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Seraphim: Why does the divine hymn say concerning the seraphim that one cried out to the other? Because the first announce the divine mysteries to the second.

§ 3. Not unreasonably: For from the simpler initiations, which the Apostle called the drinking of milk, he goes up to the middle ones, and from these to the greater ones, that is, the food of the perfect, and reveals the last order and power. But it is also possible to understand the things concerning the place in another way, and to call the first the uplifting to that which is above, the middle the turning and revolution around it, and the last that which leads up what is inferior, which must be understood especially in the case of the angels.

Both first and middle: Note that the mind of each of us has first and middle and last orders for understanding these three orders concerning God; it must be understood thus, that every mind has essence, according to which it first is; then also power, according to which, in doing its own things, it is pious. These things he also clarifies in the following chapter.

Whence from here it is possible to take clearly and irrefutably that we wrote true things a little before; for behold how he speaks. Each celestial and human mind has first and middle and last upliftings, according to which each comes into participation of the divine and hierarchic illuminations. First, that he spoke of an equal order of men and of the powers above, and we know of no man, neither prophet nor righteous one, who put nothing of his own cause into approaching God, For see what (14Ε_294> he who reached the third heaven says, that "I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should be disqualified"; then here he clearly states the free will both of the angels and the desire of their own impulse; and lest any of the very contentious should argue, as he says in the epilogue, that nothing is without need and self-sufficient, that is, perfect from itself, except God alone; so that angels and men need progress and perfection.

TO CHAPTER 11

§ 1. For it is not possible to speak as in the case of the angels: For the powers of the second

and middle triad are ranked after the lordships; so that not all the orders were called powers as being the last of them, as in the case of the angels.

Of the last: Because those above possess the things of the last, but the last do not possess the things of those above; thus it has also been said above, since the first possess the illumination wholly, but the last partially, as he says in what follows. Thus it is also to be found in the Church; for the priest is able to do all the things of those below him, such as deacons and those after them, but the deacon is not permitted to do the things of the priests; for we said above that our hierarchy imitates the heavenly order. But he well added "wholly," for they participate partially; but the syntax from "for it is not possible to speak" must be joined up to here, and the beginning of the difficulty must be made.

§ 2. But we say: How are all called powers? For the last (14Ε_296> order is that of the principalities and archangels and angels; and yet even they are sometimes named powers.

Into essence and power: As in an example, one should say that essence is the nature of fire, its power is the illuminating capacity, and its energy is the result of the power, that is, to illuminate and to burn.

Or we call heavenly powers: The name "powers" is homonymous; for thus is called both the specific order, that is the second of the middle triadic arrangement, and commonly all the orders, as having some power,

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Σεραφίμ: ∆ιά τί περί τῶν σεραφίμ ὁ θεῖος ὕμνος φησί κεκραγέναι ἕτερον πρός τόν ἕτερον; ∆ιά τό τούς πρώτους ἀγγέλειν τοῖς δευτέροις τά θεῖα μυστήρια.

§ 3. Οὐκ ἀπεικότως: Ἐκ γάρ τῶν ἁπλουστέρων μυήσεων, ὅπερ γάλακτος ποτισμόν ἐκάλεσεν ὁ Ἀπόστολος, πρός τά μέσα, καί ἐκ τούτων πρός τά μείζοντα, ἤγουν τήν τῶν τελείων τροφήν ἀνιών, τήν τελευταίαν ἀναφαίνει τάξιν καί δύναμιν. Ἔστι δέ καί ἑτέρως τά κατά τόν τόπον νοῆσαι, καί πρώτην μέν εἰπεῖν τήν πρός τό ὑπερκείμενον ἀνάτασιν, μέσην δέ τήν περί αὐτόν ἀναστροφήν καί συνέλιξιν, τελευταίαν δέ τήν τό ὑποδεέστερον ἀνάγουσαν, ὅ καί μᾶλλον ἐπί τῶν ἀγγέλων νοητέον.

Καί πρώτας καί μέσας: Σημείωσαι, ὅτι ἑκάστου ἡμῶν ὁ νοῦς πρώτας καί μέσας καί τελευταίας τάξεις ἔχει εἰς τό νοεῖν περί Θεοῦ τάς τρεῖς τάξεις ταύτας· νοητέον οὕτως, ὅτι πᾶς νοῦς ἔχει οὐσίαν, καθ' ἥν πρῶτόν ἐστιν· εἶτα καί δύναμιν, καθ' ἥν τά οἰκεῖα πράττων εὐσεβεῖ. Ταῦτα καί ἐν τῷ ἑξῆς κεφαλαίῳ σαφηνίζει.

