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Therefore you worship what you do not know. But we say that 'to know' has many meanings. For we say we know the majesty of God, and his power, and his wisdom, and his goodness, and the providence by which he cares for us, and the justice of his judgment, but not his essence itself. So the question is malicious. For he who says he does not know the essence has not confessed that he does not know God, since our concept of God is gathered from the many things we have enumerated. But God, he says, is simple, and whatever of his known attributes you enumerate is of his essence. But this is a sophism having countless absurdities. Since so many things have been enumerated, are all these names of one essence? And are his awesomeness and his love for mankind and his justice and his creativity, his foreknowledge and his retribution, his majesty and his providence, equivalent to one another? Or, whatever of these we might say, are we declaring his essence? For if they say this, let them not ask if we know the essence of God, but let them inquire of us if we know God to be awesome, or if he is just, or if he loves mankind. These things we confess to know. But if they say the essence is something else, let them not mislead us by means of simplicity. For they themselves have confessed that the essence and each of the enumerated things are different. But the energies are various, while the essence is simple. But we say we know our God from his energies, but we do not promise to approach his essence itself. For his energies come down to us, but his essence remains unapproachable. 234.2 'But if you are ignorant of the essence,' he says, 'you are ignorant of him.' But you should reverse it: 'if you say you know the essence, you do not know him.' For neither does the one bitten by a mad dog, seeing the dog in the cup, see more than healthy people do, but for this reason he is pitiable, because he thinks he sees what he does not see. Do not then marvel at this one's profession, but judge him pitiable for his madness. Know therefore that this saying belongs to those who are playing games: 'if you are ignorant of the essence of God, you worship what you do not know.' But I know that he exists, but what his essence is I place beyond thought. How then am I saved? Through faith. And faith is sufficient for knowing that God exists, not what he is, and that he becomes a rewarder to those who seek him. Therefore, knowledge of the divine essence is the perception of his incomprehensibility, and what is revered is not the apprehended 'what the essence is,' but 'that the essence is.' 234.3 And let them be questioned in turn thus. No one has ever seen God; the only-begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he has made him known. What has the Only-begotten made known of the Father? The essence or the power? If the power, we know as much as he has made known to us. If the essence, tell me, where did he say that his unbegottenness is his essence? When did Abraham worship? Was it not when he believed? And when did he believe? Was it not when he was called? Where then here was comprehension testified of him by Scripture? And when did the disciples worship him? Was it not when they saw creation subject to him? For from the sea and the winds obeying him, they recognized his divinity. Therefore, knowledge is from the energies, and worship is from knowledge. Do you believe that I am able to do this? "I believe, Lord," and he worshipped him. Thus worship follows faith, and faith is confirmed by power. And if you say that the one who believes also knows, he knows from those things from which he believes; or conversely, he believes from those things from which he knows. And we know God from his power. So we believe in the one who is known, and we worship the one who is believed.

