Ἀρκτέον οὖν οὕτω πάλιν. θεὸν νοῆσαι μὲν χαλεπόν· φράσαι δὲ ἀδύνατον, ὥς τις τῶν παρ’ Ἕλλησι θεολόγων ἐφιλοσόφησεν,—οὐκ ἀτέχνως ἐμοὶ δοκεῖν, ἵνα καὶ κατειληφέναι δόξη τῷ χαλεπὸν εἰπεῖν, καὶ διαφύγῃ τῷ ἀνεκφράστῳ τὸν ἔλεγχον. ἀλλὰ φράσαι μὲν ἀδύνατον, ὡς ὁ ἐμὸς λόγος, νοῆσαι δὲ ἀδυνατώτερον. τὸ μὲν γὰρ νοηθὲν 1 προσβλέπειν] βλέπειν ‘Reg. a’ || 3 Φαραω] του Φ. bdef ǁ 4 κατα τον Παυλον bef ǁ 5 ἐκεῖνον] -νους bef || 6 om ἠξιωμένος ac || 7 καν γαρ] om γὰρ a ǁ om τι e || 8 om ἤμων d || η καὶ] ἢ om καὶ f 4. 14 ἴνα καὶ] ἴνα τὸ b || 15 τὼ χαλεπὸν] τὸ χαλ. bd: τὼ suprascr. c || 16 om μεν c 2. ἀκραιφνεῖ]=ἀκεραίῳ ‘unmitigated,’ ‘untempered.’ 3. Φαραὼ θεός] Ex. vii 1. 4. κατὰ τὸν Παῦλον] 2 Cor. xii 2. Φθάσῃς as above. 10. ὑπεραίρει] used intransitively from Aristotle downwards. ib. κάτω βρίθοντος κρ.] Wisd. ix 15. For κράματος see i 7. 4. To form an adequate con- ception of God is even more impossible than to express it when formed. It is doubtful whether even angels can do it. 12. ἀρκτέον] from ἄρχεσθαι: ‘we must begin ’ The hopes with which he had begun at first ὡς θεὸν καταληψόμενος) have proved fallacious. 13. ὥς τις τῶν παρ᾿ Ἕ. θεολόγων] The reference appears to be to Timaeus 28 Ε τὸν μὲν οὖν ποιητὴν καὶ πατέρα τοῦ παντὸς εὑρεῖν τὸ ἔργον, καὶ εὕροντα εἰς πάντας ἀδύνατον λέγειν. No approval is conveyed by the expression θεολόγων τις. Cp. v 16. 14. οὐκ ἀτέχνως] Plato thus art- fully insinuates, in Gr.'s opinion, that he has himself apprehended what he says is so difficult to appre hend, and at the same time escapes exposure by saying that it is inexpressible τῷ (ἀνεκφρ.). 17. ἀδυνατώτερον] because if only the conception could be formed, expression would be comparatively easy. Cp. Novatian de Trin. § 4 nomen Dei edici non potest, quolacious. niam non potest nee concipi. τάχα ἂν λόγος δηλώσειεν, εἰ καὶ μὴ μετρίως, ἁλλ’ ἀμυδρῶς γε, τῷ μὴ πάντη τὰ ὦτα διεφθαρμένῳ καὶ νωθρῷ τὴν διάνοιαν. τὸ δὲ τοσοῦτον πρᾶγμα τῇ διανοίᾳ περιλαβεῖν πάντως ἀδύνατον καὶ ἀμήχανον, μὴ ὅτι τοῖς καταβεβλακευμένοις, καὶ κάτω νεύουσιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῖς λίαν ὑψηλοῖς τε καὶ φιλοθέοις, καὶ ὁμοίως πάσῃ γεννητῇ φύσει, καὶ οἷς ὁ ζόφος οὗτος ἐπιπροσθεῖ καὶ τὸ παχὺ τοῦτο σαρκίον πρὸς τὴν τοῦ ἀληθοῦς κατανόησιν. οὐκ οἶδα δέ, εἰ μὴ καὶ ταῖς ἀνωτέρω καὶ νοεραῖς φύσεσιν, αἳ διὰ τὸ πλησίον εἶναι θεοῦ, καὶ ὅλῳ τῷ φωτὶ καταλάμπεσθαι, τυχὸν ἂν καὶ τρανοῖντο, εἰ καὶ μὴ πάντη, ἀλλ’ ἡμῶν γε τελεώτερόν τε καὶ ἐκτυπώτερον, καὶ ἄλλων ἄλλαι πλεῖον ἢ ἔλαττον, κατὰ τὴν ἀναλογίαν τῆς τάξεως.