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Of beings: Here he indicates all things in creation collectively by the name of beings, both all things intelligible and all things visible; for God made all things out of non-beings, for this reason only, that they might enjoy His goodness. And they enjoy it through providence, as each is suited for it; for the providence of God is the principle of the substance of beings.

All beings, then: That all beings partake of the providence of God; for there is not even among beings that which does not partake of God; so that evil is without substance, since it does not partake of God, appearing as a privation of a state. But not itself, being originally in substance; thus we spoke at length above in the appropriate chapter. Of beings, some are lifeless, or living, or intellectual or rational, which he calls only beings, such as the heavens and earth

which he says live irrationally, such as irrational animals;

incorporeal, such as the heavenly beings;

and corporeal, which he calls "according to us."

14Ε_234 For it would not be: In these, he calls the divine things beings, that is, the Holy Trinity, which, being creator and principle, that is, cause, of created things, is said to be partaken of by those very things brought into being by it.

Lifeless things, then: That even lifeless things partake of the providence of God by their very being; and lifeless things are, for example, stones and all things that do not proceed to generation.

Living things of the same: It must be commonly understood for each of the following, through which it partakes of providence.

The holy ones, at least: Note concerning the order of the universe, that the substances of the powers above are different; and he calls only beings those things which he called lifeless.

For intellectually toward the God-like: See that the intelligible powers also partake of the good by choice for the most part, as they greatly desire it; for he says, "fashioning themselves," which is a matter of choice; therefore the account that says the devil fell from the heavens is false; for he turned to evil of his own accord. And "proximate" instead of "conjoined." Of beings, some are irrational, such as stones and the rest that partake of no vital energy;

and of living things, some are without sensation, like plants, some are irrational, some are incorporeal and above us,

of which, some have sensation, of which some are rational; and of these; some are corporeal and "according to us."

And in many ways in participation: For their substances are a living mind. Note that all intelligible things partake of God first. And revelatory, that is, declaratory,

Of the angelic designation: Note what an angel properly is, and that he says they hold the first rank; and furthermore how we are initiated by angels, and how the law was given through them, 14Ε_236 and that angels led our fathers both before the law and after the law to the divine.

Illustrious: Glorious. And what is to be done, as in the case of Joshua son of Nun and Gideon and others; and to a straight path from an unholy life, as in the case of Cornelius the centurion; for he was the first to be transferred from the unbelieving gentiles; and sacred orders, as in the case of Daniel, "ten thousand times ten thousand," and of Ezekiel the cherubim, and of Isaiah the seraphim were seen. And sub-cosmic visions, as in the case of Paul being caught up to the third heaven, and in the case of the Revelation of the divine John.

§ 3. Immediately: That is, without the ministry of angels.

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Ὄντων: Ἐνταῦθα πάντα συλλήβδην τά ἐν δημιουργίᾳ δηλοῖ διά τοῦ ὀνόματος τῶν ὄντων, καί νοητά καί ὁρατά πάντα· ἅπαντα γάρ ὁ Θεός ἐκ μή ὄντων ἐποίησεν, διά τοῦτο καί μόνον, ἵνα τῆς αὐτοῦ ἀγαθότητος ἀπολαύοιεν. Ἀπολαύουσι δέ διά τῆς προνοίας, ὡς ἕκαστον ἐπιτηδείως ἔχει· ἀρχή γάρ ἐστι τῆς τῶν ὄντων οὐσίας ἡ τοῦ Θεοῦ πρόνοια.

Πάντα μέν οὗν τά ὄντα: Ὅτι πάντα τά ὄντα τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ προνοίας μετέχει· οὐδέ γάρ οὔτε ἐν τοῖς οὖσίν ἐστι τό μή μετέχον τοῦ Θεοῦ· ὥστε ἀνυπόστατον τό κακόν, ἐπειδή μή μετέχει τοῦ Θεοῦ κατά στέρησιν ἕξεως φαινόμενον. Ἀλλ' οὐκ αὐτό, πρωτοτύπως ὄν ἐν οὐσίᾳ· οὕτω πλατέως εἴπομεν ἄνω ἐν τῷ προσφόρῳ κεφαλαίῳ. Τῶν ὄντων Ἤ ἄζωά εἰσιν, ἤ ζῶντα, ἤ νοερά ἤ λογικά ἅ καλεῖ μόνον ὄντα, οἷον οὐρανοί καί γῆ

ἅ λέγει ἀλόγως ζῆν, οἷον τά ἄλογα ζῶα·

ἀσώματα, ὡς τά οὐράνια·

καί ἐνσώματα, ἅ καλεῖ καθ' ἡμᾶς.

