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"Until we all attain to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined; and whom He predestined, these He also called; and whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified, to be conformed to the image of His Son". Do you see how all the saints are predestined and foreknown? Know then how it also says they are enrolled. For having said, "You have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels in festal gathering," He added, "and to the church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven". If then they are enrolled, it is evident that they are also numbered, as it is written: "The Lord knows those who are His." And the holy oracle: "But," He says, "even our hairs are numbered by God who knows all things, how much more so are we? Therefore, since all the saints are foreknown by God, and are at the same time predestined and numbered as well as enrolled by name in heaven, and since they are together members of Christ, destined to become and be perfected as one body of His, it has been clearly shown by the word that, whenever all these, having been gathered together into one body, become Christ's, then also the world above, the heavenly Jerusalem itself which is also the church of the firstborn, will be filled, that is, the entire body of the kingdom of God, the Church, which is of Christ the God, will come to be.

Where, then, are those who fabricate many mansions outside the kingdom of heaven in the vanity of their minds to their own destruction? Where are they who say (83) that we do not wish to enter into the kingdom of heaven, for that is too much, but we desire to be in a place of rest and that is sufficient for us? All the saints from the beginning of time must be one body with Christ. And where else do such people suppose they will be, if they are found unworthy of His body and are cut off from it? But when the whole world is renewed by fire, in what place do they ever suppose they will be, so as not to experience it and be tested by it? Truly, "they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened; for professing to be wise, they became fools".

But let us proceed and seek out what is the mystical wedding of God, and so direct our discourse to another subject. And which is this? The one which some of the uninitiated seek to learn. For they say: "In the age to come, will the saints know one another, when to each is rendered from God according to his works, or not?" It is necessary, therefore, for us to begin first from the words of the Gospels, and so the discourse, proceeding on its way, will also make these things clear.

9. On the saying of the Gospel: "The kingdom of heaven is like a king".

And what is the mystical wedding of God. (83) "The kingdom of heaven," He says, "is like a king who made a wedding feast for the

Son, and he invited many." What is he calling a kingdom, if not His very own Father and God? And for whom else has he made the wedding feast, if not for His only-begotten Son and God, our Lord Jesus Christ? With whom then, or with what king, did the master and lord of all deign (84) to make the marriage contract? For each of us men, wishing to take a bride for his own son, hastens to take as a bride the daughter of someone more distinguished and more glorious and more wealthy. God, then, whom will He find even equal to Himself, that from him He might take a bride for Himself? For the prophet says of Him: "He who holds in His hand the circle of the earth and those who dwell in it as grasshoppers." And

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"Μέχρις οὗ καταντήσωμεν οἱ πάντες εἰς ἄνδρα τέλειον, εἰς μέτρον ἡλικίας τοῦ πληρώματος τοῦ Χριστοῦ. Οὕς γάρ προέγνω, τούτους καί προώρισεν· οὕς δέ προώρισε, τούτους καί ἐκάλεσεν· οὕς δέ ἐκάλεσε, τούτους καί ἐδικαίωσε· οὕς δέ ἐδικαίωσε, τούτους καί ἐδόξασε συμμόρφους γενέσθαι τῆς εἰκόνος τοῦ Υἱοῦ αὐτοῦ". Εἶδες πῶς προωρισμένοι εἰσί καί προεγνωσμένοι πάντες οἱ ἅγιοι; Γνῶθι οὖν πῶς καί ἀπογεγράφθαι λέγει αὐτούς. Εἰπών γάρ "Προσεληθύθατε Σιών ὄρει καί πόλεις ζῶντος Θεοῦ , Ἱερουσαλήμ ἐπουρανίῳ καί μυριάσιν ἀγγέλων πανηγύρει", ἐπήγαγε· "καί ἐκκλησίᾳ πρωτοτόκων ἐν οὐρανοῖς ἀπογεγραμμένων". Εἰ οὖν ἀπογεγραμμένοι, εὔδηλον ὅτι καί ἠριθμημένοι, καθώς γέγραπται· "Ἔγνω Κύριος τούς αὐτοῦ". Καί τό ὅσιον λόγιον· "Ὑμῶν δέ, φησί, καί αἱ τρίχες ἡμῶν ἀριθμημέναι παρά τῷ τά πάντα εἰδότι Θεῷ, πόσῳ γε μᾶλλον ἡμεῖς; Τῶν οὖν ἁγίων πάντων προεγνωσμένων ὄντων Θεῷ, προωρισμένων τε ἅμα και ἠριθμημένων ὡς καί ἀπογεγραμμένων κατ᾿ ὄνομα ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς, μέλη δέ ὄντων αὐτῶν ὁμοῦ τοῦ Χριστοῦ, εἰς σῶμα ἕν ὀφειλόντων γενέσθαι καί ἀποτελεσθῆναι αὐτοῦ, φανερῶς ἀποδέδεικται διά τοῦ λόγου ὅτι, ὁπόταν οὗτοι πάντες εἰς ἕν σῶμα ἀποσυναχθέντες γένωνται τοῦ Χριστοῦ, τότε καί ὁ ἄνω κόσμος, αὐτήν ἡ ἐπουράνιος Ἱερουσαλήμ ἥτις καί ἐκκλησία τῶν πρωτοτόκων ἐστί, πληρωθήσεται, ἤγουν ὁλόκληρον τό σῶμα τῆς βασιλείας τοῦ Θεοῦ Ἐκκλησίας, ὅ ἐστι Χριστοῦ τοῦ Θεοῦ, γενήσεται.

