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but also the measure of the disposition concerning the faith, and the benefit both of him who receives the grace, and of those who hear at that time, or even of those who will afterward partake of the benefit from the Prophets. For (he says) to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good; and again: According to the proportion of faith. It is impossible, however, for human nature to observe the reason for the different working that comes to be in the worthy from the divine Spirit. According to which one is entrusted with prophecy, and that to such an extent; another receives gifts of healing, and these of such a kind; and another workings of powers, greater or smaller. For these things are known only to him who gazes upon the worth of each soul, and with the unseen measures of justice divides to each what is according to their worth. p.3 How did the pure and transparent souls prophesy? Becoming like mirrors of the divine working, they displayed a clear and unconfused reflection, in no way muddied by the passions of the flesh. For the Holy Spirit is present to all, but to those who are pure from passions he reveals his own power; but to those whose ruling faculty is confused by the stains of sin, he does not. But it is necessary, in addition to purity, to display the evenness of a stable state; for one who is unstable concerning moderation is not pure; but one who has subjected the mind of the flesh to the Spirit. For just as the reflections of faces do not appear in all materials, but in those possessing a certain smoothness and transparency, so the working of the Spirit is not in all souls, but in those that have nothing crooked or twisted. Snow is bright; but it does not show images of those who look into it, because it is rough, being composed of frozen foam. Milk is white; but it does not receive images, because it too has certain small bubbles. But in water, and in ink, a form appears, because of smoothness. Thus, therefore, the irregularity of life is unsuitable for the reception of divine working. When, therefore, a soul has given itself to every practice of virtue, and with intense love for God preserves the memory of God perpetually impressed upon it, and in this way prepares, as it were, for God to be an indweller in it, being borne by God from the most intense gazing towards God and from unspeakable love, it becomes worthy of the gift of prophecy, God giving divine power and opening the eyes of the soul to the understanding of such visions as he wills. Therefore the Prophets were also called seers; from their foreseeing future things as if they were present. But we will be brought rather to see the prophetic movement from the phantasms in a dream. For just as in visions during sleep, when the ruling faculty of our soul is being impressed, of cities or places excelling in size and beauty, or we become spectators of creatures beyond nature, or we often retain the memory of certain words that fell upon our hearing (and though there are so many wondrous sights and sounds around us, we have neither seen anything in reality with bodily sense, nor heard anything) so also the mind of divine and blessed men, sometimes while awake, other times in a dream, being impressed, is filled with divine words and visions; neither having imprinted the images of things seen through the eyes, nor having received through the ears the striking of air that comes from the organs of voice. For the high and exalted throne was not some external object, nor he who sat upon it, whom Isaiah saw; nor was the man-like figure of electrum from the loins up, and of fire from the loins down, he who was with Ezekiel. But rather their mind, by a superior power, came to be in the contemplation of these things, with the Spirit showing the divine nature through riddles. p.4 But the Prophets see not only future things, but also the hidden things of the present, as Paul says: But if you prophesy, and an unbeliever or an outsider enters, the secrets of the

