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worshipped and seen in all His properties and gifts, and so we will initiate you into these things. "God is light" and light infinite and incomprehensible; for the things concerning Him are light, united and divided in the persons undividedly and that I may tell you one by one, dividing the undivided: the Father is light, the Son is light, the Holy Spirit is light; these are one simple light, (45) uncompounded, timeless, co-eternal, of equal honor and equal glory. In addition to these, all things from Him are also light, as they are supplied to us from light; life is light, immortality is light, the fount of life is light, the living water is light, love, peace, truth, the door of the kingdom of heaven, the kingdom of heaven itself is light; the bridal chamber is light, the inner room, paradise, the delight of paradise, the land of the meek, the crowns of life, the very garments of the saints are light; Christ Jesus, the savior and king of all, is light; the bread of His undefiled flesh is light, the cup of His precious blood is light, His resurrection is light, His face is light; His hand, His finger, His mouth is light, His eyes are light; the Lord is light, His voice as from light is light, the Paraclete is light; the pearl, the mustard seed, the true vine, the leaven, hope, faith is light.

Therefore, these things and others like them, whatever you hear spoken by prophets and apostles concerning the ineffable and superessential divinity, understand that it is essentially all things, the one sovereign principle, worshipped in the unity of the triadic light. For there is one God in Father and Son and Holy Spirit, being light unapproachable and pre-eternal, who, being of many names, is called all the things that have been mentioned and many others besides; and He is not only called these things, but also enacts them, as I have learned from those who were taught by experience itself and were assured and confirmed by contemplation concerning the good things belonging to the supremely good God. And that, in addition to what has been said, I may also show you some other lights of God: His goodness is light, His mercy, His compassion, His embrace is light, (46) His kindness is light, His rod, His staff and His comfort is light.

But if most or even all of these things are said to be in us as well, yet in us they are as in men, but in Him these things are as in God. And that I may not hesitate to tell you these things again one by one: God is named Father, and most men are also called fathers; Christ is the Son of God and God, we in turn are sons of men; the all-holy Spirit is the Spirit of God, our souls are also called spirits; God is life, we too are said to live; God is love, even great sinners have love for one another. What then? Will you call the love of men God? Away with the blasphemy! But the peace towards one another in not quarreling or disputing about something, would you say this is "the peace that surpasses all understanding"? Certainly not. But the truth of God, your not speaking a false word to someone? Not at all. For just as the words of men are fleeting and empty, but the Word of God is living and substantial and active, true God, so too the truth, which is God, is beyond the concept and word of men; it is unchanging, unceasing, substantial and living. Thus, therefore, neither is the water we have like that living water, nor is the bread we have like that bread, but as was said above, all those things are light and God is one light, by partaking of which, through that participation one becomes a partaker of both and of all the good things we have mentioned. And one becomes meek and humble; and these things again are light with the things that have been said, or rather, he who has that light has these things also with the light.

But indeed, along with these, God is also called wakefulness, as He awakens to good things the soul of the man in whom He dwells, (47) to whom He becomes every good thing; and such a one, having God dwelling within, is not deprived of any good thing, but is filled

