§45. Conclusion. Doctrine of Scripture on the subject of Part I.

For just as by looking up to the heaven and seeing its order and the light of the stars, it is possible to infer the Word Who ordered these things, so by beholding the Word of God, one needs must behold also God His Father, proceeding from Whom He is rightly called His Father’s Interpreter and Messenger. 2. And this one may see from our own experience; for if when a word proceeds from men73    Cf. de Sent. Dionys. 23. we infer that the mind is its source, and, by thinking about the word, see with our reason the mind which it reveals, by far greater evidence and incomparably more, seeing the power of the Word, we receive a knowledge also of His good Father, as the Saviour Himself says, “He that hath seen Me hath seen the Father74    Joh. xiv. 9..” But this all inspired Scripture also teaches more plainly and with more authority, so that we in our turn write boldly to you as we do, and you, if you refer to them, will be able to verify what we say. 3. For an argument when confirmed by higher authority is irresistibly proved. From the first then the divine Word firmly taught the Jewish people about the abolition of idols when it said75    Ex. xx. 4.: “Thou shalt not make to thyself a graven image, nor the likeness of anything that is in the heaven above or in the earth beneath.” But the cause of their abolition another writer declares76    Ps. cxv. 4–7., saying: “The idols of the heathen are silver and gold, the works of men’s hands: a mouth have they and will not speak, eyes have they and will not see, ears have they and will not hear, noses have they and will not smell, hands have they and will not handle, feet have they and will not walk.” Nor has it passed over in silence the doctrine of creation; but, knowing well its beauty, lest any attending solely to this beauty should worship things as if they were gods, instead of God’s works, it teaches men firmly beforehand when it says77    Deut. iv. 19.: “And do not when thou lookest up with thine eyes and seest the sun and moon and all the host of heaven, go astray and worship them, which the Lord thy God hath given to all nations under heaven.” But He gave them, not to be their gods, but that by their agency the Gentiles should know, as we have said, God the Maker of them all. 4. For the people of the Jews of old had abundant teaching, in that they had the knowledge of God not only from the works of Creation, but also from the divine Scriptures. And in general to draw men away from the error and irrational imagination of idols, He saith78    Ex. xx. 3.: “Thou shalt have none other gods but Me.” Not as if there were other gods does He forbid them to have them, but lest any, turning from the true God, should begin to make himself gods of what were not, such as those who in the poets and writers are called gods, though they are none. And the language itself shews that they are no Gods, when it says, “Thou shalt have none other gods,” which refers only to the future. But what is referred to the future does not exist at the time of speaking.

