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seeing it shining in the souls with wonders, like some ray and heat flowing from the solar nature, they do not marvel at the grace and worship the one who is understood through these things, but going beyond what is comprehensible to the soul, they grasp at the intangible with the handles of sophisms and think to master it through syllogisms, if indeed they think. But when reason has cut through and unfolded the complexity of the sophisms, what was grasped is found by those who have understanding 2.1.82 to be nothing. Thus so pettily and childishly do they busy themselves with impossibilities, and like with some childish hand, they shut up the incomprehensible nature of God in the few syllables of 20unbegottenness20 and agree with their madness and think that the divine is of such a nature and extent that it can be circumscribed by human reasoning through a single appellation, and while they pretend to follow the voices of the saints, they are not afraid of exalting 2.1.83 themselves above those very ones. For what no one of the blessed men is shown to have said, of whom some word is recorded as written in the divine books, these things these men, as the Apostle says, understanding neither what they say nor the things about which they make confident assertions, nevertheless both claim to know themselves and boast that they guide others to this knowledge. And for this reason they strongly maintain that the only-begotten God is not truly what He is said to be, because they have comprehended it. For the necessity of their syllogisms commands this. 2.1.84 How wretched in their shrewdness, how unfortunate and destructive for them is their excessive and contrived philosophy. Who thus deserts to the pit with such haste, as these men have dug for themselves the pit of blasphemy with labor and zeal? By what a measure have they been separated from the hope of Christians; by what a chasm have they been walled off from the saving faith; how far they have been removed from the bosom of the father of faith, 2.1.85 Abraham. That man, if one must, according to the genius of the Apostle, changing the tone, understand the meaning of the history allegorically, while of course the historical truth remains, went out by divine command from his own land and from his own kindred, an exodus befitting 2.1.86 a prophet hastening toward the understanding of God. For it does not seem to me that a physical change of place brings about the comprehension of things found by the mind. But he, having gone outside of himself and of his own land, I mean of his humble and earthly way of thinking, and having raised his mind as was possible above the common limits of nature, and having left behind the soul's kinship with the senses, so as not to be hindered by anything appearing through the senses and be obscured in his understanding of invisible things, with neither hearing echoing around him, nor sight leading his mind astray among things that appear, as the Apostle says, walking by faith, not by sight, was lifted up to such a degree by the genius of his knowledge, that he was considered the standard of human perfection, having known God so much as it was possible for this small and mortal faculty, when stretched to its utmost, to contain. 