St. John of Damascus

An accurate exposition of the Orthodox faith.

That the Divinity is incomprehensible and that we should not seek with excessive curiosity what is not given to us by the holy prophets, apostles and evangelists

There is no one else in sight of God. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, that confession

(John 1:18). So, the Divinity is ineffable and incomprehensible; for

no one knows the Father except the Son, no one knows the Son except the Father

(Matt. 11:27). Likewise, the Holy Spirit knows God, just as the human spirit knows what is in man (1 Cor. 2:11). Apart from the very first and blessed Being, no one has ever known God, except the one to whom He Himself revealed it - no one not only from people, but even from the supermundane Powers, from themselves, I say, the Cherubim and Seraphim.

However, God has not left us completely ignorant; for the knowledge that God exists, He Himself planted in the nature of everyone. And the very creation of the world, its preservation and management proclaim the greatness of the Divine (Wisdom 13:5). Moreover, God, first through the law and the prophets, then through His only begotten Son, our Lord and God and Savior Jesus Christ, communicated to us the knowledge of Himself that we can comprehend. Therefore, everything that the law and the prophets, the apostles and evangelists gave us, we accept, know and honor; and we experience nothing higher than that. For if God is good, then He is the giver of all good, and is not involved in envy or any other passion, for envy is not akin to the nature of God as impassive and the only good. And therefore, He, as omniscient and providing for the good of everyone, revealed to us what we need to know, but kept silent about what we cannot bear. We should be content with this, abide in this and not transgress the eternal limits (Proverbs 22:28) and the tradition of God.

About what can be expressed in words and what cannot, what can be known and what surpasses knowledge

Whoever wants to talk or listen about God must know that not everything regarding the Divinity and His Economy is inexpressible, but not everything is expressible, not everything is unknowable, but not everything is knowable; for one thing means what is knowable, and another thing means what is expressed in words, since it is another thing to speak, and another thing to know. Thus, much of what we vaguely know about God cannot be expressed in all perfection; but as is typical for us, so we are forced to talk about what is above us, so, speaking about God, we [attribute to Him] sleep, anger, carelessness, arms, legs, and the like.

That God is beginningless, infinite, eternal, ever-present, uncreated, unchangeable, immutable, simple, uncomplicated, incorporeal, invisible, intangible, unlimited, limitless, unknown, incomprehensible, good, righteous, omnipotent, almighty, all-seeing, all-provider, all-lord and judge, - this we know and confess, as well as the fact that God is one, that is, one Being; that He is known and exists in three hypostases (persons), that is, in the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit; that the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit are one in everything, except non-generation, birth and procession; that the Only Begotten Son, and the Word of God, and God, according to His goodness, for the sake of our salvation, by the good will of the Father and the assistance of the Holy Spirit, having been conceived without seed, was incorruptibly born of the Holy Virgin and Mother of God Mary through the Holy Spirit and became from Her a perfect Man; and that He is both perfect God and perfect Man, from two natures, Divinity and humanity, and (is known) from both natures, gifted with mind and will, active and autocratic, in short, perfect according to the definition and concept of each, i.e. e. Deity and humanity, but in one complex hypostasis. That He, moreover, hungered, and thirsted, and was weary, and was crucified, and actually accepted death and burial, and was resurrected for three days, and ascended into heaven, from where He came to us and will come again - Divine Scripture testifies to this, and the entire Cathedral of Saints.

What is the being of God, or how He is in everything, or how the Only Begotten Son and God, having emptied Himself, became man from virgin blood, that is, by another supernatural law, or how He walked on the waters with wet feet - that We don’t know and we can’t say it. So, we cannot say anything about God, nor even think, other than what God himself has spoken, said or revealed to us in the Divine Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments.

Proof that God exists

speech is foolish in his heart: there is no God

(Ps. 13:1). That is why the disciples and apostles of our Lord, made wise by the All-Holy Spirit, and by His power and grace performing divine signs, through their network of miracles brought such people from the depths of ignorance to the light of the knowledge of God. In the same way, the successors of their grace and dignity, shepherds and teachers, having received the enlightening grace of the Spirit, and by the power of miracles and the word of grace, enlightened the darkened and converted the erring. And we, having received neither the gift of miracles nor the gift of teaching - for, having become addicted to sensual pleasures, we turned out to be unworthy of this - having called upon the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit for help, let us now say about this subject something at least a little of what the prophets of grace taught us .

All beings are either created or uncreated. If they are created, then, without a doubt, they are changeable; for what being began by change will necessarily and will be subject to change, either decaying, or changing at will. If they are uncreated, then by the very sequence of inferences, of course, they are unchangeable; for what being is opposite, the image of being is opposite, that is, its properties. Who would not agree that all beings, not only those who are subject to our senses, but also angels, change, are altered and transformed in various ways; so, for example, mental beings, that is, angels, souls and spirits, according to their will, more or less succeeding in good and moving away from good, and other beings, changing both by their birth, and by disappearance, and by increase and decrease, by changes in properties and by local movement? And what changes is, of course, created, and what is created is, without a doubt, created by someone. The Creator must be an uncreated being: for if he were created, then, of course, by someone, and so on, until we reach something uncreated. Therefore, the Creator, being uncreated, undoubtedly exists and is unchangeable: and who is this other than God?

We believe in one Father, the beginning of everything and the cause, not born of anyone, but the One Who alone is innocent and unborn; in the Creator of all things, of course, but in the Father by nature only of His Only Begotten Son, Lord and God and our Savior Jesus Christ, and in the Producer of the All-Holy Spirit. And into one Son of God, the Only Begotten, our Lord Jesus Christ, begotten of the Father before all ages, into light of light, true God of true God, begotten, not made, of one essence with the Father, through whom all things came into being. Speaking about Him: before all ages, we show that His birth is flightless and without beginning; For the Son of God was not brought into being out of non-existence, radiance of glory, image of hypostasis Father (), God wisdom and strength(), the Word is hypostatic, essential and perfect, and living image of the invisible God(), but He was always with the Father and in Him, born of Him eternally and without beginning. For the Father never existed unless the Son existed, but together - the Father, together - the Son, born of Him. For He who is deprived of the Son could not be called Father. And if He existed without having a Son, then He was not the Father; and if after this He received the Son, then after this He became the Father, having not previously been the Father, and from a position in which He was not a Father, changed into one in which He became a Father, which [to say] is worse than any blasphemy. For it is impossible to say of God that He is devoid of the natural ability to be born. The ability to give birth is to give birth from oneself, that is, from one’s own essence, similar in nature.

So, regarding the birth of the Son, it is impious to say that in the middle [between His non-birth and His birth] time passed, and that the existence of the Son came after the Father. For we say that the birth of the Son is from Him, that is, from the nature of the Father. And if we do not admit that from time immemorial the Son born of Him existed together with the Father, then we will introduce a change in the Hypostasis of the Father, since, not being the Father, He became the Father later; for creation, even if it came into being after this, did not come from the essence of God, but was brought into being from non-existent things by His will and power, and the change does not concern the nature of God. For birth consists in the fact that from the being of the one who gives birth, what is born is derived, similar in essence. Creation and work consist in the fact that from the outside and not from the essence of the one who creates and produces, there comes into being what is created and produced, completely dissimilar in essence.

Therefore, in God, Who alone is impassive and immutable, and immutable, and always exists in the same way, both birth and creation are impassive; for, being by nature dispassionate and constant, as simple and uncomplicated, he is not inclined by nature to endure passion or flow either in birth or in creation, and does not need anyone's assistance; but birth is beginningless and eternal, is a matter of nature and comes from His being, so that the One who gives birth does not suffer change, and so that there is no God first and God later, and so that He does not receive an increase. Creation in God, being a work of will, is not co-eternal with God; since that which is brought into being from what does not exist is by nature incapable of being coeternal with the beginningless and always existing. Consequently, just as man and God do not produce in the same way, for man does not bring anything into being from something that does not exist, but what he does, he makes from a pre-existing substance, not only having willed, but also having first thought out and imagined in his mind what has to be , then laboring with his hands and enduring fatigue and exhaustion, and often not achieving the goal when the diligent work did not end as he wished. but, only having desired, he brought everything out of non-existence into existence; This is how God and man give birth in different ways. For God, being flightless and beginningless, and passionless, and free from flow, and incorporeal, and one only, and infinite, also gives birth without flight and without beginning, and passionlessly, and without flow, and without combination; and His incomprehensible birth has neither beginning nor end. And He gives birth without beginning because He is unchangeable, and without expiration because He is passionless and incorporeal; outside of combination, both again because He is incorporeal, and because He alone is God, not needing another; infinitely and unceasingly because He is beginningless and flightless, and infinite, and always exists in the same way. For what is without beginning is also infinite, and what is infinite by grace is by no means without beginning, like [for example] the Angels.

If we say that the Father is the beginning of the Son and painful Him, then we do not show that He takes precedence over the Son in time or nature (), for through Him the Father create eyelids(). Does not take precedence in any other respect, if not relatively reasons; that is, because the Son is begotten of the Father, and not the Father from the Son, and because the Father is naturally the cause of the Son; just as we do not say that fire comes out of light, but that it is better that light comes out of fire. So, every time we hear that the Father is the beginning and painful Son, then let us understand this in the sense of reason. And just as we do not say that fire belongs to one essence and light to another, so we cannot say that the Father belongs to one essence and the Son to another; but - one and the same. And just as we say that fire shines through the light emanating from it, and do not believe for our part that the service organ of fire is the light emanating from it, or better yet, a natural force, so we say about the Father that everything He does , does through His Only Begotten Son, not as through an official organ, but as a natural and hypostatic Power. And just as we say that fire illuminates, and again we say that the light of fire illuminates, so everything that creates Father, and the Son does the same(). But light has no existence separate from fire; The Son is a perfect Hypostasis, not separate from the Fatherly Hypostasis, as we showed above. For it is impossible for an image to be found among creation that in all similarities shows in itself the properties of the Holy Trinity. For what is created and complex, and fleeting, and changeable, and describable, and having an appearance, and perishable, will clearly show how free from all these essential Divine essence? But it is clear that all creation is possessed by greater [conditions] than these, and all of it, by its nature, is subject to destruction.

We believe equally in the Holy Spirit, the Life-Giving Lord, who proceeds from the Father and rests in the Son, with the Father and the Son let's bow And glorified, as consubstantial and coeternal; Spirit - from God, Spirit right, sovereign, Source of wisdom, life and sanctification; God with the Father and the Son, who exists and is called; uncreated, Completeness, Creator, holding everything, accomplishing everything, omnipotent, infinitely powerful, unlimitedly dominant over all creation, not subject to [anyone's] power; in the Spirit - idolizing, not idolizing; filling, not filling; perceptible, non-perceptive; sanctifying, not sanctifying; Comforter, as accepting the persistent pleas of everyone; in everything like the Father and the Son; coming from the Father and distributed through the Son, and perceived by all creation, and through Himself creating, and realizing everything without exception, and sanctifying, and containing; hypostatic, that is, existing in His own Hypostasis, Who is not separated and does not part with the Father and the Son and has everything that the Father and the Son have, except non-fertility and birth. For the Father is innocent and unborn, because it is not from anyone, since it has existence from itself, and of what it has, it has nothing from another; on the contrary, He Himself is the beginning and cause of everything, the way it naturally exists. The Son is from the Father - according to the image of birth; and the Holy Spirit Himself is also from the Father, but not in the manner of birth, but in the manner of procession. And that, of course, there is a difference between birth and procession, we have learned; but what kind of difference we don’t [know]. But both the birth of the Son from the Father and the procession of the Holy Spirit occur simultaneously.

So, everything that the Son has, and the Spirit has from the Father, even being itself. And if [something] is not the Father, [then] neither is the Son, nor is the Spirit; and if the Father does not have something, neither does the Son have, nor does the Spirit have. And because of the Father, that is, because of the existence of the Father, the Son and the Spirit exist. And because of the Father the Son has, and also the Spirit, everything that he has, that is, because the Father has it, except non-fertility and birth and procession. For by these hypostatic properties alone the three Holy Hypostases differ from each other, inseparably distinguished not by essence, but by the distinctive property of the individual Person.

We say that each of the three Persons has a perfect Hypostasis, so that we do not mistake the perfect nature for one - composed of three imperfect ones, but for a single simple essence in three perfect Hypostases, which is above and ahead of perfection. For everything composed of imperfect things is necessarily complex. But it is impossible for the addition of perfect Hypostases to occur. Therefore, we are not talking about the form from the Hypostases, but in the Hypostases. They said: “from imperfect”, [that is] that does not preserve the appearance of the thing made from this. For stone, and wood, and iron, each in itself is completely in its own nature; in relation to the dwelling made of them, each is imperfect, for each of them in itself is not a house.

Therefore, we confess, of course, perfect Hypostases, so as not to think about addition in the Divine nature. For addition is the beginning of discord. And again we say that the three Hypostases are one in the other, so as not to introduce multitudes and crowds of gods. Through the three Hypostases we understand the uncomplicated and unmerged; and through the consubstantiality and existence of the Hypostases - One in the Other, and the identity of both will and activity, and strength, and power, and, to put it this way, movements, we understand the inseparable and existence of the one God. For truly there is one God, God and the Word and His Spirit.

About the difference between the three Hypostases; and about business, and mind, and thought. – One must know that contemplation by deed is one thing, and contemplation by mind and thought is another. So, in all creatures, the difference of persons is contemplated by action. For we see by deed that Peter is different from Paul. Community, connection, and unity are contemplated by reason and thought. For we notice with our minds that Peter and Paul are of the same nature and have one common nature. For each of them is a living being, rational, mortal; and each is flesh, animated by a soul both rational and gifted with prudence. So this general nature can be contemplated by the mind. For the hypostases are not located in each other, but each is separate and separate, that is, it is placed separately on its own, having very much that distinguishes it from the other. For they are separated by place, and differ in time, and differ in intelligence and strength, and in appearance, that is, form, and in condition, and temperament, and dignity, and way of life, and in all characteristic features; Most of all, they differ in that they do not exist in each other, but separately. This is why they are called two, three people, and many.

The same can be seen in all creation. But in Holy and essential, and the highest of all, and the incomprehensible Trinity - the opposite. For there community and unity are contemplated [by] the deed, because of the co-eternity of [Persons] and the identity of Their being, and activity, and will, and because of the agreement of the cognitive ability, and the identity of power, and strength, and goodness. I did not say: similarity, but: identity, also - the unity of the origin of movement. For there is one essence, one goodness, one strength, one desire, one activity, one power, one and the same, not three similar to each other, but one and the same movement of Three Persons. For each of Them has no less unity with the other than with Itself; this is because the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit are one in everything, except for non-fertility, and birth, and procession; I think divided. For we know one God; but we notice with our thoughts the difference in the properties alone of both the fatherland and sonship and procession; both regarding the cause and what is produced by it, and execution Hypostases, that is, ways of being. For in relation to the indescribable Deity we cannot speak of a local distance, as in relation to us, because the Hypostases are one in the other, not in such a way that they merge, but in such a way that they are closely united, according to the word of the Lord, who said: I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me(); nor about the difference of will, or reason, or activity, or strength, or anything else that produces a real and complete division in us. Therefore, we speak about the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit not as three gods, but rather as one God, the Holy Trinity, since the Son and the Spirit are raised to a single Author, [but] are not added up and do not merge according to the Sabellian abbreviation, for They unite, as we said, not in such a way that they merge, but in such a way that they are closely adjacent - One to the Other, and have mutual penetration without any merging or mixing; and since They do not exist - One outside the Other, or from the side of His being, are not divided, according to the Aryan division. For the Divinity, if I must say briefly, in the divided is undivided, and as if in three suns, closely adjacent to one another and not separated by intervals, there is one mixture of light and a union. So, every time we look at the Divinity, and the first cause, and sovereignty, and one and the same thing, so to speak, and the movement of the Divinity, and the will, and the identity of essence, and power, and activity, and dominion, visible to us will be one. When we look at that in which there is Divinity, or, more precisely, what there is Divinity, and at what comes from there, from the first cause, eternally and equally and inseparably, that is, at the Hypostasis of the Son and the Spirit, then there will be Three [ Persons] whom we worship. One Father is Father and beginningless, that is innocent, for He is not from anyone. One Son is a Son, and not without beginning, that is, not innocent, for He is from the Father. And if you imagined His origin from a certain time, then it would be without beginning, for He is the Creator of times, and not depending on time. One Spirit is the Holy Spirit, although appearing from the Father, but not in the image of the Son, but in the image of procession, and neither the Father was deprived of birthlessness, because he begat, nor the Son was born of birth, because he was born of the Unbegotten; for how could [this happen]? Neither the Spirit, because He came into being, and because He is God, changed into either the Father or the Son, because the property is motionless, or how could the property stand firmly if it moved and changed? For if the Father is the Son, then He is not the Father in the proper sense, because He alone is the Father in the proper sense. And if the Son is the Father, then He is not in the proper sense the Son, for one in the proper sense is the Son and one the Holy Spirit.

You should know that we do not say that the Father comes from anyone, but we call the Son Himself Father. We do not say that the Son is the cause, nor do we say that He is the Father, but we say that He is both from the Father and the Son of the Father. We say about the Holy Spirit that He is from the Father, and we call Him the Spirit of the Father. But we do not say that the Spirit is from the Son; We call His Son the Spirit: if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, says the divine Apostle, this one is his(). And we confess that He was revealed through the Son and is distributed to us: for dunu, says [Saint John the Theologian], and verb To my students: receive the Holy Spirit(), just as from the sun both a solar ray and light, for it itself is the source of a solar ray and light; and through the sun's ray light is communicated to us, and this is the one that illuminates us and is perceived by us. About the Son we do not say that He is the Son of the Spirit, nor, of course, that He is from the Spirit.

Chapter 9. What is said about God

Deity is simple and uncomplicated. Something that consists of many and different things is complex. So, if we call uncreatedness, and beginninglessness, and incorporeality, and immortality, and eternity, and goodness, and creative power, and the like, essential differences in God, then what consists of so many will not be simple, but complex, that [to talk about Deity] is a matter of extreme wickedness. Therefore, it must be thought that each individual thing that is said about God does not indicate what He is essentially, but shows either what He is not, or some relation to something that is opposed to Him, or anything accompanying His nature or activity.

Therefore it seems that of all the names attributed to God, the most important is Syi, just as He Himself, answering Moses on the mountain, says: Thus said the son of Israel: He hath sent me(). For having combined everything in Himself, He has existence, as if some sea of essence - boundless and unlimited. And as Saint Dionysius says, [the most important name of God is] Blagiy. For in relation to God it is impossible to say first about being and then [already] about the fact that He is Good.

The second name is ο Θεός (God), which is derived from θέειν - to run and - to surround everything, or from αίθειν, which means to burn. For there is a fire that consumes () all unrighteousness. Or - from θεασθαι - to contemplate everything. For nothing can be hidden from Him, and He is all-seer(). For He contemplated everything before their existence() having been conceived from the ages, and each individually occurs at a predetermined time in accordance with His eternal, united with will, thought, which is predestination, and image, and plan.

So the first name shows that He exists, not that what He is. The second shows activity. But originlessness and incorruptibility, and uncreatedness or uncreatedness, and incorporeality, and invisibility, and the like show that what He don't eat, that is, that He did not begin being and is not destroyed, and is not created, and is not a body, and is not visible. Goodness and righteousness and holiness and the like accompany His nature, but do not show His very essence. The Lord and the King, and similar [names] show the attitude towards that which is opposed to Him. For over those over whom He rules, He is called Lord, and over those over whom He reigns, King, and in relation to what He creates, He is called Creator, and over those whom He shepherds, Shepherd.

Chapter 10. About Divine Union and Separation

So, all this together must be taken in relation to the whole Divinity and in the same way, and simply, and inseparably, and collectively; The Father, the Son, and the Spirit must be received separately; and what innocently, and that which is from the cause, and the ungenerated, and the begotten, and the proceeding; which does not show the essence, but the relationship [of Persons] among themselves and the way of being.

So, knowing this and, as if by a hand, led by this to the Divine essence, we comprehend not the essence itself, but what is around the essence; just as if we know that the soul is incorporeal, and has no quantity, and has no form, then [through this] we have no longer comprehended its essence; We have not comprehended the essence and the body, even if we know that it is white or black, but that which is near the essence. The true word teaches that the Divine is simple and has one simple activity, good and accomplishing everything in everything, like a ray of sunshine that warms everything and acts in each individual thing in accordance with its natural property and its ability to perceive, having received such power from God who created him.

Separately, there is something that relates to the Divine and humane incarnation of the Divine Word. For neither the Father nor the Spirit participated in this in any way, except through good will and indescribable miracles, which the Word, who became man like us, performed as the unchangeable God and Son of God.

Chapter 11. What is said about God in a bodily way

And since we find that in the Divine Scripture very much is said symbolically about God in a very physical way, we should know that it is impossible for us, as people and clothed with this gross flesh, to think or talk about the Divine, and high, and immaterial actions of the Divine, if we had not taken advantage of the likenesses, and images, and symbols corresponding to our nature. Therefore, what is said about God in a very physical way is said symbolically, and has a very sublime meaning, for the Divine is simple and has no form. So, let us understand the eyes of God, and the eyelids, and sight, as His power - the contemplator of everything, on the one hand, and, on the other, as His knowledge, from which nothing can be hidden, let us understand due to the fact that through this sense we have both more perfect knowledge and more complete conviction occur. Ears and hearing are like His inclination towards mercy and like His disposition to accept our prayer. For we also show favor to those who supplicate through this feeling, by inclining our ear more cordially to them. The lips and speech are like that which explains His will, due to the fact that in us the thoughts contained in the heart are shown through the lips and speech. And food and drink are like our agile striving for His will. For we, too, through the sense of taste, fulfill the necessary desire inherent in nature. The sense of smell is like that which shows [our] thought and disposition directed towards Him, due to the fact that through this sense we perceive fragrance. The face is both a revelation and a revelation of Him through deeds, due to the fact that we make ourselves known through the face. The hands are like the success of His activity. For we too, through our hands, accomplish useful and especially more excellent deeds. The right hand is like His help in just deeds, due to the fact that we also use our right hand in deeds that are more beautiful and more excellent and require very great strength. Touch is the most accurate recognition and investigation of even very small and very secret things, due to the fact that among us those whom we touch cannot hide anything in themselves. And legs and walking - both as an arrival and as a manifestation for helping those in need, or for taking revenge on enemies, or for some other matter, due to the fact that with us the arrival occurs through the use of legs. An oath - as the immutability of His decision, due to the fact that our agreements with each other are reinforced through an oath. Anger and rage are both hatred of vice and disgust. For we too, hating what is contrary to [our] conviction, become angry. Oblivion, and sleep, and drowsiness - as a delay in vengeance on enemies and as a delay in the matter of ordinary help to one’s friends. And simply to say, everything that is said about God in a bodily way has some hidden meaning, through what happens to us, teaching what is above us, if nothing is said about the bodily coming of God the Word. For for the sake of our salvation He took upon the whole man, the rational soul and body, and the properties of human nature, and natural and immaculate passions.

Chapter 12. About the same

So, we have learned this from sacred sayings, as the divine Dionysius the Areopagite said, that God is the cause and beginning of everything; the essence of what exists; the life of that which lives; the mind of that which is reasonable; the mind of that which has mind; and both the return and restoration of those who fall away from Him; and renewal and transformation of those who destroy what is in accordance with nature; for those who are shaken by some evil emotion, a holy affirmation; and those standing - safety; and those who go to Him - the path and guidance by which they are raised upward. I will also add that He is the Father of those who are created by Him. For God, who brought us from non-existence into being, is in a more proper sense our Father than those who gave birth to us, who received from Him both being and the ability to create. He is the Shepherd of those who follow Him and are grazed by Him; illuminated – lighting; those initiated into the [holy] sacraments - the highest sacrament; for those who are deified, the generous Giver of the Divine; those who are divided - peace; and those striving for simplicity - simplicity; and those who care about unity - unity; every beginning - essential And pre-initial– beginning; and His secret, that is, knowledge belonging to Him, is a good allocation, as far as [this] is possible and accessible to everyone.

More about Divine names, more details

The Deity, being incomprehensible, will certainly be nameless. So, not knowing His essence, let us not begin to look for the name of His essence, for names are suitable for showing deeds; but God, being Good and in order for us to be participants in His goodness, having brought us from non-existence into existence and making us capable of knowledge, just as He did not communicate to us His essence, so He did not communicate the knowledge of His essence. For it is impossible for nature to fully know the nature that lies above it. And if knowledge also relates to what exists, then how will it be known? essential? Therefore, out of ineffable goodness, He deigned to be called in accordance with what is characteristic of us, so that we would not be completely uninvolved in the knowledge that belongs to Him, but would have at least a dark idea of Him. So, since He is incomprehensible, He is nameless. And as the Author of everything and containing in Himself the conditions and causes of everything that exists, He is called according to everything that exists and even the opposite [of one another], such as light and darkness, water and fire, so that we know that this is not – He is essentially, but what is He – essential and nameless, and which, as the Author of all things, is called according to what came from Him - as the Cause.