45 Ὥσπερ γάρ, ἀναβλέψαντας εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ ἰδόντας τὸν κόσμον αὐτοῦ καὶ τὸ τῶν ἄστρων φῶς, ἔστιν ἐνθυμεῖσθαι τὸν ταῦτα διακοσμοῦντα Λόγον· οὕτω νοοῦντας Λόγον Θεοῦ, νοεῖν ἐστιν ἀνάγκη καὶ τὸν τούτου Πατέρα Θεόν, ἐξ οὗ προϊὼν εἰκότως τοῦ ἑαυτοῦ Πατρὸς ἑρμηνεὺς καὶ ἄγγελος λέγεται· καὶ τοῦτο ἐκ τῶν καθ' ἡμᾶς τις ἂν ἴδοι. εἰ γὰρ δὴ λόγου προϊόντος παρὰ ἀνθρώπων ἐνθυμούμεθα τὴν τούτου πηγὴν εἶναι τὸν νοῦν, καὶ τῷ λόγῳ ἐπιβάλ λοντες, τὸν νοῦν σημαινόμενον ὁρῶμεν τῷ λογισμῷ· πολλῷ πλέον μείζονι φαντασίᾳ καὶ ἀσυγκρίτῳ ὑπεροχῇ τοῦ Λόγου τὴν δύναμιν ὁρῶντες, ἔννοιαν λαμβάνομεν καὶ τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ Πατρὸς αὐτοῦ, ὡς αὐτὸς ὁ Σωτήρ φησιν· Ὁ ἐμὲ ἑωρακὼς ἑώρακε τὸν Πατέρα. ταῦτα δὲ καὶ πᾶσα θεόπνευστος γραφὴ φανερώτερον καὶ κατὰ μεῖζον κηρύττει, ἀφ' ὧν δὴ καὶ ἡμεῖς τεθαρρηκότες ταῦτά σοι γράφομεν, καὶ σύ, ταύταις ἐντυγχάνων, δυνήσῃ τῶν λεγομένων ἔχειν τὴν πίστιν. λόγος γὰρ ἐκ μειζόνων βεβαιούμενος, ἀναντίρρητον ἔχει τὴν ἀπόδειξιν. Ἄνωθεν τοίνυν περὶ τῆς τῶν εἰδώλων ἀναιρέσεως προησφαλίζετο τὸν Ἰουδαίων λαὸν ὁ θεῖος Λόγος λέγων· Οὐ ποιήσεις σεαυτῷ εἴδωλον, οὐδὲ παντὸς ὁμοίωμα, ὅσα ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ ἄνω, καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς κάτω. τὴν δὲ αἰτίαν τῆς τούτων καθαιρέσεως, ἑτέρως σημαίνει λέγων· Τὰ εἴδωλα τῶν ἐθνῶν ἀργύριον καὶ χρυσίον, ἔργα χειρῶν ἀνθρώπων. στόμα ἔχουσι, καὶ οὐ λαλήσουσιν· ὀφθαλμοὺς ἔχουσι, καὶ οὐκ ὄψονται· ὦτα ἔ χουσι, καὶ οὐκ ἀκούσονται· ῥῖνας ἔχουσι, καὶ οὐκ ὀσφραν θήσονται. χεῖρας ἔχουσι, καὶ οὐ ψηλαφήσουσι· πόδας ἔχουσι, καὶ οὐ περιπατήσουσιν. οὐ σεσιώπηκε δὲ τὴν περὶ τῆς κτίσεως διδασκαλίαν· ἀλλὰ καὶ μάλα εἰδὼς αὐτῶν τὸ κάλλος, ἵνα μή τινες, τῷ κάλλει τούτων ἀποβλέψαντες, οὐχ ὡς ἔργα Θεοῦ ἀλλ' ὡς θεοὺς θρησκεύσωσι, προασφαλίζεται τοὺς ἀνθρώπους λέγων· Καὶ μὴ ἀναβλέψας τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς καὶ ἰδὼν τὸν ἥλιον καὶ τὴν σελήνην, καὶ πάντα τὸν κόσμον τοῦ οὐρανοῦ πλανηθείς, προσκυνήσῃς αὐτοῖς, ἃ ἀπένειμε Κύριος ὁ Θεός σου πᾶσι τοῖς ἔθνεσι τοῖς ὑποκάτω τοῦ οὐρανοῦ. ἀπένειμε δὲ οὐκ εἰς τὸ εἶναι θεοὺς αὐτοῖς αὐτά, ἀλλ' ἵνα τῇ τούτων ἐνεργείᾳ γινώσκωσιν οἱ ἀπὸ τῶν ἐθνῶν τὸν τῶν πάντων δημιουργὸν Θεόν, ὥσπερ εἴρηται. ὁ γὰρ Ἰουδαίων πάλαι λαὸς κατὰ πλεῖον εἶχε τὴν διδασκαλίαν, ὅτι μὴ μόνον ἐκ τῶν τῆς κτίσεως ἔργων, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐκ τῶν θείων γραφῶν εἶχον τὴν περὶ Θεοῦ γνῶσιν. καὶ καθόλου δὲ τοὺς ἀνθρώ πους ἀπὸ τῆς περὶ τὰ εἴδωλα πλάνης καὶ ἀλόγου φαντασίας ἀφέλ κων, φησίν· Οὐκ ἔσονταί σοι θεοὶ ἕτεροι πλὴν ἐμοῦ. οὐχ ὡς ὄντων δὲ θεῶν ἄλλων κωλύει τούτους αὐτοὺς ἔχειν, ἀλλ' ἵνα μή τις, τὸν ἀληθινὸν ἀποστραφεὶς Θεόν, ἑαυτῷ τὰ μὴ ὄντα θεοποιεῖν ἄρξηται, ὁποῖοί εἰσιν οἱ παρὰ ποιηταῖς καὶ συγγραφεῦσιν ὀνομα σθέντες καὶ δειχθέντες οὐκ ὄντες θεοί. καὶ αὐτὴ δὲ ἡ λέξις τὸ μὴ εἶναι αὐτοὺς θεοὺς δείκνυσι, δι' ἧς φησιν· Οὐκ ἐσονταί σοι θεοὶ ἕτεροι, ὅπερ ἐπὶ μέλλοντος σημαίνεται. τὸ δὲ ἐπὶ μέλλουσι γινό-μενον οὐκ ἔστι τότε ὅτε ταῦτα λέγεται.