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being in itself and having the godlike as something brought in from without, just as in the case of the angels; but the thing according to existence or a divine Oracle, that is, brought forth from God.

"As the contemplation according to them": That in relation to the subjects the types are also understood, even if they are the same.

"An inquiry by you": The problem of the Proverbs also came into question, and he speaks about the power of food.

"But the liquid": Note that he called drinking "liquid food." "A round mixing-bowl": Contemplation of the mixing-bowl and of its roundness. "Without beginning and without end": He says the providence of God is without beginning, not that

He foreknew beings as co-beginning, according to those who are senseless and say, "At the same time God, at the same time all things," but that even (15∆_472> before beings were made in the ideas, or paradigms of God, that is, in His eternal thoughts (which we said the divine Paul calls predestinations in "On the Divine Names"), according to which ideas and thoughts of God the things that were to be produced were prefigured, and the providence of God pre-existed all creation without beginning. For it was of divine providence, that is of forethought, to will to produce a creation that would enjoy His providential goodness. According to this, therefore, providence is also said to be without end for the immortal angels and for us who are to be made immortal, and for the good things that will be for our sake.

"And wisdom building": What it is for "wisdom to build a house for herself," and to prepare in it what she said, and to be outside it, and in it.

"And is in everything": Regarding this, it has also been said in "On the Divine Names," how He is standing still and moving. But it should be noted that he says God is providence.

"In the same by way of transcendence": And in these the phrase "by way of transcendence" is taken so that we might not understand the preceding things by way of privation and non-existence.

"And standing still": Here it seems to me he clarifies what *hestia* is, that is, the abiding as it is, the name "*hestia*" being derived from *esti*.

"And in no way outside of it": Since he took "standing still" with reference to the stability according to immutability, and "moving" with reference to the providence towards beings, it is necessary for us to understand and add "entirely" to each of these, so that what is said is of this sort: Neither standing still entirely, so as not to move providentially, nor moving entirely, so as to depart from its own stability. "Alternatively: That 'to be always standing still and moving' said of God indicates His providential activity within stability. But 'neither to stand still nor to move' represents His abiding while exercising providence. But we have often gone through all these things here in "On the Divine Names."

(15∆_474> § 4. "The solid food, then": What is the solid food, and what is the liquid; and that solid food is abiding perfection.

"And powerful and unified": He speaks of a unified and indivisible knowledge, that in the discourses concerning God the mind is not divided towards material concepts, but in a single manner he who has the senses of the inner man trained contemplates the supernatural and inscrutable nature of the divine.

"And of divisible things": I think one should take the compound term in a common sense of the diffusive, and what follows.

"Guiding": For we know that not in one way, but in a multiform and varied one, those who are taught are led to the perfection of the knowledge of God.

(Why the divine oracles are compared to dew and water and milk and wine and honey, and what is the power of each of these).

108

καθ' ἑαυτήν οὖσαν καί ἐπείσακτον ἔχουσαν τό θεοειδές, ὥσπερ ἐπί τῶν ἀγγέλων· τό δέ καθ' ὕπαρξιν πρᾶγμα ἤ Λόγιον θεῖον, τουτέστιν ἐκ Θεοῦ προαχθέν.

«Ὡς ἡ κατ' αὐτά θεωρία»: Ὅτι πρός τά ὑποκείμενα καί οἱ τύποι νοοοῦνται, κἄν οἱ αὐτοί ὦσιν.

«Ὑφ' ὑμῶν ζήτησιν»: Ἦλθεν εἰς ἐρώτησιν καί τό τῶν Παροιμιῶν πρόβλημα, καί φησι περί δυνάμεως τροφῆς.

«Τήν δέ ὑγράν»: Σημείωσαι ὅτι τό πίνειν «ὑγράν τροφήν» ἐκάλεσε. «Κρατήρ περιφερής»: Θεωρία τοῦ κρατῆρος καί τῆς αὐτοῦ περιφερείας. «Ἀνάρχου καί ἀτελευτήτου»: Ἄναρχόν φησι τοῦ Θεοῦ τήν πρόνοιαν, οὐχ ὅτι

τῶν ὄντων ὡς συνάρχων προενόει κατά τούς ἀφραίνοντας καί λέγοντας, Ἅμα Θεός, ἅμα πάντα, ἀλλ' ὅτι καί (15∆_472> πρίν ἤ πραχθῆναι τά ὄντα ἐν ταῖς ἰδέαις, ἤτοι παραδείγμασι τοῦ Θεοῦ, τουτέστιν ἐν ταῖς ἀϊδίοις αὐτοῦ νοήσεσιν (ἃς προορισμούς ὀνομάζειν τόν θεῖον Παῦλον ἐν τῷ «Περί θείων ὀνομάτων» ἔφημεν), καθ' ἃς ἰδέας καί νοήσεις τοῦ Θεοῦ τά μέλλοντα παράγεσθαι προετετύπωτο, καί ἡ πρόνοια τοῦ Θεοῦ ἀνάρχως προϋπῆρχε πάσης κτίσεως. Προνοίας γάρ θείας ἦν, ἤτοι προεννοήσεως, τό βούλεσθαι παραγαγεῖν κτίσιν τήν ἀπολαύσουσαν τῆς προνοητικῆς αὐτοῦ ἀγαθότητος. Κατά τοῦτο οὖν καί ἀτελεύτητος ἡ πρόνοια λέγεται εἰς τούς ἀθανάτους ἀγγέλους καί τούς ἀπαθανατισθησομένους ἡμᾶς, καί τά δι' ἡμᾶς ἀγαθά ἐσομένη.

