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the heavenly sounds and the heights of all the saints, which one must leave behind one after another, he immediately enumerated there, the purifications of Moses before the foot of the mountain in Horeb, the sounds encountered after the foot of the mountain and the spectacles of the lights that appeared, the separation from the many, after all these things, not the vision of God, but of the place in which He stood, this signifying that everything which is seen by the activity of sense or intellect are certain hypothetical principles of things subordinate to the One who surpasses all, through which not He Himself only, but also His presence is shown to be beyond every conception; so that (p. 516) that vision of the place has also transcended apophatic theology, which showed this very thing. If, then, the ascent of Moses was up to the vision of this place, they might perhaps have rightly decreed that after apophatic theology there is no contemplation from such things. But since he is also released from the vision of this place and then enters into the truly mystical darkness in the transcendent abandonment of all cognitive activity, "being united in a better way to the unknown and seeing and knowing this beyond mind," how shall we enclose the vision in the divine darkness within apophatic theology and contemplation alone? For Moses beheld this through the place even before entering into the luminous darkness; so that the union and vision in the darkness is clearly something else, pre-eminently higher than such theology.

And why is it necessary still to teach with words and not show in deed the sure truth of the things spoken by us? For did Moses, released from all things seen and seeing, both things and thoughts, and having transcended the vision of the place and entered into the darkness, see nothing in it? But indeed there he saw the immaterial tabernacle, "which he showed to those below by means of a material imitation"; and this would be, according to the words of the saints, Christ the power of God and the self-subsistent wisdom of God, being immaterial and uncreated in His own nature, but showing beforehand through the Mosaic tabernacle that the supersubstantial and unformed Word will one day receive a construction and come into form and substance, the tabernacle which surpasses, precedes, and contains all things, in which have been created and subsist both all things visible and all things invisible, and having taken a body, will set this up for our sake, being Himself a pre-eternal high priest, but later also using Himself as a sacrifice for us. For this reason, having been in the divine darkness, Moses not only saw the immaterial tabernacle and sketched it out through matter, but he also materially and variously depicted the hierarchy of the Godhead (p. 518) itself and the things pertaining to the Levitical priesthood. Sensible symbols, therefore, were both the tabernacle and all the things concerning the tabernacle, the priesthood and the veils pertaining to the priesthood, of the visions of Moses in the darkness. But those visions themselves were not symbols; for to those who pass beyond both all the profane and the pure things and enter into the mystical darkness, those things are revealed unveiledly. How could things revealed bare of every covering be symbols? Wherefore also the spokesman of the Mystical Theology, praying at the beginning, says, "O supersubstantial Trinity, guide us to the highest peak of the mystical oracles, where the simple and absolute and unchanging mysteries of theology are veiled in the luminous darkness." Can anyone, then, still say that nothing is seen in the divine darkness and that there is no higher vision after apophatic theology? or at least this, that all the visions of the saints are symbolic? and such symbols, as to appear at some time, but never to be? For Moses saw what he saw "in forty days and as many nights," according to Gregory of Nyssa, "partaking of the formless life under the darkness," so that those visions were without form. How then symbolic? But they were also seen in the darkness; and all things in the darkness are simple and absolute and unchanging. What then of symbols properly so called, of those

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τούς οὐρανίους ἤχους καί τάς πασῶν ἁγίων ἀκρότητας, ἅ δεῖν ἀπολιμπάνειν ἐφεξῆς εὐθύς ἐκεῖ κατέλεξε, τάς πρό τῆς ὑπωρείας ἐν Χωρήβ τοῦ Μωσέως καθάρσεις, τούς μετά τήν ὑπώρειαν ἀπαντήσαντας ἤχους καί τά προφανέντα τῶν φώτων θεάματα, τόν ἀπό τῶν πολλῶν ἀφορισμόν, τήν μετά ταῦτα πάντα οὐχ ὅρασιν Θεοῦ, ἀλλά τοῦ τόπου ἐν ᾧ ἔστη τοῦτο σημαίνοντος, ὅτι πᾶν ὅ αἰσθήσεως ἐνεργείᾳ ἤ νοός ὁρᾶται, ὑποθετικοί τινές εἰσι λόγοι τῶν ὑποβεβλημένων τῷ πάντα ὑπερέχοντι, δι᾿ ὧν ὑπέρ πᾶσαν ἐπίνοιαν οὐκ αὐτός μόνον, ἀλλά καί ἡ παρουσία αὐτοῦ δείκνυται˙ ὥστε (σελ. 516) ἡ τοῦ τόπου ἐκείνη θέα καί τήν κατά ἀπόφασιν θεολογίαν ὑπερβέβηκεν, ἥ τοῦτο ἔδειξεν αὐτό. Εἰ μέν οὖν μέχρι τῆς τοῦ τόπου τούτου θέας ἡ τοῦ Μωϋσέως ἦν ἀνάβασις, καλῶς ἄν ἴσως ἀπό τῶν τοιούτων μηδεμίαν θεωρίαν εἶναι μετά τήν κατά ἀπόφασιν θεολογίαν ἐδογμάτιζον. Ἐπεί δέ καί τῆς θέας τοῦ τόπου τούτου ἀπολύεται καί τότε εἰς τόν γνόφον εἰσδύνει τόν ὄντως μυστικόν ἐν τῇ πάσης γνωστικῆς ἐνεργείας ὑπεροχικῶς ἀποθέσει, «τῷ ἀγνώστῳ κατά τό κρεῖττον ἑνούμενος καί ὁρῶν καί γινώσκων τοῦτον ὑπέρ νοῦν», πῶς μόνον ἐν τῇ κατά ἀπόφασιν θεολογίᾳ τε καί θεωρίᾳ περικλείσομεν τήν ἐν τῷ θείῳ γνόφῳ θέαν; Ταύτην γάρ καί πρό τοῦ εἰσελθεῖν εἰς τόν ὑπέρφωτον γνόφον διά τοῦ τόπου ὁ Μωϋσῆς ἐθεάσατο˙ ὥστ᾿ ἄλλο τί ἐστι σαφῶς ἡ ἐν τῷ γνόφῳ ἕνωσις καί θέα, τῆς τοιαύτης θεολογίας διαφερόντως ὑψηλότερον.

