On the Incomprehensible Nature of God.

372 Pages·017.462 MB·English

by  Johannes Chrysostomus, St. John Chrysostom, san Juan Crisóstomo

THE FATHERS
OF THE CHURCH
A NEW TRANSLATION
VOLUME 72
THE FATHERS
OF THE CHURCH
A NEW TRANSLATION
EDITORIAL BOARD
Hermigild Dressler, O.F.M.
The Catholic University of America Press
Editorial Director
Robert P. Russell, O.S.A. Thomas P. Halton
Villanova University The Catholic University of America
Robert Sider Sister M. Josephine Brennan,
Dickinson College I.H.M.
Marywood College
FORMER EDITORIAL DIRECTORS
Ludwig Schopp, Roy J. Deferrari, Bernard M. Peebles
Richard Talaska
Editorial Assistant
ST. JOHN
CHRYSOSTOM
ON THE INCOMPREHENSIBLE
NATURE OF GOD
Translated by
PAUL W. HARKINS
Professor Emeritus
Xavier University
Cincinnati, Ohio
THE CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY OF AMERICA PRESS
Washington, D.C.
Nihil Obstat:
REVEREND HERMIGILD DRESSLER, O.F.M.
Censor Deputatus
Imprimatur:
REV. MSGR. JOHN F. DONOGHUE
Vicar General for the Archdiocese of Washington
September 2, 1982
The nihil obstat and imprimatur are official declarations that a book or
pamphlet is free of doctrinal or moral error. No implication is contained
therein that those who have granted the nihil obstat and the imprimatur agree
with content, opinions, or statements expressed.
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
John Chrysostom, Saint, d. 407.
On the incomprehensible nature of God.
(Fathers of the Church~ v. 72)
Translation of: Peri akataleptou.
September 2, 1982.
Bibliography: p. vii-xii
Includes indexes.
1. God-Knowableness-Sermons. 2. Eunomianism-Sermons.
3. Sermons, Greek-Translations into English.
4. Sermons, English-Translations from Greek.
1. Harkins, Paul W. (Paul William), 1911-
II. Title. III. Series.
BR60.F3C42 [BR65.C43] 270s [231] 83-1984
ISBN 0-8132-1027-5 (pbk.)
Copyright © 1984 by
THE CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY OF AMERICA PRESS, INC.
All rights Teserved
CONTENTS
Page
Select Bibliography ................................. Vll
Abbreviations ...................................... xiii
Introduction ....................................... 3
Pre-Arian Christology ......................... 3
Arianism and Nicaea .......................... 14
Athanasius and the Decline of Arianism ........ 17
Chrysostom and the Anomoeans ............... 19
Montfaucon's Notices .......................... 38
On the Incomprehensible Nature of God
Homily I " ................................... 51
Homily II .................................... 71
Homily III ................................... 95
Homily IV ................................... 115
Homily V .................................... 137
Homily VI ................................... 164
Homily VII .................................. 184
Homily VIII ................................. 212
Homily IX ................................... 233
Homily X .................................... 244
Homily XI ................................... 270
Homily XII .................................. 286
Indices
General Index ............................... 311
Index of Holy Scripture ....................... 349
v

