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age, in which it will appear present in actuality [Marg. namely, the deification by grace]. Transforming all, according to the measure that each is receptive of it, towards the divine likeness; which glory the Word perhaps called that which follows upon the labors for virtue.

One might say these things in response to the one who asks, why ever did Scripture say not "seeking" and "searching," but "seeking out" and "searching out" here; showing forth emphatically according to the ready sense. But I also know another argument, having heard it from a certain wise man; for he said, speaking more mystically the argument concerning the beginning and the end of both seeking and seeking out: that seeking is naturally ordered towards the beginning, but seeking out towards the end. For no one naturally seeks out the beginning, just as one does not naturally seek the end; but one seeks the beginning, and seeks out the end. For from the time, he said, when man, simultaneously with his existence, through disobedience, put his own beginning behind him, he was not able to seek what had come to be behind him; and since the beginning naturally circumscribes the movement of the things that have come to be from it, it was fittingly also called the end, at which the course receives its limit, as being the cause of the movement of the things moved.

Seeking out his own end, therefore, man arrives at the beginning, which is naturally in the end; leaving off the seeking of this, he pursued the seeking out of it as an end by nature. For it was not possible to escape its circumscription, which surrounded him on all sides, and limited his movement. It was not possible, therefore, to seek the beginning, as I said, which had come to be behind; but to seek out the end which is before; so that through the end he might know the beginning that was left behind, since he did not know the end from the beginning.

And perhaps Solomon the wise, teaching this mystery, says: What is it that has been? It is that which will be. (616) And, What is it that has been done? It is that which will be done; as if wisely [Fr. as always wisely] showing the beginning from the end. For no longer after the transgression is the end shown from the beginning, but the beginning from the end; nor does one seek the principles of the beginning, but one seeks out those leading the moved [Mrg. namely, the principles] toward the end.

But if someone does not consider this notion certain, because "seeking" is spoken of in many places of Scripture, as in: "Seek peace and pursue it;" and, "Seek first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness;" he has a confirmation of what was said right there, if he looks closely with understanding; for when the Word said: "Seek peace and pursue it," he exhorted us to pursue the beginning in the end. And he urged us to seek out the kingdom, which is a beginning, through righteousness as the end of the kingdom. For the kingdom of God is before all righteousness; or rather, to speak more properly, it is righteousness-itself; toward which, as to an end, every movement of the virtuous hastens. For righteousness is the distribution of the equal to each according to worth; but kingdom is governance according to law. Therefore righteousness is the same as kingdom; through which, as through an end, it is easy for those who wish to journey, as towards a beginning, to the kingdom. For righteousness is the kingdom actualized; and the kingdom is righteousness confirmed through works; for to govern existing things according to law, is to distribute to each what is according to worth; and to distribute to each what is according to worth, is governance of existing things according to law. Therefore the difference in the letter has in no way shaken the consistency of Holy Scripture according to the spirit, that is, for those wise in the understanding of divine things.

But if one should wish to interpret in another way both seeking and searching, and seeking out and searching out; he will find that seeking and seeking out move around the intellect; but searching and searching out around reason. For the intellect naturally seeks, but reason naturally searches. For seeking is, so that as

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αἰῶνα, καθ᾿ ὅν παροῦσα φανήσεται κατ᾿ ἐνέργειαν [Marg. ἡ κατά χάριν θέωσις δηλονότι]. Πάντας ἀναλόγως καθ᾿ ὅ ἕκαστός ἐστιν αὐτῆς δεκτικός μεταποιοῦσα πρός τήν θείαν ὁμοίωσιν· ἥν δόξαν τυχόν τοῖς ὑπέρ ἀρετῆς μεθεπομένην πόνοις προσεῖπεν ὁ λόγος.

Ταῦτα μέν ἐρεῖ τις ἀπολογούμενος πρός τόν λέγοντα, τί δή ποτε μή ζήτησιν καί ἐρεύνησιν· ἀλλ᾿ ἐκζήτησιν ἐνταῦθα καί ἐξερεύνησιν εἶπεν ἡ Γραφή· κατά τόν πρόχειρον νοῦν ἐμφαντικῶς προδεικνύμενος. Ἐγώ δέ καί ἄλλον οἶδα παρά τινος σοφοῦ λόγον ἀκούσας· ἔλεγε γάρ ἐκεῖνος, μυστικώτερον τόν περί τῆς ἀρχῆς και τοῦ τέλους τῆς τε ζητήσεως καί ἐκζητήσεως λόγον ποιούμενος· πρός μέν τήν ἀρχήν τετάχθαι φυσικῶς τήν ζήτησιν, πρός δέ τό τέλος τήν ἐκζήτησιν. Οὐ γάρ τις φυσικῶς ἐκζητεῖ τήν ἀρχήν, ὥσπερ οὐδέ ζητεῖ φυσικῶς τό τέλος· ἀλλά τήν μέν ἀρχήν ζητεῖ, τό δέ τέλος ἐκζητεῖ. Ἀφ᾿ οὗ γάρ, ἔφασκεν, ἅμα τῷ εἶναι διά τῆς παρακοῆς τήν οἰκείαν ἀρχήν ὀπίσω ποιήσας ὁ ἄνθρωπος, ζητεῖν οὐκ ἠδύνατο τό κατόπιν αὐτοῦ γεγενημένον· καί ἐπειδή φυσικῶς ἡ ἀρχή περιγράφει τῶν ὑπ᾿ αὐτῆς γεγενημένων τήν κίνησιν, εἰκότως προσηγρεύθη καί τέλος, εἰς ὅπερ ὡς αἰτίαν τῆς τῶν κινουμένων κινήσεως δέχεται πέρας ὁ δρόμος.

