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let others apply to these names, 20calling them privative or negative20 or whatever they please, but we, having yielded the teaching or learning of such things to the ambitious, let us examine only the meaning, whether it is within or separated from the pious and God-befitting conception. 2.1.581 If, then, either God did not exist before or will at some time not exist, He would not properly be called either endless or without beginning; and likewise neither unchangeable nor incorporeal nor incorruptible, if either body or corruption or alteration or any such thing were supposed concerning him. But if it is holy to conceive none of these things concerning him, it would surely be pious to use for him words that separate from what is unfitting and to say those things which we have already often said, both incorruptible and endless and unbegotten and as many as are of such a kind, with the significance inherent in each of these names teaching only the separation from things ready at hand for our understanding, not interpreting the nature itself that is separated from the 2.1.582 unfitting things. For while the meaning of these names shows beforehand what the divine is not, what that is by nature which is not these things remains in obscurity. But also the rest of the names, whose meaning is indicative of some position and existence, have their indication not of the divine nature itself, but of the things piously contemplated 2.1.583 concerning it. For having understood that none of the things that exist, both phenomenal and conceptual, has some automatic and random constitution, but that everything, whatsoever is apprehended among existing things, is dependent on the nature which is above all existing things and from there has the cause of its existence, and having perceived the beauty and the greatness of the wonders in creation, from all these and similar things receiving other thoughts concerning the divine, we interpret with proper names each of the thoughts that arise in us, following the counsel of wisdom, which says that from the greatness and beauty of created things the originator of all things 2.1.584 must be contemplated proportionately. We address the maker of mortals as Creator, and as Powerful the one who has mastered so great a creation, for whom the power to make his will substance sufficed. And having considered the good of our life, we consequently name the guide of it by the appellation of the Good, and having been taught by the divine scripture of the impartiality of the coming judgment, we address him through these as Judge and Just; and, to speak concisely, we transform the thoughts