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understanding of him and the keeping of the commandments and fellowship with him. But those who have rejected all these things draw knowledge to one meaning, the vision of the very substance of God. "You shall place it," he says, "before the testimonies, whence I will be made known to you from there." Does "I will be made known" mean "I will reveal my substance"? "The Lord knew those who are his." Does he, therefore, know the substance of his own, but is ignorant of the substance of the disobedient? "Adam knew his wife." Did he know her substance? And concerning Rebecca: "A virgin," it says, "a man had not known her." And: "How shall this be, since I do not know a man?" Did no one, then, know Rebecca's substance? Does Mary say this: that I have not understood the substance of any man? Or is it the custom of Scripture to use "knew" for marital relations? And for God to be made known from the mercy seat means to be revealed to those who worship. And "The Lord knew those who are his" means he received them through good works into fellowship with him.

236. TO AMPHILOCHIUS THE BISHOP

236.1 The gospel saying concerning our Lord Jesus Christ not knowing the day and the hour of the end has already been investigated by many, and especially is continually put forward by the Anomoeans, for the subversion of the glory of the Only-begotten as proof of his unlikeness in substance and his inferiority in rank, as one who is able neither to have the same nature nor to be conceived in one likeness with the one who has embraced the knowledge of all things in his own foreknowing and commanding power over future events, being himself one who does not know all things; this has now been put before us by your wisdom as something new. What, therefore, we have heard from our fathers since childhood and have accepted without scrutiny through our love for what is good, these things we can say, which do not refute the shamelessness of those who fight against Christ (for what argument could appear stronger than their own impulse?), but for those who love the Lord and possess a conviction from faith that is stronger than a response from reason, perhaps providing sufficient assurance. The word "no one" seems to be universal, so that not one person is excluded by this expression. But it is not used this way in Scripture, as we have observed in the case of "No one is good except one, God." For not even there does the Son say these things by placing himself outside the nature of the good, but since the Father is the first good, we believe "no one" is said with the understanding of "first"; and "No one knows the Son, except the Father." For not even there does he accuse the Spirit of ignorance, but he testifies that the knowledge of his own nature belongs first to the Father. Thus also we consider "no one knows" to be said by one who refers the first knowledge of things that are and things that will be to the Father, and through all things shows to men the first cause. For how else does the saying follow the other testimonies of Scripture, or how can it be consistent with our common conceptions of those who have believed that the Only-begotten is the image of the invisible God, and an image not of a bodily form, but of the Godhead itself and of the majesties conceived in the substance of God, an image of power, an image of wisdom, just as it is said, "Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God"? And obviously knowledge is a part of wisdom, which he does not image completely if he is lacking in some things. And how did the Father, through whom he made the ages, not show to him the smallest part of the ages, that day and that hour? Or how is the maker of all things lacking in knowledge of the smallest part of the things created by him? But he who says that near the end, such and such signs will appear in heaven and in places on earth, how the very

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αὐτοῦ κατανόησις καὶ ἡ τήρησις τῶν ἐντο λῶν καὶ ἡ οἰκείωσις ἡ πρὸς αὐτόν. Οἱ δὲ πάντα ταῦτα παρωσάμενοι ἐπὶ ἓν σημαινόμενον τὴν γνῶσιν ἕλκουσι, τὴν θεωρίαν αὐτῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ τῆς οὐσίας. «Θήσεις, φησίν, ἀπέναντι τῶν μαρτυρίων, ὅθεν γνωσθήσομαί σοι ἐκεῖθεν.» Ἆρα τὸ γνωσθήσομαι ἀντὶ τοῦ τὴν οὐσίαν μου ἐμφανίσω; «Ἔγνω Κύριος τοὺς ὄντας αὐτοῦ.» Ἆρα οὖν τῶν μὲν ἑαυτοῦ τὴν οὐσίαν ἔγνω, τῶν δὲ ἀπειθούντων ἀγνοεῖ τὴν οὐσίαν; «Ἔγνω Ἀδὰμ τὴν γυναῖκα αὐτοῦ.» Ἆρα τὴνοὐσίαν αὐτῆς ἐγνώρισε; Καὶ περὶ τῆς Ῥεβέκκας· «Παρ θένος, φησίν, ἀνὴρ οὐκ ἔγνω αὐτήν.» Καί· «Πῶς ἔσται τοῦτο, ἐπεὶ ἄνδρα οὐ γινώσκω;» Ἆρα Ῥεβέκκας μὲν τὴν οὐσίαν οὐδεὶς ἐπέγνω; Μαρία δὲ τοῦτό φησιν· ὅτι οὐδενὸς ἀνδρὸς ἐνόησα τὴν οὐσίαν; Ἢ τὸ ἔγνω ἐπὶ τῶν γαμικῶν συμπλοκῶν ἔθος τῇ Γραφῇ ὀνομάζειν; Καὶ τὸ γνωσθήσεσθαι τὸν Θεὸν ἀπὸ τοῦ ἱλαστηρίου τουτέστιν ἐμφανισθήσεσθαι τοῖς λατρεύουσι. Καὶ τὸ «Ἔγνω Κύριος τοὺς ὄντας αὐτοῦ» τουτέστιν ἐδέξατο αὐτοὺς διὰ τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἔργων εἰς τὴν πρὸς αὐτὸν οἰκείωσιν.

