67

«Rivers of the divine spring, of the ever-living water, will flow from the belly of those who believe in me.» What did he mean by this water, if not the grace of the Spirit? And he calls the pure in heart blessed, saying that they will see God here. And all the Apostles and teachers cry out that from here we receive both the Spirit and Christ himself, (113) if we are to be saved. Hear the voice of the Master, hear the words of the Word, how he reveals that men receive the kingdom of heaven from this point on. «It is likened, he says, to a pearl of great price;» and when you hear ‘pearl,’ what, then, do you suppose? Do you say that it is a stone, or that it is held at all, or even seen in any way? Away with the blasphemy! For it is indeed intelligible. But the merchant who found it, tell me now, how did he find it, if it cannot be held, if it is invisible? Where then did he find it at all, how did he perceive it, teach me. And how, having sold everything, did he purchase it, which he did not find, which he did not see, which he did not hold in his hands, nor even receive into his bosom? But will you teach me that by faith and hope alone he will surely be disposed as if possessing it?

67

«Ποταμοί ἐκ τῆς κοιλίας εἰς ἐμέ τῶν πιστευόντων ῥεύσουσι πηγῆς τῆς θείας, ὕδατος τοῦ ἀειζώου.» Τί τό ὕδωρ τοῦτο λέγων, εἰ μή Πνεύματος τήν χάριν; Καθαρούς δέ τῇ καρδίᾳ μακαρίζει, λέγων τούτους ὄψεσθαι Θεόν ἐνταῦθα. Οἱ Ἀπόστολοι δέ πάντες καί διδάσκαλοι βοῶσιν ἀπεντεῦθεν καί τό Πνεῦμα καί Χριστόν αὐτόν λαμβάνειν, (113) εἴπερ μέλλοιμεν σωθῆναι. Ἄκουσον φωνάς ∆εσπότου, ἄκουσον τοῦ Λόγου λόγους, πῶς δηλοῖ τήν βασιλείαν τήν τῶν οὐρανῶν λαμβάνειν ἀπεντεῦθεν τούς ἀνθρώπους. «Ὡμοιώθη, λέγων, αὕτη μαργαρίτῃ πολυτίμῳ˙» μαργαρίτην δέ ἀκούσας ἆρα τί ὑπολαμβάνεις; Λίθον εἶναι λέγεις τοῦτον ἤ κρατούμενον κἄν ὅλως ἤ ὁρώμενον ποσῶς δέ; Ἄπαγε τῆς βλασφημίας! Νοητός καί γάρ ὑπάρχει, Ἔμπορος εὑρών δέ τοῦτον, πῶς ἐφεῦρεν, ἄρτι λέξον, εἰ ἀκράτητος ὑπάρχει, εἰ ἀόρατος τυγχάνει; Ποῦ οὖν τοῦτον ὅλως εὗρε, πῶς κατεῖδε, δίδαξόν με. Πῶς δέ ἅπαντα πωλήσας ἐξωνήσατο ἐκεῖνον, ὅν οὐχ εὗρεν, ὅν οὐκ εἶδεν, ὅν οὐκ ἔσχεν ἐπί χεῖρας, ἀλλ᾿ οὐδ᾿ ἔλαβεν ἐν κόλπῳ; Πίστει δέ με μόνῃ πάντως καί ἐλπίδι ὥσπερ ἔχων διακείσεται, διδάξεις;