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This is living, at the same time seeing and hearing and smelling, tasting and touching, knowing, recognizing, and in turn making known and speaking. Pay close attention to the power of what is being said, so that from this you may be able to learn what the unspeakable words are and how Paul heard these things which were also revealed to him and which he himself beheld in the divine Spirit. God the creator of all is one; therefore this one is every good, as has been said. A rational and immortal soul is one; therefore this one is every sense, that is, having in itself all of them, if any exist. When, therefore, the one God of all is seen by the one and rational soul through revelation, every good is revealed to it, and through all its senses this is seen by it all at once, at the same time, it is seen and heard, and it sweetens the sense of taste and makes the sense of smell fragrant, it is touched, it is made known; it speaks and is spoken to, it knows, it is recognized and it is understood that it knows. For he who is known by God knows that he is known, and he who sees God knows that God sees him; but he who does not see God does not know that God sees him, just as he does not see, even though He sees all things and nothing is hidden from Him.

Therefore, those who have been deemed worthy to see the all-good and that which is beyond all good, recognizing through all the senses at the same time, as through one sense of the many, the one being also many, the different goods together as one in the different senses of the (158) one soul and recognizing it through each, know no difference in these things, but they call contemplation knowledge and knowledge in turn contemplation, hearing sight and sight hearing, as when Habakkuk says: "O Lord, I have heard thy report, and was afraid. O Lord, I considered thy works, and was amazed." For from whom else did he hear? He himself proclaimed Him by prophesying. And how does he say: "O Lord, I have heard thy report?" And what does he want to signify by the double "hearing," if not that through the illumination or revelation of the Spirit having certainly recognized our Lord and Son of God, and again, through the resonance from Him, having been taught the things concerning His economy, as it were, having made his own the teaching concerning Him which he learned from thence, he joyfully said to the Lord, as seeing Him, just as he was also seen: "In the midst of two living creatures you will be known; as the years draw near you will be recognized; when the time has come you will be revealed." So by "hearing" he means the teaching and knowledge that arise together in the contemplation of the glory of the Spirit, which he heard concerning His incarnation and appearance on earth. For even this very act of saying, "O Lord," has the power of one seeing Him and speaking. For who speaks with someone he does not see, as if seeing him? Is one who does not see the earthly king able to say to him: "O king, I have heard the decrees of your kingdom"? By no means. For he does not only say that he heard his report, but also says that you will be known, and you will be recognized and you will be revealed, as one who has clearly learned His will with all certainty, and as if somehow saying to Him: "You will do such and such things, as has been decreed by your kingdom, O Master"? And more than this, all the prophetic words intimate.

Thus therefore the divine Scripture also puts the contemplation of God as hearing and usually puts hearing in place of contemplation. (159) So also the divine Paul reasonably called the ineffable contemplations and illuminations and the teachings and revelations beyond the measure of human nature and power, words, and said he heard them and handed them down in writing. Wherefore he also said: "And because of the abundance of the revelations, lest I should be exalted, a thorn in the flesh was given to me." If, therefore, he first heard, how after this did he call what he heard revelations, if not as we have said? For so also David prays for his eyes to be unveiled in order to understand the wonderful things of God from His law. He who previously said: "Whether in the body I do not know, or out of the body, I was caught up," how does he later say that "I heard," if not as

