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in riddles, and he saw the glory of the Lord, and why were you not afraid to speak against my servant Moses? Therefore, he saw the glory of the Lord and in His appearance as He gave oracles, and he heard Him speaking mouth to mouth, yet he had not yet seen the Lord Himself in the same way as the fathers. And it is not surprising that God is recorded as speaking to Moses mouth to mouth, since Moses teaches in Deuteronomy that He also spoke to all the people face to face, saying, 'The Lord did not make this covenant with your fathers, but with you; you yourselves who are here today, all living.' The Lord spoke to you face to face on the mountain from the midst of the fire. However, 41 although He gave oracles in this manner to both Moses and to all the people, yet see that it is said that He spoke to them mouth to mouth and face to face, but not that He appeared to them without the fire or the cloud, in the same way as to the fathers; for the Lord is recorded as having appeared to them openly and without the covering of a cloud or fire. Indeed, our Savior and Lord also teaches that seeing God belongs to the perfect and those whose minds are purified to the utmost, saying, 'Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God'; wherefore also the Lord proclaims Himself God of such men, saying to Moses: 'Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you; this is my name forever, and my memorial for all generations.' Therefore Moses, desiring the greater gifts and striving for the same progress as they had, makes his request, saying to the Lord, 'Show me yourself, that I may see you plainly'; for he imagined the greatness and the height and the ineffable and unattainable excellence of the Word of God who was giving him oracles, but he saw that He made the visions to him through ministering angels; wherefore he beseeches Him to show Himself to him more clearly and purely, no longer through coverings, nor by other servants, but openly and in a manner like that to Abraham and his company, without the form of fire and cloud. This, then, seems to me to be the meaning of the phrase that says, 'Show me yourself, that I may see you plainly'; and for this reason, having heard beforehand 42 the Lord saying to him, 'Behold, my angel shall go before your face,' he declines, desiring something greater, and says: 'If you yourself do not go with us, do not lead me up from here'; when the Lord had assented to his request and said, 'This word which you have spoken, I will also do for you,' perceiving the readiness of the great divine gift, the beneficence