mysteries. Contemplation. <1> That he does not bend either of his feet, nor has the divinely transmitted oracles upon his head, but stands by the priest who is chanting the invocation, signifies that the monastic order is not for bringing others forward, but stands on its own in a monadic and holy posture, following the priestly orders and by them is led up obediently, as a follower, to the divine science of its own sacred rites. <2> And the renunciation not only of divided lives but also of fantasies shows the most perfect philosophy of the monks, activated in the knowledge of the unifying commandments. For, as I said, it is not of the middle order of those being initiated, but of the highest of all. For this reason, many things that are done without censure by the middle order are in every way forbidden to the unifying monks, as they must be unified toward their one and gathered into a sacred monad and be conformed, as is right, to the priestly life, since they have kinship with it in many things and draw nearer to it than the other orders of those being initiated. <3> And the seal of the cross-shaped figure, as has already been said by us, signifies the inactivity of all carnal appetites together. And the cutting of the hair shows the pure and unadorned life, not outwardly beautifying with artificial forms the ugliness of the mind, but being led up in itself not by human beauties but by unifying and monastic ones to the most godlike state. <4> And the casting off of the former garment and the reception of the other signifies the transition from the middle holy life to the more perfect one, just as in the holy birth from God the change of garment signified the elevation from a life of purification to a contemplative and illuminating state. And if now both the priest and all the holy ones present embrace the one who has been perfected, understand it as the holy communion of the godlike, lovingly rejoicing with one another in divine gladness. <5> At the end of all, the priest calls the one who has been perfected to the divine communion, signifying sacredly, that if the initiated has truly arrived at the monastic and unifying way of life, he will not only be a contemplator of his own sacred rites, nor will he come to the communion of the most holy symbols according to the middle order, but with a divine knowledge of the sacred things he partakes of, he will come to the participation of the divine communion in a different way than the sacred people. For this reason also, to the priestly orders in their perfecting consecrations, at the end of their most holy