ambigua to john
µηδὲν µέντοι τρανοῦσα [see John 12:28–30], οἷοσπέρ ἐστιν
ὁ στοιχειώδης λόγος. Πᾶς γὰρ λόγος θεόθεν τοῖς ἀνθρώ-
ποις κατὰ τὸν αἰῶνα τοῦτον γραφεὶς πρόδροµός ἐστι τοῦ
δι᾿ αὐτοῦ ἀγράφως ἐν πνεύµατι κατὰ νοῦν µηνυοµένου καὶ
ἐς ὕστερον φανησοµένου τελεωτέρου Λόγου, ὡς ἀλήθειαν
µὲν ἔχων ἐν ἑαυτῷ µηνυοµένην, οὐ µὴν δὲ αὐτὴν ἀπερικα-
λύπτως10 γυµνὴν δεικνὺς τὴν ἀλήθειαν.
14 Οὕτω µὲν οὖν, ὡς οἶµαι, τῆς θείας ὅλης Γραφῆς ὁ νοῦς
εὐσεβῶς ὁµαλιζόµενος οὐδὲν δυσχερὲς ἢ ἀνώµαλον διὰ
τῶν καθ᾿ ἱστορίαν δοκουσῶν ἐναντιώσεων ἔχων δειχθήσε-
ται. Πᾶς γὰρ τῶν ἀνέκαθεν ἁγίων κατὰ τὸν ἀληθῆ λόγον
τοῦ δι᾿ αὐτοῦ µηνυοµένου τε καὶ προτυπουµένου µυστη-
ρίου “πρόδροµος” ἦν, δι᾿ ὧν ἔπασχέ τε καὶ ἔδρα καὶ ἔλεγε
τὰ τούτων προκηρύττων ἀρχέτυπα. Διὸ καὶ ἀντ᾿ ἀλλήλων
ἀµέµπτως παραλαµβάνονται, καὶ πάντων ἅπαντες, καὶ
ἕκαστος ἑκάστου, καὶ ἀντὶ τῶν ὑπ᾿ αὐτῶν συγγραφεισῶν
βίβλων, καὶ ἀντ᾿ αὐτῶν αἱ βίβλοι παρὰ τῇ συνηθείᾳ τῆς
Γραφῆς προσαγορεύονται. Καὶ δηλοῖ τοῦτο σαφῶς τὸν
Βαπτιστὴν Ἰωάννην “Ἠλίαν” καὶ ποιῶν καὶ λέγων ὁ
Κύριος [Mt 11:14], εἴτε διὰ τὴν ἴσην τῆς ἀρετῆς ἕξιν, ὥς
φασιν οἱ διδάσκαλοι, καὶ τὴν κατὰ νοῦν διὰ πάντων καθ-
αρότητα καὶ τὸ τῆς πολιτείας σύντονον, εἴτε διὰ τὴν ἐν
ἀµφοτέροις ταυτότητα τῆς ἐν τῇ χάριτι δυνάµεως, εἴτε
καθ᾿ ἕτερον λόγον ἀπόκρυφον, αὐτὸς ἂν εἰδείη ὁ λέγων
ὡς Θεός, καὶ οἱ παρ᾿ αὐτοῦ τὰ τοιαῦτα µυστήρια σοφιζόµε-
νοι. Καὶ πάλιν “Μωϋσέα” τὸν νόµον, καὶ προφήτας τὰς
αὐτῶν προφητικὰς βίβλους, καλέσας, ἐν οἷς πρὸς τὸν ἐν
440
MS1
ambiguum 21
without explaining anything clearly, and this is precisely an
elementary discourse.11 For every word given by God to man
and written down in this present age [1252D] is a forerunner
of the more perfect Word, which—through that word—is
announced to the intellect, spiritually and without writing,
and which will be manifested in the age to come, for whereas
the written word possesses an indication of the truth in it-
self, it does not reveal the truth itself, naked and unveiled.