Καί τί δεῖ λόγοις ἔτι διδάσκειν καί μή πράγματι δεικνύναι τήν ἀσφαλῆ τῶν ὑφ᾿ ἡμῶν λεγομένων ἀλήθειαν; Ἆρα γάρ ὁ Μωϋσῆς, πάντων ἀπολυθείς τῶν τε ὁρωμένων καί τῶν ὁρώντων πραγμάτων τε καί νοημάτων καί τήν θέαν ὑπερβάς τοῦ τόπου καί εἰς τόν γνόφον εἰσελθών, ἐν αὐτῷ ἑώρακεν οὐδέν; Ἀλλά μήν ἐκεῖ εἶδε τήν ἄϋλον σκηνήν , «ἥν δι᾿ ὑλικῆς μιμήσεως τοῖς κάτω ὑπέδειξεν»˙ αὕτη δ᾿ ἄν εἴη, κατά τούς τῶν ἁγίων λόγους, Χριστός ἡ Θεοῦ δύναμις καί Θεοῦ αὐθυπόστατος σοφία, ἄϋλος έν οὖσα καί ἄκτιστος τῇ ἑαυτῆς φύσει, προδεικνῦσα δέ διά τῆς μωσαϊκῆς σκηνῆς ὅτι δέξεταί ποτε κατασκευήν καί εἰς σχῆμα ἥξει καί οὐσίαν ὁ ὑπερούσιος καί ἀσχημάτιστος λόγος, ἡ πάντα ὑπερέχουσα καί προέχουσα καί περιέχουσα σκηνή, ἐν ἧ ἔκστισται καί συνέστηκεν ὅσα τε ὁρατά καί ὅσα ἀόρατα, καί σῶμα λαβών θέσει τοῦτο ὑπέρ ἡμῶν, ἀρχιερεύς μέν ὤν αὐτός προαιώνιος, ὕστερον δέ καί ὡς ἱερείῳ ἑαυτῷ χρώμενος ὑπέρ ἡμῶν. ∆ιά τοῦτο, ἐν τῷ θείῳ γνόφῳ γεγονώς ὁ Μωϋσῆς, οὐ τήν ἄϋλον σκηνήν εἶδε μόνον καί δι᾿ ὕλης ὑπέγραψεν, ἀλλά καί αὐτήν τήν τῆς θεαρχίας (σελ. 518) ἱεραρχίαν καί τά κατά τήν νομικήν ἱερωσύνην ὑλικῶς καί ποικίλως διεζωγράφησε. Σύμβολα μέν οὖν αἰσθητά ἤ τε σκηνή καί τά κατά τήν σκηνήν πάντα, ἱερωσύνη τε καί τά καθ᾿ ἱερωσύνην παραπετάσματα τῶν ἐν τῷ γνόφῳ Μωσέως ὑπῆρχε θεαμάτων. Ἐκεῖνα δέ αὐτά τά θεάματα σύμβολα οὐκ ἦν˙ τοῖς γάρ καί τά ἐναγῆ πάντα καί τά καθαρά διαβαίνουσι καί εἰς τόν μυστικόν εἰσδύνουσι γνόφον ἀπερικαλύπτως ἐκεῖνα ἐκφαίνεται. Πῶς δ᾿ ἄν εἴη σύμβολα τά γυμνά παντός περικαλύμματος ἐκφαινόμενα; ∆ιό καί ὁ τῆς Μυστικῆς θεολογίας ὑποφήτης εὐχόμενος, ἀρχόμενος, «τριάς ὑπερούσιε», φησίν, «ἴθυνον ἡμᾶς ἐπί τήν τῶν μυστικῶν ἀκροτάτην κορυφήν, ἔνθα τά ἁπλᾶ καί ἀπόλυτα καί ἄτρεπτα τῆς θεολογίας μυστήρια κατά τόν ὑπέρφωτον ἐγκεκάλυπται γνόφον». Ἔτ᾿ οὖν ἔχει τις εἰπεῖν ὡς οὐδέν ὁρᾶται ἐν τῷ θείῳ γνόφῳ καί μετά τήν κατά ἀπόφασιν θεολογίαν ὑψηλότερον θέαμα οὐδέν; ἤ τοῦτο γοῦν ὅτι συμβολικά πάντα τά τῶν ἁγίων θεάματα; καί συμβολικά τοιαῦτα, ὡς φαίνεσθαι μέν ποτε, εἶναι δ᾿ οὐδέποτε; Μωϋσῆς γάρ εἶδεν ἅ εἶδεν «ἐν τεσσαράκοντα ἡμέραις καί τοσαύταις νυξί», κατά τόν Νύσσης Γρηγόριον, τῆς ἀειδοῦς ζωῆς ὑπό τόν γνόφον μετέχων», ὥστε ἀνείδεα ἦν τά θεάματα ἐκεῖνα. Πῶς οὖν συμβολικά; Ἀλλά καί ἐν τῷ γνόφῳ ἑωρᾶτο˙ πάντα δέ τά ἐν τῷ γνόφῳ ἁπλᾶ καί ἀπόλυτα καί ἄτρεπτα. Τί δέ τῶν κυρίως συμβόλων, τῶν