135

having first given full assurance, is safely believed concerning the things clearly said by him, and being foreknown as true and, as the learner wishes, being examined and questioned, he answers-but he who believes in an apparition or a vision and a dream is on unsafe ground; for he does not know in whom he believes; for it is possible for it to be either an evil demon or a deceiving spirit, pretending in its speaking to be what it is not. But if someone should wish to inquire who the one who appeared might be, it is able to say for itself whatever it wishes. and thus like a wicked thing flashing, having remained as long as it wishes, it is extinguished, not remaining for the inquirer for an examination as long as he wished. But one seeing through dreams is not even able to inquire about the things he wishes; for the reasoning of the one sleeping is not in his own power. Hence, though we desire to learn many things while awake, in a dream we inquire about other things, or even without inquiring we hear about things that do not concern us, and when we wake up we are discouraged, because we neither heard nor examined the things we desired to learn. And Simon said: If you say that apparitions are not always true, yet at least visions and dreams, being sent from God, do not lie, about the things which they may wish to speak. And Peter said: You have said correctly that being sent from God, they do not lie. But it is unclear if the one who saw it has seen a dream sent from God. And Simon: If the one who has seen it is righteous, he has seen a true one. And Peter: You have said correctly. But who is righteous, if he needs a vision in order to learn what he ought to learn and to do what he ought to do? And Simon: Grant me this, that only the righteous man is able to see a true vision, and I will answer you on that. For in my judgment an impious man does not see a true dream. And Peter: This is false, and concerning this I am able to give proof both from unwritten and written sources, but I do not promise to persuade. For one who has inclined toward love for a wicked woman does not change his mind for a lawful union with another who is good in every way; sometimes even though they are conscious of the better one, being prepossessed they love the worse one. You are suffering something of this kind and are ignorant of it. And Simon said: Leaving these things aside, speak to the things you promised. For it seems impossible to me that impious men are caused to dream by God in any way whatsoever. And Peter said: I remember that I promised to provide the proof concerning this, both from unwritten and written sources. And now listen as I speak. We know many—if at least you are fair-minded, since I have those present as judges—who worship idols and commit adultery and sin in every way, seeing visions and true dreams, and some even apparitions of demons. For I do not say that one is able to see the incorporeal form of the Father or the Son, because the eyes of mortals are dazzled by the greatest light. Wherefore, that he is not seen by man who is turned to the flesh is not from a grudging God, but from a merciful one. For he who has seen is not able to live. For the excess of the light dissolves the flesh of the one seeing, unless by the ineffable power of God the flesh be turned into the nature of light, so that it may be able to see light—or the substance of the light be turned into flesh, so that it may be able to be seen by flesh; for to see the Father unchangeably belongs to the Son alone. but the righteous not in like manner; for in the resurrection of the dead, when, their bodies having been turned into light, they become equal to angels, then to see...

