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calling, 2.1.413 as has been related by Moses. Then he goes through an encomium of words for us with his own discourse, as if someone were dishonoring the power of speech, and he says after that indecent and bombastic composition of words 20that by a law of providence and a perfect measure he joined to the knowledge and use of necessary things the imparting of names20; and having spoken much such nonsense in a deep sleep, he moves on in his argument 2.1.414 to invincible and unopposable necessity. I shall state the argument from him not in his own words, but setting it forth only in its meaning. 20We must not20, he says, 20attribute the invention of words to poets, who have been deceived in their conceptions of God20. What favors the noble fellow bestows on God, attributing to God the discoveries of poetic license, so that through this, God might seem to men to be more august and more lofty, when those who are disciples of Eunomius believe that *likriphis* and *karkaire* and *eurax* and *keraire* and *phu cheiri* and *size* and *doupēse* and *arabēse* and *kanachize* and *smerdaleon konabize* and *linxe* and *iache* and *mermērixe* and all such things are not employed by poets according to some license as they see fit, but that they, being initiated by God himself into these words, weave them into their 2.1.415 verses. Let these things also be dismissed, and that wise and invincible argument that 20we cannot show from the scriptural account that the holy men invented new sounds20. For if human nature was incomplete until the appearance of those men and not yet filled up with rational grace, it would have been right to seek from them 2.1.416 the fulfillment of what was lacking; but if from the very first, nature existed without want and was perfect in its rational and intellectual activity, how could someone still readily seek for the establishment of his argument by conception that the saints were the originators of sounds or words, or if we could not prove this, judge it sufficient proof for himself that God has legislated for us such syllables and words? 2.1.417 20But since20, he says, 20God does not refuse converse with his own servants, it is consistent to think that he from the beginning established the appellations suitable to the thing20. What then do we say to this? We determine that the cause of God's accepting converse with man 2.1.418 is His love for humanity. But since it is not possible for that which is by nature small to be lifted above its own measures and to touch the height of the surpassing nature, for this reason He Himself, bringing down His