to see death, and greater than this is to taste it, and still worse than this is for death to follow someone? and not only to follow, but also to have already come upon him, and to have seized him whom it previously followed? But to be swallowed up by death seems to me to be the most grievous of all the things mentioned. And having considered what is said and the difference of the sins committed, you will not hesitate, I think, to accept that such things were intended by the Spirit of God who caused these things to be written in the oracles. What is meant by seeing the Son of man coming in his kingdom, and in his glory? and what does the phrase, "come with power," spoken by Mark, signify? The things that either shine forth in our hearts, or are found by those who seek, or that enter our thoughts, we shall set forth more clearly. He who beholds and comprehends the pre-eminence of the word, as it refutes and convicts all the specious arguments of 17.344 false teachings which nevertheless promise truth, sees the Son of man coming in his own kingdom. And if he also sees his own things presented more clearly, he would see him in relation to the kingdom and the glory. And such a one would see in himself the kingdom of God come with power; and he would see this, as being no longer ruled by sin, which reigns in the mortal body of sinners, but always ranked under the King, the God of all; whose kingdom is potentially within us, but actually, as Mark named it, only within the perfect. Verse 28. Now it came to pass about eight days after these sayings, he took Peter and John and James, and went up into a mountain to pray. Verse 29. And as he prayed, the fashion of his countenance was altered, and his raiment was white and glistering. Verse 30. And, behold, there talked with him two men, which were Moses and Elias: Verse 31. Who appeared in glory, and spake of his decease which he should accomplish at Jerusalem. But such is the event and wonder of the transfiguration. But if one must speak a more elevated word, it is not without reason that Mark and Matthew say that after six days Jesus went up the mountain with his disciples. But since in six days, a perfect number, the whole world was made; he who transcends all the affairs of the world, seeing only things that are stable and eternal, this one is shown to have been taken by Jesus after six days. For he who has transcended these sees this Jesus not transfigured to any of those below, but transfigured before him. For the Word appears having different forms, to each as he is able to receive it; and to some he has no form, but to others he is beautiful in his comeliness. To those who do not ascend through progressive works, and through them to