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much more so in the case of God. Therefore, as he progresses and becomes more intimately acquainted with God, from the things done for him by God he knows both what He did with all the saints who have gone before, and what He will do with those who come after. And concerning the future crowns and rewards, he is taught indeed by being initiated by God Himself, inferring clearly that these things are beyond mind and speech and thought; not only this, but he also understands clearly what kind of beings he and all those with him will be after the resurrection, but he does not receive these things now, even if some have wrongly supposed that we say this. For if we were to suppose that we receive everything here, then according to them we would be denying the resurrection itself, the judgment and the retribution, and we would be voluntarily casting away the hope of things to come. But we do not think or speak thus, but we also strongly subject to anathema those who say this. Therefore, we confess and say that we now already receive in a measured way the pledges of all good things from here, but we hope to receive the whole after death, as it is written: "For now I know," he says, "in part; but when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away." And elsewhere: "And now are we the children of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him."

And so that we may change our discourse into the form of question and answer, let us, as it were, question the one who said this: "From where, (219) O beloved and friend of Christ, do you know that you will be like him? Tell us, from where?" "From the Spirit," he says, "which he has given us, from this we know that we are the children of God and God himself is in us, because he himself told me these things with a mystical voice." But let us return to the subject at hand.

First, we said from the beginning that it is right for those to be called our thoughts, when in our mind a word is born about some matter, good or evil, as for example, that I might acquire something or do evil or good to someone; but to speak about things that have already happened or been seen is an explanation and not a thought. Then again we said that concerning things which one has not seen—events or cities or spectacles or people—how can he speak about them or narrate their forms or shapes and their positions? And if he should speak, he would rightly be called a myth-teller by those who hear him. The prophets and apostles, therefore, who spoke about the day of the Lord and about his glorious and fearful coming, that it is as a thief in the night and as birth pangs to a woman in labor and that it is revealed in fire—from where did they learn these things to say them? For certainly, they either heard from someone, or they became eyewitnesses of that day. Since what they did not see, what they did not hear from another speaking, how did they say it? If therefore they heard, say from whom; for I do not yet say for now that they saw and spoke, but that they heard; say then, if you know, from where they learned these things. But if you do not know what to say, listen and know that they learned these things from the Holy Spirit, as the Lord also said to them: "But when the Comforter comes, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you." (220) And that the Holy Spirit, coming upon the apostles, taught and said also those things which Christ did not say to them, he himself says: "I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you." You have learned from where those who wrote about that day and the appearance of the Lord and the things laid up and destined to come upon sinners and the just were taught. Thus also concerning all the rest of the things not seen by us, they, being enlightened by the Spirit, both saw and wrote.

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πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἐπί Θεοῦ. ∆ιό καί προκόπτων καί ἐπί πλεῖον προσοικειούμενος τῷ Θεῷ, ἐκ τῶν εἰς αὐτόν γινομένων παρά Θεοῦ γινώσκει καί ἅπερ μετά τῶν προλαβόντων ἁγίων ἁπάντων ἐποίησε καί ὅσα μέλλει μετά τῶν μεταγενεστέρων ποιεῖν. Περί δέ τῶν μελλόντων στεφάνων καί ἀμοιβῶν διδάσκεται μέν μυούμενος παρ᾿ αὐτοῦ τοῦ Θεοῦ, τεκμαιρόμενος δηλονότι ὅτι ὑπέρ νοῦν καί λόγον καί διάνοιαν ταῦτά εἰσιν· οὐ μόνον δέ, ἀλλά καί νοεῖ σαφῶς ὁποῖοι μετά τήν ἀνάστασιν ἔσονται αὐτός τε καί πάντες οἱ μετ᾿ αὐτοῦ, οὐκ ἀπολαμβάνει δέ ταῦτα νυνί, εἰ καί τινες τοῦτο λέγειν ἡμᾶς κακῶς ἐλογίσαντο. Εἰ γάρ ἐνταῦθα τό πᾶν ἀπολαμβάνειν ὑποτιθέμεθα, λοιπόν κατ᾿ αὐτούς καί τήν ἀνάστασιν αὐτήν ἀπαρνούμεθα, τήν κρίσιν τε καί τήν ἀνταπόδοσιν, καί τήν τῶν μελλόντων ἐλπίδα ἑκουσίως ἀποβαλλόμεθα. Ἀλλ᾿ οὐχ οὕτως ἡμεῖς φρονοῦμεν ἤ λέγομεν, ἀλλά καί τούς τοῦτο λέγοντας σφοδρῶς καθυποβάλλομεν ἀναθέματι. Τοίνυν καί νῦν μέν μετρίως τούς ἀρραβῶνας ἐντεῦθεν ἤδη ἀπολαμβάνειν τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἁπάντων ὁμολογοῦμεν καί λέγομεν, τό δέ ὅλον μετά τόν θάνατον ἐλπίζομεν λήψεσθαι, καθώς γέγραπται· "Νῦν μέν γινώσκω, φησίν, ἐκ μέρους· ὅταν δέ ἔλθῃ τό πᾶν, τότε τό ἐκ μέρους καταργηθήσεται". Καί ἀλλαχοῦ· "Καί νῦν τέκνα Θεοῦ ἐσμεν καί οὔπω ἐφανερώθη τί ἐσόμεθα· οἴδαμεν δέ ὅτι, ἐάν φανερωθῇ, ὅμοιοι αὐτῷ ἐσόμεθα".

