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dwellings and the great difference again in both the most divine abodes together, thus in the new creation itself He will make the divisions, assigning to each his inheritance according to his own worth and the splendor and renown belonging to him from his virtues and works. But since they are spiritual and transparent and joined to those divine abodes and resting places, as it is one whole in general, as indeed it is, the kingdom of heaven is a single hearth, and this will be manifest to all the righteous, having only the King of all seen everywhere by them, present with each and each being with Him, and shining forth in each and each (73) shining in Him. But woe to those found outside that house then.

Therefore, having spoken sufficiently and adequately about these things and having fully informed those who do not try to contradict out of contentiousness, come, let us also, as far as is possible, assure you about how all the saints are united to Christ and become one with Him.

6. How all the saints are united to Christ and God and become one with Him.

(73) Since indeed the saints are truly called members of Christ the God over all

all and, as has been said, they ought to be glued and joined in Him to His body, so that He may be the head in them, and the saints from the beginning of time and until the last day may be His members, so that the many may become one body of Christ, as one man. Some fulfill the role of hands, working until now and doing His all-holy will, refashioning the unworthy to be worthy and saving them for Him; others, of the shoulders, bearing one another's burdens or also that which was lost, just now found by them, which was formerly wandering on mountains and hills and places the Lord does not visit, and fulfilling His law; others, of the breast, gushing forth for those who thirst and hunger for the righteousness of God, the most penetrating stream of the word of ineffable wisdom and knowledge, and supplying to them the bread which the higher powers of the heavens eat, as bosom-friends beloved by Him; (74) others, of the belly, embracing all through love and in their inward parts conceiving the Spirit of salvation and having a capacity for His ineffable and hidden mysteries; others, of the thighs, bearing in themselves the fertility of the God-befitting thoughts of mystical theology and begetting a Spirit of salvation upon the earth, that is, the fruit of the Spirit and the seed in the hearts of men through the word of their teaching; others, of the legs and feet, showing fortitude in temptations and endurance like Job and in no way being shaken from their stance for what is good or growing weary, but bearing the weights of His gifts.

Thus therefore the body of the Church of Christ, being joined together through His saints from the beginning of time, is complete and whole for the union of the firstborn sons of God who are enrolled in heaven, to whom God says even now, "Do not rejoice that the demons are subject to you," which in the more frivolous rather produces pride and conceit, "but rejoice that your names have been written in the heavens." And that all the saints, being members of Christ, become one body of His, and also are still yet to become so, I will try to prove this also from the divine Scripture. And first of all, hear our Savior and God Himself, how He shows the union with Him to be unbreakable and inseparable in saying to His apostles: "I am in the Father and the Father in me; and you in me, and I in you," and again: "I ask not only for these, but also for all those who

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κατασκηνώσεις καί τήν διαφοράν πολλήν αὖθις ἐν ἀμφοτέραις ὁμοῦ καί θειοτάταις μοναῖς, οὕτως ἐν αὐτῇ τῇ καινῇ κτίσει τάς διαιρέσεις ποιήσει, ἀπονέμων ἑκάστῳ τήν κληρουχίαν κατά τήν αὐτοῦ ἀξίαν καί τήν ἐκ τῶν ἀρετῶν καί ἔργων προσοῦσαν αὐτῷ λαμπρότητά τε καί περιφάνειαν. Πνευματικῶν δέ ὄντων αὐτῶν καί διαφανῶν καί συνημμένων ἐκείναις ταῖς θείαις μοναῖς τε καί ἀνακλίσεσιν, ὡς μία τις ὅλη καθόλου ἐστίν, ὥσπερ οὖν καί ἔστιν, ἑστία ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν καί τοῦτο τοῖς πᾶσι φανήσεται δικαίοις, μόνον τόν βασιλέα ἔχουσα τοῦ παντός πανταχοῦ ὁρώμενον αὐτοῖς, συμπαρόντα ἑκάστῳ καί συνόντα ἕκαστον αὐτῷ καί ἐν ἑκάστῳ ἐκλάμποντα καί ἕκαστον (73) λάμποντα ἐν αὐτῷ. Ἀλλ᾿ οὐαί τοῖς ἔξωθεν τότε τοῦ οἴκου ἐκείνου εὑρισκομένοις.

Ἀρκούντως οὖν καί ἱκανῶς περί τούτων εἰπόντες καί τούς μή κατ᾿ ἔριν ἀντιλέγειν τι πειρωμένους πληροφορήσαντες, φέρε καί περί τοῦ πῶς ἑνοῦνται τῷ Χριστῷ καί ἕν γίνονται μετ᾿ αὐτοῦ πάντες οἱ ἅγιοι, ὡς δυνατόν, ὑμᾶς βεβαιώσωμεν.

στ΄. Πῶς ἑνοῦνται τῷ Χριστῷ καί Θεῷ καί ἕν γίνονται μετ᾿ αὐτοῦ πάντες οἱ ἅγιοι.

