Τοῦτο μὲν οὖν ἐνταῦθα κείσθω· τὸ δὲ ἡμέτερον,
 1 τάχα ἀν’] + καὶ e ǁ 4 καταβεβλακευμενοις] κατεβλ. acf ‘duo Colb. Or. 1’ ||
6 γεννητὴ] γενητὴ abc || 11 p, τε c 
 1. εἰ καὶ μὴ μ., ἀλλ’ ἀμ’. γε] μετρίως
is here a word of approbation, ‘if
not satisfactorily, yet dimly at any
rate.’ 
 4. μὴ ὅτι] ‘not to speak ’ cp.
§ 11. Καταβεβλ. from βλάξ, which
is thought to be a collateral form of
μαλακός, ‘slack,’ ‘enfeebled,’ ‘enervated.’ 
 6. γεννητῇ] not= γενητὴ ‘created,’
for Gr. goes on to speak of the
higher created intelligences as a separate
class afterwards; but strictly
‘begotten’ or ‘born,’ i.e. existing under
physical conditions, the effect of
which is described in the following
clause. 
 7. ἐπιπροσθεῖ] The verb is formed
from the adv. ἐπίπροσθεν: ‘to be in
front of,’ so ‘get in the way of.’
Wyttenbach collects many instances
of its use in his note on Plut. de
Recta And. Ratione p. 41 C. 
 ib. σαρκίον] the diminutive ex-
presses depreciation. 
 8. πρός] ‘in reference to,’
it comes to a matter οf.’ 
 ib. οὐκ οἴδα δέ, εἰ μὴ] of course indicates
Gr.’s opinion that it is impossible.
This was the general
opinion. Cp. Chrys. Horn, de Incomprehensibili
iii 1 τὸν ἀνεξιχνίαστον
ἀγγέλοις, τὸν ἀνεξερεύνητον ἀρχαγγέλοις,
τὸν ἀθέατον τοῖς σεραφίμ, τὸν
ἀκατανόητον τοῖς χερουβίμ, τὸν ἀόρατον
ἀρχαῖς καἰ ἐξουσίαις λαὶ δυνάμεσι καὶ
ἁπλῶς πάση τῇ κτίσει. 
 10. τυχὸν ἂν καὶ τρανοῖντο] Τρανόω,
a favourite word of Gr.'s, usually
= ‘to make plain’ (e.g. § 20).
as τρανός is sometimes used in the
more active sense of ‘clear,’ i.e. of
penetrating intelligence (e.g. Wisd.
vii 22), it seems best to understand
τρανοῖντο here in that way, ‘gifted
with insight and intelligence.’ 
 12. ἐκτυπώτερον] ‘ more expressly,’
’distinctly.’ 
 5. The works of God are beyond
our present comprehension, much
more Himself; we can only affirm
for certain that He exists. 
 14. κείσθω] ‘be dropped.’ He
not wish to pursue the question with
regard to the superior intelligences:
τὸ δὲ ἠμ’. ‘but as concerning us.’ 

