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which especially moved him to write more than others), since, therefore, that man heard such people saying to him, “Being uninitiated and utterly blind to such things, what has possessed you to attempt to speak about mystical sacred visions, which you would not even easily understand hearing from those who have experienced them?”, being unable to deny his ignorance and inexperience in these matters, which lay manifest to all, he says, “it is not surprising if a blind man himself should take hold of someone who sees and thus become an unerring guide for the other blind men holding onto him”, thinking he had found a way, by the (p. 412) abundance of his power in speaking and by the specious reasoning of dialectical sophisms, by which he might even overcome the voice of the Gospel, which clearly says the opposite to this: “For if a blind man leads a blind man,” it says, “both will fall into a pit.” But “I,” says this blind man and guide of the blind, “am able to follow, holding on to those who see.” And which of the blind is not able to do this? For one who is crippled in both his feet and his hands and is completely paralyzed would not be able to hold on to you, nor would he follow, nor would he need a guide at all, being bedridden; but one who is healthy in hands and feet, why, O best of blind men, would he follow holding on to you rather than to the one who sees? Therefore, you seem to be furtively granting to yourself some faint glimpse of sight, or rather, not to perceive at all your own complete blindness in such matters, if you say this, while being unable to contradict those who see you are blind. For how, if this were not so, would you deem yourself worthy to be a guide of other blind men? Know, then, that you are like the blind man in the Gospels who, through lack of faith, had not yet fully regained his sight, who said he saw “men, as trees, walking.” If, therefore, you, being such a one whose sight is not completely gone but is imperfect, were then to gaze intently at the disk of the sun, as if to teach others what it is, would they not hear from you that the great luminary, the all-brilliant, the eye of the day, is simply darkness? For if the sun, overpowering the capacity of the eyes of those who see clearly, seems to pour its rays as unmixed darkness even on those who gaze with healthy sight, how would one who attempts to look through a dim light not see light as unmixed darkness? Thus it is not only laughable, but utterly ridiculous for the blind man to attempt to teach about light. (p. 414) But let us uncover the depth of the philosopher's thought, which, by wrapping it in the example, he revealed no less than he concealed. The philosopher says, therefore, that all