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did he create, being always good? Since, I also say to you, that the unsearchable wisdom of the infinite essence does not fall under human knowledge.

4. The Creator of beings, when he willed, gave substance to and brought forth the knowledge pre-existing in him from eternity. For it is absurd to doubt concerning God the almighty, whether he is able to give substance to something, when he wills.

5. Seek for what reason God created; for this is knowledge. But how, and why recently, do not seek; for it does not fall under your mind. Because of divine things, some are comprehensible, and others, incomprehensible to men. For unbridled contemplation might perhaps also push one over cliffs, as one of the saints has said.

(1049) 6. Some say that created things co-exist with God from eternity, which is impossible. For how can things in every way finite co-exist from eternity with him who is in every way infinite? Or how are they properly created things, if they are co-eternal with the Creator? But this is the argument of the Greeks; who introduce God as a creator not of substances at all, but of qualities and of qualified substances. But we, having known the almighty God, say that He is the creator not of qualities, but of qualified substances. If this is so, then created things are not co-existent with God from eternity.

7. In some respect the Divine and divine things are known; but in some respect, they are unknown. And they are known, by the contemplations concerning it; but unknown, as to what it is in itself.

8. Do not seek for states and aptitudes in the simple and infinite essence of the Holy Trinity, lest you make it composite, like created things; which is absurd and impious to think concerning God.

9. Alone simple and uniform and without quality and peaceful and without conflict, is the infinite and almighty essence, the creator of all things. But all creation is composite, existing of substance and accident; and is always in need of divine providence, as it is not free from change.

10. Every intellectual and sensible substance, when brought into being, received from God powers perceptive of existing things; the intellectual, acts of intellection; the sensible, acts of sensation.

11. God is only participated in; but creation both participates and imparts. And it participates in being, and in well-being; but it imparts well-being only; but the corporeal substance in one way, and the incorporeal substance in another.

12. The incorporeal substance, by speaking and acting and being contemplated, imparts well-being; but the corporeal, by being contemplated only.

(1052) 13. Whether the rational and intellectual substance is to be forever, or not to be, lies in the will of the one who created all things good; but whether these are good by choice or evil, lies in the will of those who have come into being.

14. Evil is not contemplated in the substance of things that have come into being; but in their mistaken and irrational movement.

15. The soul moves rightly, when its desiring part is qualified by self-control; its irascible part holds to love, turning away from hatred; and its rational part lives towards God, through prayer and spiritual contemplation.

16. He does not yet have perfect love, nor a deep knowledge of divine Providence, who in time of trial is not long-suffering in the face of painful occurrences; but cuts himself off from the love of his spiritual brothers.

17. The purpose of divine Providence is to unite through right faith and spiritual love those who have been variously divided by wickedness. Since for this reason the Savior suffered, that he might gather into one the scattered children of God. He therefore who does not

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ἐδημιούργησεν ἀεί ἀγαθός ὑπάρχων; Ἐπεί, κἀγώ σοι λέγω, ὅτι ἡ τῆς ἀπείρου οὐσίας ἀνεξιχνίαστος σοφία, τῇ ἀνθρωπίνῃ οὐχ ὑποπίπτει γνώσει.

δ΄. Τήν ἐξ ἀϊδίου ἐν αὐτῷ ὁ ∆ημιουργός τῶν ὄντων προϋπάρχουσαν γνῶσιν, ὅτε ἐβουλήθη, οὐσίωσε καί προεβάλετο. Ἄτοπον γάρ ἐστιν ἐπί Θεοῦ τοῦ παντοδυνάμου διστάσαι, εἰ δύναταί τι οὐσιῶσαι, ὅτε βούλεται.

ε΄. ∆ι' ἥν μέν αἰτίαν ὁ Θεός ἐδημιούργησε, ζήτει· ἐστί γάρ γνῶσις. Τό δέ πῶς, καί διά τί προσφάτως, μή ζήτει· οὐκ ἔστι γάρ τῷ σῷ ὑποπίπτουσα νῷ. ∆ιότι τῶν θείων, τά μέν ληπτά, τά δέ, ἄληπτα τοῖς ἀνθρώποις. Θεωρία γάρ ἀχαλίνωτος, τάχα ἄν καί κατά κρημνῶν ὤσειεν, ὡς ἔφη τις τῶν ἁγίων.

(1049) στ΄. Τινές φασι συνυπάρχειν ἐξ ἀϊδίου τῷ Θεῷ τά δημιουργήματα, ὅπερ ἀμήχανον. Πῶς γάρ τῷ πάντη ἀπείρῳ, τά κατά πάντα πεπερασμένα, συνυπάρχειν δύναται ἐξ ἀϊδίου; ἤ πῶς κυρίως δημιουργήματα, εἰ συναΐδια τῷ ∆ημιουργῷ; Ἀλλ᾿ οὗτος ὁ λόγος τῶν Ἑλλήνων ἐστίν· οἵτινες οὐσιῶν μέν οὐδαμῶς, ποιοτήτων, ἀλλ᾿ οὐσιῶν πεποιωμένων, δημιουργόν τόν Θεόν εἰσάγουσιν. Ἡμεῖς δέ τόν παντοδύναμον ἐγνωκότες Θεόν, οὐ ποιοτήτων, ἀλλ᾿ οὐσιῶν πεποιωμένων, δημιουργόν αὐτόν εἶναί φαμεν. Εἰ δέ τοῦτο, οὐκ ἐξ ἀϊδίου συνύπαρκτα τῷ Θεῷ τά δημιουργήματα.