2.1.87 Therefore, the Lord of all creation, as if he had become some discovery of the patriarch, is specially called the God of Abraham. But yet what does the account say about him? That he went out, not knowing where he was going, nor was he able to learn the name of the beloved, nor was he indeed displeased or ashamed at this 2.1.88 ignorance. This, then, was for him also a safe guide toward what he was seeking: not to be led by the hand by any of the things readily available for understanding in his thoughts about God, nor for his mind, fixed upon any of the things comprehended, ever to halt 2.1.89 its journey to what is beyond the things that are known. But just as, having transcended with his reason his native wisdom, I mean Chaldean philosophy, which stopped at phenomena, and having become higher than the things known through the senses, from the beauty of the things seen and from the harmony of the celestial wonders he desired to see the original beauty, so also all other things, which he comprehended as he advanced in reasoning, whether power or goodness or being without beginning or being defined by no limit or any other such concept that is found concerning the divine nature, using all as provisions for the upward journey and as stepping-stones, and always relying on what he found and stretching forward to the things that were ahead and setting those beautiful ascents, as the prophet says, in his heart, and surpassing everything comprehended by his own faculty as being smaller than what he was seeking, since he had passed by every conjecture about the nature that comes from a name in his conceptions about God, having cleansed his reason of such suspicions and taken up a faith unmixed and pure from every concept, this

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θαυμάτων ταῖς ψυχαῖς ἐλλάμ πουσαν βλέποντες οἷον ἀκτῖνά τινα καὶ θερμότητα τῆς ἡλιακῆς ἀπορρέουσαν φύσεως οὐχὶ θαυμάζουσι τὴν χάριν καὶ προσκυνοῦσι τὸν διὰ τούτων νοούμενον, ἀλλ' ὑπερβάντες τὸ χωρητὸν τῇ ψυχῇ ταῖς τῶν σοφισμάτων λαβαῖς τοῦ ἀναφοῦς περιδράσσονται καὶ κρατεῖν οἴονται διὰ τῶν συλλο γισμῶν, εἴπερ οἴονται· διασχόντος δὲ τοῦ λόγου καὶ διαπτύ ξαντος τὴν τῶν σοφισμάτων πλοκὴν εὑρίσκεται τοῖς νοῦν 2.1.82 ἔχουσι τὸ ἀπειλημμένον οὐδέν. οὕτω μικροπρεπῶς τε καὶ βρεφικῶς τοῖς ἀμηχάνοις ἐμματαιάζοντες οἷόν τινι παλάμῃ παιδικῇ τὴν ἀπερινόητον τοῦ θεοῦ φύσιν ταῖς ὀλίγαις συλ λαβαῖς τῆς 20ἀγεννησίας20 ἐναποκλείουσι καὶ συναγορεύουσι τῇ παρανοίᾳ καὶ οἴονται τοσοῦτον καὶ τοιοῦτον εἶναι τὸ θεῖον, ὡς ἀνθρωπίνῳ λογισμῷ δύνασθαι διὰ μιᾶς προση γορίας ἐμπεριείργεσθαι, καὶ ταῖς μὲν τῶν ἁγίων φωναῖς ἀκολουθεῖν σχηματίζονται, αὐτῶν δὲ ἐκείνων ὑπεραίροντες 2.1.83 ἑαυτοὺς οὐ δεδοίκασιν. ἃ γὰρ οὐδεὶς τῶν μακαρίων ἀν δρῶν εἰρηκὼς ἐπιδείκνυται, ὧν τις καὶ λόγος ἐν ταῖς θείαις βίβλοις ἀνάγραπτος φέρεται, ταῦτα οὗτοι, καθώς φησιν ὁ ἀπόστολος, μὴ εἰδότες μήτε ἃ λέγουσι καὶ περὶ ὧν διατείνονται, ὅμως αὐτοί τε εἰδέναι φασὶ καὶ τοῖς ἄλ λοις καθηγεῖσθαι τῆς εἰδήσεως μεγαλαυχοῦσι. καὶ διὰ τοῦτο τὸν μονογενῆ θεὸν μὴ ἀληθῶς εἶναι ὃ λέγεται κατει ληφέναι διϊσχυρίζονται. ἡ γὰρ τῶν συλλογισμῶν ἀνάγκη τοῦτο κελεύει. 