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For how could I silently bear the things happening hour by hour, O my God, and being done in me, the wretched one? For they are truly ineffable, incomprehensible beyond mind, beyond reason; and how shall I speak these things or how shall I express them? But then, not bearing to be silent, I will now speak: You alone are God without beginning, uncreated, in Son and Spirit Holy Trinity, incomprehensible, unapproachable you are, creator of creation both seen and unseen and you are Lord and Master, above the heavens and all that is in heaven, you are the only maker of heaven, alone having dominion, alone bearing all things by your command and alone holding all things together by your will. You have about you myriads of angels, and thousands of thousands of archangels, thrones, innumerable dominions, you have powers, many-eyed Cherubim and Seraphim, principalities and authorities and many other ministers and friends, You have glory exceedingly glorified, so that none of these dare to gaze fearlessly upon it, O my God, nor are they able to bear the flashing splendor of your face when it appears. For how will the creation have the strength to see the creator (195) whole, to comprehend him whole? I think this is by no means possible, but the maker, insofar as he wishes, appears and is seen, by whom he wishes, and the creation is known and knows, and is seen and sees as much as the maker might grant it to see. For if they were brought forth from you, my God, they have from you their being and their seeing and their ability to minister to you blamelessly. But then you are above all the principalities, and these again are about you, my God, but we are below in the lowest pit
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Πῶς γάρ δυναίμην σιωπῇ ὑποφέρειν τά γινόμενα καθ᾿ ὥραν, ὦ Θεέ μου, καί πραττόμενα ἐν ἐμοί τῷ ἀθλίῳ; Ἄφραστα καί γάρ εἰσιν ἐν ἀληθείᾳ, ἀκατάληπτα ὑπέρ νοῦν, ὑπέρ λόγον˙ καί πῶς ἐξείπω ταῦτα ἤ πῶς ἐκφράσω; Ἀλλ᾿ οὖν, μή φέρων σιωπᾶν, ἄρτι λέξω˙ Θεός ἄναρχος, ἄκτιστος, μόνος πέλεις, ἐν Υἱῷ καί Πνεύματι Τριάς Ἁγία, ἀκτάληπτος, ἀπρόσιτος ὑπάρχεις, κτίστης ὁρωμένης τε καί νοουμένης κτίσεως καί Κύριος σύ καί ∆εσπότης, ὑπεράνω τε τῶν οὐρανῶν καί πάντων τῶν ἐν οὐρανῷ, τοῦ οὐρανοῦ τυγχάνεις μόνος ποιητής, μόνος ἐξουσιάζων, μόνος τά πάντα φέρων προστάγματί σου καί θελήματι συνέχων πάντα μόνῳ. Ἔχεις περί σέ μυριάδας ἀγγέλων, ἀρχαγγέλων τε χιλίας χιλιάδας, θρόνους, κυριότητας ἀναριθμήτους, ἔχεις δυνάμεις, Χερουβίμ Σεραφίμ τε πολυόμματα, ἀρχάς καί ἐξουσίας καί πλείους ἄλλους λειτουργούς τε καί φίλους, Ἔχεις τήν δόξαν ὑπερδεδοξασμένην, ὥστε μή τολμᾶς ἀδεῶς ἀτενίσαι τινάς ἐκ τούτων πρός αὐτήν, ὦ Θεέ μου, μηδέ δύνασθαι φαινομένην ἐνέγκαι τοῦ προσώπου σου τήν ἀστράπτουσαν αἴγλην. Πῶς γάρ ἰσχύσει τό ποίημα τήν κτίστην (195) ὅλον κατιδεῖν, ὅλον κατανοῆσαι; Οὐδαμῶς οἶμαι δυνατόν εἶναι τοῦτο, ἀλλ᾿ ὁ ποιητής, καθ᾿ ὅσον ἄν ἐθέλῃ, φαίνεται καί βλέπεται, παρ᾿ ὧν ἐθέλει, καί γινώσκεται καί γινώσκει τό κτίσμα, καί καθορᾶται καί καθορᾷ τοσοῦτον ὅσον δώσειεν ὁ ποιητής τοῦ βλέπειν. Εἰ γάρ παρά σοῦ παρήχθησαν, Θεέ μου, ἔχουσιν ἐκ σοῦ τό εἶναι καί τό βλέπειν καί τό δύνασθαι λειτουργεῖν σοι ἀμέμπτως. Ἀλλ᾿ οὖν ἄνω σύ ὑπέρ ἀρχάς ἁπάσας, αὗται δέ πάλιν περί σέ, τόν Θεόν μου, ἡμεῖς δέ κάτω ἐν κατωτάτῳ λάκκῳ