,

For this was characteristic of the highest goodness, not only to establish the divine and incorporeal intelligible essences as images of the ineffable and divine glory, receiving, as far as is lawful and in proportion to them, the whole inconceivable comeliness of the unapproachable beauty, but also to mingle echoes of its own majesty with sensible things, which are far inferior to the intelligible essences, which are able to convey the human mind without error, when it is borne upon them, to God, rising above all visible things, as one who has attained the highest blessedness and has left behind all the intermediate things through which he has cut and completed such a journey; and not only this, but also so that none of those who served creation rather than the Creator might have ignorance as a pretext for an excuse, hearing creation proclaim its own maker more clearly than any voice.

Therefore, since the nature of visible things has spiritual principles of wisdom and refined modes of conduct naturally sown in it by the Creator, every mind, rightly crowned with virtue and knowledge, just like the great Hezekiah who was chosen to reign over Jerusalem, that is, of the state that sees only peace, or rather the condition devoid of all passions—for Jerusalem is interpreted as “vision of peace”—such a mind holds all creation in its power through the forms that constitute it, with creation, through him, offering to God the spiritual principles of knowledge within it as gifts, and to him, as presents, providing the modes leading to virtue which exist in it according to the natural law, and through both welcoming the one who is able to be excellently approved in both respects, I mean the philosophical mind perfected in the principle (14Β_374> and life of both practice and contemplation. The text, therefore, has said specifically that gifts are brought to the Lord and presents to the king, since, as those who have studied these matters say, "gifts" are specifically called those things brought to those who are in no need, while "presents" are those given to those who are in need. For this reason also the general custom of men has called things offered to kings "gifts," perhaps considering the lack of need of the recipients.

And one of those ambitious in all things might say that for this reason the things offered by the Magi to the Lord, who for our sake became man through love for mankind, were called "gifts," and in saying this he would not be straying at all from the truth.

Therefore, when we offer to the Lord the spiritual principles from created things, we are bringing gifts, inasmuch as He is by nature in no need of any of these things; for we do not offer the principles of beings to the Lord as if He were in need of them in addition to other things, but so that we might in some way, according to our ability, praise Him as is His due from His own creatures. But he who zealously pursues divine philosophy receives presents, as being naturally in need of both modes for virtue and principles for knowledge.

Or the gifts should be understood in another way. Since a gift is again that which is given to those who have contributed nothing beforehand, the gnostic mind receives as gifts from the contemplation of beings the cohesive principles of faith which are brought to the Lord through him without logical demonstration, for which no one in any way contributes anything beforehand, beholding its own maker naturally and without any technical (14Β_376> methodology in arguments, as creation reveals (for what could one contribute beforehand that could be equal to faith, so as to receive faith in God as a debt and not a gift?), but he receives presents by imitating in his ways the natural laws of beings, that is, by contributing beforehand for their acquisition the labors of repentance, through which one is naturally disposed first to put off the old man and thus to go forth to the gathering of the fruits of righteousness, which have been made in existing things

Τοῦτο γὰρ τῆς ἄκρας ἦν ἀγαθότητος ἴδιον, μὴ μόνον τὰς θείας καὶ ἀσωμάτους τῶν νοητῶν οὐσίας τῆς ἀπορρήτου καὶ θείας ἀπεικονίσματα καταστῆσαι δόξης, ὅλην κατὰ τὸ θεμιτὸν ἀναλόγως αὐταῖς εἰσδεχομένας τὴν ἀπερινόητον ὡραιότητα τοῦ ἀπροσίτου κάλλους, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῖς αἰσθητοῖς καὶ τῶν νοητῶν οὐσιῶν κατὰ πολὺ ἀποδέουσιν ἀπηχήματα τῆς οἰκείας ἐγκαταμίξαι μεγαλειότητος, δυνάμενα τὸν ἀνθρώπινον νοῦν ἐπιχούμενον αὐτοῖς πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν ἀπλανῶς διαπορθμεύειν, ὑπεράνω πάντων τῶν ὁρωμένων γινόμενον, οἷα τῆς ἄκρας ἐπιβάντα μακαριότητος καὶ τὰ μέσα πάντα, δι᾽ ὧν τὴν τοιαύτην τεμὼν ἐξήνυσε πορείαν, κατόπιν ἑαυτοῦ ποιησάμενον· οὐ μόνον δέ, ἀλλ᾽ ἵνα καὶ μηδεὶς τῶν λατρευσάντων τῇ κτίσει παρὰ τὸν κτίσαντα πρόφασιν ἀπολογίας ἔχῃ τὴν ἄγνοιαν, φωνῆς πάσης τρανότερον τὸν οἰκεῖον ποιητὴν κηρυττούσης ἀκούων τῆς κτίσεως.

