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And binding together the extremes: By extremes he means the powers above and those below, and the things in the middle, as we have said before, those from the purest matter, such as the heavens, and stars, and the other extremes, the terrestrial and earthy things themselves; for the intelligible things are extremes from those above to those below; and again, these earthly things are extremes from below to those above, which are also joined to the things in the middle. 'Of the same kind' are those that are akin and that have proceeded from the cause of all.

And to the uttermost? By 'uttermost limits of the whole' he means the inanimate substances, that is, those in which no motion of growth or nourishment or any of the others is observed. 'Of the same kind' are those that are kindred and of the same element. But unity differs from union; for the former shows the particular and unmixed character of each nature, while union shows the commingling with others, or simply, participation.

Whole to whole: And now he preserves his characteristic precision; for having said 'of the same kind,' that is, kindred and of the same genus, since they have proceeded from God, the progenitor of all, according to the Apostle who used the word, "for we are also his offspring," he also states the cause for which all things are of the same kind; and he says that for now God makes the intelligible things kindred and of the same element by their unities, that is, according to the simple and (14S_350> uncompounded nature of their substances, and according to their immortality, which those who have discussed these matters call identity. So, then, with perceptible things, too, by their unions from different elements, that is, by their compositions, and by the gatherings of such mixtures, leading their sequences into generation, he produces certain kinds of kinship.

§ 3. But how, one might say: An objection against those who say that not all things desire peace, and what otherness is.

The property of beings: Note what he means by property; that each thing is, as it has its nature, and according to the same as it has come to be. These things are against the Acephali, who are also ignorant of what property is. And he examines at length the proper meaning concerning property, clarifying it.

But also this desire for peace: Hence the solution. And he says 'of themselves' instead of 'of their properties'.

Immobility: By immobility he means not to fall away from its own nature and motion.

§ 4. And if all things that are moved: He has well said that all things are moved not by one motion, but by a certain proper and suitable motion; for intelligible and intellectual things are moved in one way, while perceptible things are moved by the motion into generation, or also by some qualitative motion, concerning which we have gone through more completely in the ninth chapter.

And the property of all things that are moved: That the motive life of each individual is also a property.

§ 5. But if that which is by falling away: Against those who say that otherness is the falling away from peace, and from this argue that peace is not desirable to all. Note the two othernesses, one being the falling away from peace, and the other the property of each of the beings.

(14S_352> For that which is in every way unstable: He wonderfully refutes the opinions of the Greeks and of such heretics, like the Valentinians and Manichaeans, who posited matter as a principle, bearing in itself things contrary to those of God; for they said that matter has instability and revolution and infinity and indefiniteness, and all these things perpetually, which is proven to be truly and completely false. For nothing exists, nor has come to be, that was not, from the time it was produced and ordered by God, produced into form and, in order to truly be as it was produced, received providence from God.

To dim idols: Instead of 'to faint images'; for they long for sensual pleasure, enjoyment, and union with flowing and corruptible things, and the

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Καί συνδέουσα τά ἄκρα: Ἄκρα φησί τάς ἄνω δυνάμεις καί τάς κάτω, καί μέσα, ὡς προέφημεν, τά ἐκ τῆς καθαρωτάτης ὕλης, οἷον οὐρανούς, καί ἀστέρας, καί τά ἕτερα ἄκρα τά ἐπίγεια καί γεώδη αὐτά· ἄκρα μέν γάρ ἀπό τῶν ἄνω ἐπί τά κάτω τά νοητά· πάλιν δέ ἄκρα κάτωθεν ἐπί τά ἄνω τά γήϊνα ταῦτα, ἅ καί συνάπτονται τοῖς μέσοις. Ὁμόγνια δέ τά συγγενῆ καί ἐκ τοῦ πάντων αἰτίου προελθόντα.

Καί ταῖς ἐσχάταις; Ἐσχάταις τοῦ παντός ἀποπερατώσεις τάς ἀψύχους οὐσίας φησί, τουτέστιν ἐν αἷς οὐδεμία κίνησις αὐξητική ἤ θρεπτική ἤ τῶν ἄλλων τις θεωρεῖται. Ὁμόγνια δέ τά ἀδελφά καί ὁμόστοιχα. ∆ιαφέρει δέ ἑνότης ἑνώσεως· ἡ μέν γαρ τό ἰδιάζον καί ἀμιγές τῆς καθ' ἕκαστον δείκνυσι φύσεως, ἡ δέ ἕνωσις τήν πρός ἕτερα σύγκρασιν, ἥ ἁπλῶς μετουσίαν.

