for vain glory the beautiful and fragrant assimilations according to virtue of the hidden God. For the hidden and supra-intellectual fragrant comelinesses of God are undefiled, and are manifested intellectually only to the intellectual, wishing to have like them the incorruptible images according to virtue in souls. For the statue, having well imitated the unalterable character of the godlike virtue, looking toward that intellectual and fragrant beauty, thus forms and fashions itself to the most beautiful imitation. And just as in the case of sensible images, if the painter looks steadfastly at the archetypal form, being drawn to nothing else of the things seen nor in any way distracted, he will duplicate, if it is right to say so, the very person being painted and show the one in the other despite the difference of substance, so also to the beauty-loving painters in mind, the intent and unwavering contemplation of the fragrant and hidden beauty will grant an unerring and most godlike image. Reasonably, therefore, the divine painters, unswervingly forming their own mind toward the supra-essentially fragrant and intellectual comeliness, do none of their God-imitating virtues “To be seen,” according to the saying, “by men,” but sacredly contemplate, as in an image, the most holy things of the church veiled by the divine myrrh. Wherefore they too, sacredly veiling the sacred and most godlike according to virtue within the God-imitating and God-inscribed mind, look only to the archetypal conception. For not only are they unseen by the unlike, but they themselves are not drawn down to the sight of them. Whence, consistently with themselves, they love not the things that seem at random beautiful and just but those that truly are, nor do they look to the glory that is irrationally blessed by the multitude, but judging the beautiful or the worse in itself in a God-imitating way, they are divine statues of the most divine fragrance, which, having in itself the truly fragrant, is not turned toward what seems unlike to the many, impressing the unhypocritical on its true images. 2 Come now then, since we have contemplated the outward comeliness of the whole beautiful liturgy, let us look to its more divine beauty, having unveiled itself its veils, beholding the blessed radiance shining forth manifestly and filling us with the unveiled fragrance for the intellectual. For the visible rite of the myrrh is not unshared or unseen by those around the hierarch, but on the contrary, extending even to them and establishing the contemplation that is above the many, it is sacredly veiled by them and hierarchically separated from the multitude. For to the divinely-inspired men the ray of the all-holy things, shining purely and immediately as on kindred of