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He is rightly called the God of those who worship him alone; but the rest, worshipping idols, make for themselves other gods.

The Lord's portion came to be: He interprets well, "Israel became the Lord's portion". Therefore, if Israel alone knew God, he alone ought to be watched over by the Lord and his angels; but in this too is shown the immeasurable and unsearchable mercy of God, that even for those who seem not to be of his portion, he appointed their own angel as guardian of the nation; "for he makes his sun rise on the just and the unjust". And again: "who does not wish the death of the sinner, but that he turn and live". But you will say: And how did those who have angels given by God to watch over and lead them, fall away from the living God and worship idols? We say that all compulsion has been driven away from those who look to God and free will has been introduced in its place; if, therefore, someone chooses to be with God, he is guarded by the angel and is ordered; "For," he says, "the Lord knows the way of the just"; and again: "I was young, and now I am old, and I have not seen the just forsaken"; but if someone chooses the opposite, he is not compelled by the angel to do this or that; for this life is rather brutish and not of free will. Indeed, he also says of Israel, that he sinned and made a calf; "for," he says, "you have rejected the knowledge of God, and you have gone after your own heart", that is, you preferred your own will.

Michael: That Israel also, even if he became the Lord's portion, nevertheless also had his own angel, Michael.

(14Ε_290> Willingly: He says this because of what is self-determining and uncoerced.

ON CHAPTER 10 § 1. Of the perfecting principle: The perfecting principle as the leader and cause of their

perfection. More hidden: Note that here he clearly indicates, for what reason the

orders of the heavenly powers are such that one is higher, another is middle, and another is last; for he says regarding the higher order, which is thrones, seraphim, and cherubim, that being illumined by the divine knowledge itself, because they are immediately extended towards it and have nothing preceding them, they are thus purified and illumined and perfected by the divine perfecting principle itself; for if it were so created as to be first, it would have needed neither purification nor illumination, having been so formed as to be worthy of the first order. Furthermore, see what this divine man says a little later, that it is more hidden because it is more intelligible and more simplifying; for from these things one may further grasp their free will; for if it did not simplify itself more than its inferiors and did not think, it would not approach God; but having approached God willingly, it is better purified and illumined and perfected, that is, it works perfect things, instead of things concerning God; and I think Scripture alludes to this: "Come to him and be enlightened, and your faces will not be ashamed"; thus also understand concerning the succeeding powers, that each sees God according to its own proportion; this he says more clearly also at the end of this chapter.

§ 2. Revelatory: That all the angels reveal to their inferiors the lights brought to them from those (14E_292> before them. The term 'revelatory' must be taken in a general sense; but he speaks of things moved from God concerning the first hierarchy of the seraphim.

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μόνον προσκυνούντων λέγεται Θεός δικαίως· οἱ δέ λοιποί, εἴδωλα σέβοντες, ἑτέρους ποιοῦσιν ἑαυτῶν θεούς.

Ἐγενήθη μερίς Κυρίου: Καλῶς ἑρμηνεύει τό, «ἐγένετο.μερίς Κυρίου Ἰσραήλ». Ἐχρῆν οὖν, εἴπερ ὁ Ισραήλ μόνος ἐπεγίνωσκε Θεόν, αὐτόν μόνον ὑπό τοῦ Κυρίου ἐπισκοπεῖσθαι καί τῶν ἀγγέλων αὐτοῦ· ἀλλά καί ἐν τούτῳ δείκνυται τό ἀμέτρητον καί ἀνεξιχνίαστον ἔλεος τοῦ Θεοῦ, ὅτι καί τοῖς δοκοῦσι μή εἶναι τῆς μεριδος αὐτοῦ, ἴδιον ἄγγελον προεβάλετο φύλακα τοῦ ἔθνους· «ἀνατέλλει γάρ τόν ἥλιον αὑτοῦ ἐπί δικαίους καί ἀδίκους». Καί πάλιν· «ὁ μή θέλων τόν θάνατον τοῦ ἁμαρτωλοῦ, ὡς τό ἐπιστρέψαι καί ζῇν αὐτόν». Ἀλλ ' ἐρεῖς· Καί πῶς οἱ ἔχοντες ἀγγέλους παρά τοῦ Θεοῦ δεδομένους εἰς τό ἐπιστατεῖν καί ἡγεῖσθαι αὐτῶν, ἀπέστησαν ἀπό Θεοῦ ζῶντος καί προσεκύνησαν εἰδώλοις; Λέγομεν, ὅτι πᾶσα ἀνάγκη ἐκ τῶν εἰς Θεόν ὁρώντων ἐλήλαται καί ἀντεισήχθη τό αὐτοπροαίρετον· εἴ τις οὖν αἱρεῖται σύν Θεῷ εἶναι, φρουρεῖται ὑπό τοῦ ἀγγέλου καί τάττεται· «Κύριος» γάρ, φησί, «γινώσκει ὁδόν δικαίων»· καί πάλιν· «νεώτερος ἤμην, καί γάρ ἐγήρασα, καί οὐκ εἶδον δίκαιον ἐγκαταλελειμμένον»· εἴ τις δέ τήν ἐναντίαν αἱρεῖται, οὐκ ἀναγκάζεται ὑπό τοῦ ἀγγέλου τόδε τι ποιεῖν· οὗτος γάρ ὁ βίος καί κτηνώδης μᾶλλον, καί οὐκ αὐτοπροαίρετος. Ἀμέλει καί περί τοῦ Ἰσραήλ φησιν, ὅτι ἥμαρτε καί ἐμοσχοποίησεν· «ἐπίγνωσιν», γάρ, φησί, «Θεοῦ ἀπώσω, καί ὀπίσω τῆς καρδίας σου ἐπορεύθης», τουτέστι τό ἴδιον θέλημα προετίμησας.

