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being beside himself, and considering himself from his soul unworthy of the vision of such good things, does not wish either to look clearly at them or to comprehend them, but being seized with trembling and fear and reverence, cries out, “Who am I, Lord, and what is my father’s house, that you have revealed such mysteries to the unworthy one, and have paradoxically made me not only a spectator of such good things of yours, but also a partaker and a sharer?”.

Such a one, therefore, having become above all creation, does not wish to turn back and meddle in the things of creation. For having acquired the Master of the angels, he cannot bear to inquire about the essence and nature of the ministering angels, since he knows that this is not pleasing to God, for a man to meddle in things that are above man; for if we were commanded not to meddle in the divine Scriptures, much more ought we not to be curious at all about things beyond what is written. Such a one sees God, as much as it is possible for a man to see and as much as it seems good to God himself, whom he also strives to behold constantly and after the end prays always to see him, being content, that is, with his vision alone, needing nothing else, whence he does not desire to leave the Master and God, by whom he is filled with light and (223) from whom he has the enjoyment of incorruptible life, and to look upon his fellow servants. Such a one, being seen or illuminated from above by God, and himself beholding his surpassing glory, is never able even to conceive of being seen by others as he is and in what glory he is; for every holy soul is freed from all vainglory, since, being adorned with the most luminous and royal tunic of the Spirit and being filled with the surpassing glory of God, she not only disregards the glory of men, but does not even turn to it at all when it is offered to her by them. For being seen by God and herself beholding him in turn, she will never at all desire to look at any other among men or to be seen by any other.

Therefore I beseech you, brothers in Christ, let us not wish to learn the inexpressible things by words alone, which is impossible both for those who teach about such things and for those who hear them alike. For neither can those who teach about intelligible and divine matters give precise, clear proofs from examples and present the actual truth of these things, nor can those who are taught learn the power of what is said from words alone, but let us hasten to comprehend these things by action and toil and labors and to be in the contemplation of them, so that we may also be initiated from there into the words concerning such things and God may be glorified in us who are in such a state and we, through the knowledge of such things, may glorify him and he may glorify us in Christ himself, our God, to whom is due all glory for ever. Amen.

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ἐξιστάμενος, ἀνάξιόν τε τῆς τῶν τοιούτων ἀγαθῶν θέας ἑαυτόν ἀπό ψυχῆς λογιζόμενος, οὐδέ ἀποβλέψαι τρανῶς πρός αὐτά οὐδέ καταμαθεῖν ταῦτα βούλεται, ἀλλά τρόμῳ καί φόβῳ καί αἰδοῖ συνεχόμενος, "Τίς εἰμι ἐγώ, Κύριε, καί τίς ὁ οἶκος τοῦ πατρός μου" βοᾷ, "ὅτι τοιαῦτα μυστήρια τῷ ἀναξίῳ ἐθάρρησας, καί τοιούτων με ἀγαθῶν σου οὐ μόνον θεατήν, ἀλλά καί μέτοχον καί κοινωνόν παραδόξως πεποίηκας;".

