85

every male of yours shall be seen before me," and of, "You shall not appear before the Lord your God empty," offering, that is, the victims for the sacred rite and other gifts and things for the festival banquet. 3.42 For such an earnestly sought sacred assembly, a fitting end is to seek out by supplications and holy prayers the epiphany of the Lord Almighty, who is seen and reveals himself to a mind that is clear and partakes of holiness, according to what was said by the Savior in the beatitudes: "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." In agreement with this thought, the divine Paul writes to the Hebrews "to pursue peace and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord," since he manifests himself to those who do not disbelieve him and appears to those who keep his commandments. 3.43 For in the Wisdom of Solomon such a text is found: "Think of the Lord in goodness, and in simplicity of heart seek him, because he is near to those who do not test him, and manifests himself to those who do not disbelieve him." And in the Gospel the Savior speaks thus: "He who has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves me. And he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him." 3.44 To seek thus the face of the Lord Almighty many peoples came to Jerusalem, not that they might find God dwelling in a place and a temple, but that, having sent up acceptable prayers, they might have a pious understanding and a right mind concerning the sought-after and propitiated Lord Almighty. 3.45 Let each of the prophet's words be spoken for the anagogical interpretation concerning the Church, glorious and sanctified by the all-king Savior, which was glorified in the times of persecution, when every cheerful and peaceful state, as far as the destroyers were concerned, had been set aside; that many peoples will come again to it and inhabiting many cities, the churches in various sojournings, so that those who dwell everywhere in the aforementioned cities with a pious mind and an irreproachable life will come together into one city from many, in order to conciliate and propitiate the face of the Lord and to seek him through acceptable prayers and seekings for God to be seen. 3.46 And since the things proclaimed beforehand are lovely and much-desired, the prophet himself, having conceived a love for the things hoped for, desired to come together with the many peoples who came together for the same purpose and who dwell in many cities: "I also will go," he says. 3.47 And the multitudes are for the most part assured to expect eagerly the things foretold, when he who foretold them begins to hasten to the things proclaimed beforehand. 3.48 It is possible that "I also will go" was spoken from the person of the Savior; for when he goes, those to whom the promise is made follow him, according to what was said: "When the Lord turns back the captivity of the people, Jacob will rejoice and Israel will be glad," as the Father himself also says: "I have raised him up as king; he will build my city, and he will turn back the captivity of my people, not with a ransom nor with gifts." 3.49 And what will there be when the beautiful city is built and the people have returned from captivity, but for many peoples and many nations to come from everywhere to propitiate the face of the Lord Almighty and to seek his face, which is his "image," being of the "invisible God," and the "express image of his person," so that he who approaches him with a pure mind sees the Father, that is, the invisible God. "For he who has seen me has seen the Father," since even the angels have a desire to see the Son. 3.50 It is said in the Gospel that the angels of those in the Church "always behold the face of the Father in heaven," which

