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he, understanding that he does not see by sense as sense, thinks that he sees with the mind. but examining and considering, he does not find even that one operating concerning that light. and this is what we call intellection beyond intellection, meaning by this that he who has mind and sense sees, but beyond both of these. However, when you hear the great Dionysius saying to Timothy, "leave behind the senses and the intellectual energies and be uplifted to that which truly is," do not think that the man is then unable to think or to see (for he does not suffer a loss of these faculties, except in a state of amazement), but learn that the intellectual energies are entirely left behind by the light of union and the energy according to it. And Peter, the chief and foundation of the Church, clearly shows this. For during that hour of the holy Pentecost, in which he was deemed worthy of the ineffable and divine union, he both knew those who were illumined with him, and saw those who were gathered, and heard the things being said before them, and perceived the time of day. for, he says, "it is the third hour of the day." "For the fact that, when the human mind is overshadowed by the energy of the Holy Spirit, those who are energized become ecstatic is contrary to the promise of the divine visitation. For the one seized by God does not become frenzied; and in general, what sense does it make to become like one who is mad from the Spirit of wisdom?" for this light is the wisdom of God, being engendered in the one who is deified and not being separated from God. "for through it," he says, "all knowledge is revealed and God in truth is made known to the beloved soul," but also righteousness and holiness and freedom. Hear Paul, "where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom"; and again, "who became for us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification and (p. 638) redemption." Hear the great Basil, "that which has been moved by the Holy Spirit with an eternal motion, has become a holy living being; and man has received the dignity, when the Spirit has taken up residence in him, of a prophet, an apostle, an angel, of God, though he was formerly 'earth and ashes'." Hear John of the golden tongue, "the mouth through which God speaks is the mouth of God; for just as this mouth is of our soul, although the soul does not have a mouth, so also the mouth of the prophets is the mouth of God." Hear the Lord sealing these things; for after saying "I will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your adversaries will not be able to contradict or resist," he added: "for it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father speaking in you."

Therefore, it is not possible to use this wisdom badly. And why do I say use? For it is not even possible to acquire it at all without first having been purified through practice; and this is what is said by the wise Solomon, that "wisdom will not enter a deceitful soul, nor dwell in a body that is in debt to sin"; for even if it has first taken up residence in us who have made good use of the introductory virtues, when we change for the worse, it flies away. "For the holy spirit of discipline will flee from thoughts that are without understanding," according to the same Solomon. But the wisdom that comes from nature and learning even one of wicked ways could acquire, and could use it in a manner suited to his ways, just as with nature. Therefore, this falls as short of spiritual wisdom as nature does of the Spirit. Where, then, are those who say that we acquire the wisdom of the prophets and apostles through learning?

But that spiritual wisdom is also given through that light, (p. 640) hear two speaking in agreement. "For to the blessed," he says, "Paul, the light that shone on the road, through which he was also caught up to the third heaven and became a hearer of unspeakable mysteries, was not some illumination of thoughts and of knowledge, but an illumination of the power of the good Spirit in substance in the soul, the excess of which