 
οὐχ ἡ εἰρήνη τοῦ θεοῦ μόνον ὑπερέχει πάντα νοῦν καὶ
κατάληψιν, οὐδὲ ὅσα τοῖς δικαίοις ἐστὶν ἐν ἐπαγγελίαις
ἀποκείμενα, τὰ μήτε ὀφθαλμοῖς ὁρατά, μήτε ὠσὶν ἀκουστά,
μήτε διανοίᾳ θεωρητά, κατὰ μικρὸν γοῦν, οὐδὲ ἡ τῆς
 κτίσεως ἀκριβὴς κατανόησις· καὶ γὰρ καὶ ταύτης πείσθητι
τὰς σκιὰς ἔχειν μόνον, ὅταν ἀκούσῃς· ὄψομαι τοὺς οὐρανούς,
ἔργα τῶν δακτύλων σου, σελήνην καὶ ἀστέρας, καὶ
τὸν ἐν αὐτοῖς πάγιον λόγον· ὡς οὐχὶ νῦν ὁρῶν, ὀψόμενος
δὲ ἔστιν ὅτε· ἀλλὰ πολὺ πρὸ τούτων ἡ ὑπὲρ ταῦτα, καὶ
 ἐξ ἧς ταῦτα, φύσις ἄληπτός τε καὶ ἀπερίληπτος· λέγω δέ,
οὐχ ὅτι ἔστιν, ἀλλ’ ἥτις ἐστίν. οὐ γὰρ κενὸν τὸ κήρυγμα
ἡμῶν, οὐδὲ ματαία ἡ πίστις ἡμῶν, οὐδὲ τοῦτό ἐστιν ὃ
δογματίζομεν· μὴ πάλιν τὴν εὐγνωμοσύνην ἡμῶν ἀθείας
λάβῃς ἀρχὴν καὶ συκοφαντίας, καὶ κατεπαρθῇς ὡς ὁμολο-
 5. 2 ἐν ἐπαγγελίαις ἐστιν d || 8 πάγιον] πανάγιον e || 10 om ταύτα φύσις
. . . .λεγω δε d 
 1. ὑπερέχει π. νοῦν] Phil, iv 7. 
 3."/> μήτε ὀφθ. ὁρατά κτλ.] 1 Cor.
ii 9. Gr. forgets, as most people do,
that St Paul adds ἡμῖν γὰρ ἀπεκάλυψεν
ὁ θ. διὰ τοῦ πνεύματος. 
 4. κατὰ μικρὸν γοῦν] Γοῦν corrects,
but limits the concession;
‘not contemplated by the mind—
well, only to small estent.’ 
 6. τὰς σκιάς] ‘the outlines.’ 
 ib. ὄψομαι κτλ.] Ps. viii 4 (3). 
 8. τ. ἐν αὐτ’. πάγιον λόγον] πάγιος
from the root of πήγνυμι, ‘firm,’
‘fixed’; ‘the well established order
that prevails among them.’
words are a paraphrase of ‘which
thou hast ordained.’ 
 ib. ὀψόμενος δὲ ἐστιν ὅτε] Gr.
calls attention to the fact that the
Ps. uses the future, not the present. 
 9. ἢ ὑπὲρ τ....φύσις] ὑπερέχει
πάντα νοῦν. It is a little odd to say,
“note only the peace of God, but
God Himself, passeth understanding.’’
We might have expected,
‘If the peace of God passeth understanding,
much more God Himself.’’ 
 10. ἄληπτός τε κ.ἀπερίλ.] ‘inapprehensible
as it is and incomprehensible.’ 
 11 οὐχ ὅτι ἐστιν, ἁλλ’ ἥτις ἐστίν]
may be taken either with ἄληπτος
κ. ἀπερίληπτος, or with the main
verb ὑπερέχει π. νοῦν. Perh. the
latter is the more forcible: ‘Ι do
not mean that the fact of its existence
passes understanding, but the
nature of it.’ 
 ib. οὐ γὰρ κενόν κτλ.] 1 Cor.
xv 14, 17. The γὰρ implies that it
would be ‘vain’ if we were unable
truly to apprehend the fact of God's
existence. 
 13. ὃ δογματίζομεν] ‘nor is that
the doctrine which I am laying
down.’ 
 ib. εὐγνωμοσύνην] Cp. εὐγνώμονος
above, i 5. It resembles ἐπιείκεια,
‘reasonableness.’ Μὴ πάλιν,
cp. i 4 μὴ πάλιν ἐπιφυέσθωσαν. 
 14. κατεπαρθῇς] ‘exalt yourself
against me.’ Cp. Cyr. Al. c. Ful. i
p. 6. 

 
γούντων τὴν ἄγνοιαν. πλεῖστον γὰρ διαφέρει τοῦ εἶναί τι
πεπεῖσθαι τὸ τί ποτέ ἐστι τοῦτο εἰδέναι.