of the things being said comes upon God, but the words are spoken in a human way, as I said, but are understood in a divine way by the pious, and the unchangeable and immutable nature of the glory of God will not be sprinkled in your suppositions because he hears men speaking. So therefore, neither in the case of the Spirit will "to hear" and "to receive" admit any addition of knowledge or of change to the unchangeable essence of the Spirit. 121

Jo 16, 17- Alluding to the ascension into heaven to the others, but for them what was said was not yet clear, and they hesitate to ask. Therefore they consider it by themselves and speak quietly. But there was no need to inquire in speech of the one who knew their questioning in the heart even before the question (for Christ hears the thoughts in the heart before the words on the lips) and as if they had asked him and proposed the question, he answers, showing them through this also his divinity for the strengthening of faith; for you are asking, he says, about the saying that indicates my departure after a little while, and after a little while again will be my return. This will be so. It has been said also that it is necessary for joy to appear to you through sorrow, and injustice will rejoice for a little while as if it had prevailed, but when I undergo the passion; you will be grieved as no longer having the savior. But a swift change will follow the event and you from the sorrow of death the of the

joy of the resurrection. 122 Jo 16, -22 His coming departure is grievous to the disciples, but the resurrection is joyful; and each happens in a short time. The matter will appear something like the birth pangs of women; for as a woman is in labor before childbirth, and from the pains the birth and the travail ends in delight, and the delight removes the memory of the sorrow, so it will turn out for you in this new and wonderful birth; for now truly a man is born into the world from extraordinary pains, and the pains of the passion will bring you sorrow, but the resurrection after the passion, joy, a joy in no way ever changing nor able to be taken away by man or any other, when through the resurrection of the new man you, having become new, will come to boldness before God; for you will rejoice, when you see a child born, a stranger to the world, both incorruptible and indestructible, and he is clearly speaking of himself. 123 Jo 16,25 The words about God are parabolic and through likenesses, in which God is compared to a man speaking and the son to one hearing and the spirit likewise as hearing and receiving words. The Father and the Son are likened to those coming to men and dwelling in men; for speaking and hearing and journeying and dwelling and all such things have corporeal likenesses. But it is not possible for men to hear otherwise than in this way. But there will be a time, he says, when not through visible likenesses, but through the invisible glory of God you will hear and you will know, that is, when, having been perfected in spirit, you will be properly disposed for the knowledge of God, and then the Lord's discourse with you will become a certain divine, clear one, not making the teaching about the Father through a veil.124 Jo 16,32 But even now what is trustworthy, he says, will immediately be shaken and you who say you believe will flee a little later, your faith having been moved by fear. And this, he says, is not difficult for me, but for you; for you will be left alone by the teacher and will abandon the savior, but I will not be left alone by the Father; for there is nothing in between separating me and the Father. 125 Jo 16,33 In the world you will have tribulation; but take heart, I have overcome the world. Being about to depart, he says, I necessarily through the things now said establish your souls so that they are not troubled, but to withstand circumstances by faith; for among men there are many things that cause affliction, but great from the one who has conquered the afflictions is the

18

λεγομένων ἔπεισι θεῷ, ἀλλ' ἀνθρωπίνως μέν, ὡς ἔφην, οἱ λόγοι, θείως δὲ παρὰ τοῖς εὐσεβοῦσι νοοῦνται καὶ οὐ ῥανθήσεται τὸ ἀναλλοίωτον καὶ ἄτρεπτον τῆς τοῦ θεοῦ δόξης ἐν ταῖς ὑμετέραις ὑπονοίαις διὰ τὸ ἀκούειν αὐτὸν ἀνθρώπων λαλούντων. οὕτω τοίνυν οὐδὲ ἐπὶ τοῦ πνεύματος τὸ ἀκούειν καὶ τὸ λαμβάνειν προσθήκην τινὰ δέξεται γνώσεως οὐδὲ μεταβολῆς ἐπὶ τὴν ἀναλλοίωτον τοῦ πνεύματος οὐσίαν. 121