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ἐκεῖνος, νοῶν ὡς οὐ τῇ αἰσθήσει ᾗ αἰσθήσει θεώμενός ἐστι, νῷ οἴεται ὁρᾶν˙ ἐξετάζων δέ καί ἀνασκοπούμενος, οὐδ᾿ ἐκεῖνον εὑρίσκει περί τό φῶς ἐκεῖνο ἐνεργοῦντα˙ καί τοῦτ᾿ ἔστιν ὅ νόησιν ὑπέρ νόησίν φαμεν, τοῦτο διά τούτων λέγοντες, ὡς ὁ ἔχων νοῦν καί αἴσθησιν ὁρᾷ, ὑπέρ ταῦτα δέ ἀμφότερα. Μή μέντοι τοῦ μεγάλου ∆ιονυσίου πρός Τιμόθεον λέγοντος ἀκούων, ὡς «τάς αἰσθήσεις κατάλιπε καί τάς νοεράς ἐνεργείας καί πρός τό ὄντως ὄν ἀνατάθητι», μή δύνασθαι λογίσῃ τότε τόν ἄνθρωπον διανοεῖσθαι ἤ ὁρᾶν (οὐ γάρ ἀποβολήν πάσχει τούτων τῶν δυνάμεων, εἰ μή κατ᾿ἔκπληξιν), τοῦ δέ κατά τήν ἔνωσιν φωτός καί τῆς κατά τοῦτο ἐνεργείας τάς νοεράς ἐνεργείας παντάπασιν ἀπολιμπάνεσθαι διδάσκου. Καί τοῦτο δείκνυσι σαφῶς ὁ κορυφαῖος καί θεμέλιος τῆς Ἐκκλησίας Πέτρος. Κατά γάρ τήν ὥραν τῆς ἱερᾶς Πεντηκοστῆς ἐκείνην, καθ᾿ ἥν τῆς ἀπορρήτου καί θείας ἠξιοῦτο ἑνώσεως, καί τούς συμπεφωτισμένους ἤδει καί τούς συνειλεγμένους ἑώρα καί τῶν πρό αὐτῶν λεγομένων ἠκροᾶτο καί τοῦ διαστήματος τῆς ἡμέρας ἐπῃσθάνετο˙ «τρίτη» γάρ, φησίν, «ἐστίν ὥρα τῆς ἡμέρας». «Τό γάρ ἐπικαλυπτομένου τοῦ ἀνθρωπίνου νοῦ παρά τῆς ἐνεργείας τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος ἐξεστηκότας τούς ἐνεργομένους γίνεσθαι παρά τήν ἐπαγγελίαν ἐστί τῆς θείας ἐπιδημίας. Οὐ γάρ ἔκφρων γίνεται ὁ θεόληπτος˙ ὅλως δέ, τίνα λόγον ἔχει ἐκ τοῦ τῆς σοφίας Πνεύματος μεμηνότι παραπλήσιον γίνεσθαι»; τό φῶς γάρ τοῦτο σοφία ἐστί Θεοῦ, ἐγγινομένη τῷ τεθεωμένῳ καί μή χωριζομένη τοῦ Θεοῦ «δι᾿ αὐτοῦ» γάρ, φησί, «πᾶσα γνῶσις ἀποκαλύπτεται καί Θεός πρός ἀλήθειαν τῇ φιλουμένῃ ψυχῇ γνωρίζεται», ἀλλά καί δικαιοσύνη καί ἁγιότης καί ἐλευθερία. Ἄκουσον Παύλου, «ὅπου τό Πνεῦμα Κυρίου, ἐκεῖ ἐλευθερία»˙ καί πάλιν, «ὡς ἐγενήθη ἡμῖν σοφία ἀπό Θεοῦ καί δικαιοσύνη καί ἁγιασμός καί (σελ. 638) ἀπολύτρωσις». Ἄκουσον τοῦ μεγάλου Βασιλείου, «τό κινηθέν ὑπό Πνεύματος ἁγίου κίνησιν ἀΐδιον, ζῶον ἅγιον ἐγένετο˙ ἔσχε δέ ἀξίαν ἄνθρωπος, Πνεύματος εἰσοικισθέντος ἐν αὐτῷ, προφήτου, ἀποστόλου, ἀγγέλου, Θεοῦ, ὤν πρότερον " γῆ καί σποδός"». Ἄκουσον τοῦ χρυσοῦ τήν γλῶτταν Ἰωάννου, «τό στόμα δι᾿ οὗ ὁ Θεός φθέγγεται στόμα ἐστί Θεοῦ˙ καθάπερ γάρ τοῦτο τό στόμα τῆς ψυχῆς ἡμῶν ἐστι, καίτοι ψυχῆς οὐκ ἐχούσης στόμα, οὕτω καί τό στόμα τῶν προφητῶν στόμα ἐστί Θεοῦ». Ἄκουσον ἐπισφραγιζομένου ταῦτα τοῦ Κυρίου˙ μετά γάρ τό εἰπεῖν «δώσω ἡμῖν στόμα καί σοφίαν ᾗ οὐ δυνήσονται ἀντειπεῖν οὐδέν ἀντιστῆναι πάντες οἱ ἀντικείμενοι ὑμῖν», ἐπήνεγκεν˙ «οὐ γάρ ὑμεῖς ἐστε οἱ λαλοῦντες, ἀλλά τό Πνεῦμα τοῦ Πατρός ὑμῶν τό λαλοῦν ἐν ὑμῖν».

Ταύτῃ γοῦν τῇ σοφίᾳ χρήσασθαι κακῶς οὐκ ἔνι. Καί τί λέγω χρήσασθαι; καί γάρ οὐδέ κτήσασθαι ταύτην ἔνι τήν ἀρχήν μή προκαθηράμενον διά πράξεως˙ καί τοῦτό ἐστι τό παρά τοῦ σοφοῦ Σολομῶντος λεγόμενον, ὅτι «εἰς κακότεχνον ψυχήν οὐκ εἰσελεύσεται σοφία, οὐδέ κατοικήσει ἐν σώματι καταχρέῳ ἁμαρτίας»˙ εἰ γάρ καί φθάσει τήν ἀρχήν ἡμῖν ἐνῳκισμένη ταῖς εἰσαγωγικαῖς καλῶς κεχρημένοις ἀρεταῖς, μεταβαλλόντων ἡμῶν ἐπί τό χεῖρον ἀφίπταται. «Πνεῦμα γάρ ἅγιον παιδείας ἐπαναστήσεται ἀπό λογισμῶν ἀσυνέτων», κατά τόν αὐτόν Σολομῶντα. Τήν δ᾿ ἐκ φύσεώς τε καί μαθήσεως σοφίαν κτήσαιτ᾿ ἄν τις καί τῶν τούς τρόπους πονηρῶν καί χρήσαιτ᾿ ἄν ταύτῃ καταλλήλως τοῖς τρόποις, ὥσπερ καί τῇ φύσει. Τοσοῦτο γοῦν αὕτη τῆς πνευματικῆς σοφίας ἀποδεῖ, ὁπόσον καί τοῦ Πνεύματος ἡ φύσις. Ποῦ τοιγαροῦν εἰσιν οἱ λέγοντες ὅτι διά μαθήσεως τήν τῶν προφητῶν καί ἀποστόλων σοφίαν κτώμεθα;

Ὅτι δέ διά τοῦ φωτός ἐκείνου καί ἡ πνευματική σοφία δίδοται, (σελ. 640) σύνδυο κατά ταὐτόν λεγόντων ἄκουσον. «Τῷ γάρ μακαρίῳ», φησί, «Παύλῳ τό ἐλλάμψαν ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ φῶς, δι᾿ οὗ καί εἰς τρίτον οὐρανόν ἦρται καί μυστηρίων ἀλαλήτων ἀκουστής ἐγένετο, οὐ νοημάτων τις καί γνώσεως φωτισμός ἦν, ἀλλά δυνάμεως τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ Πνεύματος καθ᾿ ὑπόστασιν ἐν τῇ ψυχῇ ἔλλαμψις, οὗ τήν ὑπερβολήν τῆς