236.τ ΑΜΦΙΛΟΧΙΩ ΕΠΙΣΚΟΠΩ

236.1 Ἐζητημένον ἤδη παρὰ πολλοῖς τὸ εὐαγγελικὸν ῥητὸν περὶ τοῦ ἀγνοεῖν

τὸν Κύριον ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦν Χριστὸν τὴν ἡμέραν τοῦ τέλους καὶ τὴν ὥραν, καὶ μάλιστα συνεχῶς προβαλλόμενον παρὰ τῶν Ἀνομοίων, ἐπὶ καθαιρέσει τῆς δόξης τοῦ Μονογενοῦς εἰς ἀπόδειξιν τοῦ κατὰ τὴν οὐσίαν ἀνομοίου καὶ τῆς κατὰ τὴν ἀξίαν ὑφέσεως, ὡς οὐ δυναμένου οὔτε τὴν αὐτὴν ἔχειν φύσιν οὔτε ἐν ὁμοιότητι μιᾷ νοεῖσ θαι τοῦ μὴ πάντα εἰδότος πρὸς τὸν ἐμπεριλαβόντα τὴν εἴδησιν τῶν ὅλων τῇ προγνωστικῇ ἑαυτοῦ καὶ ἐπιβλητικῇ τῶν μελλόντων δυνάμει· τοῦτο νῦν παρὰ τῆς σῆς συνέσεως ἡμῖν ὡς καινὸν προεβλήθη. Ἃ τοίνυν ἐκ παιδὸς παρὰ τῶν πατέρων ἠκούσαμεν καὶ διὰ τὴν πρὸς τὰ καλὰ φιλίαν ἀβα σανίστως παρεδεξάμεθα, ταῦτα εἰπεῖν ἔχομεν, τῶν μὲν χριστομάχων τὴν ἀναισχυντίαν οὐ διαλύοντα (τίς γὰρ ἂν καὶ φανείη λόγος τῆς ὁρμῆς αὐτῶν ἰσχυρότερος;), τοῖς δὲ ἀγαπῶσι τὸν Κύριον καὶ τῆς ἐκ τοῦ λόγου ἀποκρίσεως ἰσχυροτέραν τὴν ἐκ πίστεως πρόληψιν κεκτημένοις ἀρκοῦ σαν ἴσως παρεχόμενα τὴν πληροφορίαν. Τὸ οὐδεὶς καθολι κὸν μὲν εἶναι δοκεῖ ῥῆμα, ὡς μηδὲ ἓν πρόσωπον διὰ τῆς φωνῆς ταύτης ὑπεξῃρῆσθαι. Ἔστι δὲ οὐχ οὕτω παρὰ τῇ Γραφῇ ἀναφερόμενον, ὡς τετηρήκαμεν ἐπὶ τοῦ «Οὐδεὶς ἀγαθὸς εἰ μὴ εἷς ὁ Θεός.» Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἐκεῖ ἑαυτὸν ἔξω τιθεὶς τῆς τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ φύσεως ὁ Υἱὸς ταῦτα λέγει, ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ πρῶτον ἀγαθὸν ὁ Πατήρ, τῷ οὐδείς, συνεπακουομένου τοῦ πρῶτος, εἰρῆσθαι πιστεύομεν· καὶ τὸ «Οὐδεὶς οἶδε τὸν Υἱόν, εἰ μὴ ὁ Πατήρ.» Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἐκεῖ ἄγνοιαν τοῦ Πνεύματος κατηγορεῖ, ἀλλὰ πρῶτον τῷ Πατρὶ ὑπάρχειν τὴν γνῶσιν τῆς ἑαυτοῦ φύσεως μαρτυρεῖ. Οὕτω καὶ τὸ «Οὐδεὶς οἶδε» τὴν πρώτην εἴδησιν τῶν τε ὄντων καὶ τῶν ἐσομένων ἐπὶ τὸν Πατέρα ἀνάγοντος καὶ διὰ πάντων τὴν πρώτην αἰτίαν τοῖς ἀνθρώποις ὑποδεικνύντος εἰρῆσθαι νομίζομεν. Ἐπεὶ πῶς ἢ ταῖς λοιπαῖς μαρτυρίαις τῆς Γραφῆς ἀκολουθεῖ τὸ ῥητόν, ἢ ταῖς κοιναῖς ἡμῶν ἐννοίαις συμβαίνειν δύναται τῶν πεπισ τευκότων εἰκόνα εἶναι τοῦ Θεοῦ τοῦ ἀοράτου τὸν Μονογενῆ, εἰκόνα δὲ οὐ χαρακτῆρος σωματικοῦ, ἀλλ' αὐτῆς τῆς θεό τητος καὶ τῶν ἐπινοουμένων τῇ οὐσίᾳ τοῦ Θεοῦ μεγαλείων, εἰκόνα δυνάμεως, εἰκόνα σοφίας, καθὸ εἴρηται Χριστὸς Θεοῦ δύναμις καὶ Θεοῦ σοφία; Μέρος δὲ δηλονότι τῆς σο φίας ἡ γνῶσις, ἣν οὐκ ἐξεικονίζει πᾶσαν, εἴπερ τινῶν ἀπολείπεται. Πῶς δὲ καὶ ὁ Πατήρ, δι' οὗ τοὺς αἰῶνας ἐποίησε, τούτῳ τὸ ἐλάχιστον μέρος τῶν αἰώνων, τὴν ἡμέραν ἐκείνην καὶ τὴν ὥραν, οὐκ ἔδειξεν; Ἢ πῶς ὁ τῶν ὅλων ποιητὴς τοῦ ἐλαχίστου μέρους τῶν ὑπ' αὐτοῦ κτισθέντων τῆς γνώσεως ἀπολείπεται; Ὁ δὲ λέγων, πλησίον τοῦ τέλους, τάδε καὶ τάδε ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ σημεῖα καὶ τοῖς κατὰ γῆν χω ρίοις φανήσεσθαι, πῶς αὐτὸ τὸ