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being made, but upon thicker things not similarly, but either completely without transmission or dimly. What, therefore, the difference of matter does here, this, in the case of the divine illumination, the inequality of the self-determining inclination accomplishes.

Unlikeness: That is, the turning aside of the eyes of the mind. (14E_284> Or it makes one completely unparticipant: See how he says we ourselves

are responsible for receiving the divine illumination, or to receive little or much of it, or to admit none of it at all, when we become resistant to it, as if hard, that is, stony. For the Lord Himself says in the Gospels: “God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham”; for what is hard and impossible for us, this is possible for God.

We have turned away: Note, from this especially is silenced the untimely and indiscriminate ignorance of some, who dare to assert that these divine writings are by Apollinarius, not conjecturing the antiquity of the man from the persons he mentions, but saying the name of Dionysius is falsely inscribed; nor that he now said he had converted from idolaters, although Apollinarius was not from such people.

Ready for all: Because God, being good by nature, offers Himself readily to all for the partaking of His holiness and the enlightening of the soul. What remains is sought from us, that is, how we may desire to partake of His knowledge, so that free will might be shown. For God is not the cause of evils, which is the separation from Him. But the construction is this: since, indeed, certain alien gods did not rule over the other nations, but there is one principle of all; and so the rest, parenthetically; and that one principle of God ruled also the other nations, and then through their own hierarchizing angels.

Melchizedek: Note the things concerning Melchizedek, as being a hierarch, and as having known the truly existing God by the guidance of angels. But he said 'following' on account of what is voluntary, and not compelled.

(14E_286> § 4. To Pharaoh: Note that he says it was through angels that the visions in sleep came to Pharaoh and to Nebuchadnezzar, and their manifestations, that is, interpretations.

Servants: Joseph, of the Egyptians, and Daniel, of the Babylonians, the angels presiding over these nations, revealing the visions by the counsel of God.

By allotment: Note the interpretation of the sayings of the ode of Moses: “When the Most High divided the nations, when He separated the sons of Adam, He set the boundaries of the nations according to the number of the angels of God. And Jacob His people became the Lord’s portion, Israel the line of His inheritance.” For one must not, he says, think that the nations were divided among other gods or angels. For he did not receive by allotment, Israel for God, and the other nations specifically for other angels, as if they do not minister to God in any other way. For example, to say, this is his nation, or the angel of the nation has no leisure for any other with God, but neither as an equal nor as an adversary did God take this nation, and each of the angels his own nation, as it is said in Isaiah, that the devil said he would possess the mountains to the north, that is, the nations, and would oppose God and be like the Most High. For all are servants of God and He Himself rules over all, but He prefers those who know Him, and for this reason He is said to rule them, even if they have a presiding angel, as Israel has Michael. And how is God, being ruler of all, said to be the God of Israel by exception, and Israel His? And we say that God is God of all (14E_288>, but of those approaching Him and Him

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ποιουμένου, ἐπί δέ τῶν παχυτέρων οὐχ ὁμοίως, ἀλλ' ἤ πάντῃ ἀδιαδότως ἤ ἀμυδρῶς. Ὅπερ οὖν ἐνταῦθα τό τῆς ὕλης διάφορον ποιεῖ, τοῦτο ἐπί τῆς θείας ἐλλάμψεως ἡ ἀνισότης τῆς αὐτεξουσίου ἐργάζεται ροπῆς.

Ἀνομοιότης: Τουτέστι, τῶν τοῦ νοῦ ὀφθαλμῶν ἡ παρατροπή. (14Ε_284> Ἤ παντελῶς ἀμέθεκτον ποιεῖ: Ὅρα πῶς φησιν ἡμᾶς αὐτούς

αἰτίους εἶναι τοῦ δέξασθαι τήν ἔλλαμψιν τήν θείαν, ἤ ὀλίγον ἤ πολύ αὐτῆς δέχεσθαι, ἤ παντελῶς μηδέν αὐτῆς εἰσδέξασθαι, ὅταν πρός αὐτήν ἀντίτυποι γενώμεθα, οἱονεί σκληροί, ἤτοι λίθινοι· φησίν οὖν ἐν Εὐαγγελίοις αὐτός ὁ Κύριος· «δύναται ὁ Θεός ἐκ τῶν λίθων τούτων ἐγεῖραι τέκνα τῷ Ἀβραάμ»· ὅπερ γάρ ἡμῖν σκληρόν καί ἀδύνατον, τοῦτο τῷ Θεῷ δυνατόν.

Ἡμεῖς ἀνενεύσαμεν: Σημείωσαι, μάλιστα ἐντεῦθεν ἐπιστομίζεται τήν ἄκαιρόν τινων καί ἀδιάκριτον ἀπαιδευσίαν, οἵ τολμῶσι φάσκειν, τά θεῖα ταῦτα συγγράμματα Ἀπολλιναρίου εἶναι, μή ἐκ τῶν προσώπων ὧν μνημονεύει καταστοχαζόμενοι τῆς ἀρχαιότητος τοῦ ἀνδρός, ἀλλά ψευδεπίγραφον λέγοντες τήν ∆ιονυσίου προσηγορίαν· μηδέ ὅτι νῦν ἐξ εἰδωλολατρῶν εἶπεν αὐτόν ἐπιστρέψαι, καίτοι Ἀπολλινάριος οὐκ ἐκ τοιούτων ἦν.