SELECT BIBLIOGRAPHY
Texts and Translations
Due, Fronton du (Fronto Dueaeus). Ad populum Antiochenum adv. Iudaeos,
De incomprehensibili Dei natura, De sanctis deque diversis eiusmodi argumentis
homiliae 77 (Paris 1602 and 1609).
Savile, Henry. S. Iohannis Chrysostomi opera omnia 8 vols. (Eton 1612). Title
actually in Greek only.
Due, Fronton du (Fronto Dueaeus). S. Iohannis Chrysostomi opera omnia 12
vols. (Paris 1636-42).
Maucroix, Mr. de, trans. Homelies ou sermons de saint Jean Chrysostome au
peuple d'Antioche, augmentez en ceUe seconde edition des homelies sur
l'incomprehensibilite de Dieu contre les Anomeens. (Paris 1689).
Montfaucon, Bernard de. S. Iohannis Chrysostomi opera omnia 13 vols. (Paris
1718-38 and Venice 1734-41). Second edition by T. Fix (Paris
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printings of vol. 48: 1859] ).
Jeannin, M., trans. Saint Jean Chrysostome Oeuvres completes 11 vols. (Bar-le
Duc 1863-67).
Bareille,J. Oeuvres completes de S.Jean Chrysostome 12 vols. (Paris 1865-73).
Montfaucon's text with French translation.
Danielou, J. (Introduction), Malingrey, A.-M. (Texte critique et notes),
Flaceliere, R. (Traduction). Jean Chrysostome sur l'incomprehensibilite de
Dieu, Vol. 1: Homelies I-V, SC 28 bis (Paris 1970).
Other Patristic Texts and Translations
Augustine, St. Confessions, trans. V. Bourke, FOTC 21 (New York 1953).
Basil, St. Adversus Eunomium libri 5, PG 29.498-774 (Paris n.d.).
Cyril ofJ erusalem, St. The Works of Saint Cyril ofJ erusalem, Vol. 1, trans. L.P.
McCauley and A.A. Stevenson, FOTC 61 (Washington, D.C. 1969).
__ Catecheses mystagogicae 5, PG 33.1066-1128 (n.d.).
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42.9-832 (Paris 1863).
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___ In Canticum Canticorum, vol. 6, ed. W. Jaeger (Leiden 1960).
___ In Ecclesiasten, vol. 5, ed. W. Jaeger (Leiden 1962).
___ The Lord's Prayer and The Beatitudes, trans. H. Graef, ACW 18
(Westminister, Md. 1954).
Hilary of Poi tiers, St. The Trinity, trans. S. McKenna, FOTC 25 (New York
1954).
vii
viii ST. JOHN CHRYSOSTOM
Ignatius of Antioch, St. The Epistles of St. Clement of Rome and St. Ignatius of
Antioch, trans. J Kleist, ACW 1 (Westminster, Md. 1946).
Irenaeus, St. Proof of the Apostolic Preaching, trans. JP. Smith, ACW 16
(Westminster, Md. 1952).
__ Adversus haereses libri 5, PG 7 (pars prior) 433-1118; PG 7 (pars
secunda) 1119-1224 (Paris 1857).
John Chrysostom, St. Baptismal Instructions, trans. P.W. Harkins, ACW 31
(Westminster, Md. 1963).
___ Discourses againstJudaizing Christians, trans. P.W. Harkins, FOTC 68
(Washington 1979).
___ Homilies on the Gospel of St. John, trans. Sr. Thomas Aquinas Goggin,
FOTC 33 and 41 (New York 1957 and 1960).
___ Sur laprovidence de Dieu, trans. A.-M. Malingrey, SC 79 (Paris 1961).
___ Sur l'incomprehensibilite de Dieu [De incomp. 1-5], introd.J Danielou;
text and notes A.-M. Malingrey; trans. R. Flaceliere, SC 28 bis (Paris
1951).
Justin Martyr, St. The Writings ofJ ustin Martyr, trans. T. Falls, FOTC 6 (New
York 1948).
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FOTC 69 (Washington, D.C. 1981).
Novatian. Novatian Presbyter: De trinitate, trans. R.J. Simone, FOTC 67
(Washington, D.C. 1974).
Origen. Homilies on Genesis and Exodus, trans. R.E. Heine, FOTC 71 (Wash-
ington, D.C. 1982).
Socrates. Historia ecclesiastica libri 7, PG 67.30-842 (Paris 1864).
Sozomen. Historia ecclesiastica libri 9, PG 67.854-1630 (Paris 1864).
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York 1950).
___ Treatises on Penance, trans. W.P. LeSaint, ACW 28 (Westminster,
Md. 1959).
Theodore of Mopsuestia. Les H omelies catechetiques de Theodore de M opsueste,
ed. R Tonneau and R Devreesse, Studi e Testi 145 (Vatican City 1949).
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Bible
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Scripture (London 1969).
SELECT BIBLIOGRAPHY IX
McKenzie, J.L. Dictionary of the Bible tMilwaukee 1965).
Orchard, B., Sutcliffe, E., ed. A Catholic Commentary on Holy Scripture
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Other Works
Acta sanctorum, vol. 4 (Venice 1748).
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__ "Manichaeism" CE 9 591-97.
__ "Marcionites," CE 9 645-49.
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