2.1.84 Ὡς δείλαιοι τῆς ἀγχινοίας, ὡς δυστυχὴς αὐτοῖς καὶ ὀλέθριος ἡ περιττὴ καὶ κατεσκεμμένη φιλοσοφία. τίς οὕτω κατὰ σπουδὴν αὐτομολεῖ πρὸς τὸ βάραθρον, ὡς οὗτοι πόνῳ καὶ σπουδῇ τὸν λάκκον ἑαυτοῖς τῆς βλασφημίας ὡρύξαντο; ὅσῳ τῷ μέτρῳ τῆς ἐλπίδος τῶν Χριστιανῶν ἀφωρίσθησαν· οἵῳ χάσματι πρὸς τὴν σῴζουσαν πίστιν διε τειχίσθησαν· ὅσον τῶν κόλπων τοῦ πατρὸς τῆς πίστεως 2.1.85 Ἀβραὰμ ἀπῳκίσθησαν. ἐκεῖνος, εἰ δεῖ κατὰ τὴν τοῦ ἀποστόλου μεγαλοφυΐαν ἀλλάξαντα τὴν φωνὴν ἀλληγορικῶς τὸν νοῦν τῆς ἱστορίας κατανοῆσαι, μενούσης δηλαδὴ καὶ τῆς ἱστορικῆς ἀληθείας, ἐξῆλθε διὰ θείου προστάγματος τῆς ἰδίας γῆς καὶ τῆς καθ' ἑαυτὸν συγγενείας ἔξοδον ἀνδρὶ προφήτῃ πρὸς θεοῦ κατανόησιν ἐπειγομένῳ πρέ 2.1.86 πουσαν. οὐ γάρ μοι δοκεῖ τοπική τις μετάστασις τῶν νοητῶς εὑρισκομένων προξενεῖν τὴν κατάληψιν. ἀλλ' αὐτὸς ἑαυτοῦ καὶ τῆς ἰδίας γῆς, τοῦ ταπεινοῦ λέγω καὶ γηΐνου φρονήματος, ἔξω γενόμενος καὶ ὑπεράρας ὡς οἷόν τε ἦν τῶν κοινῶν τῆς φύσεως ὅρων ἑαυτοῦ τὴν διάνοιαν καὶ κατα λιπὼν τῆς ψυχῆς τὴν πρὸς τὰς αἰσθήσεις συγγένειαν, ὡς μηδενὶ τῶν κατ' αἴσθησιν προφαινομένων διοχλούμενος πρὸς τὴν κατανόησιν τῶν ἀοράτων ἀμαυρωθῆναι, μήτε ἀκοῆς περιηχούσης μήτε ὄψεως ἐν τοῖς φαινομένοις τὴν διάνοιαν διαπλανώσης, καθώς φησιν ὁ ἀπόστολος, διὰ πίστεως περι πατῶν, οὐ διὰ εἴδους, εἰς τοσοῦτον ἐπήρθη τῇ μεγαλοφυΐᾳ τῆς γνώσεως, ὥστε ὅρος νομισθῆναι τῆς ἀνθρωπίνης τε λειώσεως, τοσοῦτον γνοὺς τὸν θεόν, ὅσον ἦν δυνατὸν τὴν βραχεῖαν καὶ ἐπίκηρον ταύτην δύναμιν ὑπερταθεῖσαν χω 2.1.87 ρῆσαι. τοιγαροῦν καὶ ὁ πάσης κτίσεως κύριος, ὥσπερ τι εὕρημα τοῦ πατριάρχου γενόμενος, ἰδίως θεὸς τοῦ Ἀβραὰμ ὀνομάζεται. ἀλλ' ὅμως τί φησι περὶ ἐκείνου ὁ λόγος; ὅτι ἐξῆλθεν οὐκ ἐπιστάμενος ποῦ ἀπέρχεται, ἀλλ' οὐδὲ τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ ἀγαπωμένου μαθεῖν χωρήσας οὔτε μὴν τῇ ἀγνοίᾳ 2.1.88 ταύτῃ δυσανασχετῶν τε καὶ αἰσχυνόμενος. τοῦτο μὲν οὖν αὐτῷ καὶ ἡ ἀσφαλὴς ἦν πρὸς τὸ ζητούμενον ὁδηγία, τὸ μηδενὶ τῶν προχείρων εἰς κατανόησιν ἐν ταῖς περὶ τοῦ θεοῦ διανοίαις χειραγωγεῖσθαι μηδέ τινι ὅλως τῶν κατα λαμβανομένων ἐνσείσασαν αὐτοῦ ποτε τὴν διάνοιαν στῆναι 2.1.89 τῆς εἰς τὸ ἐπέκεινα τῶν γινωσκομένων πορείας. ἀλλ' ὥσπερ τὴν ἐγχώριον αὐτοῦ σοφίαν, τὴν Χαλδαϊκὴν λέγω φιλοσο φίαν, μέχρι τῶν φαινομένων ἑστῶσαν τῷ λογισμῷ διαβὰς καὶ ὑψηλότερος τῶν διὰ τῆς αἰσθήσεως γινωσκομένων γενό μενος ἐκ τοῦ κάλλους τῶν θεωρουμένων καὶ ἐκ τῆς εὐαρ μοστίας τῶν οὐρανίων θαυμάτων τὸ πρωτότυπον κάλλος ἰδεῖν ἐπεθύμησεν, οὕτω καὶ τὰ ἄλλα πάντα, ὅσα προϊὼν τῷ λογισμῷ κατελάμβανεν, εἴτε δύναμιν εἴτε ἀγαθότητα εἴτε τὸ ἀνάρχως εἶναι εἴτε τὸ πρὸς οὐδὲν πέρας ὁρίζεσθαι εἴτε τι τοιοῦτον ἕτερον νόημα περὶ τὴν θείαν φύσιν εὑρί σκεται, πάντα ἐφόδια πρὸς τὴν ἄνω πορείαν καὶ ὑποβάθρας ποιούμενος καὶ ἀεὶ τοῖς εὑρισκομένοις ἐπερειδόμενος καὶ τοῖς ἔμπροσθεν ἐπεκτεινόμενος καὶ τὰς καλὰς ἐκείνας ἀνα βάσεις, καθώς φησιν ὁ προφήτης, ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ διατιθέ μενος καὶ πᾶν τὸ καταλαμβανόμενον ὑπὸ τῆς ἰδίας δυνά μεως ὡς τοῦ ζητουμένου μικρότερον ὑπερβαίνων, ἐπειδὴ πᾶσαν ἐν ταῖς περὶ τοῦ θεοῦ ὑπολήψεσι τὴν ἐξ ὀνόματος γινομένην τῆς φύσεως εἰκασίαν παρέδραμεν, ἐκκαθήρας τὸν λογισμὸν τῶν τοιούτων ὑπονοιῶν ἀμιγῆ τε καὶ καθαρὰν πάσης ἐννοίας τὴν πίστιν ἀναλαβών, τοῦτο