Τόον Μιχαήλ: Ὅτι καί ὁ Ἰσραήλ, εἰ καί μερίς Κυριου ἐγένετο, ἀλλ' οὖν καί αὐτοί ἰδικόν ἄγγελον εἶχον τόν Μιχαήλ.

(14Ε_290> Ἐθελουσίως: Τοῦτό φησι διά τό αὐτεξούσιον καί ἀβίαστον.

ΕΙΣ ΤΟ ΚΕΦΑΛΑΙΟΝ Ι' § 1. Τελεταρχικῆς: Τελεταρχικήν τήν ἀρχηγόν καί αἰτίαν τῆς αὐτῶν

τελειώσεως. Κρυφιωτέρα μέν: Σημείωσαι ὅτι ἐνταῦθα σαφῶς δηλοῖ, διά ποίαν αἰτίαν αἱ

τάξεις τῶν οὐρανίων δυνάμεων οὕτως εἰσίν, ὥστε τήν μέν ὑπερτέραν εἶναι, τήν δέ μέσην, τήν δέ τελευταίαν· λέγει γάρ διά τήν ἀνωτέραν τάξιν, ἥτις ἐστί θρόνοι, σεραφίμ καί χερουβίμ, ὅτι ὑπ' αὐτῆς τῆς θείας γνώσεως ἐλλαμπόμεναι, διά τό ἀμέσως ἐπ' αὐτήν ἐπανατείνεσθαι καί μή ἔχειν τό προλαμβάνον, οὕτως ὑπ' αὐτῆς τῆς τελεταρχίας τῆς θείας καθαίρεται καί φωτίζεται καί τελεσιουργεῖται· εἰ γάρ οὕτως ἐδημιουργήθη, ὥστε πρώτη εἶναι, οὔτε καθάρσεως οὔτε φωτισμοῦ ἐδέετο, οὕτω πλασθεῖσα, ὥστε καί ἀξία εἶναι τῆς πρώτης τάξεως. Ἄλλως τε, ὅρα τί λέγει μετά μικρόν ὁ θεῖος οὗτος ἀνήρ, ὡς κρυφιωτέρα μᾶλλόν ἐστι, ὅτι νοητοτέρα καί μᾶλλον ἁπλωτική· ἐκ τούτων γάρ ἔστι πλέον λαβεῖν τό αὐτοπροαίρετον αὐτῶν· εἰ γάρ μή πλέον τῶν ὑποδεεστέρων ἥπλου ἑαυτήν καί διενοεῖτο, οὐκ ἄν ἐπλησίαζε Θεῷ· ἐγγίσασα δέ Θεῷ ἑκουσίως, κρεῖττον καθαίρεται καί φωτίζεται καί τελεσιουργεῖται, τουτέστι ἐνεργεῖ τά τέλεια, ἀντί τοῦ τά περί Θεόν· καί τοῦτο οἶμαι τήν Γραφήν αἰνίττεσθαι· «προσέλθετε πρός αὐτόν καί φωτίσθητε, καί τά πρόσωπα ὑμῶν μή καταισχυνθῇ»· οὕτω καί περί τῶν ἐφεξῆς δυνάμεων νόησον, ὅτι ἑκάστη κατά τήν οἰκείαν ἀναλογίαν ὁρᾷ τόν Θεόν· τοῦτο σαφέστερον λέγει καί ἐν τῷ τέλει τοῦ κεφαλαίου τούτου.

§ 2. Ἐκφαντορικοί:· Ὅτι πάντες οἱ ἄγγελοι τά παρά τῶν (14Ε_292> πρό αὐτῶν εἰς αὐτούς φερόμενα φῶτα τοῖς ὑποδεεστέροις ἐκφαίνουσι. Κατά κοινοῦ ληπτέον τό 'ἐκφαντορικοί'· ἐκ Θεοῦ δέ κεκινημένων φησί περί τῆς πρώτης τῶν σεραφίμ ταξιαρχίας.