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Theurgy: He rightly called the economy on our behalf theurgy; for all the works according to the economy of the Lord were truly God's works; the holy birth and healings, the signs at the passion and the resurrection.

For I say: But the words, "for I speak righteousness and the judgment of a savior," are from Isaiah; and see how he has understood these things.

But I am amazed: The saying is to be composed thus; I wonder how the first, as if middle, reverently long for the thearchic illuminations.

Suspended in mid-air: He said "suspended in mid-air," as not flying up to the very summit of the height, but reaching the middle; and to be perplexed means to say, "Who is this that comes from Edom?".

They ask: See with how much fear and reverence the highest of all orders, as if middle and not first, ask one another, first the words from Isaiah, "Who is this that comes from Edom? The redness of his garments from Bosor," and then, as if permitted by God, they say to him: "Why are your garments red?".

Of most holy purification: Note how he says the divine orders are purified and illuminated and perfected.

Of purification: Note what purification is in the case of intellects, and what ignorance is. Of boundless light: Boundless is the great and the much. Is perfected: Note how they are purified and illuminated and

these divine orders are perfected. (14Ε_264> By disposition: By disposition, science is the permanent and inalienable

comprehension of the illuminated knowledge. Around: Since he says that these first hierarchies are both standing and dancing immediately around God,

it must be clarified how they both stand and move, as in a dance around God. And for the time being, he has taken the starting point from Isaiah, who says, "and seraphim stood around him; six wings for the one," and so on; but he adds, "and with two they flew"; for how did they, while standing, fly around? And it must be understood thus: every intellect, having shone forth from God, the cause of all things, since it shone forth from the creator, is said to move around him as around a center, the movement being not of a local kind, but intellectual and living; and the circular motion of intellect is of such a kind: everything that thinks, either thinks as being an intellect, or as participating in intellect. The one being an intellect, thinks primarily, but that which participates in intellect thinks secondarily; in this respect, then, inasmuch as being an intellect it thinks, it might be said to move; and this movement is conceived as circular inasmuch as, turning back and becoming about itself, it will thus think itself and that which is before it, from which it shone forth, as then having been put forth by the will of God, it will be around him, that is, around the desire for and love of God, as around a center; for the secondary are not united to those before them, but what happens is like a certain dance; for things that are begotten, desiring to be in their proper state, gaze upon the one who begets; therefore, that which is turned by thought towards the things before it, introduces the concept of circular motion.

(14Ε_266> Since, therefore, God is everywhere, those that follow him everywhere by their desire always to know him, rejoice in this and dance around, as it were, in gladness. Intellect, therefore, is said to be in itself and to hasten towards itself; that which is in itself, and signifies immortality, has stability; for according to being, which is to be immortally, it is conceived to be standing still; but according to hastening towards itself, it moves, not wishing to be poured out somehow into the external and material thoughts. According, then, to its self-movement it does not stand still, but moves, but according to its substance which is always in the same state, it has stability, but not motion. There is, therefore, also according to nature for each of the intellects an impulse, the desire for God and that which is around him, as around a center

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Θεουργίας: Καλῶς θεουργίαν ἐκάλεσε τήν ὑπέρ ἡμῶν οἰκονομίαν· Θεοῦ γάρ ἦν ὡς ἀληθῶς ἔργα πάντα τά κατά οἰκονομίαν τοῦ Κυρίου· ὁ τόκος ὁ ἅγιος καί ἰάσεις, τά ἐπί τῷ πάθει σημεῖα καί ἡ ἀνάστασις.

Ἐγώ γάρ φημι: Τά δέ, «ἐγώ γάρ διαλέγομαι δικαιοσύνην καί κρίσιν σωτηρίου», Ἠσαΐου εἰσί· καί ὅρα πῶς ταῦτα νενόηκεν.

Ἄγαμαι δέ: Τό ρητόν οὕτω συνθετέον· θαυμάζω πῶς αἱ πρῶται ὡς μέσαι τῶν θεαρχικῶν ἐλλάμψεων εὐλαβῶς ἐφίενται.

Μεσοπετεῖς: Μεσοπετεῖς ἔφη, ὡς μή πρός τό ἄκρον τοῦ ὕψους ἀνιπταμένας, ἀλλά τοῦ μέσου ἐφικνουμένας· τό δέ διαπορεῖν σημαίνει τό λέγειν, «τίς οὗτος ὁ παραγενόμενος ἐξ Ἐδώμ;».

Ἐρωτῶσιν: Ὅρα μετά πόσου φόβου καί εὐλαβείας αἱ πασῶν ἀνώταται τάξεις, ὡς μέσαι, καί οὐχί πρώτισται, ἐρωτῶσιν ἀλλήλας, πρῶτον τά παρά τῷ Ἠσαΐα, «τίς οὗτος ὁ παραγενόμενος ἐξ Ἐδώμ; ἐρύθημα ἱματίων αὐτοῦ ἐκ Βοσόρ», καί τότε, ὥσπερ ἐπιτρεπόμεναι παρά Θεοῦ, πρός αὐτόν λέγουσι· «∆ιά τί σου ἐρυθρά τά ἱμάτια;».

Παναγεστάτης καθάρσεως: Σημείωσαι πῶς φησι καθαίρεσθαι καί φωτίζεσθαι καί τελεσιουργεῖσθαι τάς θείας τάξεις.