Jο 16, 17- Τὴν εἰς οὐρανοὺς ἀνάληψιν αἰνιττόμενος τοῖς λοιποῖς, τοῖς δὲ οὔπω δῆλον τὸ λεγόμενον, ὀκνοῦσι δὲ ἐρωτᾶν. ὅθεν σκοποῦσιν αὐτοὶ καθ' ἑαυτοὺς καὶ δια λαλοῦσιν ἡσυχῇ. ἦν δὲ οὐκ ἀνάγκη πυνθάνεσθαι λόγῳ τοῦ καὶ πρὸ ἐρωτήσεως ἐπισταμένου τὴν ἐν καρδίᾳ ζήτησιν αὐτῶν (ἀκούει δὲ Χριστὸς τῶν ἐν καρδίᾳ νοημάτων πρὸ τῶν ἐν χείλεσιν ῥημάτων) καὶ ὡς ἐρωτήσασιν αὐτοῖς καὶ προτεί νασιν τὴν ζήτησιν ἀποκρίνεται ἐνδεικνύμενος αὐτοῖς καὶ διὰ τούτου τὴν θεό τητα πρὸς βεβαιότητα τῆς πίστεως· ζητεῖτε γάρ, φησίν, περὶ τοῦ λόγου τοῦ μετὰ βραχὺ μὲν δηλοῦντος τὴν ἐμὴν ἀναχώρησιν, μετὰ βραχὺ δὲ πάλιν τὴν ἐπάνοδον ἔσεσθαι. ἔσται τοῦτο οὕτως. εἴρηται καὶ διὰ λύπης ἀνάγκη τὴν χαρὰν ὑμῖν ἐπιφανῆναι καὶ χαρήσεται μὲν ἡ ἀδικία πρὸς ὀλίγον ὡς δὴ κεκρατηκυῖα, ἐπεὶ δ' ἂν ἐγὼ τὸ πάθος ὑπέλθω· ὑμεῖς δὲ λυπηθήσεσθε ὡς οὐκέτι τὸν σωτῆρα ἔχοντες. μεταβολὴ δὲ ἐπακολουθήσει ταχεῖα τῷ πράγματι καὶ ὑμεῖς ἐκ τῆς τοῦ θανάτου λύπης τὴν τῆς