I believe, therefore, that if the meaning12 of the whole of 14
divine Scripture is properly and piously smoothed out, the
disagreements perceived on the literal level of the text will
be seen to contain nothing contradictory or inconsistent.
For in accord with true teaching, all the saints from the be-
ginning [1253A] were “forerunners” of the mystery, which
they proclaimed in advance and prefigured through their
sufferings, deeds, and words. Therefore, the saints can justi-
fiably stand in the place of each other: all can stand in place
of all, and each in place of each. Moreover, the saints can be
named in place of the books written by them, just as the
books can be named in place of the saints, which is why the
books are called by their names, as is the habit of Scripture.
And the Lord Himself clearly demonstrates this when he
calls John the Baptist by the name of “Elijah,” either because
the two were equal in the habit of virtue (as the teachers
say), in the purity of their intellect in all things, and in the
austerity of their way of life; or because of their identical
power of grace; or because of some other, hidden reason,
which is known to God (who identified the two figures) and
[1253B] to those whom He enlightens about these myster-
S! S ies. And, again, when He told the story in which Abraham
R! R spoke to the man who was rich on earth, but tormented
L! L!
441
MS1
 ambigua to john
τῇ γεένῃ βασανιζόµενον πλούσιον φήσαντα τὸν πα-
τριάρχην εἰσήγαγεν Ἀβραάµ· ἔχουσι Μωϋσέα καὶ τοὺς προ-
φήτας, ἀκουσάτωσαν αὐτῶν [Lk 16:29], ἀντὶ τῶν ὑπ᾿ αὐτῶν
συγγραφεισῶν θείων βίβλων αὐτοὺς ἐκείνους παρα-
θέµενος, Μωϋσέα, φηµί, καὶ τοὺς προφήτας. Καὶ θαυ-
µαστὸν οὐδέν. Εἰ γὰρ εἷς ἐστιν ὁ δι᾿ αὐτῶν καταγγελλόµε-
νος, οἱ πάντες ὡς εἷς ὃν καταγγέλλουσι νοεῖσθαι δύνανται,
καὶ ἀντὶ πάντων ἕκαστος11 καὶ πάντες πάντων εὐσεβῶς
ἀντιπαραλαµβάνεσθαι, τῶν τε διακονησαµένων τῷ κατὰ
τὴν Παλαιὰν Διαθήκην µυστηρίῳ καὶ τῶν πιστευθέντων
τὸ κήρυγµα τῆς κατὰ τὸ Εὐαγγέλιον χάριτος.
15 Οὐκοῦν ὥσπερ εἰς ὅλην τὴν Παλαιὰν Διαθήκην καὶ
τὴν κατ᾽ αὐτὴν λατρείαν πρόδροµον12 οὖσαν τῆς Καινῆς
Διαθήκης καὶ τῆς κατ᾿ αὐτὴν λατρείας ὁ µέγας Βαπτιστὴς
Ἰωάννης εὐσεβῶς παραλαµβάνεσθαι δύναται, οὕτω δι-
καίως εἰς ὅλην τὴν Καινὴν Διαθήκην καὶ τὴν κατ᾿ αὐτὴν
λατρείαν, πρόδροµον οὖσαν τῆς ἐν µέλλοντι αἰῶνι µυ-
στικῆς τῶν ἀῤῥήτων ἀγαθῶν κρυφιότητος [Hbr 10:1], καὶ
Ἰωάννης ὁ µέγας ἀληθῶς εὐαγγελιστὴς ληφθῆναι δύνα-
ται, ὡς πρόδροµος φωνὴ τοῦ µέλλοντος τρανῶς λαλεῖσθαι
θειοτέρου Λόγου καὶ εἰκὼν τῆς δειχθησοµένης ἀληθείας.