Therefore, some of the Divine names are called through negation, explaining that essential, as for example: having no essence, flightless, beginningless, invisible; not because He is less than anything or that He lacks anything, for all things are His and came from Him and through Him, and in Him it will take place(), but because He is excellently different from everything that exists. For He is not anything that exists, but is above everything. The names called through affirmation speak of Him as the Author of everything. For as the Author of all things and all essences, He is called both the Being and the essence; and as the Author of all reason, and wisdom, and reasonable, and wise, He is called Reason and reasonable, Wisdom and wise; equally - Mind and smart, Life and alive, Strength and strong; it is called in a similar way and in accordance with everything else; or rather: in a more appropriate manner He will be called in accordance with what is more excellent and what approaches Him. The immaterial is more excellent and comes closer to Him than the material, and the pure than the impure, and the holy than the iniquitous, since it is also more united with Him. Therefore, it is much more appropriate for Him to be called sun and light, rather than darkness; and during the day than at night; and life than; and fire, and air, and water, as full of life, rather than earth; and first of all, and most of all, by goodness rather than by vice; and [this] is the same as [what] to say: by what exists, rather than by what does not exist. For good is being and the cause of being; evil is the deprivation of good or being. And these are denials and affirmations; but the combination that comes from both is also very pleasant, as, for example, essential essence, divine Deity, the original beginning and the like. There is also something that is said about God affirmatively, but has the force of an excellent negation, as, for example, [when we call God] darkness, not because God is darkness, but because He is not light, but is above light.

Everything is far from God, not by place, but by nature. In us: prudence, wisdom, and decision appear and disappear as properties; but not in God, for in Him nothing arises or decreases, because He is unchangeable and immutable, and in relation to Him there should be no talk of chance. For goodness accompanies His being. He who always directs his desire to God sees Him, for God is in everything, because what exists depends on the Being; and nothing can exist if it does not have its existence in Existence; because God, as containing nature, is united with all things; and God the Word is united hypostatically with His holy flesh, and has become inextricably close to our nature.

No one except the Son and the Spirit sees the Father (see).

The Son is the will, and wisdom, and power of the Father. For in relation to God we should not talk about quality, so as not to say that He is composed of essence and quality.

The Son is from the Father, and everything that He has comes from Him; therefore, He cannot talk about Himself do nothing(). For He has no activity special in comparison with the Father.

And that God, being invisible by nature, becomes visible through His actions, we know from the structure of the world and government (see below).

The Son is the image of the Father and the Son is the image of the Spirit, through whom Christ, dwelling in man, gives him that which is according to the image [of God].

God the Holy Spirit is the middle one between the Unborn and the Born and comes into contact with the Father through the Son. It is called the Spirit of God, the Spirit of Christ, the Mind of Christ, the Spirit of the Lord, the Lord Himself, the Spirit filiation, truth, freedom, wisdom (for He is the One who produces all this); filling everything with His being, containing everything; making the world complete with His being; inconceivable for the world in His power.

God is an eternal Being and unchangeable, Who is the Creator of all things and Whom the pious mind worships. and the Father, always existing, unbegotten, as not begotten of anyone, but begat the coeternal Son; God is also the Son, always existing together with the Father, born of Him timeless and eternal, and without flow, and impassively, and inseparably. God is also the Holy Spirit, the sanctifying, hypostatic Power, proceeding inseparably from the Father and resting in the Son, consubstantial with the Father and the Son.

The Word is the one who independently always abides with the Father. The word, in turn, is also a natural movement of the mind, according to which it moves, and thinks, and reasons; it is, as it were, its light and radiance. On the other hand, there is an internal word spoken in the heart. And again: the spoken word is a messenger of thought. So, the Word is both independently and hypostatically; the remaining three words are powers of the soul that are not contemplated in their own hypostasis: the first of them is a natural creation of the mind, always naturally flowing out of it; the second is called internal, and the third is pronounced.

Spirit is understood in many different ways. [For this name is also called] the Holy Spirit. The powers of the Holy Spirit are also called spirits. The Spirit is also a good Angel; spirit - and demon; spirit - and soul; sometimes it is called spirit and mind; spirit - and wind; spirit - and air.

Chapter 14. Properties of the Divine Nature

[God is a Being] uncreated, beginningless, immortal and limitless, and eternal, immaterial, good, possessing creative power, righteous, illuminating, unchanging, impassive, indescribable, inexhaustible, unlimited, indefinable, invisible, inaccessible to the mind, [in no way ] not needy, autocratic and independent, all-powerful, life-giving, omnipotent, infinitely powerful, sanctifying and giving, embracing and containing everything together and providing for everything. The Divine nature has all this and the like by nature, not receiving it from anywhere, but itself distributing every good to its own creations, according to the power in which each individually can receive.

There is both abiding and the presence of Hypostases - one in the other; for They are inseparable and inseparable, One from the other, having mutual penetration unmerged; not in such a way that they mix or merge, but in such a way that they are closely united with each other; for the Son is in the Father and the Spirit; and the Spirit is in the Father and the Son; and the Father is in the Son and the Spirit, although there is no destruction [of individuals], or confusion, or fusion. There is both unity and identity of movement, for one is the aspiration and one is the movement of the three Hypostases, which exactly is impossible to see in created nature.

[This is also added] that Divine brilliance and activity, which is one and simple and indivisible, and which is plausibly diversified in that which is divisible, and distributes to all that which constitutes [each thing’s] own nature, remains simple, of course, increasing in divisible things indivisibly and reducing and turning the divisible to the simplicity of itself. For everything strives towards it and has its existence in it. And she gives existence to all things, in accordance with the nature of [each] of them; and it is the being of that which exists, and the life of that which lives, and the mind of that which is rational, and the mind of that which is intelligent, itself being above the mind, and above the mind, and above life, and above the essence.

It should also be added that the Divine nature penetrates everything without mixing [with it], and through it itself is nothing. Another thing is that by simple knowledge she will know everything. With both the Divine and all-contemplating, and immaterial eye, everything simply sees, both the present and the past, as well as the future. before their existence(); she is infallible, and forgives sins, and saves; [must add] also the fact that although she can do everything she wants, she does not want what she can do. For she can destroy the world, but she does not want to.

[ ]|[Vekhi Library]

St. John of Damascus
An accurate statement of the Orthodox faith

Book 1

Chapter I

That the Divinity is incomprehensible and that we should not seek with excessive curiosity what has not been given to us by the holy prophets, apostles and evangelists.

There is no one else in the form of GOD. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, that confession (John 1:18). So, the Divinity is ineffable and incomprehensible; for no one knows the Father except the Son, no one knows the Son except the Father(Matt. 11:27). Likewise, the Holy Spirit knows God's just as the human spirit knows what is in man (1 Cor. 2:11). Apart from the very first and blessed Being, no one has ever known God, except the one to whom He Himself revealed it - no one not only from people, but even from the supermundane Powers, from themselves, I say, the Cherubim and Seraphim.

Chapter II

About what can be expressed in words and what cannot, what can be known and what surpasses knowledge.

Chapter III

Proof that God exists.

That God exists, those who accept the Holy Scriptures, that is, the Old and New Testaments, as well as many of the Hellenes, do not doubt this; for, as we have already said, the knowledge that God exists is given to us by nature. But the evil of the evil one so dominated human nature and plunged some into such a terrible and worst abyss of destruction that they began to say that there is no God. Exposing their madness, the seer David said: speech is foolish in his heart: there is no God(Ps. 13:1). That is why the disciples and apostles of our Lord, made wise by the All-Holy Spirit, and by His power and grace performing divine signs, through their network of miracles brought such people from the depths of ignorance to the light of the knowledge of God. In the same way, the successors of their grace and dignity, shepherds and teachers, having received the enlightening grace of the Spirit, and by the power of miracles and the word of grace, enlightened the darkened and converted the erring. And we, having received neither the gift of miracles nor the gift of teaching - for, having become addicted to sensual pleasures, we turned out to be unworthy of this - having called upon the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit for help, let us now say about this subject something at least a little of what the prophets of grace taught us .

And the very composition, preservation and management of creatures show us that there is a God who created all this, maintains, preserves and provides for everything. For how could elements hostile to each other, such as fire, water, air, earth, unite to form one world and remain in complete inseparability, if some omnipotent force did not unite them and always keep them inseparable?

Who is it that arranged in certain places everything that is in heaven and that is on earth, that is in the air and that is in water, and that which precedes all this: heaven and earth, air and nature, both fire and water? Who connected and separated all this? Who gave them movement and striving unceasing and unhindered? Isn’t this the artist who laid down the law for all things, according to which everything is done and everything is governed? Who is this artist? Isn’t it the one who created all this and brought it into existence? We cannot attribute such power to blind chance, for let it come from chance; but who put everything in such order? - let’s give in, if you like, and this is the case, who observes and preserves according to the same laws according to which everything was previously created? - Someone else, of course, and not blind chance. But who else is this if not God?

Chapter IV

About what God is? That the Divine cannot be comprehended.

So, it is obvious that God exists. But what He is in essence and nature is completely incomprehensible and unknown. That He is incorporeal is clear. For how can something be a body that is infinite and limitless, has no image, cannot be touched, is invisible, simple and uncomplicated? For how can something that is limited and subject to passions be unchangeable? And how can something that is composed of elements and is again resolved upon them not be subject to passion? - For union is the beginning of warfare, warfare is the beginning of division, division is the beginning of disintegration: but disintegration is completely alien to God.

How will it be fulfilled that God penetrates and fills everything, as the Scripture says: I do not fill heaven and earth with food, says the Lord(Jer. 23, 24). For it is impossible for a body to pass through bodies without separating them and without itself being separated, without mixing and combining with them, just as liquids merge and dissolve together.

If we assume, as some say, an immaterial body, similar to the one that the Greek sages call the fifth body, which, however, is impossible, then it, of course, will be movable, like the sky, for it is this that is called the fifth body. But who moves this body? [Of course, another being] - for everything that is movable is set in motion by another. Who is this other thing moving by? And so on to infinity, until we meet something immovable. But the first mover is the immovable, which is what God is. If He were movable, how would He not be limited by space? Therefore, God alone is immovable and through his immobility moves everything. So, it must be necessary to admit that the Deity is incorporeal.

However, this does not yet determine His essence, nor does it define ungeneracy, nor beginninglessness, nor immutability, nor incorruptibility, nor everything that is said about God or about His existence. For all this shows not that God is, but that He is not. Whoever wants to express the essence of a thing must say what it is, and not what it is not. However, it cannot be said about God that He exists in essence; but it is much more typical to talk about Him through the denial of everything. For He is not any of the things that exist, not because He did not exist at all, but because He is above everything that exists, above even being itself. For if knowledge has as its object existing things, then that which is higher than knowledge is, of course, higher than being, and again: that which exceeds being is also higher than knowledge.

So, God is infinite and incomprehensible, and one thing about Him is comprehensible - His infinity and incomprehensibility. And what we say about God affirmatively shows us not His nature, but what pertains to nature. For whether we call God good, or righteous, or wise, or anything else, we are not expressing His nature, but only what relates to nature. And sometimes what is said affirmatively about God has the force of a primary negation; so, for example, when speaking about God, we use the word darkness, meaning not darkness, but that which is not light, but above all light; or use the word light, meaning that there is no darkness.

Chapter V

Proof that there is one God, and not many.

So, it is sufficiently proven that God exists, and that His being is incomprehensible. And that there is one God, and not many, this is certain for those who believe in the Divine Scripture. For the Lord at the beginning of His law says: I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, so that you will not have any gods other than Me.(Ex. 20, 2); and again: Hear, O Israel: The Lord your God, the Lord is one(Deut. 6, 4); and in Isaiah the prophet: I am God first and I am still God, except for Me there is no God(Isa. 41:4) - Before Me there was no other God, and after Me there will not be... and is there really no God for Me?(Isa. 43: 10–11). And the Lord in the Holy Gospels says this to the Father: This is the eternal life, that they may know Thee the one true God(John 17:3).

With those who do not believe the Divine Scripture, we will reason this way: God is perfect and has no shortcomings in goodness, wisdom, and power - beginningless, infinite, everlasting, unlimited, and, in a word, perfect in everything. So, if we admit many gods, then it will be necessary to recognize the difference between these many. For if there is no difference between them, then there is already one, and not many; if there is a difference between them, then where is the perfection? If perfection is lacking either in goodness, or in power, or in wisdom, or in time, or in place, then God will no longer exist. Identity in everything indicates one God rather than many.

Moreover, if there were many gods, how would their indescribability be preserved? For where there was one, there would not be another.

How could the world be ruled by many and not be destroyed and upset when war broke out between the rulers? Because difference introduces confrontation. If someone says that each of them controls his own part, then what introduced such an order and made a division between them? This would actually be God. So, there is one God, perfect, indescribable, Creator of everything, Sustainer and Ruler, above and before all perfection.

It should be added to this that by the most natural necessity, unit is the beginning of binary.

Chapter VI

About the Word and the Son of God, proof from reason.

So this one and only God is not without the Word. If He has the Word, then He must have a Word that is not hypostatic, having begun to be and having to pass away. For there was no time when God was without the Word. On the contrary, God always has His Word, which is born from Him and which is not like our word - not hypostatic and spreading in the air, but is hypostatic, living, perfect, not outside of Him (God), but always abiding in Him. For where could He be outside of God? But since our nature is temporary and easily destructible; then our word is not hypostatic. God, as ever-present and perfect, and the Word will also be perfect and hypostatic, Who always exists, lives and has everything that the Parent has. Our word, coming from the mind, is neither completely identical with the mind, nor completely different; for, being from the mind, it is something else in relation to it; but since it reveals the mind, it is not completely different from the mind, but being by nature one with it, it is distinguished from it as a special subject: so the Word of God, since it exists in itself, is distinguished from the one from whom it has hypostasis; since it manifests in itself the same thing that is in God; then by nature there is one with him. For just as perfection is seen in the Father in all respects, so the same is seen in the Word begotten of Him.

Chapter VII

About the Holy Spirit; proof from the mind.

For the Word there must also be breath; for our word is not without breath. But our breathing is different from our being: it is the inhalation and exhalation of air, drawn in and exhaled for the existence of the body. When a word is pronounced, it becomes a sound that reveals the power of the word. And in God’s nature, simple and uncomplicated, we must piously confess the existence of the Spirit of God, because His Word is not more insufficient than our word; but it would be wicked to think that in God the Spirit is something that comes from outside, as is the case in us, complex beings. On the contrary, when we hear about the Word of God, we do not recognize It as hypostatic, or as one that is acquired by teaching, pronounced by voice, spreads in the air and disappears, but as one that exists hypostatically, has free will, is active and omnipotent: thus, having learned that the Spirit God accompanies the Word and manifests His action; we do not consider Him to be a non-hypostatic breath; for in this way we would degrade the greatness of the Divine nature to insignificance, if we had the same understanding about the Spirit that is in Him as we have about our spirit; but we honor Him with a power that truly exists, contemplated in its own and special personal existence, emanating from the Father, resting in the Word and manifesting Him, which therefore cannot be separated either from God in Whom it is, or from the Word with which it accompanies, and which does not appear in such a way as to disappear, but, like the Word, exists personally, lives, has free will, moves by itself, is active, always wants good, accompanies the will with force in every will and has neither beginning nor end; for neither the Father was ever without the Word, nor the Word without the Spirit.

Thus, the polytheism of the Hellenes is completely refuted by the unity of nature, and the teaching of the Jews is rejected by the acceptance of the Word and the Spirit; and from both of them remains what is useful, that is, from the teachings of the Jews - the unity of nature, and from Hellenism - one difference in hypostases.

If a Jew begins to contradict the acceptance of the Word and the Spirit, then he must be rebuked and his mouth blocked with Divine Scripture. For about the Divine Word David says: For ever, Lord, Your Word remains in heaven.(Ps. 119:89), and elsewhere: Sent Your Word, and I healed(Ps. 106:20); - but the word spoken by the mouth is not sent and does not remain forever. And about the Spirit the same David says: Follow Thy Spirit, and they will be created(Ps. 103:30); and elsewhere: By the Word of the Lord the heavens were established, and by the Spirit of His mouth all their power(Ps. 32:6); Job also: The Spirit of God created me, and the breath of the Almighty taught me(Job 33:4); - but the Spirit sent, creating, affirming and preserving is not a breath that disappears, just as the mouth of God is not a bodily member: but both must be understood in a manner fitting for God.

Chapter VIII

About the Holy Trinity.

So, we believe in one God, one beginning, beginningless, uncreated, unborn, incorruptible, equally immortal, eternal, infinite, indescribable, limitless, omnipotent, simple, uncomplicated, incorporeal, alien flow, impassive, unchangeable and immutable, invisible, - the source of goodness and truth, mental and unapproachable light, - in a power that is indefinable by any measure and can only be measured by one’s own will, - for everything that pleases can be done - the creator of all creatures, visible and invisible, all-embracing and preserving, providing for everything, all-powerful, over all, ruling and reigning with an endless and immortal kingdom, not having any rival, filling everything, not encompassed by anything, but all-encompassing, containing and exceeding everything, which penetrates all essences, while itself remaining pure, resides outside the limits of everything and is excluded from the range of all beings as pre-essential and above all existing, pre-divine, pre-good, full, which establishes all principalities and ranks, and itself is above all principalities and ranks, above essence, life, word and understanding, which is light itself, goodness itself, life itself, essence itself, since it does not have from another either existence or anything that exists, but itself is the source of being for everything that exists, life - for everything living, reason - for everything rational, the cause of all goods for all beings - due to , which knows everything before the existence of everything, one essence, one Divinity, one power, one will, one action, one beginning, one power, one dominion, one kingdom, in three perfect hypostases, cognizable and worshiped by one worship, believed and revered from all verbal creation (in hypostases), inextricably united and inseparably divided, which is incomprehensible - into the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, in whose name we were baptized, for this is how the Lord commanded the Apostles to baptize, saying: baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit(Matthew 28:19)

(We believe)in one Father, the beginning of all things and the cause, not begotten of any one, who alone has no cause and is not begotten, the Creator of all things, but the Father by nature of His one Only Begotten Son, our Lord and God and Savior Jesus Christ and into the producer of the All-Holy Spirit. And in one Only Son of God, our Lord, Jesus Christ, begotten of the Father before all ages, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, uncreated, consubstantial with the Father, through whom all things came into being. Speaking about Him: before all centuries,- we show that His birth is timeless and without beginning; for it was not out of non-existence that the Son of God was brought into being, the radiance of glory and the image of the Hypostasis of the Father (Heb. 1:3), living wisdom and power, the hypostatic Word, the essential, perfect and living image of the invisible God; but He was ever with the Father and in the Father, from Whom He was born eternally and without beginning. For the Father never existed unless the Son existed, but together the Father, together also the Son, begotten of Him. For the Father without the Son would not be called Father; if he had ever existed without the Son, he would not have been the Father, and if later he began to have a Son, then he also became a Father after not being a Father before, and would have undergone a change in that , not being the Father, became Him, and such a thought is more terrible than any blasphemy, for it cannot be said of God that He does not have the natural power of birth, and the power of birth consists in the ability to give birth from oneself, that is, from one’s own essence, a being, similar to oneself by nature.

So, it would be impious to assert about the birth of the Son that it happened in time and that the existence of the Son began after the Father. For we confess the birth of the Son from the Father, that is, from His nature. And if we do not admit that the Son initially existed together with the Father, from Whom He was born, then we introduce a change in the hypostasis of the Father in that the Father, not being the Father, later became the Father. True, creation came into existence after, but not from the being of God; but by the will and power of God she was brought from non-existence into existence, and therefore no change occurred in the nature of God. For birth consists in the fact that from the essence of the one who gives birth, that which is born is produced, similar in essence; creation and creation consists in the fact that what is created and created comes from the outside, and not from the essence of the creator and creator, and is completely unlike in nature.

Therefore, in God, Who alone is impassive, unchangeable, immutable and always the same, both birth and creation are impassive. For, being by nature dispassionate and alien to flow, because He is simple and uncomplicated, He cannot be subject to suffering or flow, either in birth or in creation, and has no need for anyone’s assistance. But birth (in Him) is beginningless and eternal, since it is the action of His nature and comes from His being, otherwise the one who gives birth would have suffered a change, and there would have been God first and God subsequent, and multiplication would have occurred. Creation with God, as an action of will, is not co-eternal with God. For that which is brought from non-existence into being cannot be co-eternal with the Beginningless and always Existing. God and man create differently. Man does not bring anything from non-existence into existence, but what he does, he makes from pre-existing matter, not only having wished, but also having first thought through and imagined in his mind what he wants to do, then he acts with his hands, accepts labor, fatigue, and often does not achieve the goal when hard work does not work out the way you want; God, having only willed, brought everything out of non-existence into existence: in the same way, God and man do not give birth in the same way. God, being flightless and beginningless, and passionless, and free from flow, and incorporeal, and one only, and infinite, and gives birth flightless and without beginning, and passionless, and without flow, and without combination, and His incomprehensible birth has no beginning, no end. He gives birth without beginning, because He is unchangeable; - without expiration because it is dispassionate and incorporeal; - outside of combination because, again, he is incorporeal, and there is only one God, who has no need for anyone else; - infinitely and unceasingly because it is flightless, and timeless, and endless, and always the same, for what is without beginning is infinite, and what is infinite by grace is by no means without beginning, as, for example, Angels.

So, the ever-present God gives birth to His Word, perfect without beginning and without end, so that God, who has a higher time and nature and being, does not give birth in time. Man, as it is obvious, gives birth in the opposite way, because he is subject to birth, and decay, and expiration, and reproduction, and is clothed with a body, and in human nature there is a male and female sex, and the husband has a need for the support of his wife. But may He be merciful who is above all and who surpasses all thought and understanding.

So, the Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church teaches together both about the Father and about His Only Begotten Son, born of Him without flight, without flow, dispassionately and incomprehensibly, as only the God of all knows. Just as fire and the light that comes from it exist together - not first fire, and then light, but together - and just as light, always born from fire, is always in fire and is never separated from it - so the Son is born from the Father, in no way separating from Him, but always abiding in Him. But light, inseparably born from fire and always abiding in it, does not have its own hypostasis in comparison with fire, for it is a natural property of fire; The Only Begotten Son of God, born from the Father inseparably and inseparably and always abiding in Him, has His own hypostasis, in comparison with the hypostasis of the Father.

So the Son is called the Word and radiance, because he was born from the Father without any combination and dispassionately, and without flight, and without expiration, and inseparably; (called) the same Son and the image of the Father's hypostasis because He is perfect, hypostatic and in everything like the Father, except unbornness (αγεννησια); (called) Only Begotten because He alone was born from one Father in a unique way, for no other birth is like the birth of the Son of God, and there is no other Son of God. The Holy Spirit, although it comes from the Father, does not follow the image of birth, but the image of procession. Here is another way of being, as incomprehensible and unknown as the birth of the Son (of God). Therefore, everything that the Father has, the Son also has, except ungeneracy, which does not mean a difference in essence or dignity, but a way of being - just like Adam, who is unborn, for he is the creation of God, and Seth, who is begotten, for he is the son of Adam, and Eve, who came out of Adam’s rib, for she was not born, differ from each other not by nature, for they are people, but by way of being.

You should know that the word αγενητον, when written through one ν, means something uncreated, that is, something that has not happened; when through two νν (αγεννητον), it means unborn (μη γεννηθεν). And according to the first meaning of the word, essence is distinguished from essence: for the other is an uncreated essence, signified by a word with one ν, and the other is a produced (γενητη) or created essence. According to the second meaning, essence does not differ from essence. For the first hypostasis of every species of animal is unborn (αγεννητος), and not uncreated (ονκ αγενητος); for they were all created by the Creator and brought into being by the Word; but were not born, because before there was no other homogeneous being from which they could have been born.

So, as for the first meaning, the word αγενητος befits the three pre-divine hypostases of the Holy Deity, for they are consubstantial and uncreated; the second meaning of αγεννητος is nothing. For the Father alone is ungenerated, because He does not exist from any other hypostasis; and only the Son was born, because from the essence of the Father he was born without beginning and without flight; and the Holy Spirit alone proceeds, because from the essence of the Father it is not born, but proceeds. This is what Divine Scripture teaches, although the image of birth and procession remains incomprehensible to us.

