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he brought forth; and those who partake of it live in a manner worthy of God, having acquired a divine and heavenly life.”
And so this divine and heavenly life of those who live in a manner worthy of God by partaking of the inseparable life of the Spirit (just as Paul also lived “the divine and eternal life of the one who dwelt within,” according to the divine Maximus), such a life, therefore, always is, naturally subsisting in the Spirit, which by nature deifies from eternity, and is rightly called Spirit and divinity by the saints, as a deifying gift that is in no way separated from the giving Spirit, and it is a light, granted through an ineffable illumination and known only to those deemed worthy, and indeed enhypostatic, not as self-subsistent, but because the Spirit sends it forth into the hypostasis of another, in which it is also contemplated; for such is what is properly enhypostatic, contemplated not in itself nor in essence, but in the hypostasis. And if there is another way for which it (p. 584) is called enhypostatic by the saints, we will speak of it as we proceed. But the Holy Spirit is beyond the deifying life that is in it and from it, as it is beyond its own innate energy, which is also like it, even if not precisely; “for,” he says, “we see no deification or life which is precisely like the cause that is superior to all in every pre-eminence”; so it is like it, but not precisely. But the Holy Spirit is superior not only as a cause, but also because what is received is always a fraction of the gift, since the one receiving does not have capacity for the whole divine energy. In so many ways, therefore, God exists beyond such a light and such an uncreated illumination and life and similar things. So says Basil the Great.
But Symeon the inspired Metaphrast, having compiled his *Capita* from the first book of Macarius the Great, explains more discursively about this light and this glory, both eloquently and clearly. And there is nothing better than to set forth here a selection from them, summarized and abbreviated as much as possible, as it will contribute greatly to the present discourse and be no less beneficial for the profit of the readers. At any rate, in the sixty-second chapter he says: “Blessed Moses showed a type, through the glory of the Spirit that shone on his face, at which no man could gaze, of how in the resurrection of the just the bodies of the saints will be glorified, which glory the faithful souls of the saints are counted worthy to have from now on in the inner man; for we, he says, ‘with unveiled face,’ that is, with the inner man, ‘beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory.’” And in the sixty-third: “The glory which, as has been said, the souls of the saints possess in abundance from this life, (p. 586) that glory will cover and clothe the naked bodies at the resurrection and will make them caught up to heaven, clothed with good works and with the glory of the Spirit, which, as I said, the souls of the saints were allotted to have from this life; and thus glorified by the divine light, the saints will be with the Lord forever.” This, then, is that light, according to Dionysius the Great, which shone around the chosen of the apostles on the mountain: “for when,” he says, “we become incorruptible and immortal and attain the Christlike and most blessed end, we shall, according to the scripture, be ever with the Lord, being filled with His visible theophany in all-holy contemplations, as it shines around us with the brightest splendors, as it did for the disciples in that most divine transfiguration.” This, then, is a divine light, as John also said in the Apocalypse and as all the saints agree. And Gregory, surnamed the Theologian, says, "He will come with a body, as my argument goes, but such
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ἐπήνεγκε˙ καί οἱ μετέχοντες αὐτοῦ ζῶσι θεοπρεπῶς, ζωήν θείαν καί οὐράνιον κεκτημένοι».
Καί τοίνυν ἡ τοιαύτη θεία καί οὐράνιος ζωή τῶν θεοπρεπῶς ζώντων ἐν τῷ μετέχειν τῆς ἀχωρίστου τοῦ Πνεύματος ζωῆς (ὥσπερ καί ὁ Παῦλος ἔζη «τήν τοῦ ἐνοικήσαντος θείαν καί ἀΐδιον» κατά τόν θεῖον Μάξιμον «ζωήν»), ἡ τοιαύτη τοιγαροῦν ζωή ἀεί μέν ἐστι, φυσικῶς ἐνυπάρχουσα τῷ Πνεύματι θεοποιεῖν ἐξ ἀϊδίου πεφυκότι, Πνεῦμα τε καί θεότης προσαγορεύεται δικαίως παρά τῶν ἁγίων, ἅτε δωρεά θεοποιός τοῦ δίδοντος Πνεύματος ἥκιστα χωριζομένη, φῶς δέ ἐστι, δι᾿ ἀπορρήτου ἐλλάμψεως χορηγουμένη καί τοῖς ἠξιωμένοις ἐγνωσμένη μόνοις, ἐνυπόστατός τε μήν, οὐχ ὡς αὐθυπόστατος, ἀλλ᾿ ἐπεί εἰς ἄλλου ὑπόστασιν τό Πνεῦμα προΐεται αὐτήν, ἐν ᾗ καί θεωρεῖται˙ τοιοῦτον γάρ τό κυρίως ἐνυπόστατον, οὐ καθ᾿ ἑαυτό οὐδ᾿ ἐν τῇ οὐσίᾳ, ἀλλ᾿ ἐν τῇ ὑποστάσει θεωρούμενον. Εἰ δέ καί ἕτερός ἐτι τρόπος, δι᾿ ὅν ἐνυπόστατος (σελ. 584) καλεῖται παρά τῶν ἁγίων, ἐροῦμεν προϊόντες. Ὑπέρκειται δέ τῆς ἐν αὐτῷ καί ἐξ αὐτοῦ θεουργοῦ ζωῆς τό Πνεῦμα τό ἅγιον, ὡς οἰκείας ἐμφύτου ἐνεργείας, ἤτις καί ἐμφερής ἐστιν ἐκείνῳ, εἰ καί μή ἀκριβῶς˙ «οὐδεμίαν» γάρ, φησίν, ὁρῶμεν θέωσιν ἤ ζωήν, ἥτις ἀκριβῶς ἐμφερής ἐστι τῇ πάντων ὑπερκειμένῃ κατά πᾶσαν ὑπεροχήν αἰτίᾳ»˙ ὥστε ἐμφερής μέν, ἀλλ᾿ οὐκ ἀκριβῶς. Οὐχ ὡς αἴτιον δέ μόνον ὑπέρκειται τό Πνεῦμα τό ἅγιον, ἀλλά καί διά τό πολλοστόν τοῦ δόματος ἀεί τό λῆμμα εἶναι, μή τό πᾶν τῆς θείας ἐνεργείας χωροῦντος τοῦ λαμβάνοντος. Οὕτω πολυτρόπως ὑπέρ τό τοιοῦτον φῶς καί τήν τοιαύτην ἄκτιστον ἔλλαμψίν τε καί ζωήν καί τά παραπλήσια ὑπάρχει ὁ Θεός. Ταῦτα μέν οὖν ὁ μέγας Βασίλειος.
