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but as they themselves were able and as it was possible, and God appeared to them as he willed; “for all things are possible for him.” And that God is indeed invisible and incomprehensible, this is clear and has been confessed. But again he is able to do what he wills. “For no one resists his will.” Therefore he is invisible in his nature and incomprehensible in his glory. But when he wills to be seen by the man made by him, nothing opposes his will. For the divine is not constrained by passion, so as not to do what he wills or to do what he does not will; for he is able to do what he wills. But he does those things which are fitting for his divinity, with nothing at all opposing his will so as to make him unable to do what he wills in a manner fitting to his divinity. And it is impossible for human nature, especially, to see God, and it is not possible for the visible to see the invisible, but the invisible God, in his love for humanity and power, having strengthened what was unable, deemed it worthy by his own power, so that it might see the invisible; and he who saw, saw the invisible and infinite, not as the infinite is, but as nature was able to contain, having been strengthened from its state of inability toward the extension of what is possible. And it will make no difference in the divine scripture, nor will a word be found contradicting another word. 3.240 8. And it is, as I have often recounted the example, the matter is thus: as if someone were to look at the sky through a very small hole and should say, “I see the sky,” and such a person would not be lying; for he truly sees the sky; but if someone should wisely say to him that “you have not seen the sky,” that person too would not be lying. For the one saying he has seen it is not lying, and the one who told him he has not seen it, he too speaks the truth. For he has seen neither the extension nor the breadth. And the one who has seen spoke the truth, but the one who contradicted, saying he had not seen, did not lie, but he too spoke the truth. For often, standing also on the peak of a mountain we look at the sea, and if we should say we have seen the sea, we have not lied; but if someone should contradict, saying that “you have not seen,” he too is not lying. For where does its breadth reach, where its length, where its depth, where the recesses of the deep and its results, no one, being a man, can know. If, therefore, things concerning created things are fulfilled in this way in us, how much more so in the grace which God graciously gave to prophets and apostles? Therefore they saw God in reality, and they did not see, but they saw as nature was able to bear, and