that anticipates those who desire great things, he then humbled himself, and considering himself as not yet worthy of the greater things, he proposes another request, which was inferior in comparison to the first, saying, 'Show me your glory'; and the Lord fulfilled his word: 'I will pass by before you in my glory; and I will call upon the name of the Lord before you,' and so on; teaching that the knowledge of the Father and God of all is indeed greater than any vision previously seen by him, which He also promises to deliver to him, saying concerning Himself, 'I will pass by before you in my glory,' and concerning the initiation into the Father, 'and I will call upon the name of the Lord'; for of what lord, since He Himself is the Lord signified by the tetragrammaton, unless He promises to call upon the Father? And truly, unless the Word of God first passes through someone, and unless He Himself calls upon the Father, it is not otherwise possible to receive the knowledge of the Father of all; since 'no one has known the Father except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal Him.' He is therefore the door and the way through whom alone it is possible to see the cause beyond and above all, the Father Himself; for although the divine Word especially, as 43 a certain forerunner of Himself, visits the souls of the blessed, imparting His own glory to them, yet the matters of his sovereignty do not finally stop at

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δι' αἰνιγμάτων, καὶ τὴν δόξαν Κυρίου εἶδεν, καὶ διατί οὐκ ἐφοβήθητε καταλαλῆσαι κατὰ τοῦ θεράποντός μου Μωσῆ; Ἄρ' οὖν τὴν δόξαν μὲν Κυρίου εἶδεν καὶ ἐν εἴδει αὐτῷ χρηματίζοντος, στόμα τε κατὰ στόμα λαλοῦντος ἤκουσεν, οὐ μὴν καὶ αὐτόν πω τὸν Κυρίον ὁμοίως τοῖς πατράσιν ἑωράκει. Καὶ οὐ θαυμαστόν γε εἰ τῷ Μωσεῖ στόμα κατὰ στόμα λαλῶν ἀναγέγραπται ὁ Θεὸς, ὅποτε καὶ τῷ παντὶ λαῷ πρόσωπον πρὸς πρόσωπον λελαληκέναι αὐτὸν ἐν ∆ευτερονομίῳ διδάσκει ὁ Μωσῆς λέγων, Οὐχὶ τοῖς πατράσιν ὑμῶν διέθετο Κύριος τὴν διαθήκην ταύτην, ἀλλὰ πρὸς ὑμᾶς· ὑμεῖς αὐτοὶ ὧδε σήμερον πάντες ζῶντες. Πρόσωπον κατὰ πρόσωπον ἐλάλησεν Κύριος πρὸς ὑμᾶς ἐν τῷ ὄρει ἐκ μέσου τοῦ πυρός. Πλὴν 41 εἰ καὶ τῷ Μωσεῖ καὶ τῷ παντὶ λαῷ τοῦτον ἐχρημάτιζεν τὸν τρόπον, ἀλλ' ὅρα ὅτι λελαληκέναι μὲν αὐτοῖς στόμα κατὰ στόμα καὶ πρόσωπον πρὸς πρόσωπον εἴρηται, οὐ μὴν καὶ ἄνευ τοῦ πυρὸς ἢ τῆς νεφέλης ὁμοίως τοῖς πατράσιν ὦφθαι αὐτοῖς· γυμνῶς γὰρ ἐκείνοις καὶ ἄνευ ἐπικαλύμματος τοῦ διὰ νεφέλης ἢ πυρὸς ὁ Κύριος ὀφθεὶς ἀναγέγραπται. Τελείων γοῦν καὶ τὴν διάνοιαν εἰς ἄκρον κεκαθαρμένων καὶ ὁ Σωτὴρ καὶ Κύριος ἡμῶν τὸ τὸν Θεὸν ὁρᾶν εἶναι διδάσκει, Μακάριοι λέγων οἱ καθαροὶ τῇ καρδίᾳ, ὅτι