304

instead of employing them for an understanding of the beauty of that which is above, but they stopped their own thought at the things which are perceived and admired each part of creation in a particular way; for this reason they did not fix their conception of the divine on any single one of the phenomena, but considered everything seen in creation to be divine. 3.3.6 And so, for the Egyptians, since their error was more active concerning intellectual matters, the countless forms of demons were numbered among the natures of gods, while for the Babylonians the un-wandering revolution of the firmament was considered a god, whom they also named Bel. In this way also Greek folly, deifying in a particular way the seven successive ones, submitted to each in different ways according to some particular reasoning of their deception. For having observed all these cycles revolving among one another, since they were deceived concerning the highest thing, by consequence they preserved the same error even 3.3.7 to the lowest thing. And in addition to these, the ether itself and the air diffused beneath, and the earth and the sea and the subterranean realm and of the earth itself whatever is useful and necessary for human life, they decreed that nothing was without a share in the divine nature, but submitted to each of these, through some one thing that was manifest in creation enslaving themselves to all the successive parts of creation, so that if looking to creation had appeared unlawful to them from the beginning, they would not have wandered off into this polytheistic 3.3.8 deception. Therefore, so that we who are taught by Scripture to look to the true divinity might not suffer the same things, we have been instructed to conceive of everything created as outside the divine nature, and to worship and venerate only the uncreated nature, whose character and mark is neither to begin to be at any time nor to cease, as the great Isaiah spoke theology concerning these doctrines through his lofty voice, who says from the person of God, I am the first, and I am after these things, and before me there was no god, and after me there will be no 3.3.9 god. For this great prophet, knowing more accurately than all the mystery of evangelical piety, he who also announced that paradoxical sign concerning the virgin and preached the good news of the child's birth and clearly presented the name of the son to him, this one, then, who encompassed all truth in himself through the Spirit, so that the character of the divine nature might be especially clear to all, by which we distinguish that which truly is from that which has come to be, says this from the person of God: I am the first, and