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The holy Symeon, Eulabes the Studite, (92) this one was not ashamed of the members of any person nor to see anyone naked, nor to be seen naked; for he had the whole Christ, he himself was wholly Christ, and all his members and the members of everyone else, one by one and all, he always saw as Christ and he remained unmoved, unharmed, and dispassionate, as he himself was wholly Christ and saw all who had been baptized as Christ, and as having put on the whole Christ. But if you are naked and flesh touches flesh, you have become mad for women like a donkey or a horse, why then do you dare to slander the holy man and blaspheme against Christ, the One who was united to us and gave dispassion to His holy servants? For He becomes a bridegroom, do you hear? every day, and the souls of all are brides, with whom the Creator is united, and they in turn with Him, and the marriage takes place spiritually, He mingling with them in a manner befitting God. He does not corrupt at all, far from it, but even if He should take them when they are corrupt and be united with them, immediately He makes them incorrupt, and they see all the holy things previously defiled by corruption as incorrupt, completely healed. They glorify the merciful One, they long for the beautiful One and with their whole being they cleave to His love, or rather, having received the holy seed, as we have said, they possess the whole God formed within them. Why then are these things not the truth, fathers? Have we not spoken correctly about divine matters, have I not spoken, perhaps, things unaltered from the scriptures? If, therefore, you have put on the shame of your flesh and have not stripped bare your mind, have not divested your soul, you have not been strong enough to see the light, being covered in darkness, what can I do for you, how can I show you the awesome things, (93) how can I bring you, alas, into the house of David? For it is inaccessible to the indolent like me, it is wholly invisible to the blind like me, it is far from the faithless and the lazy altogether, far from all the wicked, from all the lovers of this world; but from the vainglorious it is so incomparably distant as beyond the height of heaven, beyond the depth of the abyss. And who or how will ascend into heaven at all, or go down under the earth searching the abysses? And seeking the pearl, which is like the smallest mustard seed, how will he be strong enough to find it? But, O children, be gathered, but, O women, come! But, O fathers, come, before the end arrives, and lament with me and weep, all of you, because in baptism, though small, having received God, or rather, having become infant sons of God,

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ὁ Συμεών ὁ ἅγιος, Εὐλαβής ὁ Στουδίτης, (92) οὗτος οὐκ ἐπῃσχύνετο μέλη παντός ἀνθρώπου οὐδέ γυμνούς τινας ὁρᾶν, οὐδέ γυμνός ὁρᾶσθαι˙ εἶχε γάρ ὅλον τόν Χριστόν, ὅλος αὐτός Χριστός ἦν, καί μέλη ἅπαντα αὐτοῦ καί παντός ἄλλου μέλη καθ᾿ ἕν καί πάντα ὡς Χριστόν οὗτος ἀεί ἑώρα καί ἔμενεν ἀκίνητος, ἀβλαβής, ἀπαθής τε, ὡς ὅλος ὤν Χριστός αὐτός καί Χριστόν πάντας βλέπων τούς βαπτισθέντας καί Χριστόν ὅλον ἐνδυσαμένους. Εἰ δέ γυμνός ὑπάρχεις σύ καί σάρξ σαρκός προσψαύσει, θηλυμανής γεγένησαι ὡς ὄνος ἤ ὡς ἵππος, ἵνα τί καί τόν ἅγιον τολμᾷς ἐνδιαβάλλειν καί βλασφημεῖς εἰς τόν Χριστόν, τόν ἡμῖν ἑνωθέντα καί δόντα τήν ἀπάθειαν δούλοις αὐτοῦ ἁγίοις; Καί γάρ νυμφίος γίνεται ἀκούεις; καθ᾿ ἑκάστην, καί νύμφαι πάντων αἱ ψυχαί, αἷς ὁ κτίστης ἑνοῦται, κἀκείνῳ πάλιν αὗται δέ, καί γίνεται ὁ γάμος πνευματικῶς, θεοπρεπῶς συμμιγνύμενος ταύταις. Οὐ φθείρει ὅλως, ἄπαγε, ἀλλ᾿ εἰ καί ἐφθαρμένας λάβοι καί ταύταις ἑνωθῇ, εὐθύς ποιεῖ ἀφθάρτους, καί βλέπουσι τά πρότερον φθορᾷ μεμολυσμένα ἅγια πάντα, ἄφθορα, ὅλως συνουλωμένα. Τόν εὔσπαγχνον δοξάζουσι, ποθοῦσι τόν ὡραῖον καί τῇ ἀγάπῃ τῇ αὐτοῦ ὅλῃ ὅλαι κολλῶνται, μᾶλλον δέ σπέρμα ἅγιον, ὡς εἴπομεν, λαβοῦσαι Θεόν ὅλον ἐντός αὐτῶν μεμορφωμένον κτῶνται. Τί οὖν οὐχί ἀλήθεια ταῦτά εἰσι, πατέρες; Οὐχί ὀρθῶς ἐξείπομεν περί πραγμάτων θείων, οὐχί ἀπαραποίητα ταῖς γραφαῖς ἴσως εἶπον; Εἰ τοίνυν σύ ἐνδέδυσαι σαρκός σου τήν αἰσχύνην καί νοῦν οὐκ ἀπεγύμνωσας, ψυχήν οὐκ ἀπεδύσω, τό φῶς ἰδεῖν οὐκ ἴσχυσας σκότει κεκαλυμμένος, ἐγώ σοι τί ποιήσαιμι, τά φρικτά πῶς σοι δείξω, (93) πῶς εἰς τόν οἶκον δέ, οἴμοι, τοῦ ∆αυίδ εἰσενέγκω; Ἔστι καί γάρ ἀπρόσιτος τοῖς κατ᾿ ἐμέ ῥᾳθύμοις, ἔστιν ὅλος ἀόρατος τυφλοῖς ἐμοί ὁμοίοις, ἔστι μακράν ἀπίστων τε καί ὀκνηρῶν εἰς ἅπαν, πονηρῶν πάντων πόρρωθεν, πάντων τῶν φιλοκόσμων˙ τῶν κενοδόξων δέ οὕτως ἀσυγκρίτως ἀπέχει ὡς ὑπέρ ὕψος οὐρανοῦ, ὑπέρ ἀβύσσου βάθος. Καί τίς ἤ πῶς εἰς οὐρανόν ἀναβήσεται ὅλως, ἤ ὑπό γῆν κατέλθοι δέ ἀνερευνῶν ἀβύσσους; Καί μαργαρίτην ἐκζητῶν, ὡς σινάπεως κόκκον σμικρότατον ὑπάρχοντα, πῶς εὑρεῖν ἐξισχύσει; Ἀλλ᾿, ὦ παῖδες συνάχθητε, ἀλλ᾿, ὦ γυναῖκες, δεῦτε! Ἀλλ᾿, ὦ πατέρες, φθάσατε, πρίν ἤ τό τέλος φθάσει, καί σύν ἐμοί θρηνήσατε καί κλαύσατε οἱ πάντες, ὅτι ἐν τῷ βαπτίσματι μικροί Θεόν λαβόντες, μᾶλλον δέ υἱοί Θεοῦ νήπιοι γεγονότες,