Συμεών δέ ὁ ἔνθεος Μεταφραστής, ἐκ τοῦ πρώτου βιβλίου τοῦ μεγάλου Μακαρίου συνταξάμενος Κεφαλαιώδεις λόγους, περί τοῦ φωτός τούτου καί τῆς δόξης ταύτης ἐμμελῶς ἅμα καί ἐναργῶς ἐξηγεῖται διεξοδικώτερον. Οὐδέν δ᾿ οἷον καί τινα ἐξ αὐτῶν ὡς οἷόν τε συνελόντα καί ὑποτεμόμενον ἐνταυθοῖ προθεῖναι πρός τῷ μέγα τι τῷ προκειμένῳ λόγῳ συντελεῖν, οὐδέν ἧττον λυσιτελοῦντα καί πρός τήν τῶν ἐντυγχανόντων ὠφέλειαν. Ἐν γοῦν τῷ ἑξηκοστῷ δευτέρῳ κεφαλαίῳ φησί˙ «Μωσῆς ὁ μακάριος ὑπέδειξε τύπον διά τῆς τῷ προσώπῳ αὐτοῦ ἐπιλαμπούσης τοῦ Πνεύματος δόξης ᾗ οὐδείς ἀνθρώπων ἀτενίσαι ἠδύνατο, πῶς ἐν τῇ τῶν δικαίων ἀναστάσει τά σώματα δοξασθήσεται τῶν ἁγίων, ἥν δόξαν ἀπό τοῦ νῦν ἐν τῷ ἔσω ἀνθρώπῳ αἱ πισταί τῶν ἁγίων ἔχειν καταξιοῦνται ψυχαί˙ ἡμεῖς γάρ, φησίν, "ἀνακεκαλυμμένῳ προσώπῳ", τουτέστι τῷ ἔσω ἀνθρώπῳ, τήν δόξαν Κυρίου κατοπτριζόμεθα, τήν αὐτήν εἰκόνα μεταμορφούμενοι ἀπό δόξης εἰς δόξαν». Καί ἐν τῷ ἑξηκοστῷ τρίτῳ˙ «τήν δόξαν ἥν ἐντεῦθεν, ὡς εἴρηται, πλουτοῦσιν αἱ τῶν ἁγίων ψυχαί, (σελ. 586) ἐκείνη καλύψει καί ἀμφιάσει τά γυμνά σώματα ἐν τῇ ἀναστάσει καί εἰς οὐρανούς ἀνάρπαστα ποιήσει, περιβεβλημένα τῷ τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἔργων καί τῇ τοῦ Πνεύματος δόξῃ, ἥν ἐντεῦθεν, ὡς ἔφην, αἱ τῶν ἁγίων ἔλαχον ἔχειν ψυχαί˙ καί οὕτω δοξασθέντες οἱ ἅγιοι θείῳ φωτί σύν τῷ Κυρίῳ διαπαντός ἔσονται». Τοῦτ᾿ ἄρα τό φῶς ἐκεῖνο, κατά τόν μέγαν ∆ιονύσιον, ὅ τούς τῶν ἀποστόλων ἐκκρίτους περιέλαμψεν ἐπί τοῦ ὄρους˙ «ὅταν» γάρ, φησίν, «ἄφθαρτοι καί ἀθάνατοι γενώμεθα καί τῆς χριστοειδοῦς καί μακαριωτάτης ἐφικώμεθα λήξεως, πάντοτε σύν Κυρίῳ, κατά τό λόγιον ἐσόμεθα, τῆς μέν ὁρατῆς αὐτοῦ θεοφανείας ἐν πανάγνοις θεωρίαις ἀποπληρούμενοι φανοτάταις μαρμαρυγαῖς ἡμᾶς περιαυγαζούσης, ὡς τούς μαθητάς ἐν ἐκείνῃ τῇ θειοτάτῃ μεταμορφώσει». Τοῦτ᾿ ἄρα θεϊκόν ἐστι τό φῶς ὡς καί Ἰωάννης ἐν τῇ Ἀποκαλύψει ἔφη καί τοῖς ἁγίοις πᾶσι συνδοκεῖ. Γρηγόριος δέ ὁ τῆς θεολογίας ἐπώνυμος, «ἥξει μέν», φησί, «μετά σώματος, ὡς ὁ ἐμός λόγος, τοιοῦτος δέ