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he made an unerring and manifest sign of the knowledge of God, to believe that God is better and higher than any sign of recognition. 2.1.90 For this reason, after that ecstasy that had come upon him from the lofty visions, stooping again to human weakness, he says, "But I am earth and ashes," that is, speechless and powerless with respect to the interpretation of the good that was apprehended. 2.1.91 For the earth and the ashes seem to me to signify at the same time the lifeless and the barren, and so it becomes a law of faith for the life that follows, teaching by his story those who approach God that it is not possible to draw near to God otherwise, unless faith mediates and joins through itself the seeking mind to the incomprehensible 2.1.92 nature. For having left behind the meddlesomeness of knowledge, it says, "Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness." But it was not written for his sake, the apostle says, but for ours, that God reckons faith, not knowledge, as righteousness for 2.1.93 men. For knowledge has a kind of empirical disposition, being joined only to that which is known, but the faith of Christians is not so; for it is not of things known, but is the substance of things hoped for. But that which is held fast is not hoped for; "For what a man has," he says, "why does he still hope for it?" But that which escapes our comprehension, faith makes our own, guaranteeing that which is not seen through its own certainty. For thus the apostle says of the faithful one that "he endured as seeing him who is invisible." Vain, therefore, is he who says it is possible to know the divine substance 2.1.94 through knowledge which puffs up in vain. For neither is man so great as to make his own power of comprehension equal to the Lord ("For who in the clouds will be made equal to the Lord?" says David), nor is the object of our search so small as to be comprehended by the reasonings of human smallness. Hear Ecclesiastes advising not to bring forth a word before the face of God, "because God," he says, "is in heaven above, and you are on 2.1.95 the earth below." And he shows, I think, through the affinity of these elements for one another, or rather their separation, how much higher the divine nature is than the range of human reasonings. For as much as the stars are higher than the touch of the fingers, so much, and rather many times more, has the nature which surpasses all understanding risen above earthly reasonings. 2.1.96 Therefore, having learned how great the difference of nature is, let us remain quietly within our own bounds. For it is both safer and more pious to believe the majesty of God to be more than what is conceived, than, having circumscribed his glory with certain suppositions, to think there is nothing beyond that. 2.1.97 And in another way one might say it is safe to leave the divine substance uninvestigated, as unutterable and untouchable by human reasonings. For to make conjectures about things unseen and to search for some knowledge of hidden things from the contrivance of human reasonings gives access and consequence even to mistaken assumptions, because