dedications, the communion of the most holy eucharist is imparted by the hierarch who has perfected them, not only because the participation of the divine mysteries is the chief point of every hierarchical participation, but also because all the sacred orders partake of this communion and most divine gift, each according to its measure, for their own elevation and perfection in deification. It has therefore been concluded by us that the holy rites are purification and illumination and perfection; the ministers are the purifying order, the priests the illuminating, and the godlike hierarchs the perfecting; the order being purified is that which has no share in the sacred vision and communion, as it is still being purified; the contemplative order is the sacred people, and the perfected order is that of the unifying monks. For thus our hierarchy, being sacredly arranged in its divinely transmitted orders, is of like form with the celestial hierarchies, preserving its god-imitating and godlike characters as among men. <6> But you will say that the celestial hierarchies are certainly lacking the orders being purified. For it is not lawful nor true to say that there is any celestial order that is accursed. And I would certainly agree that they are completely inviolate and possess all-holiness in a super-cosmic way, unless I were to fall completely from the most holy mind. For if any of them were caught by evil, he would have fallen from the celestial and unmixed harmony of the divine minds, and into the lightless of the apostate

μυστηρίων. Θεωρία. <1> Τὸ μηδένα τοῖν ποδοῖν κλίνειν μηδ' ἐπὶ κεφαλῆς ἔχειν τὰ θεοπαράδοτα λόγια, παρεστάναι δὲ τῷ ἱερεῖ τὴν ἐπίκλησιν ἱερολογοῦντι δηλοῖ τὴν μοναχικὴν τάξιν οὐκ εἶναι προσαγωγικὴν ἑτέρων, ἀλλ' ἐφ' ἑαυτῆς ἑστῶσαν ἐν μοναδικῇ καὶ ἱερᾷ στάσει ταῖς ἱερατικαῖς ἑπομένην τάξεσι καὶ πρὸς αὐτῶν ὡς ὀπαδὸν ἐπὶ τὴν θείαν τῶν κατ' αὐτὴν ἱερῶν ἐπιστήμην εὐπειθῶς ἀναγομένην. <2> Ἡ δὲ τῶν μεριστῶν οὐ μόνον ζωῶν ἀλλὰ μὴν καὶ φαντασιῶν ἀποταγὴ τὴν τελεωτάτην ἐμφαίνει τῶν μοναχῶν φιλοσοφίαν ἐν ἐπιστήμῃ τῶν ἑνοποιῶν ἐντολῶν ἐνεργουμένην. Ἔστι γὰρ ὡς ἔφην οὐ τῆς μέσης τῶν τελουμένων τάξεως, ἀλλὰ τῆς πασῶν ὑψηλοτέρας. ∆ιὸ καὶ πολλὰ τῶν πρὸς τῆς μέσης τάξεως ἀκατακρίτως ἐνεργουμένων ἀπείρηται τρόπῳ παντὶ τοῖς ἑνιαίοις μοναχοῖς ὡς πρὸς τὸ ἓν αὐτῶν ὀφειλόντων ἑνοποιεῖσθαι καὶ πρὸς ἱερὰν μονάδα συνάγεσθαι καὶ πρὸς τὴν ἱερατικὴν ὡς θεμιτὸν ἀπομορφοῦσθαι ζωήν, ὡς τὸ συγγενὲς αὐτῆς ἔχουσιν ἐν πολλοῖς καὶ μᾶλλον αὐτῇ παρὰ τὰς λοιπὰς τῶν τελουμένων τάξεις πλησιάζουσιν. <3> Ἡ δὲ τοῦ σταυροειδοῦς τύπου σφραγίς, ὡς ἤδη παρ' ἡμῶν εἴρηται, δηλοῖ τὴν