this itself by the grace of a power, with which the one mighty in all things strengthened those serving him in truth, through his love for man himself. If, therefore, such people think that God has hands in this way, or eyes or the other things, because he appeared thus to the prophets and apostles, they behave contentiously, being refuted by the truth. But as many things as he says in the divine scripture, one must believe that they are, but how they are is known to him alone. And that he appeared in reality, yes, but he appeared as he willed and truly he appeared as he appeared. For God can do all things and nothing is impossible for him. And he is incomprehensible, being an inconceivable spirit, encompassing all things, himself encompassed by nothing. And of what sort the Father is, of such sort is also the Son, so also the Spirit in the Godhead. But the only-begotten alone, having come, put on flesh, in which he also rose, which he also united to the Godhead, having united it into spirit, and he sat in glory at the right hand of the Father, according to what is written. As, therefore, he is incomprehensible and inconceivable, so all the things said about him are truly true. And as God is incomprehensible, so everything said about him is indeed true, but incomprehensible 3.241 as befits God and as he is in incomprehensible glory. And these things indeed we have said with a human mouth for the glorification of God, as we were able. For we do not have the use of other utterance beyond that given to us by God in measure, even if with the mind we apprehend more about God. But not as many things as the mind holds, can the mouth say, being shut up by measure and

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δὲ καθὸ ἠδύναντο αὐτοὶ καὶ καθὸ ἐνεχώρει, καὶ ὤφθη αὐτοῖς ὁ θεὸς ὡς ἠθέλησεν· «πάντα γὰρ αὐτῷ δυνατά». καὶ ὅτι μὲν ἀόρατος ὁ θεὸς καὶ ἀκατάληπτος, τοῦτο δῆλόν ἐστι καὶ ὡμολόγηται. ἀλλὰ πάλιν δυνατός ἐστι ποιεῖν ὃ βούλεται. «οὐ γάρ τις ἀντιτίθησιν αὐτοῦ τῷ βουλήματι». ἀόρατος οὖν ἐστι τὴν φύσιν καὶ ἀκατάληπτος τὴν δόξαν. βουλομένου δὲ τῷ ὑπ' αὐτοῦ γεγονότι ἀνθρώπῳ ὀπτάνεσθαι οὐδὲν ἐναντιοῦται τῷ αὐτοῦ βουλήματι. οὐ γὰρ πάθει συνέχεται τὸ θεῖον, ἵνα ὃ βούλεται μὴ πράττῃ ἢ πράττῃ ὃ μὴ βούλεται· δυνατὸς γάρ ἐστι ποιεῖν ὃ βούλεται. ἀλλὰ πράττει ἅπερ αὐτοῦ πρέπει τῇ θεότητι, μηδενὸς ὅλως τῷ θελήματι αὐτοῦ ἀντιπίπτοντος, ὥστε μὴ δύνασθαι πράττειν ὃ βούλεται πρεπόντως τῇ αὐτοῦ θεότητι. καὶ ἀδύνατόν ἐστιν ἰδεῖν θεὸν μάλιστα ἀνθρωπίνην φύσιν, καὶ οὐκ ἐγχωρεῖ τὸ ὁρατὸν ὁρᾶν τὸ ἀόρατον, ἀλλ' ὁ ἀόρατος θεὸς ἐν φιλανθρωπίᾳ καὶ δυνάμει ἐνισχύσας τὸ ἀδύνατον κατηξίωσε τῇ ἑαυτοῦ δυνάμει, ὅπως ἴδῃ τὸ ἀόρατον· καὶ ὁ ἰδὼν εἶδε τὸ ἀόρατόν τε καὶ ἄπειρον, οὐ καθὼς ἔσχε τὸ ἄπειρον, ἀλλ' ὡς ἠδύνατο χωρεῖν ἡ φύσις ἐνδυναμωθεῖσα τοῦ ἀδυνάτως ἔχοντος πρὸς ἐπέκτασιν τοῦ δυνατοῦ. καὶ οὐδὲν διοίσει ἐν τῇ θείᾳ γραφῇ οὔτε ἀντίθετος λέξις πρὸς λέξιν εὑρεθήσεται. 