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42. ANOTHER COMPREHENSIVE CONTEMPLATION ON THE TRANSFIGURATION (14∆_210> Another comprehensive contemplation on the Transfiguration. And if I do not seem to be more curious than is necessary, another great and divine mystery, as I think, from the divine Transfiguration appears to us, and more brilliant than those already mentioned. For I think that the two general modes of theology are mystically guided by the divinely fitting dramas on the mountain during the Transfiguration, both the one I say is precedent, simple and uncaused, and which through only and complete negation truly affirms the divine, and duly venerates its transcendence through non-assertion, and the one that follows this and is composite, which through affirmation magnificently outlines it from its effects; by which, as far as it is possible for humans to know, the suspended knowledge concerning God and divine things leads us to both these modes through symbols appropriate to us, establishing the principles of both for us through a pious understanding of beings, and teaching that of the first, everything beyond sense is a symbol, and of the second, the mighty works according to sense are collective instructors. For from symbols beyond sense we only believe the truth to be beyond reason and mind, not daring at all to investigate or be concerned with what and how and of what sort it is, and where and when, declining the impiety of the attempt; but from those according to sense, as is possible for us, receiving only faintly by way of concept the conjectures of the knowledge concerning God, we say that He is all things which we have come to know from His creations as cause.

43. THAT THE LORD HAS BECOME A TYPE OF HIMSELF AS WELL...

That the Lord has also become a type of Himself according to His economy through the flesh.

But let us consider if not well for each of the aforementioned (14∆_212> modes

the symbol wisely inheres according to that divine Transfiguration of the Lord. For in appearance, having deigned through immeasurable love for humanity to be created unchangeably according to us, He became a type and symbol of Himself, and to show Himself symbolically from Himself, and through His visible self to lead all of creation to His invisible self, which is entirely hidden, and of the invisible and mystically hidden infinity beyond all things, which cannot be comprehended or spoken of at all by any being in any way 1168, to lovingly provide for humanity the manifest divine works through the flesh as messages.

44. CONTEMPLATION ON THE SHINING FACE OF THE LORD

Contemplation of the shining face of the Lord. The light therefore of the face of the Lord that conquered the human

of the blessed to the apostles of the mystical theology according to negation, according to which the blessed and holy divinity is in essence ineffable and unknowable and infinitely removed from all infinity, leaving not even a bare trace of comprehension at all to those after it, nor granting to any of the beings the concept of how or in what way it is both monad and triad, since it is not natural for the uncreated to be contained by creation, nor for the infinite to be encompassed by finite beings.

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ΜΒ (42). ΑΛΛΗ ΣΥΝΕΚΤΙΚΗ ΘΕΩΡΙΑ ΕΙΣ ΤΗΝ ΜΕΤΑΜΟΡΦΩΣΙΝ (14∆_210> Ἄλλη συνεκτική θεωρία εἰς τήν Μεταμόρφωσιν. Εἰ δέ τῷ μή περιεργότερος τοῦ δέοντος εἶναι δοκῶ, καί ἕτερον μέγα τε καί

θεῖον, ὡς οἶμαι, ἐκ τῆς θείας Μεταμορφώσεως μυστήριον ἡμῖν ἀναφαίνεται, καί τῶν εἰρημένων λαμπρότερον. Οἶμαι γάρ τούς καθόλου δύο τῆς θεολογίας τρόπους μυστικῶς ὑφηγεῖσθαι τά ἐπί τοῦ ὄρους κατά τήν Μεταμόρφωσιν, θεοπρεπῆ δραματουργήματα, τόν τε προηγούμενόν φημι καί καί ἁπλοῦν καί ἀναίτιον, καί διά μόνης καί παντελοῦς ἀποφάσεως τό θεῖον ὡς ἀληθῶς καταφάσκοντα, καί τήν ὑπεροχήν αὐτοῦ δι᾿ ἀφασίας δεόντως σεμνύνοντα, καί τόν ἑπόμενον τούτῳ καί σύνθετον, διά καταφάσεως μεγαλοπρεπῶς ἐκ τῶν αἰτιατῶν ὑπογράφοντα· οἷς, κατά τό δυνατόν ἀνθρώπους εἰδέναι, ἡ περί Θεοῦ τε καί τῶν θείων ἐπαιωρουμένη γνῶσις διά τῶν προσφυῶν ἡμῖν συμβόλων πρός ἀμφοτέρους ἡμᾶς ἄγει τούς τρόπους, δι᾿ εὐσεβοῦς τῶν ὄντων κατανοήσεως ἀμφοτέρων ἡμῖν ἐφιστῶσα τούς λόγους, καί τοῦ μέν προτέρου πᾶν τό ὑπέρ αἴσθησιν σύμβολον εἶναι διδάσκουσα, τοῦ δέ δευτέρου τά κατ᾿ αἴσθησιν ἀθροιστικά εἶναι παιδεύοντα μεγαλουργήματα. Ἐκ γάρ τῶν ὑπέρ αἴσθησιν συμβόλων τήν ὑπέρ λόγον καί νοῦν ἀλήθειαν εἶναι μόνον πιστεύομεν, περί τοῦ τί καί πῶς καί ὁποίαν εἶναι καί ποῦ καί πότε μηδ᾿ ὅλως τολμῶντες σκοπεῖν ἤ ἐννοεῖν ἐνεχόμενοι, τῆς ἐγχειρήσεως τό ἀσεβές παραιτούμενοι· ἐκ δέ τῶν κατ᾿ αἴσθησιν, ὡς ἡμῖν ἐστι δυνατόν, κατ᾿ ἔννοιαν μόνον ἰσχνῶς τῆς περί Θεοῦ γνώσεως τάς εἰκασίας λαμβάνοντες πάντα αὐτόν εἶναί φαμεν ὅσα ἐκ τῶν αὐτοῦ ποιημάτων ὡς αἴτιον ἐγνωρίσαμεν.

