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235.1 What comes first, knowledge or faith? And we say that in general, in the case of learning, faith precedes knowledge; but in the case of our doctrine, even if someone says that knowledge begins before faith, we do not disagree (knowledge, however, that is commensurate with human comprehension). For in the case of learning, one must first believe that it is called 'alpha' and, having learned the characters and the pronunciation, later receive also the precise understanding of the power of the letter. But in faith concerning God, the conception that God exists takes the lead, and this we gather from the works of creation. For understanding from the creation of the world that He is wise and powerful and good, and all his invisible attributes, we come to know him. Thus indeed we also accept him as our Master. For since God is the creator of the whole world, and we are a part of the world, God is therefore also our creator. Faith follows this knowledge, and worship follows such faith. 235.2 But now, since the name of knowledge has many meanings, those who make sport of the more simple-minded, and likewise show off with paradoxes, just like those in the theaters who steal the pebbles in plain sight of everyone, snatch away the whole matter with a universal question. For since the name of knowledge covers a wide range, and something is knowable in terms of number, or in terms of size, or in terms of power, or in terms of its manner of existence, or in terms of its time of generation, or in terms of essence, these men, taking up the whole matter in a question, if they get us to admit that we know, demand from us the knowledge of the essence; but if they see us being cautious about the assertion, they turn the reproach of impiety upon us. But we confess that we know what is knowable of God, but again that there is something that escapes our comprehension. So if you were to ask me if I know what sand is, and I were to answer that I know, you will clearly be quibbling if you immediately also demand its number, because your first question was about the nature of sand, but your second piece of sophistry turned upon its number. This sophism is similar to one who says: "Do you know Timothy? Therefore, if you know Timothy, you also know his nature; but you admitted to knowing Timothy; so then, give us an account of Timothy's nature. But I both know Timothy, and I do not know him; yet not in the same respect and in the same way. For I do not not know him in the same way that I know him; but I know him in one way, and I am ignorant of him in another. For I know him by his appearance and his other particular qualities, but I am ignorant of his essence. Since in this way, by this reasoning, I both know and am ignorant of myself. For I know myself, who I am, but I do not know myself inasmuch as I am ignorant of my essence. 