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pleasure suitable, should be in all the just and those who love him, but if only one thing in one of those who dwell there should ever be lacking, immediately the deprivation of the good will give place to sorrow and this will enter into the inexpressible joy of those who rejoice; and so the oracle that says: "Pain, sorrow and sighing have fled away" will be shown to be false. But this will not be, it will not be, but all things will be for all and every good thing in all good things, always superabounding and completely filling all the senses (162) of those reclining at the wedding feast of Christ the king, He himself, the one, being eaten and drunk, being every kind of food, and He the same, of sweetness and drink. Hence, being seen by all and himself seeing all the countless myriads and keeping his own eye always gazing and fixedly standing, each one of them seems to be seen by him and to enjoy his company and to be embraced by him, so that no one among them might be grieved as if overlooked. He the same will also be a crown, as has been said, resting upon the heads of all the saints unchangeably, immutably, being shown to be one thing to one and another to another, and dividing himself to each according to their worth, as each one is worthy; He the same will also be a garment for all, which from this point on each one will earnestly put on, so that no one enters into the mystical marriage not wearing this inaccessible tunic; but if anyone, having insinuated himself among the others, should enter unnoticed, which is impossible, yet again he will likewise be cast out.

For the Master, wishing to show us that no one wearing black will enter there, declared this through the parable, saying: "Friend, how did you get in here without a wedding garment?" Then: "Bind his hands and feet, and cast him into the outer darkness." I do not think he said this as if he had escaped the notice of the one who cannot be deceived, but because it was not yet time to reveal such mysteries. For not wishing to say more plainly then: "No one will enter there, not wearing the garment of my divinity," he expressed the saying in this way. And Paul, taught by Christ who spoke in him, said this: "And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly." (163) For what reason? Because, he says, "as is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly." What then is the image of the heavenly? Listen to the divine Paul saying: "Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person" and the exact image of God the Father. Therefore, the Son is the image of the Father, and the Holy Spirit is the image of the Son; so he who has seen the Son has seen the Father, he who has seen the Holy Spirit has seen the Son; for the Apostle says: "The Lord is that Spirit," and again: "The Spirit itself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered," crying, "Abba, Father." Well therefore did he say that the Spirit is the Lord in crying "Abba, Father," not that the Spirit is the Son, far from it, but that in the Holy Spirit the Son of God is seen and beheld, and that never is either the Son without the Spirit, or the Spirit without the Son, revealed to anyone, but in the Spirit the Son, and through the Spirit he cries "Abba, Father."

If, therefore, you are ignorant of these things, beloved, do not cast yourself into despair, saying: "I neither know these things nor am I able to learn them; nor indeed will I ever be strong enough to reach and ascend to the height of this knowledge and contemplation and purity." Nor again should you say: "Since, unless one becomes such and from this point on puts on Christ as God and beholds Him whole and possesses Him dwelling within himself, he does not enter into His kingdom, what is the benefit to me to struggle at all or to be deprived of the enjoyment of present things?" Do not say this, do not think this; but if you wish, listen to my counsel and I will announce to you the