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τοῦτο ζῶν ἐστιν, ἐν τῷ αὐτῷ βλέπον καί ἀκοῦον ἅμα καί ὀσφραινόμενον, γευόμενόν τε καί ἐπαφώμενον, γινῶσκον, ἐπιγινῶσκον, γνωρίζον τε αὖ καί λαλοῦν. Πρόσεχε ἀκριβῶς τῶν λεγομένων τήν δύναμιν, ἵν᾿ ἐντεῦθεν ἰσχύσῃς μαθεῖν τί τά ἄρρητα ῥήματα καί πῶς ὁ Παῦλος ταῦτα ἀκήκοεν ἅ καί ἀπεκαλύφθη αὐτῷ καί ἅ ἐν θείῳ Πνεύματι αὐτός ἐθεάσατο. Θεός ὁ τῶν ὅλων δημιουργός εἷς· τό οὖν ἕν τοῦτο πᾶν ἀγαθόν ἐστιν, ὥσπερ εἴρηται. Ψυχή λογική καί ἀθάνατος μία· ἡ οὖν μία αὕτη πᾶσα αἰσθησίς ἐστιν, ἐν ἑαυτῇ δηλαδή πάσας εἴ τινές εἰσιν ἔχουσα. Ὅταν οὖν ὁ εἷς Θεός τοῦ παντός τῇ μιᾷ καί λογικῇ ψυχῇ δι᾿ ἀποκαλύψεως ὀφθήσεται, πᾶν ἀγαθόν ταύτῃ ἀποκαλύπτεται καί διά πασῶν τῶν ταύτης αἰσθήσεων ὁμοῦ ἐν τῷ αὐτῷ ὁρᾶται τοῦτο αὐτῇ, βλέπεται καί ἀκούεται, καί γλυκαίνει τό γευστικόν καί τό ὀσφραντικόν εὐωδιάζει, ψηλαφᾶται, γνωρίζεται· λαλεῖ καί λαλεῖται, γινώσκει, ἐπιγινώσκεται καί ὅτι γινώσκει νοεῖται. Ὁ γάρ παρά τοῦ Θεοῦ γινωσκόμενος οἶδεν ὅτι γινώσκεται καί ὁ τόν Θεόν ὁρῶν οἶδεν ὅτι ὁρᾷ τοῦτον ὁ Θεός· ὁ δέ γε μή ὁρῶν τόν Θεόν οὐκ οἶδεν ὅτι ὁρᾷ αὐτόν ὁ Θεός, ὡς οὐδέ ὁρᾷ, εἰ καί πάντα βλέπει καί οὐδέν αὐτόν λέληθεν.