the intelligible light and making fragrant their intellectual perceptions unveiledly, no longer proceeds in the same way to that which is subordinate, but by them, as by hidden contemplations of the intellectual, it is unostentatiously concealed under winged riddles in what is undefiled for the unlike, through which sacred riddles the well-ordered ranks of those below are led up to the sacred analogy corresponding to them. 3 It is, then, as I said, the sacred liturgy now celebrated by us of the perfecting order and power of the hierarchs. Wherefore our divine leaders also arranged this, as being of the same order and same effect as the sacred rite of the synaxis, with the same images for the most part and mystical adornments and sacred words. And you will likewise see the hierarch bringing forth the beautiful fragrance from the more divine place to the subsequent sacred things, and by the return to the same, teaching that the participation in divine things happens in all the sacred according to worth, but is undiminished and entirely immovable and stands unchangeably within the property of its divine institution. Likewise again the odes and readings of the oracles bring the uninitiated to birth for life-giving adoption, but effect a sacred conversion of those who are sinfully active, and they take away the contrary fear and charm from those who are unmanly active, showing them analogously the summit of the godlike state and power, according to which they themselves will rather terrify the contrary powers and will take charge of the healing of others, the God-imitatingly immovable from their own good things but toward the

ἐπὶ δόξῃ κενῇ τὰς κατ' ἀρετὴν τοῦ κρυφίου θεοῦ καλὰς καὶ εὐώδεις ἀφομοιώσεις. Ἄχραντοι γάρ εἰσιν αἱ τοῦ θεοῦ κρυφίαι καὶ ὑπὲρ νοῦν εὐώδεις εὐπρέπειαι καὶ νοητῶς ἐμφαίνονται μόνοις τοῖς νοεροῖς ὁμοειδεῖς ἔχειν ἐθέλουσαι τὰς κατ' ἀρετὴν ἐν ψυχαῖς ἀπαραφθάρτους εἰκόνας. Τὸ γὰρ τῆς θεοειδοῦς ἀρετῆς ἀπαράγραπτον εὖ μεμιμημένον <τὸ> ἄγαλμα πρὸς ἐκεῖνο τὸ νοητὸν καὶ εὐῶδες ἀφορῶν κάλλος οὕτως ἑαυτὸ τυποῖ καὶ διαπλάττει πρὸς τὸ κάλλιστον μίμημα. Καὶ καθάπερ ἐπὶ τῶν αἰσθητῶν εἰκόνων εἰ πρὸς τὸ ἀρχέτυπον εἶδος ὁ γραφεὺς ἀκλινῶς εἰσορᾷ πρὸς μηδὲν ἄλλο τῶν ὁρατῶν ἀνθελκόμενος ἢ κατά τι μεριζόμενος αὐτὸν ἐκεῖνον ὅστις ἐστὶ τὸν γραφόμενον εἰ θέμις εἰπεῖν διπλασιάσει καὶ δείξει τὸν ἑκάτερον ἐν ἑκατέρῳ παρὰ τὸ τῆς οὐσίας διάφορον, οὕτω τοῖς φιλοκάλοις ἐν νῷ γραφεῦσιν ἡ πρὸς τὸ εὐῶδες καὶ κρύφιον κάλλος ἀτενὴς καὶ ἀπαρέγκλιτος θεωρία τὸ ἀπλανὲς δωρήσεται καὶ θεοειδέστατον ἴνδαλμα. Eἰκότως οὖν πρὸς τὴν ὑπερουσίως εὐώδη καὶ νοητὴν εὐπρέπειαν οἱ θεῖοι γραφεῖς τὸ νοερὸν ἑαυτῶν ἀμεταστρέπτως εἰδοποιοῦντες οὐδεμίαν δρῶσι τῶν ἐν αὐτοῖς θεομιμήτων ἀρετῶν «Eἰς τὸ θεαθῆναι» κατὰ τὸ λόγιον «τοῖς ἀνθρώποις», ἀλλ' ἱερῶς ἐποπτεύουσιν ὡς ἐν εἰκόνι τῷ θείῳ μύρῳ τὰ τῆς ἐκκλησίας ἱερώτατα περικεκαλυμμένα. ∆ιὸ καὶ αὐτοὶ τὸ κατ' ἀρετὴν ἱερὸν καὶ θεοειδέστατον εἴσω τοῦ θεομιμήτου καὶ θεογράπτου νοὸς ἱερῶς περικαλύπτοντες πρὸς μόνην ἀποβλέπουσι τὴν ἀρχέτυπον νόησιν. Oὐδὲ γὰρ ἀθέατοι μόνον εἰσὶ τοῖς ἀνομοίοις, ἀλλ' οὐδ' αὐτοὶ πρὸς τὴν ἐκείνων καθέλκονται θέαν. Ὅθεν ἑαυτοῖς ἀκολούθως οὐδὲ τῶν δοκούντων εἰκῆ καλῶν καὶ δικαίων ἀλλὰ τῶν ὄντως ὄντων ἐρῶσιν οὐδὲ πρὸς δόξαν ὁρῶσι τὴν ὑπὸ πλήθους ἀλόγως μακαριζομένην, ἀλλὰ τὸ καλὸν ἢ χεῖρον ἐφ' ἑαυτοῦ θεομιμήτως κρίνοντες ἀγάλματα θεῖα τῆς θεαρχικωτάτης εἰσὶν εὐωδίας, ἥτις ἐφ' ἑαυτῆς τὸ ἀληθῶς εὐῶδες ἔχουσα πρὸς τὸ τοῖς πολλοῖς ἀνομοίως δοκοῦν οὐκ ἐπιστρέφεται ταῖς ἀληθέσιν αὐτῆς εἰκόσιν ἐντυποῦσα τὸ ἀνυπόκριτον. <2> Φέρε δὴ λοιπὸν ἐπειδὴ τὴν ἐκτὸς εὐπρέπειαν ἐθεασάμεθα τῆς ὅλης καλῆς ἱερουργίας, εἰς τὸ θειότερον αὐτῆς ἀποβλέψωμεν κάλλος, αὐτὴν ἐφ' ἑαυτῆς ἀποκαλυψαμένην τὰ παραπετάσματα, θεώμενοι τὴν μακαρίαν ἀποστίλβουσαν ἐμφανῶς αἴγλην καὶ τῆς ἀπερικαλύπτου τοῖς νοεροῖς ἀποπληροῦσαν ἡμᾶς εὐωδίας. Oὐδὲ γὰρ ἡ φαινομένη τοῦ μύρου τελεσιουργία τοῖς περὶ τὸν ἱεράρχην ἐστὶν ἀκοινώνητος ἢ ἀθέατος, ἀλλὰ τοὐναντίον ἄχρις αὐτῶν διήκουσα καὶ ἱστῶσα τὴν ὑπὲρ τοὺς πολλοὺς θεωρίαν ὑπ' αὐτῶν ἱερῶς περικαλύπτεται καὶ τῆς πληθύος ἱεραρχικῶς ἀποδιαστέλλεται. Τοῖς γὰρ ἐνθέοις ἀνδράσιν ἡ τῶν πανιέρων ἀκτὶς ὡς συγγενέσι τοῦ νοητοῦ φωτὸς καθαρῶς καὶ ἀμέσως ἐλλάμπουσα καὶ τὰς νοερὰς αὐτῶν ἀντιλήψεις ἀπερικαλύπτως εὐωδιάζουσα πρὸς τὸ ὑφειμένον οὐκέτι ὁμοίως πρόεισιν, ἀλλ' ὑπ' αὐτῶν ὡς κρυφίων τοῦ νοητοῦ θεωρῶν ἀνεκπομπεύτως εἰς τὸ τοῖς ἀνομοίοις ἄχραντον ὑπὸ πτερωτοῖς αἰνίγμασι συγκαλύπτεται, δι' ὧν ἱερῶν αἰνιγμάτων αἱ τῶν ὑποβεβηκότων εὔκοσμοι τάξεις ἀνάγονται πρὸς τὴν κατ' αὐτὰς ἱερὰν ἀναλογίαν. <3> Ἔστι δὴ οὖν ὅπερ ἔφην ἡ νῦν ὑμνουμένη παρ' ἡμῶν ἱερὰ τελετουργία τῆς τελειωτικῆς τῶν ἱεραρχικῶν τάξεως καὶ δυνάμεως. ∆ιὸ καὶ ταύτην οἱ θεῖοι καθηγεμόνες ἡμῶν ὡς ὁμοταγῆ καὶ ταὐτουργὸν τῷ τῆς συνάξεως ἱερῷ τελεστηρίῳ ταῖς αὐταῖς εἰκόσιν ὡς τὰ πολλὰ καὶ μυστικαῖς διακοσμήσεσι καὶ ἱερολογίαις διετάξαντο. Καὶ τὸν μὲν ἱεράρχην ὡσαύτως ὄψει τὴν ἀπὸ τοῦ θειοτέρου τόπου καλὴν εὐωδίαν εἰς τὰ ἑξῆς ἱερὰ προφέροντα καὶ τῇ πρὸς τὸ ταὐτὸν ἀναλύσει διδάσκοντα τῶν θείων τὴν μετουσίαν ἐν ἅπασι μὲν γίνεσθαι κατ' ἀξίαν τοῖς ἱεροῖς, ἀμείωτον δὲ εἶναι καὶ ἀκίνητον πάντῃ καὶ εἴσω τῆς κατὰ θείαν ἵδρυσιν ἰδιότητος ἀπαραλλάκτως ἑστηκυῖαν. Ἐπίσης δὲ πάλιν αἱ τῶν λογίων ᾠδαὶ καὶ ἀναγνώσεις τοὺς μὲν ἀτελέστους μαιεύονται πρὸς ζωηφόρον υἱοθεσίαν, ἐπιστροφὴν δὲ ἱερὰν ποιοῦνται τῶν ἐναγῶς ἐνεργουμένων, ἀφαιροῦσι δὲ τὴν ἐναντίαν πτοίαν καὶ θέλξιν ἐκ τῶν ἀνάνδρως ἐνεργουμένων τὸ τῆς θεοειδοῦς ἕξεως καὶ δυνάμεως ἀκρότατον ἀναλόγως αὐτοῖς ὑποδεικνῦσαι, καθ' ἣν ἐκδειματώσουσι μᾶλλον αὐτοὶ τὰς ἐναντίας δυνάμεις καὶ τῆς ἑτέρων ἰατρείας προστήσονται τὸ θεομιμήτως ἀκίνητον μὲν ἐκ τῶν οἰκείων καλῶν πρὸς δὲ τὰς