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for he alone is the potentate. Therefore the blessed one, blessedness itself, will show. He says this, showing that there is nothing grievous there, nothing unpleasant. The word, Alone, he said either in contrast to men, or on account of his being unbegotten; which we also often say concerning men, whom we wish to single out. Who alone has immortality, he says. What then? Does the Son not have it? Is he not immortality itself? And how, being of the same substance as the Father? Dwelling in unapproachable light, he says. Is he one light, and that which he dwells in another? Therefore is he also contained in a place? Away with the thought. Not that we should think this, but that he might represent the incomprehensible nature of the divine being, he said that he dwells in unapproachable light, theologizing in this way as was possible for him. Do you see how the tongue fails when it wishes to utter something great? Whom no man has seen, he says, nor can see; just as no one has seen the Son, nor can see him; to whom be honor and eternal dominion. Amen. He theologized well here, and necessarily. For since he brought him forward as a witness, he discourses at length about the witness, so as to move the disciple to greater reverence. That is, glory to him; this alone we can say, this alone do, not be over-curious as to who he is. If then his dominion is eternal, do not be afraid; even if it does not happen now, honor is always his, dominion is always his. Charge those who are rich in this present world not to be high-minded. He well said, 62.598 In this present world; for there are also other rich people in the world to come. He advises these things, knowing that nothing so begets pride and desperation and arrogance as money. Then he immediately pulled them down, saying, Nor to trust in uncertain riches. For from this comes desperation; for he who hopes in God is not puffed up. Why do you hope in that which is suddenly removed? For such is wealth; and how can you hope in that about which it is not possible to be confident? But how will they be able not to be high-minded, he says? If they see that it is unstable, uncertain; if they see that the hope from God is greater than wealth; if they see that God is the cause even of this itself. But in the living God, he says, who gives us richly all things to enjoy. He well said, All things richly, alluding to the annual changes, the air, the light, the water, and all other things. Do you see how richly he provides and with much abundance? If you seek wealth, seek that which abides, which is sure, which comes from good works. Declaring this himself, he says, To do good, to be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate; the one concerning money, the other concerning love. By "willing to communicate" he means affable, courteous. Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation for the time to come. There nothing is uncertain; where the foundation is sure, nothing is unstable, but all things are sure, immovable, fixed, permanent. That they may lay hold, he says, on eternal life. For the practice of good works can procure for us the enjoyment of that life. O Timothy, keep that which is committed to your trust. Do not diminish it; it is not yours, you have been entrusted with what belongs to another; do not lessen it at all. Avoiding, he says, profane and vain babblings, and oppositions of knowledge falsely so called. 2. He spoke well thus. For when there is no faith, there is no knowledge; when something is born from one's own reasonings, there is no knowledge. Or perhaps he says this, because some at that time called themselves Gnostics, as if knowing more than others. Which some professing, he says, have erred concerning the faith. Do you see how he again commands not even to engage with such people? Avoiding, he says, the oppositions. So then there are oppositions, to which one should not even answer. Why? Because they cast one out of the faith, because they do not allow one to stand firmly or be fixed. Let us not then hold to this, but to faith, the unbreakable rock. For neither rivers, nor winds falling upon it will be able to do us any harm; for we stand unshaken upon the rock. So also in this life, if

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μόνος γάρ ἐστι δυνάστης. Οὐκοῦν δείξει ὁ μακάριος, ἡ αὐτομακαριότης. Τοῦτο δὲ λέγει δηλῶν ὅτι οὐδὲν ἐκεῖ λυπηρὸν, οὐδὲν ἀηδές. Τὸ δὲ, Μόνος, ἢ πρὸς ἀντιδιαστολὴν τῶν ἀνθρώπων, ἣ διὰ τὸ ἀγέννητον εἴρηκεν· ὃ καὶ ἡμεῖς λέγομεν πολλάκις περὶ ἀνθρώπων, οὓς ἐξαιρεῖν βουλόμεθα. Ὁ μόνος ἔχων ἀθανασίαν, φησί. Τί οὖν; ὁ Υἱὸς οὐκ ἔχει; οὐκ αὐτοαθανασία ἐστί; καὶ πῶς, τῆς αὐτῆς ὢν οὐσίας τῷ Πατρί; Φῶς οἰκῶν ἀπρόσιτον, φησίν. Ἄλλο τὸ φῶς αὐτὸς, καὶ ἄλλο ὃ οἰκεῖ; οὐκοῦν καὶ τόπῳ ἐμπεριείληπται; Ἄπαγε. Οὐχ ἵνα τοῦτο νοήσωμεν, ἀλλ' ἵνα τὸ ἀκατάληπτον τῆς θείας φύσεως παραστήσῃ, φῶς οἰκεῖν αὐτὸν εἶπεν ἀπρόσιτον, οὕτω θεολογήσας ὡς ἦν αὐτῷ δυνατόν. Ὁρᾷς καὶ ὅταν μέγα τι φθέγξασθαι βουληθείη ἡ γλῶττα, πῶς ἐξασθενεῖ; Ὃν εἶδεν οὐδεὶς ἀνθρώπων, φησὶν, οὐδὲ ἰδεῖν δύναται· ὥσπερ οὖν τὸν Υἱὸν οὔτε εἶδέ τις, οὔτε ἰδεῖν δύναται· ᾧ τιμὴ καὶ κράτος αἰώνιον. Ἀμήν. Καλῶς ἐθεολόγησεν ἐνταῦθα, καὶ ἀναγκαίως. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ μάρτυρα αὐτὸν ἤγαγε, πολλὰ περὶ τοῦ μάρτυρος διαλέγεται, ὥστε μᾶλλον τὸν μαθητὴν ἐντρέψαι. Τουτέστι, δόξα αὐτῷ· τοῦτο μόνον δυνάμεθα λέγειν, τοῦτο μόνον ποιεῖν, οὐ περιεργάζεσθαι τίς ἐστιν. Εἰ τοίνυν τὸ κράτος αὐτοῦ αἰώνιον, μὴ δεήσῃς· κἂν νῦν μὴ γένηται, ἀεὶ τιμὴ αὐτῷ, ἀεὶ κράτος αὐτῷ. Τοῖς πλουσίοις ἐν τῷ νῦν αἰῶνι παράγγελλε μὴ ὑψηλοφρονεῖν. Καλῶς εἶπεν, 62.598 Ἐν τῷ νῦν αἰῶνι· εἰσὶ γὰρ καὶ ἄλλοι πλούσιοι ἐν τῷ μέλλοντι. Ταῦτα δὲ παραινεῖ, εἰδὼς ὅτι οὐδὲν οὕτω τίκτει τῦφον καὶ ἀπόνοιαν καὶ ἀλαζονείαν, ὡς χρήματα. Εἶτα εὐθέως αὑτοὺς κατέσπακεν, εἰπών· Μηδὲ ἠλπικέναι ἐπὶ πλούτου ἀδηλότητι. Ἀπὸ γὰρ τούτου ἡ ἀπόνοια· ὡς ὅγε εἰς Θεὸν ἐλπίζων, οὐκ ἐπαίρεται. Τί ἐλπίζεις ἐπὶ τὸ ἀθρόον μεθιστάμενον; τοῦτο γὰρ ὁ πλοῦτος· καὶ πῶς εἰς ἐκεῖνον ἐλπίζεις ὑπὲρ οὗ θαῤῥῆσαι οὐκ ἔστι; Πῶς δὲ δυνήσονται μὴ ὑψηλοφρονεῖν, φησίν; Ἂν ἴδωσιν ὅτι οὗτος ἄστατος, ἀβέβαιος· ἂν ἴδωσιν ὅτι μείζων τοῦ πλούτου ἡ ἐλπὶς ἡ παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ· ἂν ἴδωσιν ὅτι καὶ τούτου αὐτοῦ αἴτιος ὁ Θεός. Ἀλλ' ἐπὶ τῷ Θεῷ, φησὶ, τῷ ζῶντι, τῷ παρέχοντι ἡμῖν πάντα πλουσίως εἰς ἀπόλαυσιν. Καλῶς εἶπε, Πάντα πλουσίως, τὰς ἐτησίους τροπὰς αἰνιττόμενος, τὸν ἀέρα, τὸ φῶς, τὸ ὕδωρ, τὰ ἄλλα πάντα. Ὁρᾷς πῶς πλουσίως παρέχει καὶ μετὰ πολλῆς τῆς ἀφθονίας; Εἰ πλοῦτον ζητεῖς, ἐκεῖνον ζήτει τὸν μένοντα, τὸν βέβαιον, τὸν ἀπὸ τῶν ἔργων γινόμενον τῶν ἀγαθῶν. Τοῦτο καὶ αὐτὸς δηλῶν, Ἀγαθοεργεῖν, φησὶ, πλουτεῖν ἐν ἔργοις καλοῖς, εὐμεταδότους εἶναι, κοινωνικούς· τὸ μὲν τῶν χρημάτων, τὸ δὲ τῆς ἀγάπης. Κοινωνικοὺς ὁμιλητικούς φησι, προσηνεῖς. Ἀποθησαυρίζοντας ἑαυτοῖς θεμέλιον καλὸν εἰς τὸ μέλλον. Ἐκεῖ οὐδὲν ἄδηλον· ἔνθα δὲ βέβαιος ὁ θεμέλιος, οὐδὲν ἄστατον, ἀλλὰ πάντα βέβαια, ἀκίνητα, πάγια, μόνιμα. Ἵνα ἐπιλάβωνται, φησὶ, τῆς αἰωνίου ζωῆς. Ἡ γὰρ τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἔργων πρᾶξις τὴν ἐκείνης ἡμῖν ἀπόλαυσιν προξενῆσαι δύναται. Ὢ Τιμόθεε, τὴν παρακαταθήκην φύλαξον. Μὴ μειώσῃς· οὐκ ἔστι σὰ, τὰ ἀλλότρια ἐνεπιστεύθης· μηδὲν ἐλαττώσῃς. Ἐκτρεπόμενος, φησὶ, τὰς βεβήλους κενοφωνίας καὶ ἀντιθέσεις τῆς ψευδωνύμου γνώσεως. βʹ. Καλῶς οὕτως εἶπεν. Ὅταν γὰρ πίστις μὴ ᾖ, γνῶσις οὐκ ἔστιν· ὅταν ἐκ τῶν οἰκείων λογισμῶν τίκτηταί τι, γνῶσις οὐκ ἔστιν. Ἢ τάχα τοῦτό φησι, διότι τινὲς ἑαυτοὺς ἐκάλουν τότε Γνωστικοὺς, ὡς πλέον τι τῶν ἄλλων εἰδότες. Ἥν τινες ἐπαγελλόμενοι, φησὶ, περὶ τὴν πίστιν ἠστόχησαν. Ὁρᾷς πῶς πάλιν κελεύει μηδὲ ὁμόσε χωρεῖν πρὸς τοὺς τοιούτους; Ἐκτρεπόμενος, φησὶ, τὰς ἀντιθέσεις. Ἄρα εἰσὶν ἀντιθέσεις, πρὸς ἃς οὐδὲ ἀποκρίνεσθαι χρή. ∆ιὰ τί; Ὅτι τῆς πίστεως ἐκβάλλουσιν, ὅτι οὐκ ἀφιᾶσιν ἑστάναι βεβαίως οὐδὲ πεπηγέναι. Μὴ δὴ ταύτης ἐχώμεθα, ἀλλὰ τῆς πίστεως, τῆς πέτρας τῆς ἀῤῥαγοῦς. Οὔτε γὰρ ποταμοὶ, οὔτε ἄνεμοι προσπεσόντες δυνήσονταί τι λυμήνασθαι ἡμῖν· ἑστήκαμεν γὰρ ἐπὶ τῆς πέτρας ἀπαρασάλευτοι. Οὕτω καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ βίου τούτου, ἂν