Σκιᾷ γὰρ καὶ εἰκόνι καὶ ἀληθείᾳ τὸ καθ᾿ ἡµᾶς ὅλον τῆς
σωτηρίας σοφῶς ᾠκονοµήθη µυστήριον. Σκιὰν γὰρ εἶχεν
ὁ νόµος, ὥς φησιν ὁ θεῖος ἀπόστολος, τῶν µελλόντων ἀγα-
θῶν, οὐκ αὐτὴν τὴν εἰκόνα τῶν πραγµάτων [Hbr 10:1], δι᾿ ἧς
τοὺς κατὰ νόµον οἰκείως ἑαυτοῖς κατ᾿ ἀµυδράν τινα τῶν
ἀληθῶν ἔµφασιν πρὸς τὴν τοῦ Εὐαγγελίου παραδοχὴν ὁ
Λόγος ἐπαιδαγώγει. Τὸ δὲ Εὐαγγέλιον εἰκόνα κέκτηται
442
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ambiguum 21
in Gehenna, He called the law “Moses,” and the prophetic
books “prophets,” saying: They have Moses and the prophets, let
them listen to them, using the names of Moses and the proph-
ets in place of the divine books written by them. And this
is  nothing to be marveled at. For if He who is proclaimed
through them is one, then all those who proclaim Him may
also be understood as one, and one can serve in the place of
all, and all may reverently serve in the place of all the others,
both those who ministered to the mystery of the Old Testa-
ment, and all those who were entrusted with the [1253C]
preaching of the grace of the Gospel.
Thus, just as the great John the Baptist can be reverently 15
identified with the whole Old Testament and its worship,
which is a forerunner of the New Testament and its worship,
so too can John, the truly great Evangelist, be rightly associ-
ated with the whole of the New Testament and its worship,
which is a forerunner of the secret hiddenness of the inef-
fable good things of the age to come, for he is the precursory
voice of a more divine Word, which will be clearly uttered in
the age to come, and an image of the truth that will be made
manifest. For the entire mystery of our salvation has been
wisely arranged to unfold in a shadow, an image, and truth.13
The law has but a shadow, as the divine apostle says, of the good
things to come; it was not the image of the [1253D] realities them-
selves, through which God the Word prepared those under
the law to receive the Gospel, in the manner that was appro-
priate to them, that is, through a dim manifestation of the
truth. The Gospel, on the other hand, possesses the image
S! S
R! R
L! L!
443
MS1
 ambigua to john
τῶν ἀληθῶν, ὅλους ἔχον τρανῶς ἀπεντεῦθεν ἤδη τοὺς τῶν
µελλόντων ἀγαθῶν χαρακτῆρας, δι᾽ ἧς τοὺς τὴν εὐαγγε-
λικὴν ἑλοµένους ζωὴν ἀκραιφνῆ καὶ ἀκίβδηλον διὰ τῆς
τῶν ἐντολῶν ἀκριβοῦς ἐργασίας, τὴν τῶν µελλόντων
ἀγαθῶν13 ὁµοιότητα κτησαµένους, ἑτοίµους ὁ Λόγος δι᾿
ἐλπίδος καθίστησι τῇ παραδοχῇ τῆς τῶν ἀληθῶν ἀρχε-
τυπίας ψυχωθῆναι καὶ γενέσθαι ζώσας εἰκόνας Χριστοῦ,
καὶ ταὐτὸν αὐτῷ µᾶλλον κατὰ τὴν χάριν ἢ ἀφοµοίωµα,
τυχὸν δὲ καὶ αὐτὸς ὁ Κύριος, εἰ µὴ φορτικὸς ὁ λόγος τισὶν
εἶναι δοκεῖ, ὡς πρόδροµος ἑαυτοῦ πρὸς τοῦ θεοφόρου δι-
δασκάλου προσηγόρευται νῦν, ὡς ἑαυτὸν ἀναλόγως τοῖς
ὑποδεχοµένοις κατά τε τὴν Παλαιὰν κατά τε τὴν Νέαν
Διαθήκην ἐκφαίνων, δι᾿ αἰνιγµάτων τε καὶ φωνῶν καὶ
τύπων προτρέχων αὐτὸς ἑαυτοῦ, καὶ διὰ τούτων πρὸς τὴν
χωρὶς τούτων ἄγων ἀλήθειαν, τοῖς αὐτοῦ τοῦ14 Κυρίου
λόγοις τοῦτο τεκµαιροµένου, δι᾿ ὧν ἔλεγεν, ἔτι πολλὰ ἔχω
λέγειν ὑµῖν, ἀλλ᾿ οὐ δύνασθε βαστάζειν ἄρτι [John 16:12],
σηµαίνων τὴν ὑψηλοτέραν µὲν τῆς προλαβούσης, χθα-
µαλοτέραν δὲ καὶ αὐτὴν τῆς µετ᾿ αὐτὴν διὰ τοῦ θείου
Πνεύµατος περὶ αὐτοῦ µέλλουσαν ἔσεσθαι πρὸς αὐτοὺς
διδασκαλίαν.
