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of God, which we are, learns the great things. And toward persuasion concerning this, what he wrote to the Colossians in this way can also contribute something: «this mystery which was hidden before the ages and from the generations, which now has been revealed to his saints.» For before this, he says, it was known to God alone. In addition to these things, also what was said by Peter in these words, as was previously mentioned, concerning those who brought benefit to all men, I mean those concerning the ineffable economy: «into which things,» he says, «angels desire to look.» But if they had some innate knowledge, they would not long even to peer into it, but since they do not have it, they fall, in a way, into an exceeding love, like men, for those things, the knowledge of which they cannot attain. For it is natural to disregard things that are easy to find, but to make much of the rarer things. And indeed this is not according to their own judgment, but by the common principle of their nature, though I do not say all, some being subject. «For if,» he says, «God did not spare the angels when they sinned,» what innate knowledge of future things or authority to give oracles, as God has, can they possess? But if these do not know of themselves nor give oracles by their own authority, as the matter is self-evident even without any argument, and if because the word alone is predicated in common you have proceeded to censure and accusation, you have acted rashly and thoughtlessly, and not in accordance with the matter. For not even if some others should happen to say that God is Father because he gives oracles and is good, would it be fitting for us to say the opposite. Let me tell you something else: «Do you see that he called the angel who gave the oracle to the centurion, the Holy of Holies, Savior? For Scripture, using this name covertly, appears with much divine emphasis concerning him because, as Son and Word, he announced the Father's will in the economy. For it did not say by name, as it is accustomed to say: Michael, Gabriel or so-and-so.» What, then, from all our words could someone reasonably blame? And what fault could he find with the faith of the orthodox, which from no quarter is liable to correction? And how is it not worthy to believe that the Holy Spirit gives oracles royally, that is divinely, while the angels do so ministerially, that is, as servants? So difficult it is, then, as he says, to grasp the rudders. for one who has no skill in steering, so it is also difficult to teach, for one to whom the grace of the divine Spirit is not present, the grace which works the salvation of men with the Father and the