Understanding And The Beginning

Ἀλλὰ γὰρ οὐχὶ τὸ θαυμάσαι τὰ καλὰ δύσκολον, ἀλλὰ τὸ ἐν ἀκριβεῖ κατανοήσει γενέσθαι τῶν θαυμασθέντων, τοῦτο χαλεπὸν καὶ δυσέφικτον. Ἐπεὶ καὶ τὸν ἥλιον τοῦτον τὸν αἰσθητὸν οὐδεὶς μέν ἐστιν ὃς οὐχ ὑπερ επαινεῖ, τὸ μέγεθος αὐτοῦ καὶ τὸ κάλλος, καὶ τῶν ἀκτίνων τὴν συμμετρίαν, καὶ τὸ ἀποστίλβον αὐτοῦ φῶς κατασπαζόμενος· ἐὰν μέντοι βιαιότερον φιλονεικήσῃ τῷ κύκλῳ ἀντεξάγειν ἑαυτοῦ τὰς τῶν ὀμμάτων βολὰς, οὐ μόνον οὐ κατόψεται τὰ περισπού δαστα, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴνἀκρίβειαν τῆς ὄψεως προσ διαφθείρας οἰχήσεται. Τοιοῦτόν τί μοι δοκῶ τὴν διά νοιαν πάσχειν, τὴν φιλονεικοῦσαν ἀκριβῆ ποιεῖσθαι τῶν προκειμένων ῥημάτων τὴν ἐξέτασιν. Ἐν ἀρχῇ ἦν ὁ Λόγος. Τίς ἐννοήσει ἀξίως τὰ περὶ τῆς ἀρχῆς; Ποία ῥημάτων δύναμις εὑρεθῇ ὁμοτίμως δυναμένη παραστῆσαι τὸ νοηθέν; Μέλλων παραδιδόναι ἡμῖν τὰ περὶ τῆς θεολογίας τοῦ Υἱοῦ τοῦ Θεοῦ, οὐδεμίαν ἀρχὴν ἄλλην τῷ λόγῳ ἢ τὴν ἀρχὴν τῶν ὅλων ἔδωκεν. Ἤδει τοὺς ἐπιφυομένους τῇ δόξῃ τοῦ Μονογενοῦς τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον· προῄδει τοὺς μέλλοντας ἡμῖν προφέρειν τὰ σοφίσματα, τὰ ἐπὶ καταστροφῇ τῶν ἀκουόντων αὐτοῖς μεμηχανημένα. Ὅτι, Εἰ ἐγεννήθη, οὐκ ἦν· καὶ, Πρὸ τοῦ γεννηθῆναι, οὐκ ἦν· καὶ, Ἐξ οὐκ ὄντων τὴν ὑπόστασιν ἔλαβε. Τοιαῦτα δὲ φθέγγονται γλῶσσαι ἠκονημέναι διὰ πιθανολογίας ὑπὲρ πᾶσαν μάχαιραν δίστομον. Ἵνα τοίνυν μηδενὶ λέγειν ἐξῇ τὰ τοιαῦτα, προλαβὸν τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον διὰ τοῦ Εὐαγγελίου, Ἐν ἀρχῇ, φησὶν, ἦν ὁ Λόγος. Ἐὰν κρατῇς ταύτην τὴν φωνὴν, οὐδὲν οὐ μὴ πάθῃς δεινὸν παρὰ τῶν κακοτέχνων. Ἐὰν γὰρ λέγῃ ἐκεῖνος, Εἰ ἐγεννήθη, οὐκ ἦν· σὺ εἰπὲ, Ἐν ἀρχῇ ἦν. Ἀλλὰ,φησὶ, πρὶν ἢ γεννηθῆναι πῶς ἦν; Σὺ μὴ ἀφῇς τὸ, Ἦν· μὴ καταλίπῃς τὸ, Ἐν ἀρχῇ. Ἀρχῆς ἡκορυφὴ οὐ καταλαμβάνεται· ἀρχῆς τὸ ἐξώτερον οὐχ εὑρίσκεται. Μὴ παραλογίσηταί σέ τις τῷ πολυσήμῳ τῆς λέξεως. Πολλαὶ γὰρ ἀρχαὶ πολλῶν πραγμάτων κατὰ τὸν βίον τοῦτον· ἀλλὰ μία ἀρχὴ ἐπὶ πάντων, ἡ ἐπέκεινα. Ἅγιος Βασιλειος Καισαρείας, Ὁμιλια Ι ʹ, Εἰς τὸ, Ἐν ἀρχῇ ἦν ὁ Λόγος Source: Migne PG 31. 472d-473c

It is not difficult to admire what is beautiful but to understand those things which are admirable with perfect intelligence is arduous and most difficult. For there is not one who does not praise even this material sun, whenever they take joy in its greatness and beauty and the equality of its rays and the great splendour of its light, but if something greatly obscure this same orb from the eye, not only what is desired will not be seen, but what is seen will be deficient in it completeness. And I judge something like this to happen to the mind which would try more accurately to scrutinise the words: 'In the beginning was the Word.' 1 Who may think worthily of the matter of this beginning? How can one find the power of the words to express the worthiness of the thing to be grasped? This theology concerning the Son of God was given to us to come that no other beginning in speech He have than the beginning of all things. The Holy Spirit foreknew the attacks on the glory of the Only Begotten, He foresaw those who would cast before us sophisms, contrived to overthrow those who heard them. 'Why, if He was begotten, then He was not,' and 'Before He had been begotten, He was not,' and 'From a state of non-existence He receives substance.' For the tongue by persuasive words may cut more deeply than any sharpened sword, and so they speak such things. And lest then similar things be spoken, the Holy Spirit by the things we find in the Gospel, says, 'In the beginning was the Word.' If you hold to this you shall not suffer from those who contrive evil. For if one of them says, 'If He was begotten, then He was not,' you say: 'In the beginning He was.' And if then he say, 'But before He was begotten, how was it? You, lest you forsake Him, say: 'He was.' And lest you abandon Him, 'In the beginning' The depth of the beginning is not apprehended, what is outside and beyond the beginning is not found. Do not let someone deceive you with various shades of meaning. For many are the beginning of things in this life, but One is the beginning of all things, which is above all, which is beyond all. Saint Basil of Caesarea, from On 'In The Beginning Was The Word.' 1 Jn 1.1