of us are completely blind, that is, unintelligent, and also the saints whom he proceeds to openly contradict, but that he himself differs from these blind ones, that is, the unintelligent, in being a philosopher, that is, unintelligent, all of us and the saints whom he proceeds to openly contradict, and that he himself differs from these blind ones, that is, the unintelligent, in being a philosopher and for this reason is alone able to comprehend both the principles of beings and the meaning of the scriptures, and thus to follow these and to guide those who hold on to him. But such a person, O philosopher, is no longer blind; for he has followed those who led him to sight—that is, to true knowledge, as you say; therefore he has regained his sight. But if, having followed, he has not regained his sight, how does he guarantee sight to others through following? Thus you are inconsistent with yourself, testifying that you yourself are both blind and seeing. For if, according to you, knowledge alone is intelligible light, for which you have undergone so many struggles, and you possess the knowledge of the scriptures, as you yourself testify, how are you also blind and unenlightened? But if it is not possible to be enlightened otherwise than as you yourself were enlightened and enlighten, as you yourself also say this in many places, then not even the great Dionysius, whom you think you know how to follow, was enlightened and enlightens otherwise; therefore, according to you, he too knows only this: to follow those who know; but they too, having the same manner, would be in a similar state to you. What is this chain of blind men that you are now assembling for us through your words, leading one another to sight and remaining

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πρός τό γράφειν μάλιστα τῶν ἄλλων ἐπῆρεν), ἐπεί τοίνυν ἐκεῖνος τῶν τοιούτων ἀκήκοε λεγόντων πρός αὐτόν ὡς, «ἀμύητος ὤν καί τυφλός ἄντικρυς πρός τά τοιαῦτα τί ποτε παθών περί μυστικῶν ἱερῶν θεαμάτων ἐγχειρεῖς λέγειν, ὧν οὐδ᾿ ἄν εὐχερῶς ἐπαΐοις τῶν πεπειραμένων ἀκούων;», ἀρνεῖσθαι τήν ἐπί τοῦτοις ἀμαθίαν καί ἀπειρίαν οὐκ ἔχων, πᾶσι φανεράν προκειμένην, «οὐ θαυμαστόν», φησίν, «εἰ τυφλός ὤν αὐτός βλέποντός τινος ἔχοιτο καί οὕτω τῶν ἄλλων τυφλῶν ἐχομένων αὐτοῦ ἡγεμών ἀπλανής κατασταίη», τῇ (σελ. 412) περιουσίᾳ τῆς περί τό λέγειν δυνάμεως καί τῇ πιθανολογίᾳ τῶν διαλεκτικῶν σοφισμάτων εὑρηκέναι οἰόμενος, ὅθεν καί τῆς εὐαγγελικῆς φωνῆς περιγένοιτο, τἀναντία τούτῳ σαφῶς λεγούσης˙ «τυφλός γάρ τυφλόν ἐάν ὁδηγῇ, φησίν, «ἀμφότεροι εἰς βόθυνον ἐμπεσοῦνται». Ἀλλ᾿ ἐγώ, φησίν ὁ τυφλός οὗτος καί τῶν τυφλῶν ὁδηγός, ἐχόμενος ἕπεσθαι τοῖς ὁρῶσι δύναμαι. Καί τίς τῶν τυφλῶν, ὅς οὐ τοῦτο δύναται; Κυλλός μέν γάρ ὤν ἀμφοτέρω τώ πόδε καί τώ χεῖρε καί παρειμένος παντάπασιν, οὐδ᾿ ἄν σοῦ γε ἔχοιτο, οὐδ᾿ ἄν ἕποιτο, οὐδ᾿ ἄν ὁδηγοῦ τό παράπαν δέοιτο, κλινοπετής ὤν˙ χεῖρας δ᾿ ὑγιαίνων καί πόδας, τοῦ χάριν, τυφλῶν κράτιστε, μή τοῦ ὁρῶντος μᾶλλον ἤ σοῦ ἐχόμενος ἕποιτο; Κλέπτων τοίνυν ἔοικας παρέχειν σαυτῷ τό τῆς ἀναβλέψεως ἀμυδρόν, μᾶλλον δέ τήν οἰκείαν αὐτός περί τά τοιαῦτα πᾶσαν οὐκ αἰσθάνεσθαι τύφλωσιν, εἰ καί τοῦτο λέγεις, ἀντιλέγειν τοῖς σέ τυφλόν ὁρῶσιν οὐκ ἔχων. Πῶς γάρ ἄν, εἰ μή τοῦτ᾿ ἦν, ὁδηγός τῶν ἄλλων εἶναι τυφλῶν ἠξίους; Ἴσθι τοίνυν, κατά τόν ἐν εὐαγγελίοις διά πίστεως ἔλλειψιν μήπω τελείως ἀναβλέψαντα τυφλόν, ὅς, «τούς ἀνθρώπους ὡς δένδρα περιπατοῦντας» ἔλεγεν ὁρᾶν. Εἰ τοίνυν τοιοῦτος οὐ τάς ὄψεις ὤν, ἀλλά μή τελείως ἐκκεκομμένος, εἶτα πρός τόν ἡλίου δίσκον ἀτενές ὁρῴης, ὡς τούς ἄλλους διδάξων τί ποτέ ἐστιν ἐκεῖνος, οὐκ ἄν ἤκουσαν παρά σοῦ σκότον ἀτεχνῶς ὄντα τόν μέγαν φωστῆρα, τόν ὁλολαμπῇ, τόν ὀφθαλμόν τῆς ἡμέρας; Εἰ γάρ τήν τῶν καθαρῶς ὁρώντων συμμετρίαν ὀφθαλμῶν ὑπερβαίνων οὐκ ἀμίκτους σκότους ἐπιχεῖν δοκεῖ τάς ἀκτῖνας τοῖς καί μεθ᾿ ὑγιοῦς ὄψεως ἀτενίζουσι, πῶς οὐκ ἄν φωτός ἄμικτον σκότος εἶδεν ὁ δι᾿ ἀμυδροῦ φέγγους προσορᾶν ἐγχειρῶν; Οὕτω μή ὅτι γελοῖον, ἀλλά καί καταγέλαστον τόν τυφλόν περί φωτός ἐπιχειρεῖν διδάσκειν. (σελ. 414) Ἀλλά γάρ ἐκκαλύψωμεν τῆς φιλοσόφου διανοίας τό βάθος, ὅ περιστείλας τῷ παραδείγματι οὐ μᾶλλον ἔκρυψεν ἤ ἐνέφηνε. Φησί τοίνυν ὁ φιλόσοφος τυφλούς μέν εἶναι, τουτέστιν ἀνοήτους, πάντας παντάπασιν ἡμᾶς τε καί τῶν ἁγίων πρός οὕς προϊών ἀντιλέγει φανερῶς, ἑαυτόν δέ τοῦτο διαφέρειν τῶν τυφλῶν τούτων, δηλονότι τῶν ἀνοήτων, τό φιλοσόφον εἶναι, τουτέστιν ἀνοήτους, πάντας παντάπασιν ἡμᾶς τε καί τῶν ἁγίων πρός οὕς προϊών ἀντιλέγειν φανερῶς, ἑαυτόν δέ τοῦτο διαφέρειν τῶν τυφλῶν τούτων, δηλονότι τῶν ἀνοήτων, τό φιλόσοφον εἶναι καί διά τοῦτο συνορᾶν μόνον δύνασθαι τούς τε λόγους τῶν ὄντων καί τῶν λογίων τόν νοῦν ἕπεσθαί τε τούτοις οὕτω καί τούς ἐχομένους ὁδηγεῖν. Ἀλλ᾿ ὁ τοιοῦτος, ὦ φιλόσοφε, οὐκέτι τυφλός˙ τοῖς γάρ πρός ἀνάβλεψιν ἡγησαμένοις, δηλαδή τήν ἀληθῆ γνῶσιν, ὡς σύ φῄς, ἠκολούθησεν˙ οὐκοῦν ἀνέβλεψεν. Εἰ δέ μή ἀνέβλεψεν ἀκολουθήσας, πῶς ἐγγυᾶται τοῖς ἄλλοις δι᾿ἀκολουθήσεως τήν ἀνάβλεψιν; Οὕτως ἀνακόλουθος εἶ σαυτῷ σύ σαυτόν καί τυφλόν καί βλέποντα μαρτυρῶν. Εἰ γάρ ἡ γνῶσις μόνον κατά σέ νοητόν ἐστι φῶς, ὑπέρ οὗ καί τούς τοσούτους ὑπῆλθες ἀγῶνας, σύ δ᾿ ἔχεις τῶν λογίων τήν γνῶσιν, ὡς αὐτός μαρτυρεῖς, πῶς καί σύ τυφλός καί ἀφώτιστος; Εἰ δ᾿ ἄλλως οὐκ ἔνι φωτισθῆναι, εἰ μή ὡς ἄν αὐτός ἐφωτίσθης τε καί φωτίζεις, ὡς αὐτός καί τοῦτο πολλαχοῦ φῄς, οὐδ᾿ ὁ μέγας ∆ιονύσιος, ᾧ νομίζεις εἰδέναι ἕπεσθαι, ἄλλως ἐφωτίσθη τε καί φωτίζει˙ τοιγαροῦν καί αὐτός κατά σέ τοῦτο μόνον οἶδεν, ἕπεσθαι τοῖς εἰδόσιν˙ ἀλλά κἀκεῖνοι τόν ὅμοιον ἔχοντες τρόπον καί σοί παραπλησίως ἔχοιεν ἄν. Τίς οὗτος ὁ τῶν τυφλῶν ὁρμαθός, ὅν ἡμῖν διά τῶν σῶν λόγων συναθροίζεις ἀρτίως, ἀλλήλους πρός ἀνάβλεψιν ὁδηγούντων καί μενόντων