Son, nor is it possible to know the security found even in the riddles of the oracles and the answer given from the knowledge of faithful men, and for whom there is no utterance of a word without a contentious, contradictory, and manifold purpose. But I know clearly, O renowned angels of God who inhabit the heavenly light, that you, being blameless and perfect, were not vexed at the things said by me, on account of the angels who are like you in nature, but not in their praiseworthy will; whom blame has followed from the beginning, just as some also who seem to you most unpersuasive in the struggle against the truth. For my discourse is on behalf of the divine Spirit who enlightens all things and generously grants divine things to the creatures of the Father and his only-begotten, making them equal, the Spirit who has sanctified you also and is glorified together with you, along with the Father and the Son, through the thrice-holy praise. Rather, you even gave your assent to me as I acclaimed this one and only Spirit of the substance of God to be God; and you would perhaps wish that my book should celebrate in this part, because of the excess of your goodwill concerning the revered and consubstantial Trinity, that the words spoken from the sense of the Scriptures by many and now by me were also yours, and that silence should never be imposed upon these things, and that all men should spend their leisure from practical affairs on such a subject. Therefore, for this reason, by the supreme judgment, you, O holy Michael, rule over the

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θεοῦ, ἥτις ἐσμὲν ἡμεῖς, τὰ μεγαλεῖα μανθάνει. πρὸς πειθὼ δὲ τὴν περὶ τοῦτο δύναταί τι συλλαμβάνειν καὶ ἅπερ Κολοσσαεῦσιν ἔγραψεν τοιῶσδε· «τὸ μυστήριον τοῦτο τὸ ἀποκεκρυμμένον πρὸ τῶν αἰώνων καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν γενεῶν, ὃ νῦν ἐφανερώθη τοῖς ἁγίοις αὐτοῦ.» πρὸ τούτου γάρ, φησίν, τῷ θεῷ ἔγνωστο μόνῳ. πρὸς τούτοις καὶ ἅπερ περὶ τῶν ἐνεγκόντων πᾶσιν ἀνθρώποις ὄφελος, τῶν περὶ τὴν ἄλεκτον οἰκονομίαν φημί, τοῖσδε παρὰ Πέτρου ἀνείρηται τοῖς ῥητοῖς, ὡς προελέχθη· «εἰς ἅ», φησίν, «ἐπιθυμοῦσιν ἄγγελοι παρακύψαι.» εἰ δέ τινα ἔμφυτον γνῶσιν εἶχον, οὐκ ἂν ἱμείροντο τοῦ κἂν διακύψαι εἰς αὐτό, ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ μὴ ἔχουσιν, εἰς ὑπερβάλλοντα, ὡς οἱ ἄνθρωποι, τρόπον τινὰ ἐκπίπτουσιν ἔρωτα ἐκείνων, ὧν τῆς γνώσεως τυχεῖν αὐτοῖς μὴ ὕπεστιν. πέφυκεν γὰρ καὶ τὴν ἄλλως ὑπερορᾶσθαι μὲν τὰ εὑρεθῆναι ῥᾴδια, ποιεῖσθαι δὲ τὰ σπανιώτερα. καὶ μέντοι καὶ τοῦτο οὐ κατὰ γνώμην οἰκείαν, τῷ κοινῷ δὲ τῆς φύσεως αὐτῶν λόγῳ οὐ πάντας φημί ὑπόχρεοι ὄντες τινές. «εἰ γάρ», φησίν, «ἀγγέλων ἁμαρτησάντων ὁ θεὸς οὐκ ἐφείσατο», ποίαν ἔμφυτον γνῶσιν τῶν μελλόντων ἢ αὐθεντείαν