to be standing at the chasm, trembling, pitiable, on the very point of being carried down by the instability of their own feet. And from below, from the chasm, snakes to be crawling up and moving stealthily about their feet, at one time coiling around them while at the same time weighing them down and pulling to drag them away, at another time pricking them from beneath or tickling them from beneath with their teeth or with their tails, and by every means contriving to cast them into the abyss; and there to be also some men in the midst of the snakes, attacking the men along with them, at the same time shaking them violently and pushing them from underneath and striking them down. And they seemed to be on the verge of falling, partly unwilling, partly willing, at once being forced and being persuaded little by little by the evil. And Carpus said that he himself took pleasure in looking down, but was neglecting the things above, and that he was annoyed and impatient that they had not fallen already, and that he often set himself to the task but was unable, and he was vexed and uttered a curse, and having looked up with difficulty, he saw again the heaven, just as he had seen it before, but Jesus, having had mercy on what was happening, to rise from his super-celestial throne and to come down to them and to stretch out a helping hand, and the angels with him assisting, one from one side, another from another, to take hold of the two men, and Jesus to say to Carpus: With my hand now stretched out, strike against me from now on. For I am ready again to suffer for men who are being saved, and this is pleasing to me, provided that other men do not sin. But consider, if it is good for you to exchange the dwelling in the chasm and with the snakes for the one with God and the good and man-loving angels." These are the things which I, having heard, believe to be true.

TO TITUS THE HIERARCH

The sacred Timothy indeed, O good Titus, I do not know if he has gone away unheard of any of the theological symbols explained by me. But in the Symbolic Theology we have made clear for him all the oracles concerning God which seem to the many to be monstrous tales. For indeed they impress a terrible absurdity upon the uninitiated souls, whenever the fathers of the secret wisdom reveal the divine and mystical truth, inaccessible to the profane, through certain secret and daring riddles. Therefore we, the many, also disbelieve the words concerning the divine mysteries; for we behold them only through the sensible symbols attached to them. But it is necessary, having stripped them also, to see them in themselves, having become naked and pure. For thus beholding we would venerate the "fountain of life," seeing it pouring into itself and standing upon itself, and a certain single power, simple, self-moving, self-acting, not failing itself, but being the knowledge of all knowledge and always contemplating itself through itself. At any rate, we thought it necessary for him and for others that the manifold forms of the symbolic sacred imagery concerning God should be unfolded by us, as we were able. For the things outside of it, with how much incredible and fictitious monstrosity is it filled? For example, in the case of the super-essential divine generation, fashioning a womb of God corporeally begetting God, and a Word poured forth into the air, being belched forth from a manly heart, and representing a Spirit breathed out from a mouth, and hymning to us god-begetting bosoms embracing a Son of God in a bodily fashion, or these things in a plant-like manner

ἑστηκέναι τοῦ χάσματος ὑποτρόμους, ἐλεεινούς, ὅσον οὔπω καταφερο μένους ὑπὸ τῆς τῶν οἰκείων ποδῶν ἀστασίας. Κάτωθεν δὲ ἀπὸ τοῦ χάσματος ὄφεις ἀνέρπειν καὶ περὶ τοὺς πόδας αὐτοῖν ὑποκινουμένους, ποτὲ μὲν ἀποσύρειν ἐπανειλουμένους ἅμα καὶ ἐπιβαροῦντας καὶ ἕλκοντας, ποτὲ δὲ τοῖς ὀδοῦσιν ἢ τοῖς οὐραίοις ὑποτύφοντας ἢ ὑπογαργαλίζοντας καὶ διὰ παντὸς εἰς τὸ ἀχανὲς ἐμβάλλειν μηχανωμένους· εἶναι δὲ καὶ ἄνδρας τινὰς ἐν μέσῳ τοῖς ὄφεσι, κατὰ τῶν ἀνδρῶν συνεπιτιθεμένους, διαδο νοῦντας ἅμα καὶ ὑπωθοῦντας καὶ καταπαίοντας. Ἐδόκουν δὲ εἶναι πρὸς τὸ πεσεῖν ἐκεῖνοι, τὰ μὲν ἄκοντες, τὰ δὲ ἑκόντες, ὑπὸ τοῦ κακοῦ κατ' ὀλίγον βιαζόμενοι ἅμα καὶ πειθόμενοι. Ἔλεγε δὲ ὁ Κάρπος, ἑαυτὸν ἥδεσθαι κάτω βλέποντα, τῶν ἄνω δὲ ἀμελεῖν, δυσχεραίνειν δὲ καὶ ὀλιγωρεῖν, ὅτι μὴ πεπτώκασιν ἤδη, καὶ τῷ πράγματι πολλάκις ἐπιθέμενον καὶ ἀδυνατήσαντα καὶ ἀχθεσθῆναι καὶ ἐπαράσασθαι καὶ ἀνανεύσαντα μόλις, ἰδεῖν μὲν αὖθις τὸν οὐρανόν, ὥσπερ καὶ πρότερον ἑωράκει, τὸν δὲ Ἰησοῦν ἐλεήσαντα τὸ γιγνόμενον ἐξαναστῆ ναι τοῦ ὑπερουρανίου θρόνου καὶ ἕως αὐτῶν καταβάντα καὶ χεῖρα ἀγαθὴν ὀρέγειν καὶ τοὺς ἀγγέλους αὐτῷ συνεπιλαμβανομένους ἄλλον ἄλλοθεν ἀντέχεσθαι τοῖν ἀνδροῖν καὶ εἰπεῖν τῷ Κάρπῳ τὸν Ἰησοῦν· Τῆς χειρὸς ἤδη προτεταγμένης παῖε κατ' ἐμοῦ λοιπόν. Ἕτοιμος γάρ εἰμι καὶ αὖθις ὑπὲρ ἀνθρώπων ἀνασῳζομένων παθεῖν, καὶ προσφιλές μοι τοῦτο μὴ ἄλλων ἁμαρτανόντων ἀνθρώπων. Πλὴν ὅρα, εἰ καλῶς ἔχει σοι τὴν ἐν τῷ χάσματι καὶ μετὰ τῶν ὄφεων μονὴν ἀνταλλάξασθαι τῆς μετὰ θεοῦ καὶ τῶν ἀγαθῶν καὶ φιλανθρώπων ἀγγέλων." Ταῦτά ἐστιν, ἃ ἐγὼ ἀκηκοὼς πιστεύω ἀληθῆ εἶναι.

