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is found, but remaining one unchangeably and the same, it is all-good and beyond all good. In this way, therefore, man himself, created according to the image and likeness of God, has been honored, having one sense in one soul and mind and word, even if it is divided fivefold by the natural necessities of the body, in relation to corporeal things, being divided indivisibly through the five senses, which also shows its activity by being unchangeably changed, seeing not itself, but the soul through it, and in the same way also hearing and smelling and tasting and distinguishing by touch. But in spiritual things, it is no longer compelled to be divided by the windows of sense, it no longer seeks for the eyes to be opened in order to see or to behold any of the things that exist, nor the ears to receive speech, nor the sense of smell to be cleansed in order to smell keenly; nor does it need lips or a tongue for the tasting and distinguishing of sweet or bitter, nor hands for touching and knowing through them the rough and the smooth and the even. But the sense, being outside all of these and wholly drawn up together with the mind, as naturally following them (157) and being inseparably one, has the five senses in itself, as being one or even many, to speak more accurately.

And consider with me from this the precise examination of the argument. Soul, mind, and word are one, as has been said, in one essence and nature. And this one thing perceives, reasons—for it is rational—, thinks, conceives, considers, deliberates, desires, wills, does not will, chooses, does not choose, loves, hates; and, so that we may not prolong the argument, this one thing is living, at the same time seeing and hearing and smelling, and 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; this one, therefore, is all good, as has been said. The rational and immortal soul is one; this one, therefore, is all sense, that is, having in itself all senses, if there are any. When, therefore, the one God of all is seen by the one and rational soul through a revelation, all good is revealed to it, and through all of its senses at once, this is seen by it, is beheld and is heard, and it sweetens the sense of taste and makes fragrant the sense of smell, it is touched, it is known; it speaks and is spoken to, it knows, it is recognized, and that it knows is understood. 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, through all the senses at the same time, those deemed worthy to see the all-good and beyond-all-good, as through one sense of many the one which is also many, recognizing the different goods together as one in the different senses of the (158) one and recognizing through each one, they 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 your report, and was afraid. O Lord, I considered your works, and was amazed.’ For from whom else had he heard? He himself proclaimed it while prophesying. And how does he say, ‘O Lord, I have heard your report?’ And what does he wish to declare by the double use of ‘hearing,’ if not that through the illumination or revelation of the Spirit, having recognized our Lord and Son of God, and having been taught again by the echo from Him the things concerning His economy, as if having made his own the teaching about Him which he learned from thence, he said with great joy 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.’ Thus, by ‘hearing’ he means the teaching and knowledge that comes about together in the contemplation of the glory of the Spirit,

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εὑρίσκεται, ἀλλ᾿ ἕν μένον ἀναλλοιώτως καί τό αὐτό πανάγαθόν ἐστι καί ὑπέρ πᾶν ἀγαθόν. Οὕτω τοιγαροῦν τετίμηται καί αὐτός ὁ κατ᾿ εἰκόνα Θεοῦ καί ὁμοίωσιν κτισθείς ἄνθρωπος, μίαν αἴσθησιν ἔχων ἐν μιᾷ ψυχῇ καί νοΐ καί λόγῳ, εἰ καί πενταχῶς διαμερίζεται ταῖς φυσικαῖς ἀνάγκαις τοῦ σώματος, πρός μέν τά σωματικά διά τῶν πέντε διαιρουμένη ἀδιαιρέτως αἰσθήσεων, ἥτις καί ἀναλλοιώτως ἀλλοιουμένη τήν ἐνέργειαν δείκνυσι, βλέπουσα οὐκ αὐτή, ἀλλά δι᾿ αὐτῆς ἡ ψυχή, οὕτω δέ καί ἀκούουσα καί ὀσφραινομένη καί γευομένη καί τῇ ἁφῇ διακρίνουσα. Ἐν δέ τοῖς πνευματικοῖς οὐκέτι θυρίσιν αἰσθήσεως διαιρεῖσθαι καταναγκάζεται, οὐκέτι ζητεῖ ἀνοιγῆναι τούς ὀφθαλμούς τοῦ ἰδεῖν ἤ τι τῶν ὄντων θεάσασθαι, οὐδέ τά ὦτα λόγον εἰσδέξασθαι, οὐδέ ὄσφρησιν ἐκκαθᾶραι εἰς τό ὀξέως ὀσφραίνεσθαι· οὐδέ δεῖται χειλέων ἤ γλώττης πρός τήν τοῦ γλυκέος ἤ πικροῦ γεῦσιν ὁμοῦ καί διάκρισιν, οὐδέ χειρῶν τοῦ ἐπαφᾶσθαι καί εἰδέναι δι᾿ αὐτῶν τό τραχύ τε καί λεῖον καί ὁμαλόν. Ἀλλά τούτων ἁπάντων ἡ αἴσθησις ἐκτός γενομένη καί ὅλη καθόλου συναπαχθεῖσα τῷ νῷ, ὡς φυσικῶς αὐτῶν συνεπομένη (157) καί ἀχωρίστως μία οὖσα, τάς πέντε ἔχει αἰσθήσεις ἐν ἑαυτῇ, ὡς οὔσας ἕν ἤ καί πλείστας, εἰπεῖν ἀκριβέστερον.

Καί σκόπει μοι ἐντεῦθεν τήν ἀκριβῆ τοῦ λόγου ἐξέτασιν. Ψυχή, νοῦς καί λόγος ἕν, ὡς εἴρηται, εἰσίν ἐν μιᾷ τῇ οὐσίᾳ καί φύσει. Τοῦτο δέ τό ἕν αἰσθάνεται, λογίζεται - λογικόν γάρ , νοεῖ, ἐπινοεῖ, ἐνθυμεῖται, βουλεύεται, ἐπιθυμεῖ, θέλει, οὐ θέλει, προαιρεῖται, οὐ προαιρεῖται, ἀγαπᾷ, μισεῖ· καί ἵνα μή τόν λόγον μηκύνωμεν, τό ἕν 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,