Ὅθεν ἐντεῦθεν σαφῶς καί ἀναντιρρήτως ἔστι λαβεῖν, ὅτι ἀληθῆ πρό μικροῦ παρεγράψαμεν· ἰδού γάρ πῶς φησιν. Ἕκαστος οὐράνιος καί ἀνθρώπινος νοῦς πρώτας καί μέσας καί τελευταίας ἔχει ἀναγωγάς, καθ' ἅς ἕκαστος ἐν μετουσίᾳ γίνεται τῶν θείων καί ἱεραρχικῶν ἐλλάμψεων. Πρῶτον μέν, ὅτι ἴσην τάξιν εἶπε τῶν ἀνθρώπων καί τῶν ἄνω δυνάμεων, καί οὐδένα τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἴσμεν, οὔτε προφήτην οὔτε δίκαιον, μηδέν θέντα τῆς ἰδίας προφάσεως εἰς τό πλησιάσαι Θεῷ, Ὅρα γάρ τί (14Ε_294> φησιν ὁ ἕως τρίτου οὐρανοῦ φθάσας, ὅτι «ὑπωπιάζω μου τό σῶμα καί δουλαγωγῶ, μήπως, ἄλλοις κηρύξας, αὐτός ἀδόκιμος γένωμαι»· ἔπειτα σαφῶς ὧδέ φησι τό αὐτεξούσιον καί τῶν ἀγγέλων καί τήν τῆς ἰδίας αὐτῶν ὁρμῆς ἔφεσιν· ἵνα δέ μηδείς τῶν λίαν ἐριστικῶν φιλονεικήση, ὡς ἐν ἐπιλόγῳ φησίν, ὅτι οὐδέν ἀπροσδεές καί αὐτοτελές, τουτέστιν ἀφ' ἑαυτοῦ τέλειον, εἰ μή μόνος ὁ Θεός· ὥστε ἄγγελοι καί ἄνθρωποι προκοπῆς καί τελειώσεως δέονται.

ΕΙΣ ΤΟ ΚΕΦΑΛΑΙΟΝ ΙΑ'

§ 1. Οὐ γάρ ἔστιν εἰπεῖν ὡς ἐπί τῶν ἀγγέλων: Αἱ γάρ δυνάμεις τῆς δευτέρας

εἰσί καί μέσης τριάδος μετά τάς κυριότητας ταττόμεναι· ὥστε οὐχ ὡς τελευταίων αὐτῶν οὐσῶν πᾶσαι αἱ τάξεις ἐκλήθησαν δυνάμεις, ὡς ἐπί τῶν ἀγγἐλων.

Τῶν ἐσχάτων: Ὅτι τά τῶν ἐσχάτων ἔχουσι τά ὑπερκείμενα, τά δέ τῶν ὑπερκειμένων οὐκ ἔχει τά ἔσχατα· οὕτω καί ἀνωτέρω εἴρηται, ἐπειδή τά μέν πρῶτα ὁλικῶς ἔχει τήν ἔλλαμψιν, τά δέ τελευταῖα μερικῶς, ὡς ἐφεξῆς φησιν. Οὕτω καί ἐν τῇ Ἐκκλησίᾳ ἔστιν εὑρεῖν· ὁ γάρ ἱερεύς δύναται ποιεῖν ὅλα τά τῶν ὑποδεεστέρων, οἷον διακόνων καί τῶν ἐφεξῆς, ὁ δέ διάκονος τά τῶν ἱερέων οὐκ ἐπιτέτραπται ποιεῖν· ὅτι γάρ ἡ καθ' ἡμᾶς ἱεραρχία μιμεῖται τήν οὐρανίαν τάξιν, εἴπομεν ἄνω. Καλῶς δέ προσέθηκε τό ὁλικῶς, μερικῶς γάρ μετέχουσι· τήν σύνταξιν δέ ἀπό τοῦ, οὐ γάρ ἔστιν εἰπεῖν, ἕως δεῖ συνάψαι, καί ἀρχήν ποιήσασθαι τῆς ἀπορίας.

§ 2. Φαμέν δέ: Πῶς πάντες λέγονται δυνάμεις; Τελευταία (14Ε_296> γάρ τάξις ἡ τῶν ἀρχῶν καί ἀρχαγγέλων καί ἀγγέλων ἐστί· καί ὅμως καί αὐτοί δυνάμεις ἔστιν ὅτε ὀνομάζονται.

Εἰς οὐσίαν καί δύναμιν: Ὡς ἐν ὑποδείγματι ρητέον οὐσίαν μέν εἰπεῖν τήν πυρός φύσιν, δύναμιν δέ ταύτης τό φωτιστικόν, ἐνέργειαν δέ τό τῆς δυνάμεως ἀποτέλεσμα, ἤγουν τό φωτίζειν καί καίειν.

Ἤ οὐρανίας δυνάμεις ἀποκαλῶμεν: Ὁμώνυμόν ἐστιν ὄνομα αἱ δυνάμεις· λέγεται γάρ οὕτω καί τό ἰδικόν τάγμα, τουτέστι τό δεύτερον τῆς μέσης τριαδικῆς διακοσμήσεως, καί κοινῶς πάντα τά τάγματα, ὡς δύναμιν ἔχοντά τινα,