αὐτοὶ τὸν Θεὸν ὄψονται· διὸ καὶ ὡς τοιούτων ὁ Κύριος Θεὸν ἑαυτὸν ἀναγορεύει, λέγων πρὸς Μωσῆν· Οὕτως ἐρεῖς τοῖς υἱοῖς Ἰσραὴλ, Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς τῶν πατέρων ὑμῶν, Θεὸς Ἁβραὰμ, καὶ Θεὸς Ἰσαὰκ, καὶ Θεὸς Ἰακὼβἀπέσταλκέ με πρὸς ὑμᾶς· τοῦτό ἐστιν ὄνομα μου αἰώνιον, καὶ μνημόσυνον γενεῶν γενεαῖς. Ζηλῶν δὴ οὖν τὰ χαρίσματα τὰ μείζονα, καὶ τῆς ὁμοίας ἐκείνοις ὀρεγόμενος ὁ Μωσῆς προκοπῆς, ἀξιοῖ λέγων τὸν Κύριον, Ἐμφάνισόν μοι σεαυτὸν, γνωστῶς ἴδω σε· ἐφαντάζετο μὲν γὰρ χρηματίζοντος αὐτῷ Θεοῦ Λόγου τό τε μέγεθος καὶ τὸ ὕψος καὶ τὴν ἄφατον καὶ ἀνέφικτον ὑπεροχὴν, ἑώρα δὲ ὡς ὅτι δι' ὑπηρετικῶν ἀγγέλων τὰς πρὸς αὐτὸν ἐποιεῖτο θεωρίας· διὸ παρακαλεῖ τρανότερον καὶ καθαρώτερον ἐμφῆναι ἑαυτὸν αὐτῷ, μηκέτι μὲν δι' ἐπικαλυμμάτων, μὴ δὲ ὑπὸ διακόνων ἑτέρων, γυμνῶς δὲ καὶ τοῖς ἀμφὶ τὸν Ἁβραὰμ παραπλησίως, ἄνευ τοῦ διὰ πυρὸς καὶ νεφέλης εἴδους. Τοῦτο γ' οὖν δοκεῖ μοι σημαίνειν ἡ φάσκουσα λέξις, Ἐμφάνισόν μοι σεαυτὸν, γνωστῶς ἴδω σε· ταύτῃ δὲ καὶ προακούσας 42 εἰρηκότος αὐτῷ τοῦ Κυρίου τὸ, Ἰδοὺ ἄγγελός μου προπορεύσεται πρὸ προσώπου σου, ὑποπαραιτεῖται τοῦ μείζονος ὀρεγόμενος, καὶ φησίν· Εἰ μὴ αὐτὸς σὺ συμπορεύῃ, μή με ἀναγάγῃς ἐντεῦθεν· πρὸς τὴν ἀξίωσιν ἐπινεύσαντος τοῦ Κυρίου καὶ φήσαντος, Καὶ τὸν λόγον σοι τοῦτον, ὃν εἴρηκας, ποιήσω, τὸ ἔτοιμον συνιδὼν τῆς θείας μεγαλοδωρεᾶς, φθανούσης τῆς εὐεργεσίας τοὺς μεγάλων ὀρεγομένους, εἶτα σμικρύνας ἑαυτὸν, καὶ ὡς μὴ ἄξιόν πω τῶν μειζόνων λογισάμενος, ἑτέραν ὡς ἐν συγκρίσει τῆς προτέρας ἐνδέουσαν ἀξίωσιν προτείνει λέγων, ∆εῖξόν μοι τὴν δόξαν σου· πληρῶν δὲ αὐτοῦ τὸν λόγον ὁ Κύριος· Ἐγὼ παρελεύσομαι πρότερός σου τῇ δόξῃ μου· καὶ καλέσω ἐν ὀνόματι Κυρίου ἐναντίον σου, καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς· διδάσκων ὅτι δὴ πάσης μείζων τῆς πρότερον αὐτῷ θεωρουμένης ὀπτασίας ἡ τοῦ Πατρὸς καὶ Θεοῦ τῶν ὅλων τυγχάνει γνῶσις, ἣν καὶ παραδώσειν αὐτῷ ὑπισχνεῖται, περὶ μὲν ἑαυτοῦ λέγων, Παρελεύσομαι πρότερός σου τῇ δόξῃ μου· περὶ δὲ τῆς τοῦ Πατρὸς μυσταγωγίας τὸ, καὶ καλέσω ἐν ὀνόματι Κυρίου· ποίου γὰρ κυρίου, αὐτὸς ὢν ὁ διὰ τοῦ τετραγράμμου δηλούμενος Κύριος, εἰ μὴ ἄρα τοῦ Πατρὸς καλέσειν ἐπαγγέλλεται; Καὶ ἀληθῶς γε εἰ μὴ διέλθοι τινὰ πρότερον ὁ τοῦ Θεοῦ Λόγος, καὶ εἰ μὴ αὐτὸς ἀνακαλέσοιτο τὸν Πατέρα, οὐδ' ἄλλως δυνατὸν τὴν τοῦ Πατρὸς τῶν ὅλων ἀναλαβεῖν γνῶσιν· ἐπεὶ μὴ δ' εἷς ἔγνω τὸν πατέρα εἰ μὴ ὁ υἱὸς, καὶ ᾧ ἂν ὁ υἱὸς ἀποκαλύψῃ. Αὐτὸς γοῦν ἐστιν ἡ θύρα καὶ ἡ ὁδὸς δι' οὗ μόνου ἔστιν ἰδεῖν τὸν ἐπέκεινα καὶ ἀνωτάτω τῶν ὅλων αἴτιον, αὐτὸν τὸν Πατέρα· εἰ γὰρ καὶ τὰ μάλιστα οἷα 43 τις αὐτοῦ πρόδρομος προεπιδημεῖ ταῖς τῶν μακαρίων ψυχαῖς ὁ θεῖος Λόγος, τῆς ἰδίας δόξης μεταδιδοὺς αὐταῖς, ἀλλ' οὐχ ἵσταταί γε εἰς τέλος τὰ τῆς αὐθεντίας εἰς