Ὅλη πρός ὅλην: Καί νῦν τήν οἰκείαν ἀκρίβειαν φυλάττει· εἰπών γάρ ὁμόγνια, τουτέστι συγγενῆ, καί τοῦ αὐτοῦ γένους, ἅτε παρά τοῦ παντός γενάρχου Θεοῦ προεληλυθότα, κατά τόν χρησάμενον τῷ ρήματι Ἀπόστολον, «τοῦ γάρ καί γένος ἐσμέν», λέγει δέ καί τήν αἰτίαν, καθ' ἥν ὁμόγνια τά πάντα· καί φησιν, ὅτι τέως τά νοητά ταῖς ἑνότησι, τουτέστι κατά τό ἁπλοῦν καί (14S_350> ἀσύνθετον τῶν οὐσιῶν, καί κατά τήν ἀθανασίαν, ἥν ταυτότητα λέγουσιν οἱ περί τούτων διαλεχθέντες, συγγενῆ ποιεῖ ὁ Θεός καί ὁμόστοιχα. Ὥσπερ οὖν καί τά αἰσθητά ταῖς ἐκ τῶν διαφόρων στοιχείων ἑνώσεσιν, ἤτοι συγκρίμασι, καί ταῖς συναγωγαῖς τῶν τοιούτων μιγμάτων εἰς γένεσιν ἄγων τάς ἀλληλουχίας, οἷόν τινας συγγενείας ἀποτελεῖ.

§ 3. Πῶς δέ, φαίη τις: Ἀντίθεσις πρός τούς λέγοντας, μή ἐφίεσθαι πάντα εἰρήνης, καί τί ἐστιν ἑτερότης.

Τῶν ὄντων ἰδιότητα: Σημείωσαι, τί φησιν ἰδιότητα· ὅτι τό εἶναι ἕκαστον, ὡς ἔχει φύσεως, καί κατά τό αὐτό ὡς γέγονε. Ταῦτα κατά Ἀκεφάλων, τῶν καί ἀγνοούντων, τί ἐστιν ἰδιότης. Ἐπί πολύ δέ κατεξετάζει τήν περί τῆς ἰδιότητος κυριολεξίαν, σαφηνίζων αὐτήν.

Ἀλλά καί ταύτην εἰρήνης ἔφεσιν: Ἐντεῦθεν ἡ λύσις. Τῶν ἑαυτῶν δέ φησιν ἀντί τοῦ τῶν ἰδιωμάτων.

Ἀκινησίαν: Ἀκινησίαν φησί τό μή μεταπίπτειν τῆς οἰκείας φύσεως καί κινήσεως.

§ 4. Καί εἰ τά κινούμενα πάντα: Καλῶς εἶπε τά πάντα κινεῖσθαι οὐ μίαν κίνησιν, ἀλλ' ἰδίαν τινά καί κατάλληλον κίνησιν· τά μέν γάρ νοητά καί νοερά ἄλλως, τά δέ αἰσθητά τήν εἰς γένεσιν, ἤ καί ποιάν τινα κίνησιν κινεῖται, περί ὧν ἐν τῷ ἐνάτῳ κεφαλαίῳ διεξήλθομεν τελειότερον.

Καί τήν πάντων τῶν κινουμένων ἰδιότητα: Ὅτι ἰδιότης ἐστί καί ἡ κινητική ζωή τοῦ καθ ' ἕκαστον.

§ 5. Εἰ δέ τήν κατ' ἔκπτωσιν: Πρός τούς λέγοντας ἑτερότητα εἶναι τήν κατ' ἔκπτωσιν τῆς εἰρήνης, καί ἐντεῦθεν ἰσχυριζομένους, μή πᾶσιν ἐραστήν εἶναι τήν εἰρήνην. Σημείωσαι τάς δύο ἑτερότητας μίαν μέν τήν κατ' ἔκπτωσίν εἰρήνης, καί ἑτέραν τήν τῶν ὄντων ἑκάστου ἰδιότητα.

(14S_352> Τό γάρ πάντῃ ἄστατον: Θαυμασίως ἀθετεῖ τάς τῶν Ἑλλήνων καί τῶν τοιούτων αἱρετικῶν γνώμας, οἷον Οὐαλεντινιανῶν καί Μανιχαίων, τῶν τήν ὕλην ὑποθεμένων ἀρχήν, τά ἐναντία φέρουσαν ἐν ἑαυτῇ τοῖς τοῦ Θεοῦ· ἀστασίαν γάρ καί περιφοράν καί ἀπειρίαν καί ἀορτιστίαν, καί ταῦτα πάντα διηνεκῆ τήν ὕλην ἔφησαν, ὅπερ ἀποδείκνυται ψευδές ἀληθῶς παντελῶς. Οὐδέν γάρ ἐστιν, οὐδέ γέγονεν, ὅ μή ἀφ' οὗ παρήχθη καί διακεκοσμημένον ὑπό Θεοῦ παρήχθη εἰς εἶδος καί τοῦ ὄντως ἔχειν ὡς παρήχθη, προνοίας ἔτυχεν ἀπό Θεοῦ.

Ἀμαυροῖς εἰδώλοις: Ἀντί τοῦ ἀμυδροῖς εἰκονίσμασιν· ἐφίενται γάρ τῆς πρός τάς ρεούσας καί φθειρομένας ἡδυπαθείας, ἀπολαύσεως καί συναφείας, καί τό πρός