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And without the one: Since the one seems to have some relation to number, without a one there could be no multitude; for the numbers that constitute a multitude are a composition of the monad, which he said above, that God is multiplied, as conceived from an arithmetical perspective. But the one also subsists and is in and of itself.
And if all things to all: The phrase 'one might suppose', and 'hypothetically' is used for things not actually existing, but are formed by reason; here, however, it should not be taken this way, but this should be posited according to a conceptual rationale, because of the identity of being created, and the whole being contemplated in the parts, and the parts in the whole.
That according to the preconception of each one: If, he says, the form of man, that is, nature, were not preconceived, no one would say that men are united to one another; and it is clear that this is according to the very principle of nature.
§ 3. And if you should take away the one: Thus the saying must be composed, that the united things are said to be united according to a preconceived form of each one; for we said before that the forms and the many inscribe the one as a certain element and principle, being referred back to one genus, of which they are species; for these things are united by the form itself, such as horses, oxen, and so on, which are referred back to one genus, which is called animal.
The whole divine rule: The whole divine rule is the all-holy and adorable Trinity, but on account of the inexpressible union of nature, he is called one person and one thing. (14S_372> By which and from which: With 'by which' combine 'is', and with 'from which' 'has been put together', and with 'through which' 'remains', and with 'in which' 'is held together', that is, is preserved, and with 'to which' 'is returned', even if the father specifically and under one head arranged the words, and the 'all things' from a common source. And he said well that, if you take away the one, there is neither a whole, nor a thousandth part, nor anything else; for he also hinted at this above, saying, and a half one, and a third, and a tenth, clearly meaning that even the parts partake of the one.
The one cause of all: All things are not constituted by absolutely any one, but by that one alone by which, as one, God is named both one person and one thing; for by this one alone do existing things exist; for he who says the name 'the one' signifies this by negation of the multiple; yet the one is a self-principle and first in that it has some relation to something; for it introduces the concept of the many that are from it. But these things are not suitable for God; but being such a thing, the one alone is completely impassible and indivisible and most self-sufficient; for according to its own nature it is not disposed to be combined with another, as is the one in numbers; for the one in the proper sense, and before every one, repels multitude and all composition and division. For this is called neither small nor moderate, and if one must be bold, neither beautiful nor good; for these are in a way affections, as are also relations and accidents. But the one itself is also conceived beyond all things, while the affections, such as small and moderate, are also conceived with another, and for this reason are neither simple nor elementary. Therefore, the one, as has been said, which is simple and impassible, not having the aforementioned qualities, must not be posited as a genus of existing things; but genera are always divided into species, but neither is it a point or a monad in the proper sense; for these (14S_374> have a relation to what follows. But it is most simple, and has not a single difference; for it has neither any motion and stasis, such as rest, but neither must the one itself be posited as being, but as the principle and seed of being. But multitude necessarily accompanies being, and being is added to multitude, which is not the case with God. For being is substance, from 'to be'. But God is both beyond substance, and beyond being, and 'in a unitary way' instead of 'exceptionally' and 'inimitably' beyond being; for God is all things and beyond all things. Having therefore wonderfully discoursed on the nature of numbers. Whether trinity, he adds, or monad, the Godhead beyond all is hymned, it is neither a trinity nor a monad known by us through numbers, or by another, but God both is and is named beyond all mind; for by saying 'what he is not', we understand what God is.
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Καί ἄνευ μέν τοῦ ἑνός: Ἐπειδή τό ἕν δοκεῖ πως ἔχειν σχέσιν πρός ἀριθμόν, ἄνευ ἑνός οὑκ ἄν εἴη πλῆθος· σύνθεσις γάρ μονάδος εἰσίν οἱ εἰς πλῆθος ἀριθμοί, ὅπερ εἶπεν ἄνω, ὅτι πολλαπλασιάζεται ὁ Θεός, ὡς ἀπό ἀριθμητικῆς νοούμενος. Τό δέ ἕν καί καθ' ἑαυτό ὑφέστηκε καί ἔστι.