the high mountain of wisdom, he is understood more simply, and is known according to the flesh. To the perfect he is theologized, and in the form of God he is beheld according to their knowledge, and his face shines as the sun to the children of light and of day, being revealed to be the sun of righteousness. But also his garments appear white as the light to those who were led up by him to the high mountain; which are the words, and the letters of the Gospels with which he was clothed, and I think also the things declared from the scripture of the apostles. Whenever, therefore, you see someone carefully expounding the theology concerning Jesus, and clarifying every word of the Gospels, do not hesitate to say of such a one that the garments of Jesus have become white as the light. And to him who has thus seen Jesus would appear Moses the law, and Elijah the prophetic word, communing with Jesus. And he who has seen the glory of Moses, having understood the spiritual law as one word with Jesus, and the wisdom hidden in mystery in the prophets, has seen Moses and Elijah in glory, when he has seen them with Jesus. 17.345 Verse 35. And there came a voice out of the cloud, saying, This is my beloved Son: hear him. Verse 30. And when the voice was past, Jesus was found alone. And the voice from the cloud perhaps
ἰδεῖν θάνατον, τούτου δὲ μεῖζον τὸ γεύσασθαι αὐτοῦ, τού του δὲ ἔτι χεῖρον τὸ ἀκολουθεῖν τινι θάνατον; καὶ οὐ μόνον ἀκολουθεῖν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἤδη ἐλθεῖν ἐπ' αὐτὸν, καὶ καταλαβεῖν ἐκεῖνον, ᾧ πρότερον ἠκολούθει; Τὸ δὲ καταποθῆναι ὑπὸ τοῦ θανάτου πάντων δοκεῖ μοι βαρύτερον εἶναι τῶν εἰρημένων. Καὶ ἐπιστήσας τοῖς λεγομένοις καὶ τῇ διαφορᾷ τῶν ἁμαρτανομένων, οὐκ ὀκνήσεις, οἶμαι, παραδέξασθαι τοιαῦτά τινα νενοῆσθαι τῷ ἐνεργήσαντι ταῦτα γραφῆναι ἐν τοῖς λογίοις τοῦ Θεοῦ Πνεύματι. Τί δὲ δηλοῦται ἐν τῷ ἰδεῖν τὸν Υἱὸν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἐρχόμενον ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐν τῇ δόξῃ αὐ τοῦ; καὶ τί σημαίνει τὸ, Ἐληλυθυῖαν ἐν δυνάμει, παρὰ Μάρκου ῥηθέν; Τὰ εἴτε ἐκλαμπόμενα ταῖς καρ δίαις ἡμῶν, εἴτε ζητοῦσιν εὑρισκόμενα, εἴτε ὑποσιόντα τοὺς λογισμοὺς ἡμῶν, σαφέστερον ἐκθη σόμεθα. Ὁ θεωρῶν καὶ καταλαμβάνων τὴν τοῦ λόγου ὑπεροχὴν λύοντος καὶ διελέγχοντος πάσας τὰς ὑπὸ 17.344 τῶν ψευδῶν μὲν, ἐπαγγελλομένων δὲ ἀλήθειαν πιθα νότητας, βλέπει τὸν Υἱὸν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἐρχόμενον ἐν τῇ ἰδίᾳ βασιλείᾳ. Εἰ δὲ καὶ τὰ ἴδια τρανώτερον παραστήσαντα βλέπει, βλέποι ἂν αὐτοῦ πρὸς τὴν βασιλείαν καὶ τὴν δόξαν. Καὶ ὁ τοιοῦτός γε ἐν ἑαυτῷ βλέποι ἂν τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ βασιλείαν ἐληλυθυῖαν ἐν δυ νάμει· καὶ τοῦτο βλέποι ἂν, ὡς οὐδαμῶς ἔτι ὑπὸ ἁμαρτίας