ΜΓ (43). ΟΤΙ ΚΑΙ ΕΑΥΤΟΥ ΤΥΠΟΣ Ο ΚΥΡΙΟΣ ΓΕΓΟΝΕΝ...

Ὅτι καί ἑαυτοῦ τύπος ὁ Κύριος γέγονεν κατά τήν ἑαυτοῦ διά σαρκός οἰκονομίαν.

Σκοπήσωμεν δέ εἰ μή καλῶς ἑκάστῳ τῶν εἰρημένων (14∆_212> τρόπων

κατά τήν θείαν ἐκείνην τοῦ Κυρίου Μεταμόρφωσιν καί σοφῶς ἐνυπάρχει τό σύμβολον. Εἴδει γάρ αὐτόν καθ᾿ ἡμᾶς ἀτρέπτως κτισθῆναι δι᾿ ἄμετρον φιλανθρωπίαν καταδεξάμενον ἑαυτοῦ γενέσθαι τύπον καί σύμβολον, καί παραδεῖξαι ἐξ ἑαυτοῦ συμβολικῶς ἑαυτόν, καί δι᾿ ἑαυτοῦ φαινομένου πρός ἑαυτόν ἀφανῶς πάντη κρυπτόμενον χειραγωγῆσαι τήν ἅπασαν κτίσιν καί τῆς ἀφανοῦς καί πάντων ἐπέκεινα κρυφιομύστου καί ὑπ᾿ οὐδενός τῶν ὄντων οὐδενί τό σύνολον τρόπῳ νοηθῆναι ἤ λεχθῆναι 1168 δυναμένης ἀπειρίας τάς ἐκφανεῖς διά σαρκός θεουργίας ἀνθρώποις παρέχειν φιλανθρώπως μηνύματα.

Μ∆ (44). ΘΕΩΡΙΑ ΤΟΥ ΑΣΤΡΑΨΑΝΤΟΣ ΠΡΟΣΩΠΟΥ ΤΟΥ ΚΥΡΙΟΥ

Θεωρία τοῦ ἀστράψαντος προσώπου τοῦ Κυρίου. Τό τοίνυν φῶς τοῦ προσώπου τοῦ Κυρίου τό νικῆσαν τῆς ἀνθρωπίνης

μακαρίας ἀποστόλοις τῆς κατ᾿ ἀπόφασιν μυστικῆς θεολογίας, καθ᾿ ὅ ἡ μακαρία καί ἁγία θεότης κατ᾿ οὐσίαν ἐστίν ὑπεράῤῥητος καί ὑπεράγνωστος καί πάσης ἀπειρίας ἀπειράκις ἐξῃρημένη, οὐδ᾿ ἴχνος ὅλως καταλήψεως κἄν ψιλόν τοῖς μετ᾿ αὐτήν καταλείψασα, οὐδέ τήν πῶς κἄν πόσως ἡ αὐτή καί μονάς ἐστι καί τριάς ἔννοιαν ἐφιεῖσά τινι τῶν ὄντων , ἐπειδή μηδέ χωρεῖσθαι κτίσει τό ἄκτιστον πέφυκε, μηδέ περινοεῖσθαι τοῖς πεπερασμένοις τό ἄπειρον.