235.t TO THE SAME, IN RESPONSE TO ANOTHER QUESTION

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οὐκοῦν ὃ οὐκ οἴδατε προσκυνεῖτε. Ἡμεῖς δὲ λέγομεν ὅτι τὸ εἰδέναι πολύσημον. Καὶ γὰρ τὴν μεγαλειότητα τοῦ Θεοῦ εἰδέναι λέγομεν καὶ τὴν δύναμιν καὶ τὴν σοφίαν καὶ τὴν ἀγαθότητα καὶ τὴν πρόνοιαν ᾗ ἐπιμελεῖται ἡμῶν καὶ τὸ δίκαιον αὐτοῦ τῆς κρίσεως, οὐκ αὐτὴν τὴν οὐσίαν. Ὥστε ἐπηρεαστικὴ ἡ ἐρώτησις. Οὐ γὰρ ὁ τὴν οὐσίαν μὴ φάσκων εἰδέναι ὡμολόγησε τὸν Θεὸν μὴ ἐπίστασθαι, ἐκ πολλῶν ὧν ἀπηριθμησάμεθα συναγομένης ἡμῖν τῆς περὶ Θεοῦ ἐννοίας. Ἀλλ' ἁπλοῦς, φησίν, ὁ Θεός, καὶ πᾶν ὅπερ ἂν αὐτοῦ ἀπα ριθμήσῃ γνωστὸν τῆς οὐσίας ἐστί. Τοῦτο δὲ σόφισμά ἐστι μυρίας τὰς ἀτοπίας ἔχον. Τοσούτων τῶν ἀπηριθμημένων ὄντων, πότερον ταῦτα πάντα μιᾶς οὐσίας ὀνόματα; Καὶ ἰσοδυναμεῖ ἀλλήλοις τὸ φοβερὸν αὐτοῦ καὶ τὸ φιλάνθρωπον καὶ τὸ δίκαιον καὶ τὸ δημιουργικόν, τὸ προγνωστικὸν καὶ τὸ ἀνταποδοτικόν, τὸ μεγαλεῖον καὶ τὸ προνοητικόν, ἢ καὶ ὅπερ ἂν τούτων εἴπωμεν, τὴν οὐσίαν δηλοῦμεν; Εἴπερ γὰρ τοῦτο λέγουσι, μὴ ἐρωτάτωσαν εἰ τὴν οὐσίαν οἴδαμεν τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἀλλὰ πυνθανέσθωσαν ἡμῶν εἰ φοβερὸν οἴδαμεν τὸν Θεὸν ἢ εἰ δίκαιον ἢ εἰ φιλάνθρωπον; Ταῦτα ὁμολογοῦμεν εἰδέναι. Εἰ δὲ ἄλλο τι λέγουσι τὴν οὐσίαν, μὴ παραλογιζέσ θωσαν ἡμᾶς διὰ τῆς ἁπλότητος. Αὐτοὶ γὰρ ὡμολόγησαν ἄλλο καὶ ἄλλο εἶναι τήν τε οὐσίαν καὶ τῶν ἀπηριθμημένων ἕκαστον. Ἀλλ' αἱ μὲν ἐνέργειαι ποικίλαι, ἡ δὲ οὐσία ἁπλῆ. Ἡμεῖς δὲ ἐκ μὲν τῶν ἐνεργειῶν γνωρίζειν λέγομεν τὸν Θεὸν ἡμῶν, τῇ δὲ οὐσίᾳ αὐτῇ προσεγγίζειν οὐχ ὑπισχνού μεθα. Αἱ μὲν γὰρ ἐνέργειαι αὐτοῦ πρὸς ἡμᾶς καταβαίνουσιν, ἡ δὲ οὐσία αὐτοῦ μένει ἀπρόσιτος. 234.2 Ἀλλ' εἰ τὴν οὐσίαν, φησίν, ἀγνοεῖς, αὐτὸν ἀγνοεῖς. Σὺ δὲ ἀντίστρεψον· ὅτι, εἰ τὴν οὐσίαν λέγεις εἰδέναι, αὐτὸν οὐκ ἐπίστασαι. Οὔτε γὰρ ὁ λυσσόδηκτος βλέπων τὸν κύνα ἐν τῇ φιάλῃ πλεῖον ὁρᾷ τῶν ὑγιαινόντων, ἀλλὰ διὰ τοῦτο ἐλεεινός, ὅτι οἴεται βλέπειν ἃ μὴ ὁρᾷ. Μὴ οὖν θαυμάσῃς τοῦτον τῆς ἐπαγγελίας, ἀλλὰ τῆς παρανοίας αὐτὸν ἐλεεινὸν κρῖνον. Γίνωσκε τοίνυν ὅτι παιζόντων ἐστὶν ἡ φωνή· εἰ τὴν οὐσίαν τοῦ Θεοῦ ἀγνοεῖς, ὃ μὴ γινώσκεις σέβεις. Ἐγὼ δὲ ὅτι μὲν ἔστιν οἶδα, τί δὲ ἡ οὐσία ὑπὲρ διάνοιαν τίθεμαι. Πῶς οὖν σώζομαι; ∆ιὰ τῆς πίστεως. Πίστις δὲ αὐτάρκης εἰδέναι ὅτι ἐστὶν ὁ Θεός, οὐχὶ τί ἐστι, καὶ τοῖς ἐκζητοῦσιν αὐτὸν μισθαποδότης γίνεται. Εἴδησις ἄρα τῆς θείας οὐσίας ἡ αἴσθησις αὐτοῦ τῆς ἀκαταληψίας, καὶ σεπτὸν οὐ τὸ καταληφθὲν τίς ἡ οὐσία, ἀλλ' ὅτι ἐστὶν ἡ οὐσία. 234.3 Καὶ ἀντερωτάσθωσαν οὕτω. Θεὸν οὐδεὶς ἑώρακε πώ ποτε· ὁ Μονογενὴς Υἱός, ὁ ὢν εἰς τὸν κόλπον τοῦ Πατρός, οὗτος ἐξηγήσατο. Τί ἐξηγήσατο τοῦ Πατρὸς ὁ Μονογενής; Τὴν οὐσίαν ἢ τὴν δύναμιν; Εἰ τὴν δύναμιν, ὅσον ἐξηγή σατο ἡμῖν, τοσοῦτον γνωρίζομεν. Εἰ τὴν οὐσίαν, εἰπέ, ποῦ εἶπεν αὐτοῦ τὴν ἀγεννησίαν οὐσίαν; Ἀβραὰμ πότε προσ εκύνησεν; Οὐχ ὅτε ἐπίστευσε; Πότε δὲ ἐπίστευσεν; Οὐχ ὅτε ἐκλήθη; Ποῦ οὖν ἐνταῦθα ἡ κατάληψις αὐτῷ ἐμαρτυ ρήθη παρὰ τῆς Γραφῆς; Οἱ μαθηταὶ δὲ αὐτὸν πότε προσε κύνησαν; Οὐχ ὅτε τὴν κτίσιν αὐτῷ εἶδον ὑποτεταγμένην; Ἀπὸ γὰρ θαλάσσης καὶ ἀνέμων ὑπακουσάντων αὐτῷ ἐγνώ ρισαν αὐτοῦ τὴν θεότητα. Οὐκοῦν ἀπὸ μὲν τῶν ἐνεργειῶν ἡ γνῶσις, ἀπὸ δὲ τῆς γνώσεως ἡ προσκύνησις. Πιστεύεις ὅτι δύναμαι τοῦτο ποιῆσαι; «Πιστεύω, Κύριε, καὶ προσεκύ νησεν αὐτῷ». Οὕτως ἡ μὲν προσκύνησις τῇ πίστει ἀκολου θεῖ, ἡ δὲ πίστις ἀπὸ δυνάμεως βεβαιοῦται. Εἰ δὲ λέγεις τὸν πιστεύοντα καὶ γινώσκειν, ἀφ' ὧν πιστεύει ἀπὸ τούτων καὶ γινώσκει· ἢ καὶ ἀνάπαλιν ἀφ' ὧν γινώσκει ἀπὸ τούτων καὶ πιστεύει. Γινώσκομεν δὲ ἐκ τῆς δυνάμεως τὸν Θεόν. Ὥστε πιστεύομεν μὲν τῷ γνωσθέντι, προσκυνοῦμεν δὲ τῷ πιστευ θέντι.

235.τ ΤΩ ΑΥΤΩ ΠΡΟΣ ΑΛΛΟ ΕΡΩΤΗΜΑ