85

ὀφθήσεται πᾶν ἀρσενικόν σου ἐνώπιόν μου», καὶ τοῦ· «Οὐκ ὀφθήσει ἐνώπιον Κυρίου τοῦ Θεοῦ σου κενός», προσφέρων δηλαδὴ τὰ πρὸς τὴν ἱερουργίαν θύματα καὶ ἕτερα δῶρα καὶ τὰ πρὸς τὴν ἑορτάσιμον εὐωχίαν. 3.42 Τῆς οὕτω σπουδαζομένης ἱερᾶς συνελεύσεως τέλος κατάλληλον ὑπάρχει τὸ διὰ λιτῶν καὶ ἁγίων προσευχῶν ἐκζητεῖν ἐπιφάνειαν Κυρίου παντοκράτορος, ὀπτανομένου καὶ φανεροῦντος ἑαυτὸν νῷ διαυγεῖ καὶ ἁγιότητος μετέχοντι κατὰ τὸ ἐν μακαρισμοῖς ὑπὸ τοῦ Σωτῆρος εἰρημένον· «Μακάριοι οἱ καθαροὶ τῇ καρδίᾳ, ὅτι αὐτοὶ τὸν Θεὸν ὄψονται.» Ταύτῃ τῇ νοήσει συμφώνως ὁ θεσπέσιος Παῦλος Ἑβραίοις ἐπιστέλλει «μεταδιώκειν εἰρήνην καὶ τὸν ἁγιασμόν, οὗ χωρὶς οὐδεὶς ὄψεται τὸν Κύριον», ἐπείπερ ἐμφανίζεται τοῖς μὴ ἀπιστοῦσιν αὐτῷ καὶ ἐπιφαίνεται τοῖς τηροῦσι τὰς ἐντολὰς αὐτοῦ. 3.43 Ἐν μὲν γὰρ τῇ Σαλομῶντος Σοφίᾳ φέρεται λέξις τοιαύτη· «Φρονήσατε περὶ τοῦ Κυρίου ἐν ἀγαθότητι καὶ ἐν ἁπλότητι καρδίας ἐκζητήσατε αὐτόν, ὅτι ἐγγίζει τοῖς μὴ πειράζουσιν αὐτὸν καὶ ἐμφανίζεται τοῖς μὴ ἀπιστοῦσιν αὐτῷ.» Ἐν δὲ τῷ Εὐαγγελίῳ ὁ Σωτὴρ οὕτω λέγει· «Ὁ ἔχων τὰς ἐντολάς μου καὶ τηρῶν αὐτάς, ἐκεῖνός ἐστιν ὁ ἀγαπῶν με. Ὁ δὲ ἀγαπῶν με ἀγαπηθήσεται ὑπὸ τοῦ Πατρός μου, κἀγὼ ἀγαπήσω αὐτὸν καὶ ἐμφανίσω αὐτῷ ἐμαυτόν.» 3.44 Ἐπὶ τὸ οὕτως ἐκζητῆσαι τὸ πρόσωπον Κυρίου παντοκράτορος ἤρχοντο οἱ πολλοὶ λαοὶ ἐν τῇ Ἰερουσαλήμ, οὐχ ἵνα Θεὸν εὕρωσιν ἐν τόπῳ καὶ ναῷ διατρίβοντα, ἀλλ' ἵνα εὐχὰς εὐπροσδέκτους ἀναπέμψαντες, νόησιν εὐσεβῆ καὶ φρόνημα ὀρθὸν περὶ τοῦ ἐκζητουμένου καὶ ἐξευμενιζομένου Κυρίου παντοκράτορος σχῶσιν. 3.45 Ῥηθείη πρὸς ἀναγωγὴν ἕκαστον τῶν τοῦ προφήτου περὶ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας τῆς ἐνδόξου καὶ ἡγιασμένης ὑπὸ τοῦ παμβασιλέως Σωτῆρος, δοξάσης ἐν τοῖς καιροῖς τῶν διωγμῶν πάσης ἱλαρᾶς καὶ εἰρηνικῆς καταστάσεως, ὅσον ἐπὶ τοῖς πορθήσασιν, γεγενῆσθαι ἐκτός, τὸ πολλοὺς λαοὺς πάλιν ἐλεύσεσθαι πρὸς αὐτὴν καὶ κατοικοῦντας πόλεις πολλάς, τὰς κατὰ διαφόρους παροικίας ἐκκλησίας, ὡς τοὺς ἁπανταχοῦ ἐν ταῖς προειρημέναις πόλεσιν κατοικοῦντας εὐσεβεῖ φρονήματι καὶ ἀνεπιλήμπτῳ βίῳ εἰς μίαν πόλιν ἐκ πλειόνων συνελεύσεσθαι, ἐπὶ τῷ ἐξευμενίσασθαι καὶ ἐξιλάσασθαι τὸ πρόσωπον Κυρίου καὶ ἐκζητῆσαι αὐτὸ δι' εὐπροσδέκτων προσευχῶν καὶ ζητήσεων τῶν ὑπὲρ τοῦ ὀφθῆναι Θεόν. 3.46 Καὶ ἐπεὶ ἐράσμια καὶ πολυπόθητα τὰ προαναφωνηθέντα, καὶ αὐτὸς ὁ προφήτης λαβὼν ἔρωτα τῶν ἐλπιζομένων, συνελθεῖν ὠρέχθη τοῖς συνελθοῦσιν ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτὸ λαοῖς πολλοῖς καὶ κατοικοῦσιν ἐν πλείοσιν πόλεσιν· «Πορεύσομαι κἀγώ», φησίν. 3.47 Πιστοποιεῖται δὲ τὰ πλήθη ὡς ἐπὶ τὸ πλεῖστον ὡς προθύμως προσδοκᾶν τὰ προθεσπισθέντα, ὅταν ὁ προειπὼν προκατάρξηται σπεύδειν ἐπὶ τὰ προαναφωνηθέντα. 3.48 ∆υνατὸν ἐκ προσώπου τοῦ Σωτῆρος εἰρῆσθαι τό· «Πορεύσομαι κἀγώ»· αὐτοῦ γὰρ πορευομένου ἐφέπονται αὐτῷ οἱ πρὸς οὓς ἡ ἐπαγγελία, κατὰ τὸ λεχθέν· «Ἐν τῷ ἐπιστρέψαι Κύριον τὴν αἰχμαλωσίαν τοῦ λαοῦ, ἀγαλλιάσεται Ἰακὼβ καὶ εὐφρανθήσεται Ἰσραήλ», ὡς καὶ τὸν Πατέρα αὐτὸν φάσκειν· «Ἐγὼ ἤγειρα αὐτὸν βασιλέα· οὗτος οἰκοδομήσει τὴν πόλιν μου, καὶ τὴν αἰχμαλωσίαν τοῦ λαοῦ μου ἐπιστρέψει, οὐ μετὰ λύτρων οὐδὲ μετὰ δώρων.» 3.49 Τί δὲ ὑπάρξεται οἰκοδομηθείσης τῆς καλλιπόλεως καὶ ἐπιστραφέντος τοῦ λαοῦ ἀπὸ τῆς αἰχμαλωσίας, ἢ τὸ ἁπανταχόθεν ἥκειν λαοὺς πολλοὺς καὶ ἔθνη πολλὰ ἐξιλάσασθαι τὸ πρόσωπον Κυρίου παντοκράτορος καὶ ἐκζητῆσαι τὸ πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ, ὅπερ ἐστὶν «εἰκὼν» αὐτοῦ, τυγχάνοντος «ἀοράτου Θεοῦ», καὶ «χαρακτὴρ τῆς ὑποστάσεως αὐτοῦ», ὡς τὸν προσβαλόντα αὐτῷ νῷ καθαρῷ ὁρᾶν τὸν Πατέρα, τὸν ἀόρατον Θεὸν δηλονότι. «Ὁ γὰρ ἐμὲ ἑωρακὼς ἑώρακε τὸν Πατέρα», τοῦ ἰδεῖν τὸν Υἱὸν πόθον ἐχόντων καὶ τῶν ἀγγέλων. 3.50 Εἴρηται ἐν Εὐαγγελίῳ ὡς οἱ ἄγγελοι τῶν ἐν τῇ Ἐκκλησίᾳ «τὸ πρόσωπον διὰ παντὸς βλέπουσιν τοῦ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς Πατρός», ὅπερ