<III.> But it is well that we have remembered this, which it is not lawful for me, passing it by, to praise any other of the hierarchical rites before it; for according to our renowned guide, it is the rite of rites, and it is necessary, having set it forth sacredly before the others, from the inspired and hierarchical science according to the oracles, to be led up by the thearchic spirit to its sacred contemplation. And first let us sacredly contemplate this, for what reason indeed that which is common also to the other hierarchical rites is assigned to it pre-eminently above the rest and is uniquely proclaimed communion and synaxis of each perfecting rite, gathering our divided lives into a uniform deification and, by the godlike folding together of things divided, bestowing communion and union with the One. And we say that perfection is present in the participations of the other hierarchical symbols from the thearchic and perfecting gifts of this one. For it is not possible for almost any hierarchical rite to be perfected without the most divine Eucharist as the consummation of the things performed in each, consecrating the gathering to the One of the one being perfected, and by the divinely-transmitted gift of the perfecting mysteries accomplishing his communion with God. If, therefore, each of the hierarchical rites, being incomplete, will not accomplish our communion and synaxis toward the One, and is deprived of being a rite on account of its incompletion, and the end and consummation for all is the participation in the thearchic mysteries by the one being perfected, reasonably the hierarchical intelligence found for it a proper name from the truth of the matters. Thus indeed also the sacred rite of divine birth, since it imparts the first light and is the beginning of all divine illuminations, we hymn its true name of Illumination from what is being accomplished. For even if it is common to all hierarchical rites to impart sacred light to those being perfected, yet this one granted me to see for the first time, and through its most originating light I am illuminated for the contemplation of the other sacred things. And having said these things, let us examine and perceive hierarchically the precise sacred action and contemplation of each part of the most holy rite. Mystery of Synaxis or Communion. The hierarch, having performed a sacred prayer at the divine altar, beginning the censing from it, goes over the entire circuit of the sacred place; and having returned again to the divine altar, he begins the sacred melody of the psalms, with the entire ecclesiastical order singing the sacred psalmody with him. Next, the reading of the holy tablets is done in order by the ministers, and after these readings, the catechumens and with them the energoumenoi and those in penance go outside the sacred precinct, but those worthy of the contemplation and communion of the divine things remain. And of the ministers, some stand by the closed gates of the sanctuary, while others perform some other duty of their own order, and the chosen ones of the ministerial order with the priests place upon the divine altar the sacred bread and "The cup of blessing" after the universal hymnology has been professed by all the fullness of the church. In addition, the divine hierarch performs a sacred prayer and announces the holy peace to all, and after all have kissed one another, the mystical proclamation of the sacred tablets is performed; and after the hierarch and the priests have washed their hands with water, the hierarch stands in the middle of the divine altar, and only the chosen of the ministers with the priests stand around him. And having hymned the sacred divine works, the hierarch consecrates the most divine things and brings under sight the things hymned through the sacredly set-forth symbols, and having shown the gifts of the divine works, he himself comes to their sacred communion and exhorts the others. And having partaken and given of the thearchic communion, he concludes with a sacred thanksgiving while the many have bent down only toward the divine symbols, but he himself always by the thearchic spirit toward the holy principles of the things being accomplished in blessed and intelligible visions

<III.> Ἀλλ' εὖγε ὅτι ταύτης ἐμνήσθημεν, ἣν οὐ θεμιτὸν ἐμοὶ παραδραμόντι τῶν ἱεραρχικῶν τι πρὸ ταύτης ἕτερον ὑμνῆσαι· καὶ γὰρ ἔστι κατὰ τὸν κλεινὸν ἡμῶν καθηγεμόνα τελετῶν τελετὴ καὶ χρὴ πρὸ τῶν ἄλλων αὐτὴν ἱερογραφικῶς ἐκθέμενον ἐκ τῆς ἐνθέου κατὰ τὰ λόγια καὶ ἱεραρχικῆς ἐπιστήμης ἐπὶ τὴν ἱερὰν αὐτῆς ἀναχθῆναι τῷ θεαρχικῷ πνεύματι θεωρίαν. Καὶ πρῶτόν γε τοῦτο ἱερῶς ἐποπτεύσωμεν, ὅτου δὴ ἕνεκα τὸ κοινὸν καὶ ταῖς ἄλλαις ἱεραρχικαῖς τελεταῖς ἐκκρίτως αὐτῇ παρὰ τὰς λοιπὰς ἀνατέθειται καὶ ἑνιαίως ἀνηγόρευται κοινωνία τε καὶ σύναξις ἑκάστης ἱεροτελεστικῆς πραγματείας καὶ τὰς μεριστὰς ἡμῶν ζωὰς εἰς ἑνοειδῆ θέωσιν συναγούσης καὶ τῇ τῶν διαιρετῶν θεοειδεῖ συμπτύξει τὴν πρὸς τὸ ἓν κοινωνίαν καὶ ἕνωσιν δωρουμένης. Φαμὲν δέ, ὅτι ταῖς τῶν ἄλλων ἱεραρχικῶν συμβόλων μεθέξεσιν ἡ τελείωσις ἐκ τῶν ταύτης θεαρχικῶν καὶ τελειωτικῶν ἔνεστι δωρεῶν. Oὐ γὰρ ἔνεστιν σχεδόν τινα τελεσθῆναι τελετὴν ἱεραρχικὴν μὴ τῆς θειοτάτης εὐχαριστίας ἐν κεφαλαίῳ τῶν καθ' ἕκαστα τελουμένων τὴν ἐπὶ τὸ ἓν τοῦ τελεσθέντος ἱερουργούσης συν αγωγὴν καὶ τῇ θεοπαραδότῳ δωρεᾷ τῶν τελειωτικῶν μυστηρίων τελεσιουργούσης αὐτοῦ τὴν πρὸς θεὸν