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I see the Son standing at the right hand of the glory of the Father; and immediately, as one who has spoken blasphemy, he is stoned by the teachers of the law themselves and dies by the law of nature and lives unto the ages. But he was an apostle, and was also sanctified and wholly filled with the All-Holy Spirit, but it was the beginning of the preaching and a multitude of the unfaithful, who, believing in Christ through the apostles, also received the grace that is a gift of faith. But now, what then does this strange thing mean, that is happening in me, and what could be the dread amazement of what is now being accomplished? What is this way of philanthropy now being shown, this strange wealth of goodness, another fount of mercy, (69) having so much more than the things that happened of old? For many were shown mercy by divine philanthropy, yet they themselves also offered something of their own: faith, or other acceptable virtues and deeds; but I, perceiving myself deprived of all these things, am astounded and am not strong enough to bear the things happening to me, the prodigal from the womb, from God who created all creation by a word; which I even shudder to comprehend, and how shall I write it in words? What hand could serve, what pen write, what word express, what tongue declare, what lips will speak, the things that are seen happening in me, accomplished through the whole day? For even in the night itself and in the darkness itself I see Christ fearfully opening the heavens to me, and Himself stooping down and being seen by me together with the Father and the Spirit, in the thrice-holy light, being one in the three and in one the three. They are entirely the light, and the three are one light, which illuminates my soul more than the sun and shines upon my mind that was darkened. For my mind did not see from the beginning the things it sees, but, believe me, I was blind and not seeing, and for this reason the wonder astounds me the more, when it somehow opens the eye of my mind, and somehow gives sight and is seen. For He, light, appears in the light to those who see, and those who see, see Him again in light. For those who see, see in the light of the Spirit, and those who see in this light behold the Son; and he who is deemed worthy to see the Son sees the Father, (70) and he who beholds the Father certainly sees Him with the Son. This very thing, as has been said, is now being accomplished in me, and I somehow learn the incomprehensible things, and now from afar I behold the unseen beauties
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Ὁρῶ ἑστῶτα τόν Υἱόν ἐκ δεξιῶν τῆς δόξης τῆς τοῦ Πατρός˙ καί παραυτά ὡς βλάσφημα λαλήσας λιθοβολεῖται πρός αὐτῶν τῶν νομοδιδασκάλων καί θνῄσκει νόμῳ φύσεως καί ζῇ εἰς τούς αἰῶνας. Πλήν ἦν αὐτός ἀπόστολος, ἦν καί ἁγιασμένος καί ἔμπλεως τοῦ Πνεύματος ὅλος τοῦ Παναγίου, ἀρχή δέ τοῦ κηρύγματος καί πλῆθος τῶν ἀπίστων, οἵ τῷ Χριστῷ πιστεύοντες διά τῶν ἀποστόλων καί τήν χάριν ἐλάμβανον πίστεως οὖσαν δῶρον. Νῦν δέ, τί ἄρα βούλεται τό ξένον τοῦτο πρᾶγμα, τό ἐν ἐμοί γινόμενον, τί δέ ἄν θέλοι εἶναι ἡ φοβερά κατάπληξις τοῦ νυνί τελουμένου; Τίς ὁ ἄρτι δεικνύμενος τρόπος φιλανθρωπίας, ξένος πλοῦτος χρηστότητος, ἄλλη πηγή ἐλέους, (69) πολύ τό πλέον ἔχουσα τῶν πάλαι γεγονότων; Πολλοί γάρ ἠλεήθησαν θείᾳ φιλανθρωπίᾳ, πλήν καί αὐτοί προσέφερον ἴδιόν τι τήν πίστιν, εἴτε καί ἄλλας ἀρετάς καί πράξεις ἀποδέκτους˙ ἐγώ δέ πάντων ἐμαυτόν τούτων ἐστερημένον κατανοῶν ἐξίσταμαι καί φέρειν οὐκ ἰσχύω τά εἰς ἐμέ γινόμενα, τόν ἄσωτον ἐκ μήτρας, παρά Θεοῦ τοῦ κτίσαντος λόγῳ τήν πᾶσαν κτίσιν˙ ἅπερ καί φρίττω ἐννοεῖν, πῶς δέ καί λόγῳ γράψω; Ποία χείρ λειτουργήσειε, ποῖος κάλαμος γράψει, ποῖος λόγος ἐκφράσειε, ποία γλῶσσα ἐξείποι, ποῖα χείλη λαλήσουσιν, ἅ ἐν ἐμοί ὁρῶνται γινόμενα, τελούμενα δι᾿ ὅλης τῆς ἡμέρας; Καί γάρ καί ἐν αὐτῇ νυκτί καί ἐν αὐτῷ τῷ σκότει βλέπω Χριστόν τούς οὐρανούς φρικτῶς ἀνοίγοντά μοι, αὐτόν τε παρακύπτοντα καί καθορώμενόν μοι ἅμα Πατρί καί Πνεύματι, φωτί τῷ τρισαγίῳ, ἕν ὄν ἐν τοῖς τρισί καί ἐν ἑνί τά τρία. Αὐτά τό φῶς πάντως εἰσί, καί τό φῶς ἕν τά τρία, ὅ καί ὑπέρ τόν ἥλιον φωτίζει τήν ψυχήν μου καί καταλάμπει μου τόν νοῦν ὄντα ἐσκοτισμένον. Οὐ γάρ ἑώρα μου ὁ νοῦς ἐξ ἀρχῆς, ἅ ἑώρα, ἀλλά τυφλός, πιστεύσατε, ὑπῆρχον καί μή βλέπων, καί διά τοῦτο πλέον με τό θαῦμα καταπλήττει, ὅταν πώς μου τόν ὀφθαλμόν τοῦ νοός διανοίγῃ, καί πως τό βλέπειν δίδωσι καί βλεπόμενον ἔστιν. Αὐτός γάρ φῶς ἐν τῷ φωτί φαίνεται τοῖς ὁρῶσι καί οἱ ὁρῶντες ἐν φωτί αὐτόν βλέπουσι πάλιν. Ἐν φωτί γάρ τοῦ Πνεύματος βλέπουσιν οἱ ὁρῶντες, καί οἱ ἐν τούτῳ βλέποντες τόν Υἱόν καθορῶσιν˙ ὁ δέ Υἱόν ἀξιωθείς ἰδεῖν Πατέρα βλέπει, (70) Πατέρα δέ ὁ θεωρῶν σύν Υἱῷ πάντως βλέπει. Ὅπερ καί νῦν, ὡς εἴρηται, ἐν ἐμοί ἐκτελεῖται, καί τά ἀκατανόητα ποςῶς καταμανθάνω, καί νῦν μακρόθεν καθορῶ τά ἀθέατα κάλλη