«Οἰκοδομοῦσα δέ καί ἡ σοφία»: Τί ἐστι τό «οἰκοδομεῖν τήν σοφίαν ἑαυτῇ οἶκον», καί ἐν αὐτῇ ἑτοιμάζειν ἃ ἔφη, καί ἔξω εἶναι αὐτοῦ, καί ἐν αὐτῷ.

«Καί ἐν τῷ παντί γίγνεται»: Περί τούτου εἴρηται καί ἐν τῷ «Περί θείων ὀνομάτων», πῶς ἑστώς καί κινούμενος. Σημειωτέον δέ ὅτι πρόνοιαν τόν Θεόν φησιν.

«Ἐν τῷ αὐτῷ καθ' ὑπεροχήν»: Καί ἐν τούτοις τό «καθ' ὑπεροχήν» πρός τό μή κατά στέρησιν καί ἀνυπαρξίαν λαβεῖν ἡμᾶς τά προκείμενα, εἴληπται.

«Καί ἑστηκώς»: Ἐνταῦθα δοκεῖ μοι σαφηνίζειν, τί ἑστία, τουτέστιν ἡ ὡς ἔστι διαμονή, ἀπό τοῦ ἐστί παρηγμένου τοῦ ὀνόματος τῆς «ἑστίας».

«Καί οὐδαμῶς ἔξω αὐτοῦ»: Ἐπειδή τό μέν ἑστῶς ἐπί τῆς κατά τό ἀναλλοίωτον μονιμότητος ἔλαβε, τό δέ κινούμενος ἐπί τῆς εἰς τά ὄντα προνοίας, ἐφ' ἑκατέρου τούτων νοεῖν ἡμᾶς χρή καί προσεπάγειν τό «καθόλου», ἵνα ᾖ τοιοῦτον τό λεγόμενον Οὔτε ἑστώς καθόλου, ὡς μή κινεῖσθαι προνοητικῶς, οὔτε κινούμενος καθόλου, ὡς τῆς οἰκείας μεθίστασθαι μονιμότητος. «Ἄλλως· Ὅτι τό 'ἀεί ἑστάναι καί κινεῖσθαι' περί Θεοῦ λεγόμενον τήν ἐν τῇ μονιμότητι προνοητικήν αὐτοῦ ἐνέργειαν δηλοῖ. Τό δέ 'μηδέ ἑστᾶναι μηδέ κινεῖσθαι' τήν ἐν τῷ προνοεῖν αὐτοῦ μονήν παρίστησι. Πάντα δέ τά ἐνταῦθα ἐν τῷ «Περί θείων ὀνομάτων» πολλάκις διεληλύθαμεν.

(15∆_474> § 4. «Τήν μέν οὖν στερεάν τροφήν»: Τίς ἡ στερεά τροφή, καί τις ἡ ὑγρά· καί ὅτι στερά τροφή ἐστιν ἡ μόνιμος τελειότης.

«Καί δυνατήν καί ἑνιαίαν»: Ἑνιαίαν καί ἀδιαίρετον γνῶσίν φησι τό ἐν τοῖς περί Θεοῦ λόγοις μή πρός τάς ὑλικάς ἐννοίας καταμερίζεσθαι τόν νοῦν, ἀλλά μονοτρόπως τό ὑπέρ φύσιν καί ἀνεξιχνίαστον τῆς θείας φύσεως λογίζεσθαι τόν τά αἰσθητήρια τοῦ ἐντός ἀνθρώπου γεγυμνασμένα ἔχοντα.

«Καί μεριστῶν»: Κατά κοινοῦ τό σύνθεμα φέρειν οἴομαι τῆς διαχυτικῆς, καί τά ἑξῆς.

«Χειραγωγούσης»: Οὐχ ἑνί γάρ τρόπῳ, ἀλλά πολυειδεῖ καί ποικίλῳ τούς διδασκομένους ἐπί τό τέλειον τῆς θεογνωσίας ἄγεσθαι ἴσμεν.

(∆ιά τί δρόσῳ καί ὕδατι καί γάλακτι καί οἴνῳ καί μέλιτι τά θεῖα παρεικάζεται λόγια, καί τίς ἡ ἑκάστου τούτων δύναμις).