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God, therefore, is the Word, and His words are the splendors and illuminations of the Godhead, which leap forth like a kind of lightning and are uttered, or rather revealed, to us more clearly, which things we are not able to express. But John, the beloved disciple of Christ, according to the grace given to him, said and revealed a little of what Paul heard, (161) speaking thus: "Brethren, now we are children of God, but it has not yet been revealed what we shall be; but we know that, when He is revealed, we shall be like Him". That one said that "I have heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter," but this one that "We know, when He is revealed, we shall be like Him" and we shall see Him more perfectly. And this Paul himself also says: "Now I know in part, but then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known". Do you see how in spiritual things knowledge and likeness, contemplation and full knowledge, are one and the same? Thus Christ, becoming all things to us—knowledge, wisdom, word, light, illumination, likeness, contemplation, full knowledge—grants us to enjoy His good things even in the present life in part and to understand and hear in mystery the unspeakable words hidden from the many, to those who love Him.

For if Christ does not become all things to us at once, then the kingdom of heaven and the delight in the kingdom will at some point be incomplete. If, in addition to the things mentioned, He does not become in all the righteous who love Him a robe and crown and footwear, joy and sweetness, food, drink, table, bed, rest and the unutterable beauty of contemplation, and whatever else is suited for delight or glory and pleasure, but if even one single thing were ever lacking for one of those dwelling there, at once the deprivation of that good thing would give place to sorrow, and this would enter into the ineffable joy of those who rejoice; and thus the saying which declares, "Pain, sorrow, and sighing have fled away," will appear to be false. But this will not be, it will not be, but He will be all things to all, and every good in all good things, ever superabounding and over-filling all the senses (162) of those who recline at the marriage feast of Christ the King, He Himself the one who is eaten and drunk, being Himself every kind of food, and of sweetness and drink. Hence, being seen by all and Himself seeing all the countless myriads, and having His own eye always gazing and immovably fixed, each of them seems to be seen by Him and to enjoy His converse and to be embraced by Him, so that no one among them might be grieved as if overlooked. He Himself will also be the crown, as has been said, placed on the heads of all the saints, unalterably, immutably, showing Himself to be one thing to one, another to another, and dividing Himself according to the worth of each, as each one is worthy; He Himself will also be the garment for all, which each one from this life onward puts on with diligence, so that no one enters the mystical marriage who is not wearing this unapproachable tunic; and if someone, having snuck in with the others, should enter unnoticed, which is impossible, he will again likewise be cast out.

For the Master, wishing to show us that no one will enter there wearing black, made this clear 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 though 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 openly at that time, "No one will enter there who is not wearing the garment of My divinity," He thus hinted at the matter. And Paul, having been taught this by Christ who spoke in him, said: "And just 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 also the earthy; and as is the heavenly, such are also the heavenly". What then is the image of the heavenly one?

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Λόγος τοιγαροῦν ὁ Θεός, ῥήματα δέ αὐτοῦ αἱ δίκην ἐξ ἀστραπῆς τινος ἐκπηδῶσαί τε καί τρανότερον ἐκφερόμεναι, ἤ ἀποκαλυπτόμεναι μᾶλλον ἡμῖν, τῆς θεότητος αὐγαί τε καί ἐλλάμψεις, ἅτινα ἐξειπεῖν ἡμεῖς οὐ δυνάμεθα. Ὁ δέ γε Ἰωάννης ὁ ἠγαπημένος Χριστοῦ μαθητής μικρόν τι κατά τήν δοθεῖσαν αὐτῷ χάριν εἶπε καί παρεδήλωσεν ἐξ ὧν ὁ Παῦλος ἀκόεν, (161) οὑτωσί λέγων· "Ἀδελφοί, νῦν τέκνα Θεοῦ ἐσμεν, ἀλλ᾿ οὔπω ἐφανερώθη τί ἐσόμεθα· οἴδαμεν δέ ὅτι, ἐάν φανερωθῇ, ὅμοιοι αὐτῷ ἐσόμεθα". Ἐκεῖνος εἶπεν ὅτι "Ἤκουσα ἄρρητα ῥήματα ἅ οὐκ ἐξόν ἀνθρώπῳ λαλῆσαι", οὗτος δέ ὅτι "Οἴδαμεν, ἐάν φανερωθῇ, ὅμοιοι αὐτῷ ἐσόμεθα" καί ὀψόμεθα αὐτόν τελεώτερον. Τοῦτο δέ καί αὐτός ὁ Παῦλός φησι· "Νῦν μέν γινώσκω ἐκ μέρους, τότε δέ ἐπιγνώσομαι καθό καί ἐπεγνώσθην". Ὁρᾷς πῶς ἕν καί τό αὐτό ἐστιν ἐν τοῖς πνευματικοῖς ἤ τε γνῶσις καί ὁμοιότης, ἡ θεωρία καί ἡ ἐπίγνωσις. Οὕτω πάντα ἡμῖν ὁ Χριστός γινόμενος, γνῶσις, σοφία, λόγος, φῶς, ἔλλαμψις, ὁμοιότης, θεωρία, ἐπίγνωσις, δίδωσιν ἀπολαύειν τῶν αὐτοῦ ἀγαθῶν καί κατά τήν παροῦσαν ζωήν ἐκ μέρους καί νοεῖν καί ἀκούειν ἐν μυστηρίῳ τά ἀποκεκρυμμένα τοῖς πολλοῖς ἄρρητα ῥήματα, τοῖς ἀγαπῶσιν αὐτόν.

Εἰ γάρ μή πάντα ἡμῖν ὁ Χριστός ὁμοῦ γένηται, ἐλλιπής λοιπόν ἔσται ποτέ ἡ τῶν οὐρανῶν βασιλεία καί ἡ ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ τρυφή. Εἰ μή πρός τοῖς εἰρημένοις στολή καί στέφος καί ὑπόδημα, χαρά καί γλυκύτης, τροφή, πόσις, τράπεζα, κλίνη, ἀνάπαυσις καί θεωρίας κάλλος ἀμήχανον, καί εἴ τι οὖν ἕτερον πρός τρυφήν ἤ δόξαν καί 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;