ΤIΤΩι ΙEΡAΡΧHι

Ὁ μὲν ἱερὸς Τιμόθεος, ὦ καλὲ Τίτε, οὐκ οἶδα, εἴ τινος τῶν διεγνω σμένων μοι θεολογικῶν συμβόλων ἀπελήλυθεν ἀνήκοος. Ἀλλ' ἐν τῇ Συμβολικῇ Θεολογίᾳ διηυκρινησάμεθα πάσας αὐτῷ τὰς τῶν λογίων περὶ θεοῦ δοκούσας εἶναι τοῖς πολλοῖς τερατολογίας. Καὶ γὰρ ἀτοπίαν δεινὴν ἐναπομόργνυνται ταῖς ἀτελέσι τῶν ψυχῶν, ὁπόταν οἱ τῆς ἀποῤῥήτου σοφίας πατέρες διὰ δή τινων κρυφίων καὶ ἀποτετολμημένων αἰνιγμάτων ἐκφαίνωσι τὴν θείαν καὶ μυστικὴν καὶ ἄβατον τοῖς βεβήλοις ἀλήθειαν. ∆ιὸ καὶ ἀπιστοῦμεν οἱ πολλοὶ τοῖς περὶ τῶν θείων μυστηρίων λόγοις· θεώμεθα γὰρ μόνον αὐτὰ διὰ τῶν προσπεφυκότων αὐτοῖς αἰσθητῶν συμβόλων. ∆εῖ δὲ καὶ ἀποδύντας αὐτὰ ἐφ' ἑαυτῶν γυμνὰ καὶ καθαρὰ γενόμενα ἰδεῖν. Oὕτω γὰρ ἂν θεώμενοι σεφθείημεν «πηγὴν ζωῆς» εἰς ἑαυτὴν χεομένην καὶ ἐφ' ἑαυτῆς ἑστῶσαν ὁρῶντες καὶ μίαν τινὰ δύναμιν, ἁπλῆν, αὐτοκίνητον, αὐτενέργητον, ἑαυτὴν οὐκ ἀπολείπουσαν, ἀλλὰ γνῶσιν πασῶν γνώσεων ὑπάρχουσαν καὶ ἀεὶ δι' ἑαυτῆς ἑαυτὴν θεωμένην. Χρῆναι γοῦν αὐτῷ τε καὶ ἄλλοις παρ' ἡμῶν ᾠ»θημεν, ὡς οἷοί τε ἦμεν, ἀναπτυχθῆναι τὰ παντοδαπὰ μορφώματα τῆς περὶ θεοῦ συμβολικῆς ἱεροπλαστίας. Τὰ γὰρ ἐκτὸς αὐτῆς, ὁπόσης ἀναπέπλησται τῆς ἀπιθάνου καὶ πλασματώδους τερατείας; Oἷον ἐπὶ μὲν τῆς ὑπερουσίου θεογονίας γαστέρα θεοῦ σωματικῶς θεὸν γεννῶσαν ἀναπλαττούσης καὶ λόγον εἰς ἀέρα προχεόμενον ἀπὸ καρδίας ἀνδρικῆς ἐξερευγομένης αὐτὸν καὶ πνεῦμα ἐκπνεόμενον ἀπὸ στόματος ἀναγραφούσης καὶ κόλπους θεογονικοὺς ἐναγ καλιζομένους θεοῦ υἱὸν σωματοπρεπῶς ἡμῖν ἐξυμνούσης ἢ φυτικῶς ταῦτα