ἀναστάσεως χαρὰν κομιεῖσθε. 122 Jο 16, -22 Λυπηρὸν μὲν τοῖς μαθηταῖς ἡ μέλλουσα ἀναχώρησις αὐτοῦ, τερπνὸν δὲ ἡ ἀνάστασις· ἑκατέρα δὲ ἐν βραχεῖ καιρῷ γίνεται. ὅμοιόν τι ταῖς τῶν γυναικῶν ὠδῖσι τὸ πρᾶγμα φανήσεται· ὡς γὰρ ὠδίνει μὲν γυνὴ πρὸ τοῦ τοκετοῦ, ἀπὸ δὲ τῶν ὠδίνων ὁ τοκετὸς καὶ τὸ ἐπίπονον εἰς τέρψιν καταλήγει καὶ ἡ τέρψις ἀναιρεῖ τῆς λύπης τὴν μνήμην, οὕτως ἀποβήσεται ὑμῖν ἐπὶ τοῦ καινοῦ καὶ θαυμασίου τούτου τοκετοῦ· νῦν γὰρ ὡς ἀληθῶς ἄνθρωπος εἰς τὸν κόσμον γεννᾶται ἐκ παραδόξων ὠδίνων καὶ λύπην μὲν ὑμῖν αἱ περὶ τὸ πάθος ὠδῖνες προσοίσουσιν, χαρὰν δὲ ἡ μετὰ τὸ πάθος ἀνάστασις, χαρὰν οὐδαμῶς ἔτι μετα βαλλομένην οὐδὲ ἀφαιρετὴν ὑπὸ ἀνθρώπου ἤ τινος ἄλλου, ὅτε διὰ τῆς ἀναστά σεως τοῦ νέου ἀνθρώπου νέοι καταστάντες εἰς τὴν πρὸς θεὸν ἥξετε παρρησίαν· χαρήσεσθε γάρ, ὅταν ἴδητε ξένον τῷ κόσμῳ παιδίον ἀποτεχθέν, ἄφθαρτόν τε καὶ ἀνώλεθρον, ἑαυτὸν δὲ δηλονότι φησίν. 123 Jο 16,25 Παραβολικοὶ καὶ δι' ὁμοιώσεων οἱ περὶ θεοῦ λόγοι, ἐν οἷς παραβάλλεται θεὸς ἀνθρώπῳ λαλοῦντι καὶ υἱὸς ἀκούοντι καὶ πνεῦμα ὡσαύτως ὡς ἀκοῦον καὶ λόγους λαμβάνον. ἀφομοιοῦνται πατὴρ καὶ υἱὸς ὡς ἐρχόμενοι πρὸς ἀνθρώ πους καὶ κατοικοῦντες ἐν ἀνθρώποις· λαλιὰ γὰρ καὶ ἀκοὴ καὶ πορεία καὶ κατοίκησις καὶ ὅσα τοιαῦτα σωματικῶς ἔχει τὰς ὁμοιότητας. οὐχ οἷόν τε δὲ ἀνθρώπους ἑτέρως ἀκούειν ἢ οὕτως. ἔσται δέ φησι καιρός, ὅτε μὴ διὰ τῶν ὁρατῶν ὁμοιώσεων, ἀλλὰ διὰ τῆς ἀοράτου δόξης θεοῦ ἀκούσεσθε καὶ γνώσεσθε, ὅτε δηλαδὴ τελειωθέντες ἐν πνεύματι πρὸς θεοῦ γνῶσιν οἰκείως διατεθήσεσθε, καὶ τότε θεία τις ἡ τοῦ κυρίου πρὸς ὑμᾶς ὁμιλία γενήσεται σαφὴς καὶ οὐ δι' ἐπι καλύμματος ποιουμένη τὴν περὶ πατρὸς διδασκαλίαν.124 Jο 16,32 Ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ νῦν ἀξιόπιστον, φησίν, αὐτίκα σαλευθήσεται καὶ οἱ λέγοντες πιστεύειν φεύξεσθε μικρὸν ὕστερον κινηθείσης ὑμῶν ὑπὸ τοῦ φόβου τῆς πίστεως. καὶ τοῦτο, φησίν, οὐκ ἐμοὶ χαλεπόν, ἀλλ' ὑμῖν· ὑμεῖς γὰρ τοῦ διδασκάλου μονωθήσεσθε καὶ τὸν σωτῆρα ἀπολείψετε, ἐγὼ δὲ τοῦ πατρὸς οὐ μονωθήσομαι· οὐδὲν γὰρ τὸ μεταξὺ διαχωρίζον ἐμὲ καὶ τὸν πατέρα. 125 Jο 16,33 Ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ θλῖψιν ἕξετε· ἀλλὰ θαρσεῖτε, ἐγὼ νενίκηκα τὸν κόσμον. μέλλων ἀπιέναι, φησίν, ἀναγκαίως διὰ τῶν νῦν εἰρημένων καθίστημι τὰς ψυχὰς ὑμῶν εἰς τὸ μὴ ταράσσεσθαι, ἀλλὰ τῇ πίστει πρὸς τὰς περιστάσεις ἀντέχειν· πολλὰ μὲν γὰρ παρ' ἀνθρώποις τὰ θλίβοντα, μεγάλη δὲ παρὰ τοῦ νενικηκότος τὰς θλίψεις ἡ

18