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analogously by multiplication, the one from thousands, the other from hundreds, being summed up for this purpose, all of which we assign to the subjects, making them signs of the quantity of the enumerated 2.1.429 things); so that we might be taught by the divine scripture that nothing is unknown to God, it says that the multitude of the stars has been numbered by him, the numbering not being done in this way (for who is so simple as to think that God distinguishes beings by odd and even, and through the composition of units deduces the number for the sum of the collected quantity?); but since for us an exact knowledge of the quantity comes from number, so that we might also be taught concerning God that all things are comprehended in the knowledge of his wisdom and nothing escapes his precise understanding, for this reason he appointed that God numbers the stars, advising us to understand this by what he says, not to think that the divine grasps beings according to the measure of our knowledge, but that all things incomprehensible and inconceivable to us 2.1.430 are encompassed in the knowledge of the divine wisdom. For since the stars, on account of their multitude, escape numbering according to human conception, the word, teaching the whole from a part, by saying that these have been numbered by God, bears witness that nothing of the things unknown to us escapes the knowledge of God. For this reason he says, He who numbers the multitude of stars, obviously not being ignorant of the quantity of the stars before counting them. For how is it likely that he would be ignorant of what he has made 2.1.431? For the master of the universe would not be ignorant of that which is contained in the power that contains all things. Why then does he number what he knows? For it is characteristic of those who are ignorant to measure quantity by number, but he who knows all things before their coming into being does not need number as a teacher for the knowledge of the subjects. But yet he is said by David to number; evidently for our instruction, with the word condescending to clarity according to what is comprehensible to us, David showed through the meaning of number 2.1.432 the precise knowing of things unknown to us. Just as, therefore, he is said to number, needing nothing of the process of arithmetic for the knowledge of beings, so also the prophecy says he calls them all by name, not, I think, signifying this calling which is through the voice. For the argument would proceed and end in something absurd and unworthy of the conception of God, if it were saying that these names current in our usage have been given by God to the 2.1.433 stars. For if one should grant that these