§1.1{Ὥσπερ δὲ πάντα τὰ τοῦ θεοῦ δωρήματα εἰς ὑπερβολὴν μείζονά ἐστι τῆς θνητῆς ὑποστάσεως, οὕτω καὶ ὁ ἀκριβὴς λόγος τῆς περὶ πάντων τούτων σοφίας, παρὰ τῷ θεῷ τῷ καὶ οἰκονομήσαντι ταῦτα γραφῆναι τυγχάνων, θέλοντος τοῦ πατρὸς τοῦ λόγου γένοιτο ἂν ἐν τῇ ἄκρως μετὰ πάσης φιλοτιμίας καὶ συναισθήσεως τῆς ἀνθρωπίνης ἀσθενείας τῆς περὶ τὴν κατάληψιν τῆς σοφίας κεκαθαρμένῃ ψυχῇ.
\n{Just as all the gifts of God are infinitely greater than mortal substance, so also the precise discourse of the wisdom concerning all these things—existing as it does with God, who also arranged for these things to be written—would, by the will of the Father of the Word, come to be in a soul that has been purified to the highest degree, with all eagerness and awareness of human weakness concerning the apprehension of wisdom.
εἰ δέ τις προπετέστερον ἑαυτὸν ἐπιδῴη, μὴ συνιδὼν τὸ ἀπόρρητον τῆς σοφίας τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ τοῦ »ἐν ἀρχῇ« »πρὸς τὸν θεὸν« λόγου, καὶ αὐτοῦ θεοῦ ὄντος, καὶ ὅτι κατὰ τὸν λόγον καὶ θεόν, καὶ κατὰ τὴν παρ᾿ αὐτῷ σοφίαν, ταῦτα καὶ ζητητέον καὶ εὑρετέον, ἀνάγκη τὸν τοιοῦτον εἰς μυθολογίας καὶ φλυαρίας ἐκπίπτοντα καὶ ἀναπλασμοὺς τῷ περὶ ἀσεβείας ἑαυτὸν ὑποβάλλειν κινδύνῳ.
But if anyone should rashly commit himself, not perceiving the secret of the wisdom of God and of the Word who was "in the beginning" "with God," and who is himself God, and that according to the Word and God, and according to the wisdom with him, these things must be both sought and found, it is necessary that such a person, falling into mythologies and babblings and fabrications, should subject himself to the danger of impiety.
διόπερ μνημονευτέον καὶ τῆς παρὰ τῷ Σολομῶντι ἐν τῷ Ἐκκλησιαστῇ περὶ τῶν τοιούτων ἐντολῆς, λέγοντι· »μὴ σπεύσῃς τοῦ ἐξενεγκεῖν λόγον πρὸ προσώπου τοῦ θεοῦ· ὅτι ὁ θεὸς ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ ἄνω, καὶ σὺ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς κάτω· διὰ τοῦτο ἔστωσαν οἱ λόγοι σου ὀλίγοι«. }
Πρέπει δὲ τὰ ἅγια γράμματα πιστεύειν μηδεμίαν κεραίαν ἔχειν κενὴν σοφίας θεοῦ· ὁ γὰρ ἐντειλάμενος ἐμοὶ τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ καὶ λέγων· »οὐκ ὀφθήσῃ ἐνώπιόν μου κενός«, πολλῷ πλέον αὐτὸς οὐδὲν κενὸν ἐρεῖ.
Therefore, we must also remember the commandment concerning such matters in Ecclesiastes by Solomon, who says: "Do not hasten to utter a word before the face of God; for God is in heaven above, and you are on the earth below; therefore let your words be few."}\nAnd we must believe that the holy scriptures do not have even one tittle empty of the wisdom of God; for He who commanded me, the human being, saying: "You shall not appear before me empty," will himself much more say nothing that is empty.
»ἐκ« γὰρ »τοῦ πληρώματος αὐτοῦ« λαβόντες οἱ προφῆται λέγουσι· διὸ πάντα πάντα πνεῖ αὐτῶν ἀπὸ πληρώματος· καὶ οὐδέν ἐστιν ἐν προφητείᾳ ἢ νόμῳ ἢ εὐαγγείῳ ἢ ἀποστόλῳ, ὃ οὐκ ἔστιν ἀπὸ πληρώματος διὰ τοῦτο ἐπεί ἐστιν ἀπὸ πληρώματος, πνεῖ τοῦ πληρώματος τοῖς ἔχουσιν ὀφθαλμοὺς βλέποντας τὰ τοῦ πληρώματος, καὶ ὦτα ἀκούοντα τῶν ἀπὸ πληρώματος, καὶ αἰσθητήριον τῆς εὐωδίας τῶν ἀπὸ πληρώματος πνεόντων. Ἐὰν δέ ποτε ἀναγινώσκων τὴν γραφὴν προσκόψῃς νοήματι ὄντι καλῷ λίθῳ προσκόμματος καὶ πέτρᾳ σκανδάλου, αἰτιῶ σαυτόν.
For having received "from his fullness," the prophets speak; therefore all things of theirs breathe entirely from fullness; and there is nothing in prophecy or law or gospel or apostle which is not from fullness. Therefore, since it is from fullness, it breathes of the fullness to those who have eyes that see the things of fullness, and ears that hear the things from fullness, and a sense of smell for the fragrance of the things breathing from fullness.\nBut if ever, while reading the scripture, you stumble at a meaning which is a good stone of stumbling and rock of offense, blame yourself.
μὴ ἀπελπίσῃς γὰρ τὸν λίθον τοῦτον τοῦ προσκόμματος καὶ τὴν πέτραν τοῦ σκανδάλου ἔχειν νοήματα ὥστ᾿ ἂν γενέσθαι | | κατὰ τὸ εἰρημένον· »καὶ ὁ πιστεύων οὐ καταισχυνθήσεται«. πίστευσον πρῶτον, καὶ εὑρήσεις ὑπὸ τὸ νομιζόμενον σκάνδαλον πολλὴν ὠφέλειαν ἁγίαν.
For do not despair that this stone of stumbling and rock of offense has meanings such as to come to be according to what has been said: "And he who believes shall not be put to shame." Believe first, and you will find under the supposed stumbling block much holy benefit.