ζ΄. Κατά τι μέν γνωστόν τό Θεῖον καί τά θεῖα· κατά τι δέ, ἄγνωστον. Καί γνωστόν μέν, τοῖς περί αὐτό θεωρήμασιν· ἅγνωστον δέ, τοῖς κατ᾿ αὐτό.

η΄. Μή ἕξεις καί ἐπιτηδειότητας ζητήσῃς ἐπί τῆς ἁπλῆς καί ἀπείρου οὐσίας τῆς ἁγίας Τριάδος, ἵνα μή σύνθετον αὐτήν ποιήσῃς, ὥσπερ τά κτίσματα· ὅπερ ἄτοπον καί ἀθέμιτον ἐπί Θεοῦ ἐννοῆσαι.

θ΄. Μόνη ἁπλῆ καί μονοειδής καί ἄποιος καί εἰρηναῖος καί ἀστασίαστος, ἡ ἄπειρος οὐσία καί παντοδύναμος καί δημιουργική τῶν ὅλων. Πᾶσα δέ ἡ κτίσις, σύνθετος ὑπάρχει ἐξ οὐσίας καί συμβεβηκότος· καί ἐπιδεής ἀεί τῆς θείας προνοίας, ὡς τροπῆς οὐκ ἐλευθέρα.

ι΄. Πᾶσα ἡ νοερά οὐσία, καί αἰσθητική, ἔλαβεν δυνάμεις παρά Θεοῦ εἰς τό εἶναι παραχθεῖσα ἀντιληπτικάς τῶν ὄντων· ἡ μέν νοερά τάς νοήσεις· ἡ δέ αἰσθητική, τάς αἰσθήσεις.

ια΄. Ὁ μέν Θεός, μετέχεται μόνον· ἡ δέ κτίσις, καί μετέχει καί μεταδίδωσι. Καί μετέχει μέν τοῦ εἶναι, καί τοῦ εὖ εἶναι· μεταδίδωσι δέ, τοῦ εὖ εἶναι μόνον· ἀλλ᾿ ἑτέρως μέν ἡ σωματική, ἑτέρως δέ ἡ ἀσώματος οὐσία.

ιβ΄. Ἡ μέν ἀσώματος οὐσία, καί λέγουσα καί πράττουσα καί θεωρουμένη, τοῦ εὖ εἶναι μεταδίδωσιν· ἡ δέ σωματική, θεωρουμένη μόνον.

(1052) ιγ΄. Τό μέν ἀεί εἶναι, ἤ μή εἶναι τήν λογικήν καί νοεράν οὐσίαν, ἐν τῇ βουλήσει ἐστί τοῦ τά πάντα καλά δημιουργήσαντος· τό δέ ἀγαθά ταῦτα εἶναι κατά προαίρεσιν ἤ φαῦλα, ἐν τῷ θελήματι τῶν γεγονότων ὑπάρχει.

ιδ΄. Οὐ περί τήν οὐσίαν τῶν γεγονότων, τό κακόν θεωρεῖται· ἀλλά περί τήν ἐσφαλμένην καί ἀλόγιστον κίνησιν.

ιε΄. Εὐλόγως κινεῖται ἡ ψυχή, ὅταν τό μέν ἐπιθυμητικόν αὐτῆς τῇ ἐγκρατείᾳ πεποίωται· τό δέ θυμικόν, τῆς ἀγάπης ἀντέχεται, τό μῖσος ἀποστρεφόμενον· τό δέ λογιστικόν, πρός τόν Θεόν διάγει, διά προσευχῆς καί θεωρίας πνευματικῆς.

ιστ΄. Οὕπω ἔχει τελείαν ἀγάπην, οὐδέ τῆς θείας Προνοίας κατά βάθος τήν γνῶσιν, ὁ ἐν καιρῷ πειρασμοῦ μή μακροθυμῶν ἐπί τοῖς συμβαίνουσι λυπηροῖς· ἀλλ᾿ ἀποκόπτων ἑαυτόν τῆς τῶν πνευματικῶν ἀδελφῶν ἀγάπης.

ιζ΄. Σκοπός τῆς θείας Προνοίας, τό, τούς ὑπό τῆς κακίας ποικίλως διεσχισμένους, διά τῆς ὀρθῆς πίστεως καί πνευματικῆς ἀγάπης ἑνοποιεῖν. Εἴπερ διά τοῦτο πέπονθεν ὁ Σωτήρ, Ἵνα τά τέκνα τοῦ Θεοῦ τά διεσκορπισμένα, συναγάγῃ εἰς ἕν. Ὁ οὖν μή