14Ε_234 Οὐ γάρ ἄν ἦν: Ἐν τούτοις ὄντα τά θεῖα καλεῖ, τουτέστι τήν ἁγίαν Τριάδα, ἥτις, τῶν κτισμάτων οὖσα δημιουργός καί ἀρχή, ἤγουν αἰτία, ἐξ αὐτῶν τῶν παρ' αὐτῆς εἰς οὐσίαν ἐλθόντων μετέχεσθαι λέγεται.

Τά μέν οὖν ἄζωα: Ὅτι καί τά ἄζωα μετέχει τῆς προνοίας τοῦ Θεοῦ κατ' αὐτό τό εἶναι· ἄζωα δέ εἰσιν, οἷον λίθοι καί πάντα τά μή προϊόντα εἰς γένεσιν.

Ζῶντα τῆς αὐτῆς: Κατά κοινοῦ ἐπί ἑκάστου τῶν ἐπιφερομένων προσυπακούειν δεῖ, δι' ὧν προνοίας μετέχει.

Αἱ γοῦν ἅγιαι: Σημείωσαι δέ περί τῆς τάξεως τοῦ παντός, ὅτι διάφοροι αἱ τῶν ἄνω δυνάμεων οὐσίαι· λέγει δέ μόνον ὄντα ἅπερ ἐκάλεσεν ἄζωα.

Νοητῶς γάρ ἐπί τό θεομίμητον: Ὅρα ὅτι καί αἱ νοηταί δυνάμεις ἐκ προαιρέσεως κατά τό πλέον μετέχουσι τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ, ὡς πολύ ἐφιέμεναι αὐτοῦ· λέγει γάρ, ἑαυτάς ἀποτυποῦσαι, ὅπερ ἐστί προαιρετικόν· οὐκοῦν ψευδής ὁ λόγος ὁ λέγων τόν διάβολον πεσεῖν ἐκ τῶν οὐρανῶν· ἐτράπη γάρ εἰς τό κακόν ἀφ' ἑαυτοῦ, Προσεχεῖς δέ ἀντί τοῦ συνημμέναι. Τῶν ὄντων Τά μέν ἔστιν ἄλογα, ὡς λίθοι καί λοιπά τά μηδεμιᾶς ζωτικῆς ἐνεργείας μετέχοντα·

τά δέ ζῶντα, τά μέν ἀναίσθητα, ὡς τά φυτά, τά μέν ἄλογα, τά μέν ἀσώματα καί ὑπέρ ἡμᾶς,

ὧν, τά δέ αἰσθητικά, ὧν τά δέ λογικά· καί τούτων· τά δέ ἐνσώματα καί καθ' ἡμᾶς.

Καί πολλαχῶς ἐν μετουσίᾳ: Αἱ γάρ αὐτῶν οὐσίαι νοῦς εἰσι ζῶν. Σημείωσαι δέ, ὅτι τά νοητά πάντα πρώτως μετέχει τοῦ Θεοῦ. Ἐκφαντορικαί δέ, τουτέστιν ἐξαγγελτικαί,

Τῆς ἀγγελικῆς ἐπωνυμίας: Σημείωσαι τί κυρίως ἄγγελος, καί ὅτι τήν πρώτην αὐτούς τάξιν λέγει ἔχειν· ἔτι δέ καί ὅπως δι' ἀγγέλων μυούμεθα, καί πῶς δι' αὐτῶν ὁ νόμος ἐδόθη, 14Ε_236 καί ὅτι καί τούς πρό τοῦ νόμου καί μετά νόμον πατέρας ἡμῶν ἄγγελοι πρός θεῖον ἀνῆγον.

Κλεινούς: Ἐνδόξους. Τό δέ πρακτέον, ὡς ἐπί Ἰησοῦ τοῦ Ναυῆ καί Γεδεών καί ἄλλων· πρός εὐθεῖαν δέ ὁδόν ἀπό ἀνιέρου ζωῆς, ὡς ἐπί τοῦ Κορνηλίου τοῦ ἑκατοντάρχου· πρῶτος γάρ ἐξ ἀπίστων ἐθνῶν μετετέθη· τάξεις δέ ἱεράς, ὡς ἐπί τοῦ ∆ανιήλ, «μυρίαι μυριάδες», καί τοῦ Ἰεζηκιήλ τά χερουβίμ, καί τοῦ Ἠσαΐου τά σεραφίμ ὤφθησαν. Ὑποκοσμίους δέ ὁράσεις, ὡς ἐπί τοῦ Παύλου ἀρπαγέντος ἕως τρίτου οὐρανοῦ, καί ἐπί τῆς τοῦ θείου Ἰωάννου Ἀποκαλύψεως.

§ 3. Ἀμέσως: Τουτέστιν ἄνευ τῆς ἀγγέλων διακονίας.