I am after these things, and before me no god has 3.3.10 come to be, and after me there will not be one. Since, therefore, there is no god before God, nor is there a god after God (for that which is after God is creation, and that which is beyond God is nothing, and nothing is not God, or rather, that which is beyond God is He himself, being defined by nothing in his eternal blessedness), since, therefore, this spiritual voice of God was spoken in the prophetic mouth, through this we learn the doctrine that the divine nature is one, continuous with itself and indivisible, not admitting a "before" and "after" in itself, even if it is proclaimed in a triad, having nothing older nor younger among those contemplated in it. 3.3.11 Since, therefore, it is the voice of God, whether you grant the word to be the Father's or the Son's, the doctrine of piety is equally strengthened through either. For if the Father says these things, He testifies that the Son is not after Him; for if the Son is God, and everything after the Father is not God, it is clear that the word testifies that the Son is in the Father and not after the Father; or if one were to grant that this is the voice of the Son, "has not come to be before me" will be a clear teaching that he who is contemplated in the beginning is also comprehended in the eternity of the beginning. If, therefore, there is anything after God, it is found through what has been said to be creation and not God. For "that which is after me," He says, "is not God." 3.3.12 Since this contemplation of existing things has been set forth for us, it would be time for the matter at hand

304

πρὸς τὴν τοῦ ὑπερκειμένου κάλ λους κατανόησιν συγχρησάμενοι, ἀλλὰ μέχρι τῶν καταλαμ βανομένων ἔστησαν ἑαυτῶν τὴν διάνοιαν καὶ ἕκαστον τῆς κτίσεως μέρος ἰδιαζόντως ἐθαύμασαν, διὰ τοῦτο οὐκ ἐν ἑνί τινι μόνῳ τῶν φαινομένων τὴν περὶ τὸ θεῖον ὑπόληψιν ἔστησαν, ἀλλὰ πᾶν τὸ ἐν τῇ κτίσει βλεπόμενον θεῖον ἐνό 3.3.6 μισαν. καὶ οὕτω τοῖς μὲν Αἰγυπτίοις περὶ τὰ νοερὰ πλεῖον ἐνεργηθείσης τῆς πλάνης αἱ μυρίαι τῶν δαιμόνων μορφαὶ εἰς φύσεις θεῶν ἠριθμήθησαν, τοῖς δὲ Βαβυλωνίοις ἡ ἀπλα νὴς τοῦ πόλου περιφορὰ θεὸς ἐνομίσθη, ὃν καὶ Βὴλ ὠνό μασαν. οὕτω δὲ καὶ τοὺς ἐφεξῆς ἑπτὰ ἡ Ἑλληνικὴ μαότης ἰδιαζόντως θεοποιήσασα ἄλλῳ ἄλλως κατά τινα τῆς ἀπάτης ἰδιάζοντα λόγον ὑπέκυψε. πάντας γὰρ τούτους ἐν ἀλλήλοις ἀναστρεφομένους τοὺς κύκλους κατανοήσαντες, ἐπειδὴ περὶ τὸ ἀκρότατον ἐπλανήθησαν, δι' ἀκολούθου καὶ 3.3.7 μέχρι τοῦ ἐσχάτου τὴν αὐτὴν πλάνην συνδιεσώσαντο. καὶ πρὸς τούτοις αὐτόν τε τὸν αἰθέρα καὶ τὸν ὑποκεχυμένον ἀέρα τήν τε γῆν καὶ τὴν θάλασσαν καὶ τὴν ὑποχθόνιον λῆξιν καὶ αὐτῆς δὲ τῆς γῆς ὅσα χρειώδη καὶ ἀναγκαῖα πρὸς τὴν ἀνθρωπίνην ἐστὶ ζωὴν οὐδὲν ὅ τι τῆς θείας ἀπό κληρον