Οὐκοῦν ἐπειδὴ καὶ λόγους σοφίας πνευματικοὺς καὶ τρόπους ἀγωγῆς ἀστείας ἐγκατασπαρέντας αὐτῇ φυσικῶς ἔχει παρὰ τοῦ δημιουργοῦ τῶν ὁρωμένων ἡ φύσις, πᾶς νοῦς, εἰκότως ἀρετῇ καὶ γνώσει κατεστεμμένος, οἷα δὴ κατὰ τὸν μέγαν Ἐζεκίαν βασιλεύειν λαχὼν τῆς Ἱερουσαλήμ, τουτέστι τῆς εἰρήνην μόνην ὁρώσης ἕξεως ἤγουν τῆς παντοίων ἐστερημένης παθῶν καταστάσεωςὅρασις γὰρ εἰρήνης Ἱερουσαλὴμ ἑρμηνεύεται, πᾶσαν ἔχει τὴν κτίσιν ὑποχείριον διὰ τῶν αὐτὴν συμπληρούντων εἰδῶν ὁ τοιοῦτος νοῦς, τῷ μὲν Θεῷ δι᾽ αὐτοῦ τοὺς ἐν αὐτῇ πνευματικοὺς τῆς γνώσεως καθάπερ δῶρα προσκομίζουσαν λόγους, αὐτῷ δὲ καθάπερ δόματα τοὺς ἐνυπάρχοντας αὐτῇ κατὰ τὸν φυσικὸν νόμον πρὸς ἀρετὴν τρόπους παρέχουσαν, καὶ διὰ τῶν ἀμφοτέρων δεξιουμένην τὸν κατ᾽ ἀμφότερα κρατίστως εὐδοκιμεῖν δυνάμενον, λέγω δὲ τὸν κατὰ λόγον (14Β_374> καὶ βίον πράξεώς τε καὶ θεωρίας τελειωθέντα φιλόσοφον νοῦν. ∆ῶρα μὲν οὖν τῷ Κυρίῳ καὶ δόματα τῷ βασιλεῖ φέρεσθαι προσδιωρισμένως εἴρηκεν ὁ λόγος, ἐπειδή, καθώς φασιν οἱ περὶ ταῦτα τὴν σπουδὴν ἐσχηκότες, δῶρα σεσημειωμένως ἐκεῖνα λέγεται τὰ τοῖς ἀπροσδεέσιν εἰσκομιζόμενα, δόματα δὲ τὰ τοῖς δεομένοις διδόμενα. ∆ιὸ καὶ ἡ καθόλου συνήθεια τῶν ἀνθρώπων τὰ τοῖς βασιλεῦσι προσφερόμενα προσηγόρευσε δῶρα, τυχὸν τὸ ἀπροσδεὲς τῶν δεχομένων σκοπήσασα.

Φήσειε δ᾽ ἄν τις τῶν πάντα φιλοτίμων ταύτης ἕνεκεν τῆς αἰτίας καὶ τὰ παρὰ τῶν μάγων προσενεχθέντα τῷ Κυρίῳ, καθ᾽ ἡμᾶς γενομένῳ διὰ φιλανθρωπίαν, δῶρα προσηγορεῦσθαι, μηδὲν τῆς ἀληθείας τοῦτο λέγων παραμείβων τὸ σύνολον.

Προσκομίζοντες οὖν τοὺς ἐκ τῶν γεγονότων πνευματικοὺς τῷ Κυρίῳ λόγους, δῶρα προσφέρομεν, καθότι πάντων τούτων ἐστὶν κατὰ φύσιν ἀπροσδεής· οὐ γὰρ ὡς δεομένῳ πρὸς ἄλλοις καὶ τοὺς τῶν ὄντων τῷ Κυρίῳ προσκομίζομεν λόγους, ἀλλ᾽ ἵνα ποσῶς ἡμεῖς κατὰ δύναμιν ἐκ τῶν αὐτοῦ κτισμάτων χρεωστούμενον αὐτὸν ἀνυμνήσωμεν. ∆όματα δὲ λαμβάνει ὁ τὴν θείαν προθύμως μετερχόμενος φιλοσοφίαν, ὡς καὶ τρόπων πρὸς ἀρετὴν καὶ λόγων πρὸς γνῶσιν κατὰ φύσιν δεόμενος.

Ἢ καὶ ἄλλως ἐκληπτέον τὰ δῶρα. Ἐπειδὴ δῶρον πάλιν ἐστὶ τὸ τοῖς μηδὲν προεισενεγκοῦσι διδόμενον, δῶρα μὲν λαμβάνει ὁ γνωστικὸς νοῦς ἐκ τῆς τῶν ὄντων θεωρίας δι᾽ αὐτοῦ προσαγομένους τῷ Κυρίῳ τοὺς ἄνευ λογικῆς ἀποδείξεως συνεκτικοὺς λόγους τῆς πίστεως, ὑπὲρ ἧς οὐδεὶς οὐδαμῶς οὐδὲν προεισφέρει, φυσικῶς καὶ δίχα πάσης τῆς ἐν λόγοις τεχνικῆς (14Β_376> μεθοδείας τὸν ἴδιον ποιητὴν θεώμενος, μηνυούσης τῆς κτίσεως (τί γὰρ καὶ προεισενέγκαι δυνήσεταί τις πίστει παρισωθῆναι δυνάμενον, ὥστε ὡς χρέος, ἀλλὰ μὴ δῶρον, τὴν εἰς τὸν Θεὸν πίστιν κομίσασθαι;), δόματα δὲ λαμβάνει τοὺς τῶν ὄντων φυσικοὺς νόμους τοῖς τρόποις μιμούμενος, δηλαδὴ τῆς τούτων προεισφέρων κτήσεως τοὺς κατὰ τὴν μετάνοιαν πόνους, δι᾽ ὧν ἐκδύεσθαι πρότερον τὸν παλαιὸν πέφυκεν ἄνθρωπον καὶ οὕτως πρὸς συλλογὴν καρπῶν δικαιοσύνης ἐξιέναι, τοὺς ἐν τοῖς οὖσι πεποιημένους