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glory of God the Father,” amen. Therefore, neither is that light properly perceptible, nor indeed is it knowledge, if the darkness set in opposition to it is not ignorance. But if that light is not knowledge, but rather productive of the mystical and ineffable knowledge of the mysteries of God, and the pledge now seen by the pure in heart, it is not simply knowledge, but the provider of an analogous knowledge, and it is itself an intelligible and noetic light, or rather a spiritual one, spiritually generated and seen, pre-eminently removed from all knowledge and virtue, and uniquely productive of the perfection here according to Christians, not acquired from imitation or prudence, but by revelation and grace of the Spirit.

Wherefore the great Macarius says, having Symeon, most pleasant to hear among interpreters, as a co-witness and speaking in accord: “The divine apostle Paul has revealed more accurately and more clearly the complete mystery of Christianity to every soul, which is the illumination of the heavenly light in revelation and power of the Spirit, lest anyone, thinking that the illumination of the Spirit is only through knowledge of thoughts, should be in danger of failing to attain the perfect mystery of grace through ignorance and sloth. For this reason he also brought forward the example of the glory of the Spirit that surrounded the face of Moses as a confessed representation (“for if that which is done away,” he says, “was glorious, much more that which remaineth is glorious”), (p. 174) calling it ‘done away’ because the glory surrounded the mortal body of Moses; but he showed that that immortal glory of the Spirit in revelation now shines unceasingly upon the immortal face of the inner man for those who are worthy. For he says: “But we all, that is, those born of the Spirit through perfect faith, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord”; with open face, that is, of the soul, for when one shall turn to the Lord, “the veil,” he says, “is taken away,” “Now the Lord is that Spirit.” Clearly, therefore, through these things he showed that a veil of darkness has been cast over the soul, which from the transgression of Adam found a way to enter into humanity, but now, by the illumination of the Spirit, this is taken away from the souls of the faithful and truly worthy, for which reason the coming of Christ also took place.”

Do you see, brother, how those perceptible illuminations of old prefigured the illumination of the Spirit in the souls of those who believe in Christ in deed and in truth? Those, therefore, who speak of those perceptible and symbolic things should have been led by them to the faith and seeking of this one. But these men hasten in every way to call to unbelief even believers, and, if possible, even those who have manifestly shared in grace and have possessed an unforgettable knowledge of it, attempting boldly and foolishly to teach anew those who have been taught the ineffable things by God and by His mystical manifestation and energy, not even being ashamed before the great Paul, who says that “the spiritual man judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man, for he has the mind of Christ; but who hath known the mind of the Lord, (p. 176) that he may instruct him?” that is, make credible by judging with reasonings the things of the Spirit? For he who trusts in his own reasonings and the discussions through them, supposing that all truth is found by divisions and syllogisms and analyses, cannot know or believe at all the things of the spiritual man; for such a one is a natural man, and “the natural man,” he says, “receiveth not the things of the Spirit,” nor can he; he, therefore, who does not know nor

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δόξαν Θεοῦ Πατρός», ἀμήν. Οὐκ ἄρ᾿ οὐδέ τό φῶς ἐκεῖνο αἰσθητόν κυρίως, οὐδέ μέν οὖν γνῶσις, εἴπερ μηδέ ἄγνοια τό ἀντιδιαστελλόμενον πρός τοῦτο σκότος. Εἰ δέ μή τό φῶς ἐκεῖνο γνῶσις, παρεκτικόν δέ μᾶλλον τῆς μυστικῆς καί ἀπορρήτου γνώσεως τῶν μυστηρίων τοῦ Θεοῦ, καί ὁ ἀρραβών νῦν τοῖς κεκαθαρμένοις τήν καρδίαν ἐνορώμενος, οὐ γνῶσίς ἐστιν ἁπλῶς, ἀλλ᾿ ἀναλόγου μέν γνώσεως χορηγός, αὐτός δέ φῶς νοητόν καί νοερόν μᾶλλον δέ πνευματικόν, πνευματικῶς ἐγγινόμενός τε καί ὁρώμενος, ὑπεροχικῶς ἐξηρημένος πάσης γνώσεως καί ἀρετῆς καί τῆς ἐνταῦθα κατά χριστιανούς τελειότητος παρεκτικός μονώτατος, οὐκ ἀπό μιμήσεως ἤ φρονήσεως προσγινομένης, ἀλλ᾿ ἀποκαλύψει καί χάριτι τοῦ Πνεύματος.

