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in deeds and not contributing to theology, in order to obscure the truth, and not accurately accepting what is fitting for the divine mystery and adapting it to their hypothesis, and for this main point they bring forward unacceptable divine sayings, up and down, as if it were a great and clear main point, saying that cold and deceitful word: that, they say, from such testimonies the Holy Spirit is brought down to the nature of an angel, by which they themselves appear to have been instructed. And thus they drag the correct meanings of the scriptures into misfortunes by their own absurd arguments. For it is written, he says, in the Apostolic Acts: "Cornelius a centurion, a just man and one that fears God, and of good report among all the nation of the Jews, was warned by a holy angel to send for you to his house and to hear words from you." You, therefore, if you had kept silent and had sewn shut your slanderous mouths, you would have acted much more profitably. But we, referring this main point also to the more perfect aim, and providing cheerfulness to those who will encounter it, and instilling a greater orthodox zeal, say that as there is no communion of nature for a creature with the uncreated nature, so neither is there of divine communication. For the one announces a message, which, not knowing it himself, he might be moved by the Holy Spirit to speak, and from this he has the name "angel" (messenger); but the Holy Spirit, since it knows all things of God, as Paul affirms, gives divine communication in a divine manner, just as the Father, whatever it sees with the sleepless eyes of the Godhead that both the Father and the Son will, and not in a servile manner, like the attendant angel. "For the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth," nor indeed can one of a different substance possess the same knowledge as one who is of another substance; for to each nature its proper knowledge and memory naturally attend. But also what is known by the created nature at times flies away with time. Whence here also the ungrateful have willfully omitted the beginning of the passage in the dispute of the argument. For it says: "While Peter was pondering the vision, the Holy Spirit said to him: Behold, three men are seeking you. But arise and go with them, doubting nothing; for I have sent them. And Peter went down to the men and said: Behold, I am he whom you seek; what is the reason for which you are here? And they said: Cornelius the centurion, a just man," and the rest, as stated before. So that to good judges it appears here also that the angel learned the oracle from the Holy Spirit. For it is a distinctive mark of the Godhead to foretell