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from my hands the rays vanish with the sun and immediately I, the wretched one, am brought down into a fall to Hades. This is the work, this is the action for spiritual men; up down, down up, their course is unceasing. When he falls, then he runs, when he runs, he stands still. Wholly bent downward, he happens to be wholly above; and while roaming the heavens he is established again below and the beginning of the race is the end, and the end is the beginning. Perfection is imperfect, and the beginning is again the end; the end, how? As Gregory had said in a theological manner: Illumination is (184) the end of all who desire, and the repose of all contemplation is the divine light. Therefore he who has attained to see this rests from all things and is separated from created things; for he sees their Creator. He who sees Him is outside of all things, he is alone with the Alone and he sees none of all things visible or intelligible; he sees the Trinity alone. But let the things in this be kept silent, for they are seen dimly, and are in some way understood. Were you then astonished at hearing the things within the things seen? But if you are astonished at these things, how will I not seem a myth-teller in clarifying for you the things outside? For they are in every way unspeakable

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ἐκ χειρῶν μου αἱ ἀκτῖνες σύν ἡλίῳ ἀφαντοῦνται καί εὐθύς εἰς ᾅδου πτῶμα καταφέρομαι, ὁ τάλας. Τοῦτο ἔργον, τοῦτο πρᾶξις τοῖς πνευματικοῖς ὑπάρχει˙ ἄνω κάτω, κάτω ἄνω ἄπαυστος αὐτοῖς ὁ δρόμος. Ὅταν πέσῃ, τότε τρέχει, ὅταν τρέχῃ, ἵσταται δέ. Ὅλος κάτω κεκλιμένος, ὅλος ὤν ἄνω τυγχάνει˙ περιπολῶν οὐρανούς δέ ἐμπεδοῦται πάλιν κάτω καί ἀρχή τοῦ δρόμου τέλος, τό δέ τέλος ἀρχή πέλει. Ἀτελής ἡ τελειότης, ἡ δ᾿ ἀρχή γε πάλιν τέλος˙ τέλος πῶς; Ὡς Γρηγόριος θεολογικῶς εἰρήκει˙ Ἔλλαμψις ὑπάρχει (184) τέλος τῶν ποθούντων πάντων, καί ἀνάπαυσις ἁπάσης θεωρίας φῶς τό θεῖον. Τοῦτο οὖν ἰδεῖν ὁ φθάσας ἀπό πάντων καταπαύει καί χωρίζεται κτισμάτων˙ τόν γάρ κτίστην τούτων βλέπει. Ὅν ὁ βλέπων ἔξω πάντων μετά μόνου μόνος ἔστι καί οὐδέν τῶν πάντων βλέπει ὁρατῶν ἤ νοουμένων˙ μόνην τήν Τριάδα βλέπει. Τά δ᾿ ἐν ταύτῃ σιωπάσθω, ἀμυδρῶς καί γάρ ὁρῶνται, καί ποσῶς κατανοοῦνται. Κατεπλάγης οὖν ἀκούσας τά ἐντός τῶν ὁρωμένων; Εἰ δέ καταπλάγης ταῦτα, πῶς οὐ μυθολόγος δόξω τά ἐκτός διατρανῶν σοι; Ἀνεκλάλητα γάρ πάντῃ