Καί εἰ πᾶσι τά πάντα: Τό 'ὑποθοῖτό τις', καί τό 'καθ' ὑπόθεσιν' λαμβάνεται ἐπί τῶν πραγματικῶς οὐκ ὄντων, ἀλλά λόγῳ τυπουμένων· ἐνταῦθα μέντοι οὐχ οὕτω ληπτέον, ἀλλά τό κατά ἐπίνοιαν λόγῳ τοῦτο θετέον, διά τήν τοῦ ἐκτίσθαι ταυτότητα, καί τό ὅλον ἐν τοῖς μέρεσι θεωρεῖσθαι, καί ἐν τῷ ὅλῳ τά μέρη.
Ὅτι κατά τό ἑνός ἑκάστου προεπινοούμενον: Εἰ μή προεπινοηθείη, φησί, τό τοῦ ἀνθρώπου εἶδος, ἤγουν ἡ φύσις, οὐκ ἄν τις εἴποι τούς ἀνθρώπους ἡνῶσθαι ἀλλήλους· δῆλον δέ ὅτι κατ' αὐτόν τόν τῆς φύσεως λόγον.
§ 3. Καί εἰ ἀνέλοις τό ἕν: Οὕτω τό ρητόν συνθετέον, ὅτι ἡνῶσθαι λέγεται τά ἡνωμένα κατ' εἶδος προεπινοούμενον ἑνός ἑκάστου· προείπομεν γάρ, ὅτι τά εἴδη καί τά πολλά στοιχεῖόν τι ἀρχήν τό ἕν ἐπιγράφονται, εἰς γένος ἕν ἀναγόμενα, οὗ γένους εἴδη εἰσί· ταῦτα γάρ ἡνωμένα αὐτῷ τῷ εἴδει, οἷον ἵπποι, βόες, καί τά ἑξῆς, ἅπερ εἰς ἕν γένος ἀνάγονται, τό καλεῖσθαι ζῶον.
Τήν ὅλην θεαρχίαν: Ὅλη θεαρχία ἡ παναγία καί προσκυνητή Τριάς, διά δέ τήν ἀνέκφραστον τῆς φύσεως ἕνωσιν, ὁ εἷς καί ἕν χρηματίζει. (14S_372> Ὑφ' ἧς καί ἐξ ἧς: Τῷ 'ὑφ' ἧς' σύνταξον τό 'ἐστί', καί τῷ 'ἐξ ἧς' τό 'συντέτακται', καί τῷ 'δι' ἧς' τό 'μένει', καί τῷ 'ἐν ἧ' τό 'συνέχεται', ἤγουν φυλάττεται, καί τῷ 'εἰς ἥν' τό 'ἐπιστρέφεται', εἰ καί ὁ πατήρ ἰδίως καί ὑφ' ἕν τά ρήματα ἔταξε, καί τό 'πάντα' δέ ἀπό κοινοῦ. Καλῶς δέ εἶπεν, ὅτι, ἐάν ἀνέλῃς τό ἕν, οὔτε ὁλότης, οὔτε πολλοστημόριον, οὔτε ἄλλο οὐδέν· τοῦτο γάρ προῃνίξατο καί ἄνω εἰπών, καί ἡμισυ ἕν, καί τρίτον, καί δέκατον, δηλονότι καί τά μόρια τοῦ ἑνός μετέχουσι.