things infallibly; and this for the good of the hearers, that being made secure they might be saved. Then do you not think that by introducing such things you somehow envy creation, and find fault as it were with him who out of abundance adorned his own creations with the words spoken about him? as his grace certainly follows such a matter. For from this also he in no way insulted himself, but rather showed himself praiseworthy, and as usual brightened his works. But we, even if the fact that the Holy Spirit gives divine communication brings a certain divine majesty to the whole hypothesis, and taken by itself is sufficient for testimony, nevertheless have brought forward not only this, but also another multitude of lofty and indisputable proofs; to which if you attend without antipathy, you will certainly be more speechless than the fish. Paul, therefore, writing to the Ephesians, most clearly refutes your sophistry: "to me, the very least of all saints, this grace was given, to preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to enlighten all as to what is the plan of the mystery hidden from the ages in God who created all things; so that now to the principalities and the powers in the heavenly places the manifold wisdom of God might be made known through the church." Understand, therefore, how far the nature of angels is removed from knowing anything of the future of itself and from giving divine communication; that even through the church in this world the

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πράγμασιν καὶ οὐκ εἰς θεολογίαν συντελοῦντα πρὸς τὸ συσκιάσαι τὴν ἀλήθειαν συλλέγοντες καὶ οὐ τὰ πρέποντα τῷ θείῳ μυστηρίῳ ἀτρεκέως ἐκδεχόμενοι καὶ τῇ ὑποθέσει ἁρμόζοντες καὶ πρὸς τὸ κεφάλαιον τοῦτο ἄδεκτα τοῦ θείου προφέρουσιν ῥήματα, ἄνω καὶ κάτω, ὡς μέγα καὶ ἐναργὲς κεφάλαιον, τὸ ψυχρὸν ἐκεῖνο καὶ ἀπατηλὸν ῥῆμα λέγοντες· ὅτι, μησίν, κατάγεται ἐκ τῶν τοιούτων μαρτυριῶν τὸ ἅγιον πνεῦμα εἰς ἀγγέλου φύσιν, ᾗ καὶ αὐτοὶ φαίνονται χρηματίσαντες. καὶ οὕτως τὰς ὀρθὰς τῶν γραφῶν ἐννοίας ἐξ ἀτόπων ἰδίων λόγων εἰς περιπετείας ἐξέλκουσιν. γέγραπται γάρ, φησίν, ἐν ταῖς ἀποστολικαῖς πράξεσιν· «Κορνήλιος ἑκατοντάρχης, ἀνὴρ δίκαιος καὶ φοβούμενος τὸν θεόν, μαρ τυρούμενός τε ὑπὸ παντὸς ἔθνους τῶν Ἰουδαίων, ἐχρηματίσθη ὑπὸ ἀγ γέλου ἁγίου, μεταμέμψασθαί σε εἰς τὸν οἶκον αὐτοῦ καὶ ἀκοῦσαι ῥή ματα παρὰ σοῦ.» ὑμεῖς μὲν οὖν, εἰ ἐσιωπήσατε καὶ ἀπερράψατε συκοφαντίας τὰ στόματα, ἐπράττετε ἂν πολλῷ λυσιτελέστερον. ἡμεῖς δὲ ἐπὶ τὸν τελειότερον σκοπὸν ἀναπέμποντες καὶ τὸ κεφάλαιον τοῦτο καὶ εὐθυμίαν τοῖς ἐντευξομένοις παρέχοντες καὶ πλείονα τὸν ὀρθόδοξον ζῆλον ἐμβάλλοντες φαμέν, ὅτι ὡς οὐδεμία κοινωνία φύσεως κτίσματι πρὸς τὴν ἄκτιστον φύσιν ἐστίν, οὕτως οὐδὲ χρηματισμοῦ. ὁ μὲν γὰρ ἀγγέλλει, ὁ δ' ἂν οὐκ εἰδὼς