βασιλευόμενος, τῆς βασιλευούσης ἐν θνητῷ σώματι τῶν ἁμαρτανόντων, ἀλλ' ἀεὶ τεταγμένος ὑπὸ βασιλεῖ τῷ τῶν ὅλων Θεῷ· οὗ ἡ βασιλεία δυνάμει μὲν ἐντὸς ἡμῶν ἐστιν, ἐνεργείᾳ δὲ, ὡς ὠνόμασεν ὁ Μάρ κος, ἐντὸς τῶν τελείων μόνον. Στίχ. κηʹ. Ἐγένετο δὲ μετὰ τοὺς λόγους τούτους, ὡς ἡμέραι ὀκτώ· καὶ παραλαβὼν Πέτρον καὶ Ἰωάννην καὶ Ἰάκωβον, ἀνέβη εἰς τὸ ὄρος προσεύξασθαι. Στίχ. κθʹ. Καὶ ἐγένετο, ἐν τῷ προσεύξασθαι αὐτὸν, τὸ εἶδος τοῦ προσώπου αὐτοῦ ἕτερον, καὶ ὁ ἱματισμὸς αὐτοῦ λευκὸς ἐξαστράπτων. Στίχ. λʹ. Καὶ ἰδοὺ ἄνδρες δύο συνελάλουν αὐτῷ, οἵτινες ἦσαν Μωσῆς καὶ Ἡλίας. Στίχ. λαʹ. Οἳ ὀφθέντες ἐν δόξῃ ἔλεγον τὴν ἔξοδον αὐτοῦ, ἣν ἔμελλε πληροῦν ἐν Ἱερουσαλήμ. Ἀλλὰ τοιοῦτον μὲν τὸ πρᾶγμα καὶ θαῦμα, τὸ τῆς μεταμορφώσεως. Εἰ δὲ χρὴ ἐπαναβεβηκότα λόγον εἰ πεῖν, οὐ μάτην μεθ' ἓξ ἡμέρας ὁ Μάρκος καὶ ὁ Ματ θαῖός φησιν ἀνελθεῖν τὸν Ἰησοῦν εἰς τὸ ὄρος σὺν τοῖς μαθηταῖς. Ἀλλ' ἐπεὶ ἐν ἓξ ἡμέραις τελείῳ ἀριθμῷ ὁ σύμπας κόσμος γεγένηται· ὁ πάντα τὰ τοῦ κόσμου ὑπερβαίνων πράγματα, βλέπων δὲ ἑστῶτα μόνον καὶ αἰώνια, οὗτος μεθ' ἓξ ἡμέρας παρειλῆφθαι δηλοῦται τοῦ Ἰησοῦ. Ὁ γὰρ ταύτας ὑπερβὰς βλέπει τὸν Ἰησοῦν τόνδ' οὐδενὶ τῶν κάτω μεταμορφούμενον, μεταμορφωθέντα ἔμπροσθεν αὐτοῦ. Φαίνεται γὰρ ὁ Λόγος διαφόρους ἔχων μορφὰς, ἑκάστῳ ὡς χωρεῖ· καὶ τοῖς μὲν οὐκ ἔχει εἶδος, τοῖς δὲ ὡραῖός ἐστι κάλλει. Τοῖς μὲν μὴ ἀναβαίνουσι διὰ τῶν ἐπαναβεβηκότων ἔργων, καὶ δι' αὐτῶν ἐπὶ τὸ ὑψηλὸν τῆς σοφίας ὄρος, ἁπλούστερον νοεῖται, καὶ κατὰ σάρκα γινώσκεται. Τοῖς τελείοις θεολογεῖται, καὶ ἐν τῇ τοῦ Θεοῦ μορφῇ κατὰ τὴν γνῶσιν αὐτῶν θεωρεῖται, λάμπει δὲ καὶ τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ ὡς ὁ ἥλιος τοῖς τέκνοις φωτὸς καὶ ἡμέρας, δικαιοσύνης ἥλιος εἶναι φανερούμενος. Ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰ ἱμάτια αὐτοῦ τοῖς ἀναχθεῖσιν ὑπ' αὐτοῦ εἰς τὸ ὑψηλὸν ὄρος φαίνεται λευκὰ ὡς τὸ φῶς· ἅπερ εἰσὶν αἱ λέξεις, καὶ ἃ ἐνεδύσατο τῶν Εὐαγγελίων γράμματα, οἶμαι δ' ὅτι καὶ τὰ ἀπὸ τῆς Γραφῆς τῶν ἀποστόλων δηλούμενα. Ἐπὰν οὖν ἴδῃς τινὰ τὴν περὶ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ θεολογίαν ἀκριβοῦντα, καὶ τὴν λέξιν τῶν Εὐαγγελίων πᾶσαν σαφηνίζοντα, μὴ ὄκνει τῷ τοιούτῳ φάσκειν, γεγονέναι τὰ ἱμάτια τοῦ Ἰησοῦ λευκὰ ὡς τὸ φῶς. Τῷ δ' οὕτως ἰδόντι τὸν Ἰησοῦν ὀφθεῖεν ἂν Μωσῆς ὁ νό μος, καὶ Ἡλίας ὁ προφητικὸς λόγος, κοινολογούμε νοι πρὸς τὸν Ἰησοῦν. Ὁ δὲ ἰδὼν τὴν Μωσέως δόξαν, νοήσας τὸν πνευματικὸν νόμον, ὡς ἕνα πρὸς τὸν Ἰη σοῦν λόγον, καὶ τὴν ἐν τοῖς προφήταις ἐν μυστηρίῳ ἀποκεκρυμμένην σοφίαν, εἶδε Μωσῆν καὶ Ἡλίαν ἐν δόξῃ, ὅτε εἶδεν αὐτοὺς μετὰ Ἰησοῦν. 17.345 Στίχ. λεʹ. Καὶ φωνὴ ἐγένετο ἐκ τῆς νεφέλης, λέ γουσα· Οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ Υἱός μου ὁ ἀγαπητός· αὐτοῦ ἀκούετε. Στίχ. λʹ. Καὶ ἐν τῷ γενέσθαι τὴν φωνὴν, εὑρέθη Ἰησοῦς μόνος. Ἡ δὲ ἐκ τῆς νεφέλης φωνὴ τάχα