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easily overturned, so that it can be contradicted by any single person and no longer be able to be a demonstration.

For the demonstrative syllogism, as you yourself say, "seems to all to be simply true and no dispute about it arises." And you did not consider that, if for no other reason, at least because of the Pyrrhonian suspensions of judgment, such a demonstration will therefore not exist at all, and by the things by which you bind and bring forth the sciences of calculation, harmonics, and astronomy, the geometrical necessities, that is, will become weaker than spider's threads and, having been loosened, will fall away from your most demonstrative mind. For how could you have propositions known by nature, since it is not possible to agree with Sextus and Pyrrho and their followers?

Divine things are therefore not superior to this (for no one will say the sun is brighter than a firefly), but also to the tradition handed down from the fathers, and not this from their opinion, (p. 512) yet, when need calls, we offer what is possible, having as its principle the power moved by the Spirit, by which the God-wise theologians, having spoken beyond the mind to those beyond the mind, were both taught by God's grace and taught us in imitation of God. For just as, even if divine things are removed from all things and from every word, hymn, and glory whatsoever, yet we also speak a word about God and hymn and glorify him as far as is possible by deeds and words and sufferings, and we call it the glory of God, and we call the doxology offered up by us a hymn of God, so also we reason and demonstrate, and we call the syllogism concerning divine things a demonstration, whether we speak to hearing ears or not, since not every discourse is also dialectic. And we think we ought to call it by a more august name, not dignifying our own words, as one might think, but because we speak more augustly about God, and in voices consonant with those of the fathers, and in no way departing from the divinely transmitted oracles.

Well then; deign now to take this to mind, that I have discoursed with you from the same positions and according to you, even if something is not very well-spoken, love it as your own. "For one's own evil," they say, "is to be loved." Do not then be ill-disposed toward us, nor cease loving more than before, just as we do. For so, even if our arguments have thus come to be opposed, yet in the loving part of the soul we shall have the good of peace unharmed. Farewell, wisest of men, and I would not hesitate to say best of lovers and beloved, and may we see one another and embrace one another, and may the same greeting come to us from one another in a holy kiss.

SECOND [LETTER] TO BARLAAM (P. 514)

THAT THERE IS DEMONSTRATION IN CERTAIN DIVINE MATTERS AND THAT THIS IS DEMONSTRATION IN THE PROPER SENSE

The matters of the dyarchy have been removed from the midst; for it has been cut out from the philosopher's arguments

and our argument, being consistent with the pious proclamation of the monarchy, has borne fruit. But the Aristotelian [claim] about demonstration in divine matters does not yet wish to become persuasive to the argument. Let this, therefore, become again for us the subject of argument concerning the philosopher. First, then, this must be shown, that he insists in vain in his arguments *Against the Latins* that there is no demonstration in any divine matter, and the entire

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εὐπερίτρεπτον ὡς ὑφ᾿ ἑνός καί τοῦ τυχόντος ἀντιλεγομένην ἀνίστασθαι καί μηκέτ᾿ ἀπόδειξιν εἶναι δύνασθαι.

Ὁ γάρ ἀποδεικτικός, καθάπερ αὐτός φῄς, συλλογισμός «πᾶσιν ἁπλῶς δοκεῖ εἶναι ἀληθής καί ἀμφισβήτησις περί αὐτοῦ οὐδεμία συνίσταται». Καί οὐδ᾿ ἐκεῖνο ἐνεθυμήθης, ὡς, εἰ μηδέν ἄλλο, διά γοῦν τάς πυρωνείους ἐποχάς, ἀπόδειξις λοιπόν τοιαύτη παντάπασιν οὐκ ἔσται, καί δι᾿ ὧν καταδησάμενος τήν λογιστικήν ἁρμονικήν καί ἀστρῴαν ἐπιστήμην φέρεις, αἱ γεωμετρικαί ἀνάγκαι δηλαδή τῶν ἀραχνίων νημάτων ἀδρανέστεραι γενήσονται καί διαπεσοῦνταί σου λυθεῖσαι τῆς σῆς ἀποδεικτικωτάτης διανοίας˙ πῶς γάρ ἄν καί φύσει γνωρίμους σχοίης τάς προτάσεις, ἐπεί καί Σέξτῳ καί Πύρωναι καί τοῖς κατ᾿ ἐκείνους οὐκ ἔνι συνδοκεῖν;