235.3 Then let them explain to us how Paul said: "Now we know in part". Do we then know his essence in part, as if we know parts of his essence? But that is absurd, for God is without parts. But do we know it whole? How then: "When that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away"? And for what are the idolaters accused? Is it not that, knowing God, they did not glorify him as God? Or for what are the foolish Galatians reproached by Paul when he says: "But now after you have known God, or rather are known by God, how is it that you turn again to the weak and beggarly elements?" And how was God known in Judea? Was it because in Judea the essence, whatever it was then, was recognized? "The ox," he says, "knows its owner." Evidently, according to you, the ox knew the essence of its master. And "the donkey its master's crib." So the donkey too knew the essence of the crib. "But Israel," he says, "does not know me." Israel is accused of this, according to you, that it did not recognize the essence of God, whatever it is. "Pour out," he says, "your wrath on the nations that do not know you," that is, those that have not comprehended your essence. But knowledge is of many kinds, as we have said. For both the understanding of the one who created us and that of the wonderful works

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235.1 Τί πρότερον, ἡ γνῶσις ἢ ἡ πίστις; Ἡμεῖς δὲ λέγομεν ὅτι καθόλου μὲν ἐπὶ τῶν μαθημάτων πίστις γνώσεως προη γεῖται· ἐπὶ δὲ τοῦ καθ' ἡμᾶς λόγου, κἂν λέγῃ τις προκατάρ χειν τὴν γνῶσιν τῆς πίστεως, οὐ διαφερόμεθα (γνῶσιν μέντοι τὴν τῇ ἀνθρωπίνῃ καταλήψει σύμμετρον). Ἐπὶ μὲν γὰρ τῶν μαθημάτων πιστεῦσαι δεῖ πρῶτον ὅτι ἄλφα λέγεται καί, μαθόντα τοὺς χαρακτῆρας καὶ τὴν ἐκφώνησιν, ὕστερον λαβεῖν καὶ τὴν ἀκριβῆ κατανόησιν τῆς δυνάμεως τοῦ στοι χείου. Ἐν δὲ τῇ περὶ Θεοῦ πίστει ἡγεῖται μὲν ἡ ἔννοια ἡ περὶ τοῦ ὅτι ἐστὶ Θεός, ταύτην δὲ ἐκ τῶν δημιουργημάτων συνάγομεν. Σοφὸν γὰρ καὶ δυνατὸν καὶ ἀγαθὸν καὶ πάντα αὐτοῦ τὰ ἀόρατα ἀπὸ τῆς τοῦ κόσμου κτίσεως νοοῦντες ἐπιγινώσκομεν. Οὕτω δὴ καὶ ∆εσπότην ἑαυτῶν αὐτὸν κατα δεχόμεθα. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ παντὸς μὲν τοῦ κόσμου δημιουργὸς ὁ Θεός, μέρος δὲ κόσμου ἡμεῖς, καὶ ἡμῶν ἄρα δημιουργὸς ὁ Θεός. Ταύτῃ τῇ γνώσει ἡ πίστις ἀκολουθεῖ καὶ τοιαύτῃ πίστει ἡ προσκύνησις. 235.2 Νῦν δὲ ἐπειδὴ πολύσημόν ἐστι τὸ τῆς γνώσεως ὄνομα, οἱ καταπαίζοντες τῶν ἀκεραιοτέρων καὶ ὁμοίως ἐνεπιδεικ νύμενοι τοῖς παραδόξοις, ὡς οἱ ἐν τοῖς θεάτροις ἐν ταῖς πάντων ὄψεσι τὰς ψήφους κλέπτοντες, τῇ ἐρωτήσει τοῦ καθόλου τὸ πᾶν συναρπάζουσιν. