But if it were in any way possible by some other means to lay bare the movements of thought, abandoning the formal instrumentality of words, we should converse with one another more lucidly and clearly, revealing by the mere action of thought the essential nature of the things which are under consideration. But now, by reason of our inability to do so, we have given things their special names, calling one Heaven, another Earth, and so on, and as each is related to each, and acts or suffers, we have marked them by distinctive names, so that our thoughts in regard to them may not remain uncommunicated and unknown. But supramundane and immaterial nature being free and independent of bodily envelopment, requires no words or names either for itself or for that which is above it, but whatever utterance on the part of such intellectual nature is recorded in Holy Writ is given for the sake of the hearers, who would be unable otherwise to learn what is to be set forth, if it were not communicated to them by voice and word. And if David in the spirit speaks of something being said by the Lord to the Lord104    Ps. cx. 1., it is David himself who is the speaker, being unable otherwise to make known to us the teaching of what is meant except by interpreting by voice and word his own knowledge of the mysteries given him by Divine inspiration.

εἰ δέ πως ἦν ἀπογυμνοῦν ἑτέρως τὰ τῆς διανοίας κινήματα, χαίρειν τὴν περιοδικὴν τῶν ῥημάτων ὑπηρεσίαν ἐάσαντες τηλαυγέστερον ἂν καὶ καθαρώτερον ἀλλήλοις συνεγινόμεθα, αὐτὴν τῶν πραγμάτων τὴν φύσιν περὶ ἣν ὁ νοῦς καταγίνεται ταῖς τῆς διανοίας ὁρμαῖς ἐκκαλύπτοντες: νυνὶ δὲ τούτου χάριν τῷ μέν τινι τῶν ὄντων ὄνομα οὐρανὸν ἐθέμεθα ἑτέρῳ δὲ γῆν καὶ ἄλλῳ ἄλλο τι καὶ τὸ πρός τί πως ἔχειν ἢ τὸ ἐνεργεῖν ἢ τὸ πάσχειν, πάντα ἰδιαζούσαις ἐπισημαινόμεθα ταῖς φωναῖς, ὡς ἂν μὴ ἀκοινώνητός τε καὶ ἄγνωστος ἡ τοῦ νοῦ κίνησις ἐν ἡμῖν μένοι. ἡ δὲ ὑπερκόσμιος ἐκείνη καὶ ἄϋλος φύσις τῆς σωματικῆς περιοχῆς ἐλευθέρα οὖσα καὶ ἄνετος οὔτε ἐφ' ἑαυτῆς οὔτε ἐπὶ τῆς ὑπερκειμένης φύσεως ὀνομάτων δέεται ἢ ῥημάτων, ἀλλ' εἴ που καὶ μνημονεύεται παρὰ τῆς νοερᾶς φύσεως λόγος τις ἐν ἱεραῖς βίβλοις ἀνάγραπτος, ἡμῶν ἕνεκεν τῶν ἀκουόντων τὸ τοιοῦτον λέγεται τῶν ἀδυνατούντων ἄλλῳ τρόπῳ μαθεῖν τὸ δηλούμενον, μὴ διὰ φωνῶν καὶ ῥημάτων ἐξαγγελλόμενον. κἂν ὁ Δαβὶδ ἐν πνεύματι λέγῃ τῷ κυρίῳ παρὰ τοῦ κυρίου τι λέγεσθαι, Δαβὶδ ὁ λέγων ἐστὶν ὁ μὴ δυνάμενος ἑτέρως ἡμῖν τὴν τοῦ νοηθέντος διδασκαλίαν ποιήσασθαι, εἰ μὴ διὰ φωνῶν καὶ ῥημάτων τὴν ἐγγενομένην αὐτῷ θεόθεν τῶν μυστηρίων κατανόησιν ἑρμηνεύσειε.