It should also be known that the names of fatherland, sonship and procession were not transferred from us to the blessed Divinity, but, on the contrary, were transferred to us from there, as the divine Apostle says: For this reason I bow my knees to the Father, from Him is the whole family in heaven and on earth(Eph. 3:14–15)

If we say that the Father is the beginning of the Son and is greater than Him (John 14:28), then we do not show that He takes precedence over the Son in time or in nature; for through Him the Father create eyelids(Heb. 1, 2). It does not take precedence in any other respect, if not in relation to the cause; that is, because the Son was born from the Father, and not the Father from the Son, that the Father is the author of the Son by nature, just as we do not say that fire comes from light, but, on the contrary, light from fire. So, when we hear that the Father is the beginning and greater than the Son, we must understand the Father as the cause. And just as we do not say that fire is of one essence, and light is another, so it is impossible to say that the Father is of one essence, and the Son is different, but (both) are one and the same. And just as we say that fire shines through the light coming out of it, and we do not believe that the light coming from fire is its service organ, but, on the contrary, is its natural power; So we say about the Father, that everything that the Father does, he does through His Only Begotten Son, not as through a ministerial instrument, but as through a natural and hypostatic Power; and just as we say that fire illuminates and again we say that the light of fire illuminates, so everything that creates Father and Son does the same thing(John 5:19). But light does not have a special hypostasis from fire; The Son is a perfect hypostasis, inseparable from the Father’s hypostasis, as we showed above. It is impossible for an image to be found among creatures that in all similarities shows in itself the properties of the Holy Trinity. For what is created and complex, fleeting and changeable, describable and imageable and perishable - how can one accurately explain the all-important Divine essence, which is alien to all this? And it is known that every creature is subject to most of these properties and, by its very nature, is subject to decay.

In the same way we believe in one Holy Spirit, the life-giving Lord, who proceeds from the Father and rests in the Son, the Father and the Son let's bow And glorify, as well as consubstantial and coeternal; in the Spirit from God, Spirit right, sovereign, source of wisdom, life and sanctification; in God, with the Father and the Son of being and being called, uncreated, Completeness, Creator, Almighty, all-perfect, omnipotent, infinitely powerful, possessing every creature and not subject to domination, in the Spirit who is idolized and not created; filling, not filling; communicating, but not borrowing anything; sanctifying and not sanctifying, Comforter, as accepting the prayers of all; in everything like the Father and the Son; proceeding from the Father, given through the Son and perceived with all creation; through Himself creating and realizing everything without exception, sanctifying and preserving; hypostatic, existing in His own hypostasis, inseparable and inseparable from the Father and the Son; having everything that the Father and the Son have, except ungeneracy and begetting; for the Father is guiltless and ungenerate, because he is not from anyone, but has being from Himself and from what he has, he has nothing from another; on the contrary, He Himself is the beginning and cause of everything, as it exists by nature. The Son is from the Father - according to the image of birth; The Holy Spirit, although also from the Father, is not in the manner of birth, but in the manner of procession. That, of course, there is a difference between birth and procession, we have learned this; but what kind of difference there is, we cannot comprehend this in any way. [We only know that] both the birth of the Son and the procession of the Holy Spirit occur simultaneously.

So, everything that the Son has and the Spirit has from the Father, even being itself. And if something is not the Father, then it is neither the Son nor the Spirit; and if the Father did not have anything, the Son and the Spirit do not have it; but through the Father, that is, because the Father exists, the Son and the Spirit exist, and through the Father the Son has, as well as the Spirit, everything that he has, because, that is, the Father has all this, except non-fertility and birth, and origins. For it is only by their hypostatic properties that the three holy hypostases differ from each other, inseparably distinguished not by essence, but by the distinctive property of each hypostasis.

We say that each of these three persons has a perfect hypostasis, so that we do not mistake the perfect nature for one, composed of three imperfect ones, but for a single simple essence in three perfect hypostases, which is higher and ahead of perfection. For everything that is composed of imperfect things is necessarily complex, but composition cannot take place from perfect hypostases; why we do not say that the species is from hypostases, but in hypostases. They said from the imperfect, that is, from that which does not represent a whole type of the thing that is made up of it - so stone, wood and iron - in themselves are perfect by nature, but in relation to the house, which is from They are built, each imperfectly, because each, taken separately, is not a house.

So, we call hypostases (Holy Trinity) perfect, so as not to introduce complexity into the Divine nature, for addition is the beginning of discord. And again we say that the three hypostases are mutually present in one another, so as not to introduce multitudes and crowds of gods. Confessing three hypostases, we recognize simplicity and unity (in the Divinity); and confessing that these hypostases are consubstantial with one another, and recognizing in them the identity of will, action, strength, power and, if we can say, movement, we recognize their inseparability and the fact that God is one; for God, His Word and His Spirit are truly one God.

About the difference between the three hypostases; and about business, and mind, and thought. You need to know that it is different to look at an object in reality, and another to look at it with the mind and thought. Thus, we actually see the difference of indivisibles in all creatures: in fact, Peter appears to be different from Paul. But community, connection and unity are contemplated by the mind and thought; so we comprehend with our minds that Peter and Paul are of the same nature, have one common nature. For each of them is a rational animal, mortal; and each is flesh, animated by a soul, both rational and gifted with prudence. So this general nature is comprehended by the mind; for the hypostases do not exist one in the other, but each separately and separately, that is, on its own, and each has many things in which one differs from the other. For they are separated by place, and differ by time, and are distinguished by intelligence, strength, appearance or image, disposition, temperament, dignity, behavior and all characteristic properties; most of all, because they exist not one in the other, but separately; that is why it is said: two, three people and many.

The same can be seen in all creation; but in the Holy and all-essential, and highest of all, and incomprehensible Trinity, it is different; for here community and unity are seen, in fact, due to the co-eternity of persons and the identity of their essence, action and will, due to the agreement of the cognitive ability and the identity of power and strength, and goodness - I did not say: similarity, but identity - also unity of origin movements, because one essence, one goodness, one strength, one desire, one action, one power; one and the same, not three similar to one another, but one and the same movement of three hypostases; for each of them is one with the other, no less than with itself; for the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit are one in everything, except ungeneracy, birth and procession, but separated by thought, for we know one God, but we notice with our thoughts the difference only in properties, that is, patronymic, sonship and procession, as we distinguish the cause, depending on the cause and perfection of the hypostasis, or way of being. For in relation to the indescribable Deity we cannot speak of a local distance, as in relation to us, because the hypostases are one in the other, not merging, however, but uniting, according to the word of the Lord, who said: I am in the Father and the Father is in Me(John 14:11) - not about the difference of will, or thought, or action, or force, or anything else that produces a real and complete division in us. Therefore, we speak about the Father, Son and Holy Spirit not as three Gods, but, rather, as one God, the Holy Trinity, since the Son and the Spirit are raised to one Author, but do not add up and do not merge, as Savely merged; for They unite, as we said, not merging, but being together with each other and penetrating each other without any confusion or fusion, and in such a way that they do not exist one outside the other or are not separated in essence, according to the Aryan division; for, to put it briefly, the Divinity is inseparable in the divided, just as in three suns closely adjacent to each other and not separated by any distance, there is one mixture of light and a fusion.

Therefore, when we look at the Divine, at the first cause, at autocracy, at the unity and identity of the Divine and, so to speak, at movement and will, at the identity of essence, force, action and domination, then we imagine one thing. When we look at that in which there is Divinity, or, to say more precisely, what there is Divinity, and at that which from there - from the first cause exists eternally, equally and indivisibly, that is, in the hypostasis of the Son and the Spirit - then there will be three Whom we bow to. One Father is Father and beginningless, that is, guiltless; for He is not from anyone. One Son is a Son, but not without beginning, that is, not innocent; for He is from the Father; if we take the beginning in time, then it is beginningless; for He is the Creator of times and is not subject to time. One Spirit is the Holy Spirit, proceeding from the Father, but not in the image of a son, but in the image of procession. So neither the Father lost his ungeneration through what he begat, nor the Son his birth through what he was born from the unborn - for how could it be otherwise? - neither the Spirit was transformed into either the Father or the Son through the fact that He came into being and because He is God. For the property is unchangeable; Otherwise, how could it remain a property if it were changed and transposed? - If the Father is the Son, then he is no longer the Father in the proper sense; for in the proper sense there is only one Father; and if the Son is the Father, then He is not in the proper sense the Son; for there is one in the proper sense of the Son; one and the Holy Spirit.

You should know that we do not say that the Father comes from anyone, but we call the Son Himself Father. We do not say that the Son is the cause, we do not say that He is the Father, but we say that He is both from the Father and the Son of the Father. And about the Holy Spirit we say that He is from the Father and we call Him the Spirit of the Father, but we do not say that the Spirit is also from the Son, but we call Him the Spirit of the Son, as the divine Apostle says: If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not carry Him(Rom. 8:9), and we confess that He has both revealed Himself to us and is taught to us through the Son; for it is said: dunu and verb to them(to His disciples): receive the Holy Spirit(John 20, 22); just as the ray and radiance (come) from the sun, for it is the source of both the ray and radiance; but the radiance is communicated to us through the beam, and it illuminates us and is accepted by us. About the Son we say neither that He is the Son of the Spirit, nor that He is from the Spirit.

Chapter IX

About what is attributed to God.

The deity is simple and uncomplicated. But what is made up of many and different things is complex. So, if we call uncreatedness, and originlessness, and immortality, and eternity, and goodness, and creative power, and the like, essential properties of God, then a being made up of such properties will not be simple, but complex, which (to talk about Deity) extreme absurdity. So, about every property attributed to God, one must think that it does not mean anything essential, but shows either that He is not, or some relation of Him to what is different from Him, or something accompanying His nature, or - His action.

Of all the names appropriated to God, it seems that the highest is: Syi(ο ων), as He Himself, answering Moses on the mountain, says: kings of the son of Israel, he sent me(Ex. 3, 14). For He contains within Himself all existence, as if it were a kind of sea of essence (ουσιας) - unlimited and limitless. Saint Dionysius says that [the original name of God is] ο αγαθος - good, because it cannot be said about God that in Him there is first being, and then goodness.

The second name is Θεος (God). It comes either from θεειν run, because God flows around everything, or from αιθειν burn, because God is a fire that consumes all evil, or from θεασθαι to see, because nothing is hidden from God, and He sees everything. For He contemplated all things before their existence, imagining it in His mind from eternity; and each thing receives its existence at a predetermined time, in accordance with His eternal thought, connected with desire, which is predestination, and image, and plan.

So the first of these names shows that God There is(το ειναι) and not what He is (το τι ειναι); the second indicates His action (ενεργιαν); and the names: beginningless, incorruptible, unborn, uncreated, incorporeal, invisible and the like show that He is not (τι ουκ εστι), that is, that He has no beginning to His being, is not subject to corruption, is not created, is not a body, invisible. Goodness, righteousness, holiness and the like accompany nature, and do not express His very essence. Names: Lord, King and the like mean a relationship to that which is different from God; He is called Lord of that which He rules, King of that which He reigns, Creator of that which He has created, and Shepherd of that which He shepherds.

Chapter X

About Divine Union and Separation.

So, all this must be taken in relation to the whole Divinity and in the same way, and simply, and inseparably, and collectively; the names: Father, and Son, and Spirit, guiltless and having a cause, unborn, begotten, proceeding, must be used separately; such names express not the essence, but the mutual relationship and way of being of the Hypostases of the Holy Trinity. So, knowing this and, as if by hand, ascending, led to the Divine essence, we do not comprehend the essence itself, but we cognize only that which relates to the essence, just as, knowing that the soul is incorporeal and has neither quantity nor image, we however, we do not yet comprehend its essence; or knowing that the body is white or black, we do not yet know its essence, but we know only what relates to its essence. The true word teaches that the Divinity is simple and has one simple, good action, acting all in all, like a ray that warms everything and acts on each thing in accordance with its natural ability and acceptability, having itself received such power from its Creator, God.

But separately there is that which relates to the divine and humane incarnation of the divine Word. For in this matter neither the Father nor the Spirit had any participation, except for good will and besides that indescribable miracle-working that God the Word performed, becoming a man like us, as the unchangeable God and Son of God.

Chapter XI

About what is said about God in a bodily way.

Since we find that in the Divine Scripture very much is said symbolically about God in a bodily way, we must know that it is impossible for us, people and those clothed with gross flesh, to otherwise understand or speak about the divine, high and immaterial actions of the Deity, except through images, types and symbols that suit us. Therefore, what is said about God in a very corporeal way is said symbolically and contains a very high meaning, since the Divinity is simple and has no form.

So, under eyes God's leaders And vision we must understand His all-contemplating power and His knowledge, which is inevitable (for no creature), since through this feeling we also acquire the most perfect knowledge and conviction. Under ears And by hearing - His favor and acceptance of our prayer; since we, when we are asked, more mercifully incline our ears to those asking, through this feeling we show our favor to them. Under lips And speech - an expression of His will, since we also reveal the thoughts of our hearts with our lips and speech. Under food And drinking - our desire for His will, since we, through the sense of taste, satisfy the necessary needs of our nature. Under smell - that which shows our thought directed towards Him, since we also sense fragrance through our sense of smell. Under face - His revelation and discovery of Himself through actions, just as our face serves as our expression. Under hands - His active power, since through our hands we also perform useful, especially our most noble, actions. Under right hand - His help in just cases, since we, when doing things that are more important, noble and require greater strength, act with our right hand. Under touch - His most accurate knowledge and understanding of the smallest and most hidden things, since even for us, things we can perceive cannot have anything hidden in them. Under kicks and by walking - His coming and presence either to help those in need, or to take revenge on enemies, or for some other action, since we also come somewhere through our feet. Under by oath - the immutability of His decision, since we also confirm our mutual agreements with an oath. Under anger And rage- His hatred and aversion to evil, since we also hate what does not agree with our thoughts and are angry at it. Under oblivion, sleep And dozing - postponing vengeance on enemies and delaying ordinary assistance to His friends. Briefly, everything that is said about God in a bodily way contains a certain hidden meaning, teaching us, through what is ordinary for us, that which is above us, excluding only what is said about the bodily coming of God the Word, for He is for the sake of of our salvation he took upon the whole man, that is, the rational soul and body, the properties of human nature and natural, immaculate passions.

Chapter XII

About the same thing.

So, this is what the sacred sayings teach us, as the divine Dionysius the Areopagite said: that God is the cause and beginning of all things, the essence of everything that exists, the life of the living, the mind of the rational, the mind of the intelligent, the return and restoration of what has fallen from Him, the renewal and transformation of what has been corrupted by in essence, a sacred stronghold for those shaken by any ungodly doubt, safety for those who stand, a path and reliable guidance for those who go to Him. I will add: He is the Father of all that He has created; for God, who brought us from non-existence into being, is our Father above our parents, who themselves received from Him both being and the ability to give birth. He is the Shepherd for those who follow Him and are grazed by Him; illumination for those who are initiated into the sacraments; Godship is for those who are adored; peace for those who have enmity; simplicity for those who love simplicity; unity for those who strive for unity; the essential and primary Beginning for every beginning; and the good communication of the hidden, that is, the knowledge of Oneself, to everyone according to the dignity and acceptability of each.

More about divine names in more detail.

The Deity, being incomprehensible, will, of course, be nameless. Not knowing His essence, we will not seek the name of His essence. For names must express their subject. God, although good, and in order for us to be participants in His goodness, called us from non-existence into being and created us capable of knowledge, nevertheless did not communicate to us either His essence or the knowledge of His essence. For it is impossible for a (lower) nature to fully know the nature that lies above it. Moreover, if knowledge relates to what exists, then how can the essential be known? Therefore, God, out of His ineffable goodness, deigns to be called in accordance with what is characteristic of us, so that we are not left completely without knowledge of Him, but have at least a dark idea of Him. So, since God is incomprehensible, He is nameless; as the Author of everything and in Himself containing the conditions of the cause of everything that exists, He is called according to everything that exists, even the opposite of one another, such as light and darkness, fire and water, so that we know that according to He is not essentially like that, but is subsubstantial and nameless, and that as the Author of everything that exists, He takes names for Himself from everything He has produced.

Therefore, one of the divine names is negative, showing divine presubstantiality are as follows: immaterial, flightless, beginningless, invisible - not because God is less than anything, or that He is devoid of anything, for everything is His, and from Him and through Him everything came into being and will take place in Him , - but because He predominately surpasses everything that exists; for He is not anything that exists, but is above everything. Other names - affirmative, speaking of Him as the Author of everything. As the Author of everything that exists and every being, He is called both being and essence; as the Author of all reason and wisdom, reasonable and wise, and is himself called Reason and reasonable, Wisdom and wise; as well as - Mind and smart, Life and living, Strength and strong; He is called in a similar way in accordance with everything else. It is most characteristic of Him to take names from things that are noblest and closest to Him. Thus, the immaterial is nobler and closer to Him than the material, the pure than the impure, the holy than the foul, since it is also more characteristic of Him. Therefore, it is much more appropriate for Him to be called the sun and light than darkness, and day rather than night, and life rather than death, and fire and air and water, as life principles, rather than earth; primarily and most of all - good rather than evil, or, what is the same, existing rather than non-existent; for goodness is being and the cause of being; evil is the deprivation of good or being. And these are denials and affirmations. From both of them comes the most pleasant combination, such as: a super-essential being, a pre-divine Deity, a pre-primary principle, and the like. There are also such names that, although ascribed to God in the affirmative, have the force of an excellent negation, such as: darkness, no because God is darkness, but because He is not light, but is above light.

So, God is called Mind and Reason, and Spirit, and Wisdom, and Power, as the Author of this, as immaterial, omniactive and omnipotent. And this, said affirmatively and negatively, is said generally about the entire Divinity, as well as about each Hypostasis of the Holy Trinity, in the same and in the same way, and without any diminution. For every time I think about one of the Hypostases, I understand Her to be a perfect God and a perfect Being. And connecting and counting the three Hypostases together, I mean the one perfect God; for the Godhead is not complex, but in three perfect persons one, perfect, indivisible and uncomplicated. When I think about the mutual relationship of the Hypostases, I understand that the Father is the essential Sun, the Source of goodness, the Abyss of being, reason, wisdom, strength, light, Divinity, the Source that gives birth and produces the good hidden in Him. So, He is the Mind, the Abyss of the mind, the Parent of the Word and through the Word the Maker of the Spirit, which reveals Him; and, not to say much, in the Father there is no (other) word, wisdom, strength and desire, except the Son, Who is the only power of the Father, the original one, by which everything was created, as a perfect Hypostasis born from a perfect Hypostasis, as He Himself knows Who is and is called the Son. The Holy Spirit is the power of the Father, manifesting the hidden Divinity, proceeding from the Father through the Son, as He Himself knows, but not through birth; and therefore the Holy Spirit is the Finisher of all creation. So, what befits the Author-Father, the Source, the Parent, must befit the Father alone. And what about the produced, begotten Son, the Word, the precursor Power, desire, wisdom; this must be attributed to the Son. What is proper to the produced, the proceeding and the revealing, the perfecting Power, must be attributed to the Holy Spirit. The Father is the Source and Cause of the Son and the Holy Spirit; but He is the Father of the Son alone and the Producer of the Holy Spirit. The Son is the Son, the Word, the Wisdom, the Power, the Image, the Radiance, the image of the Father and from the Father. But the Holy Spirit is not the Son of the Father, but the Spirit of the Father proceeding from the Father. For there is no excitement without the Spirit. But He is also the Spirit of the Son, not because from Him, but because through Him He proceeds from the Father. For there is only one Author - the Father.

Chapter XIII

About the place of God and about the fact that the Divinity alone is indescribable.

The bodily place is the limit of the containing, in which the content is contained; for example, air contains, and body is contained. But not the entire containing air is the place of the body of the contents, but only the limit of the containing air, which embraces the contents of the body. In general (one must know) that the contained is not contained in the content.

But there is also a spiritual (νοητος, mental) place where spiritual and incorporeal nature is represented and located, where it is precisely that it is present and acts; but it is contained not physically, but spiritually; for it does not have a certain form so that it can be maintained bodily.

So, God, being immaterial and indescribable, is not in a place: He is a place for Himself, as filling everything, existing above all, and Himself containing everything. However, it is said that He is also in a place, and where His action is obvious, it is called the place of God. For He Himself, without mixing with anything, penetrates everything and allows everything to participate in His action, according to the dignity and acceptability of each: I am talking about physical and moral purity. For the immaterial is purer than the material, and the virtuous is purer than the vicious. So, the place of God is that which most participates in His action and grace. Therefore heaven is His throne; for in heaven the Angels do His will and always glorify Him, which is His peace; A the earth is the footstool(Isa. 66:1) Him, because He is on her in the flesh live with people(Var. 3, 38) . His holy flesh is called the Foot of God. The church is also called the place of God, because we set it apart as a kind of sacred place for the praise of God; Here we send our prayers to Him. Likewise, other places where His action is obvious to us, either in the flesh or without the body, are called places of God.

One must know that the Divinity is indivisible, so that It is everything and everywhere, and not part within part, divided in a bodily way, but all in all and all above all.

About the place of the angel and the soul and the indescribable.

As for the Angel, although he is not physically contained in a place in such a way that he receives an image and a certain appearance, he is said to be in a place by spiritual presence and action, as is characteristic of his nature, and is not present everywhere, but where it acts, it is spiritually limited, because it cannot act at the same time in different places. It is common for God alone to act everywhere at the same time. For the Angel acts in different places, according to the speed of his nature and ability to easily, that is, quickly move, and the Divinity, being everywhere and above everything, acts with one and simple action in different places at the same time.

The soul is united - with the body, all with all, and not part with part; and is not contained by it, but it is contained by iron, like fire, and, remaining in it, produces the actions characteristic of it.

What is describable is that which is encompassed either by place, or by time, or by understanding; Indescribable is that which is not encompassed by anything. So, one Deity is indescribable, as beginningless and infinite, containing everything and not encompassed by any concept; for it is incomprehensible and limitless, not known to anyone and known only to Himself. An angel is limited both by time - for it has the beginning of its existence, and by place - albeit in a spiritual sense, as we said before, and by intelligibility - for (Angels) in some way know the nature of each other, and are completely limited by the Creator. And bodies are limited by both the beginning and the end, and the bodily place, and the intelligibility.

A collection of thoughts about God and the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. And about the Word and the Spirit.

So, the Divinity is perfect, immutable and unchangeable. It, according to its foreknowledge, predetermined everything beyond our control, assigning to everything a proper and proper time and place. That's why Father judges no one, but all judgment is given to the Sons(John 5:22). For, of course, the Father and the Son, like God, and the Holy Spirit judge; but one Son, as a man, will descend in bodily form and will sit on the throne of glory(Matt. 25:31), because only a limited body is suitable for descending and sitting, and will judge the universe in truth(Acts 17:31) .

Everything is separated from God, but not by place, but by nature. In us, prudence, wisdom and decision appear and disappear as properties; but not in God: in Him nothing arises or decreases; for He is unchangeable and immutable, and nothing accidental can be attributed to Him. For He has goodness accompanying His being.

He who always strives with desire towards God sees Him; for God is in everything; everything that exists depends on Being, and nothing can exist that does not have its existence from Being, because God, as containing nature, is united with everything; and God the Word united hypostatically with His holy flesh and became inextricably close to our nature.

No one sees the Father except the Son and the Spirit (John 6:46). The Son is the advice, wisdom and strength of the Father. For it is impossible to ascribe qualities to God without telling us that He is composed of essence and quality.

The Son is from the Father, and everything that he has, he has from Him (John 5:30), therefore he cannot do anything on his own; for He has no special action in comparison with the Father.

That God, being invisible by nature, is made visible by his actions, we know this from the structure of the world and His government (Wisdom 13:5).

The Son is the image of the Father, and the image of the Son is the Spirit, through whom Christ, dwelling in man, gives him that which is according to the image (of God).

God, the Holy Spirit, is the mean between the unborn and the begotten, and through the Son is united with the Father. He is called the Spirit of God. The Spirit of Christ, the Mind of Christ, the Spirit of the Lord, the Lord Himself, the Spirit of sonhood, truth, freedom, wisdom, as the one who produces all this; He fills everything with His being and contains everything, filling the world with His being, but not limiting itself to the world in power.

God is an ever-present, unchangeable, all-creating being, worshiped by a pious mind.

God is the Father, always existing, unbegotten, because he was not born of anyone, but begat the co-existent Son. God is also the Son, always existing with the Father, from whom He was born timelessly and eternally, without expiration, and impassively, and inseparably. God is also the Holy Spirit, a sanctifying, hypostatic power, proceeding inseparably from the Father and resting in the Son, consubstantial with the Father and the Son.

There is the Word, which is always essentially present in the Father. The word is also a natural movement of the mind, according to which it moves, thinks, reasons; - it is like a reflection and radiance of the mind. Again there is an internal word spoken in the heart. Again, the spoken word is a messenger of thought. So, God the Word is both independently and hypostatically; the other three words are the powers of the soul, not contemplated in their own hypostasis; namely, the first is a natural creation of the mind, always flowing naturally from it; the second is called internal, and the third is pronounced.

And the Spirit is understood in many different ways. There is the Holy Spirit. And the actions of the Holy Spirit are called spirits. The Spirit is also a good Angel; spirit - and demon; spirit is also soul; sometimes the mind is called spirit; spirit - and wind; spirit - and air.

Chapter XIV

Properties of Divine nature.