ὑπὸ τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος εἰπεῖν ἐνεργηθείη, καὶ ἐντεῦθεν αὐτῷ ἄγγελος τοὔνομα· τὸ δὲ ἅγιον πνεῦμα ἅτε πάντα εἰδὸς τὰ τοῦ θεοῦ, ὡς διαβεβαιοῦται ὁ Παῦλος, χρηματίζει θεϊκῶς, ὡς ὁ πατήρ, ἅπερ ἂν τοῖς τῆς θεότητος ἀκοιμήτοις ὄμμασιν ὁρᾷ βουλόμενον καὶ τὸν πατέρα καὶ τὸν υἱὸν καὶ οὐ διακονικῶς, καθάπερ ὁ δορυφόρος ἄγγελος. «ὁ γὰρ δοῦλος οὐκ οἶδεν, τί ποιεῖ ὁ κύριος αὐτοῦ», οὐδέ γε ὁ ἑτεροούσιος τὴν αὐτὴν τῷ ἑτέρας ὄντι οὐσίας κεκτῆσθαι δύναται γνῶσιν· φύσει γὰρ ἑκάστῃ ἡ ἀνήκουσα γνῶσις καὶ μνήμη συμπαρομαρτεῖ· ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ γνωσθὲν τῇ γενητῇ φύσει ἔσθ' ὅτε τῷ χρόνῳ ἀφίπταται. ὅθεν κἀνταῦθα τὴν ἀρχὴν τοῦ χωρίου ἑκόντες ἐν τῇ διαμάχῃ τοῦ λόγου παραλελοίπασιν οἱ ἀγνώμονες. ἔχει γάρ· «τοῦ δὲ Πέτρου διενθυμουμένου περὶ τοῦ ῥήματος εἶπεν αὐτῷ τὲ ἅγιον πνεῦμα· ἰδοὺ ἄνδρες τρεῖς ζητοῦσίν σε. ἀλλὰ ἀναστὰς πορεύθητι σὺν αὐτοῖς, μηδὲν διακρινόμενος· διότι ἐγὼ ἀπέσταλκα αὐτούς. καταβὰς δὲ Πέτρος πρὸς τοὺς ἄνδρας εἶπεν· ἰδοὺ ἐγώ, ὃν ζητεῖτε· τίς ἡ αἰτία δι' ἣν πάρεστε; οἱ δὲ εἶπαν· Κορνήλιος ἑκατοντάρχης, ἀνὴρ δίκαιος», καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς, ὡς πρόκειται. ὥστε παρὰ κριταῖς ἀγαθοῖς κἀνταῦθα παρὰ τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος φαίνεται τὸν χρησμὸν ὁ ἄγγελος μαθών. θεότητος γὰρ ἔκκριτον γνώρισμα τὸ προλέγειν ἀσφάλτως· καὶ τοῦτο ἐπ' ἀγαθῷ τῶν ἀκουόντων, ἵν' ἀσφαλισάμενοι σωθῶσιν. εἶτα οὐ νομίζετε τοιαῦτα εἰσηγούμενοι βασκαίνειν μέν πως τῇ κτίσει, μέμφεσθαι δὲ οἷον τῷ δι' ἀφθονίαν ταῖς περὶ αὐτοῦ εἰρημέναις λέξεσιν κοσμήσαντι τὰ ἑαυτοῦ ποιήματα; ὡς ἑπομένης πάντως τῷ τοιούτῳ πράγματι καὶ τῆς αὐτοῦ χάριτος. ἐκ γὰρ καὶ τούτου ὕβρισεν μὲν ἑαυτὸν οὐδαμῶς, μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ ἐπαινετὸν ἔδειξεν, τὰ δὲ ἔργα αὐτοῦ συνήθως ἐφαίδρυνεν. ἡμεῖς δέ, εἰ καὶ σεμνότητά τινα θείαν τῇ πάσῃ ὑποθέσει φέρει τὸ χρηματίζειν τὸ ἅγιον πνεῦμα, καὶ ἀρκεῖ καθ' ἑαυτὸ παραλαμβανόμενον εἰς μαρτυρίαν, ὅμως οὐ μόνον αὐτό, ἀλλὰ γὰρ καὶ πλῆθος ἄλλο ὑψηλῶν καὶ ἀναμφισβητήτων ἀποδείξεων παρηγάγομεν· οἷς εἰ προσέχετε ἀντιπαθείας ἄνευ, ἀφωνότεροι πάντως ἔσεσθε τῶν ἰχθύων. διελέγχει τοίνυν τὴν πιθανουργίαν ὑμῶν σαφέστατα καὶ ὁ Παῦλος, Ἐφεσίοις γράψας· «ἐμοὶ τῷ ἐλαχιστοτέρῳ πάντων ἁγίων ἐδόθη ἡ χάρις αὕτη ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν εὐαγγελίσασθαι τὸν ἀνεξιχνίαστον πλοῦτον τοῦ Χριστοῦ καὶ φωτίσαι πάντας, τίς ἡ οἰκονομία τοῦ μυστηρίου τοῦ ἀποκεκρυμμένου ἀπὸ τῶν αἰώνων ἐν τῷ θεῷ τῷ τὰ πάντα κτίσαντι· ἵνα γνωρισθῇ νῦν ταῖς ἀρχαῖς καὶ ταῖς ἐξουσίαις ἐν τοῖς ἐπουρανίοις διὰ τῆς ἐκ κλησίας ἡ πολυποίκιλος σοφία τοῦ θεοῦ.» κατανοεῖτε οὖν, πόσον ἐξῄρηται ἡ ἀγγέλων φύσις τοῦ ἀφ' ἑαυτῆς εἰδέναι τι τῶν ἐσομένων καὶ τοῦ χρηματίζειν· ὅτι καὶ διὰ τῆς ἐν τῷδε τῷ κόσμῳ ἐκκλησίας τοῦ