πασῶν ὁμοῦ τῶν σαρκικῶν ὀρέξεων ἀνενεργησίαν. Ἡ δὲ τῶν τριχῶν ἀπόκαρσις ἐμφαίνει τὴν καθαρὰν καὶ ἀσχημάτιστον ζωὴν οὐκ ἐπιπλάστοις σχήμασι τὸ κατὰ νοῦν δυσειδὲς ἐπιθετικῶς καλλωπίζουσαν, ἀλλ' αὐτὴν ἐφ' ἑαυτῆς οὐκ ἀνθρωπικοῖς κάλλεσιν ἀλλ' ἑνιαίοις καὶ μοναχικοῖς εἰς τὸ θεοειδέστατον ἀναγομένην. <4> Ἡ δὲ τῆς προτέρας ἐσθῆτος ἀποβολὴ καὶ τῆς ἑτέρας λῆψις τὴν ἀπὸ μέσης ἱερᾶς ζωῆς ἐπὶ τὴν τελεωτέραν μετάταξιν ἐμφαίνει, καθάπερ ἐπὶ τῆς ἱερᾶς θεογενεσίας ἡ τῆς ἐσθῆτος ἄμειψις ἐδήλου τὴν ἀπὸ καθαιρουμένης ζωῆς εἰς θεωρητικὴν καὶ φωτιστικὴν ἕξιν ἀναγωγήν. Eἰ δὲ καὶ νῦν ὁ ἱερεύς τε καὶ πάντες ὅσοι πάρεισιν ἱεροὶ τὸν τετελεσμένον ἀσπάζονται, τὴν ἱερὰν τῶν θεοειδῶν ἐννόησον κοινωνίαν ἀγαπητικῶς ἐν εὐφροσύνῃ θείᾳ συνηδομένων ἀλλήλοις. <5> Ἐν τέλει δὲ πάντων ὁ ἱερεὺς ἐπὶ τὴν θεαρχικὴν κοινωνίαν καλεῖ τὸν τετελεσμένον ἐμφαίνων ἱερῶς, ὡς ὁ τελεσθεὶς εἴπερ ἀληθῶς ἐπὶ τὴν μοναχικὴν ἀφίκετο καὶ ἑνιαίαν ἀγωγήν, οὐ θεωρητικὸς μόνον ἔσται τῶν κατ' αὐτὸν ἱερῶν οὐδὲ κατὰ μέσην τάξιν ἐπὶ τὴν κοινωνίαν ἥξει τῶν ἱερωτάτων συμβόλων, ἀλλὰ μετὰ θείας τῶν ὑπ' αὐτοῦ μετεχομένων ἱερῶν γνώσεως ἑτέρῳ τρόπῳ παρὰ τὸν ἱερὸν λαὸν ἐπὶ τὴν μετάληψιν ἥξει τῆς θεαρχικῆς κοινωνίας. ∆ιὸ καὶ ταῖς ἱερατικαῖς τάξεσιν ἐν ταῖς ἱεροτελεστικαῖς αὐτῶν ἁγιαστείαις ἐν τέλει τῶν ἱερωτάτων αὐτῶν ἀφιερώσεων ἡ τῆς ἁγιωτάτης εὐχαριστίας κοινωνία μεταδίδοται πρὸς τοῦ τελέσαντος αὐτὰς ἱεράρχου οὐ μόνον, ὅτι τῶν θεαρχικῶν μυστηρίων ἡ μετάληψις ἑκάστης ἱεραρχικῆς μεθέξεώς ἐστι τὸ κεφάλαιον, ἀλλ' ὅτι καὶ αὐτῆς τῆς κοινωνικῆς καὶ θειοτάτης δωρεᾶς ἀναλόγως αὐταῖς καθ' ἑκάστην αἱ ἱεραὶ πᾶσαι τάξεις μετέχουσι πρὸς τὴν οἰκείαν αὐτῶν τῆς θεώσεως ἀναγωγὴν καὶ τελείωσιν. Συνῆκται τοίνυν ἡμῖν, ὡς αἱ μὲν ἁγίαι τελεταὶ κάθαρσίς εἰσι καὶ φωτισμὸς καὶ τελείωσις, οἱ δὲ λειτουργοὶ καθαρτικὴ τάξις, οἱ δὲ ἱερεῖς φωτιστική, τελεστικὴ δὲ οἱ θεοειδεῖς ἱεράρχαι, καθαιρομένη δὲ τάξις ἡ τῆς ἱερᾶς ἐποψίας καὶ κοινωνίας ἀμέτοχος ὡς ἔτι καθαιρομένη, θεωρητικὴ δὲ τάξις ὁ ἱερὸς λαός, τετελεσμένη δὲ τάξις ἡ τῶν ἑνιαίων μοναχῶν. Oὕτω γὰρ ἡ καθ' ἡμᾶς ἱεραρχία ταῖς θεοπαραδότοις τάξεσιν ἱερῶς εὐθετουμένη ταῖς οὐρανίαις ἱεραρχίαις ὁμοειδής ἐστι τοὺς θεομιμήτους αὐτῆς ὡς ἐν ἄνδρασιν ἀποσώζουσα καὶ θεοειδεῖς χαρακτῆρας. <6> Ἀλλ' ἐρεῖς, ὅτι ταῖς οὐρανίαις ἱεραρχίαις ἐλλείπουσι πάντως αἱ καθαιρόμεναι τάξεις. Oὐ γὰρ θεμιτὸν οὐδὲ ἀληθὲς εἰπεῖν, ὡς ἔστι τις οὐρανία διακόσμησις ἐναγής. Ἐγὼ δέ, ὅτι μὲν ἀλώβητοι παντελῶς εἰσι καὶ τὸ πάναγνον ὑπερκοσμίως ἔχουσιν, ὁμολογήσαιμι πάντως, εἰ μὴ παντελῶς ἀποπέσοιμι τοῦ ἱερωτάτου νοός. Eἰ γάρ τις αὐτῶν ὑπὸ κακίας ἑάλω, τῆς μὲν οὐρανίας καὶ ἀμιγοῦς ἀποπεπτώκει τῶν θείων νοῶν ἁρμονίας, εἰς τὴν ἀλαμπῆ δὲ τῶν ἀποστατικῶν