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the three-personed nature, in every way uninterpretable! For no one among men has known the name, or nature, or idea, or form, or substance of God, so as to speak and write and transmit it to others, but just as the shining sun enters the clouds and is not itself seen, nor does it appear with its full light, but provides its faint light to those on the earth, so understand my God as hidden from us and a great, deep darkness holding us all. But understand here what is more wondrous: For the light of God is not diminished, like that of the sun, but shines everywhere and illumines all things; and I, in the midst of the universe, am encompassed by darkness and am deprived of the light that made me. Who then would not weep for me, and who would not mourn, and who would not groan over me and shed tears, that God exists in all things and everywhere and He is entirely light, in whom there is no shadow of turning at all, no presence of night, (74) no impediment of darkness ever occurs, but He is spread over all and shines unapproachably and is seen by the worthy as approachable and comprehensible, a little, as we said, in comparison to the whole ray and to the sun itself, when it will appear in its entirety, but much indeed for those sitting in darkness, because they were deemed worthy to see a small glimmer. But I, the wretched one, prefer the darkness and am anxious about the things in it and add to the gloom, and it becomes thicker for my humble soul, from which the passions are nourished and are brought to life in me and become for me dragons and reptiles and serpents, forever disturbing the members of my soul; for vainglory bites me, empty and futile, and has fixed its teeth in my heart; from which, being altogether weakened and enfeebled, the wild dogs came, a multitude of beasts came, and finding me lying down, they devoured me. For luxury and praise have torn apart my marrow and my sinews, the strength and eagerness of the soul. Having taken them from me, alas, how shall I write everything? And having set upon me conceit and sloth like robbers, and pleasure and the anxiety, how I may please men,

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φύσιν τήν τρισυπόστατον ἀνερμήνευτον πάντῃ! Θεοῦ γάρ οὔτε ὄνομα, οὐ φύσιν, οὐκ ἰδέαν, οὐ μορφήν, οὐχ ὑπόστασιν τῶν ἀνθρώπων τις ἔγνω, ἵνα εἴπῃ καί γράψῃ καί μεταδῷ τοῖς ἄλλοις, ἀλλ᾿ ὥσπερ λάμπων ἥλιος τοῖς νέφεσιν εἰσδύνει καί οὐχ ὁρᾶται μέν αὐτός, οὐδ᾿ ὅλως φωτί φαίνει, ἀλλ᾿ ἀμυδρόν τοῖς ἐν τῇ γῇ τό φῶς αὐτοῦ παρέχει, οὕτω μου νόει τόν Θεόν ἀφ᾿ ἡμῶν κεκρυμμένον καί σκότος μέγα βαθύ πάντας ἡμᾶς κατέχον. Ἀλλά τό θαυμαστότερον νόει πάντως ἐνταῦθα˙ Θεοῦ γάρ οὐ συστέλλεται τό φῶς, ὡς τοῦ ἡλίου, ἀλλά λάμπει πανταχοῦ καί φωτίζει τά πάντα˙ καί μέσον ἐγώ τοῦ παντός περιέχομαι σκότει καί τοῦ ἐμέ ποιήσαντος φωτός ἀποστεροῦμια. Τίς οὖν ἐμέ μή κλαύσειε καί τίς ἄν οὐ πενθήσῃ καί τίς οὐκ ἄν στενάξειεν ἐπ᾿ ἐμοί καί δακρύσῃ, ὅτι Θεός ἐν ἅπασι καί πανταχοῦ ὑπάρχει καί φῶς ὅλος αὐτός ἐστιν, ἐν ᾧ οὐκ ἔστιν ὅλως οὐ τροπῆς ἀποσκίασμα, οὐ νυκτός παρουσία, (74) οὐ σκότος παρεμποδισμός ἐγγίνεται εἰς ἅπαν, ἀλλ᾿ ἐφήπλωται τῷ παντί καί ἀπροσίτως λάμπει καί τοῖς ἀξίοις προσιτός καί ληπτός καθορᾶται, ὀλίγον μέν, ὡς ἔφαμεν, πρός ὅλην τήν ἀκτῖνα καί πρός τόν ἥλιον αὐτόν, ὅτε φανεῖται ὅλος, πολύ δέ πάντως πρός αὐτούς τούς σκότει καθημένους, ὅτι κατηξιώθησαν μικράν αὐγήν ἰδέσθαι. Ἐγώ δέ, ὁ ταλαίπωρος, προτιμῶμια τό σκότος καί μεριμνῶ τά ἐν αὐτῷ καί προστιθῶ τόν ζόφον, καί γίνεται παχύτερον τῇ ταπεινῇ ψυχῇ μου, ἐξ οὖ τά πάθη τρέφονται καί ἐν ἐμοί ζωοῦνται καί δράκοντές μοι γίνονται καί ἑρπετά καί ὄφεις διαταράσσοντες ἀεί τῆς ψυχῆς μου τά μέλη˙ καί γάρ ἡ δόξα δάκνει με, ἡ κενή καί ματαίᾳ, καί τούς ὀδόντας πέπηγεν ἐν τῇ ἐμῇ καρδίᾳ˙ ἐξ ἧς ἀδυνατήσαντος καί ἐκλυθέντος ὅλως ἦλθον κύνες οἱ ἄγριοι, ἦλθεν θηρίων πλῆθος, καί εὑρόντα με κείμενον κατεμασήσαντό με. Τρυφή γάρ καί ὁ ἔπαινος μυελόν καί τά νεῦρα διέσπασάν μου, τῆς ψυχῆς ἰσχύν καί προθυμίαν. Ἀφῃρηκότα ἀπ᾿ ἐμοῦ, οἴμοι, πῶς πάντα γράψω; Οἴησιν δέ καί ὄκνον μοι ὡς λῃστάς ἐπιθέντες, ἡδονήν τε καί μέριμναν, πῶς ἀνθρώποις ἀρέσω,