names were given from God, it is absolutely necessary to think that the names of the Greek idols were also bestowed on the stars from there, and to consider as true all that is said of mythical history in the stellar names, as if God were ratifying such words for them. Thus the group of seven contained in the whole celestial sphere, having been apportioned to the Greek idols, will make those who are deceived about these things blameless, if it were believed that this was ordained 2.1.434 by God. Thus the myth concerning Orion and Scorpio is brought to belief, and the tales about the Argo, and the Swan and the Eagle and the Dog, and the myth-making about the Crown of Ariadne, and it will establish the supposition that God is the inventor of the names conceived for the phenomena according to some configuration of the zodiacal circle, if indeed Eunomius rightly thinks that David says that God gives these names to them. 2.1.435 Since, therefore, it is absurd to think that God is the inventor of such names, so that the names of the idols might not seem to have had their origin from there, it would be well not to accept what was said without examination, but to understand the meaning in it according to the analogy of what we have understood concerning number. For since for us it is a testimony of exact knowledge to call an acquaintance by name, he teaches us through these things that of the things incomprehensible to us, he who contains the universe comprehends with his knowledge not only the fullness of the quantity collected in a sum, but 2.1.436 also the particulars through

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ἀναλόγως ἐκ πολλαπλασιασμοῦ, ἡ μὲν ἐκ χιλιάδων, ἡ δὲ ἐξ ἑκατοντάδων πρὸς τοῦτο κεφαλαιουμένη, ἅπερ ἅπαντα τοῖς ὑποκειμένοις ἐπιμερίζοντες σημεῖα τῆς ποσότητος τῶν ἀριθμουμένων 2.1.429 πραγμάτων ποιούμεθα)· ὡς ἂν οὖν παιδευθείημεν παρὰ τῆς θείας γραφῆς τὸ μηδὲν ἄγνωστον εἶναι τῷ θεῷ, ἐξη ριθμῆσθαι παρ' αὐτοῦ λέγει τὸ πλῆθος τῶν ἄστρων, οὐ τοῦτον τὸν τρόπον γινομένης τῆς ἀριθμήσεως (τίς γὰρ οὕτως εὐήθης ὡς τῷ περιττῷ καὶ ἀρτίῳ τὸν θεὸν οἴεσθαι διαλαμβάνειν τὰ ὄντα καὶ διὰ τῆς τῶν μονάδων συνθέσεως πρὸς τὸ κεφάλαιον τῆς ἀθροιζομένης ποσότητος τὸν ἀριθ μὸν συμπεραίνειν;)· ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ ἐν ἡμῖν ἀκριβὴς τοῦ ποσοῦ γνῶσις ἐκ τοῦ ἀριθμοῦ γίνεται, ὡς ἂν καὶ περὶ τοῦ θεοῦ παιδευθείημεν ὅτι πάντα τῇ γνώσει τῆς σοφίας αὐτοῦ περιείληπται καὶ οὐδὲν ἐκφεύγει τὴν ἀκριβῆ κατανόησιν, τού του χάριν ἀριθμεῖν τὰ ἄστρα τὸν θεὸν διωρίσατο, τοῦτο δι' ὧν λέγει νοεῖν συμβουλεύων, μὴ κατὰ τὸ μέτρον τῆς ἡμετέρας γνώσεως καὶ τὸ θεῖον οἴεσθαι τῶν ὄντων ἐφά πτεσθαι, ἀλλὰ τὰ ἡμῖν ἄληπτά τε καὶ ἀνεπινόητα πάντα 2.1.430 τῇ γνώσει τῆς θείας σοφίας ἐμπεριείργεσθαι. τῶν γὰρ ἄστρων διὰ τὸ πλῆθος ἐκφευγόντων τὸν ἀριθμὸν ὡς πρὸς ἀνθρωπίνην ἐπίνοιαν, ἀπὸ μέρους τὸ πᾶν ἐκδιδάσκων ὁ λόγος ἐκ τοῦ ταῦτα κατηριθμῆσθαι παρὰ τοῦ θεοῦ λέγειν τὸ μηδὲν τῶν ἡμῖν ἀγνώστων ἐκφεύγειν τοῦ θεοῦ τὴν γνῶσιν διαμαρτύρεται. διὰ τοῦτό φησιν Ὁ ἀριθμῶν πλήθη ἄστρων, οὐκ ἀγνοῶν δηλαδὴ πρὶν ἐξαριθμῆσαι τὴν τῶν ἄστρων ποσότητα. πῶς γὰρ εἰκὸς αὐτὸν ἀγνοεῖν ὃ ἐποίη 2.1.431 σεν; ὁ γὰρ τοῦ παντὸς ἐπιστάτης οὐκ ἂν ἀγνοοίη τὸ ἐμ περιειλημμένον τῇ περιεκτικῇ τῶν ὅλων δυνάμει. τί δήποτε οὖν ἀριθμεῖ ὅπερ ἐπίσταται; τῶν γὰρ ἀγνοούντων ἐστὶ τὸ τῷ ἀριθμῷ διαμετρεῖν τὴν ποσότητα, ὁ δὲ τὰ πάντα εἰδὼς πρὸ γενέσεως ἀριθμοῦ διδασκάλου πρὸς τὴν τῶν ὑποκειμένων γνῶσιν οὐκ ἐπιδέεται. ἀλλὰ μὴν ἀριθμεῖν λέγεται παρὰ τοῦ ∆αβίδ· δηλονότι πρὸς τὴν ἡμετέραν διδασκαλίαν κατὰ τὸ ἡμῖν χωρητὸν τοῦ λόγου πρὸς σαφήνειαν κατιόντος τὸ ἀκριβῶς εἰδέναι τὰ ἡμῖν ἄγνωστα διὰ τῆς τοῦ ἀριθμοῦ 2.1.432 σημασίας ὁ ∆αβὶδ ἐνεδείξατο. ὥσπερ οὖν ἀριθμεῖν λέγεται οὐδὲν τῆς ἀριθμητικῆς περιόδου πρὸς τὴν τῶν ὄντων γνῶσιν ἐπιδεόμενος, οὕτως καὶ πᾶσιν αὐτοῖς ὀνόματα καλεῖν ἡ προφητεία λέγει, οὐ ταύτην οἶμαι τὴν διὰ τῆς φωνῆς κλῆ σιν ὑποσημαίνουσα. ἦ γὰρ ἂν εἰς ἄτοπόν τι καὶ ἀνάξιον τῆς περὶ θεοῦ ὑπολήψεως ὁ λόγος προϊὼν καταλήγοι, εἴπερ ταῦτα λέγοι τὰ ὀνόματα παρὰ τοῦ θεοῦ τεθεῖσθαι τοῖς 2.1.433 ἄστροις τὰ ἐν τῇ συνηθείᾳ ἡμῶν ἀναστρεφόμενα. εἰ γὰρ ταῦτά τις δοίη θεόθεν ἐπικεκλῆσθαι, ἀνάγκη πᾶσα καὶ τῶν Ἑλληνικῶν εἰδώλων ἐκεῖθεν οἴεσθαι τὴν κλῆσιν ἐπι πεφημίσθαι τοῖς ἄστροις καὶ ὅσα τῆς μυθικῆς ἱστορίας ἐπιλέγεται τοῖς ἀστρῴοις ὀνόμασιν ἀληθῆ νομίσαι, ὡς τοῦ θεοῦ τὰς τοιαύτας αὐτοῖς ἐπικυροῦντος φωνάς. οὕτως ἡ ἑβδομὰς τῶν ἐμπεριεχομένων τῷ παντὶ πόλῳ τοῖς Ἑλληνι κοῖς εἰδώλοις ἐπιμερισθεῖσα ἔξω μέμψεως τοὺς πρὸς ταῦτα πεπλανημένους ποιήσει, εἴπερ ἐκ θεοῦ πιστευθείη τοῦτο 2.1.434 διατετάχθαι. οὕτως ὁ κατὰ τὸν Ὠρίωνα καὶ Σκορπίον μῦθος εἰς πίστιν ἄγεται καὶ τὰ περὶ τῆς Ἀργοῦς διηγήματα καὶ ὁ Κύκνος καὶ ὁ Ἀετὸς καὶ ὁ Κύων ἥ τε κατὰ τὸν Στέφανον τῆς Ἀριάδνης μυθοποιΐα, καὶ τοῦ ζῳοφόρου κύ-κλου τῶν κατά τινα σχηματισμὸν ἐπινοηθέντων τοῖς φαινο μένοις ὀνομάτων θεὸν εὑρετὴν ὑπονοεῖσθαι κατασκευάσει, εἴπερ καλῶς ὁ Εὐνόμιος οἴεται τὸν ∆αβὶδ λέγειν ὅτι ταῦτα αὐτοῖς τὰ ὀνόματα ὁ θεὸς ἐπιτίθησι. 2.1.435 Ἐπεὶ οὖν ἄτοπον τῶν τοιούτων ὀνομάτων τὸν θεὸν εὑρετὴν οἴεσθαι, ὡς ἂν μὴ καὶ τὰ τῶν εἰδώλων ὀνόματα ἐκεῖθεν τὴν ἀρχὴν ἐσχηκέναι δοκοίη, καλῶς ἂν ἔχοι μὴ ἀνεξετάστως τὸ ῥηθὲν παραδέξασθαι, ἀλλὰ καθ' ὁμοιότητα τῶν κατὰ τὸν ἀριθμὸν ἡμῖν νενοημένων καὶ τὸν ἐν τούτῳ νοῦν κατανοῆσαι. ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἐν ἡμῖν μαρτύριον τῆς ἀκριβοῦς ἐστι γνώσεως τὸ ἐξ ὀνόματος παρ' ἡμῶν προσκαλεῖσθαι τὸν γνώριμον, διδάσκει διὰ τούτων ἡμᾶς ὅτι τῶν ἡμῖν ἀλήπτων οὐ μόνον τὸ πλήρωμα τῆς ἐν κεφαλαίῳ ἀθροιζομένης πο σότητος διαλαμβάνει τῇ γνώσει ὁ τὸ πᾶν περιέχων, ἀλλὰ 2.1.436 καὶ τὰ καθ' ἕκαστον δι'