philanthropic power to our weakness, so distributes the grace and benefit from 2.1.419 Himself as it was possible for us to receive it. For just as in the divine economy the sun, having mixed the vehemence and undiluted nature of its rays with the intervening air, brings a measured light and heat to those who receive them, being in itself unapproachable by the weakness of our nature, so also the divine power, in the likeness of the example just mentioned, infinitely surpassing our nature and being inaccessible for participation, like some compassionate mother lisping along with the indistinct whimperings of her infants, imparts to human nature that which it is able to receive, and for this reason in the various theophanies to men He is both formed in a human way and speaks in a human way and takes upon Himself such passions as anger and mercy, so that through all things suitable to us our infant life might be guided by the hand, touching upon the divine nature through the words of 2.1.420 providence. For that it is not pious to think that the Divine is subject to any passion that occurs through pleasure or mercy or anger, no one <would> deny who has even moderately investigated the truth about existing things; but nevertheless the Lord is said to rejoice over His servants, and to be angry with wrath against the people who have sinned, and to have mercy again on whom He will have mercy, and to pity likewise, through each, I think, of the

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κλῆσις, 2.1.413 ὡς ὑπὸ τοῦ Μωϋσέως ἱστόρηται. εἶτα λόγων ἡμῖν ἐγκώ μιον τῷ ἰδίῳ διέξεισι λόγῳ, ὥσπερ ἀτιμάζοντός τινος τοῦ λόγου τὴν δύναμιν, καί φησι μετὰ τὴν ἀσύφηλον ἐκείνην καὶ στομφώδη τῶν ῥημάτων συνθήκην 20προνοίας νόμῳ καὶ μέτρῳ τελείῳ συνάψαι τῇ γνώσει καὶ τῇ χρήσει τῶν ἀναγκαίων τὴν μετάδοσιν τῶν ὀνο μάτων20· καὶ πολλὰ τοιαῦτα ἐν βαθεῖ τῷ ὕπνῳ ληρήσας ἐπὶ τὴν ἄμαχόν τε καὶ ἀνανταγώνιστον ἀνάγκην μεταβαίνει 2.1.414 τῷ λόγῳ. λέξω δὲ οὐκ ἐπὶ ῥημάτων, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ μόνης τῆς διανοίας τὸν παρ' ἐκείνου λόγον ἐκθέμενος. 20οὐ ποιηταῖς20, φησίν, 20ἀναθετέον τὴν τῶν ῥημάτων εὕρεσιν τοῖς διαψευσθεῖσιν ἐν ταῖς περὶ θεοῦ ὑπολήψεσιν20. οἷα χαρίζεται τῷ θεῷ ὁ γεννάδας τὰ τῆς ποιητικῆς ἐξου σίας εὑρήματα τῷ θεῷ προσάπτων, ὥστε διὰ τούτου σεμ νότερον τοῖς ἀνθρώποις καὶ ὑψηλότερον τὸν θεὸν δοκεῖν εἶναι, ὅταν πιστεύωσιν οἱ Εὐνομίῳ μαθητευόμενοι τὸ λι κριφὶς καὶ τὸ κάρκαιρε καὶ τὸ εὐρὰξ καὶ τὸ κέραιρε καὶ τὸ φῦ χειρὶ καὶ σίζε καὶ δούπησε καὶ ἀράβησε καὶ κανάχιζε καὶ σμερδαλέον κονάβιζε καὶ λίγξε καὶ ἴαχε καὶ μερμήριξε καὶ πάντα τὰ τοιαῦτα ὅτι οὐ κατ' ἐξουσίαν τινὰ πρὸς τὸ δοκοῦν οἱ ποιηταὶ διεξέρχονται, ἀλλὰ παρ' αὐτοῦ τοῦ θεοῦ τὰ ῥήματα ταῦτα μυσταγωγούμενοι τοῖς 2.1.415 μέτροις ἐνείρουσι. παρείσθω καὶ ταῦτα καὶ τὸ σοφὸν ἐκεῖνο καὶ ἄμαχον ἐπιχείρημα τὸ 20τοὺς ἁγίους τῶν ἀνδρῶν μὴ ἔχειν ἡμᾶς ἐπιδεικνύναι κατὰ τὴν γραφικὴν ἱστορίαν καινὰς ἐπεξευρόντας φω νάς20. εἰ μὲν γὰρ ἀτελὴς ἦν μέχρι τῆς ἀναδείξεως τῶν ἀνδρῶν ἐκείνων ἡ ἀνθρωπίνη φύσις καὶ οὔπω τῇ χάριτι τῇ λογικῇ συμπεπλήρωτο, καλῶς ἔδει παρ' αὐτῶν ἐπιζητεῖσθαι 2.1.416 τὴν τοῦ λείποντος πλήρωσιν· εἰ δὲ εὐθὺς παρὰ τὴν πρώτην ἀπροσδεὴς καὶ τελεία κατὰ τὴν λογικήν τε καὶ διανοητικὴν ἐνέργειαν ἡ φύσις ὑπέστη, πῶς ἄν τις ἔτι κατὰ τὸ εὔκολον ἐπιζητοίη πρὸς σύστασιν τοῦ κατὰ τὴν ἐπίνοιαν λόγου τὸ τοὺς ἁγίους κατάρξαι φωνῶν ἢ ῥημάτων, ἢ εἰ μὴ τοῦτο ἔχοιμεν ἀποδεῖξαι, ἱκανὴν ἑαυτῷ κρίνειν ἀπόδειξιν τοῦ τὸν θεὸν ἡμῖν νενομοθετηκέναι τὰς τοιάσδε συλλαβὰς καὶ τὰ ῥήματα; 2.1.417 20Ἀλλ' ἐπειδή20, φησίν, 20οὐκ ἀναίνεται ὁ θεὸς τὴν πρὸς τοὺς ἑαυτοῦ θεράποντας ὁμιλίαν, ἀκόλουθόν ἐστιν οἴεσθαι αὐτὸν ἐξ ἀρχῆς τὰς προσφυεῖς τῷ πράγματι τεθεῖσθαι προσηγο ρίας20. τί οὖν καὶ πρὸς τοῦτο ἡμεῖς; τοῦ μὲν καταδέ χεσθαι τὸν θεὸν τὴν πρὸς ἄνθρωπον ὁμιλίαν αἰτίαν εἶναι 2.1.418 τὴν φιλανθρωπίαν διοριζόμεθα. ἐπεὶ δὲ οὐκ ἐνδέχεται τὸ τῇ φύσει βραχὺ τῶν ἰδίων μέτρων ὑπεραρθῆναι καὶ τῆς ὑπερεχούσης φύσεως τοῦ ὕψους ἐφάψασθαι, τούτου χάριν αὐτὸς πρὸς τὸ ἡμέτερον ἀσθενὲς κατάγων τὴν φιλάνθρωπον δύναμιν, ὡς ἡμῖν δυνατὸν ἦν δέξασθαι, οὕτω τὴν παρ' 2.1.419 ἑαυτοῦ χάριν καὶ ὠφέλειαν νέμει. καθάπερ γὰρ κατὰ τὴν θείαν οἰκονομίαν ὁ ἥλιος τὸ σφοδρὸν τῶν ἀκτίνων καὶ ἄκρατον τῷ διὰ μέσου κατακεράσας ἀέρι σύμμετρον ἐπάγει τοῖς δεχομένοις τὴν αὐγήν τε καὶ τὴν θερμότητα, καθ' ἑαυτὸν ὢν τῇ ἀσθενείᾳ τῆς φύσεως ἡμῶν ἀπροσπέλαστος, οὕτω καὶ ἡ θεία δύναμις καθ' ὁμοιότητα τοῦ ῥηθέντος ἡμῖν ὑποδείγματος ἀπειροπλασίως ὑπεραίρουσα τὴν φύσιν ἡμῶν καὶ ἀπρόσιτος εἰς μετουσίαν οὖσα οἷόν τις μήτηρ εὔσπλαγχνος τοῖς ἀσήμοις τῶν νηπίων κνυζήμασι συνδια ψελλιζομένη τοῦτο νέμει τῇ ἀνθρωπίνῃ φύσει ὃ λαβεῖν δυ νατῶς ἔχει, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ἐν ταῖς ποικίλαις πρὸς τοὺς ἀνθρώπους θεοφανείαις καὶ κατὰ ἄνθρωπον σχηματίζεται καὶ ἀνθρωπικῶς φθέγγεται καὶ ὀργὴν καὶ ἔλεον καὶ τὰ τοιαῦτα ὑποδύεται πάθη, ὡς ἂν διὰ πάντων τῶν καταλλή λων ἡμῖν χειραγωγοῖτο ἡ νηπιώδης ἡμῶν ζωή, διὰ τῶν τῆς 2.1.420 προνοίας λόγων τῆς θείας φύσεως ἐφαπτομένη. ὅτι γὰρ οὐδενὶ πάθει τῶν καθ' ἡδονὴν ἢ κατ' ἔλεον ἢ ὀργὴν συμ βαινόντων εὐαγές ἐστιν ὑποκεῖσθαι τὸ θεῖον οἴεσθαι, οὐδεὶς <ἂν> ἀντείποι τῶν καὶ μετρίως ἐπεσκεμμένων τὴν περὶ τῶν ὄντων ἀλήθειαν· ἀλλ' ὅμως καὶ εὐφραίνεσθαι κύ ριος λέγεται ἐπὶ τοῖς δούλοις αὐτοῦ καὶ ὀργίζεσθαι θυμῷ ἐπὶ τὸν ἐπταικότα λαὸν καὶ ἐλεεῖν πάλιν ὃν ἂν ἐλεήσῃ καὶ οἰκτείρειν ὡσαύτως, δι' ἑκάστου οἶμαι τῶν