τοῦ χρηματίζειν, ὡς ὁ θεὸς ἔχειν δύνανται; εἰ δὲ οὐκ ἴσασι μὲν οὗτοι ἀφ' ἑαυτῶν οὐδὲ κατ' ἐξουσίαν ἰδίαν χρηματίζουσιν, ὡς ἔστι καὶ δίχα συστάσεώς τινος τὸ πρᾶγμα αὐταπόδεικτον, διὰ δὲ τὸ τὴν λέξιν μόνην κατὰ κοινοῦ κατηγορεῖσθαι ἐπὶ τὴν μέμψιν καὶ τὴν κατηγορίαν παρηγγείλατε, προπετῶς καὶ ἀδιασκέπτως ἐπράξατε, καὶ οὐδὲ πρὸς τὸ πρᾶγμα. οὐδὲ γὰρ εἰ τὸν θεὸν πατέρα φαῖεν τυχὸν ἄλλοι τινές, ὅτι χρηματίζει καὶ ἀγαθός ἐστιν, ἡμᾶς τὸ ἐναντίον λέγειν πρέπον. εἴπω τι ὑμῖν καὶ ἕτερον· «βλέπετε μὴ τὸν χρηματίσαντα τῷ ἑκατοντάρχῃ ἄγγελον, τὸν ἅγιον τῶν ἁγίων, σωτῆρα εἶπεν; τῷ γὰρ ὀνόματι τούτῳ προσχρησαμένῃ ἐπικεκρυμμένως σὺν ἐμφάσει πολλῇ καὶ θείᾳ περὶ αὐτοῦ φαίνεται ἡ γραφὴ διὰ τὸ ἀγγεῖλαι ἐν τῇ οἰκονομίᾳ ὡς υἱὸν λόγον τὸ πατρικὸν βούλημα. οὐ γὰρ εἶπεν ὀνομαστί, ὡς εἴωθεν λέγειν· Μιχαήλ, Γαβριὴλ ἢ ὁ δεῖνα.» τί τοίνυν ἐξ ἁπάντων τῶν ἡμετέρων λόγων αἰτιάσαιτ' ἂν τίς εὐλόγως; τί δὲ μέμψαιτο τῇ οὐδαμόθεν ἐχούσῃ τὸ εὐθύνεσθαι ὀρθοδόξων πίστει; πῶς δὲ οὐ πιστεύειν ἄξιον, ὡς τὸ ἅγιον πνεῦμα βασιλικῶς ἤτοι θεϊκῶς χρηματίζει, οἱ δ' ἄγγελοι λειτουργικῶς ἤγουν διακονικῶς; ὡς χαλεπὸν οὖν, καθά φησιν, οἰάκων ἔχεσθαι. ὅτῳ κυβερνητικῆς οὐχ ὕπεστιν, οὕτω χαλεπὸν καὶ διδάσκειν, ὅτῳ ἡ χάρις τοῦ θείου πνεύματος ἡ τῶν ἀνθρώπων σὺν τῷ πατρὶ καὶ τῷ υἱῷ ἐργαζομένη τὴν σωτηρίαν οὐ πάρεστιν, οὔτε ἐστὶν τὸ εἰδέναι τὴν καὶ ἐν τοῖς αἰνίγμασιν τῶν λογίων εὑρισκομένην ἀσφάλειαν καὶ τὴν ἀπὸ τῆς ἐπιστήμης τῶν πιστῶν ἀνδρῶν διδομένην ἀπόκρισιν, καὶ ὅτῳ ἐριστικῆς καὶ ἀντιλογικῆς καὶ ποικίλης προαιρέσεως ἄνευ οὐκ ἔστιν λόγου προφορά. οἶδα δὲ σαφῶς, ὦ εὐδόκιμοι καὶ τὸ οὐράνιον φῶς κατοικοῦντες ἄγγελοι τοῦ θεοῦ, ὅτιπερ ὑμεῖς ὡς ἄμεμπτοι καὶ τέλειοι οὐκ ἠχθέσθητε ἐπὶ τοῖς λεχθεῖσιν παρ' ἐμοῦ, ἕνεκα τῶν κατὰ τὴν φύσιν, οὐ κατὰ τὸ ἐπαινετὸν τῆς γνώμης, ὁμοίων ὑμῖν ἀγγέλων· οἷς ἐξ ἀρχῆς μέμψις παρηκολούθησεν, ὡς καὶ οἵτινες ὑμῖν μάλιστα ἀπίθανοί τινες πρὸς τὸν κατὰ τῆς ἀληθείας ἀγῶνα φαίνονται. ὁ γὰρ λόγος μοί ἐστιν ὑπὲρ τοῦ θεϊκοῦ πνεύματος τοῦ φωτίζοντος ἅπαντα καὶ φιλοτιμουμένου τὰ θεϊκὰ τοῖς κτίσμασι τοῦ πατρὸς καὶ τοῦ μονογενοῦς αὐτοῦ ἐφάμιλλα, τοῦ ἁγιάσαντος καὶ ὑμᾶς καὶ συνδοξαζομένου παρ' ὑμῶν ἅμα τῷ πατρὶ καὶ τῷ υἱῷ διὰ τοῦ τρισαγίου αἴνου. μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ συνεπενεύσατε πνεῦμα τοῦτο τῆς ὑποστάσεως τοῦ θεοῦ ἓν καὶ μόνον καὶ θεὸν ἀνευφημήσαντί μοι· καὶ ἐβούλεσθε ἂν τάχα πανηγυρίζει δέ μοι ἐν τῷ μέρει τούτῳ τὸ βιβλίον δι' ὑπερβολὴν εὐνοίας ὑμῶν τῆς περὶ τὴν σεπτὴν καὶ ὁμοούσιον τριάδα ὑμετέρα τε εἶναι ῥήματα τὰ ἐκ τῆς τῶν γραφῶν διανοίας λεχθέντα παρὰ πολλῶν καὶ νῦν παρ' ἐμοῦ καὶ μηδέποτε σιωπὴν τούτοις ἐπιβληθῆναι, καὶ πάντας δὲ τοὺς ἀνθρώπους τὴν ἀπὸ τῶν πραγμάτων σχολὴν δαπανᾶν εἰς ὑπόθεσιν τοιαύτην. τοιγαροῦν διὰ τοῦτο κρίσει τῇ ὑπερτάτῃ, σὺ μὲν, ὦ ἅγιε Μιχαήλ, ἄρχειν τῶν