Ποῦ τοίνυν εἰσίν οἱ ἔξωθεν τῆς βασιλείας τῶν οὐρανῶν πολλάς μονάς ἀναπλάττοντες ἐν τῇ ματαιότητι τῶν διανοιῶν αὐτῶν πρός ἀπώλειαν ἑαυτῶν; Ποῦ εἰσιν οἱ λέγοντες (83) ὅτι εἰς τήν βασιλείαν τῶν οὐρανῶν εἰσελθεῖν οὐ θέλομεν, πολύ γάρ τοῦτό ἐστιν, ἀλλ᾿ ἐν τόπῳ ἀνέσεως εἶναι βουλόμεθα καί ἀρκεῖ ἡμῖν; Ἕν σῶμα πάντες εἶναι μετά Χριστοῦ ὀφείλουσιν οἱ ἀπ᾿ αἰῶνος ἅγιοι. Καί ποῦ εἶναι ἀλλαχοῦ οἱ τοιοῦτοι ὑπονοοῦσιν, ἐάν τοῦ σῶματος αὐτοῦ εὑρεθῶσιν ἀνάξιοι καί ἀποτμηθῶσιν ἐξ αὐτοῦ; Ἀνακαινιζομένου δέ τοῦ κόσμου παντός διά πυρός, ἐν ποίῳ τόπῳ ὑπολαμβάνουσί ποτε γενήσεσθαι ἑαυτούς, ἵνα μή πεῖραν ἐκείνου λάβωσι καί ὑπ᾿ ἐκείνου δοκιμασθήσονται; Ὄντως "ἐματαιώθησαν ἐν τοῖς διαλογισμοῖς αὐτῶν καί ἐσκοτίσθη ἡ ἀσύνετος αὐτῶν καρδία· φάσκοντες γάρ εἶναι σοφοί, ἐμωράνθησαν".

Ἀλλ᾿ ἄγωμεν καί τίς ἐστιν ὁ γάμος ὁ μυστικός τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐκζητήσωμεν καί οὕτως ἐφ᾿ ἑτέραν ὑπόθεσιν τόν λόγον ἰθύνωμεν. Ποίαν δέ ταύτην; Ἥν ζητοῦσί τινες τῶν ἀμυήτων μαθεῖν. Φασί γάρ· "Ἆρα ἐν τῷ μέλλοντι αἰῶνι γνωρίζουσιν ἀλλήλους οἱ ἅγιοι, ἡνίκα ἑκάστῳ ἀποδίδοται ἀπό τοῦ Θεοῦ κατά τά ἔργα αὐτοῦ, ἤ οὔ;" Χρή οὖν ἀπό τῶν εὐαγγελικῶν ῥημάτων ἡμᾶς ἐνάρξασθαι πρῶτον καί οὕτως ὁδῷ προβαίνων ὁ λόγος καί περί τούτων δηλώσει.

θ΄. Εἰς τό ῥητόν τοῦ Εὐαγγελίου· "Ὡμοιώθη ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν βασιλεῖ".

Καί τίς ἐστιν ὁ γάμος ὁ μυστικός τοῦ Θεοῦ. (83) "Ὡμοιώθη" φησίν "ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν βασιλεῖ ὅστις ἐποίησε γάμους τῷ

Υἱῷ αὐτοῦ καί ἐκάλεσε πολλούς" τίνα λέγων βασιλεία, εἰ μή αὐτόν ἐκεῖνον τόν ἑαυτοῦ Πατέρα καί Θεόν; Τίνι δέ ἑτέρῳ τούς γάμους πεποίηκεν, εἰ μή αὐτῷ τῷ μονογενεῖ αὐτοῦ Υἱῷ καί Θεῷ τῷ Κυρίῳ ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ τῷ Χριστῷ; Μετά τίνος δέ ἄρα ἤ ποίου βασιλέως ὁ τῶν ἁπάντων δεσπότης καί κύριος τό (84) τῆς μνηστείας κατεδέξατο ποιῆσαι συνάλλαγμα; Ἕκαστος γάρ ἡμῶν τῶν ἀνθρώπων νύμφην τῷ ἑαυτοῦ Υἱῷ ἀγαγέσθαι βουλόμενος σπεύδει περιφανεστέρου καί ἐνδοξοτέρου καί πλουσιωτέρου θυγατέρα νύμφην λαβεῖν. Ὁ οὖν Θεός τίνα κἄν ἴσον εὑρήσει ἑαυτοῦ, ἵνα νύμφην ἐξ αὐτοῦ ἀγάγοιτο ἑαυτῷ; Φησί γάρ περί αὐτοῦ ὁ προφήτης· "Ὁ κατέχων ἐν τῇ χειρί αὐτοῦ τόν γῦρον τῆς γῆς καί τούς κατοικοῦντας ἐν αὐτῇ ὡς ἀκρίδας". Καί