God is an uncreated being, beginningless, immortal, infinite and eternal; incorporeal, good, omniactive, righteous, enlightening, unchangeable, impassive, indescribable, incontainable, unlimited, boundless, invisible, incomprehensible, all-content, autocratic and autocratic, omnipotent, life-giving, omnipotent, infinitely powerful, sanctifying and sociable, all-containing and preserving, and providing for everything - such is the Divinity, Who has all this and the like by nature, and did not receive it from anywhere, but Himself communicates every good to His creatures, each according to its receiving power.

In addition, divine radiance and action, being one, simple and indivisible, remains simple both when it diversifies in the types of benefits imparted to individual beings, and when it shares with all of them that which constitutes the nature corresponding to each thing; but, inseparably multiplying in relation to individual beings, it elevates and turns the most individual beings to its own simplicity. For all beings strive towards the Divine and have existence in It, since It imparts to all existence, in accordance with the nature of each; and It is the being of existing things, the life of living things, the mind of the rational and the mind of the intelligent; Meanwhile, It itself is higher than the mind, higher than reason, higher than life, higher than being.

It should also be added that It penetrates through everything, without mixing with anything, but nothing penetrates through Itself. It knows everything by simple knowledge, and simply sees everything with its divine, all-contemplating and immaterial eye, everything - the present, the past, and the future, before their existence. It is sinless, and forgives sins, and saves. It can do whatever it wants; but not everything that can, wants; So, It can destroy the world, but it doesn’t want to.

[“An Accurate Statement of the Orthodox Faith” - Table of Contents]|[Vekhi Library]
ã 2001, Library "Vekhi"

Memory: December 4 / December 17

St. John of Damascus (680 - 780) - Orthodox apologist, spiritual writer, hymnographer. Known primarily for his defense of icon veneration and denunciation of heresies.

John of Damascus. An accurate exposition of the Orthodox faith. Book one

Chapter I. That the Divinity is incomprehensible and that we should not seek with excessive curiosity what is not given to us by the holy prophets, apostles and evangelists

There is no one else in sight of God. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, is of that confession (John 1:18). So, the Divinity is ineffable and incomprehensible; for no one knows the Father except the Son, nor the Son except the Father (Matt. 11:27). Likewise, the Holy Spirit knows God, just as the human spirit knows the things that are in man (1 Cor. 2:11). Apart from the very first and blessed Being, no one has ever known God, except the one to whom He himself revealed it - no one not only from people, but even from the supermundane Powers, from themselves, I say, the Cherubim and Seraphim.

That God is beginningless, infinite, eternal, ever-present, uncreated, unchangeable, immutable, simple, uncomplicated, incorporeal, invisible, intangible, unlimited, limitless, unknown, incomprehensible, good, righteous, omnipotent, almighty, all-seeing, all-provider, all-lord and judge, - this we know and confess, as well as the fact that God is one, i.e. one Being; that He is known and exists in three hypostases (persons), i.e. in the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit; that the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit are one in everything, except non-generation, birth and procession; that the Only Begotten Son, and the Word of God, and God, according to His goodness, for the sake of our salvation, by the good will of the Father and the assistance of the Holy Spirit, having been conceived without seed, was incorruptibly born of the Holy Virgin and Mother of God Mary through the Holy Spirit and became from Her a perfect Man; and that He is both perfect God and perfect Man, from two natures, Divinity and humanity, and (is known) from both natures, gifted with mind and will, active and autocratic, in short, perfect according to the definition and concept of each, i.e. e. Deity and humanity, but in one complex form. That He, moreover, hungered, and thirsted, and was weary, and was crucified, and actually accepted death and burial, and was resurrected for three days, and ascended into heaven, from where He came to us and will come again - Divine Scripture testifies to this, and the entire Cathedral of Saints.

What is the essence of God, or how He is in everything, or how the Only Begotten Son and God, having emptied Himself, became man from virgin blood, i.e. by another supernatural law, or how He walked on the waters with wet feet - we do not know and cannot say. So, we cannot say anything about God, nor even think, other than what God himself has spoken, said or revealed to us in the Divine Scriptures of the Old and New Testaments.

Chapter III. Proof that God exists

Who is it that arranged in certain places everything that is in heaven and that is on earth, that is in the air and that is in water, and that which precedes all this: heaven and earth, air and nature, both fire and water? Who connected and separated all this? Who gave them movement and striving unceasing and unhindered? Isn’t this the artist who laid down the law for all things, according to which everything is done and everything is governed? Who is this artist? Isn’t it the one who created all this and brought it into existence? We cannot attribute such power to blind chance, for let it come from chance; but who put everything in such order? - let’s give in, if you like, and this is the case, who observes and preserves according to the same laws according to which everything was created before? - Someone else, of course, and not blind chance. But who else is this if not God?

Chapter IV. About what God is? That the Divine cannot be comprehended

How will it be fulfilled that God penetrates and fills everything, as the Scripture says: I will not fill the heavens and the earth with food, says the Lord (Jer. 23, 24). For it is impossible for a body to pass through bodies without separating them and without itself being divided, without mixing and combining with them, just as liquids merge and dissolve together.

However, this does not yet determine His essence, nor does it define ungeneracy, nor beginninglessness, nor immutability, nor incorruptibility, nor everything that is said about God or about His existence. For all this shows not that God is, but that He is not. Whoever wants to express the essence of a thing must say what it is, and not what it is not. However, it cannot be said about God that He exists in essence; but it is much more typical to talk about Him through the denial of everything. For He is not any of the things that exist, not because He does not exist at all, but because He is above everything that exists, above even being itself. For if knowledge has as its object existing things, then that which is higher than knowledge is, of course, higher than being, and again: that which exceeds being is also higher than knowledge.

So, God is infinite and incomprehensible, and one thing about Him is comprehensible - His infinity and incomprehensibility. And what we say about God affirmatively shows us not His nature, but what pertains to nature. For whether we call God good, or righteous, or wise, or anything else, we are not expressing His nature, but only what relates to nature. And sometimes what is said affirmatively about God has the force of a primary negation; so, for example, when speaking about God, we use the word darkness, meaning not darkness, but that which is not light, but above all light; or we use the word light, meaning that it is not darkness.

Chapter V. Proof that there is one God, and not many

So, it is sufficiently proven that God exists, and that His being is incomprehensible. And that there is one God, and not many, this is certain for those who believe in the Divine Scripture. For the Lord at the beginning of His law says: I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, so that you will have no gods other than Me (Ex. 20:2); and again: Hear, O Israel: The Lord thy God, the Lord is one (Deut. 6:4); and in Isaiah the prophet: I am God the first and I am hereafter, except Me there is no God (Is. 41:4) - Before Me there was no other God, and after Me there will not be... and is there no God (Is. 43:10 –11). And the Lord in the Holy Gospels says this to the Father: This is the eternal life, that they may know Thee the one true God (John 17:3).

Moreover, if there were many gods, how would their indescribability be preserved? For where there was one, there would not be another.

It should be added to this that, by the most natural necessity, unit is the beginning of binary.

Chapter VI. About the Word and the Son of God, proof from reason

Chapter VII. About the Holy Spirit; proof from the mind

If a Jew begins to contradict the acceptance of the Word and the Spirit, then he must be rebuked and his mouth blocked with Divine Scripture. For about the Divine Word, David says: For ever, Lord, Thy Word abideth in heaven (Ps. 119:89), and in another place: Sent Thy Word, and healed me (Ps. 106:20); - but the word spoken by the mouth is not sent and does not remain forever. And about the Spirit the same David says: Follow Thy Spirit, and they will be created (Ps. 103:30); and in another place: By the Word of the Lord the heavens were established, and by the Spirit of His mouth all their power (Ps. 32:6); also Job: the Spirit of God created me, and the breath of the Almighty taught me (Job 33:4); - but the Spirit sent, creating, affirming and preserving is not a breath that disappears, just as the mouth of God is not a bodily member: but both must be understood in a manner decent to God.

Chapter VIII. About the Holy Trinity

(We believe) in one Father, the beginning of everything and the cause, not begotten of anyone, who alone has no cause and is not begotten, the Creator of all things, but the Father by nature of His one Only Begotten Son, our Lord and God and Savior Jesus Christ and the bearer of the All-Holy Spirit. And in one Only Son of God, our Lord, Jesus Christ, begotten of the Father before all ages, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, uncreated, consubstantial with the Father, through whom all things came into being. Speaking about Him: before all ages, we show that His birth is timeless and without beginning; for it was not out of non-existence that the Son of God was brought into being, the radiance of glory and the image of the Hypostasis of the Father (Heb. 1:3), living wisdom and power, the hypostatic Word, the essential, perfect and living image of the invisible God; but He was ever with the Father and in the Father, from Whom He was born eternally and without beginning. For the Father never existed unless the Son existed, but together the Father, together also the Son, begotten of Him. For the Father without the Son would not be called Father; if he had ever existed without the Son, he would not have been the Father, and if later he began to have a Son, then he also became a Father after not being a Father before, and would have undergone a change in that , not being the Father, became Him, and such a thought is more terrible than any blasphemy, for it cannot be said of God that He does not have the natural power of birth, and the power of birth consists in the ability to give birth from oneself, i.e. from its own essence, a being similar to itself by nature.

So, the Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church teaches together both about the Father and about His Only Begotten Son, born of Him without flight, without flow, dispassionately and incomprehensibly, as only the God of all knows. Just as both fire and the light that comes from it exist together - not first fire, and then light, but together - and just as light, always born from fire, is always in fire and is never separated from it - so the Son is born from the Father, in no way separating from Him, but always abiding in Him. But light, inseparably born from fire and always abiding in it, does not have its own hypostasis in comparison with fire, for it is a natural property of fire; The Only Begotten Son of God, born from the Father inseparably and inseparably and always abiding in Him, has His own hypostasis, in comparison with the hypostasis of the Father.

So, the Son is called Word and radiance, because he was born from the Father without any combination and dispassionately, and without flight, and without flow, and inseparably; (called) the Son and the image of the Father’s hypostasis because He is perfect, hypostatic and in everything like the Father, except ungeneracy (αγεννησια); (called) the Only Begotten because He alone was born from one Father in a unique way, for no other birth is like the birth of the Son of God, and there is no other Son of God. The Holy Spirit, although it comes from the Father, does not follow the image of birth, but the image of procession. Here is another way of being, as incomprehensible and unknown as the birth of the Son (of God). Therefore, everything that the Father has, the Son also has, except ungeneracy, which does not mean a difference in essence or dignity, but a way of being - just like Adam, who is unborn, for he is the creation of God, and Seth, who is begotten, for he is the son of Adam, and Eve, who came out of Adam’s rib, for she was not born, differ from each other not by nature, for they are people, but by way of being.

You should know that the word αγενητον, when written through one ν, means something uncreated, i.e. not happened; when through two νν (αγεννητον), it means unborn (μη γεννηθεν). And according to the first meaning of the word, essence is distinguished from essence: for one is an uncreated essence, signified by a word with one ν, and another is a produced (γενητη) or created essence. According to the second meaning, essence does not differ from essence. For the first hypostasis of every species of animal is unborn (αγεννητος), and not uncreated (ονκ αγενητος); for they were all created by the Creator and brought into being by the Word; but were not born, because before there was no other homogeneous being from which they could have been born.

So, as for the first meaning, the word αγενητος befits the three pre-divine hypostases of the Holy Deity, for they are consubstantial and uncreated; the second meaning of αγεννητος is nothing. For the Father alone is ungenerated, because He does not exist from any other hypostasis; and only the Son was born, because from the essence of the Father he was born without beginning and without flight; and the Holy Spirit alone proceeds, because from the essence of the Father he is not born, but proceeds. This is what Divine Scripture teaches, although the image of birth and procession remains incomprehensible to us.

You should also know that the names of fatherland, sonship and procession were not transferred from us to the blessed Divinity, but, on the contrary, were transferred to us from there, as the divine Apostle says: for this reason I bow my knees to the Father, from Him is all the fatherland in heaven and on earth (Eph.3:14–15).

If we say that the Father is the beginning of the Son and is greater than Him (John 14:28), then we do not show that He takes precedence over the Son in time or in nature; For through Him the Father made the eyelids (Heb. 1:2). It does not take precedence in any other respect, if not in relation to the cause; that is, because the Son was born from the Father, and not the Father from the Son, that the Father is the author of the Son by nature, just as we do not say that fire comes from light, but, on the contrary, light from fire. So, when we hear that the Father is the beginning and greater than the Son, we must understand the Father as the cause. And just as we do not say that fire is of one essence, and light is of another, so it is impossible to say that the Father is of one essence, and the Son is different, but (both) are one and the same. And just as we say that fire shines through the light coming out of it, and we do not believe that the light coming from fire is its service organ, but, on the contrary, is its natural power; So we say about the Father, that everything that the Father does, he does through His Only Begotten Son, not as through a ministerial instrument, but as through a natural and hypostatic Power; and just as we say that fire illuminates and again we say that the light of fire illuminates, so everything that the Father does, the Son does likewise (John 5:19). But light does not have a special hypostasis from fire; The Son is a perfect hypostasis, inseparable from the Father’s hypostasis, as we showed above. It is impossible for an image to be found among creatures that in all similarities shows in itself the properties of the Holy Trinity. For what is created and complex, fleeting and changeable, describable and imageable and perishable - how can one accurately explain the all-important Divine essence, which is alien to all this? And it is known that every creature is subject to most of these properties and, by its very nature, is subject to decay.

In the same way, we believe in the one Holy Spirit, the life-giving Lord, who proceeds from the Father and rests in the Son, who is worshiped and glorified by the Father and the Son, as being consubstantial and coeternal; in the Spirit from God, the right and ruling Spirit, the source of wisdom, life and sanctification; into God, with the Father and the Son, existing and called, uncreated, Completeness, Creator, Almighty, all-perfect, omnipotent, infinitely powerful, possessing every creature and not subject to dominion, into the God-creating and uncreated Spirit; filling, not filling; communicating, but not borrowing anything; sanctifying and not sanctifying, Comforter, as accepting the prayers of all; in everything like the Father and the Son; proceeding from the Father, through the Son, given and received by all creation; through Himself creating and realizing everything without exception, sanctifying and preserving; hypostatic, existing in His own hypostasis, inseparable and inseparable from the Father and the Son; having everything that the Father and the Son have, except ungeneracy and begetting; for the Father is guiltless and ungenerate, because he is not from anyone, but has being from Himself and from what he has, he has nothing from another; on the contrary, He Himself is the beginning and cause of everything, as it exists by nature. The Son is from the Father - according to the image of birth; The Holy Spirit, although also from the Father, is not in the manner of birth, but in the manner of procession. That, of course, there is a difference between birth and procession, we have learned this; but what kind of difference there is, we cannot comprehend this in any way. [We only know that] both the birth of the Son and the procession of the Holy Spirit occur simultaneously.

We say that each of these three persons has a perfect hypostasis, so that we do not accept the perfect nature as one, composed of three imperfect ones, but as one simple essence in three perfect hypostases, which is higher and ahead of perfection. For everything that is composed of imperfect things is necessarily complex, but composition cannot take place from perfect hypostases; why we do not say that the species is from hypostases, but in hypostases. They said from the imperfect, that is, from that which does not represent the whole type of the thing that is made up of it, so stone, wood and iron are perfect in themselves by nature, but in relation to the house, which is from They are built, each imperfectly, because each, taken separately, is not a house.

So, we call the hypostases (of the Holy Trinity) perfect, so as not to introduce complexity into the Divine nature, for addition is the beginning of discord. And again we say that the three hypostases are mutually present in one another, so as not to introduce multitudes and crowds of gods. Confessing three hypostases, we recognize simplicity and unity (in the Divinity); and confessing that these hypostases are consubstantial with one another, and recognizing in them the identity of will, action, strength, power and, if we can say, movement, we recognize their inseparability and the fact that God is one; for God, His Word and His Spirit are truly one God.

About the difference between the three hypostases; and about business, and mind, and thought. You need to know that it is different to look at an object in reality, and another to look at it with the mind and thought. Thus, we actually see the difference of indivisibles in all creatures: in fact, Peter appears to be different from Paul. But community, connection and unity are contemplated by the mind and thought; so we comprehend with our minds that Peter and Paul are of the same nature, have one common nature. For each of them is a rational animal, mortal; and each is flesh, animated by a soul, both rational and gifted with prudence. So this general nature is comprehended by the mind; for the hypostases do not exist one in the other, but each separately and separately, i.e. in itself, and each has many things that make one different from the other. For they are separated by place, and differ by time, and are distinguished by intelligence, strength, appearance or image, disposition, temperament, dignity, behavior and all characteristic properties; most of all, because they exist not one in the other, but separately; that is why it is said: two, three people and many.

The same can be seen in all creation; but in the Holy and all-essential, and highest of all, and incomprehensible Trinity, it is different; for here community and unity are seen, in fact, due to the co-eternity of persons and the identity of their essence, action and will, due to the agreement of the cognitive ability and the identity of power and strength, and goodness - I did not say: similarity, but identity - also unity of origin movements, because one essence, one goodness, one strength, one desire, one action, one power; one and the same, not three similar to one another, but one and the same movement of three hypostases; for each of them is one with the other, no less than with itself; for the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit are one in everything, except ungeneracy, birth and procession, but separated by thought, for we know one God, but we notice with thought the difference only in properties, i.e. patronymic, sonship and procession, as we distinguish between the cause, the dependent on the cause, and the perfection of the hypostasis, or way of being. For in relation to the indescribable Divinity we cannot speak of a local distance, as in relation to us, because the hypostases are one in the other, not merging, however, but uniting, according to the word of the Lord, who said: I am in the Father and the Father is in Me (John 14:11) - not about the difference of will, or thought, or action, or force, or anything else that produces a real and complete division in us. Therefore, we speak about the Father, Son and Holy Spirit not as three Gods, but, rather, as one God, the Holy Trinity, since the Son and the Spirit are raised to one Author, but do not add up and do not merge, as Savely merged; for They unite, as we said, not merging, but being together with each other and penetrating each other without any confusion or fusion, and in such a way that they do not exist one outside the other or are not separated in essence, according to the Aryan division; for, to put it briefly, the Divinity is inseparable in the divided, just as in three suns closely adjacent to each other and not separated by any distance, there is one mixture of light and a fusion.

Therefore, when we look at the Divine, at the first cause, at autocracy, at the unity and identity of the Divine and, so to speak, at movement and will, at the identity of essence, force, action and domination, then we imagine one thing. When we look at that in which there is Divinity, or, to say more precisely, what there is Divinity, and at that which from there - from the first cause exists eternally, equally and inseparably, that is, in the hypostasis of the Son and the Spirit - then there will be three Whom we bow to. One Father is Father and beginningless, i.e. innocent; for He is not from anyone. One Son is a Son, but not without beginning, i.e. not innocent; for He is from the Father; if we take the beginning in time, then it is beginningless; for He is the Creator of times and is not subject to time. One Spirit is the Holy Spirit, proceeding from the Father, but not in the image of a son, but in the image of procession. So neither the Father lost his ungeneration through what he begat, nor the Son his birth through what he was born from the unborn - for how could it be otherwise? - neither the Spirit was transformed into either the Father or the Son through the fact that He came into being and because He is God. For the property is unchangeable; Otherwise, how could it remain a property if it were changed and transposed? - If the Father is the Son, then he is no longer the Father in the proper sense; for in the proper sense there is only one Father; and if the Son is the Father, then He is not in the proper sense the Son; for there is one Son in the proper sense; one and the Holy Spirit.

You should know that we do not say that the Father comes from anyone, but we call the Son Himself Father. We do not say that the Son is the cause, nor do we say that He is the Father, but we say that He is both from the Father and the Son of the Father. And about the Holy Spirit we say that He is from the Father and we call Him the Spirit of the Father, but we do not say that the Spirit is also from the Son, but we call Him the Spirit of the Son, as the divine Apostle says: if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not have Him (Rom. 8:9), and we confess that He has both revealed Himself to us and is taught to us through the Son; for it is said: I breathed and said to them (His disciples): Receive the Holy Spirit (John 20:22); just as the ray and radiance (come) from the sun, for it is the source of both the ray and radiance; but the radiance is communicated to us through the beam, and it illuminates us and is accepted by us. About the Son we say neither that He is the Son of the Spirit, nor that He is from the Spirit.

Chapter IX. About what is attributed to God

Of all the names assigned to God, it seems that the highest is: He (ο ων), just as He Himself, answering Moses on the mountain, says: Rtsy son of Israel, He sent me (Ex. 3:14). For He contains all existence within Himself, as if it were a kind of sea of essence (ουσιας) - unlimited and limitless. Saint Dionysius says that [the original name of God is] ο αγαθος - good, because it cannot be said about God that in Him there is first being, and then goodness.

So, the first of these names shows that God is (το ειναι) and not that He is (το τι ειναι); the second indicates His action (ενεργιαν); and the names: beginningless, incorruptible, unborn, uncreated, incorporeal, invisible and the like show that He is not (τι ουκ εστι), that is, that He has no beginning to His being, is not subject to corruption, is not created, is not a body, invisible. Goodness, righteousness, holiness and the like accompany nature, and do not express His very essence. Names: Lord, King and the like mean a relationship to that which is different from God; He is called Lord of that which He rules, King of that which He reigns, Creator of that which He has created, and Shepherd of that which He shepherds.

Chapter X. About Divine Union and Separation

Chapter XI. What is said about God in a bodily way

So, by the eyes of God, knowledge and sight we must understand His all-contemplating power and His knowledge, which is inevitable (for no creature), since through this feeling we also acquire the most perfect knowledge and conviction. Under the ears and hearing - His favor and acceptance of our prayer; since we, when we are asked, more mercifully incline our ears to those asking, through this feeling we show our favor to them. Under the lips and speech is the expression of His will, since we, through our lips and speech, reveal the thoughts of our hearts. Under food and drink - our desire for His will, since we, through the sense of taste, satisfy the necessary needs of our nature. By smell is that which shows our thought directed towards Him, since we also sense fragrance through smell. Under the face is His revelation and revelation of Himself through actions, since our face also serves as our expression. Under our hands is His active power, since through our hands we also perform useful, especially our most noble, actions. Under His right hand is His help in just cases, since we, when doing things that are more important, noble and require greater strength, act with our right hand. By touch is His most accurate knowledge and understanding of the smallest and most hidden things, since even for us, the things we touch cannot have anything hidden in themselves. Under feet and walking - His coming and presence either to help those in need, or to take revenge on enemies, or for some other action, since we also come somewhere through our feet. Under the oath is the immutability of His decision, since we also confirm our mutual agreements with an oath. Under anger and rage - His hatred and aversion to evil, since we also hate what does not agree with our thoughts and are angry about it. Under oblivion, sleep and slumber - postponing vengeance on enemies and slowing down ordinary help to His friends. Briefly, everything that is said about God in a bodily way contains a certain hidden meaning, teaching us, through what is ordinary for us, that which is above us, excluding only what is said about the bodily coming of God the Word, for He is for the sake of of our salvation took on the whole person, i.e. the rational soul and body, the properties of human nature and natural, immaculate passions.

Chapter XII. About the same

More about divine names in more detail.

Therefore, some of the divine names - negative, showing divine presubstantiality, are as follows: unsubstantial, flightless, beginningless, invisible - not because God is less than anything, or that He is devoid of anything, for everything is His, and from Him and through Everything happened in Him and will take place in Him, but because He predominates everything that exists; for He is not anything that exists, but is above everything. Other names are affirmative, speaking of Him as the Author of everything. As the Author of everything that exists and every being, He is called both being and essence; as the Author of all reason and wisdom, reasonable and wise, and is himself called Reason and reasonable, Wisdom and wise; as well as - Mind and smart, Life and living, Strength and strong; He is called in a similar way in accordance with everything else. It is most characteristic of Him to take names from things that are noblest and closest to Him. Thus, the immaterial is nobler and closer to Him than the material, the pure than the unclean, the holy than the foul, since it is also more characteristic of Him. Therefore, it is much more appropriate for Him to be called the sun and light than darkness, and day rather than night, and life rather than death, and fire and air and water, as life principles, rather than earth; primarily and most of all - good rather than evil, or, what is the same, existing rather than non-existent; for goodness is being and the cause of being; evil is the deprivation of good or being. And these are denials and affirmations. From both of them comes the most pleasant combination, such as: a super-essential being, a pre-divine Deity, a pre-primary principle, and the like. There are also names that, although ascribed to God affirmatively, have the force of an excellent negation, such as: darkness, not because God is darkness, but because He is not light, but is above light.