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τερπνότητα ἐπιτήδειον, ἐν πᾶσι γένηται τοῖς δικαίοις καί ἀγαπῶσιν αὐτόν, ἀλλ᾿ ἕν μόνον ἐν ἑνί τῶν αὐλιζομένων ἐκεῖσε ἐκλείψειέ ποτε, εὐθύς ἡ τοῦ καλοῦ στέρησις τῇ λύπῃ τόπον δώσει καί ἐντός εἰσελεύσεται αὕτη τῆς ἀνεκλαλήτου τῶν εὐφραινομένων χαρᾶς· καί οὕτω φανήσεται τό λέγον λόγιον ἔνθα· "Ἀπέδρα ὀδύνη, λύπη καί στεναγμός" διαψευδόμενον. Ἀλλ᾿ οὐκ ἔσται τοῦτο, οὐκ ἔσται, ἀλλ᾿ ἔσεται τά πάντα τοῖς πᾶσι καί πᾶν ἀγαθόν ἐν ἅπασιν ἀγαθοῖς, ὑπερπερισσεῦον ἀεί καί ὑπερεμπιπλῶν τάς αἰσθήσεις (162) ἁπάσας τῶν ἐν τοῖς γάμοις ἀνακεκλιμένων τοῦ βασιλέως Χριστοῦ, αὐτός ἐκεῖνος ὁ εἷς ἐσθιόμενος καί πινόμενος, ὡς ὤν πᾶν εἶδος τροφῆς, ἡδύτητός τε καί πόσεως ὁ αὐτός. Ἔνθεν τοι καί βλεπόμενος παρά πάντων καί πάσας βλέπων αὐτός τάς ἀναριθμήτους μυριάδας καί τό ἑαυτοῦ ὄμμα ἔχων ἀεί ἀτενίζον και ἀμετακινήτως ἱστάμενον, ἕκαστος αὐτῶν δοκεῖ βλέπεσθαι παρ᾿ αὐτοῦ καί τῆς ἐκείνου ἀπολαύειν ὁμιλίας καί κατασπάζεσθαι ὑπ᾿ αὐτοῦ, ὡς ἄν μή τις ἐξ αὐτῶν ὡς παρεωραθείς λυπηθῇ. Ὁ αὐτός καί στέφανος ἔσται, καθάπερ εἴρηται, ἐπί τάς ἁπάντων τῶν ἁγίων ἐπικείμενος κεφαλάς ἀναλλοιώτως, ἀτρέπτως, ἄλλος ἄλλο τι δεικνύμενος εἶναι καί διαιρῶν ἑαυτόν κατ᾿ ἀξίαν ἑκάστῳ, καθά τίς ἐστιν ἄξιος· ὁ αὐτός καί ἔνδυμα πάσιν ἔσται, οἷον ἀπ᾿ ἐντεῦθεν ἤδη τοῦτον ἕκαστον διά σπουδῆς ἐπενδύσεται, ὡς μηδενός ἐν τῷ μυστικῷ γάμῳ εἰσερχομένου μή τόν ἀπρόσιτον τοῦτον φοροῦντος χιτῶνα· εἰ δέ τις καί παρενείρας ἑαυτόν τοῖς ἄλλοις λαθών εἰσέλθῃ, ὅπερ ἀδύνατον, ἀλλά πάλιν ὡσαύτως ἐξεωθήσεται.