(73) Ἐπειδήπερ μέλη Χριστοῦ τοῦ ἐπί πάντων Θεοῦ ὄντως οἱ ἅγιοι χρηματίζουσι

πάντες καί, ὡς εἴρηται, ἐν αὐτῷ εἶναι κεκολλημένοι καί συνημμένοι ὀφείλουσι τῷ σώματι αὐτοῦ, ἵνα ἐκεῖνος μέν ᾖ ἐν αὐτοῖς κεφαλή, οἱ ἀπ᾿ αἰῶνος δέ καί μέχρις ἐσχάτης ἡμέρας ἅγιοι ὦσι μέλη αὐτοῦ, ὅπως γένωνται οἱ πολλοί ἕν σῶμα Χριστοῦ, οἷα δή ἄνθρωπος εἷς, οἱ μέν τήν εἰς χειρῶν τάξιν ἀποπληροῦσιν ἐργαζόμενοι ἕως ἄρτι καί ποιοῦντες αὐτοῦ τό πανάγιον θέλημα, ἀξίους ἐξ ἀναξίων ἀναπλάττοντες καί αὐτῷ ἀνασῴζοντες· οἱ δέ, τῶν ὤμων, ἀλλήλων τά βάρη βαστάζοντες ἤ καί τό ἀπολωλός αὐτό ἄρτι αὐτοῖς εὑρεθέν, τό πάλαι εἰς ὄρη καί βουνούς καί τόπους οὕς οὐκ ἐπισκοπεῖ Κύριος περιπλανώμενον, καί πληροῦντες τόν νόμον αὐτοῦ· οἱ δέ, τοῦ στήθους, πηγάζοντες τοῖς διψῶσι καί πεινῶσι τήν δικαιοσύνην τοῦ Θεοῦ, τό διεισδέστατον νᾶμα τοῦ λόγου τῆς ἀπορρήτου σοφίας καί γνώσεως, καί χορηγοῦντες αὐτοῖς τόν ἄρτον,ὅν ἐσθίουσιν αἱ ἄνω δυνάμεις τῶν οὐρανῶν, ὡς ἐπιστήθιοι καί φιλούμενοι ὑπ᾿ αὐτοῦ· (74) οἱ δέ, κοιλίας, πάντας ἐγκολπούμενοι διά τῆς ἀγάπης καί ἐν τοῖς ἐγκάτοις Πνεῦμα σωτηρίας ἐγκυμονοῦντες καί χωρητικήν ἔχοντες δίαθεσιν τῶν ἀπορρήτων καί κεκρυμμένων μυστηρίων αὐτοῦ· ἄλλοι, μηρῶν, τό γόνιμον ἐν ἑαυτοῖς φέροντες τῶν θεοπρεπῶν νοημάτων τῆς μυστικῆς θεολογίας καί γεννῶντες Πνεῦμα σωτηρίας ἐπί τῆς γῆς, ἤγουν τόν καρπόν τοῦ Πνεύματος καί τόν σπόρον ἐν ταῖς τῶν ἀνθρώπων καρδίαις διά τοῦ λόγου τῆς διδασκαλίας αὐτῶν· οἱ δέ, σκελῶν καί ποδῶν, τήν ἀνδρείαν ἐν τοῖς πειρασμοῖς καί τήν ὑπομονήν ἐνδεικνύμενοι κατά τόν Ἰώβ καί μηδοπωσοῦν σαλευόμενοι ἀπό τῆς ἐπί τά καλά στάσεως ἤ ἀτονοῦντες, ἀλλά τά βάρη τῶν αὐτοῦ χαρισμάτων βαστάζοντες.

Οὕτως οὖν τό σῶμα τῆς Ἐκκλησίας Χριστοῦ, συναρμολογούμενον διά τῶν ἀπ᾿ αἰῶνος ἁγίων αὐτοῦ, ἄρτιον ὑπάρχει καί ὁλόκληρον εἰς ἕνωσιν τῶν υἱῶν τοῦ Θεοῦ τῶν πρωτοτόκων τῶν ἀπογεγραμμένων ἐν οὐρανοῖς, πρός οὕς "Μή χαίρετε" λέγει καί νῦν ὁ Θεός, "ὅτι τά δαιμόνια ὑμῖν ὑποτάσσεται", ὅπερ ἐν τοῖς κουφοτέροις τῦφον μᾶλλον καί οἴησιν ἐμποιεῖ, "χαίρετε δέ ὅτι τά ὀνόματα ὑμῶν ἐγράφη ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς". Ὅτι δέ οἱ ἅγιοι πάντες μέλη ὄντες Χριστοῦ εἰς ἕν γίνονται σῶμα αὐτοῦ, ἀλλά καί μέλλουσιν εἰσέτι γενέσθαι, πειράσομαι τοῦτο καί ἀπό τῆς θείας ἀποδεῖξαι Γραφῆς. Καί ἐν πρώτοις ἄκουσον αὐτοῦ τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν καί Θεοῦ, ὅπως τήν μετ᾿ αὐτοῦ ἕνωσιν ἀδιάσπαστον ἐμφαίνει καί ἀχώριστον ἐν τῷ λέγειν πρός τούς αὐτοῦ ἀποστόλους· "Ἐγώ ἐν τῷ Πατρί καί ὁ Πατήρ ἐν ἐμοί· καί ὑμεῖς ἐν ἐμοί κἀγώ ἐν ὑμῖν", καί πάλιν· "Οὐ περί τούτων δέ ἐρωτῶ μόνον, ἀλλά καί περί πάντων τῶν