So, God is called Mind and Reason, and Spirit, and Wisdom, and Power, as the Author of this, as immaterial, omniactive and omnipotent. And this, said affirmatively and negatively, is said generally about the entire Divinity, as well as about each Hypostasis of the Holy Trinity, in the same and in the same way, and without any diminution. For every time I think about one of the Hypostases, I understand Her to be a perfect God and a perfect Being. And connecting and counting the three Hypostases together, I mean the one perfect God; for the Godhead is not complex, but in three perfect persons one, perfect, indivisible and uncomplicated. When I think about the mutual relationship of the Hypostases, I understand that the Father is the essential Sun, the Source of goodness, the Abyss of being, reason, wisdom, strength, light, Divinity, the Source that gives birth and produces the good hidden in Him. So, He is the Mind, the Abyss of the mind, the Parent of the Word and through the Word the Maker of the Spirit, which reveals Him; and, not to say much, in the Father there is no (other) word, wisdom, power and desire, except the Son, Who is the only power of the Father, the original one, by which everything was created, as a perfect Hypostasis born from a perfect Hypostasis, as He Himself knows Who is and is called the Son. The Holy Spirit is the power of the Father, manifesting the hidden Divinity, proceeding from the Father through the Son, as He Himself knows, but not through birth; and therefore the Holy Spirit is the Finisher of all creation. So, what befits the Author-Father, the Source, the Parent, must befit the Father alone. And what about the produced, begotten Son, the Word, the precursor Power, desire, wisdom; this must be attributed to the Son. What is proper to the produced, the proceeding and the revealing, the perfecting Power, must be attributed to the Holy Spirit. The Father is the Source and Cause of the Son and the Holy Spirit; but He is the Father of the Son alone and the Producer of the Holy Spirit. The Son is the Son, the Word, the Wisdom, the Power, the Image, the Radiance, the image of the Father and from the Father. But the Holy Spirit is not the Son of the Father, but the Spirit of the Father proceeding from the Father. For there is no excitement without the Spirit. But He is also the Spirit of the Son, not because from Him, but because through Him He proceeds from the Father. For there is only one Author - the Father.

Chapter XIII. About the place of God and that the Divinity alone is indescribable

One must know that the Divinity is indivisible, so that It is everything and everywhere, and not part within part, divided in a bodily way, but all in all and all above all.

About the place of the angel and the soul and the indescribable.

As for the Angel, although he is not physically contained in a place in such a way that he receives an image and a certain appearance, he is said to be in a place by spiritual presence and action, as is characteristic of his nature, and is not present everywhere, but where it acts, it is spiritually limited, because it cannot act at the same time in different places. It is common for God alone to act everywhere at the same time. For the Angel acts in various places, according to the speed of his nature and according to his ability easily, i.e. soon to pass, and the Divinity, being everywhere and above everything, acts by one and simple action in different places at the same time.

What is describable is that which is encompassed either by place, or by time, or by understanding; Indescribable is that which is not encompassed by anything. So, one Deity is indescribable, as beginningless and infinite, containing everything and not encompassed by any concept; for it is incomprehensible and limitless, unknown to anyone and known only to Himself. An angel is limited both by time - for it has the beginning of its existence, and by place - albeit in a spiritual sense, as we said before, and by comprehensibility, for (Angels) in some way know the nature of each other, and are completely limited by the Creator. And bodies are limited by both the beginning and the end, and the corporeal place, and intelligibility.

A collection of thoughts about God and the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. And about the Word and the Spirit.

So, the Divinity is perfect, immutable and unchangeable. It, according to its foreknowledge, predetermined everything beyond our control, assigning to everything a proper and proper time and place. That is why the Father judges no one, but all judgment is given to the Sons (John 5:22). For, of course, the Father and the Son, like God, and the Holy Spirit judge; but one Son, as a man, will descend bodily and sit on the throne of glory (Matthew 25:31), because only a limited body can descend and sit, and will judge the world in righteousness (Acts 17:31).

The Son is from the Father, and everything that he has, he has from Him (John 5:30), and therefore cannot do anything of Himself; for He has no special action in comparison with the Father.

That God, being invisible by nature, is made visible by his actions, we know this from the structure of the world and His government (Wis. 13:5).

The Son is the image of the Father, and the image of the Son is the Spirit, through whom Christ, dwelling in man, gives him that which is according to the image (of God).

God is an ever-present, unchangeable, all-creating being, worshiped by a pious mind.

Chapter XIV. Properties of the Divine Nature

In addition, divine radiance and action, being one, simple and indivisible, remains simple both when it diversifies in the types of benefits imparted to individual beings, and when it shares with all of them that which constitutes the nature corresponding to each thing; but, inseparably multiplying in relation to individual beings, it elevates and turns the most individual beings to its own simplicity. For all beings strive towards the Divine and have existence in It, since It imparts to all existence, in accordance with the nature of each; and It is the being of existing things, the life of living things, the mind of the rational and the mind of the intelligent; Meanwhile, It itself is higher than mind, higher than reason, higher than life, higher than being.

John of Damascus, Reverend

Notes

1. Dionysius the Areopagite. On the Names of God, 1 Migne, s. gr., t. III, coll 609–613.

2. Gregory the Theologian, word 28. Migne, s. gr., t. XXXVI, col. 40. Transl. Moscow Spirit. Academies, Part III (1889), p. 21.

3. Dionysius the Areopagite. On the names of God, 1. Gregory the Theologian, word 31, Migne, s. gr., t. XXXVI, coll. 156–157. Translation pp. 99–100.

4. Dionysius the Areopagite. On the names of God, 1–2.

5. Gregory the Theologian, word 28.

6. Athanasius of Alexandria. Against the pagans. Migne, s. gr., t. XXV, coll. 69–77. Translation Moscow. Spirit. Acad., Part III (1902), pp. 171–177.

7. Gregory the Theologian, word 28. Migne, s. gr., t. XXXVI. coll. 45–47. Transl. Part III, pp. 25–26. Athanasius of Alexandria. About the incarnation of the Word. Migne, s. gr., t. XXV, coll. 97–100. Transl., part 1, p. 193.

8. Gregory the Theologian, word 28. Migne, s. gr., t. XXXVI, coll. 33. Translation, part III. page 17

9. Ibid. Migne, 36; transl., 18.

10. Gregory the Theologian, word 28. Migne, 36. Transl. 18.

11. Gregory the Theologian, word 28. Migne, 36–37. Transl. 19.

12. Gregory the Theologian, word 29. Migne, 76. Transl., 43.

13. Dionysius the Areopagite. About the names of God. Migne, 820, 841.

14. Gregory of Nyssa. Big public word, chapter 1. Translation Moscow. Spirit. Acad., part IV, pp. 5–9.

15. Gregory the Theologian, word 31, 38, 41. Migne, s. gr., t. XXXVI, coll. 137, 320, 441 etc. Translation, part III, p. 86. 198 and others. Gregory of Nyssa. Big catechetical word, 2–3. Translation, part IV, pp. 9–12.

16. Gregory of Nyssa, ibid. Basil the Great. About the Holy Spirit to Amphilochius. Translation Moscow. Spirit. Academies, Part III (1891), p. 245.

17. Gregory the Theologian, sermon 22, 42, 6, 31 and 40.

18. Gregory the Theologian, word. 29, 30. Cyril of Alexandria. Treasure, 4–5.

19. Gregory the Theologian, word 20.

20. Gregory the Theologian, word 20, 29. Kirill Al.. Treasure, 5, 6, 7, 16, 18.

21. Gregory the Theologian, letter to Evagrius.

22. Gregory of Nyssa, Against Eunomius, book. 1st. Translation Moscow. Spirit. Academy, Part V (1863), pp. 136–150. Kirill Al.. Treasure, 5.

23. Gregory the Theologian, sermon 25, 29, 30, 31, 39. Athanasius Alexander., Exposition of the Faith. Migne, s. gr., t. XXV, coll. 200–208. Transl. Moscow Spirit. Acad., part 1 (1902), pp. 264–267.

24. Kirill Al., Treasure, 1. Gregory the Theologian, word 29.

25. Cyril Al., Treasure, 32. Dionysius Areop., On the names of God, 1.

26. Gregory the Theologian, sermon 22, 37 and 31.

27. Gregory the Theologian, word 31, 20.

28. Gregory the Theologian, word 25 and letter to Evagrius.

29. Gregory the Theologian, sermon 23, 20.

30. Gregory the Theologian, sermon 20, 28, 40.

31. Gregory the Theologian, word 31.

32. Gregory the Theologian, sermon 20, 31, 39 and 40. Basil the Great, letter 38. Dionysius Ar., On the names of God, 2.

33. Gregory the Theologian, word, 20, 31, 39.

34. Gregory the Theologian, word 31.

35. Gregory the Theologian, word 30. Dionysius the Areopagite. About the names of God. 2–4

36. Dionysius the Areopagite, On the Names of God, 5.

37. Gregory the Theologian, sermon 34, 31 and epistle to Evagrius. Dionysius the Areopagite, On the Names of God, 2.

38. Dionysius the Areopagite, On the Names of God, 1; On the heavenly hierarchy, 15, Gregory the Theologian, word 31.

39. Gregory the Theologian, word 31. 21

40. Athanasius Alexander., Second Word against the Arians. 22

41. Gregory the Theologian, word 30. Dionysius the Areopagite, On the names of God, 1. 23

42. Dionysius the Areopagite, On the Names of God, 5.

43. Gregory the Theologian, word 28. Gregory of Nyssa, On the soul and resurrection.

44. Gregory the Theologian, word 41. 25

45. Gregory the Theologian, word 30.

46. Basil the Great, Against Eunomius, book 5.

47. Gregory the Theologian, word 3, 22, 40.

48. Dionysius Areop., On the names of God, 5.

49. Gregory the Theologian, word 40.

***

Prayer to St. John of Damascus:

Prayer to St. John of Damascus. John of Damascus, a high-ranking Syrian official, defender of Orthodox icon veneration, author of dogmatic philosophical, polemical, ascetic, exegetical, homiletical, hagiographical works, hymnographer. He spent the second half of his life in the monastery of St. Savva the Sanctified. Heavenly patron of theologians, learned monks, missionaries, catechists, choristers. They turn to him for prayer help to convert Muslims and other people of other faiths, sectarians, and relatives of little faith to Christ.
"Prayer to the Blessed Virgin Mary"- Venerable John of Damascus

He who existed before the ages, Himself created the ages. The divine David says about him: from everlasting to everlasting you art (Ps. 89:3). And the divine Apostle: By Him also made the eyelids (Heb. 1:2).

However, you should know that the word century is meaningful: it means a lot. For the life of every person is called a century, and the time of a thousand years is also called a century. The whole present life is also called a century, and the future, endless after the resurrection, is also called a century (Matt. 12:32; Luke 20:35-36). A century again is not called time or any part of time measured by the movement and flow of the sun, i.e. composed of days and nights, but something that continues on a par with the eternal, as if some kind of temporary movement and extension that stretches alongside and at the same time is eternal. For what time is to the temporal, so is the age to the eternal.

There are seven centuries of this world, i.e. from the creation of heaven and earth to the general end and resurrection of people. For there is a private end - the death of everyone; but there is both a common and a perfect end, when there will be a general resurrection of people. And the eighth century is the future.

Before the creation of the world, when there was no sun separating day from night, there was no measurable age; but there was, as it were, some temporary movement and extension that stretched alongside and at the same time with that which was eternal. In this sense, there is only one century; in the same sense, God is called eternal, and even pre-eternal, for He created the age itself: because God is one only, being without beginning, He Himself is the Creator of everything, both centuries and all things. Speaking about God, I, of course, mean here the Father and His Only Begotten Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, and His All-Holy Spirit, our One God.

They talk about “centuries of centuries” because the seven centuries of the present world contain many centuries, i.e. many human lives, and about that one age, which, as said above, embraces all ages; The present and future centuries are also called the “century of the century.” And eternal life and eternal torment signify the infinity of the future century. For time after the resurrection will no longer be counted in days and nights, or better yet, then there will be one non-evening day; since the Sun of righteousness will shine clearly for the righteous, but for the sinners there will come a deep, endless night. Therefore, how will the thousand-year time of Origen's restoration be calculated? So, God is the one Creator of all ages, as He created everything without exception and existed before the ages.

Chapter II. About creation

Since the good and most good God was not content with contemplating Himself, but out of the abundance of His goodness He was pleased that something would happen that would benefit from His benefits and participate in His goodness, He brings from non-existent into being, and creates everything, both visible and invisible , also man, consisting of the visible and the invisible. He creates with thought, and this thought, carried out by the Word and accomplished by the Spirit, becomes deed.

Chapter III. About Angels

He Himself is the Creator and Creator of Angels, who brought them from non-existence into existence and created them in His image, incorporeal by nature, similar to some spirit and immaterial fire, as the Divine David says: create your angels spirits, and your servants a fiery flame (Ps. 103 ,4), - describing their lightness and ardor, and ardor, and insight, and the speed with which they desire God and serve Him - their desire for things above and freedom from any material idea.

So, an Angel is an entity endowed with intelligence, constantly moving, free, incorporeal, serving God, having received immortality for its nature by grace: only the Creator knows the form and definition of this entity. She is called incorporeal and immaterial in comparison with us. For everything in comparison with God, the only incomparable one, turns out to be both gross and material, because only the Divinity in the strict sense is immaterial and incorporeal.

So, an Angel is a rational nature, endowed with intelligence and free will, changeable at will, i.e. voluntarily changeable. For everything that is created is changeable; only that which is not created is unchangeable, and everything rational is endowed with free will. So, the angelic nature, as rational, gifted with intelligence, has freedom, and as created, it is changeable, having the power to both remain and succeed in good, and deviate towards evil.

He is incapable of repentance because he is incorporeal. Man received repentance because of the weakness of the body.

He is immortal not by nature, but by grace; for everything that had a beginning by nature also has an end. God alone is ever-present, or rather, He is above eternity, for the Creator of times is not dependent on time, but above time.

Angels are the second lights, intelligent, borrowing their light from the first and beginningless Light, having no need for language and hearing, but without a spoken word communicating their thoughts and decisions to each other.

They are describable: for when they are in heaven, they are not on earth, and when sent by God to earth, they do not remain in heaven, but they are not held back by walls, doors, bars, or seals. Because they are unlimited. I call them unlimited because, appearing according to the will of God to worthy people, they are not what they are in themselves, but are transformed in accordance with how those who look can see them. For by nature and in the proper sense only the uncreated is unlimited, for every creature is determined by God who created it.

They have sanctification from the outside, and not from their own being - from the Spirit; prophesy by the grace of God; have no need for marriage, since they are not mortal.

Since they are minds, they are also in places that are comprehended only by the mind, not being described in a corporeal way - for by nature they do not take the form of a body, and do not have a threefold dimension - but in that they are spiritually present and act where they are commanded , and cannot be here and there at the same time and act.

Whether they are essentially equal or different from each other, we do not know. Only God, who created them, knows, and He knows everything. They differ from each other in light and position; either having a degree according to the light, or participating in the light according to the degree, and enlighten each other due to the superiority of rank or nature. But it is clear that the higher Angels communicate both light and knowledge to the lower ones.

They are strong and ready to fulfill the divine will and, due to the speed inherent in their nature, they immediately appear everywhere, wherever the divine signal commands; and protect the regions of the earth, and govern peoples and countries, as the Creator commanded them, and manage our affairs, and help us. In general, both by the will of God and by the determination of God, they are above us and always around God.

They are inflexible to evil, although they are not inflexible, but now they are even inflexible - not by nature, but by grace and by attachment to the good alone.

They contemplate God as far as is possible for them, and have this as food.

Being above us, as incorporeal and free from all bodily passion, they, however, are not dispassionate, for only the Divine is dispassionate.

They take on the image whatever the Lord God commands, and in this image they appear to people and reveal to them divine secrets.

They live in heaven, and their only occupation is to sing songs to God and serve His divine will.

As the most holy, sacred and great Dionysius the Areopagite says in theology, all theology, i.e. divine Scripture names nine heavenly entities. The Divine Sacred Secret divides them into three threefold classes: the first, as he says, is always around God and, as is dedicated to him, is in the closest and immediate union with God - this is the class of six-winged Seraphim and many-eyed Cherubim, and the most holy Thrones. The second class contains the Dominions, Powers and Powers, and the third and last - the Principalities, Archangels and Angels.

Some, of course, say that they received existence before any creature - just as Gregory the Theologian says: “first of all, God invents angelic and heavenly powers, and this thought became deed.” Others say that they occurred after the creation of the first heaven. Yet they agree that they were created before the creation of man. I agree with the Theologian: for it was necessary to create first of all the mental essence, then the sensory, and then from both the essence of man.

Those who call Angels the creators of any essence are the lips of their father, the devil. For, as creatures, Angels are not creators. The Creator of everything, the Provider and Sustainer is God, the only uncreated one, sung and glorified in the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Chapter IV. About the devil and demons

Of these angelic powers, the angel who stood at the head of the supermundane rank and to whom God entrusted the protection of the earth was not created evil by nature, but was good and created for good, and did not receive from the Creator even a trace of evil. But he could not bear the light and honor that the Creator gave him, but by autocratic will he turned from what is in accordance with nature to what is unnatural, and became proud against his Creator - God, wanting to rebel against Him, and was the first to retreat from good, fell into evil. For evil is not anything other than the deprivation of good, just as darkness is the deprivation of light, for good is spiritual light; in the same way, evil is spiritual darkness. So, having been created by the Creator as light and having been good - for God saw everything that was created and every good thing (Gen. 1:31) - he, by free will, became darkness. He was captivated by him, he was followed, and countless angels subordinate to him fell with him. Thus, they, having the same nature as the angels, became evil at will, willfully deviating from good to evil.

Therefore, they have neither power nor strength against anyone unless they receive permission from God for the purposes of economy, as happened with Job and as it is written in the Gospel about the [Gadarene] pigs. With God's permission, they are strong, they accept and change the image they want, in accordance with their imagination.

Neither the Angels of God nor the demons know the future in this way, but they predict: Angels - when God reveals to them and commands them to predict; that is why what they say comes true. Demons also predict - sometimes by seeing distant events, and sometimes only by guessing, which is why they often lie. You shouldn’t believe them, although, as we said, they often tell the truth. In addition, they know the Scriptures.

So, all vices are invented by them, as well as unclean passions; and although they are allowed to tempt a person, they cannot force anyone; since it depends on us whether to withstand or not withstand their attack; therefore, the devil, his demons and his followers are destined for unquenchable fire and eternal torment.

You need to know that the fall for angels is the same as death for people. For after the fall there is no repentance for them, just as it is impossible for people after death.

Chapter V. About the visible creature

Our God Himself, glorified in Trinity and Unity, created heaven and earth, and everything that is in them (Ps. 145:6), bringing everything from non-existent into being: other things from substances that did not exist before, such as heaven, earth, air, fire, water; and another of these substances already created by Him, such as animals, plants, seeds. For this, by command of the Creator, came from earth, water, air and fire.

Chapter VI. About the sky

The sky is that which embraces creatures, both visible and invisible. For in it are contained and limited the powers of the angels, comprehended only by the mind, and everything sensible. The only thing indescribable is the Divine, Who fills everything and embraces everything and limits everything, since He is above everything and created everything.

Since Scripture speaks of heaven and heaven of heaven (Ps. 113:24,23), and of heavens of heavens (Ps. 148:4), and blessed Paul says that he was caught up to the third heaven (2 Cor. 12:2) , then we affirm that at the general beginning of the world, as we have been told, that sky was created, which the pagan sages, having appropriated the teachings of Moses, call the starless ball. God called the firmament heaven (Gen. 1:8), which He commanded to be in the middle of the water, decreeing that it separate between the water above the firmament and the water below the firmament. Divine Basil, according to the instructions of Holy Scripture, says that the nature of this sky is subtle, like smoke. Others say that it had the appearance of water, since it was placed in the middle of water. Others say that it is composed of four elements. Some say that it is the fifth body, different from the other four.

Some believed that everything was surrounded by heaven, and that it, being spherical, formed the highest part for everything; the very middle of the space it embraces is the lowest part. Both light and moving bodies, according to this opinion, received from the Creator a place at the very top, while heavy bodies and those tending downward - at the very bottom, i.e. in the middle. Of all the elements, the lightest and most tending (upward) is fire, which is therefore said to be located directly behind the sky. This fire is called ether; behind the ether, below it, air is placed. Earth and water, as the heaviest elements and most tending downwards, are placed in the very middle, so that they are opposite to each other, equally located below. However, water is lighter than earth, which is why it is more mobile than the latter. Thus, it turns out that air stretches around the earth and water on all sides like a cover, the air is embraced on all sides by ether, and outside and around all this is the sky.

On the one hand, they say that the sky moves in a circle and compresses everything that is inside it, and thus everything remains solid and does not fall apart.

Moreover, they say that the sky has seven zones, one higher than the other, that it is a light substance, like smoke, and that in each zone there is one of the planets, for seven planets are usually recognized: the Sun, the Moon, Jupiter, Mercury, Mars , Venus and Saturn. At the same time, by Venus they mean either the morning or the evening star. They are called planets because their movement is opposite to the movement of the sky; for while the sky and other stars move from east to west, some planets move from west to east. We can notice this by the moon, which moves back a little every evening.

So, those who claim that the sky is spherical admit that it is at an equal distance from the earth, both above, on the sides and below. I say: from the sides and below, adapting to our sensory perception; for, from above, as can be seen from the previous, the sky everywhere occupies the highest place, and the earth the lowest. They also claim that the sky, like a ball, surrounds the earth and with its fastest movement rotates the sun, moon and stars; and when the sun is above the earth, it is day here, but when it is underground, it is night; when the sun sets underground, there is night here and day there.

Others represented the sky in the form of a hemisphere, based on the words of the divinely inspired David: they stretched out the sky like a skin (Ps. 103:2), i.e. like a tent, and also in the words of blessed Isaiah: having made the sky like a tent (Is. 40:22). Also because the sun, moon and stars, when setting, circle the earth from west to north and thus return to the east again. However, whether this is one way or another, everything happened and was approved by divine command and has as its unshakable basis the divine will and decision; like that speech, and it was. He commanded it, and it was created. I set it for the age, and for the age of the century: set the commandment, and it will not pass by (Ps. 149:5-6).

The first heaven above the firmament is called the heaven of heaven. Thus, two heavens are obtained, since God called the firmament heaven (Gen. 1:8). The Holy Scripture usually calls the air the sky, since it is visible above, for the Scripture says: bless all the birds of the air (Dan. 3:80), meaning the birds of the air, for the path for the birds is the air, and not the sky. This is how we get the three heavens that the Divine Apostle spoke about (2 Cor. 12:2). And if someone wanted to take seven belts for seven heavens, then he would not have sinned at all. And in Hebrew the sky is usually called in the plural - heavens. Therefore, the Holy Scripture, meaning to speak of the heaven of heavens, says: heaven of heavens (Ps. 149:4), which means the heaven of heavens, i.e. the sky above the firmament. And in the words: water, which is above the heavens, the heavens mean either air and the firmament, or seven zones of the firmament, or one firmament, which in the Hebrew language is usually called heaven in the plural.

According to the natural order of nature, everything, and therefore the heavens, is subject to destruction; but they hold on and are preserved by the grace of God.

Only God is beginningless by nature - has no limit to existence; That’s why it is said: they will perish, but You remain (Ps. 101:27). However, the heavens will not completely disappear, for they will wear out and become wrinkled, like clothing, and will change (Ps. 101:27) and the heavens will be new and the earth will be new (Rev. 21:1).

The sky is much greater than the earth, but we should not inquire what the essence of the sky is, for it is unknown to us.

No one should assume that the heavens or luminaries are animated, for they do not have souls or feelings. Therefore, when the divine Scripture says: let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth rejoice (Ps. 95:11), it calls for rejoicing of the Angels in heaven and people on earth. Scripture uses personification and speaks of the inanimate as if it were animate, for example: the sea was seen, and the Jordan ran and returned; and further: why are you the sea, because you ran away; and to you Jordan, for you have returned back (Ps. 113:3,5). It asks both the mountains and the hills why they rejoiced (Ps. 113:4), just as we usually say: a city has gathered, meaning here not the buildings, but the inhabitants of the city. And the heavens will tell the glory of God (Ps. 18:2) not because they emit a voice that is perceived by bodily hearing, but because by their inherent greatness they show us the power of the Creator: contemplating their beauty, we glorify the Creator as the best artist.

Chapter VII. About light, fire, luminaries, both about the sun, and about the moon and stars

Fire is one of the four elements; it is light, tends upward more than other elements, and has both the power to burn and the power of illumination. Fire was created by the Creator on the first day, for the divine Scripture says: And God said: Let there be light: and there was light (Gen. 1:3). Fire, according to some, is nothing more than light; however, others claim that the world fire - which they call ether - is located above the air. So, at the beginning, i.e. On the first day, God created light - this is the decoration and adornment of all visible creation. In fact, take away the light - and everything will become indistinguishable in the darkness and will not be able to show its inherent beauty. And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night (Gen. 1:5). Darkness is not any substance, but an accident. In fact, it is the deprivation of light, since the latter is not contained in the being of air. So, God called the very absence of light in the air darkness: it is not the substance of the air that constitutes darkness, but darkness is produced by the deprivation of light, which means an accident rather than a substance. And it was not the night that was called first, but the day, so that the day came first, and the night came after. Thus night follows day; and from the beginning of the day to the next day - one day; for the Scripture says: And there was evening, and there was morning, one day (Gen. 1:5).

