St Maximus the Confessor on the essence and energies of God

Описание: Unfortunately there is not enough room permitted by youtube for the entire transcript. I had to select a few paragraphs.

Περί Θεολογίας και της Ενσάρκου Οικονομίας του Υιού του Θεού
On the theology and economia of the Incarnation

α΄. Εἷς Θεός, ἄναρχος, ἀκατάληπτος, ὅλην ἔχων τοῦ εἶναι τήν δύναμιν διόλου· τήν, πότε καί πῶς εἶναι παντάπασιν ἀπωθούμενος ἔννοιαν· ὡς πᾶσιν ἄβατος, καί μηδενί τῶν ὄντων ἐκ φυσικῆς ἐμφάσεως διεγνωσμένος.

One God, without beginning (first principle; axiom), incomprehensible, having all the force (potential) of being in every sense; to speak of whence and how he is, is an altogether indefensible proposition; because he is fully unapproachable and unknown in physical appearance to any being.

β΄. Ὁ Θεός, οὐκ ἔστι δι᾿ ἑαυτόν, ὡς ἡμᾶς εἰδέναι δυνατόν· οὔτε ἀρχή, οὔτε μεσότης, οὔτε τέλος, οὔτε τι τό σύνολον ἕτερον τῶν τοῖς μετ᾿ αὐτόν φυσικῶς ἐνθεωρουμένων· ἀόριστος γάρ ἐστι καί ἀκίνητος καί ἄπειρος, ὡς πάσης οὐσίας καί δυνάμεως καί ἐνεργείας ὑπερέκεινα ἀπείρως ὤν.

Because of His very self, it is not possible to know God; not the beginning (first principle; axiom), neither the middle (medium) nor the end (actualisation; perfection); nor any combination (totality, set) of physical attributes; because He is indeterminate and immovable and infinite (or unknown), as He is infinitely (or beyond comprehension) beyond all other substance and force (potentiality) and energy (action).

γ΄. Πᾶσα οὐσία τόν ἑαυτῆς ὅρον ἑαυτῇ συνεισάγουσα, ἀρχή πέφυκεν εἶναι,τῆς ἐπιθεωρουμένης αὐτῇ κατά δύναμιν κινήσεως. Πᾶσα δέ φυσική πρός ἐνέργειαν κίνησις, τῆς μέν οὐσίας μετεπινοουμένη· προεπινοουμένη δέ τῆς ἐνεργείας, μεσότης ἐστίν, ὡς ἀμφοῖν κατά τό μέσον φυσικῶς διειλημμένη· καί πᾶσα ἐνέργεια τῷ κατ᾿ αὐτήν λόγῳ (reason, cause, definition) φυσικῶς περιγραφομένη, τέλος ἐστί τῆς πρό αὐτῆς κατ᾿ ἐπίνοιαν οὐσιώδους κινήσεως.

Every essense that defines its own boundaries is said to be an axiom (first principle) of its own potential motion. Moreover, the physical motion in energy (action), is forethought by its essence; by preceeding the energy (action), it is moreover a medium for the energy (action) naturally connecting the two; every energy (action) naturally described about itself according to logos, is the end of the predetermined motion of its essence.

δ΄. Οὐκ ἔστιν ὁ Θεός οὐσία, κατά τήν ἁπλῶς ἤ πῶς λεγομένην οὐσίαν, ἵνα καί ἀρχή· οὔτε δύναμις κατά τήν ἁπλῶς ἤ πῶς λεγομένην δύναμιν, ἵνα καί μεσότης· οὔτε ἐνέργεια, κατά τήν ἁπλῶς ἤ πῶς λεγομένην ἐνέργειαν, ἵνα καί τέλος ἐστί τῆς κατά δύναμιν προεπινοουμένης οὐσιώδους κινήσεως· ἀλλ᾿ οὐσιοποιός καί ὑπερούσιος ὀντότης· καί δυναμοποιός καί ὑπερδύναμος ἵδρυσις· καί πάσης ἐνεργείας δραστική καί ἀτελεύτητος ἕξις· καί συντόμως εἰπεῖν, πάσης οὐσίας καί δυνάμεως καί ἐνεργείας, ἀρχῆς τε καί μεσότητος καί τέλους ποιητική.

God is not an essense, in the ordinary sense of a substance, but also His own first principle (axiom); neither is He a potentiality in the ordinary sense of potentiality, rather also a medium; nor is He energy (action) in the ordinary sense of energy (action) but also the end (actualisation; perfection) of the potential motion as forethought by the essence; He is a being that is the cause of essence and is superessential; the almighty foundation of potentialities; the cause without end of every energy (action); and to put it briefly, the maker of the beginning (first principle; axiom), middle (medium) and end (perfection; actualisation) of every substance (essense) and force (potentiality) and energy (action).

ι΄. Ἀρχή τῶν ὄντων καί μεσότης καί τέλος ἐστίν ὁ Θεός, ὡς ἐνεργῶν, ἀλλ᾿ οὐ πάσχω ὥσπερ καί τά ἄλλα πάντα, οἷς παρ᾿ ἡμῶν ὀνομάζεται. Ἀρχή γάρ ἐστιν ὡς δημιουργός· καί μεσότης, ὡς προνοητής· καί τέλος, ὡς περιγραφή. Ἐξ αὐτοῦ γάρ, φησί, καί δι᾿ αὐτοῦ, καί εἰς αὐτόν τά πάντα.

First principle and medium and actualisation of all beings is God (beginning, middle and end of all beings is God), who acts but does is not subjected to action as all else that we may be able to name. As the Creator, He is the first principle (beginning); and the medium (middle); and the actualisation (end), according to the description. It is said that everything is from Him, and through Him, and in Him.

Credits

Body movement video by Keren Shteimberg from Pixabay
Philosophers Video by Josué Aguirre from Pixabay
Old book Video by Attila Pergel from Pixabay
AI book in church Video by Stefanie Jockschat from Pixabay
St Maximus Icon of St. Maximus the Confessor, photo by Jim Forest on Flickr.