1

In Gregorii Nazianzeni sententias

Interpretation by the most wise great logothete lord George Akropolites of the theological sayings, both of "for even the one, being at variance with itself, becomes many" and of "a monad, having been moved into a dyad, until

it stood at a triad."

1 Many other friends, O most divine and most venerable head of mine, compelled us to enter into discourse and to display among themselves their ambition concerning philosophy, and from there we brought forth our youthful discourses to the light. But in those discourses, enslaved to friendship alone and revering the bond of friendship, we fulfilled what was commanded; but where there is a paternal relationship and an affection surpassing others, how could we not be more obedient concerning the things commanded? Therefore, of course, guided by your spirit, or rather by the common and divine one, from which all true knowledge has come to the lovers of truth, as if emboldened by what is permitted, we proceed to the discourses and have wished to clarify for you the solutions fitting to the sayings of Gregory the Theologian, just as you yourself deemed worthy.

2 There are two difficulties concerning two sayings, the one stating "a monad, having been moved into a dyad, stood at a triad" and the one saying "there are times when even the one, being at variance with itself, becomes many." But the aforementioned difficulty, requiring some small consolation, as we will say as we proceed, we will clarify with a few words; the other, however, requires, as I think, much and varied and loftier clarification. For concerning these things, while I was still a youth and studying with that inspired man, the most philosophical Blemmydes, I conversed with him, but he had nothing to say to me clearly; but what others who interpreted the father—I mean Maximos, great in discourse, and those after him—had said, clarifying at length or at leisure, these things he too uttered to me in response to the difficulty. But since I myself have touched the sacred rites of philosophy and have encountered the most divine Plato and the Muse-inspired Proclus, and moreover the most divinely-inspired men Iamblichus and Plotinus and the rest, whom it is not the time to list, I was guided to the understanding of the saying. Therefore, of course, taking courage in your prayers, I was led to clarify this, and may you be gracious to us for having dared to leap beyond our considered thoughts, we who, having the ship of life in political affairs, are so unlearnedly borne along concerning divine things and wish to examine things beyond us, which is permitted only to those who have come to be beyond matter and have settled far above pleasures. But we are not so; but using obedience alone we fulfill what is commanded.

3 Now, therefore, we must begin the clarification of the sayings, and first that of the one saying "the monad from the beginning, having been moved into a dyad, stood at a triad." It might seem to some that he who theologizes in such a way does not speak reasonably, first in what he says about the monad being moved into a dyad. For someone might easily ask him: "Do you then say that the monad was formerly at rest, and then, having acquired some motive power contrary to the first, static one, so to speak, was thus moved by the motion into a dyad and then indeed into a triad, and from there, having acquired another power, it stood still, or, being a monad, moving continuously into a dyad and proceeding as far as a triad, as if some intermediate state existed in the dyad, it found its rest in it, with the monad having the motive power,

1

In Gregorii Nazianzeni sententias

Τοῦ σοφωτάτου μεγάλου λογοθέτου κυροῦ Γεωργίου τοῦ Ἀκροπολίτου ἑρμηνεία τῶν θεολογικῶν ῥητῶν τοῦ τε «ἔστι γὰρ καὶ τὸ ἓν στασιάζον πρὸς ἑαυτὸ πολλὰ γίνεσθαι» καὶ τοῦ «μονὰς εἰς δυάδα κινηθεῖσα μέχρι

τριάδος ἔστη.»

1 Πολλοὶ μὲν καὶ ἄλλοι τῶν φίλων, ὦ θειότατε καὶ σεβασμιώτατέ μοι κεφαλή, εἰς λόγους ἐλθεῖν ἡμᾶς κατηνάγκασαν καὶ τὸ περὶ φιλοσοφίαν φιλότιμον παρ' ἑαυτοῖς ἐπιδείξασθαι, κἀντεῦθεν καὶ λόγους παῖδας ἡμεῖς εἰς φῶς προηγάγομεν. ἀλλ' ἐν ἐκείνοις μὲν λόγοις καὶ μόνον φιλίας συνδούμενοι καὶ τὸν φίλιον εὐλαβούμενοι ἀπεπληροῦμεν τὰ κελευόμενα· ὅπου δὲ πατρικὴ σχέσις καὶ ὑπερκειμένη τῶν ἄλλων στοργή, πῶς οὐκ ἂν εὐπειθέστεροι περὶ τὰ προσταττόμενα διατεθείημεν; ἀμέλει τοι τῷ σῷ χειραγωγούμενοι πνεύματι, μᾶλλον δὲ τῷ κοινῷ τε καὶ θείῳ, ἐξ οὗ πᾶσα γνῶσις ἀληθινὴ πρὸς τοὺς ἀληθείας ἐπιφεφοίτηκεν ἐραστάς, ὡς ἐξὸν τεθαρρηκότες περὶ τοὺς λόγους χωροῦμεν καὶ τὰς λύσεις τὰς ἁρμοττούσας τοῖς τοῦ θεολόγου Γρηγορίου ῥητοῖς, καθὼς αὐτός περ ἠξίωσας, σαφηνίσαι σοι βεβουλήμεθα.