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ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ μέτρον τῆς περὶ τὴν πίστιν δια θέσεως, καὶ τὸ συμφέρον αὐτοῦ τε τοῦ ὑποδεχομένου τὴν χάριν, καὶ τῶν κατὰ καιρὸν ἀκουόντων, ἢ καὶ εἰς ὕστερον μεθεξόντων τῆς ἐκ τῶν Προφητῶν ὠφελείας. ∆ίδοται γὰρ (φησὶν) ἑκάστῳ ἡ φανέρωσις τοῦ Πνεύματος πρὸς τὸ συμ φέρον· καὶ πάλιν· Κατὰ τὴν ἀναλογίαν τῆς πίστεως. Ἀνέ φικτον μέντοι τὸ τῇ ἀνθρωπίνῃ φύσει, παρατῆσαι τὸν λόγον τῆς διαφόρου ἐνεργείας παρὰ τοῦ θείου Πνεύματος τοῖς ἀξίοις ἐγγινομένης. Καθ' ὃν ὁ μὲν προφητείαν πιστεύεται, καὶ ταύτην ἐπὶ τοσόνδε· ὁ δὲ χαρίσματα ἰαμάτων λαμβά νει, καὶ ταῦτα τηλικάδε· καὶ ἄλλος ἐνεργήματα δυνάμεων, μειζόνων ἢ μικροτέρων. Ταῦτα γὰρ μόνος οἶδεν ὁ τῇ ἑκάστου ψυχῆς ἀξίᾳ ἐνατενίζων, καὶ τοῖς ἀθεωρήτοις τῆς δικαιο σύνης μέτροις διαιρῶν ἑκάστῳ τὰ πρὸς ἀξίαν. p.3 Πῶς προεφήτευον αἱ καθαραὶ καὶ διαυγεῖς ψυχαί; Οἱονεὶ κάτοπτρα γινόμενα τῆς θείας ἐνεργείας, τὴν ἔμφασιν τρανὴν καὶ ἀσύγχυτον καὶ οὐδὲν ἐπιθολουμένην ἐκ τῶν παθῶν τῆς σαρκὸς ἐπεδείκνυντο. Πᾶσι μὲν γὰρ πάρεστι τὸ ἅγιον Πνεῦμα, ἀλλὰ τοῖς μὲν καθαρεύουσι τῶν παθῶν τὴν ἰδίαν ἐμφαίνει δύναμιν· τοῖς δὲ τὸ ἡγεμονικὸν συγκεχυμένον ἔχουσιν ἀπὸ τῶν τῆς ἁμαρτίας σπίλων, οὐκέτι. ∆εῖ δὲ πρὸς τῇ καθαρότητι καὶ τὸ ὁμαλὸν τῆς εὐσταθοῦς κατα στάσεως ἐπιδείκνυσθαι· οὐ γὰρ ὁ ἀνωμάλως ἔχων περὶ σωφροσύνην, καθαρός· ἀλλ' ὁ τὸ φρόνημα τῆς σαρκὸς ὑποτάξας τῷ Πνεύματι. Ὥσπερ γὰρ αἱ τῶν προσώπων ἐμφάσεις οὐκ ἐν πάσαις ταῖς ὕλαις γίγνονται, ἀλλὰ ἐν ταῖς λειότητά τινα καὶ διαφάνειαν κεκτημέναις, οὕτως οὐκ ἐν πάσαις ταῖς ψυχαῖς ἡ τοῦ Πνεύματος ἐνέργεια, ἀλλ' ἐν ταῖς μηδὲν σκολιὸν ἐχούσαις, μηδὲ στραγγαλιῶδες. Ἡ χιὼν λαμπρά· ἀλλ' εἰκόνας τῶν ἐγκυπτόντων οὐ δείκνυσι, διότι τραχεῖά ἐστιν ἐκ πεπηγότων ἀφρῶν συγκειμένη. Τὸ γάλα λευκόν· ἀλλ' οὐ παραδέχεται τὰς εἰκόνας, διότι καὶ αὐτῷ μικραί τινές εἰσι πομφόλυγες. Ὕδατι δὲ, καὶ μέλανι, μορφὴ ἐμφαίνεται, διὰ λειότητα. Οὕτως ἄρα τὸ ἀνώμαλον τοῦ βίου πρὸς ὑποδοχὴν θείας ἐνεργείας ἀνεπιτήδειον. Ὅταν οὖν ψυχὴ πάσῃ ἀσκήσει ἀρε τῆς ἑαυτὴν ἐπιδοῦσα, τῷ σφοδρῷ περὶ Θεὸν φίλτρῳ διηνε κῶς μνήμην Θεοῦ ἐντυπωθεῖσαν αὐτῇ διασώζῃ, καὶ τούτῳ τῷ τρόπῳ οἱονεὶ ἔνοικον αὐτῇ τὸν Θεὸν εἶναι κατασκευάσῃ, ἐκ τῆς πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν σφοδροτάτης ἐνατενίσεως, καὶ τοῦ ἀῤ ῥήτου φίλτρου θεοφορουμένη, ἀξία τοῦ κατὰ τὴν προφη τείαν χαρίσματος γίνεται, διδόντος θείαν δύναμιν τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς τῆς ψυχῆς διανοίγοντος εἰς κατανόησιν ὧν βούλεται θεαμάτων. ∆ιὸ καὶ οἱ Προφῆται ἔμπροσθεν βλέ ποντες ἐκαλοῦντο· παρὰ τὸ ὡς παρόντα τὰ μέλλοντα προορᾷν. Προσαχθησόμεθα δὲ μᾶλλον εἰς τὸ ἰδεῖν τὸ προφητικὸν κί νημα, ἐκ τῶν κατ' ὄναρ φαντασμάτων. Ὥσπερ γὰρ ἐν ταῖς καθ' ὕπνον φαντασίαις τοῦ ἡγεμονικοῦ τῆς ψυχῆς ἡμῶν τυπου μένου, πόλεων ἢ τόπων μεγέθει καὶ κάλλει διαφερόντων, ἢ ζώων ὑπὲρ τὴν φύσιν γινόμεθα θεαταί, ἢ καὶ λόγων τινῶν μνήμην διὰ τῆς ἀκοῆς ἐμπεσόντων, πολλάκις παρακατέχομεν (καὶ τοσούτων περὶ ἡμᾶς θεαμάτων τε παραδόξων καὶ ἀκουσμά των ὄντων, οὔτε τι εἴδομεν κατὰ ἀλήθειαν σωματικῇ αἰσθήσει, οὔτε ἠκούσαμεν) οὕτω καὶ τὸν τῶν θείων καὶ μακαρίων ἀν δρῶν νοῦν, ποτὲ μὲν ὕπαρ, ἄλλοτε δὲ ὄναρ τυπούμενον, λόγων τε θείων καὶ θεαμάτων πληροῦσθαι· οὔτε δι' ὀφθαλμῶν τὰς εἰκόνας τῶν ὁρωμένων ἀναμαξάμενον, οὔτε δι' ὤτων ἀέρος πληγὴν ἐκ τῶν φωνητικῶν ὀργάνων προελθοῦσαν ὑποδεξά μενον. Οὐ γὰρ ἔξωθέν τι ὑποκείμενον ἦν ὑψηλὸς θρόνος καὶ ἐπηρμένος, οὐδὲ ὁ ἐπ' αὐτοῦ καθήμενος, ὃν εἶδεν ὁ Ἡσαΐας· οὐδὲ ἀνθρωποειδὴς ὁ ἠλέκτρινος μὲν τὰ ἀπὸ ὀσφύος ἄνω, πυρινὸς δὲ ἀπὸ ὀσφύος ἐπὶ τὰ κάτω, ὁ παρὰ τῷ Ἰεζεκιήλ. Ἀλλ' ὁ μὲν νοῦς αὐτῶν, δυνάμει κρείττονι, ἐν θεωρίᾳ τούτων ἐγένετο, δι' αἰνιγμάτων τοῦ Πνεύματος τὴν θείαν φύσιν παραδεικνύντος. p.4 Ὁρῶσι δὲ οἱ Προφῆται οὐ τὰ μέλλοντα μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν παρόντων τὰ λανθάνοντα, ὥς φησι Παῦλος· Ἐὰν δὲ προφητεύητε, εἰσέλθῃ δέ τις ἄπιστος ἢ ἰδιώτης, τὰ κρυπτὰ τῆς