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215 But those who fall away from God, I wonder where they might even stand, having distanced themselves far from Him who is everywhere, and truly, brothers, it is a wonder full of great horror, and requiring the reasoning of an enlightened mind, so that one might understand this well and not fall 220 into heresy by disbelieving the words of the Divine Spirit. Within the universe, indeed, these will exist, but outside the divine light and truly outside God. For just as those who do not see, while the sun is shining, even if they are entirely illumined, they are outside the light, 225 separated from it in perception and vision. So also in the universe is the divine light of the Trinity and in the midst, sinners are imprisoned in darkness, not seeing, having no divine perception at all, but being burned by their conscience 230 and being condemned, the unutterable affliction and the unspeakable pain they will have for ever.

II

What was the change that took place in this father and how, having been purified to the utmost, he was united to God and what he became from what he was, his love-filled words to God here declare; who, theologizing, also speaks at the end concerning angels. (45)

What is your immeasurable compassion, O Savior? How did you deem me worthy to become a member of yours, me, the impure, the prodigal, the fornicator? How did you clothe me in a most brilliant robe flashing forth the splendor of immortality and making all my members light? For your body, the immaculate and divine, flashes all over with the fire of your divinity ineffably blended and mixed with it; this, therefore, you have granted to me also, my God. For this squalid and corruptible tabernacle having been united with your all-pure body and my blood having been mixed with your blood, I was united, I know, also with your divinity and I have become your most pure body, a shining member, a truly holy member, a far-shining and transparent and brilliant member. I see the beauty, I behold the radiance, I behold as in a mirror the light of your grace and I am astonished at the ineffable splendor (46) and I am beside myself, contemplating myself: from what sort of man I have become, O wonder! And I am in awe and I reverence myself

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215 Οἱ δέ Θεοῦ ἐκπίπτονες θαυμάζω, ποῦ καί στῶσιν, ἀπό τοῦ ὄντος πανταχοῦ ἀφεστηκότες πόρρω, καί ὄντως φρίκης, ἀδελφοί, θαῦμα μεγάλης γέμον, δεόμενόν τε λογισμοῦ νοός πεφωτισμένου, ἵνα καλῶς νοήσειε τοῦτο καί μή ἐμπέσῃ 220 εἰς αἵρεσιν ὡς ἀπιστῶν Θείου Πνεύματος λόγους. Ἐντός μέν πάντως τοῦ παντός ὑπάρξουσι καί οὗτοι, ἔξω τοῦ θείου δέ φωτός καί Θεοῦ ὄντως ἔξω˙ ὥσπερ γάρ οἱ μή βλέποντες λάμποντος τοῦ ἡλίου, κἄν ὅλοι περιλάμπωνται, ἔξω φωτός τελοῦσιν, 225 αἰσθήσει θεωρίᾳ τε κεχωρισμένοι τούτου˙ οὕτως ἐστίν ἐν τῷ παντί φῶς τῆς Τριάδος θεῖον καί μέσον οἱ ἁμαρτωλοί ἐν σκότει καθειργμένοι, μή βλέποντες, μή αἴσθησιν ὅλως ἔχοντες θείαν, ἀλλά κατακαιόμενοι αὐτῶν τῇ συνειδήσει 230 καί καταδικαζόμενοι, ἀπόρρητον τήν θλῖψιν καί τήν ὀδύνην ἄφθεγκτον ἕξουσιν εἰς αἰῶνας.

Β΄

Τίς ἡ ἐπί τῷ πατρί τούτῳ γενομένη ἀλλοίωσις καί πῶς καθαρθείς εἰς ἄκρον ἡνώθη Θεῷ καί οἷος ἐξ οἵου ἐγένετο, οἱ πρός Θεόν ἐρωτικοί αὐτοῦ λόγοι δηλοῦσιν ἐνταῦθα˙ ὅς καί θεολογῶν λέγει πρός τό τέλος περί ἀγγέλων. (45)

Τίς ἡ ἄμετρος εὐσπλαγνία σου, Σῶτερ; Πῶς ἠξίωσας μέλος σόν με γενέσθαι, τόν ἀκάθαρτον, τόν ἄσωτον, τόν πόρνον; Πῶς ἐνέδυσας στολήν με λαμπροτάτην ἀπαστράπτουσαν αἴγλην ἀθανασίας καί φῶς ποιοῦσαν ἅπαντά μου τά μέλη; Σῶμα γάρ τό σόν, τό ἄχραντον καί θεῖον, ἀπαστράπτει ὅλον πυρί θεότητός σου ἀναφυραθέν καί συμμιγέν ἀρρήτως˙ τοῦτο οὖν κἀμοί ἐδωρήσω, Θεέ μου. Τό γάρ ῥυπαρόν καί φθαρτόν τοῦτο σκῆνος τῷ παναχράντῳ ἑνωθέν σώματί σου καί μιγέν τό αἷμά μου τῷ αἵματί σου ἡνώθην, οἶδα, καί τῇ θεότητί σου καί γέγονα σόν καθαρώτατον σῶμα, μέλος ἐκλάμπον, μέλος ἅγιον ὄντως, μέλος τηλαυγές καί διαυγές καί λάμπον. Ὁρῶ τό κάλλος, βλέπω τήν λαμπηδόνα, ἐνοπτρίζομαι τό φῶς τῆς χάριτός σου καί τό ἄρρητον ἐκπλήττομαι τῆς αἴγλης (46) καί ἐξίσταμαι κατανοῶν ἑαυτόν˙ ἐκ ποίου οἷος ἐγενόμην, ὤ θαῦμα! Καί εὐλαβοῦμαι καί ἐμαυτόν αἰδοῦμαι