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...ed. And if there is something, though many examples hasten to come forth from me for proof, I wish to use only one, in order to show that what contains is not in every case greater than what is contained. The sun is a spherical shape and is wholly contained by the air, but it illumines it, warms it, cuts through it; and if it is absent from it, it is enveloped in darkness, and whatever part of it becomes bright is cooled as if dying; but by its rising it is again lit, and wherever it is warmed by it, it is also adorned with a greater beauty. And it does these things by its own participation, though it has a limited substance. What then still prevents God, who is the creator and master of this and of all things, though he himself exists in a shape and form and beauty, from having his participation extend infinitely from himself? There is therefore one true God, who presides in a greater form, being twice the heart of what is above and below--and from him, as from a center, an infinite substance, gushing forth the life-giving and incorporeal power, penetrates all things, together with both the stars and the individual things of heaven, air, water, earth, fire, and whatever else exists; a substance infinite in height, boundless in depth, immeasurable in breadth, extending thrice to infinity its life-giving and intelligent nature from him. This infinity from him in every direction, then, must necessarily exist, having as its heart him who is truly above all in a shape, who, wherever he may be, is in the middle as in an infinite space, being the boundary of the universe. Therefore, beginning from him, the six extensions have the nature of infinites. Of these, one, taking its beginning from him, penetrates upward to the height, another downward to the depth, another to the right, another to the left, another forward, and another backward, toward which he looks as to a number equal in every direction, and in six temporal intervals he completes the world, being himself rest and having the infinite age to come as an image, being beginning and end. For in him the six infinites end and from him they receive their extension into infinity. This is the mystery of the seventh day. For he himself is the rest of all things, as he grants himself for rest to those who imitate in a small way his greatness. He alone is in one way comprehensible, in another incomprehensible, <in one way finite,> in another infinite, having the extensions from himself into infinity. For thus he is comprehensible and incomprehensible, near and far, being here and there, as he alone exists and gives participation in the mind that is infinite in every direction, by breathing which all souls have life; and if they are separated from the body and are found to have a longing for him, they are carried immortal to his bosom, just as in wintertime the mists of the mountains, drawn by the rays of the sun, are carried toward it. What affection, then, can we conceive, if we behold his comeliness with the mind. Otherwise it is impossible; for it is impossible for beauty to exist without form, or for anyone to be drawn to the love of him, or even to seem to see God when he has no appearance. But some, being strangers to the truth and allies of wickedness, on the pretext of doxology say that he is without shape, so that being formless and without appearance he may be visible to no one, in order that he may not become desired. For a mind that does not see the appearance of God is empty of him. And how does one pray, not having toward