Ὁ τοιοῦτος τοίνυν ὑπέρ τήν κτίσιν ἅπασαν γεγονώς, οὐ βούλεται ἐπιστρέψαι καί πολυπραγμονεῖν τά τῆς κτίσεως. Κτησάμενος γάρ τόν τῶν ἀγγέλων ∆εσπότην, περί οὐσίας καί φύσεως τῶν λειτουργούντων ἀγγέλων αὐτῷ ἐρευνᾶν οὐκ ἀνέχεται, ἐπειδή γινώσκων ἐστίν ὡς οὐκ ἀρεστόν ὑπάρχει τοῦτο Θεῷ, τό πολυπραγμονεῖν ἄνθρωπον τά ὑπέρ ἄνθρωπον· εἰ γάρ τάς θείας Γραφάς μή πολυπραγμονεῖν ἐκελεύσθημεν, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ὑπέρ τά γεγραμμένα μή δεῖν ἡμᾶς ὅλως περιεργάζεσθαι. Ὁ τοιοῦτος βλέπει τόν Θεόν, ὅσον ἀνθρώπῳ ἰδεῖν δυνατόν καί ὅσον δοκεῖ αὐτῷ τῷ Θεῷ, ὅς καί διαπαντός καθορᾶν σπουδάζει αὐτόν καί μετά τέλος εὔχεται ἀεί βλέπειν αὐτόν, ἀρκούμενος δηλαδή καί μόνῃ τῇ ἐκείνου θέᾳ μηδενός ἑτέρου δεόμενος, ὅθεν οὐδέ ἐπιθυμεῖ τόν ∆εσπότην καταλιπεῖν καί Θεόν, ὑφ᾿ οὗ πληροῦται φωτός καί (223) παρ᾿ οὗ τῆς ἀκηράτου ζωῆς τήν ἀπόλαυσιν ἔχει, καί ἐναπιδεῖν πρός τούς συνδούλους αὐτοῦ. Ὁ τοιοῦτος βλεπόμενος ἤτοι ἄνωθεν ἐλλαμπόμενος ὑπό τοῦ Θεοῦ, καί αὐτός τήν ὑπερβάλλουσαν δόξαν αὐτοῦ καθορῶν, θεαθῆναι παρ᾿ ἑτέρων οἷος ὑπάρχει καί ἐν οἵᾳ δόξῃ ἐστίν οὐδέ ἐννοῆσαί ποτε δύναται· πᾶσα γάρ ἁγία ψυχή ἀπηλλαγμένη πάσης φιλοδοξίας ἐστίν, ἐπεί ἐστολισμένη οὖσα τόν χιτῶνα τόν φωτεινότατον τοῦ Πνεύματος καί βασιλικόν καί τῆς ὑπερβαλλούσης δόξης τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐμπεπλησμένη ὑπάρχουσα, οὐ μόνον ἀλογεῖ τῆς τῶν ἀνθρώπων δόξης, ἀλλ᾿ οὐδέ ὅλως καί προσφερομένην αὐτῷ παρ᾿ ἐκείνων πρός αὐτήν ἐπιστρέφεται. Ὑπό γάρ τοῦ Θεοῦ βλεπομένη καί αὐτή καθορῶσα πάλιν αὐτόν, ἰδεῖν πρός ἄλλον τινά τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἤ ὑπό τινος ἄλλου θεαθῆναι οὐδαμῶς ἐπιθυμήσει ποτέ.

∆ιό παρακαλῶ ὑμᾶς, ἐν Χριστῷ ἀδελφοί, μή λόγοις μόνοις τά ἀνέκφραστα μανθάνειν ἐθέλωμεν, ὅπερ ἀμήχανον καί τοῖς διδάσκουσι περί τοιούτων καί τοῖς ἀκροωμένοις αὐτοῖς ἐπίσης ἐστίν. Οὔτε γάρ οἱ διδάσκοντες περί νοητῶν καί θείων πραγμάτων δύνανται ἀκριβῶς ἐναργεῖς ἐκ παραδειγμάτων δοῦναι τάς ἀποδείξεις καί αὐτήν τήν τούτων πραγματικῶς παραστῆσαι ἀλήθειαν, οὔτε οἱ διδασκόμενοι ἐκ τοῦ λόγου μόνου μαθεῖν τήν τῶν λεγομένων ἐνέργειαν, ἀλλά πράξει καί κόπῳ καί πόνοις ταῦτα καταλαβεῖν καί ἐν τῇ τῶν τούτων θεωρίᾳ γενέσθαι σπεύσωμεν, ὡς ἄν καί τούς περί τῶν τοιούτων λόγους ἐκεῖθεν μυσταγωγηθῶμεν καί δοξασθῇ ὁ Θεός οὕτως ἔχουσιν ἐν ἡμῖν καί ἡμεῖς διά τῆς τῶν τοιούτων γνώσεως δοξάσωμεν αὐτόν καί αὐτός δοξάσῃ ἡμᾶς ἐν αὐτῷ Χριστῷ τῷ Θεῷ ἡμῶν, ᾧ πρέπει πᾶσα δόξα εἰς τούς αἰῶνας. Ἀμήν.