κοινωνίαν. Eἰ τοίνυν ἑκάστη τῶν ἱεραρχικῶν τελετῶν ἀτελὴς μὲν οὖσα τὴν πρὸς τὸ ἓν ἡμῶν κοινωνίαν καὶ σύναξιν οὐ τελεσιουργήσει καὶ τὸ εἶναι τελετὴ διὰ τὸ ἀτέλεστον ἀφῃρημένη, τὸ δὲ τέλος ἁπάσῃ καὶ τὸ κεφάλαιον ἡ τῶν θεαρχικῶν μυστηρίων τῷ τελουμένῳ μετάδοσις, εἰκότως ἡ ἱεραρχικὴ σύνεσις ἐπωνυμίαν αὐτῇ κυρίαν ἐκ τῆς τῶν πραγμάτων ἀληθείας ἐφεῦρεν. Oὕτω δὴ καὶ τὴν ἱερὰν τῆς θεογενεσίας τελετήν, ἐπειδὴ πρώτου φωτὸς μεταδίδωσι καὶ πασῶν ἐστιν ἀρχὴ τῶν θείων φωταγωγιῶν, ἐκ τοῦ τελουμένου τὴν ἀληθῆ τοῦ φωτίσματος ἐπωνυμίαν ὑμνοῦμεν. Eἰ γὰρ καὶ πᾶσι κοινὸν τοῖς ἱεραρχικοῖς τὸ φωτὸς ἱεροῦ μεταδιδόναι τοῖς τελουμένοις, ἀλλ' αὕτη τὸ πρώτως ἰδεῖν ἐδωρήσατό μοι καὶ διὰ τοῦ ταύτης ἀρχικωτάτου φωτὸς πρὸς τὴν τῶν ἄλλων ἱερῶν ἐποψίαν φωταγωγοῦμαι. Ταῦτα δὲ εἰπόντες ἀνασκεψώμεθα καὶ κατίδωμεν ἱεραρχικῶς τὴν καθ' ἕκαστον ἀκριβῆ τῆς ἁγιωτάτης τελετῆς ἱερουργίαν καὶ θεωρίαν. Μυστήριον συνάξεως εἴτ' οὖν κοινωνίας. Ὁ μὲν ἱεράρχης εὐχὴν ἱερὰν ἐπὶ τοῦ θείου θυσιαστηρίου τελέσας, ἐξ αὐτοῦ τοῦ θυμιᾶν ἀρξάμενος ἐπὶ πᾶσαν ἔρχεται τὴν τοῦ ἱεροῦ χώρου περιοχήν· ἀναλύσας δὲ πάλιν ἐπὶ τὸ θεῖον θυσιαστήριον ἀπάρχεται τῆς ἱερᾶς τῶν ψαλμῶν μελῳδίας συνᾳδούσης αὐτῷ τὴν ψαλμικὴν ἱερολογίαν ἁπάσης τῆς ἐκκλησιαστικῆς διακοσμήσεως. Ἑξῆς δὲ διὰ τῶν λειτουργῶν ἡ τῶν ἁγιογράφων δέλτων ἀνάγνωσις ἀκολούθως γίνεται, καὶ μετὰ ταύτας ἔξω γίνονται τῆς ἱερᾶς περιοχῆς οἱ κατηχούμενοι καὶ πρὸς αὐτοῖς οἱ ἐνεργούμενοι καὶ οἱ ἐν μετανοίᾳ ὄντες, μένουσι δὲ οἱ τῆς τῶν θείων ἐποψίας καὶ κοινωνίας ἄξιοι. Τῶν λειτουργῶν δὲ οἱ μὲν ἑστᾶσι παρὰ τὰς τοῦ ἱεροῦ πύλας συγκεκλεισμένας, οἱ δὲ ἄλλο τι τῶν τῆς οἰκείας τάξεως ἐνεργοῦσιν, οἱ δὲ τῆς λειτουργικῆς διακοσμήσεως ἔκκριτοι σὺν τοῖς ἱερεῦσιν ἐπὶ τοῦ θείου θυσιαστηρίου προτιθέασι τὸν ἱερὸν ἄρτον καὶ «Τὸ τῆς εὐλογίας ποτήριον» προομολογηθείσης ὑπὸ παντὸς τοῦ τῆς ἐκκλησίας πληρώματος τῆς καθολικῆς ὑμνολογίας. Πρὸς οἷς ὁ θεῖος ἱεράρχης εὐχὴν ἱερὰν τελεῖ καὶ τὴν ἁγίαν εἰρήνην ἅπασι διαγγέλλει, καὶ ἀσπασαμένων ἀλλήλους ἁπάντων ἡ μυστικὴ τῶν ἱερῶν πτυχῶν ἀνάρρησις ἐπιτελεῖται· καὶ νιψαμένων τὰς χεῖρας ὕδατι τοῦ ἱεράρχου καὶ τῶν ἱερέων ὁ μὲν ἱεράρχης ἐν μέσῳ τοῦ θείου θυσιαστηρίου καθίσταται, περιεστᾶσι δὲ μόνοι μετὰ τῶν ἱερέων οἱ τῶν λειτουργῶν ἔκκριτοι. Καὶ τὰς ἱερὰς θεουργίας ὁ ἱεράρχης ὑμνήσας ἱερουργεῖ τὰ θειότατα καὶ ὑπ' ὄψιν ἄγει τὰ ὑμνημένα διὰ τῶν ἱερῶς προκειμένων συμβόλων, καὶ τὰς δωρεὰς τῶν θεουργιῶν ὑποδείξας εἰς κοινωνίαν αὐτῶν ἱερὰν αὐτός τε ἔρχεται καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους προτρέπεται. Μετασχὼν δὲ καὶ μεταδοὺς τῆς θεαρχικῆς κοινωνίας εἰς εὐχαριστίαν ἱερὰν καταλήγει τῶν πολλῶν μὲν εἰς μόνα τὰ θεῖα σύμβολα παρακυψάντων, αὐτοῦ δὲ ἀεὶ τῷ θεαρχικῷ πνεύματι πρὸς τὰς ἁγίας τῶν τελουμένων ἀρχὰς ἐν μακαρίοις καὶ νοητοῖς θεάμασιν