Τό πάντων αἴτιον ἕν: Οὐκ ἀπολύτως ἑνί παντί τά πάντα συνέστηκεν, ἀλλ ' ἐκείνῳ μόνῳ τῷ ἑνί, καθ' ὅ ἕν, ὁ Θεός καί εἷς καί ἕν ὀνομάζεται· τούτῳ γάρ μόνῳ τῷ ἑνί τά ὄντα ἐστίν· αὐτό γάρ τό ὄνομα τό ἕν ὁ λέγων κατά ἀπόφασιν τοῦ πολλαπλοῦ τοῦτο σημαίνει· τό μέντοι ἕν αὐτοαρχή καί πρῶτόν ἐστι τῷ πρός τί πως ἔχειν· τῶν γάρ ἐξ αὐτοῦ πολλῶν ἔννοιαν εἰσάγει. Ταῦτα δέ οὐκ ἐπιτήδεια ἐπί Θεοῦ· τοιοῦτον δέ ὄν μόνον τό ἕν, παντελῶς ἀπαθές καί ἀδιαίρετον καί αὐταρκέστατόν ἐστι· κατά γάρ τήν αὐτοῦ φύσιν ἑτέρῳ συμπλέκεσθαι οὐ πέφυκεν, ὥσπερ τό ἐν ἀριθμοῖς ἕν· ἀπωθεῖται γάρ τό πλῆθος καί πᾶσαν σύνθεσιν καί διαίρεσιν αὐτό τό κυρίως ἕν, καί πρό παντός ἑνός. Τοῦτο γάρ οὔτε μικρόν, οὔτε μέτριον καλεῖται εἰ δέ δεῖ καί τολμῆσαι, οὔτε καλόν, οὔτε ἀγαθόν· ταῦτα γάρ πάθη πως, οἷόν εἰσι καί σχέσεις καί συμβεβηκότα. Αὐτό δέ τό ἕν καί ὑπέρ πάντα νοεῖται, τά δέ πάθη, ὡς τό μικρόν καί μέτριον, καί σύν ἄλλῳ νοοῦνται, καί οὔτε ἁπλᾶ διά τοῦτο, οὔτε στοιχειώδη. Τό ἕν οὖν, ὡς εἴρηται, ὅπερ ἁπλοῦν καί ἀπαθές, μή ἔχον τά λεχθέντα, οὔτε ὡς γένος θετέον τῶν ὄντων· τά δέ γένη πάντως διαιρεῖται εἰς τά εἴδη, ἀλλ' οὔτε στιγμήν ἤ μονάδα κυρίως· σχέσιν γάρ ἔχει (14S_374> ταῦτα πρός τά ἐφεξῆς. Τό δέ ἐστιν ἁπλούστατον, καί οὔτε μίαν διαφοράν ἔχον· οὔτε γάρ κίνησίν τινα καί στάσιν, οἷον ἠρεμίαν ἔχει, ἀλλ' οὔτε ὄν θετέον αὐτό τό ἕν, ἀλλά ἀρχήν ὄντος καί σπέρμα. Τῷ δέ ὄντι πλῆθος ἐξ ἀνάγκῃς παρέπεται, τῷ πλήθει τό ὄν προσγίνεται, ὅπερ οὐκ ἔστιν ἐπί Θεοῦ. Τό γάρ ὄν οὐσία ἐστίν, ἀπό τοῦ εἶναι. Ὁ δέ Θεός καί ὑπερούσιος, καί ὑπέρ τό ὄν, καί ἑνικῶς ἀντί τοῦ ἐξαιρέτως καί ἀμιμήτως ὑπέρ τό ὄν· ὁ γάρ Θεός τά πάντα ἐστί καί ὑπέρ πάντα. Θαυμασίως οὖν τά περί ἀριθμῶν φυσιολογήσας. Κἄν τριάς, ἐπάγει, κἄν μονάς ὑμνεῖται ἡ ὑπέρ πάντα θεότης, οὔτε τριάς οὔτε μονάς ἐστιν, ἡ παρ' ἡμῶν δι' ἀριθμῶν γνωριζομένη, ἤ παρ' ἑτέρου, ἀλλ' ὑπέρ πάντα νοῦν καί ἔστι καί ὀνομάζεται ὁ Θεός· διά γάρ τοῦ εἰπεῖν 'ὅπερ οὐκ ἔστι', νοοῦμεν ὅ,τί ἐστιν ὁ Θεός.