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ται. εἰ δὲ καὶ ἔστιν τι, πολλῶν παραδειγμάτων σπευδόντων ἐξ ἐμοῦ προελθεῖν εἰς ἀπόδειξιν ἑνὶ μόνῳ χρήσασθαι θέλω, ἵνα δείξω ὅτι οὐ πάντως τὸ περιέχον τοῦ περιεχομένου κρεῖττόν ἐστιν. ὁ ἥλιος σχῆμά ἐστιν περιφερὲς καὶ ὑπὸ ἀέρος ὅλος περιέχεται, ἀλλὰ τοῦτον ἐκλαμπρύνει, τοῦτον θερμαίνει, τοῦτον τέμνει, κἂν ἀπῇ αὐτοῦ, σκότῳ περιβάλλεται, καὶ ὃ ἂν αὐτοῦ μέρος λαμπρὸν γένηται, ὡς νεκρούμενον ψύχεται, ὑπὸ δὲ τῆς αὐτοῦ ἀνατολῆς πάλιν φωτίζεται, καὶ ὅπου ἂν αὐτῷ παραθάλπη- ται, καὶ κάλλει τῷ μείζονι κοσμεῖται. καὶ ταῦτα ποιεῖ τῇ αὑτοῦ μετου- σίᾳ τὴν οὐσίαν περιωρισμένην ἔχων. τί οὖν ἔτι κωλύει τὸν θεὸν ὡς τούτου καὶ πάντων δημιουργὸν καὶ δεσπότην ὄντα, αὐτὸν μὲν ἐν σχήματι καὶ μορφῇ καὶ κάλλει ὄντα, τὴν ἀπ' αὐτοῦ μετουσίαν ἀπείρως ἐκτεταμέ- νην ἔχειν; εἷς οὖν ἐστιν ὁ ὄντως θεός, ὃς ἐν κρείττονι μορφῇ προκαθέ- ζεται, τοῦ ἄνω τε καὶ κάτω δις ὑπάρχων καρδία-καὶ ἀπ' αὐτοῦ, ὥσπερ ἀπὸ κέντρου βρύουσα τὴν ζωτικὴν καὶ ἀσώματον δύναμιν, τὰ πάντα σύν τε ἄστροις καὶ μόνοις οὐρανοῦ, ἀέρος, ὕδατος, γῆς, πυρὸς καὶ εἰ ἄλλο τί ἐστιν, διικνεῖται οὐσία ἄπειρος εἰς ὕψος, ἀπέραντος εἰς βά- θος, ἀμέτρητος εἰς πλάτος, τρὶς ἐπ' ἄπειρον τὴν ἀπ' αὐτοῦ ζωοποιὸν καὶ φρόνιμον ἐκτείνουσα φύσιν. τοῦτο οὖν τὸ ἐξ αὐτοῦ πανταχόθεν ἄπειρον ἀνάγκη εἶναι, καρδίαν ἔχον τὸν ὄντως ὑπὲρ πάντα ἐν σχήματι, ὅς, ὅπου πότ' ἂν ᾖ, ὡς ἐν ἀπείρῳ μέσος ἐστίν, τοῦ παντὸς ὑπάρχων ὅρος. ἀπ' αὐτοῦ οὖν ἀρχόμεναι αἱ ἐκτάσεις ἓξ ἀπεράντων ἔχουσιν τὴν φύσιν. ὧν ὁ μὲν ἀπ' αὐτοῦ λαβὼν τὴν ἀρχὴν διικνεῖται εἰς ὕψος ἄνω, ὁ δὲ εἰς βάθος κάτω, ὁ δὲ ἐπὶ δεξιάν, ὁ δὲ ἐπὶ λαιάν, ὁ δὲ ἔμπροσθεν, ὁ δὲ ὄπισθεν, εἰς οὓς αὐτὸς ἀποβλέπων ὡς εἰς ἀριθμὸν πανταχόθεν ἴσον χρονικοῖς ἓξ διαστήμασιν συντελεῖ τὸν κόσμον, αὐτὸς ἀνάπαυσις ὢν καὶ τὸν ἐσό- μενον ἄπειρον αἰῶνα εἰκόνα ἔχων, ἀρχὴ ὢν καὶ τελευτή. εἰς αὐτὸν γὰρ τὰ ἓξ ἄπειρα τελευτᾷ καὶ ἀπ' αὐτοῦ τὴν εἰς ἄπειρον ἔκτασιν λαμβάνει. τοῦ- τό ἐστιν ἑβδομάδος μυστήριον. αὐτὸς γάρ ἐστιν ἡ τῶν ὅλων ἀνάπαυσις, ὡς τοῖς ἐν μικρῷ μιμουμένοις αὐτοῦ τὸ μέγα αὑτὸν χαρίζεται εἰς ἀνά- παυσιν. αὐτός ἐστιν μόνος πῆ μὲν καταληπτός, πῆ δὲ ἀκατάληπτος, <πῆ μὲν περαντός,> πῆ δὲ ἀπέραντος, τὰς ἀπ' αὐτοῦ ἐκτάσεις ἔχων εἰς ἄπει- ρον. οὕτως γὰρ καταληπτός ἐστιν καὶ ἀκατάληπτος, ἐγγὺς καὶ μακράν, ὧδε ὢν κἀκεῖ, ὡς μόνος ὑπάρχων καὶ τοῦ πανταχόθεν ἀπείρου νοὸς τὴν μετουσίαν διδούς, ἣν πάντων ἀναπνέουσαι αἱ ψυχαὶ τὸ ζῆν ἔχουσιν· κἂν χωρισθῶσιν τοῦ σώματος καὶ τὸν εἰς αὐτὸν εὑρεθῶσιν πόθον ἔχουσαι, εἰς τὸν αὐτοῦ κόλπον φέρονται ἀθάνατοι, ὡς ἐν χειμῶνος ὥρᾳ οἱ ἀτμοὶ τῶν ὀρῶν ὑπὸ τῶν τοῦ ἡλίου ἀκτίνων ἑλκόμενοι φέρονται πρὸς αὐτόν. οἵαν οὖν στοργὴν συλλαβεῖν δυνάμεθα, ἐὰν τὴν εὐμορφίαν αὐτοῦ τῷ νῷ κατοπτεύ- σωμεν. ἄλλως δὲ ἀμήχανον· ἀδύνατον γὰρ κάλλος ἄνευ μορφῆς εἶναι καὶ πρὸς τὸν αὐτοῦ ἔρωτα ἐπισπᾶσθαί τινα ἢ καὶ δοκεῖν θεὸν ὁρᾶν εἶδος οὐκ ἔχοντα. τινὲς δὲ τῆς ἀληθείας ἀλλότριοι ὄντες καὶ τῇ κακίᾳ συμμαχοῦντες προφάσει δοξολογίας ἀσχημάτιστον αὐτὸν λέγουσιν, ἵνα ἄμορφος καὶ ἀνίδεος ὢν μηδενὶ ὁρατὸς ᾖ, ὅπως μὴ περιπόθητος γένηται. νοῦς γὰρ εἶδος οὐχ ὁρῶν θεοῦ κενός ἐστιν αὐτοῦ. πῶς δὲ καὶ εὔχεταί τις, οὐκ ἔχων πρὸς