1

 2

 3

 4

 5

 6

 7

 8

 9

 10

 11

 12

 13

 14

 15

 16

 17

 18

 19

 20

 21

 22

 23

 24

 25

 26

 27

 28

 29

 30

 31

 32

 33

 34

 35

 36

 37

 38

 39

 40

 41

 42

 43

 44

 45

 46

 47

 48

 49

 50

 51

 52

 53

 54

 55

 56

 57

 58

 59

 60

 61

 62

 63

 64

 65

 66

 67

 68

 69

 70

 71

 72

 73

 74

 75

 76

 77

 78

 79

 80

 81

 82

 83

 84

 85

 86

 87

 88

 89

 90

 91

 92

 93

 94

 95

 96

 97

 98

 99

 100

 101

 102

 103

 104

 105

 106

 107

 108

 109

 110

 111

 112

 113

 114

 115

 116

 117

 118

 119

 120

 121

 122

 123

 124

 125

 126

 127

 128

 129

 130

 131

 132

 133

 134

 135

 136

 137

 138

 139

 140

 141

 142

 143

 144

 145

 146

 147

 148

 149

 150

 151

 152

 153

 154

 155

 156

 157

 158

 159

 160

 161

 162

 163

 164

 165

 166

 167

 168

 169

 170

 171

 172

 173

 174

 175

 176

 177

 178

 179

 180

 181

 182

 183

 184

 185

 186

 187

 188

 189

 190

 191

 192

 193

 194

 195

 196

 197

 198

 199

 200

 201

 202

 203

 204

 205

 206

 207

 208

 209

 210

 211

 212

 213

 214

 215

 216

 217

 218

 219

 220

 221

 222

 223

 224

 225

 226

 227

 228

 229

 230

 231

 232

 233

 234

 235

 236

 237

 238

 239

 240

 241

 242

 243

 244

 245

 246

 247

 248

 249

 250

 251

 252

 253

 254

 255

 256

 257

 258

 259

 260

 261

 262

 263

 264

 265

 266

 267

 268

 269

 270

 271

 272

 273

 274

 275

 276

 277

 278

 279

 280

 281

 282

 283

 284

 285

 286

 287

 288

 289

 290

 291

 292

93

For these are dead and living in truth, because they are true and as deceivers. These are humble in spirit and in heart, (150) and they are meek and zealous for the Lord. These are ungodly to the ungodly and a fragrance of life to the elect of the Lord. These are also fornicators to the fornicators in heart and equal to angels to those who are virgins in soul. These are humbled in the midst of glory and are glorified in poverty. These consider worthlessness as a kingdom and a kingdom as poverty. These, while eating, are in self-control and, while fasting, are filled with every kind of good. These do not concur with injustice nor can they overlook one who is afflicted and oppressed by the rich. These do not respect the face of men, for they see the face of the Lord. The heart of these is not swayed by gifts and they do not disregard the law of righteousness, for they also have the inviolable wealth and they consider all the things of the world as dung. These, having the Spirit as their teacher, do not need instruction from men, but shining with His light they see the Son, they behold the Father and they worship the Trinity in persons, the one God united in nature ineffably. And these are initiated by the Father again, that the Son is begotten indivisibly, as He alone knows, for I am not able to speak of it; for if I were able, speech would certainly have expressed things beyond speech and thought (151) and all things would have become upside down. For if creation were to learn its creator and comprehend Him wholly, as He is, and be able to speak of it in words, to write of it, the work has become greater than the one who created it. Cease, O man, shudder, O mortal, in your nature and consider, that you were brought forth from non-being and having emerged from your mother's womb

93

Οὗτοι γάρ νεκροί καί ζῶντες ἀληθείᾳ, ὅτι πέλουσιν ἀληθεῖς καί ὡς πλάνοι. Οὗτοι ταπεινοί πνεύματι καί καρδίᾳ, (150) πραεῖς τε εἰσί καί ζηλωταί Κυρίῳ. Οὗτοι ἀσεβεῖς εἰσι τοῖς ἀσεβέσι καί ὀσμή ζωῆς τοῖς ἐκλεκτοῖς Κυρίου. Οὗτοι καί πόρνοι τοῖς πόρνοις τῇ καρδίᾳ καί ἰσάγγελοι τοῖς τήν ψυχήν παρθένοις. Οὗτοι καί δόξης ἐν μέσῳ ταπεινοῦνται καί ἐν πενίᾳ εἰσί δεδοξασμένοι. Οὗτοι καί εὐτέλειαν ὡς βασιλείαν καί βασιλείαν ὡς πτωχείαν ἡγοῦνται. Οὗτοι τρώγοντες εἰσίν ἐν ἐγκρατείᾳ καί νηστεύοντες πᾶν εἶδος ἐμπιπλῶνται. Οὗτοι οὐ συνέρχονται τῇ ἀδικίᾳ οὐδέ παριδεῖν δύνανται τεθλιμμένον καί καταπονούμενον ὑπό πλουσίων. Οὗτοι πρόσωπον οὐκ αἰδοῦνται ἀνθρώπων, τό γάρ πρόσωπον ὁρῶσι τοῦ Κυρίου. Οὗτοι οὐ κλῶνται τοῖς δώροις τήν καρδίαν καί οὐ παρορῶσι νόμον δικαιοσύνης, ἔχουσι καί γάρ τόν ἀσύλητον πλοῦτον καί τά τοῦ κόσμου πάντα λογίζονται ὡς κόπρον. Οὗτοι ἔχοντες διδάσκαλον τό Πνεῦμα μήθησιν οὐ χρῄζουσιν ἐκ τῶν ἀνθρώπων, ἀλλά τῷ φωτί λαμπόμενοι τῷ τούτου βλέπουσι τόν Υἱόν, ὁρῶσι τόν Πατέρα καί προσκυνοῦσι Τριάδα τοῖς προσώποις, τόν ἕνα Θεόν ἡνωμένον τῇ φύσει ἀφράστως. Οὗτοι μυοῦνται ἐκ τοῦ Πατρός δέ πάλιν, ὅτι γεννᾶται ὁ Υἱός ἀμερίστως, ὡς οἶδε μόνον, εἰπεῖν γάρ οὐκ ἰσχύω˙ εἰ γάρ ἴσχυον, εἶχε πάντως ὁ λόγος τά ὑπέρ λόγον καί διάνοιαν φράσαι (151) καί ἄνω κάτω τά σύμπαντα γενέσθαι. Εἰ γάρ τό κτίσμα τόν κτίστην καταμάθῃ καί, οἷός ἐστιν, ὅλον κατανοήσῃ καί εἰπεῖν λόγῳ γράψαι ἐξισχύσῃ, γέγονε τοῦ κτίσαντος τό ἔργον κρεῖσσον. Παῦσον, ἄνθρωπε, φρίξον, βροτέ, τῇ φύσει καί ἐννόησον, ὅτι μή ὤν παρήχθης καί τῆς μητρῴας νηδύος παρακύψας