3.240 8. Ἔστι δέ, ὡς πολλάκις τὸ ὑπόδειγμα διηγησάμην, τὸ πρᾶγμα οὕτως ὡς εἴ τις θεάσοιτο δι' ὀπῆς μικροτάτης τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ εἴποι· ὁρῶ τὸν οὐρανόν, καὶ οὐκ ἂν ψεύσοιτο ὁ τοιοῦτος· ὁρᾷ γὰρ οὐρανὸν τῷ ὄντι· εἴποι δέ τις αὐτῷ συνετῶς ὅτι οὐχ ἑώρακας τὸν οὐρανόν, καὶ οὐκ ἂν ψεύσοιτο ὁ τοιοῦτος. ὁ μὲν γὰρ λέγων ἑωρακέναι οὐ ψεύδεται, καὶ ὁ φήσας πρὸς αὐτὸν μὴ ἑωρακέναι καὶ αὐτὸς ἀληθεύει. οὔτε γὰρ εἶδε τὴν ἐπέκτασιν οὔτε τὸ πλάτος. καὶ ὁ μὲν ἑωρακὼς ἠλήθευσεν, ὁ δὲ ἀντειπὼν μὴ ἑωρακέναι οὐκ ἐψεύσατο, ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτὸς ἠλήθευσε. πολλάκις γὰρ καὶ ἐπὶ ἀκρωρείᾳ ὄρους ἑστῶτες θεώμεθα καὶ τὴν θάλασσαν, καὶ ἐὰν εἴπωμεν ἑωρακέναι θάλασσαν, οὐκ ἐψευσάμεθα· εἰ δέ τις ἀντείποι λέγων ὅτι οὐχ ἑώρακας, καὶ αὐτὸς οὐ ψεύδεται. ποῦ γὰρ διικνεῖται τὸ πλάτος, ποῦ τὸ μῆκος, ποῦ τὸ βάθος, ποῦ οἱ μυχοὶ τοῦ βυθοῦ καὶ τὰ ἀποτελέσματα, οὐ δύναταί τις εἰδέναι ἄνθρωπος ὤν. εἰ τοίνυν τὰ περὶ τῶν κτισμάτων οὕτως ἐν ἡμῖν πληροῦται, πόσῳ γε μᾶλλον ἐν τῇ χάριτι ᾗ ἐχαρίσατο ὁ θεὸς προφήταις καὶ ἀποστόλοις; ἐθεάσαντο οὖν τὸν θεὸν τῷ ὄντι, καὶ οὐκ ἐθεάσαντο, ἀλλ' ἐθεάσαντο ὡς ἠδύνατο ἡ φύσις φέρειν, καὶ αὐτὸ κατὰ χάριν δυνάμεως, ἧς ἐνεδυνάμωσεν ὁ δυνατὸς ἐν ἅπασι, διὰ φιλίαν τοῦ αὐτοῦ ἀνθρώπου, τοὺς δουλεύοντας αὐτῷ ἐν ἀληθείᾳ. ἐὰν οὖν οἱ τοιοῦτοι νομίσωσι χεῖρας οὕτω τὸν θεὸν ἔχειν ἢ ὀφθαλμοὺς ἢ τὰ ἄλλα διὰ τὸ οὕτως ὀφθῆναι τοῖς προφήταις καὶ ἀποστόλοις, φιλονείκως φέρονται, ἐλεγχόμενοι ἀπὸ τῆς ἀληθείας. ἀλλὰ ὅσα μὲν λέγει ἐν τῇ θείᾳ γραφῇ πιστεύειν χρὴ ὅτι ἔστι, πῶς δὲ ἔστιν αὐτῷ μόνῳ ἔγνωσται. καὶ ὅτι ὤφθη τῷ μὲν ὄντι, ναί, ὤφθη δὲ ὡς ἠθέλησε καὶ ἀληθῶς ὤφθη ὡς ὤφθη. πάντα γὰρ δύναται θεὸς καὶ οὐδὲν αὐτῷ ἀδύνατον. ἔστι δὲ ἀκατάληπτος, πνεῦμα ὢν ἀπερινόητον, πάντα περιέχων, αὐτὸς ὑπ' οὐδενὸς περιεχόμενος. καὶ ὁποῖος ὁ πατήρ, τοιοῦτος καὶ ὁ υἱός, οὕτω καὶ τὸ πνεῦμα ἐν τῇ θεότητι. μόνος δὲ ὁ μονογενὴς ἐνεδύσατο ἐλθὼν σάρκα, ἐν ᾗ καὶ ἀνέστη, ἣν καὶ συνήνωσε τῇ θεότητι, εἰς πνεῦμα συνενώσας ἐκάθισέν τε ἐν δόξῃ ἐν δεξιᾷ τοῦ πατρός, κατὰ τὸ γεγραμμένον. ὡς οὖν ἐστιν ἀκατάληπτος καὶ ἀπερινόητος, οὕτω πάντα τὰ περὶ αὐτοῦ λεγόμενα ἀληθινά ἐστιν ὄντως. ὡς δὲ θεός ἐστιν ἀκατάληπτος, οὕτως πᾶν τὸ περὶ αὐτοῦ λεγόμενον ἀληθινόν ἐστι μέν, ἀλλὰ ἀκατάληπτον 3.241 ὁποῖα θεοῦ καὶ ὡς ἔστιν ἐν δόξῃ ἀκαταλήπτῳ. καὶ ταῦτα μὲν καθὼς ἐχωροῦμεν εἰς δοξολογίαν θεοῦ στόματι ἀνθρωπίνῳ εἰρήκαμεν. οὐ γὰρ ἔχομεν ἑτέρας φθογγῆς χρῆσιν ὑπὲρ τὴν ἐκ θεοῦ ἡμῖν ἐν μέτρῳ δοθεῖσαν, εἰ καὶ τῷ νῷ περισσότερον περὶ θεοῦ ὑπολαμβάνομεν. ἀλλ' οὐχ ὁπόσα ὁ νοῦς ἔχει, τοσαῦτα δύναται τὸ στόμα λέγειν, μέτρῳ ἀποκεκλεισμένον καὶ