Ἐκζητῶν οὖν τό ἑαυτοῦ τέλος ὁ ἄνθρωπος, εἰς τήν ἀρχήν καταντᾷ, φυσικῶς ἐν τῷ τέλει τυγχάνουσαν· ἧς ἀπολιπών τήν ζήτησιν, τήν αὐτῆς ὡς τέλους φύσει μετῆλθεν ἐκζήτησιν. Οὐ γάρ ἦν αὐτῆς διαφυγεῖν τήν περιγραφήν, πανταχόθεν αὐτόν περιϊσταμένην, καί τήν αὐτοῦ περιορίζουσαν κίνησιν. Οὐκ ἦν οὖν ζητῆσαι τήν ἀρχήν, ὡς ἔφην, ὀπίσω γεγενημένην· ἀλλ᾿ ἐκζητῆσαι τό τέλος ἔμπροσθεν ὑπάρχον· ἵνα γνῷ διά τοῦ τέλους τήν ἀπολειφθεῖσαν ἀρχήν, ἐπειδή μή ἔγνω τό τέλος ἐκ τῆς ἀρχῆς.

Καί τοῦτο τυχόν ὁ σοφός μυσταγωγῶν Σολομῶν, φησί· Τί τό γεγενημένον· αὐτό τό γενησόμενον. (616) Καί, Τί τό πεποιημένον· αὐτό τό ποιηθησόμενον· ὡσανεί σοφῶς [Fr. ὡς ἀεί σοφῶς] τήν ἀρχήν ἐκ τοῦ τέλους δεικνύς. Οὐκ ἔτι γάρ μετά τήν παράβασιν δείκνυται τό τέλος ἐκ τῆς ἀρχῆς, ἀλλ᾿ ἡ ἀρχή ἐκ τοῦ τέλους· οὐδέ ζητεῖ τις τούς τῆς ἀρχῆς λόγους, ἀλλ᾿ ἐκζητεῖ τούς πρός τό τέλος τούς κινουμένους [Mrg. λόγοις δηλονότι] ἀπάγοντας.

Εἰ δέ τις ὅτι πολλαχοῦ τῆς Γραφῆς ἡ ζήτησις εἴρηται, ὡς τό· Ζήτησον εἰρήνην καί δίωξον αὐτήν· καί, Ζητεῖτε πρῶτον τήν βασιλείαν τοῦ Θεοῦ, καί τήν δικαιοσύνην αὐτοῦ· βεβαίαν οὐχ ἡγεῖται ταύτην τήν ἔννοιαν, αὐτόθεν ἔχει νουνεχῶς ἐπισκήπτων τῶν λεχθέντων τήν πίστωσιν· εἰπών γάρ ὁ Λόγος· Ζήτησον εἰρήνην καί δίωξον αὐτήν, ἐν τῷ τέλει τήν ἀρχήν διῶξαι παρηγγύησε. Καί τήν βασιλείαν ἀρχήν οὖσαν, διά τῆς δικαιοσύνης ὡς τέλους τῆς βασιλείας ἐκζητῆσαι παρεκελεύσατο. Βασιλεία γάρ Θεοῦ, πρό πάσης ἐστί δικαιοσύνης· μᾶλλον δέ κυριώτερον εἰπεῖν, αὐτοδικαιοσύνη· πρός ἥν ὡς τέλος ἐπείγεται πᾶσα σπουδαίου κίνησις. Ἡ γάρ δικαιοσύνη ἐστίν ἡ τοῦ ἴσου κατ᾿ ἀξίαν ἑκάστῳ διανέμησις· βασιλεία δέ, ἔννομός ἐστιν ἐπιστασία. Ἄρα ταυτόν τῇ βασιλείᾳ ἡ δικαιοσύνη· δι᾿ ἧς ὡς τέλους ὁδεύειν τοῖς βουλομένοις ἐστίν εὐμαρές, ὡς πρός ἀρχήν τήν βασιλείαν. ∆ικαιοσύνη γάρ ἐστί, βασιλεία ἐνεργουμένη· καί βασιλεία δικαιοσύνη ἐστί δι᾿ ἔργων κεκυρωμένη· τό γάρ ἐννόμως ἐπιστατεῖν τοῖς οὖσι, διανέμειν ἐστίν ἑκάστῳ τά πρός ἀξίαν· καί τό διανέμειν ἑκάστῳ τά πρός ἀξίαν, ἔννομός ἐστι τῶν ὄντων ἐπιστασία. Οὐκοῦν οὐδέν τῆς κατά νοῦν τῆς ἁγίας Γραφῆς ὁμαλότητος, ἡ κατά τήν λέξιν διαφορά παρεσάλευσε, παρά τοῖς σοφοῖς δηλαδή τῶν θείων νοήμοσιν.

Εἰ δέ καθ᾿ ἕτερον βούλοιτό τις ἐκδέχεσθαι τρόπον τήν τε ζήτησιν καί ἐρεύνησιν, καί τήν ἐκζήτησιν καί τήν ἐξερεύνησιν· εὑρήσει τήν μέν ζήτησιν καί τήν ἐκζήτησιν περί τόν νοῦν κινουμένας· τήν δέ ἐρεύνησιν καί τήν ἐξερεύνησιν περί τόν λόγον. Ζητεῖ γάρ φυσικῶς ὁ νοῦς, ἐρευνᾷ δέ κατά φύσιν ὁ λόγος. Ζήτησις γάρ ἐστιν, ἵν᾿ ὡς