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ τὸ τῆς γνώ σεως ὄνομα ἐπὶ πολὺ διαβαίνει, καὶ γνωστόν τί ἐστι τὸ μὲν κατὰ ἀριθμόν, τὸ δὲ κατὰ μέγεθος, τὸ δὲ κατὰ δύναμιν, τὸ δὲ κατὰ τὸν τρόπον τῆς ὑπάρξεως, τὸ δὲ κατὰ τὸν χρόνον τῆς γεννήσεως, τὸ δὲ κατ' οὐσίαν, οὗτοι ἐν ἐρωτήματι τὸ ὅλον παραλαμβάνοντες, ἐὰν μὲν λάβωσιν ἡμᾶς ὁμολογοῦντας ὅτι γινώσκομεν, ἀπαιτοῦσιν ἡμᾶς τῆς οὐσίας τὴν εἴδησιν· ἐὰν δὲ ἴδωσιν ἡμᾶς εὐλαβουμένους πρὸς τὴν ἀπόφασιν, περιτρέπουσιν ἡμῖν τῆς ἀσεβείας τὸ ὄνειδος. Ἀλλ' ἡμεῖς εἰδέναι μὲν ὁμολογοῦμεν τὸ γνωστὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ, εἰδέναι δέ τι πάλιν ὃ ἐκφεύγει ἡμῶν τὴν κατάληψιν. Ὡς οὖν ἐάν με ἐρωτήσῃς εἰ οἶδα τί ἐστιν ἄμμος κἂν ἀποκρίνωμαι ὅτι ἐπίσταμαι, συκοφαντήσεις προδήλως, ἐὰν εὐθὺς καὶ τὸν ἀριθμὸν αὐτῆς ἀπαιτήσῃς, διότι ἡ μὲν πρώτη σου ἐρώ τησις πρὸς τὸ εἶδος ἔφερε τῆς ἄμμου, ἡ δὲ δευτέρα συκοφαντία περὶ τὸν ἀριθμὸν αὐτῆς περιετράπη. Ὅμοιόν ἐστι τοῦτο τὸ σόφισμα τῷ λέγοντι· «Οἶδας Τιμόθεον; Οὐκοῦν, ἐὰν οἶδας Τιμόθεον, οἶδας αὐτοῦ καὶ τὴν φύσιν· ἀλλὰ μὴν ὡμολόγησας εἰδέναι Τιμόθεον· ἀπόδος τοίνυν ἡμῖν τὸν λόγον τῆς Τιμοθέου φύσεως. Ἐγὼ δὲ καὶ οἶδα Τιμόθεον, καὶ οὐκ οἶδα· οὐ μὴν κατὰ ταὐτὸν καὶ ἐν τῷ αὐτῷ. Οὐ γὰρ καθ' ὃ οἶδα, κατὰ τοῦτο καὶ οὐκ οἶδα· ἀλλὰ κατ' ἄλλο μὲν οἶδα, κατ' ἄλλο δὲ ἀγνοῶ. Οἶδα μὲν γὰρ αὐτὸν κατὰ τὸν χαρακτῆρα καὶ τὰ λοιπὰ ἰδιώματα, ἀγνοῶ δὲ αὐτοῦ τὴν οὐσίαν. Ἐπεὶ καὶ ἐμαυτὸν οὕτω τούτῳ τῷ λόγῳ καὶ οἶδα καὶ ἀγνοῶ. Οἶδα μὲν γὰρ ἐμαυτὸν ὅστις εἰμί, οὐκ οἶδα δὲ καθὸ τὴν οὐσίαν μου ἀγνοῶ. 235.3 Ἐπεὶ ἐξηγησάσθωσαν ἡμῖν πῶς εἶπεν ὁ Παῦλος ὅτι· «Νῦν μὲν ἐκ μέρους γινώσκομεν». Ἆρα ἐκ μέρους τὴν οὐσίαν αὐτοῦ γινώσκομεν, οἱονεὶ μέρη τῆς οὐσίας αὐτοῦ γινώσκομεν; Ἀλλ' ἄτοπον, ἀμερὴς γὰρ ὁ Θεός. Ἀλλ' ὅλην αὐτὴν γινώσκομεν; Πῶς οὖν· «Ὅταν ἔλθῃ τὸ τέλειον, τὸ ἐκ μέρους καταργηθήσεται»; Οἱ δὲ εἰδωλολάτραι τί ἐγκαλοῦν ται; Οὐχ ὅτι γνόντες τὸν Θεόν, οὐχ ὡς Θεὸν ἐδόξασαν; Ἢ Γαλάται δὲ οἱ ἀνόητοι ὑπὸ τοῦ Παύλου διὰ τί ὀνειδί ζονται λέγοντος· «Νυνὶ δὲ γνόντες Θεόν, μᾶλλον δὲ γνωσ θέντες ὑπὸ Θεοῦ, πῶς ἐπιστρέφετε πάλιν ἐπὶ τὰ ἀσθενῆ καὶ πτωχὰ στοιχεῖα;» Γνωστὸς δὲ πῶς ἦν ἐν τῇ Ἰουδαίᾳ ὁ Θεός; Ἆρα ἐπειδὴ ἐν τῇ Ἰουδαίᾳ ἡ οὐσία ἥτις τότε ἦνἐπεγνώσθη; «Ἔγνω, φησί, βοῦς τὸν κτησάμενον αὐτόν.» ∆ηλονότι ὁ βοῦς καθ' ὑμᾶς ἔγνω τὴν οὐσίαν τοῦ κυρίου. Καὶ «Ὄνος τὴν φάτνην τοῦ κυρίου αὐτοῦ». Ἔγνω οὖν καὶὁ ὄνος τῆς φάτνης τὴν οὐσίαν. «Ἰσραὴλ δέ με, φησίν, οὐκ ἔγνω.» Τοῦτο ἐγκαλεῖται καθ' ὑμᾶς Ἰσραὴλ ὅτι τὴν οὐσίαν ἥτις ποτέ ἐστι τοῦ Θεοῦ οὐκ ἐπέγνω. «Ἔκχεον, φησί, τὴν ὀργήν σου ἐπὶ τὰ ἔθνη τὰ μὴ γινώσκοντά σε», τουτέστι τὰ τὴν οὐσίαν σου μὴ κατειληφότα. Ἀλλὰ πολλαχῶς ἡ γνῶσις, ὡς ἔφαμεν. Ἥ τε γὰρ τοῦ κτίσαντος ἡμᾶς σύνεσις καὶ ἡ τῶν θαυμασίων