135

ἐστὶν πληροφορήσας πρῶτον, περὶ τῶν ἐναργῶς ὑπὸ αὐτοῦ λεγομένων ἀσφαλῶς πιστεύεται καὶ ἀληθὴς ὢν προεπιγνωσθεὶς καί, ὡς ὁ μανθάνων θέλει, ἐξετασθεὶς καὶ ἀνακριθεὶς ἀποκρίνεται-ὁ δὲ ὀπτασίᾳ πιστεύων ἢ ὁράματι καὶ ἐνυπνίῳ ἐπισφαλής ἐστιν· ἀγνοεῖ γὰρ τίνι πιστεύει· ἐνδέ- χεται γὰρ αὐτὸν ἢ δαίμονα κακὸν εἶναι ἢ πνεῦμα πλάνον ἐν τῷ λέγειν ὑποκρινόμενον εἶναι ὃ μή ἐστιν. εἰ δ' ἄρα τις βουληθείη πυνθάνεσθαι τὸ τίς ἂν ᾖ ὁ φανείς, δύναται λέγειν ἑαυτῷ ὃ βούλεται. καὶ οὕτως ὡς πονηρὸς ἀστράψας, μείνας ὅσον θέλει, ἀποσβέννυται, μὴ παραμείνας τῷ πυνθανο- μένῳ εἰς ἀνάκρισιν ὅσον ἠθέλησεν. διὰ δὲ ἐνυπνίων ὁρῶν τις οὐδὲ πυνθάνε- σθαι δύναται περὶ ὧν βούλεται· οὐ γὰρ ἰδίας ἐξουσίας ἐστὶν ὁ λογισμὸς τοῦ κοιμωμένου. ἔνθεν γοῦν πολλὰ ἡμεῖς ὕπαρ ἐπιθυμοῦντες μαθεῖν κατ' ὄναρ περὶ ἑτέρων πυνθανόμεθα, ἢ καὶ μὴ πυνθανόμενοι περὶ τῶν μὴ διαφερόντων ἡμῖν ἀκούομεν, καὶ διυπνισθέντες ἀθυμοῦμεν, ὅτι περὶ ὧν ἐπεθυμοῦμεν μαθεῖν οὔτε ἠκούσαμεν οὔτε ἐξητάσαμεν. καὶ ὁ Σίμων ἔφη· Eἰ φὴς τὰς ὀπτασίας μὴ πάντως ἀληθεύειν, ἀλλ' οὖν γε τὰ ὁράματα καὶ τὰ ἐνύπνια θεόπεμπτα ὄντα οὐ ψεύδεται, περὶ ὧν ἂν εἰπεῖν θέλῃ. καὶ ὁ Πέτρος ἔφη· Ὀρθῶς ἔφης ὅτι θεόπεμπτα ὄντα οὐ ψεύδε- ται. ἄδηλον δὲ εἰ ὁ ἰδὼν θεόπεμπτον ἑώρακεν ὄνειρον. καὶ ὁ Σίμων· Ἐὰν ᾖ ὁ ἑωρακὼς δίκαιος, ἀληθὲς ἑώρακεν. καὶ ὁ Πέτρος· Ὀρθῶς ἔφης. τίς δὲ δίκαιος, εἰ ὁράματος χρῄζει, ἵνα μάθῃ ἃ δεῖ μαθεῖν καὶ ποιῇ ἃ δεῖ ποιεῖν; καὶ ὁ Σίμων· Τοῦτό μοι δὸς ὅτι μόνος ὁ δίκαιος ὅραμα ἀληθὲς ἰδεῖν δύναται, καὶ ἀποκρίνομαί σοι εἰς αὐτό. ἐμοὶ γὰρ κέκριται ὅτι ἀσεβὴς ἀληθῆ ὄνειρον οὐχ ὁρᾷ. καὶ ὁ Πέτρος· Τοῦτο ψεῦδός ἐστιν, καὶ περὶ τούτου ἀγράφως καὶ ἐγγράφως ἀποδεῖξαι δύναμαι, πεῖσαι δὲ οὐκ ἐπαγγέλλομαι. ὁ γὰρ πρὸς ἔρωτα μοχθηρᾶς νεύσας γυναικὸς εἰς ἑτέρας κατὰ πάντα καλῆς συμβίωσιν νόμιμον τὸν ἑαυτοῦ οὐ μετατίθησι νοῦν· ἐνίοτε καὶ ἑαυτοῖς συνειδότες τὴν κρείττονα, προειλημμένοι ἀγαπῶσιν τὴν χείρονα. τοιοῦτόν τι καὶ σὺ πάσχων ἀγνοεῖς. καὶ ὁ Σίμων ἔφη· Παρ- ελόμενος ταῦτα, εἰς ἃ ἐπηγγείλω, λέγε. ἐμοὶ γὰρ ἀδύνατον εἶναι δοκεῖ ἀσεβεῖς ἀνθρώπους ὑπὸ θεοῦ ρδήποτε ὀνειροπολεῖσθαι τρόπῳ. καὶ ὁ Πέτρος ἔφη· Μέμνημαι ἐμαυτοῦ ὡς ἐπηγγειλάμην δεῖξαι καὶ ἀγράφως καὶ ἐγγράφως περὶ τούτου τὴν ἀπόδειξιν παρέχειν. καὶ νῦν λέγοντος ἄκουε. ἴσμεν πολλούς-εἴ γε εὐγνωμονεῖς, ἐπεί γε τοὺς παρεστῶτας κριτὰς ἔχω-εἴδωλα σέβοντας καὶ μοιχεύοντας καὶ κατὰ πάντα ἁμαρτάνοντας ὁράματα καὶ ἀληθεῖς ὀνείρους ὁρῶντας, ἐνίους δὲ καὶ δαιμόνων ὀπτασίας. τὴν γὰρ ἄσαρκον ἰδέαν οὐ λέγω δύνασθαι πατρὸς ἢ υἱοῦ ἰδεῖν διὰ τὸ με- γίστῳ φωτὶ καταυγάζεσθαι τοὺς θνητῶν ὀφθαλμούς. ὅθεν τὸ μὴ ὁραθῆναι τῷ εἰς σάρκα τετραμμένῳ ἀνθρώπῳ οὐ φθονοῦντός ἐστιν θεοῦ, ἀλλ' ἐλεῶν- τος. ὁ γὰρ ἰδὼν ζῆν οὐ δύναται. ἡ γὰρ ὑπερβολὴ τοῦ φωτὸς τὴν τοῦ ὁρῶν- τος ἐκλύει σάρκα, ἐκτὸς εἰ μὴ θεοῦ ἀπορρήτῳ δυνάμει ἡ σὰρξ εἰς φύσιν τραπῇ φωτός, ἵνα φῶς ἰδεῖν δυνηθῇ-ἢ ἡ τοῦ φωτὸς οὐσία εἰς σάρκα τραπῇ, ἵνα ὑπὸ σαρκὸς ὁραθῆναι δυνηθῇ· τὸ γὰρ ἀτρέπτως πατέρα ἰδεῖν υἱοῦ μόνου ἐστίν. δίκαιοι δὲ οὐχ ὁμοίως· ἐν γὰρ τῇ ἀναστάσει τῶν νεκρῶν, ὅταν τραπέντες εἰς φῶς τὰ σώματα ἰσάγγελοι γένωνται, τότε ἰδεῖν δυ-