Τῆς καθάρσεως: Σημείωσαι τίς ἡ κάθαρσις ἐπί τῶν νοῶν, καί τίς ἡ ἄγνοια. Ἀπλέτου φωτός: Ἄπλετον τό μέγα καί πολύ. Τελεσιουργεῖται: Σημείωσαι πῶς καθαίρονται καί φωτίζονται καί

τελεσιουργοῦνται αἱ θεῖαι τάξεις αὗται. (14Ε_264> Καθ' ἕξιν: Καθ' ἕξιν ἐπιστήμη ἐστίν ἡ ἔμμονος καί ἀναπόβλητος

τῆς ἐλλαμφθείσης γνώσεως κατάληψις. Ἡ κύκλῳ: Ἐπειδή καί ἐστηκυίας καί κύκλῳ Θεοῦ περιχορευούσας ἀμέσως τάς

πρώτας ταύτας ταξιαρχίας φησί, σαφηνιστέον, πῶς καί ἑστᾶσι καί κινοῦνται, καθάπερ ἐν χορείᾳ κύκλῳ τοῦ Θεοῦ. Καί τέως μέν ἐξ Ἠσαΐου τήν ἀφορμήν εἴληφεν, ὅς λέγει, «καί σεραφίμ εἱστήκει κύκλῳ αὐτοῦ· ἕξ πτέρυγας τῷ ἑνί», καί τά ἑξῆς· ἐπάγει δέ, «καί ταῖς δυσίν ἐπέταντο»· πῶς γάρ ἑστῶτα περιεπέταντο κύκλῳ; Καί νοητέον οὗτως· πᾶς νοῦς ἐκ τοῦ πάντων αἰτίου Θεοῦ ἐκλάμψας, ἐπειδή ἀπό τοῦ δημιουργήσαντος ἐξέλαμψε, λέγεται περί αὐτόν ὡς περί κέντρον κινεῖσθαι, τῆς κινήσεως οὐ τοπικῆς τινος οὔσης, ἀλλά νοερᾶς καί ζώσης· ἔστι δέ νοῦ κύκλῳ κίνησις τοιαύτη· πᾶν τό νοοῦν ἤ νοῦς ὤν νοεῖ, ἤ ὡς μετέχον νοῦ. Ὁ μέν νοῦς ὤν, πρώτως νοεῖ, τό δέ μετέχον νοῦ δευτέρως νοεῖ· κατά τοῦτο μέν οὖν, καθ' ὅ νοῦς ὤν νοεῖ, κινεῖσθαι λέγοιτο ἄν· κυκλική δέ ἐπινοεῖται ἡ κίνησις αὔτη καθ' ὅ ἀνακάμπτων καί περί αὐτόν γινόμενος, οὕτος ἑαυτόν νοήσει καί τόν πρό αὐτοῦ, ἐξ οὗ ἐξέλαμψεν, ὡς οὖν ἐκ Θεοῦ βουληθέντος προβληθείς, περί αὐτόν, ἀντί τοῦ περί τήν Θεοῦ ἔφεσιν καί ἀγάπην, ὡς περί κέντρον, ἔσται· οὐ γάρ ἑνοῦνται τά δεύτερα τοῖς πρό αὐτῶν, ἀλλά χορείᾳ τινί τό γινόμενον ἔοικε· τά γάρ γεννώμενα εἶναι ἐν τῷ οἰκείῳ ἐφιέμενα, τόν γεννῶντα περιαθρεῖ· τό οὖν τῇ νοήσει πρός τά πρό αὐτοῦ ἐπεστραμμένον, κυκλικῆς κινήσεως ἔννοιαν εἰσάγει.

(14Ε_266> Ἐπειδή οὖν πανταχοῦ ἐστιν ὁ Θεός, αἱ πανταχοῦ αὐτῷ συνακολουθοῦσαι τῷ θέλειν αὐτόν νοεῖν ἀεί, ἐπί τούτῳ ἀγάλλονται καί περιχορεύουσιν, ὥσπερ τῇ εὐφροσύνῃ. Λέγεται οὖν νοῦς ἐν ἑαυτῷ εἶναι καί πρός ἑαυτόν σπεύδειν· ὁ οὖν ἐν ἑαυτῷ ἐστι, καί δηλοῖ ἀθανασίαν, στάσιν ἔχει· κατά γάρ τό εἶναι, ὅ ἐστιν ἀθανάτως εἶναι, ἑστάναι νοεῖται· κατά δέ τό πρός ἑαυτόν σπεύδειν, κινεῖται μή βουλόμενος διαχεῖσθαί πως εἰς τάς ἔξωθεν αὐτοῦ καί προσύλους νοήσεις. Κατά μέν οὖν τό ταυτοκίνητον οὐχ ἕστηκεν, ἀλλά κινεῖται, κατά δέ τήν οὐσίαν ἀεί ὡσαύτως ἔχουσαν στάσιν, ἀλλ' οὐ κίνησιν ἔχει. Ἔστι τοίνυν καί κατά φύσιν ἑκάστῳ τῶν νοῶν ὁρμή, ἡ πρός Θεόν ἔφεσις καί ἡ περί αὐτόν, ὡς περί κέντρον