During the first three days, day and night occurred, of course, due to the fact that the light, by divine command, either expanded or contracted. On the fourth day, God created a great luminary, i.e. the sun is in the beginning and the power of the day (Gen. 1:16,17), so thanks to him the day occurs: the day takes place when the sun is above the earth, and the length of the day is determined by the flow of the sun over the earth from sunrise to sunset. On the same day God created the lesser luminary, i.e. the moon and the stars, and the beginnings and power of the night (Gen. 1:16), to illuminate it. Night occurs when the sun is underground, and the duration of the night is determined by the course of the sun under the earth from sunset to sunrise. Thus, the moon and stars have the purpose of illuminating the night. However, even during the day, not all stars are underground; for even during the day there are stars in the sky above the earth, only the sun, hiding them along with the moon with its brighter brilliance, does not allow them to be seen.

The Creator placed the first-created light into these luminaries. He did this not because He had no other light, but so that this first-created light would not remain unused; for the luminary is not the light itself, but the container of the light.

Seven of these luminaries are called planets, claiming that they have a movement opposite to the movement of the sky - which is why they were called planets, i.e. wandering, for the sky, they say, moves from east to west, while the planets move from west to east. However, since the movement of the sky is faster, it carries with it the seven planets with its rotational movement. The seven planets have the following names: Moon, Mercury, Venus, Sun, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn. It is said that each celestial zone contains one of the seven planets.

In the first, the highest, there is Saturn, in the second - Jupiter, in the third - Mars, in the fourth - the Sun, in the fifth - Venus, in the sixth - Mercury, in the seventh and lowest - the Moon.

The planets undergo a continuous course, which the Creator appointed for them, and according to how He founded them, according to the word of the divine David: the moon and the stars, which You founded (Ps. 8:4); for with the words You founded, he designated the firmness and immutability of the order and movement given to him by God. Indeed, He appointed them in seasons and in signs, and in days and in years (Gen. 1:14), for the four changes of the year come from the sun. The first change is spring, for in spring God created the whole world. This is indicated, by the way, by the fact that flowers still grow in the spring. Spring, further, is the equinoctial season, for then both day and night last twelve hours. Spring occurs when the sun rises in the middle of the east; it is distinguished by moderation, multiplies the blood, being warm and moist. It represents the transition from winter to summer, as it is warmer and drier than winter, but cooler and more humid than summer. This time of year lasts from March 21st to June 24th. Then, as the sun rises to the north, the summer change of year follows. It occupies a middle place between spring and autumn, combining both spring warmth and autumn dryness; for summer is a warm and dry season, conducive to the development of yellow bile. In summer there is a longest day, fifteen hours, and a very short night, lasting only nine hours. Summer lasts from June 24 to September 25. Then, when the sun again returns to the middle of the east, the summer season gives way to autumn, which in some way occupies a middle place between cold and warmth, dryness and humidity, and which constitutes the transition from summer to winter, combining in itself the dryness of summer and the cold of winter; for autumn is a cold and dry season, conducive to the development of black bile. Autumn is, again, the equinox season, when both day and night have twelve hours. Autumn lasts from September 25 to December 25. When the sun descends to its shortest and lowest rise, i.e. With the southern sunrise, the winter season begins, which is cold and wet and constitutes the transition from autumn to spring, combining autumn cold with spring humidity. In winter there is the shortest day, with nine hours, and the longest night, with fifteen hours. Winter lasts from December 25 to March 21. Thus, the Creator wisely arranged so that we, moving from extreme cold or heat, or humidity, or dryness to the other opposite extreme, would not fall into serious illnesses; for reason teaches that sudden changes are dangerous.

So the sun produces the seasons, and through them the year, as well as days and nights: days, rising and remaining above the earth, nights, hiding underground and giving way to the light of other luminaries - the moon and stars.

It is said that in the sky there are twelve constellations, or signs of the zodiac, having a movement opposite to that of the sun and moon and the other five planets, and that seven planets pass through these twelve constellations. The sun takes one month to pass through each sign of the zodiac and within twelve months passes through twelve constellations. The names of the twelve zodiac signs and their corresponding months are as follows:

Aries, the sun enters this sign in the month of March, 21 days.
Taurus, the sun enters this sign in the month of April, 23 days.
Gemini, the sun enters this sign in the month of May, 24 days.
Cancer, the sun enters this sign in the month of June, 25 days.
Leo, the sun enters this sign in the month of July, 25 days.
Virgo, the sun enters this sign in the month of August, 25 days.
Libra, the sun enters this sign in the month of September on the 25th day.
Scorpio, the sun enters this sign in the month of October, 25 days.
Sagittarius, the sun enters this sign in the month of November, 25 days.
Capricorn, the sun enters this sign in the month of December, 25 days.
Aquarius, the sun enters this sign in the month of January, 25 days.
Pisces, the sun enters this sign in the month of February, 24 days.

The moon passes through twelve constellations every month, since it is located lower and passes them faster; for just as if you draw a circle inside another circle, the circle lying inside will be smaller, so the course of the moon lying below the sun is shorter and occurs more quickly.

The Hellenes say that all our affairs are governed by the rising, setting and approach of the stars, as well as the sun and moon; This is what astrology does. We, on the contrary, affirm that they give omens of rain and lack of rain, wet and dry weather, as well as winds and the like; but they are in no way omens of our actions. Indeed, we, created free by the Creator, are masters of our affairs. And if we do everything due to the flow of the stars, then what we do, we do out of necessity. What happens out of necessity is neither virtue nor vice. And if we have neither virtue nor vice, then we are unworthy of either rewards or punishments, just as God will turn out to be unjust, giving blessings to some and sorrows to others. Even more than that: since everything is led and driven by necessity, then there will be neither God’s government in the world, nor God’s providence for creation. Moreover, we will not need reason, for since we have no power in any action, then we do not need to think about anything. Meanwhile, reason is undoubtedly given to us to think through our actions, which is why every rational being is at the same time a free being.

Therefore, we affirm that the stars are not the cause of anything that happens in the world - neither the emergence of what is emerging, nor the death of what is perishing, but rather serve as an omen of rains and changes in the air. Others may say that the stars are, if not the causes, then the omens of wars, and that the quality of the air, depending on the sun, moon and stars, produces in different ways different temperaments, habits and dispositions; but habits refer to what is in our will, for they are subject to reason and change under its direction.

Comets also often appear, which serve as certain signs, announcing, for example, the death of kings. Comets do not belong to those stars that were created at the very beginning, but, by divine command, are formed at the appropriate time and disintegrate again; for the star that appeared to the Magi during the humane and saving birth for us in the flesh of the Lord did not belong to those stars that were created in the beginning. This is clear from the fact that it flowed from east to west, then from north to south, that it was sometimes hidden, sometimes revealed. All this does not correspond to the laws and nature of stars.

It should be noted that the moon borrows its light from the sun. This happens not because God was unable to give it his own light, but in order to impart to creation that harmony and order that exists when one is in charge and the other obeys, and also so that we too learn to be in communion with each other, to share with others and to submit - to submit first of all to the Creator, God the Creator and Master, and then to the rulers whom He has appointed; at the same time, we should not investigate why this one is in charge, and I am not in charge, but accept everything that comes from God with gratitude and complacency.

Sometimes eclipses of the sun and moon occur, which exposes the madness of those who worship the creature more than the Creator (Rom. 1:25), and proves that the sun and moon are subject to transformations and changes. Yet everything that changes is not God, for everything that changes is perishable by nature.

An eclipse of the sun occurs when the moon, becoming like an intermediate wall, gives a shadow and does not allow the light to be transmitted to us. Therefore, for as long as the moon covers the sun, the eclipse will last. One should not be surprised that the moon, being smaller than the sun, covers it; for some assert that the sun is many times greater than the earth, and the holy fathers consider it equal to the earth, and, however, it is often obscured by a small cloud or even an insignificant hill or wall.

An eclipse of the moon occurs as a result of the earth's shadow, when the moon is fifteen days old and when the sun and moon are at opposite ends of a straight line passing through the highest center of the firmament - the sun below the earth and the moon above the earth. In this case, the earth casts a shadow and the sunlight does not reach the moon and illuminate it, which is why it is eclipsed.

It should be borne in mind that the moon was created by the Creator to be full, i.e. such as it happens on the fifteenth day of the lunar month, for it must happen completely. But on the fourth day, as we said, the sun was created. Therefore, the moon was eleven days ahead of the sun, for from the fourth day to the 15th there are eleven days. Therefore, in every year there are twelve lunar months with eleven days less than twelve solar months. In fact, twelve solar months have three hundred and sixty-five days and a quarter; and since from the addition of quarters over four years one day is formed, which is called a leap day, therefore that year has 366 days. On the contrary, lunar years have 354 days, since the moon, having been born or renewed, increases until it reaches the age of fourteen and three-quarters days; after this it begins to decrease until it is 29 days old, when it becomes completely dark. And then, connecting with the sun, it is reborn and renewed, giving us a reminder of our resurrection. It turns out that the moon lags behind the sun by eleven days every year. Therefore, among the Jews, after three years there is an intercalary month and the third year has thirteen months, due to the addition of eleven days each year.

It is clear that the sun, the moon, and the stars are complex and by their nature subject to destruction. However, we do not know their nature. True, some say that fire, if it is not in any substance, is invisible, which is why, as soon as it is extinguished, it disappears; but others say that fire, when extinguished, turns into air.

The zodiac circle moves along an oblique line and is divided into twelve parts, called the signs of the zodiac. Each sign has thirty degrees, of which three are major, one in every ten degrees. A degree consists of sixty minutes. Thus, the sky has three hundred and sixty degrees, of which 180 degrees are in the hemisphere above the earth, and 180 degrees in the hemisphere below the earth.

Homes of the planets: Aries and Scorpio - home of Mars; Taurus and Libra - Venus; Gemini and Virgo - Mercury; Cancer - Moon; Leo - Sun; Sagittarius and Pisces - Jupiter; Capricorn and Aquarius - Saturn.

Altitudes: Aries - Sun; Taurus - Moon; Cancer - Jupiter; Virgo - Mars; Libra - Saturn; Capricorn - Mercury; Pisces - Venus.

Moon phases: conjunction - when it is in the same degree as the sun; birth - when it is fifteen degrees away from the sun; sunrise - when she appears; the crescent phase, which occurs twice, when the moon is 60 degrees away from the sun; two semicircular phases - when the moon is ninety degrees away from the sun; two phases are biconvex - when the moon is one hundred and twenty degrees away from the sun; two phases of incomplete full moon and incomplete light - when the moon is one hundred and fifty degrees away from the sun; a full moon is when the moon is one hundred and eighty degrees away from the sun. We talked about two phases, meaning the growth phase and the damage phase. Each zodiac sign's moon transits within two and a half days.

Chapter VIII. About air and winds

Air is a very light element, moist and warm, heavier than fire and lighter than earth and water. Air is the cause of breathing and sound. It is colorless, i.e. does not naturally have a specific color; transparent because it can receive light. Air serves our three senses, for through it we see, hear and smell. It can absorb heat and cold, dryness and humidity. All types of spatial movement belong to him: up, down, in, out, right, left, as well as rotational movement.

The air itself has no light; it is illuminated by the sun, moon, stars and fire. This is stated in Scripture: darkness is on top of the abyss (Gen. 1, 2). Scripture wants to show by this that air does not itself have light, but the essence of light is different.

Wind is the movement of air. In other words: the wind is a flow of air and changes its names depending on the places from which it originates.

Place, in turn, is something airy, for the place of a visible body is that which embraces it. What hugs bodies if not air? The places from which air movement occurs are different; from these various places the winds received their names. There are twelve winds.

They say that air is an extinguished fire or the evaporation of heated water. From this it turns out that the air is hot by nature, but cools due to its proximity to water and earth, so that its lower parts are cold and its upper parts are warm.

As for the different winds, from the summer sunrise the kekiy, or middle one, blows; from the rising of the equinox - the east wind; from the winter east - Evr; from the winter west - liv; from the summer west - argest or olympius, otherwise called japyx; then the south and north winds, blowing one towards the other. There is also an average wind between the kekiy and the north - boreas, between the eur and the south wind - phoenix, called euronot, between the south and liv - livonot, otherwise levkonot; between the northern and Argest - Thrasian, otherwise called Kerkiy by the surrounding inhabitants.

[The peoples inhabiting the boundaries of the earth are the following: under Eurum - Indians; under Phoenix - the Red Sea and Ethiopia; under Livonot - Garamantes living beyond Sirte; under the rain - Ethiopians and Western Moors; under the western - the [Hercules] pillars and the initial borders of Libya and Europe; under argest - Iberia, now Spain; under the Thrascian - the Celts and the tribes bordering them; under the north wind - the Scythians living beyond Thrace; under Boreas - Pontus, Maeotian Sea and Sarmatians; under the kekium - the Caspian Sea and Saki].

Chapter IX. About the waters

Water is also one of the four elements, the most beautiful creation of God. Water is a wet and cold element; it is heavy and tends downward, easily spreading over the surface. The Divine Scripture mentions it, saying: darkness was on the top of the abyss, and the Spirit of God was carried on the top of the water (Gen. 1, 2). Indeed, the abyss is nothing more than an abundance of water, the limit of which is inaccessible to people; for at first water covered the surface of the whole earth. And first of all, God created the firmament, which served as a barrier between the water that was above the firmament, and between the water that was under the firmament - (Gen. 1:7); for, according to the Lord's command, the firmament was established in the midst of the abyss of water: God said that the firmament should be formed, and it was formed. But why did God place water above the firmament? Because of the intense heat emanating from the sun and the ether; for directly beyond the firmament the ether extends, and on the firmament are the sun with the moon and stars; and if there were no water from above, then the solid from the ball could ignite.

Then God commanded the waters to gather together into one (Gen. 1:10). The words: the congregation is one, do not indicate that the waters were gathered in one place, because after this it is said: and the gathering of the waters is called the sea (Gen. 1:10); the words mentioned indicate that the waters, being separated from the earth, united with each other. So the waters gathered together, and dry land appeared (Gen. 1:9). From here came the two seas that embrace Egypt, for it is between two seas; these include various smaller seas, with their mountains, islands, capes, piers, bays, low-lying and rocky shores. A sandy seashore is called low-lying, while rocky, steep shore is called rocky, near which the depth immediately begins. In the same way, the eastern sea, called the Indian, and the northern sea, called the Caspian, arose. The lakes came about in the same way.

As for the ocean, it is like a river surrounding the entire earth; about him; as it seems to me, it is said in the divine Scripture: the river comes from Eden (Gen. 2:10). The ocean has water that is drinkable and sweet. He delivers water to the seas, where it, staying for a long time and remaining motionless, becomes bitter, and its lightest parts are constantly extracted by the sun and tornadoes. From here clouds form and rain occurs, and the water, when filtered, becomes sweet.

The ocean is divided into four channels (Gen. 2:10), or four rivers. The name of one river is Pishon (Gen. 2:11) i.e. Indian Ganges. The name of the second is Geon (Gen. 2:13); this is the Nile flowing from Ethiopia to Egypt. The name of the third is Tigris (Gen. 2:14), and the name of the fourth is Euphrates (Gen. 2:14). There are many other great rivers, some of which flow into the sea, others are lost in the earth. Therefore, throughout the earth there are wells and passages, like some veins, through which it receives water from the sea and emits springs.

Because of this, the water in the springs also depends on the quality of the earth, for sea water is filtered and purified by the earth, and thus becomes sweet. If the place from which the source flows turns out to be bitter or salty, then the water that comes out is the same. Often water, being constrained and forcefully breaking out, heats up, as a result of which native warm waters appear.

So, by divine command, depressions appeared in the earth, and thus the waters gathered into their assemblies (Gen. 1:9), as a result of which mountains were formed. Then God commanded water, the first, to produce a living soul (Gen. 1:20); for He wanted, through water and the Holy Spirit, who initially hovered over the waters (Gen. 1:2), to renew man: this is what the divine Basil says. And the earth produced animals, small and great, whales, dragons, fish swimming in the water, and feathered birds: thus, through birds, water, earth and air are connected to each other, for they came from water, live on earth and fly through the air.

Water is the most beautiful of the elements and brings many benefits; it cleanses from impurity, not only from bodily impurity, but - if it accepts the grace of the Spirit - also from spiritual impurity.

Beyond the Aegean Sea begins the Hellespont, extending to Abis and Sestus; then comes the Propontis, extending to Chalcedon and Byzantium, where there is a strait, beyond which Pontus begins; Next comes Maeotian Lake. Then, where Europe and Libya begin, there is the Iberian Sea, stretching from the pillars of Hercules to the Pyrenees Mountain, then the Ligurian Sea, stretching to the borders of Etruria, then the Sardinian Sea, lying beyond Sardinia and turning towards Libya; then the Tyrrhenian, extending to Sicily and starting from the borders of the Ligurian country. Next comes the Libyan sea, then the Cretan, Sicilian, Ionian and Adriatic seas, originating from the Sicilian Sea, called the Gulf of Corinth or the Alcyonid Sea. The sea enclosed by Cape Sunium and Cape Skillei is called the Saronic Sea; it is followed by the Myrtoian and Icarian seas, in which the Cycladic islands are located; further extend the Carpathian, Pamphylian and Egyptian seas; Above the Icarian Sea lies the Aegean Sea.

The waterway along the coast of Europe, from the mouths of the Tanais River to the pillars of Hercules, is 609,709 stadia; and the waterway along the coast of Libya - from Tinga to the Kanobsky mouth - 209252 stadia; finally, the waterway along the coast of Asia - from Kanob to the Tanais River, along with the bays - 4-111 stadia. The entire sea coast of the land currently inhabited, together with the bays, is 1,309,072 stadia in length.

Chapter X. About the earth and what comes from it

The earth is one of the four elements, dry, cold, heavy and motionless, brought by God from non-existence into existence on the first day; for Scripture says: in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth (Gen. 1:1). On what the earth is established and based - no one is able to explain. So some say that it is established and strengthened on the waters, according to the word of the divine David: who established the earth on the waters (Ps. 135:6); others believe that it is established in the air; and the third says: hang the earth for nothing (Job 26:7). And in another place, the God-speaking David, as if on behalf of the Creator, says: I established its pillars (Ps. 74:4), calling the strength that supports it pillars. The words: I founded it on the seas (Ps. 23:2) show that the water element surrounds the earth on all sides. So, whether we admit that the earth is established on itself, or on the air, or on the waters, or on nothing, we should not deviate from a pious way of thinking, but confess that everything is governed and supported by the power of the Creator.

In the beginning, as Scripture says (Gen. 1:2), the earth was covered with waters and was unsettled, or not put in order. But at the command of God, water containers were formed; Then the mountains appeared, and the earth, by the command of God, received its characteristic structure, adorned with all kinds of herbs and plants, into which the Divine command invested the power to grow, feed, produce seeds or give birth to their own kind. In addition, the earth produced, at the command of the Creator, different kinds of animals - reptiles, animals and livestock. The earth produced all this for the appropriate use of man, but some animals were intended for food, such as: deer, sheep, goats, etc.; others for service, such as: camels, oxen, horses, donkeys, etc.; still others are for entertainment, such as: monkeys, and among birds - magpies, parrots, etc. The situation is similar with plants and herbs. Some of them bear fruit, others are used as food, others are fragrant and blooming and are given to us for enjoyment - such is the rose, etc.; the fourth serve to heal diseases. There is not a single animal or plant into which the Creator has not invested some power useful for human needs; for God, who knew everything before their existence (Dan. 13:42), foreseeing that man would arbitrarily break the commandment and be given over to corruption, created everything, both in heaven and on earth and in the waters, so that it would serve for timely use person.

Before the transgression of the commandment, everything was subject to man, for God made him ruler over everything on earth and in the waters. Even the snake was attached to man and more often than other animals approached him and, with its pleasant movements, seemed to be talking to him. That is why the founder of evil is the devil, and through him he inspired our ancestors with the most evil advice. Then the earth itself bore fruits, so that animals subject to man could use them, and there was neither rain nor winter on the earth. After the crime, when man became like the foolish cattle and became like them (Ps. 48:13), when he allowed unreasonable lust to dominate the rational soul and became disobedient to the commandment of the Lord, then the subordinate creature rebelled against the ruler appointed by the Creator, and he was assigned to persons to cultivate the ground from which it was taken (Gen. 3:19).

But even now animals are not useless to us, since they instill fear in us and encourage us to remember God the Creator and cry out to Him for help. Likewise, after the crime, thorns began to grow from the ground, according to the word of the Lord; from then on, even with the beauty and aroma of roses, thorns became inseparably associated, reminding us of the crime, as a result of which the earth was condemned to produce thorns and thistles for us (Gen. 3:18).

That this is so is confirmed by the fact that all this remains to this day in the power of the word of the Lord, who said: grow, multiply and fill the earth (Gen. 1:22,28).

Some argue that the earth is spherical, while others recognize it as cone-shaped. But it is smaller, even incomparably smaller than the sky, being, as it were, some point hanging in the center of the celestial sphere. The earth will pass away (Matt. 5:18) and change. And blessed is he who will inherit the land of the meek (Matthew 5:5), for the land that receives the saints is immortal. So, who will worthily praise the boundless and incomprehensible wisdom of the Creator, or who will give due thanks to the Giver of such great blessings?

There are 34 known regions of the earth or satrapies in Europe, 48 on the great Asian continent, and 12 so-called canons.

Chapter XI. About paradise

Having decided from visible and invisible nature to create man in His image and likeness - so that he would be, as it were, some kind of king and ruler of the whole earth and what is on it - God prepared for him, as it were, some kind of palace, where he lived, he would spend the blessed and contented life. This was the divine paradise, planted by the hands of God in Eden, a repository of joy and all joy, for the word Eden means pleasure. He was in the east, towering over the whole earth. There was the most perfect goodness in him. The finest and purest air surrounded him; ever-blooming plants decorated it. It was saturated with incense, filled with light and surpassed any idea of sensual charm and beauty. It was a truly divine country and a worthy home for those created in the image of God. Not a single irrational animal lived in paradise: only man lived there, the creation of divine hands.

In the middle of paradise, God planted the tree of life and the tree of knowledge. The tree of knowledge was supposed to serve as some test and temptation for man and an exercise in his obedience and disobedience. That is why it was called the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Gen. 2:9,17). However, this name may have been given to it because it imparted to those who tasted the ability to know their own nature. This was good for those who were perfect, but bad for those who had not achieved perfection and those possessed by voluptuous desires, just as solid food is harmful for babies who need milk. Indeed, God who created us did not want us to worry and fuss about many things (Luke 10:41) and for us to be prudent and prudent regarding our own lives. But Adam truly experienced this, for, having tasted it, he recognized that he was naked, and put on a girdle, for he took the leaves of the fig tree and girded himself with them (Gen. 3:7). Before eating the best, both Adam and Eve were naked and were not ashamed (Gen. 2:25). And God wanted us to be just as dispassionate - for this is the pinnacle of dispassion. He also wanted us to be free from worries and have one thing that is characteristic of angels, i.e. we constantly and silently praised the Creator, enjoyed His contemplation and cast our concerns on Him. This is what he announced to us through the prophet David: cast your sorrow upon the Lord, and He will nourish you (Ps. 54:23). And in the Gospel, teaching His disciples, He says: Do not worry about your soul, what you eat, nor about your body, what you put on (Matthew 6:25). And then: seek... the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you (Matthew 6:33). And He said to Martha: Marfo! Marfo! worrying and speaking about the multitude: but there is only one need, O Mary, but the good part is chosen, which will not be taken away from her (Luke 10:41,42), i.e. sit at His feet and listen to His words.

As for the tree of life, it was either a tree that had the power to give life, or a tree from which only those worthy of life and not subject to death could eat. Some imagined heaven as sensual, others as spiritual. It seems to me that, in accordance with the way that man was created both sensual and spiritual, so his most sacred destiny was both sensual and spiritual, and had two sides; for with his body man, as we said, lived in a most divine and most beautiful place, but with his soul he lived in a place incomparably higher and incomparably more beautiful, having God as his dwelling place and putting on Him as in a bright robe, covering himself with His grace and enjoying , like some new angel, only by the sweetest fruit of His contemplation and feeding on it; this is rightly called the tree of life, for the sweetness of divine communion imparts to those worthy of it life, uninterrupted by death. God called the same thing every tree, saying: from every tree that is in Paradise, bring food (Gen. 2:16), for He Himself is all things, in whom and through whom all things are made (Col. 1:17).

And the tree of the knowledge of good and evil is the recognition of the manifold spectacle, i.e. knowledge of one's own nature. This knowledge, revealing from itself the greatness of the Creator, is wonderful for those who are perfect and established in divine contemplation and are not afraid of falling, for they, as a result of prolonged exercise, have acquired some skill in such contemplation. But it is not good for those who are still inexperienced and subject to voluptuous desires. Since they are not strengthened in goodness and are not yet sufficiently established in their attachment to the beautiful alone, they are usually attracted to themselves and entertained by caring for their own body.

