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the word of the Lord"? -the same things, when they are not perceptible, seem conceptually to be different things. The Holy Spirit is one, and we speak of its various gifts. If you look at the gifts, there seems to be a multitude of holy spirits. You have, for instance: "and the spirit of prophets is subject to prophets." It is also called the spirit of Elijah and the spirit of Elisha. These are not different in essence, but are called spirits in the plural by concept and by the relation of those who partake. And so the word of God, when it was still with God—for "the Word was with God"—it has no relation to another, but only to God, and secondarily also to those who partake of it; for "he called them gods to whom the word of God came." To him, the word of God was. Therefore, his word is non-relationally with God, but relationally it came to those who partake of it. Sometimes the partakers partake according to one aspect, as I said concerning the spirit; for one has a word of wisdom, another a word of knowledge; for this word is not different in its subject. There are some who have knowledge of spiritual things, knowledge of the truth, of the dogmas of piety; for they are not able to discourse about them. And we have known people who understand very wisely and are not able to speak even to the average person. These have a word of knowledge. But when, in addition to having knowledge, one also has the ability to go through, and to teach, and to bring to others the thoughts within him, it is a word of wisdom. Indeed, Wisdom itself says: "I stretched out words," that is, in a teaching manner. Therefore the same word of God comes to the prophets and is with God and with those who become gods from their communion with it. And we do not seek the same relation; for in the case of the Father it is unsurpassable. Its communion with God is not by condescension, but to 188 those who have become gods it comes according to their worth, their power, and the proportion of their progress. And thus it comes to the prophets: "the word that came to Jeremiah." It did not say "the one who is," but "the one who came." And it comes according to his measure. And here, therefore, we have explained in different ways the upright word of God, whose works are in faith. We have said that the word can be a teaching one. Question: so that what spirit might we receive? -you will take the spirit of the mouth of God according to a certain concept instead of: when through word it brings to knowledge those things which it judges it should accept. "Remove from yourself a crooked mouth." "But