2 ∆ύο δὲ τὰ ἀπορήματα τυγχάνει ἐπὶ δυσὶ δὲ ῥητοῖς, τῷ τε φάσκοντι «μονὰς εἰς δυάδα κινηθεῖσα μέχρι τριάδος ἔστη» καὶ τῷ λέγοντι «ἔστι μὲν ὅπου καὶ τὸ ἓν στασιάζον καθ' ἑαυτὸ πολλὰ γίνεσθαι». ἀλλὰ τὸ μὲν προσρημένον ἀπόρημα ὀλίγης τινὸς παραμυθίας δεόμενον, ὡς προϊόντες ἐροῦμεν, διὰ μικρῶν σαφηνίσομεν· τὸ δ' ἄλλο πολλῆς τινος καὶ ποικίλης καὶ ὑψηλοτέρας ὡς οἶμαι δεῖται τῆς σαφηνείας. περὶ τούτων καὶ γὰρ ἐν μείραξιν ἔτι τελῶν καὶ τῷ θεσπεσίῳ ἐκείνῳ ἀνδρὶ τῷ φιλοσοφωτάτῳ Βλεμμύδῃ, ἡνίκα παρ' αὐτῷ ἐφοίτων, ἐκοινολογησάμην, ἀλλ' οὐδέν τι μοι εἶχεν εἰρηκέναι σαφῶς· ἀλλ' ἅπερ καὶ ἄλλοι τὰ τοῦ πατρὸς ἐξηγούμενοι-λέγω δὲ τὸν μέγαν ἐν τοῖς λόγοις Μάξιμον καὶ τοὺς μετ' αὐτὸν-εἰς πλάτος ἢ καὶ κατὰ σχολὴν διασαφοῦντες εἰρήκεσαν, ἐκεῖνά μοι καὶ αὐτὸς πρὸς τὴν ἀπορίαν ἐφθέγγετο. ἀλλ' ἐπείπερ αὐτὸς τῶν τῆς φιλοσοφίας ἡψάμην ὀργίων τῷ τε θειοτάτῳ συνῆλθον Πλάτωνι καὶ τῷ μουσολήπτῳ Πρόκλῳ, ἔτι τε μὴν τοῖς ἐνθεαστικωτάτοις ἀνδράσιν Ἰαμβλίχῳ τε καὶ Πλωτίνῳ καὶ τοῖς λοιποῖς, οὓς οὐ καιρὸς καταλέγειν, ἐποδηγήθην πρὸς τὴν διάγνωσιν τοῦ ῥητοῦ. ἀμέλει τοι καὶ σαφηνίσαι τοῦτο προήχθην ταῖς σαῖς θαρρήσας εὐχαῖς, σὺ δὲ ἵλεως ἡμῖν εἴης ὑπὲρ τὰ ἐσκεμμένα τετολμηκόσι πηδᾶν, οἵπερ τὸ τῆς ζωῆς πλοῖον ἐν πολιτικοῖς ἔχοντες πράγμασιν ἀπηναιδευμένως οὕτω περὶ τὰ θεῖα φερόμεθα καὶ τὰ ὑπὲρ ἡμᾶς ἐξετάζειν ἐθέλομεν, ἃ μόνοις ἐφεῖται τοῖς ὑπὲρ τὴν ὕλην γεγενημένοις καὶ ὑπερανῳκισμένοις τῶν ἡδονῶν. ἀλλ' ἡμεῖς μὲν οὐχ οὕτως· ἀλλὰ μόνον ὑπακοῇ χρώμενοι πληροῦμεν τὰ ἐντελλόμενα.

3 Ἤδη οὖν ἀρκτέον τῆς τῶν ῥητῶν σαφηνείας καὶ πρῶτον μὲν τοῦ λέγοντος «ἡ μονὰς ἀπ' ἀρχῆς εἰς δυάδα κινηθεῖσα μέχρι τριάδος ἔστη». δόξειε μὲν ἄν τισιν οὐκ εὔλογα λέγειν τὸν τὰ τοιαῦτα θεολογοῦντα, πρῶτον μὲν ἐν οἷς φησι τὴν μονάδα εἰς δυάδα κινηθῆναι. καὶ γὰρ εὐχερῶς ἄν τις αὐτὸν ἔροιτο· «πότερον ἄρα φῄς, ὡς ἦν ἐν στάσει πρότερον ἡ μονάς, εἶτα δῆτα κινητικήν τινα προσλαβοῦσα δύναμιν ἐναντίαν τῇ πρώτῃ οἷον εἰπεῖν στατικὴν οὕτω τῆς κινήσεως κεκίνηται εἰς δυάδα κἆτα δὴ εἰς τριάδα, κἀντεῦθεν ἑτέραν προσειληφυῖα δύναμιν ἔστη, ἢ οὖσα μονὰς κινουμένη διηνεκῶς εἰς δυάδα καὶ μέχρι τριάδος βαδίζουσα, ὡς μεταιχμίου τινὸς ἐν δυάδι τυγχάνοντος, τὴν στάσιν εὕρηκεν ἐν αὐτῇ, τῆς μὲν μονάδος ἐχούσης τὴν κινητικήν,