89

the splendor of the divine nature being transfigured, they no longer have the perception of things seen as they did before.

This blessed experience, therefore—for in this I will imitate the one who said: "as to one born out of due time, he appeared to me also"—we also who are rejected, by the philanthropy and grace of God, through many prayers, were deemed worthy to experience, through which also, having been mystically taught and having received together the experience of all that has been said in perception and vision and knowledge, for the benefit and encouragement of those who wish to seek God and find him, we have committed these things to writing. Grieve with us, therefore, and pray with us, you who reap the benefit from the present discourse and who choose to ascend in practice to its height, (206) so that by your acceptable prayers to God not only may the torch of divine desire be kept unquenched in us, but may it also be kindled more fiercely than a flame and may He keep us unblemished and blameless and unstained, He who raised up from earth to heaven and glorified our human race. Yes, indeed, He will join and clearly unite and deem me worthy to be consciously mingled, whole with His whole self and with you, in an unmixed mixture and ineffable conjunction according to His unfailing promises, to whom is due all glory, honor and worship, with the Father and His all-holy Spirit, now and ever and unto the endless ages of ages. Amen.

DISCOURSE V (207)

Concerning those who think they have the Holy Spirit within themselves unknowingly, yet are not at all aware of His energy; and concerning those who say that no human can see His glory in the present life, and a proof concerning this through scriptural citations. And that there is no envy among the saints, when through all virtuous diligence we become equal to them. And in what manner one sees God, and that one who has reached such measures as to see God as far as possible, is from that point already initiated also into the enjoyment that is to be given to the saints in the future. And that whatever such a person says or does or writes, it is not he, but the Holy Spirit speaking in him who says and writes these things; and he who rejects or misinterprets his words sins against and blasphemes the Spirit of God, who is at work and speaking in him.

Behold, I am again addressing those who say they have the Spirit of God unknowingly and

who think they possess it within themselves from divine baptism and who believe they have the treasure, but recognize themselves to be entirely empty of it, addressing those who confess to have felt nothing at all in baptism, but who suppose that the gift of God has dwelt in them unknowingly and insensibly since then and exists within (208) their soul even until now; and not only this, but indeed also addressing those who say they have never received any perception of it in vision and revelation, but have accepted this by faith and reason alone, not by experience, and hold it within themselves as from the hearing of the divine oracles.

So then, that I may set forth what is said by them, see what these wise and, in their own eyes, knowledgeable men say: "For as many of you as were baptized into Christ," says Paul, "have put on Christ." What then? Are we not also baptized? If, therefore, we are baptized, it is clear that, as the Apostle says, we also have put on Christ. This, then, is their first proposition and proof.

89

λαμπρότητα θείας φύσεως μεταμφιεννυμένης, οὐκέτι τήν αἴσθησιν πρός τά ὁρώμενα καθά καί πρότερον κέκτηνται.

Τοῦτο οὖν τό μακάριον πάθος, μιμήσομαι γάρ ἐν τούτῳ τόν εἰπόντα· "Ὡσπερεί τῷ ἐκτρώματι ὤφθη κἀμοί", καί ἡμεῖς οἱ ἀπερριμένοι, φιλανθρωπίᾳ Θεοῦ καί χάριτι, διά πολλῶν δεήσεων παθεῖν ἠξιώθημεν, δι᾿ οὗ καί τῶν εἰρημένων ἁπάντων τήν πεῖραν ἐν αἰσθήσει καί ὁράσει καί γνώσει μυστικῶς διδαχθέντες καί λαβόντες ὁμοῦ εἰς ὠφέλειαν καί προτροπήν τῶν ἐκζητεῖν τόν Θεόν καί αὐτόν εὑρεῖν βουλομένων ταῦτα γραφῇ παρεδώκαμεν. Συναλγήσατε οὖν ἡμῖν καί συνεύξασθε οἱ ἐκ τοῦ παρόντος λόγου καρπούμενοι τήν ὠφέλειαν καί πρός τό ὕψος τούτου πρακτικῶς ἀνελθεῖν προαιρούμενοι, (206) ὅπως ταῖς πρός Θεόν ὑμῶν εὐπροσδέκτοις δεήσεσι μή μόνον ἄσβεστος ἐν ἡμῖν ὁ τοῦ θείου πόθου πυρσός διατηρηθῇ, ἀλλά καί σφοδρότερον μᾶλλον φλογός ἀναφθῇ καί ἀμώμους ἡμᾶς καί ἀμέμπτους καί ἀσπίλους διατηρήσῃ ὁ ἀπό γῆς εἰς οὐρανούς ἀναβιβάσας καί δοξάσας τό γένος ἡμῶν τῶν ἀνθρώπων. Ναί μήν ἐπί πλεῖον συγκολλήσει καί τρανῶς συνενώσει καί συγκραθῆναι γνωστῶς ἀξιώσει ὅλον με ὅλῳ ἑαυτῷ καί ὑμῖν, ἐν ἀμίκτῳ μίξει καί συναφείᾳ ἀφράστῳ κατά τάς ἀψευδεῖς ὑποσχέσεις αὐτοῦ, ᾧ πρέπει πᾶσα δόξα τιμή καί προσκύνησις, σύν τῷ Πατρί καί τῷ παναγίῳ αὐτοῦ Πνεύματι, νῦν καί ἀεί καί εἰς τούς ἀτελευτήτους αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων· ἀμήν.