his insolent mouth calls for death." When the spirit is with God and with the Son, it is not called "spirit of the mouth," but when it is ministered to those who are able to receive it by word. Question: Do you not speak of some partaker of righteousness who is practical? -The one who has righteousness with knowledge and is able to make it as clear to another as he himself has it. Question: Do you not say he does this by word? -I do not mean by the spoken word. 2 I will bless the Lord at all times, his praise shall continually be in my mouth. He who gives thanks in every circumstance blesses God at all times. And the apostle also writes: "giving thanks in all things." The one who gives thanks to God does this not only for pleasant things, but also for unpleasant ones. Job, for instance, blesses God not only for the prosperity and the safety of his children and for the other abundant wealth, but also when he was deprived of everything at once. When, therefore, all his children and his possessions were taken away, he gives thanks to God, and "Job did not sin," it says, "before the Lord, nor did he charge God with foolishness." The one who says concerning providence: "He ought to have done this or that," attributes foolishness to God and, as far as he is concerned, to God not having understood what he ought to have done. When, for instance, someone says: "the old ought to die before the young, parents before children, and the healthy ought not to die, but those who are

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ὁ λόγος τοῦ κυρίου"; -τὰ αὐτὰ πράγματα ὅτε οὐκ αἰσθητά ἐστιν, κατ' ἐπίνοιαν δοκοῦσιν ἄλλα καὶ ἄλλα εἶναι. ἕν ἐστιν τὸ ἅγιον πνεῦμα, καὶ λέγομεν αὐτοῦ διάφορα χαρίσματα. ἐὰν εἰς τὰ χαρίσματα σκοπήσῃς, δοκεῖ πλῆθος ἁγίων πνευμάτων εἶναι. ἔχεις γοῦν· "καὶ πνεῦμα προφητῶν προφήταις ὑποτάσσεται". λέγεται καὶ πνεῦμα Ἠλία καὶ πνεῦμα Ἐλισαῖε. οὐχ ἕτερά εἰσιν ταῦτα τῇ οὐσίᾳ, ἀλλὰ τῇ ἐπινοίᾳ καὶ τῇ σχέσει τῶν μετεχόντων λέγεται πληθυντικῶς πνεύματα. καὶ ὁ λόγος οὖν ὁ τοῦ θεοῦ ὅτε ἔτι πρὸς τὸν θεὸν ἦν -"καὶ ἦν" γὰρ "ὁ λόγος πρὸς τὸν θεόν"-, οὐδεμίαν ἔχει σχέσιν πρὸς ἄλλον, ἀλλὰ πρὸς τὸν θεὸν μόνον, δευτέρως δὲ καὶ πρὸς τοὺς μετόχους ἑαυτοῦ· "ἐκείνους" γὰρ "θεοὺς εἶπεν πρὸς οὓς ὁ λόγος τοῦ θεοῦ ἐγένετο". πρὸς αὐτὸν μὲν ὁ λόγος τοῦ θεοῦ ἦν. ἀσχέτως οὖν ὁ λόγος αὐτοῦ πρὸς τὸν θεὸν ἔστιν, σχετικῶς δὲ πρὸς τοὺς μετέχοντας αὐτοῦ ἐγένετο. π̣οτὲ κατὰ μίαν ἐπιβολὴν μετέχουσιν οἱ μετέχοντες, ὡς περὶ τοῦ πνεύματος εἶπον· ὁ μὲν γὰρ ἔχει λόγον σοφίας, ἄλλος λόγον γνώσεως· μὴ γὰρ ἄλλος καὶ ἄλλος ἐστὶν κατὰ τὸ ὑποκείμενον ὁ λόγος οὗτος. εἰσίν τινες ἔχοντες γνῶσιν πνευματικῶν, γνῶσιν τῆς ἀληθείας, τῶν τῆς