Ἐπί τό πᾶσιν ἑτοίμως: Ὅτι ὁ Θεός, φύσει ὤν ἀγαθός, ἕτοιμον ἑαυτόν τοῖς πᾶσι παρέχει εἰς τό μεταλαμβάνειν τῆς ἁγιότητος αὐτοῦ καί φωτισθῆναι τήν ψυχήν, λοιπόν τό ἐφ' ἡμῖν ζητεῖται, τό, πῶς ἐρῶμεν μετασχεῖν τῆς γνώσεως αὐτοῦ, ἵνα δειχθῇ τό αὐτεξούσιον· οὐ γάρ αἴτιος τῶν κακῶν ὁ Θεός, ὅπερ ἐστίν ὁ ἐξ αὐτοῦ χωρισμός· ἡ δέ σύνταξις αὕτη· ἐπεί ὅτι γε καί τῶν ἑτέρων ἐθνῶν οὐκ ἔκφυλοί τινες ἐπεστάτουν θεοί, μία δέ πάντων ἀρχή· καί οὕτω τἄλλα, διά μέσου· καί ὅτι καί τῶν ἄλλων ἐθνῶν μία ἀρχή τοῦ Θεοῦ ἦρχε, καί τότε διά τῶν ἰδίων ἀγγέλων ἱεραρχούντων.

Μελχισεδέκ: Σημείωσαι τά περί τοῦ Μελχισεδέκ, ὡς ἱεράρχου ὄντος, καί τῇ δι' ἀγγέλων ὁδηγίᾳ τόν ὄντως ὄντα Θεόν ἐπεγνωκότος· 'ἑπομένους' δέ εἶπε διά τό αὐθαίρετον, καί οὐ κατηναγκασμένον.

(14Ε_286> § 4. Τῷ Φαραώ: Σημείωσαι, ὅτι δ' ἀγγέλων φησί τάς καθ' ὕπνους γενέσθαι ὁράσεις τῷ Φαραώ καί τῷ Ναβουχοδινόσορ, καί τάς τούτων ἐκφαντορίας, ἤγουν ἑρμηνείας.

Θεράποντες: Ὁ μέν Ἰωσήφ τῶν Αἰγυπτίων, ὁ δέ ∆ανιήλ τῶν Βαβυλωνίων, ἀγγέλων τῶν ἐπιστατούντων τοῖς ἔθνεσι τούτοις, βουλῇ Θεοῦ ἀποκαλυπτόντων τά ὁράματα.

Ἀποκληρωτικῶς: Σημείωσαι τήν ἑρμηνείαν τῶν ρητῶν τῆς Μωσέως ᾠδῆς· «ὅτε διεμέριζεν ὁ Ὑψιστος ἔθνη, οὕς διεμέρισεν υἱούς Ἀδάμ, ἔστησεν ὅρια ἐθνῶν κατά ἀριθμόν ἀγγέλων Θεοῦ· καί ἐγενήθη μερίς Κυρίου λαός αὐτοῦ Ἰακώβ, σχοίνισμα κληρονομίας αὐτοῦ Ἰσραήλ»· οὐ γάρ δεῖ, φησίν, οἴεσθαι μερίσασθαι πρός ἑτέρους θεούς ἤ ἀγγέλους τά ἕθνη· οὐ γάρ ἀποκληρωτικῶς ἔλαχε, τῷ Θεῷ μέν Ἰσραήλ, τοῖς δέ ἄλλοις ἀγγέλοις ἰδίως, ὡς μή διακονεῖν αὐτούς εἰς ἄλλο τι τῷ Θεῷ· οἷον φέρε εἰπεῖν, τόδε τό ἔθνους αὐτοῦ, ἤ οὐ σχολάζει ἑτέρῳ τινί πρός Θεόν, ὁ τοῦ ἔθνους ἄγγελος, ἀλλ ' οὐδ' ὁμοτίμως ἤ ἀντιθέτως ἔλαβεν ὁ Θεός τόδε τό ἔθνος, καί ἕκαστος τῶν ἀγγέλων ἴδιον ἔθνος, ὡς ἐν τῷ Ἠσαΐᾳ εἴρηται, ὅτι ὁ διάβολος τά πρός βορρᾶν ὄρη, τουτέστι τά ἐθνη, εἶπεν ἐν ἑαυτῷ ἔχειν καί ἐναντιοῦσθαι τῷ Θεῷ καί εἶναι ὅμοιος τῷ Ὑψίστῳ· πάντα γάρ δοῦλα τοῦ Θεοῦ καί πάντων αὑτός ἄρχει, ἀλλά τούς γινώσκοντας αὐτόν προτιμᾷ, καί διά τοῦτο καί αὐτός λέγεται αὐτῶν ἄρχειν, κἄν ἔχοιεν ἄγγελον ἐφεστῶτα, ὡς ὁ Ἰσραήλ τόν Μιχαήλ. Καί πῶς πάντων ὁ Θεός ἄρχων κατ' ἐξαίρετον τοῦ Ἰσραήλ λέγεται Θεός, καί ὁ Ἰσραήλ αὐτοῦ; Καί λέγομεν, ὅτι ὁ Θεός πάντων (14Ε_288> ἐστί Θεός, τῶν δέ πλησιαζόντων αὐτῷ καί αὐτόν