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προσκυνούμενον καί ἐν πᾶσι τοῖς ἰδιώμασιν αὐτοῦ καί χαρίσμασι καθορώμενον, καί οὕτω σε ταῦτα μυσταγωγήσομεν. "Ὁ Θεός φῶς ἐστί" καί φῶς ἄπειρόν τε καί ἀκατάληπτον· τά γάρ περί αὐτόν φῶς εἰσιν ἑνούμενά τε καί διαιρούμενα τοῖς προσώποις ἀδιαιρέτως καί ἵνα καθ᾿ ἕν σοι τά ἀδιαίρεται διαιρῶν εἴπω ὁ Πατήρ φῶς ἐστιν, ὁ Υἱός φῶς ἐστι, τό Πνεῦμα τό Ἅγιον φῶς· ἕν ταῦτα φῶς ἁπλοῦν, (45) ἀσύνθετον, ἄχρονον, συναΐδιον, ὁμότιμον καί ὁμόδοξον. Πρός τούτοις καί τά ἐξ αὐτοῦ πάντα φῶς εἰσιν ὡς ἐκ φωτός ἡμῖν χορηγούμενα· ἡ ζωή φῶς, ἡ ἀθανασία φῶς, ἡ πηγή τῆς ζωῆς φῶς, τό ὕδωρ τό ζῶν φῶς, ἡ ἀγάπη, ἡ εἰρήνη, ἡ ἀλήθεια, ἡ θύρα τῆς βασιλείας τῶν οὐρανῶν, αὐτή φῶς ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν· ὁ νυμφών φῶς, ἡ παστάς, ὁ παράδεισος, ἡ τοῦ παραδείσου τρυφή, ἡ γῆ τῶν πραέων, οἱ στέφανοι τῆς ζωῆς, αὐτά τά τῶν ἁγίων ἐνδύματα φῶς· ὁ Χριστός ὁ Ἰησοῦς, ὁ σωτήρ καί βασιλεύς τοῦ παντός, φῶς· ὁ ἄρτος τῆς ἀχράντου σαρκός αὐτοῦ φῶς, τό ποτήριον τοῦ τιμίου αὐτοῦ αἵματος φῶς, ἡ ἀνάστασις αὐτοῦ φῶς, τό πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ φῶς· ἡ χείρ, ὁ δάκτυλος, τό στόμα αὐτοῦ φῶς, οἱ ὀφθαλμοί αὐτοῦ φῶς· ὁ Κύριος φῶς, ἡ φωνή αὐτοῦ ὡς ἐκ φωτός φῶς, ὁ Παράκλητος φῶς· ὁ μαργαρίτης, ὁ κόκκος τοῦ σινάπεως, ἡ ἄμπελος ἡ ἀληθινή, ἡ ζύμη, ἡ ἐλπίς, ἡ πίστις φῶς.

Ταῦτα τοιγαροῦν καί ἕτερα τούτων, ὅσα ἄν διά προφητῶν καί ἀποστόλων ἀκούεις λεγόμενα περί τῆς ἀνεκφράστου καί ὑπερουσίου θεότητος, αὐτήν οὐσιωδῶς τά πάντα εἶναί μοι νόει τήν μίαν ὑπεράρχιον ἀρχήν, τήν ἐν μονάδι τριαδικοῦ προσκυνουμένην φωτός. Εἷς γάρ Θεός ἐν Πατρί καί Υἱῷ καί Ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι, φῶς ὤν ἀπρόσιτόν τε καί προαιώνιον, ὅ καί πολυώνυμον ὑπάρχον καλεῖται πάντα τά εἰρημένα καί τούτων ἕτερα πλείονα· καί οὐ μόνον ταῦτα καλεῖται, ἀλλά καί ἐνεργεῖ, ὡς παρά τῶν ἐξ αὐτῆς τῆς πείρας διδαχθέντων καί τῇ θεωρίᾳ πιστωθέντων καί βεβαιωθέντων περί τῶν προσόντων καλῶν τῷ ὑπεραγάθῳ Θεῷ ἔμαθον. Καί ἵνα πρός τοῖς εἰρημένοις καί ἕτερά σοι φῶτα Θεοῦ παραδηλώσω τινά, ἡ ἀγαθότης αὐτοῦ φῶς, τό ἔλεος αὐτοῦ, ἡ εὐσπλαγχνία, ὁ ἀσπασμός αὐτοῦ φῶς, (46) ἡ χρηστότης αὐτοῦ φῶς, ἡ ῥάβδος, ἡ βακτηρία καί ἡ παράκλησις αὐτοῦ φῶς.