εἶναι φύσεως ἐδογμάτισαν, ἀλλ' ἑκάστῳ τούτων ὑπέκυψαν, δι' ἑνός τινος τῶν ἐν τῇ κτίσει προφαινομένων πᾶσιν ἑαυτοὺς τοῖς ἐφεξῆς τῆς κτίσεως μορίοις καταδου λώσαντες, ὡς εἴγε κἀκείνοις ἀθέμιτον ἐξ ἀρχῆς κατεφάνη τὸ πρὸς τὴν κτίσιν βλέπειν, οὐκ ἂν εἰς τὴν πολύθεον ταύ 3.3.8 την ἀπάτην ἀπεπλανήθησαν. ὡς ἂν οὖν μὴ ταὐτὰ πάθοι μεν καὶ ἡμεῖς οἱ πρὸς τὴν ἀληθινὴν θεότητα βλέπειν παρὰ τῆς γραφῆς διδασκόμενοι, πᾶν τὸ κτιστὸν ἔξω τῆς θείας φύσεως νοεῖν ἐπαιδεύθημεν, μόνην δὲ τὴν ἄκτιστον φύσιν λατρεύειν τε καὶ σεβάζεσθαι, ἧς χαρακτήρ ἐστι καὶ γνώ ρισμα τὸ μήτε ἄρχεσθαι τοῦ εἶναί ποτε μήτε παύεσθαι, οὕτως τοῦ μεγάλου Ἠσαΐου διὰ τῆς ὑψηλῆς αὐτοῦ φωνῆς περὶ τῶν δογμάτων τούτων θεολογήσαντος, ὃς ἐκ τοῦ θείου προσώπου φησὶν Ἐγὼ πρῶτος καὶ ἐγὼ μετὰ ταῦτα καὶ ἔμπροσθέν μου θεὸς οὐκ ἐγένετο καὶ μετ' ἐμὲ θεὸς οὐκ 3.3.9 ἔσται. πάντων γὰρ μᾶλλον ἀκριβῶς εἰδὼς τὸ τῆς εὐαγγε λικῆς εὐσεβείας μυστήριον ὁ μέγας οὗτος προφήτης ὁ καὶ τὸ παράδοξον ἐκεῖνο σημεῖον ἐπὶ τῆς παρθένου μηνύσας καὶ τοῦ παιδίου τὴν γέννησιν εὐαγγελισάμενος καὶ τὸ τοῦ υἱοῦ ὄνομα ἐκείνῳ σαφῶς παραστήσας, οὗτος τοίνυν ὁ πᾶσαν ἐμπεριειληφὼς διὰ τοῦ πνεύματος ἐν ἑαυτῷ τὴν ἀλή θειαν, ὡς ἂν μάλιστα πᾶσι γένοιτο δῆλος ὁ τῆς θείας φύσεως χαρακτήρ, δι' οὗ τὸ ὄντως ὂν διακρίνομεν ἀπὸ τοῦ γενομένου, τοῦτό φησιν ἐκ προσώπου τοῦ θεοῦ ὅτι Ἐγώ εἰμι πρῶτος καὶ ἐγὼ μετὰ ταῦτα καὶ ἔμπροσθεν ἐμοῦ θεὸς οὐ 3.3.10 γέγονε καὶ μετ' ἐμὲ οὐκ ἔσται. ἐπεὶ οὖν οὔτε τὸ πρὸ τοῦ θεοῦ θεὸς οὔτε τὸ μετὰ τὸν θεὸν θεός (τὸ μὲν γὰρ μετὰ τὸν θεὸν κτίσις, τὸ δὲ ἐπέκεινα τοῦ θεοῦ οὐδέν, τὸ δὲ οὐδὲν θεὸς οὐκ ἔστιν, μᾶλλον δὲ τὸ ἐπέκεινα τοῦ θεοῦ αὐτὸς ἐκεῖνος, ἐν τῇ ἀϊδίῳ μακαριότητι πρὸς οὐδὲν ὁριζό μενος), ἐπεὶ οὖν θεοῦ ἡ φωνὴ αὕτη ἡ πνευματικὴ ἐν τῷ προφητικῷ στόματι λαληθεῖσα, δόγμα διὰ τούτου μανθά νομεν ὅτι μία τίς ἐστιν ἡ θεία φύσις συνεχὴς πρὸς ἑαυτὴν καὶ ἀδιάσπαστος, τὸ πρότερον καὶ ὕστερον ἐφ' ἑαυτῆς οὐ προσιεμένη, κἂν ἐν τριάδι κηρύσσηται, οὔτε πρεσβύτερόν τι τῶν ἐν αὐτῇ θεωρουμένων οὔτε μεταγενέστερον ἔχουσα. 3.3.11 ἐπεὶ οὖν θεοῦ ἡ φωνή, ἐάν τε τοῦ πατρὸς δῷς εἶναι τὸν λόγον ἐάν τε τοῦ υἱοῦ, ἐπίσης δι' ἑκατέρου τὸ δόγμα τῆς εὐσεβείας κρατύνεται. ἐὰν μὲν γὰρ ὁ πατὴρ ταῦτα λέγῃ, μαρτυρεῖ τῷ υἱῷ τὸ μὴ μετ' αὐτὸν εἶναι· εἰ γὰρ θεὸς μὲν ὁ υἱός, πᾶν δὲ τὸ μετὰ τὸν πατέρα θεὸς οὐκ ἔστι, δῆλον ὅτι τὸ ἐν τῷ πατρὶ καὶ μὴ μετὰ τὸν πατέρα τὸν υἱὸν εἶναι ὁ λόγος μαρτύρεται· εἴτε τοῦ υἱοῦ δοίη τις εἶναι τὴν φωνὴν ταύτην, τὸ οὐ γέγονεν ἔμπροσθέν μου διδασκαλία σαφὴς ἔσται τῇ τῆς ἀρχῆς ἀϊδιότητι συγκαταλαμβάνεσθαι καὶ τὸν ἐν τῇ ἀρχῇ θεωρούμενον. εἴ τι οὖν μετὰ τὸν θεὸν ἔστι, κτίσις τοῦτο καὶ οὐ θεὸς διὰ τῶν εἰρημένων εὑρίσκεται. τὸ γὰρ μετ' ἐμὲ ὄν, φησί, θεὸς οὐκ ἔστι. 3.3.12 Ταύτης τοίνυν προεκτεθείσης ἡμῖν τῆς περὶ τῶν ὄντων θεωρίας, καιρὸς ἂν εἴη τὸν προκείμενον