Thus, I think that the divine paradise was twofold, and therefore the God-bearing fathers taught equally correctly - both those who held one view and those who held another. The expression: every tree can be understood in the sense of the knowledge of the power of God, acquired from examining creation, as the divine Apostle says: for the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world were understood by the things that were made (Rom. 1:20). But above all these thoughts and contemplations is the thought about ourselves, i.e. about our composition, according to the word of the divine David: your mind was amazed at me (Ps. 139:6), i.e. from my device. However, for Adam, who was just created, this knowledge was dangerous for the reasons that we have stated.

By the tree of life we can also understand that greatest knowledge that we draw from the consideration of everything sensible, and the path by which through this knowledge we ascend to the Founder, Creator and Cause of everything that exists. This is what God called every tree, i.e. complete and indivisible, bringing only affection for good. The tree of the knowledge of good and evil can be understood in the sense of sensual, pleasurable food, which, although it seems pleasant, is essentially the cause of evil for the eater; for God says: from every tree that is in Paradise, bring food (Gen. 2:16), expressing by this, as I think, the following: from all creations, ascend to Me, the Creator, and from all of them gather one fruit - Me, the true life; let everything bring you as fruit, consider life and communication with Me as the basis of your existence; for in this way you will be immortal. But from the tree, which means good and evil, you will not cut it down; but if you cut it down one day, you will surely die (Gen. 2:17); for, according to the natural order, sensual food is a replenishment of what is lost, and it is thrown out and decays; and one who feeds on sensual food cannot remain incorruptible.

Chapter XII. About the person

This is how God created the spiritual essence, i.e. angels and all heavenly orders, for angels, without any doubt, have a spiritual and incorporeal nature. However, I am talking about the incorporeal nature of angels, in comparison with the gross materiality of matter, for in essence only the Divine is immaterial and incorporeal. Besides. God also created a sensory essence, i.e. heaven, earth and what is between them. And God created the first essence similar to Himself, for the rational nature, comprehended only by the mind, is similar to God. God created the second essence in all respects very far from Himself, since it is completely accessible to the senses. But it was necessary that there should also be a mixture of both essences, which would testify to the highest wisdom and generosity in relation to both natures and, as the God-speaking Gregory says, would be some kind of connection between the visible and invisible nature. I say “ought”, meaning here the will of the Creator, for it is the most perfect charter and law. And no one will say to the Creator: why did you create me this way? for the potter has the power to make various vessels from his clay (Rom. 9:21), in order to show his wisdom.

Thus, God, from visible and invisible nature, with His hands, creates man in His image and likeness. From the earth He formed the body of man, and gave him a rational and thinking soul by His inspiration. This is what we call the image of God, for the expression: in the image - indicates the ability of the mind and freedom; whereas the expression: in likeness means assimilation to God in virtue, as far as it is possible for a person. The soul was created together with the body, and not, as Origen talked idlely, as if the soul was created first, and then the body.

So, God created man blameless, upright, loving goodness, free from sorrow and worries, adorned with every virtue, abounding in all blessings, as if some second world - small in the great - like a new angel worshiping God - created him mixed from two natures, a contemplator of the visible creation, penetrating into the secrets of the mental creation, reigning over what is on earth and subordinate to the highest power, earthly and heavenly, temporary and immortal, visible and intelligible, as the middle between greatness and insignificance; created him at the same time by spirit and flesh: by spirit by grace, by flesh as a warning against pride; in spirit - so that he remains unchanged and glorifies the Benefactor, in the flesh - so that he suffers and, suffering, remembers who he is, and, falling into pride, comes to his senses; created him as a living being who is directed here, i.e. in real life, and which moves to another place, i.e. into the next century; created him - which is the limit of the mystery - due to his inherent attraction to God, turning into God through participation in divine illumination, but not passing into the divine essence.

He created him sinless by nature and free by will. I say "sinless" - not because he was not susceptible to sin - for only the Divine is not susceptible to sin - but because the possibility of sin lay not in his nature, but rather in his free will. This means that, with the assistance of divine grace, he had the opportunity to remain and succeed in goodness, and equally, by virtue of his freedom, with God’s permission, to leave goodness and find himself in evil, for what is done under compulsion is not virtue .

The soul is a living, simple and incorporeal essence; invisible, by its nature, with bodily eyes; immortal, gifted with reason and intelligence, without a specific figure; it acts with the help of the organic body and imparts to it life, growth, feeling and the power of birth. The mind belongs to the soul, not as anything else distinct from it, but as the purest part of itself. As the eye is in the body, so is the mind in the soul. The soul, further, is a free being, possessing the ability to will and act; it is susceptible to change and, precisely, change on the part of the will, as is characteristic of a created being. The soul received all this naturally through the grace of the Creator, by which it received both being and a certain nature.

About the incorporeal wherever it is. We understand the incorporeal, invisible, and without a figure in two ways. One is such by its essence, the other by grace; one is such by nature, the other in comparison with the gross materiality of matter.

So, by nature God is called incorporeal; angels, demons and souls receive this name by grace and in comparison with the gross materiality of matter.

A body is something that has three dimensions, i.e. length, width and depth, or thickness. Each body consists of four elements. The bodies of animals consist of four humours.

It should be noted that the four elements are earth - dry and cold, water - cold and wet, air - wet and warm, fire - warm and dry. Likewise, the four humours, corresponding to the four elements, are black bile, which corresponds to the earth, since it is dry and cold; mucus, corresponding to water, because it is cold and wet; phlegmatic moisture, corresponding to air, since it is moist and warm; yellow bile, corresponding to fire, since it is warm and dry. Fruits are formed from the elements, moisture from fruits, and the bodies of animals from moisture into which they decompose, since everything complex decomposes into its component parts.

About what a person has in common with inanimate things, and dumb creatures, and with those gifted with reason. It should be noted that man has something in common with inanimate beings, participates in the life of the irrational, and possesses the thinking of the rational. Man has similarities with inanimate beings in that he has a body and consists of four elements; with plants in the same and, moreover, in that which has the power of feeding, growing, producing seed and giving birth; and with the unreasonable - in everything just mentioned and in addition in that which has inclinations, i.e. accessible to anger and desire, endowed with feeling and the ability to move according to internal impulses.

Of course, there are five senses: sight, hearing, smell, taste, touch. Voluntary movement consists in moving from place to place, in the movement of the whole body, in making sound and breathing, for it is in our power to do this and not to do it.

Man comes into contact with incorporeal and spiritual beings through reason - reasoning, forming concepts and judgments about each thing, striving for virtues and loving that which constitutes the pinnacle of all virtues - piety; therefore man is a small world.

It should be borne in mind that only the body is characterized by division, flow and change. The change consists of a change in quality, i.e. in heating, cooling, etc. The expiration consists of exhaustion, for both dry and wet, and breathing, which need replenishment, are subject to exhaustion; This is where natural feelings come from, such as hunger or thirst. Separation consists in the separation of one moisture from another, and also in the decomposition into form and matter.

The soul is characterized by piety and understanding. But virtues belong equally to both the soul and the body, and precisely because they relate to the soul, insofar as the body serves the needs of the soul.

It should be taken into account that rational forces dominate over irrational ones - for the forces of the soul are divided into rational and irrational. There are two types of irrational forces. Some of them are disobedient to reason, i.e. do not obey him; the latter are obedient and obey reason. The animal power, also called the power of blood circulation, the power of producing semen, or the power of birth, the plant power, also called the power of nutrition, are disobedient to reason and do not obey it; The types of this force are the force of increase and the force of formation of bodies. All these forces are controlled not by reason, but by nature. The forces of the soul that are obedient and subordinate to reason are anger and desire. In general, the unreasonable part of the soul is called passive and desirable. It should be noted that voluntary movement belongs to that part of the soul that obeys reason.

On the contrary, the power of nutrition, the power of birth and the power of blood circulation belong to that part of the soul that does not obey reason. The power of growth, nutrition and birth is called vegetable power, and the power of blood circulation is called animal power.

The power of nutrition consists of four forces: the attracting force, by which food is attracted; the holding force, which holds the food and does not allow it to be immediately expelled; transformative power, which transforms food into moisture; a separating force that separates out the excess and throws it out.

It must be borne in mind that of those forces that are inherent in animals, some are mental forces, others are plant forces, and others are animal forces. Mental powers are those that depend on the will, such as: voluntary movement and the ability to feel. Voluntary movement consists of moving from place to place, moving the whole body, making sound and breathing; for it is up to us to do this and not to do it. Plant and vital forces do not depend on will. Vegetative powers are the power of nutrition, the power of growth and the power of seed production. Life force is the force of blood circulation. These forces act both when we want it and when we don’t want it.

It should be noted that some things are good, while others are bad. The expected good produces desire; the present good is pleasure. In turn, expected evil produces fear in the same way, while present evil produces displeasure. It should be borne in mind that when speaking here about good, we meant both real good and imaginary good. The same applies to evil.

Chapter XIII. About pleasures

Pleasures are mental and physical. Soul pleasures are those that belong only to the soul in itself; such, for example, are the pleasures derived from knowledge and contemplation. Bodily pleasures are those in which both soul and body participate and which receive their name from this; such, for example, are the pleasures provided by food, carnal intercourse, etc. The pleasures peculiar to one body cannot be specified.

On the other hand, some pleasures are true, others are false. Those pleasures which belong to the mind alone arise from knowledge and contemplation; the same pleasures in which the body participates have their source in feeling. Moreover, of the pleasures in which the body participates, some are natural and at the same time necessary, without which it is impossible to live, such as: food and necessary clothing; others are natural, but devoid of the property of necessity, such as: sexual intercourse, natural or legal, for although sexual intercourse contributes to the continuation of the human race as a whole, one can live without it - in virginity; third pleasures are neither necessary nor natural, such as: drunkenness, voluptuousness, satiety. These pleasures contribute neither to the preservation of our life, nor to the continuity of the family, and even on the contrary, they harm. Therefore, one who lives in accordance with the will of God must seek necessary and, at the same time, natural pleasures; and in second place to place pleasures that are natural, but necessary, allowing them at a decent time, in a decent way and in decent measure. Other pleasures should be avoided at all costs.

Good pleasures should be recognized as those that are not associated with displeasure, do not leave a reason for repentance, do not cause any other harm, do not go beyond the boundaries of moderation, do not distract too much from important matters and do not enslave oneself.

Chapter XIV. About displeasure

There are four types of displeasure: grief, sadness, envy, compassion. Grief is displeasure that produces loss of voice; sadness - displeasure that oppresses the heart; envy - displeasure felt about other people's goods; compassion is displeasure felt at the misfortunes of others.

Chapter XV. About fear

Fear also comes in six types: indecision, bashfulness, shame, horror, amazement, anxiety. Indecision is fear of future action. Shame is the fear of expected reproach; this is the most wonderful feeling. Shyness is fear of an already committed shameful act, and this feeling is not hopeless in the sense of saving a person. Horror is fear of some great phenomenon. Amazement is fear of some extraordinary phenomenon. Anxiety is the fear of failure or failure, because, fearing failure in any matter, we experience anxiety.

Chapter XVI. About anger

Anger is the boiling of the blood around the heart, resulting from the evaporation or disturbance of bile, therefore in Greek anger is also called χολη and χολος, which means bile. Sometimes anger is combined with a desire for revenge; for, being offended or considering ourselves offended, we become angry, so that in this case a feeling is formed, mixed from attraction and anger.

There are three types of anger: irritation - also called χολη and χολος - anger and vindictiveness. Irritation is the name given to anger that begins and gets excited. Malice - long-lasting anger, or rancor; in Greek such anger is called μηνις - from μενειν - to remain, abide and μνησικακια - from μνημη παραδιδοσθαι - to remain in memory. Vindictiveness is anger waiting for an opportunity to take revenge. In Greek, such anger is called κοτος, from κεισθαι - to lie down.

Anger serves reason and is the protector of desire. Thus, when we want to carry out some task and someone prevents us from doing so, we become angry with him as if we are being subjected to injustice, for for the minds of people who protect their natural right, such an obstacle should obviously be recognized as worthy of indignation.

Chapter XVII. About imagination

Imagination is the power of the unreasonable soul, acting through the senses and also called feeling. The imaginary and perceived feeling is that which is subject to imagination and feeling. Thus, vision is the very ability to see, and what is visible will be that which is subject to vision, for example, a stone or something similar. Perception is an impression produced in the irrational soul by some sensory object. A dream is an impression occurring in the irrational parts of the soul without any sensory object. The organ of imagination is the anterior ventricle of the brain.

Chapter XVIII. About feeling

Feeling is the power of the irrational soul that perceives or recognizes material objects. The sense organs are the instruments or members through which we feel. Sensory objects are objects that can be perceived through feeling, and a sensory being is an animal that has feeling. There are five senses, as well as five sense organs.

The first sense is sight. The organs and instruments of vision are the nerves and eyes coming out of the brain. Colors are primarily perceived by vision; but along with color, vision also recognizes a body colored in a certain way, its size, figure, place it occupies, mutual distance and number of bodies, as well as movement, rest, roughness, smoothness, evenness, unevenness, sharpness, dullness and, finally, composition body, determining whether it is watery or earthy, i.e. wet or dry.

The second sense is hearing, with the help of which sounds and noises are perceived. The ear recognizes how high, low, smooth, uneven, and strong they are. The organ of hearing is the delicate nerves of the brain and the ears with their characteristic structure. Only humans and monkeys have fixed ears.

The third sense is smell. It is produced by the nostrils, which direct odors to the brain, and ends at the edges of the anterior ventricles of the brain. Vapors are felt and perceived by the sense of smell. The most important types of smells are incense and stench, as well as the smell between both, i.e. neither fragrant nor foul. Incense occurs when the moist parts of the body are completely ripe; medium smell when they are half ripe; if they are less than half ripe or not at all ripe, then there is a stench.

The fourth sense is taste, by which tastes are sensed and perceived. The organs of taste are the tongue, especially the tip of the tongue, and the upper part of the mouth, called the palate. These organs contain widely branching nerves coming from the brain, which transmit this perception or sensation to the soul. The taste qualities of the consumed substances are as follows: sweetness, bitterness, acidity, pungency, astringency, saltiness, oiliness, viscosity.

The fifth sense is touch, which is common to all animals. It operates with the help of nerves coming out of the brain and spreading throughout the body, so the sense of touch belongs to the whole body, not excluding other senses. By touch we perceive warm and cold, soft and hard, viscous and hard, heavy and light. All this is known by one touch. By touch and sight together we know rough and smooth, dry and damp, thick and thin, top and bottom, as well as place and size - if it is such that it can be covered by one touch - then dense and rare, or spongy, as well as and round and other shapes when they are small in size. By touch also, with the help of memory and reason, we perceive an approaching body and the number of objects up to two or three, if only these objects are small in size and easy to grab. However, the number of objects is more perceived by vision than by touch.

It should be noted that all sense organs, with the exception of the organ of touch, are arranged by the Creator in pairs, so that if one is damaged, the need is served by the other. Thus, He created two eyes, two ears, two nasal openings and two tongues, and the latter in some animals are divided, like in snakes, in others, they are united, like in humans. And He imparted the sense of touch to the entire body, except for bones, veins, claws, horns, hair, ligaments and some other similar parts of the body.

It should also be taken into account that vision sees in straight lines, but smell and hearing operate not only in a straight line, but everywhere. Finally, touch and taste perceive objects not in a straight line, and not everywhere, but only when they approach the most tangible objects.

Chapter XIX. About thinking ability

The thinking ability includes judgment, approval, desire for action, as well as aversion and avoidance. In particular, this activity includes the perception of the intelligible, virtues, knowledge, the rules of the arts, reflection before performing an action, and free choice. This same ability operates in dreams, foreshadowing the future. The Pythagoreans, following the Jews, claim that such dreams are the only true prophecy. The organ of the ability to think is the middle ventricle of the brain and the vital spirit located in it.

Chapter XX. About the ability of memory

The faculty of memory is the cause and repository of memory and recollection. Memory is an idea remaining in the soul from some sensory perception and some thought that has found actual expression; in other words, memory is the preservation of perception and thought. In fact, the soul perceives or feels sensory objects through the senses, and then an idea arises; The soul comprehends mental objects with its mind - and then a concept is formed. Thus, when the soul retains the imprints of ideas and thoughts, then we say that it remembers.

It should be borne in mind that the perception of mental objects occurs only through learning or innate ideas, for such perception cannot be obtained through sensory sensation. In fact, sensory objects are remembered by themselves; on the contrary, we store mental objects in memory when we have learned something about them. However, we have no memory of the essence of these objects.

Recollection is the restoration of memory lost under the influence of oblivion. Oblivion is the loss of memory.

So, the imagination, perceiving material objects through the senses, conveys the received impressions to the thinking or rational faculty, for both names mean the same thing; and thinking, having accepted and discussed them, transfers the abilities of memory.

The organ of memory is the posterior ventricle of the brain - also called the cerebellum - and the vital spirit located in it.

Chapter XXI. About the word internal and external

The rational part of the soul, in turn, is divided into an internal word and an external word. The inner word is a movement of the soul occurring in the mind without any expression in speech. Therefore, it happens that we often silently, mentally pronounce an entire speech or reason in our sleep. In relation to this type of speech, we are primarily verbal, or rational, for those who are mute from birth or who have lost the ability to speak due to illness are nevertheless rational beings. The external word actually has an existence in speech and in different languages; in other words: this is a word pronounced by the mouth and tongue; hence it is called pronounceable, or external. In relation to this external word we are called having the ability to speak.

Chapter XXII. About suffering and action

The word "suffering" has different meanings. There is bodily suffering, such as illnesses and wounds; there is, on the other hand, mental suffering, such as lust and anger. Generally speaking, the suffering of a living being is a state followed by pleasure and displeasure. Suffering is followed by displeasure; but displeasure is not suffering itself, for when objects devoid of feeling are subjected to suffering, they do not experience pain. Thus, it is not suffering that is painful, but the feeling of suffering. And for such a feeling to occur, the suffering must be worthy of attention, i.e. significant in strength.

Mental suffering, or passion, is defined as follows: passion is a movement of the volitional faculty, felt by the soul and based on the idea of good or evil; otherwise: passion is an unreasonable movement of the soul caused by the idea of good and evil. The idea of good causes desire, and the idea of evil causes irritation. The generic or general definition of suffering is this: suffering is a movement in one object produced by another object. In contrast, action is active movement. Something that moves on its own is called active. Thus, anger is the action of the corresponding faculty of the soul, but it is the suffering of both parts of the soul, as well as the whole body, when anger forcibly drags them into action; for here movement in one is produced by another, which is called suffering.

And in another respect, action is called suffering: namely, action is movement in accordance with nature, while suffering is action contrary to nature. In this sense, an action is called suffering when an object moves inconsistently with nature, it makes no difference whether the movement comes from itself or from another object. Therefore, the movement of the heart with proper blood circulation, as natural, is an action. When the heart falters, then any movement, as uneven and contrary to nature, is suffering, not action.

Not every movement of the passive part of the soul is called passion; This name is given only to movements that are stronger and become noticeable to the soul. Small movements that remain unnoticeable to the soul are not passions; for the suffering must be of a magnitude worthy of attention. Therefore, to the definition of passion we add: felt movement, since small movements that cannot be felt do not produce suffering.

It should be borne in mind that our soul has two kinds of powers - cognitive and vital. Cognitive powers are mind, reason, opinion, imagination, sensory perception; vital, or volitional - desire and free choice. To make this clearer, we will look at these abilities in detail. First, let's talk about cognitive abilities.

Enough has already been said about imagination and sensory perception. As we know, as a result of sensory perception, an impression is formed in the soul, called an idea; from the idea an opinion is formed; then reason, having discussed this opinion, recognizes it either true or false, which is why it is called reason - from reasoning, discussing. Finally, that which is discussed and accepted as truth is called mind.

If we talk about the mind differently and in more detail, then we should keep in mind that the first movement of the mind is called thinking. Thinking about a particular subject is called thought. A thought that remains in the soul for a long time and imprints a certain mental object on it is called deliberation. When the discussion, focusing on the same subject, tests itself and considers the conformity of the soul with the imaginable object, then it receives the name of understanding. The expanded understanding constitutes reasoning, called the inner word. The latter is defined as follows: this is the complete movement of the soul, occurring in its rational part, without any expression in speech. From the inner word comes, as they usually say, the outer word, expressed through language. Having now spoken about cognitive forces, let’s talk about vital or volitional forces.

It should be noted that the soul has an innate ability to desire what is in accordance with its nature, and to preserve everything that essentially belongs to this nature; this ability is called will. In fact, every independent being, striving for what is inherent in its nature and full existence, desires to exist, live and move in accordance with the mind and feeling. Therefore, such a natural will is defined as follows: will is a rational and at the same time vital attraction, depending exclusively on natural conditions. Thus, will is a simple, indivisible force, a single, self-identical, natural attraction to everything that constitutes the nature of the will; this drive is both vital and rational, for the drives of animals, being irrational, are not called will.

Want is a certain manifestation of natural will, in other words: a natural and reasonable attraction to any object; for in the human soul lies the ability to understand instincts. Thus, when such a rational attraction is naturally directed towards any object, it receives the name of desire, for desire is a rational attraction and desire for any object.

In a word, wanting is denoted both by the desire for what is in our power and the desire for what is not in our power, i.e. both the desire for the possible and the desire for the impossible. So often we want to commit fornication, remain celibate, sleep, etc. All this is in our power and possible. But we also want to reign, which is no longer in our power. We may want to never die, but this belongs to the realm of the impossible.

Wanting has a goal in mind, not something that leads to a goal. The goal is the object of desire, such as, for example, to reign, to be healthy. The means we come up with lead to the goal, for example, a way to achieve health or become a king. Wanting is followed by searching and research. Then, if the object of desire is in our power, discussion or deliberation takes place. Discussion is a desire combined with an investigation of those actions that are in our power; for the discussion concerns whether something should be undertaken or not. After this it is decided which is better; this is called a decision. Then, regarding what has been decided, we are tuned in a certain way, we develop love for it; this is called propensity. And if we decided on something, but did not tune in to it in a certain way, or we did not develop love for it, then we don’t talk about inclination. Then, after we have a certain mood, free election or choice follows, for free election consists in the fact that of two actions free for us, one is taken and chosen preferably over the other. Having made choices, we then strive for action; this is called aspiration. Further, having reached the object of our desires, we use it; this is called using. Finally, use is followed by cessation of craving.

In irrational animals, as soon as any instinct arises, it is immediately followed by a desire for action; for the attraction of irrational creatures is unreasonable, and they are led by natural attraction. Therefore, the attraction of irrational beings is not called either will or desire, since the will is a rational and free natural attraction. In people, as rational beings, natural attraction does not so much govern as it is controlled; for it acts freely and together with the mind, since in man the cognitive forces and the vital forces are interconnected. Therefore, a person is freely attracted by desire, freely explores and considers, freely thinks, freely decides, freely adjusts in a certain way, freely makes a choice, freely strives, freely accomplishes everything that is in accordance with nature.

It should be borne in mind that we attribute will to God, but we do not attribute choice to Him in the proper sense, for God does not think about His actions, since deliberation is a consequence of ignorance: no one thinks about what he knows. If deliberation is a consequence of ignorance, then, undoubtedly, the same must be said about choice. And since God directly knows everything, He does not discuss His actions.

Likewise, in relation to the soul of the Lord Jesus Christ, we are not talking about deliberation and choice; for ignorance was not characteristic of her. Even if a nature that did not know the future belonged to Him, however, having been hypostatically united with God the Word, it possessed knowledge of everything not by grace, but, as was said, by hypostatic union; for one and the same was both God and man.

As a result of this, He did not have certain inclinations of the will. True, He belonged to a simple natural will, which we equally see in all hypostases of the human race. But His holy soul had no inclination or object of desire that was contrary to the object of His Divine will or different from the object of His Divine will. The inclinations in individual hypostases are different, with the exception of the hypostases of the holy, simple, uncomplicated and indivisible Deity. Here the hypostases are inseparable and inseparable, and therefore the object of the will is also inseparable; here there is one nature, and therefore one natural will; here the hypostases are inseparable, and therefore there is one object of will and one movement of the three hypostases. As for people, it is true that they have one natural will, for they have one nature; but since their hypostases are divided and separated from one another - by place, time, relationship to objects and very many other circumstances - then their wills and inclinations are different. In our Lord Jesus Christ, the natures are different, and therefore the natural wills, or powers of desire, are different, belonging, on the one hand, to His Divinity, and on the other, to His humanity. But, on the other hand, in Him there is one hypostasis, one leader, and therefore one object of will, or one inclination of the will, for His human will, of course, followed His Divine will and wanted what the Divine will demanded of it.

