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it seems that none of the goods here are trustworthy for men, nor long-lasting, but if anything else, this too has been well contrived by the artisan Word and the wisdom that surpasses all understanding, that we are played with in the things that are seen, at different times changing and shifting in different ways, and being carried up and down and turned about, and departing and fleeing before being grasped, so that, having observed the unstable and irregular nature in these things, we may anchor ourselves to the future. For what would we have done if our well-being were stable, when, though it is not lasting, we are so bound to it, and the pleasure and deceit concerning it have so enslaved us, that we are able to conceive of nothing better or higher than present things, and this, though we were made in the image of God, and hear and believe in the one that is above and draws us to itself? " And again, in the oration to the magistrates, saying, " That we may know that we are nothing in comparison to the true and first wisdom, but may always incline to Him alone, and seek to be illumined by the very illuminations from thence, either through the irregularity of things seen and changing, leading us on to the things that are stable and lasting. Not then, as I think, does the teacher in these things, as has been said, make a declaration of the cause of humanity's generation, but of the misery introduced into our life at its generation on account of the transgression, as is very clear to those who study his divine writings more diligently and carefully. For of this he sets before us through these words the cause, whence, and wherefore, and for what purpose, and for what reason it is, revealing through it our salvation wisely administered by God; but of that, hinting at the power for which it came to be in a mystery, he has used another manner of words, making his whole pious purpose concerning this clear, as is shown in the Oration on the Nativity, saying, " Mind, therefore, and sense, thus distinguished from each other, had already stood within their own bounds, and bore in themselves the majesty of the Creator's word, silent praisers of the magnificence and piercing heralds; but there was not yet a mixture from both, nor any mingling of the opposites, a token of a greater wisdom and of the richness concerning natures, nor was the whole wealth of goodness known. The artisan Word, then, wishing to display this, and creates man, a single living being from both, (1096) of invisible, I say, and visible nature, and taking the body from matter already pre-existing, but placing in it life from Himself (which indeed the Word knows as a rational soul and an image of God), He establishes upon the earth a kind of second world, great in small, another angel, a mingled worshiper," and the rest. And in the Oration on the Holy Lights: " Since these things, or this thing, were so; but it was necessary that worship should not be limited to those above alone, but that there should also be some worshipers below, so that all things might be filled with the glory of God, since they are also of God; and for this reason man is created, honored by the hand and image of God." I suppose that these things are sufficient, even if they happen to be few, for one who is not disposed to be entirely contentious, and judges that merely to fight is glorious, to demonstrate the whole thought of the teacher concerning the things that have been said. But if he still contends about how the teacher called us a portion of God, the argument about this has already been given above in many ways. But so that it may become more trustworthy, being supported by the words of the spirit, the holy and blessed apostle Paul, he who received the wisdom hidden in God before the ages, and enlightened the whole unlit life of men, and drove away the darkness of ignorance from their souls, will suffice concerning this, setting forth these things to the Ephesians, That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, the eyes of your heart being enlightened, that you may know