Οὐ ταύτης οὖν ὑπερτέρα τά θεῖα, (οὐδέ γάρ τόν ἥλιον ἐρεῖ τις φανότερον πυγολαμπίδος), ἀλλά καί τῆς πατροπαραδότου, καί οὐδέ τοῦτ᾿ ἀπό τῆς ἐκείνων γνώμης, (σελ. 512) προσάγομεν δ᾿ ὅμως χρείας καλούσης τήν δυνατήν, καί ταύτης ἀρχήν ἔχοντες τήν πνευματοκίνητον δύναμιν, καθ᾿ ἥν ὑπέρ νοῦν τοῖς ὑπέρ νοῦν ὡμιληκότες οἱ θεόσοφοι θεολόγοι θεοχαρίστως τε ἐδιδάχθησαν καί θεομιμήτως ἡμᾶς ἐδίδαξαν. Ὡς γάρ, εἰ καί πάντων ὑπεξῄρηται τά θεῖα καί λόγου παντός, ὕμνου τε καί δόξης ἡστινοσοῦν, ἀλλά καί λόγον λαλοῦμεν περί Θεοῦ καί ὑμνοῦμεν καί δοξάζομεν κατά τό ἐγχωροῦν αὐτόν ἔργοις τε καί λόγοις καί πάθεσι, καί δόξαν Θεοῦ καλοῦμεν, καί ὕμνον Θεοῦ τήν παρ᾿ ἡμῶν αὐτῶν δοξολογίαν ἀναφερομένην λέγομεν, οὕτω καί συλλογιζόμεθα καί ἀποδείκνυμεν καί τόν ἐπί τά θεῖα συλλογισμόν ἀπόδειξιν καλοῦμεν, κἄν εἰς ὦτα ἀκουόντων λέγωμεν κἄν μή, ἐπεί μηδέ πᾶσα διάλεξις καί διαλεκτική˙ κἀκ τοῦ σεμνοτέρου δεῖν οἰόμεθα καλεῖν αὐτόν, οὐ τούς οἰκείους λόγους, ὡς ἄν τις οἰηθείη, σεμνύνοντες, ἀλλ᾿ ὅτι περί Θεοῦ σεμνοτέρως προσαγορεύοντες καί ταῖς τῶν πατέρων συνῳδά φωναῖς καί κατ᾿ οὐδέν ἀπό τρόπου τῶν θεοπαραδότων λογίων.

Εἷεν˙ ἐκεῖνό γε μήν ἀρτίως καταξίωσον ἐπί νοῦν λαβεῖν ὡς ἀπό τῶν αὐτῶν καί κατά σέ διελεξάμην πρός σέ, κἄν τι μή λίαν εὔφημον ἀγαπᾶν ὡς σόν˙ «ἑόν γάρ» φασι «κακόν, ἀγαπητόν». Μή δή πρός ἡμᾶς ἀπαχθῶς σχοίης, μηδ᾿ ἀνῇς φιλῶν ἤ πρότερον, καθάπερ δή καί ἡμεῖς˙ οὕτω γάρ, εἰ καί τά τῶν λόγων ἡμῖν οὕτω συμβάν ἀντιτέτακται, ἀλλ᾿ ἐν τῷ φιλοῦντι τῆς ψυχῆς ἀδιαλώβητον ἕξομεν τό τῆς εἰρήνης καλόν˙ εἴη σοφώτατε ἀνδρῶν, οὐκ ὀκνήσαιμι δ᾿ ἄν εἰπεῖν καί φιλούντων τε καί φιλουμένων ἄριστε, καί ἰδεῖν ἠμᾶς ἀλλήλους καί περιχυθῆναι ἀλλήλοις καί δι᾿ ἀλλήλων ἀσπασμόν ἡμῖν γενέσθαι τόν αὐτόν ἐν ἁγίῳ φιλήματι.

Β' ΠΡΟΣ ΒΑΡΛΑΑΜ (Σελ. 514)

ΟΤΙ ΕΣΤΙΝ ΕΦ' ΩΝ ΑΠΟ∆ΕΙΞΙΣ ΤΩΝ ΘΕΙΩΝ ΚΑΙ ΟΤΙ ΚΥΡΙΩΣ ΑΠΟ∆ΕΙΞΙΣ ΑΥΤΗ

Τά μέν τῆς δυαρχίας ἐκ μέσου γέγονεν˙ ἐξεκόπη γάρ τῶν λόγων τοῦ φιλοσόφου

καί καρπόν ἤνεγκεν ὁ ἡμέτερος λόγος τῷ τῆς μοναρχίας εὐσεβεῖ κηρύγματι συνιστάμενος˙ τό δέ κατ᾿ Ἀριστοτέλην ὑπέρ ἀπόδειξιν ἐπί τῶν θείων οὐκ ἐθέλει πω γενέσθω τῷ λόγῳ καταπειθές. Ὑπόθεσις οὐκοῦν ἡμῖν αὖθις λόγου τοῦτο γενέσθαι τόν φιλόσοφον. Πρῶτον μέν οὖν τοῦτο δεικτέον ὡς μάτην ἔγκειται τοῖς Πρός Λατίνους αὐτῷ λόγοις ὡς οὐκ ἔστιν ἀπόδειξις ἐπ᾿ οὐδενός τῶν θείων, καί ὁ πᾶς