conjecture about unknown things will often suppose not only what is true, but even what is false, to be true. 2.1.98 But the disciple of the gospels and of prophecy believes that He Who Is exists, both from what he has heard from the saints and through the harmony of phenomena and the works of providence, but, not examining what and how He is, as being both unprofitable and futile, he will give no entry to falsehood against the 2.1.99 truth. For in meddlesome inquiry false reasoning also finds a place, but when all meddlesome inquiry is idle, the necessity of erring is certainly cut off along with it. And that the saying is true, it is possible to learn from this. How did the heresies of the churches wander off into various and different notions about God, each one deceiving himself according to some different movement of the mind? How did these very men of whom our discourse is slip into this 2.1.100 pit of impiety? Would it not have been safer for all, according to the counsel of wisdom, not to seek the deeper things, but in quietness to secure for themselves the simple deposit of faith inviolate? But since the nothingness of men has altogether begun to tread rashly upon the incomprehensible things and to fortify with dogmas the inventions of their own vain conceit, from this comes the long list of those who war against the truth, and these very men of whom our discourse is, the dogmatists of deceit, have appeared, who bring the divine into some circumscription, almost openly making an idol of their own supposition by deifying this concept which appears in 20unbegottenness,20 as though it were not contemplated according to some reason in the divine 2.1.101 nature, but were itself God or the substance of God. And yet perhaps

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σημεῖον ἐποιή σατο τῆς τοῦ θεοῦ ἐπιγνώσεως ἀπλανές τε καὶ ἔκδηλον, τὸ κρείττω καὶ ὑψηλότερον παντὸς γνωριστικοῦ σημείου τὸν θεὸν εἶναι πιστεῦσαι. 2.1.90 ∆ιά τοι τοῦτο μετὰ τὴν ἐπιπεσοῦσαν ἐκείνην ἔκστασιν ἐκ τῶν ὑψηλῶν θεαμάτων πάλιν εἰς τὴν ἀνθρωπίνην κατα κύψας ἀσθένειαν Ἐγὼ δέ εἰμι, φησί, γῆ καὶ σποδός, τουτέ στιν ἄφωνός τε καὶ ἀνενέργητος ὡς πρὸς τὴν τοῦ νοηθέντος 2.1.91 ἀγαθοῦ ἑρμηνείαν. ἡ γὰρ γῆ δοκεῖ μοι καὶ ἡ τέφρα τὸ ἄψυχον καὶ τὸ ἄγονον ἅμα διασημαίνειν, καὶ οὕτω νόμος πίστεως γίνεται τῷ μετὰ ταῦτα βίῳ, διδάσκων τῇ κατ' αὐτὸν ἱστορίᾳ τοὺς τῷ θεῷ προσιόντας ὅτι οὐκ ἔστιν ἄλ λως προσεγγίσαι θεῷ, μὴ πίστεως μεσιτευούσης καὶ συν απτούσης δι' ἑαυτῆς τὸν ἐπιζητοῦντα νοῦν πρὸς τὴν ἀκατά 2.1.92 ληπτον φύσιν. καταλιπὼν γὰρ τὴν ἐκ τῆς γνώσεως πολυπραγμοσύνην Ἐπίστευσε, φησίν, Ἀβραὰμ τῷ θεῷ, καὶ ἐλογίσθη αὐτῷ εἰς δικαιοσύνην. οὐκ ἐγράφη δὲ δι' ἐκεῖνον, ὁ ἀπόστολος λέγει, ἀλλὰ δι' ἡμᾶς, ὅτι τὴν πίστιν, οὐχὶ τὴν γνῶσιν ὁ θεὸς εἰς δικαιοσύνην τοῖς ἀνθρώ 2.1.93 ποις λογίζεται. ἡ μὲν γὰρ γνῶσις ὥσπερ ἐμπειρικήν τινα τὴν διάθεσιν ἔχει, μόνῳ τῷ γινωσκομένῳ συντιθεμένη, ἡ δὲ τῶν Χριστιανῶν πίστις οὐχ οὕτως· οὐ γὰρ τῶν γινωσκο μένων, ἀλλὰ τῶν ἐλπιζομένων ἐστὶν ὑπόστασις. τὸ δὲ δια κρατούμενον οὐκ ἐλπίζεται· Ὃ γὰρ ἔχει τις, φησί, τί καὶ ἐλπίζει; τὸ δὲ διαφεῦγον τὴν κατανόησιν ἡμῶν ἡμέτερον ἡ πίστις ποιεῖ, διὰ τῆς ἰδίας βεβαιότητος ἐγγυωμένη τὸ μὴ φαινόμενον. οὕτω γάρ φησι περὶ τοῦ πιστοῦ ὁ ἀπόστολος ὅτι Τὸν ἀόρατον ὡς ὁρῶν ἐκαρτέρησε. μάταιος οὖν ὁ διὰ γνώσεως τῆς μάτην φυσιούσης ἐπιγνῶναι τὴν θείαν οὐσίαν 2.1.94 δυνατὸν εἶναι λέγων. οὔτε γὰρ ἄνθρωπος οὕτω μέγας ὥστε ἐξισῶσαι τῷ κυρίῳ τὴν καταληπτικὴν ἑαυτοῦ δύναμιν (Τίς γὰρ ἐν νεφέλαις ἰσωθήσεται τῷ κυρίῳ; φησὶν ὁ ∆αβίδ) οὔτε οὕτω μικρὸν τὸ ζητούμενον ὥστε ὑπὸ λογισμῶν ἀν θρωπίνης βραχύτητος περιληφθῆναι. ἄκουε τοῦ ἐκκλη σιαστοῦ συμβουλεύοντος μὴ ἐξενεγκεῖν ῥῆμα πρὸ προσώπου θεοῦ, ὅτι ὁ θεός, φησίν, ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ ἄνω καὶ σὺ ἐπὶ 2.1.95 τῆς γῆς κάτω. δείκνυσι δέ, οἶμαι, διὰ τῆς τῶν στοιχείων τούτων πρὸς ἄλληλα οἰκειώσεως, μᾶλλον δὲ διαστάσεως, ὅσον ὑψηλοτέρα ἡ θεία φύσις τῆς τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων λογισμῶν περινοίας. ὅσον γὰρ ἀνώτερα τὰ ἄστρα τῆς τῶν δακτύλων ἁφῆς, τοσοῦτον μᾶλλον δὲ πολλαπλάσιον καὶ ἡ πάντα νοῦν ὑπερέχουσα φύσις τῶν λογισμῶν τῶν γηΐνων ὑπερανέστηκεν. 2.1.96 οὐκοῦν μαθόντες, ὅσον τῆς φύσεως τὸ διαλλάττον ἐστί, τοῖς ἰδίοις ὅροις δι' ἡσυχίας ἐμμένωμεν. ἀσφαλέστερον γὰρ ἅμα καὶ εὐσεβέστερον πλέον τοῦ νοουμένου τὸ μεγαλοπρεπὲς εἶναι τοῦ θεοῦ πιστεύειν ἤ τισιν ὑπονοίαις τὴν δόξαν αὐτοῦ περιγράψαντα μηδὲν ὑπὲρ ἐκεῖνο οἴεσθαι. 2.1.97 Καὶ ἄλλως δ' ἄν τις ἀσφαλὲς εἶναι φήσειεν ἀπολυ πραγμόνητον ἐᾶν τὴν θείαν οὐσίαν ὡς ἀπόρρητον καὶ ἀνέπ αφον λογισμοῖς ἀνθρωπίνοις. τὸ μὲν γὰρ τῶν ἀδήλων καταστοχάζεσθαι καί τινα τῶν ἀποκρύφων γνῶσιν ἐξ ἐπι νοίας ἀνθρωπίνων λογισμῶν ἐρευνᾶσθαι πάροδον καὶ ἀκο λουθίαν καὶ ταῖς διεψευσμέναις τῶν ὑπολήψεων δίδωσιν, διότι τῶν ἀγνοουμένων ὁ στοχασμὸς οὐ μόνον τὸ ἀληθές, ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτὸ πολλάκις τὸ ψεῦδος ὡς ἀληθὲς ὑπολήψεται. 2.1.98 ὁ δὲ τῶν εὐαγγελίων καὶ τῆς προφητείας μαθητὴς ὅτι μὲν ἔστιν ὁ ὢν ἐξ ὧν ἀκήκοέ τε τῶν ἁγίων καὶ διὰ τῆς τῶν φαινομένων εὐαρμοστίας καὶ τῶν τῆς προνοίας ἔργων πι στεύει, τί δὲ καὶ ὅπως ἐστὶν ὡς ἀνωφελὲς ἅμα καὶ ἀνή νυτον οὐκ ἐξετάζων οὐδεμίαν δώσει τῷ ψεύδει κατὰ τῆς 2.1.99 ἀληθείας τὴν εἴσοδον. ἐν μὲν γὰρ τῷ πολυπραγμονεῖν καὶ ὁ παραλογισμὸς χώραν εὑρίσκει, πάσης δὲ πολυπραγμο σύνης ἀργούσης συναποκόπτεται πάντως καὶ ἡ τοῦ διαμαρ τάνειν ἀνάγκη. καὶ ὅτι ἀληθὴς ὁ λόγος, πάρεστιν ἐκ τού του μαθεῖν. πῶς αἱ τῶν ἐκκλησιῶν αἱρέσεις εἰς ποικίλας καὶ διαφόρους τὰς περὶ θεοῦ ὑπολήψεις ἀπεπλανήθησαν, ἄλλου κατ' ἄλλην τινὰ τῆς διανοίας κίνησιν ἑαυτὸν ἀπατή σαντος; πῶς αὐτοὶ οὗτοι περὶ ὧν ὁ λόγος ἐστὶ περὶ τὸ 2.1.100 βάραθρον τοῦτο τῆς ἀσεβείας κατώλισθον; ἆρ' οὐχὶ πᾶσιν ἀσφαλέστερον ἦν κατὰ τὴν συμβουλὴν τῆς σοφίας μὴ ζη τεῖν τὰ βαθύτερα, ἀλλὰ δι' ἡσυχίας τὴν ἁπλῆν τῆς πί στεως παρακαταθήκην ἄσυλον ἑαυτοῖς ἀσφαλίζεσθαι; ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ ὅλως ἀρχὴν ἔλαβεν ἡ τῶν ἀνθρώπων οὐθένεια τοῖς ἀπερινοήτοις ἐμβατεύειν εἰκῇ καὶ δόγμασι κρατύνειν τὰ τῆς ματαίας αὐτῶν οἰήσεως παρευρήματα, ἐντεῦθεν ὁ πολὺς κατάλογος τῶν τῇ ἀληθείᾳ προσπολεμούντων, καὶ αὐτοὶ οὗτοι περὶ ὧν ὁ λόγος ἐστὶν οἱ δογματισταὶ τῆς ἀπάτης ἀναπεφήνασιν οἱ εἰς περιγραφήν τινα τὸ θεῖον ἄγοντες, μονονουχὶ φανερῶς εἰδωλοποιοῦντες ἑαυτῶν τὴν ὑπόνοιαν ἐν τῷ τὴν ἐμφαινομένην τῇ 20ἀγεννησίᾳ20 διάνοιαν ταύτην θεο ποιεῖν, ὡς οὐχὶ κατά τινα λόγον ἐπιθεωρουμένην τῇ θείᾳ 2.1.101 φύσει, ἀλλ' αὐτὴν οὖσαν θεὸν ἢ οὐσίαν θεοῦ. καίτοι γε ἴσως