arising in us concerning the divine nature into a form of names, so that no title is spoken of the divine 2.1.585 nature without some particular concept. But also the word 'theos' [God], we have apprehended, has prevailed from the activity of overseeing. For believing that the divine is present to all and sees all and passes through all, we signify such a thought by this name, having been guided to this by the holy voice. For the one who said 'My God, attend to me' and 'See, O God' and 'God knows the secrets of the heart,' clearly interprets the thought inherent in this word, that from 2.1.586 'theasthai' [to see], he is named 'theos'. For it makes no difference to say 'Attend' and 'See' and 'Behold'. Since, therefore, the one who sees beholds the thing to be seen, the one who sees is reasonably called 'theos' from the thing seen. So that, having been taught even through this some partial activity of the divine nature, we did not come to a conception of the essence itself through this word; however, because we are at a loss for a suitable name, we do not suppose that the divine suffers any loss in 2.1.587 glory. For the inability of declaring the unutterable, attesting to the poverty of our nature, holds a greater proof of the glory of God, teaching us, as the apostle says, that the only suitable name for God is to believe Him to be above every name. For that He transcends every movement of thought and is found to be outside of nominal comprehension is a proof of the ineffable

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ἄλλα τοῖς ὀνόμασι τούτοις ἐφαρμοζόντων, 20στερητικὰ ἢ ἀφαι ρετικὰ20 ἢ ὅ τι φίλον αὐτοῖς ὀνομάζοντες, ἡμεῖς δὲ τοῦ διδάσκειν ἢ μανθάνειν τὰ τοιαῦτα τοῖς φιλοτίμοις παραχω ρήσαντες μόνον τὸν νοῦν ἐξετάσωμεν, εἰ τῆς εὐσεβοῦς τε καὶ θεοπρεποῦς ὑπολήψεως ἐντός ἐστιν ἢ κεχώρισται. 2.1.581 Εἰ μὲν οὖν ἢ οὐκ ἦν πρότερον ὁ θεὸς ἢ οὐκ ἔσται ποτέ, οὐκ ἂν κυρίως οὔτε ἀτελεύτητος οὔτε ἄναρχος λέ γοιτο· ὡσαύτως δὲ οὔτε ἀναλλοίωτος οὔτε ἀσώματος οὔτε ἄφθαρτος, εἴπερ ὑπονοοῖτο περὶ αὐτὸν ἢ σῶμα ἢ φθορὰ ἢ ἀλλοίωσις ἤ τι τοιοῦτον. εἰ δὲ τούτων εὐαγές ἐστιν οὐδὲν περὶ αὐτὸν ἐννοεῖν, εὐσεβὲς ἂν εἴη πάντως τοῖς χωριστικοῖς τῶν ἀπεμφαινόντων ῥήμασιν ἐπ' αὐτοῦ κεχρῆσθαι καὶ λέ γειν ταῦτα ἃ ἤδη πολλάκις εἰρήκαμεν, ἄφθαρτόν τε καὶ ἀτελεύτητον καὶ ἀγέννητον καὶ ὅσα τοῦ τοιούτου εἴδους ἐστί, τῆς ἐγκειμένης ἑκάστῳ τούτων τῶν ὀνομάτων ἐμφά σεως μόνον τὸν χωρισμὸν τῶν ἡμῖν προχείρων εἰς κατα νόησιν διδασκούσης, οὐκ αὐτὴν τὴν φύσιν τὴν τῶν ἀπεμφαι 2.1.582 νόντων κεχωρισμένην ἑρμηνευούσης. τί γὰρ οὐκ ἔστι τὸ θεῖον τῆς τῶν ὀνομάτων τούτων σημασίας προδεικνυούσης, τί ἐστιν ἐκεῖνο κατὰ τὴν φύσιν ὃ ταῦτα οὐκ ἔστιν ἐν ἀδήλῳ μένει. ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰ λοιπὰ τῶν ὀνομάτων, ὧν ἡ σημασία θέσεώς τινός ἐστιν ἐνδεικτικὴ καὶ ὑπάρξεως, οὐκ αὐτῆς τῆς θείας φύσεως, ἀλλὰ τῶν περὶ αὐτὴν εὐσεβῶς θεωρου 2.1.583 μένων τὴν ἔνδειξιν ἔχει. νοήσαντες γὰρ ὅτι οὐδὲν τῶν ὄντων τῶν τε φαινομένων καὶ τῶν νοουμένων αὐτόματόν τινα καὶ τυχαίαν ἔχει τὴν σύστασιν, ἀλλὰ πᾶν, ὅτιπερ ἐν τοῖς οὖσι καταλαμβάνεται, τῆς πάντων τῶν ὄντων ὑπερκειμένης φύσεως ἐξῆπται κἀκεῖθεν τὴν αἰτίαν τῆς ὑπάρξεως ἔχει, τό τε κάλλος καὶ τὸ μέγεθος τῶν ἐν τῇ κτίσει θαυμάτων κατανοήσαντες, ἐκ πάντων τούτων καὶ τῶν τοιούτων ἄλλα νοήματα περὶ τὸ θεῖον λαμβάνοντες ἰδίοις ὀνόμασιν ἕκαστον τῶν ἐγγινομένων ἡμῖν νοημάτων διερμηνεύομεν, ἀκολου θοῦντες τῇ συμβουλῇ τῆς σοφίας, ἥ φησιν ἐκ μεγέθους καὶ καλλονῆς κτισμάτων ἀναλόγως δεῖν τὸν τῶν πάντων γενε 2.1.584 σιουργὸν θεωρεῖσθαι. δημιουργὸν μὲν τὸν ποιητὴν τῶν θνητῶν προσαγορεύομεν, δυνατὸν δὲ τὸν τῆς τοσαύτης περι κρατήσαντα κτίσεως, ᾧ ἐξήρκεσεν ἡ δύναμις οὐσίαν ποιῆσαι τὴν βούλησιν. τό τε τῆς ζωῆς ἡμῶν ἀγαθὸν ἐννοήσαντες ἀκολούθως τὸν ταύτης καθηγησάμενον τῇ τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ προσηγορίᾳ κατονομάζομεν, τῆς τε μελλούσης κρίσεως τὸ ἀδέκαστον παρὰ τῆς θείας παιδευθέντες γραφῆς κριτὴν αὐτὸν καὶ δίκαιον διὰ τούτων προσαγορεύομεν· καὶ πάντα συνελόντι φάναι, τὰ περὶ τῆς θείας φύσεως ἐγγινόμενα ἡμῖν νοήματα εἰς ὀνομάτων τύπον μεταλαμβάνομεν, ὡς μηδεμίαν κλῆσιν δίχα τινὸς ἰδιαζούσης ἐννοίας ἐπὶ τῆς θείας λέγεσθαι 2.1.585 φύσεως. ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν θεὸς φωνὴν ἐκ τῆς ἐποπτικῆς ἐν εργείας κεκρατηκέναι κατελαβόμεθα. πᾶσι γὰρ παρεῖναι τὸ θεῖον καὶ πάντα θεᾶσθαι καὶ διὰ πάντων ἥκειν πεπι στευκότες τὴν τοιαύτην διάνοιαν τῷ ὀνόματι τούτῳ δια σημαίνομεν, πρὸς τοῦτο παρὰ τῆς ἁγίας ὁδηγηθέντες φωνῆς. ὁ γὰρ εἰπὼν ὅτι Ὁ θεός μου πρόσσχες μοι καὶ Ἴδε ὁ θεός καὶ τὸ Ὁ θεὸς γινώσκει τὰ κρύφια τῆς καρδίας, σαφῶς τὴν ἐγκειμένην τῇ φωνῇ ταύτῃ διάνοιαν ἑρμηνεύει, ὅτι ἐκ τοῦ 2.1.586 θεᾶσθαι θεὸς ὀνομάζεται. διαφέρει γὰρ οὐδὲν Πρόσσχες εἰπεῖν καὶ Ἴδε καὶ Θέασαι. ἐπεὶ οὖν τὸ θεατὸν ὁ θεώ μενος βλέπει, θεὸς εἰκότως τοῦ ὁρωμένου ὁ θεώμενος λέ γεται. ὥστε καὶ διὰ τούτου μερικήν τινα τῆς θείας φύ σεως ἐνέργειαν διδαχθέντες τῆς οὐσίας αὐτῆς ἐν περινοίᾳ διὰ τῆς φωνῆς ταύτης οὐκ ἐγενόμεθα· οὐ μὴν ἐπειδὴ ὀνό ματος προσφυοῦς ἀποροῦμεν, ζημιοῦσθαί τι τὸ θεῖον εἰς 2.1.587 δόξαν ὑπολαμβάνομεν. ἡ γὰρ ἀδυναμία τῆς τῶν ἀνεκφω νήτων ἐξαγορεύσεως κατηγοροῦσα τῆς κατὰ τὴν φύσιν ἡμῶν πτωχείας μείζονα τῆς τοῦ θεοῦ δόξης τὴν ἀπόδειξιν ἔχει διδάσκουσα ἡμᾶς, καθώς φησιν ὁ ἀπόστολος, ὅτι μόνον ἐστὶ θεοῦ προσφυὲς ὄνομα τὸ ὑπὲρ πᾶν αὐτὸν εἶναι πι στεύειν ὄνομα. τὸ γὰρ ὑπερβαίνειν αὐτὸν πᾶσαν διανοίας κίνησιν καὶ ἐξώτερον εὑρίσκεσθαι τῆς ὀνοματικῆς περι λήψεως τεκμήριον τῆς ἀφράστου