εὐσεβείας δογμάτων· διεξιέναι γάρ τι περὶ αὐτῶν οὐ δύνανται. καὶ ἔγνωμεν ἡμεῖς νοοῦντας ἀνθρώπους πάνυ συνετῶς καὶ οὐ δυναμένους εἰπεῖν οὐδὲ τῷ τυχόντι. οὗτοι λόγον γνώσεως ἔχουσιν. ὅταν δὲ πρὸς τῷ ἔχειν τὴν γνῶσιν ἔχῃ καὶ τὸ δύνασθαι διεξοδεύειν καὶ διδάσκειν καὶ εἰς ἄλλους φέρειν τὰ ἐν αὐτῷ νοήματα, λόγος σοφίας ἐστίν. ἀμέλει γοῦν αὐτὴ ἡ Σοφία λέγει· "ἐξέτεινον λόγους", διδασκαλικῶς δηλονότι. ὁ αὐτὸς οὖν λόγος τοῦ θεοῦ γίνεται πρὸς τοὺς προφήτας καὶ ἔστιν πρὸς τὸν θεὸν καὶ πρὸς τοὺς γινομένους ἐκ τῆς συνουσίας αὐτοῦ θεούς. καὶ οὐ τὴν αὐτὴν ζητοῦμεν σχέσιν· ἐπὶ μὲν γὰρ τοῦ πατρὸς ἀνυπέρβλητός ἐστιν. ἡ πρὸς τὸν θεὸν αὐτοῦ συνουσία οὔκ ἐστιν κατὰ συνκατάβασιν, πρὸς δὲ 188 τοὺς γενομένους θεοὺς κατὰ τὴν ἀξίαν, τὴν δύναμιν καὶ τὴν ἀναλογίαν ἧς ἔχουσιν προκοπῆς γίνεται. καὶ πρὸς τοὺς προφήτας οὕτως γίνεται· "ὁ λόγος ὁ γενόμενος πρὸς Ἰηρεμίαν". οὐκ εἶπεν "ὁ ὤν", ἀλλ' "ὁ γενόμενος". γινόμενος δὲ κατὰ τὸ μέτρον ἐκείνου γίνεται. καὶ ἐνταῦθα οὖν διαφόρως ἐξηγησάμεθα τὸν εὐθῆ τοῦ θεοῦ λόγον, οὗ τὰ ἔργα ἐν πίστει ἐστίν. εἰρήκαμεν ὅτι δύναται ὁ διδασκαλικὸς εἶναι λόγος. ἐπερ · ἵνα ποῖον λάβωμεν πνεῦμα; -κατ' ἐπίνοιάν τινα λήψ̣ει τὸ στόματος θεοῦ πνεῦμα ἀντὶ τοῦ· ὅτε διὰ λόγου αὐτὸ εἰς γνῶσιν ἄγει ὧν κρίνει παραδέξασθαι αὐτό. "περίελε σεαυτοῦ σκολιὸν στόμα". "τὸ δὲ στόμα αὐτοῦ τὸ θρασὺ θάνατον ἐπικαλεῖται". ὅταν πρὸς τὸν θεὸν ᾖ τὸ πνεῦμα καὶ πρὸς τὸν υἱόν, οὐ λέγεται "πνεῦμα στόματος", ἀλλ' ὅταν διακονῆται τοῖς δυναμένοις λόγῳ αὐτὸ δέξασθαι. ἐπερ · οὐ λέγεις τινὰ μέτοχον δικαιοσύνης πρακτικὸν ὄντα; -τὸν μετ' ἐπιστήμης ἔχοντα τὴν δικαιοσύνην καὶ δυνάμενον ἄλλῳ αὐτὴν οὕτω σαφηνίσαι ὡς αὐτὸς αὐτὴν ἔχει. ἐπερ · οὐ λέγεις λόγῳ τοῦτο ποιεῖ; -οὐ λέγω λόγῳ τῷ προφορικῷ. 2 εὐλογήσω τὸν κύριον ἐν παντὶ καιρῷ, διὰ παντὸς ἡ αἴνεσις αὐτοῦ ἐν τῷ στόματί μου. εὐλογεῖ τὸν θεὸν ἐν παντὶ καιρῷ ὁ ἐν παντὶ τῷ προσπίπτοντι εὐχαριστῶν. γράφει δὲ καὶ ὁ ἀπόστολος· "ἐν παντὶ εὐχαριςτοῦντες". ὁ εὐχαριστῶν θεῷ οὐκ ἐπὶ τοῖς ἡδέσιν μόνοις· τοῦτο ποιεῖ, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐπὶ τοῖς ἀηδέσιν. ὁ Ἰὼβ γοῦν οὐκ ἐπὶ τῇ εὐετηρίᾳ καὶ τῇ σωτηρίᾳ τῶν τέκνων καὶ τῷ ἄλλῳ περιρέοντι πλούτῳ μόνον εὐλογεῖ τὸν θεόν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὅτε ἅμα πάντων ἀφῃρέθη. ὅτε γοῦν πάντα αὐτοῦ ἀφῃρέθη τὰ τέτακνα, τὰ ὑπάρχοντα, εὐχαριστεῖ τῷ θεῷ, καὶ "οὐδὲν ἥμαρτεν", φησίν, " ̓Ιὼβ ἐναντίον τοῦ κυρίου οὐδὲ ἔδωκεν ἀφροσύνην τῷ θεῷ". ὁ λέγων περὶ τῆς προνοίας ὅτι· "ὤφειλεν οὕτω ποιεῖν ἢ οὕτω", ἀφροσύνην π̣ροσάπτει τῷ θεῷ καὶ ὅσον εἰς αὐτὸν μὴ νοήσαντα τὸν θεὸν ὃ ἔδει ποιῆσαι. ὅταν γοῦν τις λέγῃ ὅτι· "ἔδει τοὺς γέροντας πρὸ τῶν νέων ἀποθνῄσκειν, τοὺς γονέας πρὸ τῶν τέκνων καὶ τοὺς ὑγιαίνοντας μὴ α᾿̣π̣οθνῄσκειν, ἀλλὰ τοὺς̣