∆ιά πασῶν οὖν τῶν αἰσθήσεων ἐν τῷ αὐτῷ ἅμα οἱ καταξιωθέντες ἰδεῖν τό πᾶν ἀγαθόν καί ὑπέρ πᾶν ἀγαθόν ὡς διά μιᾶς αἰσθήσεως τῶν πολλῶν τό ἕν ὄν καί πολλά, τά διάφορα ὁμοῦ ἀγαθά ὡς ἕν ἐν διαφόροις αἰσθήσεσι τῆς (158) μιᾶς ἐπιγνόντες καί καθ᾿ ἑκάστην ἐπιγινώσκοντες, διαφοράν ἐν τούτοις οὐδεμίαν ἐπίστανται, ἀλλά τήν θεωρίαν γνῶσιν καί τήν γνῶσιν πάλιν θεωρίαν καλοῦσι, τήν ἀκοήν ὅρασιν καί τήν ὅρασιν ἀκοήν, ὡς ὅταν ὁ Ἀββακούμ λέγῃ· "Κύριε, εἰσακήκοα τήν ἀκοήν σου καί ἐφοβήθην. Κύριε, κατενόησα τά ἔργα σου καί ἐξέστην". Παρά τίνος γάρ ἄλλου ἀκήκοεν; Ἐκεῖνος αὐτόν προφητεύων ἐκήρυττε. Καί πῶς λέγει· "Κύριε, ἀκήκοα τήν ἀκοήν σου;" Τί δέ καί τῷ διττῷ τῆς ἀκοῆς δηλῶσαι βούλεται, εἰ μή ὅτι διά τῆς τοῦ Πνεύματος ἐλλάμψεως ἤτοι ἀποκαλύψεως τόν Κύριον ἡμῶν πάντως καί Υἱόν τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐπιγνούς καί διά τῆς ἐξ αὐτοῦ ὑπηχήσεως αὖθις τά περί τῆς οἰκονομίας αὐτοῦ ἐκδιδαχθείς, οἱονεί τήν περί αὐτοῦ διδασκαλίαν ἥν ἐκεῖθεν ἔμαθεν ἰδιοποιησάμενος, πρός τόν Κύριον, ὡς ὁρῶν αὐτόν, καθά καί ἑωράτο, περιχαρῶς ἔλεγεν· "Ἐν μέσῳ δύο ζῴων γνωσθήσῃ· ἐν τῷ ἐγγίζειν τά ἔτη ἐπιγνωσθήσῃ· ἐν τῷ παρεῖναι τόν καιρόν ἀναδειχθήσῃ". Ὥστε ἀκοήν τήν ἐν τῇ θεωρίᾳ τῆς δόξης τοῦ Πνεύματος ἐγγινομένην ὁμοῦ διδασκαλίαν καί γνῶσιν λέγει, ἥν περί τῆς ἐνανθρωπήσεως καί ἐπί τῆς γῆς ἐπιφανείας αὐτοῦ ἤκουσε. Καί γάρ καί αὐτό τοῦτο τό εἰπεῖν· "Κύριε", ὁρῶντος αὐτόν καί λαλοῦντος ἔχει δύναμιν. Τίς γάρ ὅν οὐ βλέπει ὡς βλέπων τούτῳ προσομιλεῖ; Μή ὁ μή βλέπων τόν ἐπίγειον βασιλέα δύναται λέγειν πρός αὐτον· "Ὦ βασιλεῦ, ἤκουσα τά δεδογμένα τῇ βασιλείᾳ σου"; Οὐδαμῶς. Οὐχί γάρ ἀκοῦσαι μόνον λέγει τήν ἀκοήν αὐτοῦ, ἀλλά καί ὅτι γνωσθήσῃ φησί, καί ἐπιγνωσθήσῃ καί ἀναδειχθήσῃ, ὡς τήν αὐτοῦ βουλήν μετά πληροφορίας πάσης δηλονότι μαθών καί οἱονεί πως λέγων αὐτῷ· "Τά καί τά ποιήσεις, καθά τῇ βασιλείᾳ σου, δέσποτα, δέδοκται"; Πλεῖον δέ τούτου καί πάντα τά προφητικά αἰνίττονται ῥήματα.

Οὕτω τοίνυν ἡ θεία Γραφή καί τήν θεωρίαν τοῦ Θεοῦ ἀκοήν καί τήν ἀκοήν ἀντί θεωρίας συνήθως τίθησιν. (159) Οὕτω καί Παῦλος ὁ θεῖος, τάς ἀνεκλαλήτους θεωρίας καί ἐλλάμψεις καί τάς ὑπέρ τό μέτρον τῆς ἀνθρωπίνης φύσεως καί δυνάμεως διδασκαλίας καί ἀποκαλύψεις, ῥήματα εἰκότως ἐκάλεσε καί ἀκοῦσαι ταῦτα εἶπε καί γραφῇ παραδέδωκε. ∆ιό καί ἔλεγεν· "Ἐν δέ τῇ ὑπερβολῇ τῶν ἀποκαλύψεων, ἵνα μή ἐπαίρωμαι, ἐδόθη μοι σκόλοψ τῇ σαρκί". Εἰ οὖν ἤκουσε πρότερον, πῶς μετά ταῦτα ἀποκαλύψεις εἶπεν ἅ ἤκουσεν, εἰ μή καθώς εἴπομεν; Οὕτω γάρ καί ὁ ∆αβίδ ἀποκαλυφθῆναι τούς ὀφθαλμούς εὔχεται εἰς τό κατανοῆσαι τά θαυμάσια τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐκ τοῦ νόμου αὐτοῦ. Ὁ πρότερον εἰπών· "Εἴτε ἐν σώματι οὐκ οἶδα, εἴτε ἐκτός τοῦ σώματος, ἡρπάγην", πῶς ὕστερον φησιν ὅτι "ἤκουσα", εἰ μή ὡς