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δοκεῖ μηδέν τῶν ἐνταῦθα ἀγαθῶν εἶναι πιστόν τοῖς ἀνθρώποις, μηδέ πολυχρόνιον, ἀλλ᾿ εἴπερ τι ἄλλο, καί τοῦτο καλῶς τῷ τεχνίτῃ λόγῳ καί τῇ πάντα νοῦν ὑπερεχούσῃ σοφίᾳ μεμηχανῆσθαι, παίζεσθαι ἡμᾶς ἐν τοῖς ὁρωμένοις, ἄλλοτε ἄλλως μεταβαλλομένοις καί μεταβάλλουσι, καί ἄνω καί κάτω φερομένοις τε καί περιτρεπομένοις, καί πρίν ληφθῆναι ἀπιοῦσι καί φεύγουσιν, ἵνα τό ἐν τούτοις ἄστατον καί ἀνώμαλον θεωρήσαντες πρός τό μέλλον μεθορμισώμεθα. Τί γάρ ἄν ἐποιήσαμεν ἑστῶτος τοῦ εὖ πράττειν ἡμῖν, ὁποτε οὐ μένοντος τοσοῦτον αὐτῷ προσδεδέμεθα, καί οὕτως ἡμᾶς ἡ περί τοῦτο ἡδονή καί ἀπάτη ἔχει δουλώσασα, ὥστε μηδέν κρεῖττον μηδέ ὑψηλότερον τῶν παρόντων διανοεῖσθαι δύνασθαι, καί ταῦτα κατ᾿ εἰκόνα Θεοῦ γεγονέναι, καί ἀκούοντας καί πιστεύοντας τήν ἄνω τε οὖσαν καί πρός ἑαυτήν ἕλκουσαν; " Καί πάλιν ἐν τῷ πρός τούς πολετευομένους λόγῳ φάσκων, " Ἵν᾿ εἰδῶμεν τό μηδέν ὄντες πρός τήν ἀληθινήν σοφίαν καί πρώτην, ἀλλά πρός αὐτόν ἀεί νεύωμεν μόνον, καί ζητῶμεν ταῖς ἐκεῖθεν αὐταῖς ἐναστράπτεσθαι, εἴτε διά τῆς ἀνωμαλίας τῶν ὁρωμένων καί περιτρεπομένων, μετάγοντος ἡμᾶς ἐπί τά ἑστῶτα καί μένοντα. Οὐ τοίνυν, ὡς οἶμαι, τῆς κατά τήν γένεσιν τῆς ἀνθρωπότητος αἰτίας ἐν τούτοις, ὡς εἴρηται, ὁ διδάσκαλος ποιεῖται τήν δήλωσιν, ἀλλά τῆς κατά τήν γένεσιν ἐπεισαχθείσης τῇ ἡμετέρᾳ ζωῇ διά τήν παράβασιν ταλαιπωρίας, ὡς τοῖς σπουδαιοτέρως καί ἐμμελεστέρως τοῖς θείοις αὐτοῦ γράμμασιν ἐμμελετῶσίν ἐστι καταφανές. Ταύτης μέν γάρ τήν ὅθεν, καί δι᾿ ὅ, καί ἐφ᾿ ᾧ, καί οὗ ἕνεκεν αἰτίαν, διά τούτων ἡμῖν παρατίθεται τῶν λόγων δι᾿ αὐτῆς τήν οἰκονομουμένην ἡμῶν σοφῶς παρά τοῦ Θεοῦ σωτηρίαν δηλῶν· ἐκείνης δέ τήν ἐφ᾿ ᾧ γεγένηται μυστηρίῳ ὑπεμφαίνων δύναμιν ἑτέρῳ λόγων κέχρηται τρόπῳ, ὅλον αὐτοῦ περί τούτου τόν εὐσεβῆ σκοπόν φανερόν ποιούμενος, ὡς ἐν τῷ Εἰς τά γενέθλια λόγῳ δείκνυται λέγων, " Νοῦς μέν οὖν ἤδη καί αἴσθησις οὕτως ἀπ᾿ ἀλλήλων διακριθέντα τῶν ἰδίων ὅρων ἐντός εἰστήκεισαν, καί τό τοῦ ∆ημιουργοῦ λόγου μεγαλεῖον ἐν ἑαυτοῖς ἔφερον, σιγῶντες ἐπαινέται τῆς μεγαλουργίας και διαπρύσιοι κήρυκες· οὔπω δέ ἦν κρᾶμα ἐξ ἀμφοτέρων, οὐδέ τις μίξις τῶν ἐναντίων, σοφίας μείζονος γνώρισμα καί τῆς περί τάς φύσεις πολυτελείας, οὐδέ ὁ πᾶς πλοῦτος τῆς ἀγαθότητος γνώριμος. Τοῦτο δή βουληθείς ὁ τεχνίτης ἐπιδείξασθαι λόγος, καί ζῶον ἕν ἐξ ἀμφοτέρων, (1096) ἀοράτου λέγω καί ὁρατῆς φύσεως, δημιουργεῖ τόν ἄνθρωπον, καί παρά μέν τῆς ὕλης λαβών τό σῶμα ἤδη προϋποστάσης, παρ᾿ ἑαυτοῦ δέ ζωήν ἐνθείς (ὅ δή νοεράν ψυχήν καί εἰκόνα Θεοῦ οἶδεν ὁ Λόγος), οἷόν τινα κόσμον δεύτερον ἐν μικρῷ μέγαν ἐπί τῆς γῆς ἵστησιν, ἄγγελον ἄλλον, προσκυνητήν μικτόν," καί τά ἑξῆς. Ἐν δέ τῷ Εἰς τά Φῶτα λόγῳ· " Ἐπεί δέ οὕτω ταῦτα ἤ τοῦτο· ἔδει δέ μή τοῖς ἄνω μόνον τήν προσκύνησιν περιγράφεσθαι, ἀλλ᾿ εἶναί τινας καί κάτω προσκυνητάς, ἵνα πληρωθῇ τά πάντα δόξης Θεοῦ, ἐπεί καί Θεοῦ· καί διά τοῦτο κτίζεται ἄνθρωπος χειρί Θεοῦ τιμηθείς καί εἰκόνι." Ἀρκεῖν μέν καί ταῦτα ὑπολαμβάνω, κἄν εἰ μικρά τυγχάνοι, τῷ μή πάντη φιλονείκως διακειμένῳ, καί μόνον τό μάχεσθαι ἐπίδοξον κρίνοντι, πρός τό ἐνδείξασθαι τήν ὅλην τοῦ διδασκάλου περί τῶν εἰρημένων διάνοιαν. Εἰ δέ ἔτι περί τοῦ πῶς Θεοῦ μοῖραν ὁ διδάσκαλος ἡμᾶς ἐκάλεσεν ἀπομάχεται, πολλαχῶς μέν ἤδη ἀνωτέρω ὁ περί τούτου ἀποδέδοται λόγος. Ἵνα δέ πιστότερος γένηται τοῖς τοῦ πνεύματος ἐρειδόμενος λόγοις, ὁ ἅγιος καί μακάριος ἀπόστολος Παῦλος, ὁ τήν ἀποκεκρυμμένην ἐν τῷ Θεῷ πρό τῶν αἰώνων κομισάμενος σοφίαν, καί πάντα τόν ἀφεγγῆ τῶν ἀνθρώπων βίον καταφωτίσας, καί τῆς ἀγνοίας τόν ζόφον τῶν ψυχῶν ἀπελάσας, ἀρκέσει περί τούτου Ἐφεσίοις διεξιών τάδε, Ἵνα ὁ Θεός τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ ὁ Πατήρ τῆς δόξης δῴη ὑμῖν Πνεῦμα σοφίας καί ἀποκαλύψεως ἐν ἐπιγνώσει αὐτοῦ, πεφωτισμένους τούς ὀφθαλμούς τῆς καρδίας ὑμῶν, εἰς τό εἰδέναι