Καί ἵνα κατά πεῦσιν καί ἀπόκρισιν τόν λόγον μεταποιήσωμεν, οἱονεί τόν εἰρηκότα τοῦτο ἐρωτήσωμεν· "Πόθεν, (219) ὦ ἠγαπημένε καί φίλε Χριστοῦ, οἶδας ὅτι ὅμοιος αὐτοῦ ἔσῃ; Φράσον ἡμῖν, πόθεν;" "Ἐκ τοῦ Πνεύματος, φησίν, οὗ ἔδωκεν ἡμῖν, ἐκ τούτου γινώσκομεν ὅτι ἐσμέν τέκνα Θεοῦ καί αὐτός ὁ Θεός ἐν ἡμῖν ἐστιν, ἐπειδή καί αὐτός ταῦτά μοι εἶπε μυστικῇ τῇ φωνῇ". Ἀλλ᾿ ἐπί τό προκείμενον ἐπανέλθωμεν.

Πρῶτον ἄνωθεν εἴπομεν ὅτι νοήματα ἡμῶν ἐκεῖνα λέγεσθαι δίκαιον, ὅταν ἐν τῷ ἡμετέρῳ νοΐ ἵνα λόγος περί πράγματός τινος ἀγαθοῦ ἤ κακοῦ γεννηθῇ, οἷον φέρε εἰπεῖν, ἵνα κτήσωμαί τι ἤ κακοποιήσω ἤ ἀγαθοποιήσω τινά, ἐξήγησιν δέ καί οὐχί νόημα τό περί γεγενημένων ἤδη ἤ ἑωραμένων πραγμάτων λαλεῖν. Εἶτα πάλιν εἴπομεν ὅτι περί ὧν τις οὐχ ἑώρακε πραγμάτων ἤ πόλεων ἤ θεάτρων ἤ ἀνθρώπων, πῶς λέγειν δύναται περί αὐτῶν ἤ τάς ἰδέας ἤ τάς μορφάς καί τάς θέσεις αὐτῶν ἀφηγήσασθαι; Εἰ δέ καί εἴπῃ, μυθολόγος ἄν δικαίως ὑπό τῶν ἀκουόντων αὐτόν κληθήσεται. Οἱ οὖν εἰπόντες περί τῆς τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμέρας καί περί τῆς ἐνδόξου καί φρικτῆς αὐτοῦ παρουσίας προφῆται καί ἀπόστολοι, ὅτι ὡς κλέπτης ἐν νυκτί καί ὡς ὠδίν τῇ τικτούσῃ καί ὅτι ἐν πυρί ἀποκαλύπτεται, πόθεν μαθόντες ταῦτα εἰρήκασι; Πάντως γάρ, ἤ παρά τινος ἀκηκόασιν, ἤ αὐτόπται τῆς ἡμέρας ἐκείνης ἐγένοντο. Ἐπεί ὅ οὐκ εἶδον, ὅ παρ᾿ ἑτέρου οὐκ ἤκουσαν λέγοντος, πῶς ἐκεῖνοι εἰρήκασιν; Εἰ οὖν ἤκουσαν, παρά τίνος εἰπέ· οὔπω γάρ τέως λέγω ὅτι εἶδον αὐτοί καί εἶπον, ἀλλ᾿ ὅτι ἤκουσαν· εἰπέ λοιπόν, εἰ οἶδας, πόθεν ταῦτα μεμαθήκασιν. Εἰ δέ τί εἰπεῖν οὐκ ἐπίστασαι, ἄκουσον καί γνῶθι ὅτι παρά τοῦ Ἁγίου ταῦτα μεμαθήκασι Πνεύματος, καθώς αὐτοῖς καί ὁ Κύριος ἔλεγεν· "Ὅταν δέ ἔλθῃ ὁ παράκλητος, τό Πνεῦμα τό Ἅγιον ὅ πέμπει ὁ Πατήρ ἐν τῷ ὀνόματί μου, ἐκεῖνος ὑμᾶς διδάξει πάντα καί ὑπομνήσει ὑμᾶς πάντα ἅ εἶπον ὑμῖν". (220) Ὅτι δέ καί ἅ οὐκ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς ὁ Χριστός, ταῦτα τό Πνεῦμα τό Ἅγιον τοῖς ἀποστόλοις ἐπελθόν ἐδίδαξε καί εἶπε, φησίν ὁ αὐτός· "Ἔτι πολλά ἔχω λέγειν ὑμῖν, ἀλλ᾿ οὐ δύνασθε βαστάζειν ἄρτι· ὅταν δέ ἔλθῃ ἐκεῖνος, τό Πνεῦμα τῆς ἀληθείας, ὁδηγήσει ὑμᾶς εἰς πᾶσαν τήν ἀλήθειαν· οὐ γάρ λαλήσει ἀφ᾿ ἑαυτοῦ, ἀλλ᾿ ὅσα ἄν ἀκούσῃ λαλήσει καί τά ἐρχόμενα ἀναγγελεῖ ὑμῖν. Ἐκεῖνος ἐμέ δοξάσει, ὅτι ἐκ τοῦ ἐμοῦ λήψεται καί ἀναγγελεῖ ὑμῖν". Ἔμαθες πόθεν ἐδιδάχθησαν οἱ γράψαντες τά περί τῆς ἡμέρας ἐκείνης καί τῆς τοῦ Κυρίου ἐπιφανείας καί τῶν ἀποκειμένων καί ἐπελθεῖν μελλόντων τοῖς ἁμαρτωλοῖς καί δικαίοις. Οὕτω καί περί τῶν λοιπῶν πάντων τῶν μή βλεπομένων ἡμῖν αὐτοί φωτισθέντες διά τοῦ Πνεύματος εἶδον ἅμα καί ἔγραψαν.