16 Ὅθεν εἰκότως ἐπήγαγεν· ὅταν δὲ ἔλθῃ ἐκεῖνος, τὸ
Πνεῦµα τῆς ἀληθείας, ὁδηγήσει ὑµᾶς ἐν τῇ ἀληθείᾳ πάσῃ
[John 16:13]· ἢ καὶ δι᾿ ὧν ἑτέρωθί φησιν· ἰδού, ἐγὼ µεθ᾿
ὑµῶν εἰµι πάσας τὰς ἡµέρας ἕως τῆς συντελείας τοῦ αἰῶνος
[Mt 28:20]· οὐχ ὡς µετὰ τοῦτο παντελῶς οὐκ ἐσόµενος15
µετ᾿ αὐτῶν, ἀλλ᾽ ὡς ὑψηλοτέρου δηλονότι παρ᾿ ὃν τέως
ἠπίσταντο χθαµαλώτερον, ὡς πρὸς τὴν ἑαυτῶν δύναµιν
444
MS1
ambiguum 21
of true things, and already clearly bears all the characteris-
tics of the good things to come, and it is through this image that
those who choose the pure and undefiled life of the Gospel,
through their strict exercise of the commandments, take
possession of the likeness of the good things of the age to
come, and are made ready by the Word through the hope
that they will be spiritually vivified by their union with the
archetype of these true things, and so become living images
of Christ, or rather become one with Him through grace
(rather than being a mere simulacrum), or even, perhaps, be-
come the Lord Himself, if such an idea is not too onerous
for some to bear,14 for now, consistent with the wisdom of
our God-bearing teacher, the Word is called the forerun-
ner of Himself, since He manifests Himself according to the
measure of those who receive Him, in [1256A] both the Old
Testament and the New Testament, in which the Word runs
ahead of Himself through riddles, words, and figures, by
which he leads us to a truth that exists without these things.
And the Lord Himself bears witness to this when He says: I
have yet many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now,
indicating to them a teaching that is more sublime than the
one that preceded it, but which is itself lower than that
which would follow through the divine Spirit.
And thus He rightly added that, when the Spirit of truth 16
comes, He will lead you into all truth, along with what He says
elsewhere: Behold, I will be with you always, unto the consum-
mation of the age. This does not mean that He would not be
absolutely with them after this, [1256B] but that they would
come to know Him as something more sublime, in compari-
S! S son to the lower form by which, on the basis of their own
R! R abilities, they had hitherto been able to know Him. For even
L! L!