It should be noted that will, desire, the object of desire - the one who is able to want and the one who wants - differ from each other. Will is the simple ability to desire. Want is the will directed towards a specific object. The object of desire is the thing to which the will is directed, or what we want. Let's say, for example, that we develop a craving for food. Simple rational attraction is will; attraction to food is desire; and food itself is an object of desire; one who has the power of volition is called capable of will; the one who uses the will is called willing.

It should be borne in mind that the word will sometimes means the ability to want - then it is called natural will, and sometimes it means the object of desire - and then it is called rational will.

Chapter XXIII. About activities

It should be borne in mind that all the forces discussed above, both cognitive and vital, both natural and artificial, are called activities. Activities are the force and motion belonging to each individual entity. Or according to another definition: natural activity is a movement associated with the nature of any individual entity. From this it is clear that things having the same essence have the same activity; on the contrary, things whose natures are different have different activities; for an essence cannot but possess natural activity.

Activity is further defined as the natural force expressing each essence. Activity is also defined as follows: activity is the natural and first always active force of the rational soul, i.e. her ever-active mind flowing from her naturally and unceasingly. Finally, there is such a definition of activity: activity is the natural force and movement belonging to each substance, without which nothing but non-existence is possible.

Activities are, firstly, actions, for example: talking, walking, eating, drinking, etc. Secondly, natural passive states are often called activities, for example: hunger, thirst, etc. Finally, the product of force is also called activity.

The words are also used in a double sense: in possibility and in reality. Thus, we say about an infant that he is a grammarian in possibility, for he has the ability to become a grammarian through learning. Also about grammar we say that he is a grammarian in possibility and in reality. He is a grammarian in reality, since he has knowledge of grammar. But he is a grammarian and in possibility, since he can teach grammar, in reality he does not teach it. And again we really call him a grammarian if he acts, i.e. teaches.

It should be noted that the second case is thus general, both for possibility and for reality, namely, firstly, here there is reality and, secondly, possibility.

Self-determining, in other words, rational and free life, which constitutes the advantage of the human race, is the first, only and true reality of our nature. And I don’t know how those who deny this activity in Him call the Lord God incarnate.

Activity is the active movement of nature; active is that which moves by itself.

Chapter XXIV. About voluntary and involuntary

Since both that which is voluntary and that which is considered involuntary are found in one or another action, then some, even about that which is truly involuntary, believe that it occurs not only in suffering, but also in action. In contrast to this, it should be borne in mind that an act is a rational activity. Actions are accompanied by either praise or blame. Moreover, some of them are performed with pleasure, others with displeasure; some are attractive to the actor, others are disgusting. Further, among attractive actions, some are always attractive, others for some time. The same applies to disgusting actions. In addition, some actions are merciful and rewarded with leniency, while others arouse hatred and are punished. Thus, what is voluntary is always followed by either praise or blame; voluntary actions are always performed with pleasure and are attractive to the performer - attractive either always, or when they are performed. On the contrary, the involuntary is distinguished by the fact that it is awarded condescension and mercy, is done with displeasure, is not attractive, and it would never be allowed by a person, even if he was forced to do so.

Involuntary is of two types - involuntary due to coercion and involuntary due to ignorance. The first occurs when the active principle, or cause, is outside, i.e. when we are forced by someone else, but we ourselves do not agree at all, do not participate in it by our own disposition and do not contribute to it in the least, or when we, on our own initiative, do what we are forced to do. Defining this type of involuntary, we say: involuntary is that, the beginning of which is outside and in which the person subjected to coercion does not participate by his own disposition; Moreover, by beginning we here mean the producing cause. Involuntary due to ignorance occurs in the case when we ourselves are not the cause of our ignorance, but when our ignorance is accidental. So, if someone commits murder while intoxicated, then he committed murder out of ignorance, but not involuntarily, for the cause of ignorance, i.e. drunkenness, he created himself. And if someone, shooting in the usual place, killed a father passing by, they say that he did it unwittingly - out of ignorance.

If, therefore, the involuntary is of two types - due to coercion and due to ignorance, then the voluntary will be the opposite of both of these types of involuntary, for the voluntary is something that is done neither due to coercion nor due to ignorance. So, the voluntary is that, the beginning of which, or the cause, is located in the agent himself, who knows in detail everything through which the action is performed and what it consists of. These details are called circumstances by speakers. These are: who? those. who performed any action? whom? those. who took this action? What? those. the action itself, for example, killed; how? those. what weapon? Where? those. in what place? When? those. what time? How? those. way of performing an action, why? those. for what reason.

It should be borne in mind that there is something in between voluntary and involuntary. Thus, wanting to avoid great evil, we decide to do something unpleasant and regrettable, as, for example, during a shipwreck we throw away the cargo on the ship.

It should be taken into account that children and non-sentient animals act voluntarily, but not by free choice. Likewise, what we do in irritation, without prior deliberation, we do voluntarily, but not out of free choice. In the same way, if a friend comes to us unexpectedly, we accept him voluntarily, but there is no free choice; or if someone unexpectedly receives wealth, he receives it voluntarily, but again without freedom of choice. All this is accepted voluntarily, because it gives pleasure, but there is no freedom of choice, since there is no preliminary deliberation. And as mentioned above, deliberation should always precede choice.

Chapter XXV. About what is in our power, or about freedom

Talking about freedom, i.e. about what is in our power, we first of all encounter the following question: is anything in our power? - for many argue against this. The second question will be the question of what is in our power and what we are free to do. Finally, thirdly, we must find out the reason why the God who created us created us free. Starting with the first question, let us first of all prove, based on grounds recognized even by our opponents, that there is something within our power. We will conduct our speech in this way.

The cause of everything that happens is considered to be either God, or necessity, or fate, or nature, or happiness, or chance. But the work of God is the essence of things and providence; the product of the necessary is the movement of that which exists unchanged; the product of fate is that which is produced by it with necessity, for fate itself is an expression of necessity; the product of nature - birth, growth, destruction, animals and plants; a product of happiness - rare and unexpected, for happiness is defined as the coincidence and confluence of two causes that have their origin in free choice, but produce something other than what they should produce. This will happen, for example, if someone digging a hole finds a treasure. In fact, the one who placed the treasure did not place it with the intention that another would find it; Likewise, this latter did not dig the ground with the intention of finding a treasure. But the first one put the treasure in order to take it whenever he wanted, and the second one dug in order to dig a hole. Something else happened, different from what both wanted. Finally, the product of chance are those events with inanimate objects and irrational animals that depend neither on nature nor on art. That's what the opponents of freedom say. Under which of these causes will we subsume human actions, if man is not the cause and beginning of his action? It is not proper for God to attribute shameful and unjust actions that people sometimes commit. Human actions cannot be attributed to necessity, for they do not belong to that which is unchangeable. They cannot be attributed to fate, because the work of fate is not called accidental, but necessary. They cannot be attributed to nature, for the products of nature are animals and plants. They cannot be attributed to happiness, because people’s actions are not something rare and unexpected. They cannot be attributed to chance, because random events are those involving inanimate objects and irrational animals. So, it remains to assume that the person who acts and produces something is the beginning of his actions - and is free.

Moreover, if a person is not the origin of any of his actions, then he will not need the ability to think about his actions; for what will he apply this ability to if he has no power in any of his actions? for all deliberation implies action. But to recognize as unnecessary what is most beautiful and valuable in a person would be the height of absurdity. Therefore, if a person thinks about his actions, he does it for the sake of action, for all thinking has action in mind and is conditioned by action.

Chapter XXVI. About what happens

Of the things that happen to us, some are in our power, while others are not in our power. In our power lies what we are free to do and not to do, in other words: everything that we do voluntarily, for an action is not called voluntary if it is not in our power. In a word, everything that is accompanied by blame and praise is in our power, and incentive and law belong to it. In the proper sense, every internal action and what we think about is in our power. Deliberation takes place with equally possible actions. Actions are equally possible when we can do one or the other, the opposite of the first. The choice of action is made by our mind, and therefore it is the beginning of activity. Thus, in our power lies everything that we can equally do and not do, for example: move and not move, strive and not strive, desire what is not necessary and not desire, lie and not lie, give and not to give, to rejoice or not to rejoice at what one should, and equally to rejoice or not to rejoice at what one should not, and all the like, in which virtuous and vicious actions consist, for in all this we are free. The arts are also equally possible actions, for it is in our power to engage or not to engage in any art.

It should be noted that the choice of action is always in our power; but the action is often delayed by a special action of Divine Providence.

Chapter XXVII. About why we are free

We affirm that freedom is associated with reason, and that change and transformation are characteristic of creatures. In fact, everything that has come from another is changeable, since something that received its beginning as a result of change must necessarily be changeable, and change occurs in the case when something passes from non-existence into being or when from a given substances something else is formed. But according to the methods of bodily change here set forth, inanimate objects and irrational animals are changed; rational beings change at will. A rational being has two abilities - contemplative and active. The contemplative faculty comprehends the nature of things, while the active faculty ponders actions and determines the correct measure for them. The contemplative faculty is called theoretical reason, while the active faculty is called practical reason; The contemplative faculty is also called wisdom, and the active faculty is called prudence. So, everyone who ponders his actions, since the choice of action depends on him, ponders them then in order to choose what is decided during such deliberation and, having chosen, execute it. If this is so, then a rational being will necessarily acquire freedom, for it will either not be rational, or, if rational, it will be the master of its actions and free.

It also follows from this that irrational beings do not have freedom, for they are governed by nature rather than governing it themselves. Therefore, they do not resist natural desire, but as soon as they desire something, they strive for action. Man, as a rational being, controls nature rather than being controlled by it. Therefore, having wished for something, he, at will, has the opportunity to both suppress the wish and follow it. For the same reason, irrational beings deserve neither praise nor blame; a person is both praised and blamed. It should be noted that angels, as rational beings, are free and, like creatures, changeable. This was demonstrated by the devil, who was created good by the Creator, and the powers that fell away with him, i.e. demons, while the other orders of angels remained in goodness.

Chapter XXVIII. About what is not in our power

Of that which is not in our power, some has its beginning or its causes in that which is in our power - such are the rewards for our deeds, both in the present and in the future life - yet the rest depends on the divine will , for the existence of everything has its source in God, but corruption occurred later as a result of our sin for our punishment and together for our benefit; for God did not create death, nor rejoices at the destruction of the living (Wis. 1:13). More precisely, death, as well as other executions, is from man, that is, the essence of the consequence of Adam’s crime. Everything else should be attributed to God, since our existence is the work of His creative power; continuation of being is the work of His containing power; management and salvation are the work of His providential power; eternal enjoyment of blessings is the work of His goodness towards those who act in accordance with nature, for which we were created.

And since some deny Industry, let us now briefly talk about Industry

Chapter XXIX. About Industry

Providence is God's care for existing things. In other words: Providence is the will of God, by which everything that exists is properly governed. Since Providence is the will of God, it is absolutely necessary that everything that happens according to Providence should be undoubtedly the most beautiful and most worthy of the Divine, such that it could not be better. Indeed, it is necessary that one and the same person be both the Creator of existence and the Provider; for it is indecent and inconsistent with reason for one to be the Creator and the other the Provider. After all, then it would be obvious that both would be powerless - one powerless to create, the other powerless to provide. Thus, God is both the Creator and the Provider, and His creative, containing and providential power is His good will. In fact, whatever the Lord willed, the Lord created in heaven and on earth (Ps. 134:6), and no one resists His will. He wanted everything to happen - and it did. He wants the world to preserve its existence, and it does, and everything happens according to His will.

And that God provides and provides wonderfully, this can best be verified in the following way. God alone is good and wise by nature. As good, He provides, for he who does not provide is not good, since both people and irrational animals naturally take care of their children, and whoever does not care is subject to censure. Further, like a wise man, God takes care of things in the best possible way.

Taking all this into account, we must marvel at all the deeds of Industry, glorify them all and accept them all without inquisitiveness, even if they seem unfair to many; for the Providence of God is invisible and incomprehensible to us, and our thoughts, deeds and future are known to God alone.

All this, as I say, is not in our power; for what is in our power is not a matter of Industry, but of our free will.

What depends on Providence happens either by the good will of God or by permission. By the grace of God, what is undeniably good happens. By permission, that which is not indisputably good. Thus, God often allows a righteous person to fall into misfortune in order to show others the virtue hidden in him: this was the case, for example, with Job. Sometimes God allows something strange in order to accomplish something great and wondrous through an apparently incongruous action; Thus, the salvation of people was achieved through the cross. In some cases, God allows a holy person to suffer grievously, so that the saint does not fall away from the right conscience or he does not fall into pride because of the power and grace given to him; so it was with Paul.

For a while, God leaves a person to correct another, so that others, looking at him, will be corrected; so it was with Lazarus and the rich man. In fact, seeing others suffer naturally makes us humble. God leaves another person for the glory of Another, and not for his or his parents’ sins; so the man blind from birth was blind to the glory of the Son of man. God also allows someone to suffer in order to arouse jealousy in another, so that, seeing how the glory of the victim has been magnified, others may fearlessly suffer in the hope of future glory, because of the desire for future benefits, so it was with the martyrs. Sometimes God allows a person to commit a shameful act to correct another, even worse passion. Thus, let us assume that someone is exalted in his virtues and righteousness; God allows such a person to fall into fornication, so that through this fall he would come to the consciousness of his weakness, humble himself and come and confess to the Lord.

It should be borne in mind that the choice of affairs is in our power, but their outcome depends on God. Moreover, the outcome of good deeds depends on divine assistance, for God, according to His foreknowledge, righteously assists those who, according to a right conscience, choose what is good. The outcome of bad deeds depends on divine permission, on the fact that God, again according to His foreknowledge, righteously leaves a person, leaving him to his own strength.

There are two types of abandonment of a person by God: one is saving and admonishing, the other means final rejection. Saving and admonishing abandonment occurs either for the correction, salvation and glory of the sufferer, or for arousing others to zeal and imitation, or for the glory of God. Complete abandonment occurs when a person, despite the fact that God has done everything for his salvation, remains, of his own free will, insensitive and unhealed, or, better said, incurable. Then he surrenders to final destruction, like Judas. May God protect us and deliver us from such abandonment.

It should be borne in mind that there are many ways of divine Providence, and they can neither be expressed in words nor comprehended by the mind.

It should also be borne in mind that all sorrowful events, if people accept them with gratitude, are sent to them for their salvation and, without a doubt, benefit them.

It should be borne in mind that God, first of all, wants everyone to be saved and reach His Kingdom. In fact, as good, He created us not to punish, but so that we could be partakers of His goodness; but as a just one, He wants sinners to be punished.

His first desire is called preliminary will and good will and depends only on Him. The second desire is called subsequent will and permission and has its cause in us. In this case, permission, as we said above, is of two types: salvation and admonishment, and permission, meaning the rejection of a person by God and leading to complete punishment. All this is not in our control.

As for those who are in our power, God wants good deeds by His preceding will and favors them, but He does not want bad deeds either by His preceding or by His subsequent will, but He allows free will to do evil; for what is done under compulsion is not rational and is not virtue.

God provides for all creation, showing us benefits and admonishing us through every creation, even through the demons themselves, as can be seen from what happened with Job and the pigs.

Chapter XXX. About foreknowledge and predestination

It should be borne in mind that God foresees everything, but does not predetermine everything. Thus, He foresees what is in our power, but does not predetermine it; for He does not want vice to appear, but He does not force us to virtue. Thus, predestination is a matter of Divine command based on foreknowledge. God, according to His foreknowledge, predetermines what is not in our power; for God has already predetermined everything according to His foreknowledge, as His goodness and justice require.

It should be taken into account that virtue was given to us by God along with our nature and that He himself is the beginning and cause of all good. And without His cooperation and help it is impossible for us to either want or do good. But it is in our power either to remain in virtue and follow God, Who calls us to it, or to abandon virtue, i.e. to live viciously and follow the devil, who - however, without coercion - calls us to this; for vice is nothing other than separation from goodness, just as darkness is separation from light. So, remaining true to our nature, we live virtuously; deviating from one’s nature, i.e. from virtue, you come to an unnatural state and become vicious.

Repentance is a return, through ascetic life and works, from an unnatural state to a natural state and from the devil to God.

God created man as a husband, endowing him with His Divine grace and through it putting him into communion with Himself. By virtue of this grace, man, as a master, gave names to the animals that were given to him as slaves; for he was created in the image of God, endowed with reason, thought and freedom, and therefore naturally received power over earthly creatures from the common Creator and Ruler of all.

Since the foreseeing God knew that man would commit a crime and undergo corruption, He created from him a wife, his helper and one similar to him. She was supposed to be his assistant in ensuring that the human race would be continuously preserved through birth even after the crime; for the original formation of man is called creation, and not birth. Just as creation is the first formation of man by God, so birth is the successive descent of one person from another from the time of his condemnation to death for a crime.

God placed man in a paradise that was spiritual and sensual. In fact, physically he was in a sensual paradise on earth, but spiritually he talked with angels, cultivating divine thoughts and feeding on them. He was naked, for he was simple in heart and led an innocent life. Through his creations, he raised his thoughts to the One Creator, and was delighted and amused by His contemplation.

And since God adorned man with free will, he gave him the law - not to eat from the tree of knowledge. We have said as much as we could about this tree in the chapter On Paradise. God gave man this commandment with the promise that if he preserves the dignity of his soul, i.e. if he gives victory to reason, does not forget the Creator and preserves His command, then he will be a partaker of eternal bliss and will live forever, becoming above death. And if he subjugates the soul to the body and prefers bodily pleasures and, not realizing his dignity and, becoming like foolish beasts, throws off the yoke of the Creator, despises His Divine commandment, then he will be guilty of death and will be subjected to corruption and labor, dragging out a miserable life. Indeed, it was not beneficial for a person that he should receive incorruption unskilled and untested, lest he fall into pride and be condemned in the same way as the devil; for the latter, after his arbitrary fall, unrepentantly and invariably established himself in evil. Accordingly, the angels, having arbitrarily chosen virtue, acquired, with the assistance of grace, unshakable firmness in goodness.

Therefore, it was necessary for a person to first be tested, for an untested and unsophisticated man has no value. It was necessary that, having achieved perfection through the test of fulfilling the commandment, he would thus receive immortality as a reward for virtue. In fact, being by nature something in between God and matter, man, if he had renounced all natural attachment to created being and was united by love with God, would have to be unshakably established in goodness through observance of the commandment. But when, as a result of the crime, he began to gravitate more towards substance and when his mind turned away from its Culprit, i.e. God, then corruption became characteristic of him, he became from the impassive subject to passions, from the immortal to mortal, he had a need for marriage and carnal birth, due to his addiction to life he became attached to pleasures, as something necessary for life, and those who tried to deprive He began to stubbornly hate these pleasures. His love, instead of God, turned to matter, and his anger, instead of the true enemy of his salvation, turned to people like him. So man was defeated by the envy of the devil, for the envious hater of goodness - the demon, who himself was cast down for exaltation, could not tolerate us achieving the highest blessings. Why does this liar deceive the unfortunate [i.e. Adam] with the hope of becoming God and, having raised him to his own heights of pride, casts him into a similar abyss of fall.

Notes
1. Gregory the Theologian, word 29,38, 41, 45, Migne, s, gr„t. XXXVI, coll. 77, 320 etc. Translation of Part III (1889), pp. 44, 197.
2. Gregory the Theologian, word 38, 45, Dionysius the Areopagite, On the Church Hierarchy, 4. Migne, s. gr., t. III, col. 177. Translation (1839), p. 18.
3. Gregory the Theologian, sermon 38, 45.
4. Nemesius, On the Nature of Man 1. Migne, s. gr..t. XI, col. 521. Translation by F. Vladimirsky (Pochaev 1904), p. 31.
5. Gregory the Theologian, word 28.
6. Gregory the Theologian, word 28. Migne, XXXVI, 72. Transl., 40. Cyril Alexander., Treasure, 31. Dionysius the Areopagite, On the heavenly hierarchy, 3, Migne III, 165-168. Translation, 15-17.
7. Gregory the Theologian, word 28. Dionysius the Areopagite, On the heavenly hierarchy, 9.
8. Gregory the Theologian, word 38. Basil the Great, On the Holy Spirit, 16. Migne, XXXII, coll. 136-137. Translation Moscow. Spirit. Acad., Part III (Moscow, 1891), 235.
9. Some church fathers, e.g. Methodius of Patara, Gregory of Nyssa, John Chrysostom, taught that the devil and his accomplices fell from among those angels to whom the lower world was entrusted.
10. Gregory the Theologian, word 2.
11. Dionysius the Areopagite, On the Names of God, 4.
12. Nemesius, On the nature of man, 1.
13. Basil the Great, Conversation on the Sixth Day of the 1st Migne, s. gr., t. XXIX, coll. 21, 25, 28, Translation Moscow. Spirit. Acad., part 1 (Moscow, 1891), pp. 15, 18-20.
14. Basil the Great, Conversation on the 3rd Six Days. Migne. 57. Translation, 39-40. 34.
15. Basil the Great, Conversation on the Six Days 1 and 3. 35.
16. Basil the Great, Conversation on the 2nd Six Days.
17. Ibid.
18. Vasily V. Conversation 6.
19. Basil the Great, Conversation on Shestodenev 6th. 38
20. Basil the Great, Conversation on the Sixth Day. Nemesius, On the Nature of Man, 36-37.
21. Vasily V., Conversation on the Sixth Day.
22. Vasily V., Word for the Nativity of Christ.
23. Nemesius, On the Nature of Man, 5.
24. Nemesius, On the Nature of Man, 5.
25. Basil the Great, Conversation on the 4th Six Days.
26, Basil the Great, Conversation on the 8th Six Days.
27. Basil the Great. Discourse on Paradise, Migne, s. gr., t. XXX, coll. 61-72.
28. Gregory of Nyssa, On the structure of man, 2. Translation Moscow. Spirit, Acad., part 1 (1861), p. 85.
29. Gregory the Theologian, words 38 and 45.
30. Nemesius, On the Nature of Man, I, Migne, 512, 516. Translation, 25, 27.
31. Gregory the Theologian, sermons 38 and 45.
32. Gregory the Theologian, words 38 and 45.
33. Gregory the Theologian, words 38 and 45.
34. Afanasy Alex. Against Apollinaris, book one. About the Incarnation of the Lord. Translation Moscow. Spirit. Acad., Part III (1903), pp. 315-340.
35. Maximus the Confessor, On the Soul, Migne, s. gr., t. XCI.
36. Nemesius, On the Nature of Man, 1. Migne, 505-508. Translation, 21-22.
37. Nemesius, On the Nature of Man, 23. Migne, 693. Translation, 132.
38. Nemesius, On the Nature of Man, 19. Migne. 688. Translation, 127.
39. Nemesius, On the Nature of Man, 20. Migne, 688-689. Translation, 128.
40. Nemesius, On the Nature of Man, 21. Migne, 692. Translation, 130-131.
41. Nemesius, On the Nature of Man, 6. Migne, 632-633. Translation, 90-92.
42. Nemesius, On the Nature of Man, 7. Migne, 644. Translation, 97.
43. Nemesius, On the nature of man, 10-11. Migne, 657-660. Translation, 106-107.
44. Nemesius, On the Nature of Man, 9, 8. Migne, 656, 652. Translation, 104-105, 101-102.
45. Nemesius, On the Nature of Man, 12. Migne, 660. Translation, 107-108.
46. Gregory of Nyssa. On the constitution of man, 12, 14 and 15.
47. Nemesius, On the Nature of Man, 13. Migne, 660, 661, 684. Translation, 108-111
48. Nemesius, On the Nature of Man Migne, 673, 676. Translation, 117-120.
49. Maximus the Confessor, Letter 1, to Marin. Migne, s. gr., t. XCI.
50. Maximus the Confessor, Letter 1, to Marin.
51. Maximus the Confessor, Dialogue with Pyrrhus. Migne, s. gr., t. XCI. Letter 1 to Marin, Migne, s. gr., t. XCI.
52. Maximus the Confessor, Letter 1 to Marinus, Migne, s. gr., t. XCI.
53. Maximus the Confessor, Dialogue with Pyrrhus.
54. Maximus the Confessor, Dialogue with Pyrrhus.
55. Nemesius, On the Nature of Man, 29. Migne, 717-720. Translation, 146-147.
56. Nemesius, On the Nature of Man, 30 and 31, Migne, 720-728. Translation, 147-150.
57. Nemesius, On the Nature of Man, 32. Migne, 728-729. Translation. 151-152
58. Nemesius, On the Nature of Man, 30. Migne, 720-721. Translation, 147-148.
59. Nemesius, On the Nature of Man, 33. Migne, 732. Translation, 154.
60. Nemesius, On the Nature of Man, 39. Migne, 761-764. Translation, 172-174.
61. Nemesium. 41, Migne, 773-776. Translation, 180-182.
62. Nemesius, 42-43, Migne, 780-793. Translation. 186-193.
63. Nemesius, 44. Migne, 813. Translation, 205.
64. Nemesius, 44. Migne, 809-812. Translation, 203-204.
65. Nemesius, 37. Migne. 749-753. Translation, 166-168.