Βουλόμενος γάρ δεῖξαι ἡμῖν ὁ ∆εσπότης ὅτι οὐδείς ἐκεῖ μελανηφορῶν εἰσελεύσεται, διά τῆς παραβολῆς ἐδήλωσε τοῦτο εἰπών· "Ἑταῖρε, πῶς εἰσῆλθες ὦδε, μή ἔχων ἔνδυμα γάμου;" Εἶτα· "∆ήσαντες αὐτοῦ χεῖρας καί πόδας, ἐκβάλλετε αὐτόν εἰς τό σκότος τό ἐξώτερον". Οὐχ, ὡς λαθόντος δέ αὐτοῦ τόν ἀλάθητον, τοῦτο οὕτως εἰρηκέναι λογίζομαι, ἀλλ᾿ ὅτι οὔπω καιρός ἦν ἀποκαλύψαι τά τοιαῦτα μυστήρια. Μή βουλόμενος γάρ ἐκφαντικώτερον τότε εἰπεῖν ὅτι· "Οὐδείς ἐκεῖ εἰσελεύσεται, μή φορῶν τό τῆς θεότητός μου ἱμάτιον", οὕτως τόν λόγον ὑπέφηνε. Τοῦτο δέ καί Παῦλος διδαχθείς παρά τοῦ ἐν αὐτῷ λαλοῦντος Χριστοῦ ἔλεγεν· "Καί καθώς ἐφορέσαμεν τήν εἰκόνα τοῦ χοϊκοῦ, φορέσομεν καί τήν εἰκόνα τοῦ ἐπουρανίου". (163) Τίνος χάριν; Ἐπειδή "οἷος ὁ χοϊκός" φησί "τοιοῦτοι καί οἱ χοϊκοί, καί οἷος ὁ ἐπουράνιος τοιοῦτοι καί οἱ ἐπουράνιοι". Τίς οὖν ἐστιν ἡ εἰκών τοῦ ἐπουρανίου; Ἄκουσον αὐτοῦ λέγοντος τοῦ θείου Παύλου· "Ὅς ὤν ἀπαύγασμα τῆς δόξης καί χαρακτήρ τῆς ὑποστάσεως" καί εἰκών ἀπαράλλακτος τοῦ Θεοῦ καί Πατρός. Τοιγαροῦν εἰκών τοῦ Πατρός ὁ Υἱός, εἰκών δέ τοῦ Υἱοῦ τό Πνεῦμα τό Ἅγιον· ὁ ἑωρακώς οὖν τόν Υἱόν ἑώρακε τόν Πατέρα, ὁ ἑωρακώς τό Πνεῦμα τό Ἅγιον ἑώρακε τόν Υἱόν· φησί γάρ ὁ Ἀπόστολος· "Τό Πνεῦμα ὁ Κύριος ἐστί", καί πάλιν· "Αὐτό τό Πνεῦμα ἐντυγχάνει ὑπέρ ἡμῶν στεναγμοῖς ἀλαλήτοις" κράζον "Ἀββᾶ, ὁ πατήρ". Καλῶς οὖν εἶπεν ὅτι τό Πνεῦμα ὁ Κύριός ἐστιν ἐν τῷ κράζειν "Ἀββᾶ, ὁ πατήρ", οὐχ ὡς Υἱοῦ ὄντος τοῦ Πνεύματος, ἄπαγε, ἀλλ᾿ ὡς ἐν τῷ Ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι βλεπομένου καί ὁρωμένου τοῦ Υἱοῦ τοῦ Θεοῦ καί μηδέποτε ἤ τοῦ Υἱοῦ δίχα τοῦ Πνεύματος, ἤ τοῦ Πνεύματος δίχα τοῦ Υἱοῦ, ἀποκαλυπτομένου τινί, ἀλλ᾿ ἐν αὐτῷ τῷ Πνεύματι τόν Υἱόν καί διά τοῦ Πνεύματος κράζοντα αὐτόν "Ἀββᾶ, ὁ πατήρ".

Εἰ τοίνυν ἀγνοεῖς ταῦτα, ἀγαπητέ, μή εἰς ἀπόγνωσιν ἐμβάλῃς σεαυτόν λέγων· "Ἐγώ ταῦτα οὔτε οἶδα οὔτε μαθεῖν δύναμαι· οὔτε μήν εἰς τό ὕψος τῆς γνώσεως ταύτης καί θεωρίας καί καθαρότητος φθάσαι καί ἀνελθεῖν ἰσχύσω ποτέ". Μηδέ πάλιν εἴπῃς· "Ἐπειδή, ἐάν μή τις τοιοῦτος γένηται καί τόν Χριστόν ἀπ᾿ ἐντεῦθεν ἤδη ὡς Θεόν ἐπενδύσηται καί αὐτόν ἐκεῖνον ὅλον θεάσηται καί ἔνοικον ἑαυτοῦ τοῦτον κτήσηται, εἰς τήν βασιλείαν αὐτοῦ οὐκ εἰσέρχεται, τί μοι τό ὄφελος κἄν ποσῶς ἀγωνίζεσθαι ἤ καί τῶν παρόντων ὑστερεῖσθαι τῆς ἀπολαύσεως;" Μή δή τοῦτο εἴπῃς, μή δή λογίσεσαι· ἀλλ᾿ εἰ βούλει, ἄκουσόν μου τῆς συμβουλῆς καί ἀναγγελῶ σοι τήν