445
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 ambigua to john
γινώσκεσθαι µέλλοντος. Ὡσαύτως γὰρ ὑπάρχων ἀεὶ δι᾿
ἑαυτόν, καὶ µηδεµίαν παραδεχόµενος ἐξ ἀλλοιώσεως µετα-
βολήν, οὔτε τὸ µᾶλλον καὶ ἧττον, πᾶσι πάντα γίνεται [see
1 Cor 9:22, 12:6, 15:28; Eph 1:23] δι᾿ ὑπερβολὴν ἀγαθότητος,
ταπεινὸς τοῖς ταπεινοῖς, ὑψηλὸς τοῖς ὑψηλοῖς, καὶ τοῖς δι᾿
αὐτὸν θεουµένοις ὁ φύσει Θεὸς καὶ πᾶσαν θεότητος ἐκβε-
βηκὼς ἔννοιαν ὡς ὑπέρθεος,16 ὡς εἶναι τὰ τοῦ παρόντος
αἰῶνος πάντα τῆς περὶ τὸν ἄνθρωπον προνοίας εἴδη τε καὶ
µυστήρια, κἂν µεγάλα ᾖ, προοδοποίησίν τινα καὶ προ-
διατύπωσιν τῶν µελλόντων. Συγκρινόµενος οὖν καὶ αὐτὸς
ὁ τέως τοῦ Κυρίου χωρητὸς λόγος πρὸς τὸν µέλλοντα τοῖς
µαθηταῖς µυστικώτερον ἐπιχορηγεῖσθαι, ἥ τε προτέρα
πάλιν αὐτοῦ παρουσία τῇ δευτέρᾳ, πρόδροµός ἐστιν ἑαυ-
τοῦ, παραδείξας µὲν ἀµυδρῶς ἐν ἑαυτῷ πρὸς τὴν τῶν ὑπο-
δεχοµένων δύναµιν, οὐ φανερώσας δὲ νῦν ἅπερ ἔχει σεσι-
γηµένως παρ᾿ ἑαυτῷ ἐν ἀποκρύφῳ µυστήρια, διὰ τὸ τῇ
κτίσει τέως εἶναι παντελῶς ἀχώρητα [see John 21:25]. Πᾶν
γάρ, ὃ γράµµασιν ὑποπίπτει, καθὼς εἴρηται, καὶ φωναῖς
πάντως, ὅτι καὶ τὸ17 νοούµενον ἐξ αὐτοῦ, κἂν πνευµατικὸν
ᾖ, ὅσον πρὸς τὸ µηδόλως γράµµασι καὶ ἐκφωνήσει προσ-
πίπτον, φωνῆς λόγον ὡς πρὸς τρανὸν λόγον ἐπέχει, καὶ
διὰ τοῦτο πάντα τὰ διὰ Χριστοῦ τοῦ Θεοῦ τοῖς µαθηταῖς
λαληθέντα πρὸς τὸν ἀλάλητον νοῦν, ἤτοι νόησιν, Ἰωάννην,
ἴσως ὁ θεσπέσιος οὗτος διδάσκαλος προσηγόρευσε τὴν
πρόδροµον χάριν ἐκ τοῦ δεκτικοῦ καλῶς τε καὶ σοφῶς
ὀνοµάσας.
S!
R!
L!
446
MS1
ambiguum 21
though He Himself is always the same, and is beyond all
change or alteration, becoming neither greater nor lesser,
He nonetheless becomes all things to everyone out of His ex-
ceeding goodness: lowly for the lowly, lofty for the lofty, and,
for those who are deified through His grace, He is God by
nature, and Deity beyond all knowledge as God beyond
God. It follows from this that all the forms and mysteries of
divine providence on behalf of man in this present age, even
though these be of great importance, constitute but a pre-
cursor and prefiguration of future things. Thus, when we
compare the apprehensible word of the Lord to the more
hidden and mystical word that will be granted to the disci-
ples in the coming age (or when we compare His first com-
ing [1256C] to His second), we see that it is the forerunner
of itself. And this is something the Lord indicated indis-
tinctly in Himself, in proportion to the capacity of those
who receive Him. But He has not yet revealed the mysteries
that are hidden silently within Him, because for the time
being the whole world could not contain them. For, as was men-
tioned above, whatever is subject to written expressions and
spoken words, as well as the meaning emerging from it—
even if it is something spiritual—compared to whatever
cannot be grasped at all by written expressions and utter-
ances, holds the place of plain sound compared to a mas-
terly articulated speech. For this reason, perhaps, the godly
teacher set all the words that were uttered to the disciples
through Christ our God in juxtaposition with that ineffable
mind or intellect that is John, well and wisely naming the
forerunning grace from the ability to receive it.
S
R
L!
447
MS1