ λόγον τῆς ἐν γενέσει φύσεως, καθ' ἥν εἰδοποιήθη τά αἰσθητά, τοιοῦτον εἶδός φησιν ἀρκτικόν. Ἔοικεν οὖν τάχα τοῦτο εἰρηκέναι ὁ μακάριος Κλήμης· οὐκ ἔστι δέ κυρίως ταῦτα εἰπεῖν παραδείγματα, ἤτοι ἰδέας ἀρκτικάς, ἤγουν ἀρχικά αἴτια· οὐ γάρ ἐξ αὐτῶν ταῦτα, ἀλλ' ἐκ τῶν Θεοῦ νοήσεων, ὅς μόνος προσκυνητός.

Προόδου καί ἀγαθότητος: Πρόοδόν φησι τό μή μόνον αὐτήν περί τήν αὐτῆς ἀσχολεῖσθαι θεωρίαν, ἀλλά χυθῆναι καί ὁδεῦσαι καί τά ὄντα ὑποστήσασθαι.

Πάντα μέν ἐν ἑαυτῆ: Ὅτι ἐπί πᾶσι τοῖς οὖσιν ἀγάλλεσθαί φησι τόν Θεόν, κατά τό ψαλμικόν· «εὐφρανθήσεται Κύριος ἐπί τοῖς ἔργοις αὐτοῦ», καί ἐν Παροιμίαις· «Ἐγώ ἤμην ᾗ προσέχαιρε». Τό δέ προέχει ἐνταῦθα ἀντί τοῦ προώρισε καί προείληφε κεῖται.

Πᾶσαν διπλόην: Ἐπειδή τινες τάς ἰδέας καί τά παραδείγματα ἐνυπόστατα ἔφησαν, τούτους ἐπιρραπίζει νῦν Ἕλληνας ὄντας, καί φησιν· Εἰ γάρ μή ἁπλῶς καί ἑνιαίως εἶεν αἱ ἰδέαι, νοήσεις ὑπερηπλωμέναι οὖσαι τοῦ ὑπερηπλωμένου καί ὑπερηνωμένου Θεοῦ, σύνθετος ἄν εἴη ὁ Θεός ἐκ παραδείγματος καί (14S_246> ἑαυτοῦ, ὅπερ διπλόην ὠνόμασε, Τό δέ ἀγαλλομένη συμφωνεῖ τῷ ∆αβίδ· «εὐφρανθήσεται Κύριος», καί τά ἑξῆς.

Καθάπερ καί φωνή μία: Σημείωσαι τό τῆς φωνῆς, ὅτι ἀσώματος καί μία οὖσα ὑπό πολλῶν ὁμοίως ἀκούεται, καί οὔτε δαπανᾶται ἐκ τοῦ πλήθους. Οὕτω καί ὁ Θεός ὑπό πάντων ἐπίσης μετέχεται· τοῦτο γάρ ἐστι τό 'ἑνικῶς'. Κατά ἀναλογίαν δέ τῆς πίστεως, καί οὔτε μεριζόμενος δαπανᾶται.

§ 10. Ὡς τοῦ ἕνεκα: Ἄνω ἐν τῷ πρό τούτου κεφαλαίῳ εἴπομεν, τελείως ὁρίσαντες τελικόν αἴτιον εἶναι τό οὗ ἕνεκα τό γινόμενον.

Καί πέρας πάντων: Τῷ πέρατι πάντως ἡ ἀπειρία ἀντεπινοεῖται, ὁ δέ Θεός πέρας πάντων· οὐδέν γάρ ἐκβαίνει τήν αὐτοῦ πρόνοιαν καί δυναστείαν· καί ἀπειρία δέ, ἐπεί κατά τήν θείαν Γραφήν· «καί τῆς συνέσεως αὐτοῦ οὐκ ἔστιν ἀριθμός»· καί πάλιν· «καί τῆς βασιλείας αὐτοῦ οὐκ ἔσται πέρας». Ὡς οὖν ἀπερίληπτος καί ἄπειρος· ταῦτα γάρ ὑπερεξόχως ἔχει ὁ Θεός καί πάντα ὑπερβεβηκώς καί πέρας παντός πέρατος ὤν· εἰς αὐτόν γάρ τά πάντα περατοῦνται, καί ἀπειρία ἐστί πάσης ἀπειρίας. Κἄν οὖν ἀπειρία λέγηται καί ἡ ὕλη, ὡς ἀεί μετασχηματιζομένη καί ἄλλοτε εἰς ἄλλα εἴδη μεταβάλλουσα, ἀλλ' οὖν πεπέρασται ἐν τῷ Θεῷ, εἰ καί ἄστατός ἐστι καί ἀόριστος ὑπό Θεοῦ μεταγομένη εἰς εἰδοποιίας. Καί εἰκότως ὁ Θεός πέρας ἐστί τῆς τοιαύτης ἀπειρίας καί ἄπειρος τοῖς πέρασι τῶν ὄντων, ὡς καί τήν ὕλην ἐξ οὐκ ὄντων παραγαγών· φησί γάρ ἡ Γραφή· «ἐξ αὐτοῦ καί δι' αὐτοῦ καί εἰς αὐτόν τά πάντα».

(14S_248> Ἐν ἑνί γάρ, ὡς πολλάκις: Ἀντίκειται τό πέρας τῇ ἀπειρίᾳ κατά ἀπόφασιν καί κατάφησιν, ὡς τό θνητόν καί τό ἀθάνατον. Καλῶς δέ τό 'ὡς