Εἰ δέ καί ἐν ἡμῖν τά πλείονα τούτων ἤ καί πάντα προσεῖναι λέγονται, ἀλλ᾿ ἡμῖν μέν ὡς ἀνθρώποις, ἐκείνῳ δέ ταῦτα πρόσεστιν ὡς Θεῷ. Καί ἵνα μή κατοκνήσω καθ᾿ ἕν σοι ταῦτα πάλιν εἰπεῖν, Πατήρ ὀνομάζεται ὁ Θεός, πατέρες καλοῦνται καί τῶν ἀνθρώπων οἱ πλείονες· Υἱός Θεοῦ ὁ Χριστός καί Θεός, υἱοί πάλιν ἀνθρώπων ἡμεῖς· Πνεῦμα Θεοῦ τό πανάγιον Πνεῦμα, πνεύματα λέγονται καί ἡμῶν αἱ ψυχαί· ζωή ὁ Θεός, ζῆν λεγόμεθα καί ἡμεῖς· ἀγάπη ὁ Θεός, ἀγάπην ἔχουσιν εἰς ἀλλήλους καί οἱ λίαν ἁμαρτωλοί. Τί οὖν; Τήν τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἀγάπην καλέσεις Θεόν; Ἄπαγε τῆς βλασφημίας! Ἀλλ᾿ εἰρήνην τήν εἰς ἀλλήλους ἐν τῷ μή διαμάχεσθαι ἤ ἀμφιβάλλειν περί τινος, τοῦτο εἴποις εἶναι "εἰρήνην τήν ὑπερέχουσαν πάντα νοῦν"; Οὔμενουν. Ἀλλά ἀλήθειαν Θεοῦ τό μή εἰπεῖν σε λόγον ψευδῆ πρός τινα; Οὐδαμῶς. Ὥσπερ γάρ λόγοι μέν ἀνθρώπων ῥευστοί καί διακενῆς, ὁ δέ τοῦ Θεοῦ Λόγος ζῶν τέ ἐστι καί ἐνυπόστατος καί ἐνεργής, Θεός ἀληθής, οὕτω δή καί ἡ ἀλήθεια, ὁ Θεός, ὑπέρ ἔννοιαν καί ὑπέρ λόγον ἀνθρώπων ἐστίν· ἄτρεπτος, ἄρρευστος, ἐνυπόστατός τε ὑπάρχει καί ζῶν. Οὕτω τοιγαροῦν οὔτε τό ὕδωρ τό παρ᾿ ἡμῖν ὡς τό ὕδωρ ἐκεῖνο τό ζῶν, οὔτε ὁ ἄρτος ὁ παρ᾿ ἡμῖν ὡς ἐκεῖνος ὁ ἄρτος ἐστίν, ἀλλά καθάπερ ἄνωθεν εἴρηται, ἅπαντα φῶς ἐκεῖνα καί φῶς ἕν ὁ Θεός, οὗ μετασχών τις τῇ μετοχῇ ἐκείνου μέτοχος ἀμφοῖν γίνεται πάντων ὧν εἴπομεν ἀγαθῶν. Γίνεται δέ καί πρᾷος καί ταπεινός· ταῦτα δέ πάλιν φῶς σύν τοῖς εἰρημένοις εἰσί, μᾶλλον δέ σύν τῷ φωτί ἔχει καί ταῦτα ὁ ἔχων ἐκεῖνο τό φῶς.

Ἀλλά γάρ συνάμα τούτοις καί ἐγρήγορσις λέγεται ὁ Θεός, ὡς διεγείρων πρός τά καλά τήν ψυχήν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἐφ᾿ ἥν κατοικεῖ, (47) ὅς αὐτῇ γίνεται πᾶν ἀγαθόν· καί οὐχ ὑστερεῖται, ἔνοικον ἔχουσα τόν Θεόν ἡ τοιαύτη, παντός ἀγαθοῦ, ἀλλ᾿ ἐμπίπλαται