∆ιό φησιν ὁ μέγας Μακάριος, συνεπιμαρτυροῦντά τε καί συμφθεγγόμενον ἔχων Συμεώνην τόν ἀκούειν ἥδιστον ἐν ἑρμηνεῦσιν˙ «Ὁ θεῖος ἀπόστολος Παῦλος ἀκριβέστερόν τε καί τηλαυγέστερον τό ἐντελές τοῦ χριστιανισμοῦ μυστήριον ἑκάστῃ ψυχῇ δεδήλωκεν, ὅπερ ἐστίν ἡ τοῦ ἐπουρανίου φωτός ἐν ἀποκαλύψει καί δυνάμει τοῦ Πνεύματος ἔλλαμψις, ἵνα μή τις, τόν διά γνώσεως νοημάτων φωτισμόν μόνον τοῦ Πνεύματος εἶναι νομίσας κινδυνεύσῃ δι᾿ ἄγνοιάν τε καί ρᾳθυμίαν τοῦ τελείου τῆς χάριτος ἀποτυχεῖν μυστηρίου. ∆ιά τοῦτο καί τό ὑπόδειγμα τῆς τῷ προσώπῳ Μωϋσέως περικειμένης τοῦ Πνεύματος δόξης εἰς παράστασιν ὡμολογημένης προήνεγκεν (" εἰ γάρ τό καταργούμενον, φησί, διά δόξης, πολλῶν μᾶλλον τό μένον ἐν δόξῃ" ), (σελ. 174) καταργούμενον εἰρηκώς διά τό θνητῷ σώματι Μωϋσέως περικεῖσθαι τήν δόξαν˙ ἔδειξε δέ τήν ἀθάνατον ἐκείνην τοῦ Πνεύματος ἐν ἀποκαλύψει δόξαν νῦν ἐν τῷ ἀθανάτῳ τοῦ ἔσω ἀνθρώπου προσώπῳ τοῖς ἀξίοις ἀκαταργήτως ἐλλάμπεσθαι. Φησί γοῦν˙ "ἡμεῖς δέ πάντες, τουτέστιν οἱ κατά τελείαν πίστιν ἐκ τοῦ Πνεύματος γεννηθέντες, ἀνακεκαλυμμένῳ προσώπῳ τήν δόξαν Κυρίου κατοπτριζόμεθα, τήν αὐτήν εἰκόνα μεταμορφούμενοι ἀπό δόξης εἰς δόξαν, καθάπερ ἀπό Κυρίου Πνεύματος"˙ἀνακεκαλυμμένῳ προσώπῳ, τῷ τῆς ψυχῆς δηλαδή, καί γάρ ἡνίκ᾿ ἄν ἐπιστρέψῃ τις πρός Κύριον, "περιαιρεῖται, φησί, τό κάλυμμα", "ὁ δέ Κύριος τό Πνεῦμά ἐστι". Φανερῶς οὖν διά τούτων ἔδειξε κάλυμμα σκότους ἐπιβεβλῆσθαι τήν ψυχήν, ὅπερ ἀπό τῆς τοῦ Ἀδάμ παραβάσεως χώραν ἔσχεν εἰς τήν ἀνθρωπότητα παραδύναι, νυνί δέ, ἀπό τῆς ἐλλάμψεως τοῦ Πνεύματος, περιαιρεῖσθαι τοῦτο τῶν πιστῶν τε καί ἀξίων τῷ ὄντι ψυχῶν, δι᾿ ἥν αἰτίαν καί ἡ ἔλευσις ἡ τοῦ Χριστοῦ γεγένηται».

Βλέπεις, ἀδελφέ, πῶς τόν ἐν ταῖς ψυχαῖς τῶν ἔργῳ καί ἀληθείᾳ πιστευόντων εἰς Χριστόν φωτισμόν τοῦ Πνεύματος οἱ ἐν τῷ παλαιῷ προϋπέγραψαν αἰσθητοί ἐκεῖνοι φωτισμοί; Τούς οὖν αἰσθητούς καί συμβολικούς ἐκείνους λέγοντας ἐχρῆν δι᾿ ἐκείνων πρός τήν τούτου πίστιν τε καί ζήτησιν ἐνάγεσθαι. Οὗτοι δέ καί τούς πιστεύοντας, μᾶλλον δέ εἰ δυνατόν καί τούς τῆς χάριτος ἐμφανῶς εὐμοιρηκότας καί ἄληστον τήν ἐπί ταύτῃ γνῶσιν ἐσχηκότας, πρός ἀπιστίαν ἐκκαλέσασθαι πάντα τρόπον σπεύδουσι, μεταδιδάσκειν τολμηρῶς καί ἀνοήτως ἐγχειροῦντες τούς ὑπό τοῦ Θεοῦ καί τῆς αὐτοῦ μυστικῆς ἐμφανείας τε καί ἐνεργείας τά ἀπόρρητα δεδιδαγμένους, οὐδ᾿ ὑπό τοῦ μεγάλου Παύλου ἐντρεπόμενοι, ὅς φησιν ὅτι «ὁ μέν πνευματικός ἀνακρίνει πάντα, αὐτός δέ ὑπ᾿ οὐδενός ἀνακρίνεται, νοῦν γάρ ἔχει Χριστοῦ˙ τίς δέ ἔγνω νοῦν Κυρίου, (σελ. 176) ὅς συμβιβάσει αὐτόν» τουτέστι πιστά ποιήσει, λογισμοῖς ἀνακρίνων, τά τοῦ Πνεύματος; Καί γάρ οὐδέ γνῶναι ὅλως ἤ πιστεῦσαι δύναται τά τοῦ πνευματικοῦ ἀνθρώπου ὁ τοῖς οἰκείοις λογισμοῖς καί ταῖς δι᾿ αὐτῶν συζητήσεσι πιστεύων, διαιρέσεσί τε καί συλλογισμοῖς καί ἀναλύσεσι πᾶσαν ἀλήθειαν εὑρίσκεσθαι οἰόμενος˙ ψυχικός γάρ ἐστιν ὁ τοιοῦτος, «ὁ δέ ψυχικός», φησίν, «οὐ δέχεται τά τοῦ Πνεύματος», οὐδέ δύναται˙ ὁ γοῦν μή γινώσκων μηδέ