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being struck vehemently by the unapproachable light, by the unbearable glory, seized with trembling, except that I see one drop from the abyss. But as in a drop the whole of the waters is shown, of what quality and of what kind, as from the edge of the fringe the whole fabric, and, as they say, from its claws the beast, the lion, thus I see the whole embraced in a little, and I worship Him, my Christ and God. But I had in my mind a small consolation that I not be burned up, that I not be consumed like wax by fire, as the prophet said, by my being far from the unapproachable fire and standing in the midst of darkness and being hidden in it, from where, as if through a small hole, seeing I grew dizzy. While I was occupied with these things and busying my mind and seemed to be gazing as it were into heaven and trembling, lest having received me more fully, it lick me up, I found Him Himself, whom I was seeing from afar, whom Stephen saw when the heavens were opened and Paul again later, seeing, was blinded, wholly as a fire truly in the midst of my heart. Therefore, startled by the wonder and greatly trembling, I was beside myself, wholly undone, wholly perplexed, and unable to bear the unbearable glory I turned away, and in the night I fled from the senses of this world and being covered by my thoughts I was hidden in them, (71) as if entering into a tomb, and placing this very heavy body in place of a stone I was covered and was hidden, so it seemed, from the one present everywhere, the one who long ago raised me when I was dead and buried. For shuddering and not being able to see His glory, I have chosen to enter and to remain in the tomb and to dwell with the dead, I myself living in the tomb, rather than be burned up and utterly destroyed. There I must sit and lament unceasingly, and the prodigal must weep, because I failed to obtain the desired one and have become one lying in the tomb. But as a living dead man, underground, covered by a stone, I found life, God Himself, the one who gives life, to whom is due glory and honor now and unto the ages; amen.

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τῷ ἀπροσίτῳ τοῦ φωτός, τῷ ἀστέκτῳ τῆς δόξης καταπληττόμενος σφοδρῶς, συνεχόμενος τρόμῳ, πλήν ὅτι μίαν καθορῶ ἐξ ἀβύσσου σταγόνα. Ὡς ἐν σταγόνι δέ τό πᾶν δείκνυται τῶν ὑδάτων, ὁποῖον τήν ποιότητα καί ποταπόν τό εἶδος, ὡς ἐξ ἄκρου τοῦ κρασπέδου ὅλον τό ὕφασμα καί, ὥς φασιν, ἐξ ὀνύχων τό θηρίον, ὁ λέων, οὕτως ὅλον ἐν ὀλίγῳ ἀσπαζόμενον βλέπω, αὐτόν τ᾿ ἐκεῖνον προσκυνῶ, τόν Χριστόν καί Θεόν μου. Εἶχον δ᾿ ἐν διανοίᾳ μου μικράν παραμυθίαν τοῦ μή καταφλεχθῆναί με, τοῦ μή κατακαῆναι ὥσπερ κηρός ἀπό πυρός, ὡς εἶπεν ὁ προφήτης, τό μακρόθεν ὑπάρχειν με πυρός τοῦ ἀπροσίτου καί σκότους μέσον ἵστασθαι καί κρύπτεσθαι ἐν τούτῳ, ὅθεν ὡς ἐξ ὀπῆς μικρᾶς καί ὁρῶν ἰλιγγίων. Ἐν τούτοις μου διάγοντος καί τόν νοῦν ἀσχολοῦντος καί οἱονεί ἐν οὐρανῷ δοκοῦντος ἀτενίζειν καί τρέμοντος, μή πλεῖόν με παραδεχθείς ἐκλείξῃ, αὐτόν ἐκεῖνον εὕρηκα, ὅν μακρόθεν ἑώρων, ὅν Στέφανος ἑώρακεν οὐρανῶν ἀνοιγέντων καί Παῦλος πάλιν ὕστερον ἰδών ἀπετυφλώθη, ὅλον ὡς πῦρ ἐπ᾿ ἀληθῶς μέσον ἐμῆς καρδίας. Θροηθείς οὖν τῷ θαύματι καί τρομάξας μεγάλως ἐξέστην, ὅλος ἐκλυθείς, ὅλος ἐξαπορήσας, μή φέρων τε τό ἄστεκτον τῆς δόξης ἀπεστράφην, ἐν τῇ νυκτί τε ἔφυγον αἰσθήσεων τῶν ὧδε καί σκεπασθείς τοῖς λογισμοῖς ἀπεκρύβην ἐν τούτοις, (71) ὥσπερ ἐν μνήματι ἐμβάς, καί ἀντί λίθου τοῦτο τό σῶμα τό βαρύτατον ἐπιθείς ἐσκεπάσθην καί ἀπεκρύβην τῷ δοκεῖν τόν πανταχοῦ παρόντα, τόν πάλαι με ἐγείραντα νεκρόν καί τεθαμμένον. Φρίξας γάρ καί μή ἰσχύων βλέπειν αὐτοῦ τήν δόξαν ὑπεισελθεῖν προῄρημαι καί προσμεῖναι τῷ τάφῳ καί κατοικεῖν μετά νεκρῶν, ζῶν αὐτός ἐν τῷ τάφῳ, ἤπερ καταφλεχθῆναί με καί ἄρδην ἀπολέσθαι. Ἐκεῖ πάντως καθήμενον δεῖ με θρηνεῖν ἀπαύστως, καί κλαίειν χρή τόν ἄσωτον, ὅτι τοῦ ποθουμένου ἀπέτυχον καί γέγονα κείμενος ἐν τῷ τάφῳ. Ζῶν δέ νεκρός, ὑπόγειος, λίθῳ κακαλυμμένος ζωήν εὗρον, Θεόν αὐτόν, τόν τήν ζωήν διδόντα, ᾧ πρέπει δόξα καί τιμή νῦν καί εἰς τούς αἰῶνας˙ ἀμήν.