ΛΟΓΟΣ Ε΄ (207)

Περί τῶν οἰομένων ἀγνώστως ἔχειν ἐν ἑαυτοῖς τό Πνεῦμα τό Ἅγιον, μή ἐπαισθανομένων δέ καθόλου τῆς ἐνεργείας αὐτοῦ· καί περί τῶν λεγόντων μή δύνασθαί τινα τῶν ἀνθρώπων κατά τήν παροῦσαν ζωήν ὁρᾶν τήν δόξαν αὐτοῦ, καί ἀπόδειξις διά χρήσεων περί τούτου. Καί ὅτι φθόνος οὐδείς ἐν τοῖς ἁγίοις, ὅταν διά πάσης σπουδῆς ἐναρέτου τούτοις συνεξισώμεθα. Καί ποίῳ τρόπῳ ὁρᾷ τις τόν Θεόν καί ὅτι ὁ εἰς τοιαῦτα μέτρα πεφθακώς, ὥστε ὁρᾷν κατά τό ἐφικτόν τόν Θεόν, ἔνθεν ἤδη μυεῖται καί τήν μέλλουσαν δοθῆναι ἐν τῷ μέλλοντι τοῖς ἁγίοις ἀπόλαυσιν. Καί ὅτι ὅσα ἄν ὁ τοιοῦτος λέγῃ ἤ ποιῇ ἤ γράφῃ, οὐκ αὐτός, ἀλλά τό Πνεῦμα τό Ἅγιον τό λαλοῦν ἐν αὐτῷ ταῦτα λέγει καί γράφει· καί ὁ τούς λόγους αὐτοῦ ἀθετῶν ἤ παραλογιζόμενος, εἰς τό Πνεῦμα τοῦ Θεοῦ, τό ἐνεργοῦν καί λαλοῦν ἐν αὐτῷ, ἁμαρτάνει καί βλασφημεῖ.

Ἰδού καί πάλιν ἐγώ πρός τούς λέγοντας ἔχειν ἀγνώστως Πνεῦμα Θεοῦ καί

οἰομένους ἀπό τοῦ θείου βαπτίσματος τοῦτο κεκτῆσθαι ἐν ἑαυτοῖς καί τόν μέν θησαυρόν ἔχειν νομίζοντας, κούφους δέ τούτου ἑαυτούς ὅλως ἐπιγινώσκοντας, πρός τούς ὁμολογοῦντας μέν μηδέν ὅλως ἐπαισθανθῆναι ἐν τῷ βαπτίσματι, ἀγνώστως δέ καί ἀνεπαισθήτως ὑπολαμβάνοντας τήν τοῦ Θεοῦ δωρεάν ἐν ἑαυτοῖς ἀπό τότε ἐγκατοικήσασαν καί μέχρι τοῦ νῦν ἔνδοθεν (208) τῆς ἑαυτῶν ψυχῆς ἐνυπάρχουσαν· οὐ μόνον δέ, ἀλλά γάρ καί πρός αὐτούς τούς μηδεμίαν λέγοντάς ποτε αἴσθησιν ἐν θεωρίᾳ καί ἀποκαλύψει ταύτης λαβεῖν, πίστει δέ μόνῃ καί λογισμῷ, ἀλλ᾿ οὐ πείρᾳ τοῦτο παραδεξαμένους καί κρατοῦντας ἐν ἑαυτοῖς ὡς ἐκ τῆς τῶν θείων λογίων ἀκροάσεως.

Ἵνα οὖν τά παρ᾿ ἐκείνων προτάξω λεγόμενα, ὅρα τί φασιν οἱ σοφοί καί ἐνώπιον αὐτῶν ἐπιστήμονες· "Ὅσοι εἰς Χριστόν ἐβαπτίσθητε, φησίν ὁ Παῦλος, Χριστόν ἐνεδύσασθε. Τί δαί; Οὐχί βεβαπτισμένοι ἐσμέν καί ἡμεῖς; Εἰ οὖν βεβαπτίσμεθα, δῆλον ὅτι, καθώς φησιν ὁ Ἀπόστολος, καί τόν Χριστόν ἐνδεδύμεθα". Αὕτη τοίνυν καί παρ᾿ αὐτῶν ἡ πρώτη πρότασις καί ἀπόδειξις.