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For all actions of men diverge from it, and these actions which are fulfilled by us are called our light in relation to the others living in wickedness, leading them also toward good things and, that which is darkness in me and blinds me, becomes a light to my neighbor and shines for those who see. And so that I might not be suspected of saying paradoxical things to you, listen, and I will speak to you the solution of the riddle: I fast perhaps for your sake, so that I may appear to be fasting, and this is a goad for my eyes and is fixed like a beam in their midst for certain; but you are enlightened by seeing me, if you do not condemn me, but find yourself blaming yourself as a glutton for certain; for by this you are guided toward self-control of the belly and you learn clearly to despise luxury. Again, I am dressed in cheap and ragged clothes and walking everywhere in a single tunic, I think to hunt for glory and praise from those who see me and to be seen by them as another new apostle, and this becomes for me the cause of all harm and truly darkness and a thick cloud in my soul; but it enlightens the people who see me and teaches them to disdain adornment, to disdain also wealth and to cling to what is cheap and to rough clothing, (272) which is also truly the clothing of apostles. Thus also all the other actions of the virtues are actions outside of light, works without a ray, for all being gathered together, as I said before, and the virtuous actions becoming one, if indeed it is possible for this to happen in a man, they are likened to a lamp deprived of light. For just as it is not possible to call the coals alone fire, nor again the charcoal nor the wood a flame, so not all faith, not works nor actions, not the fulfillment of the commandments are worthy to be called fire, flame, or the divine light, for in reality they are not, but that it is able to receive the fire, to approach the light and to be kindled by an ineffable union, this is the praise and glory of the virtues. And for this reason all ascetic practice and all actions are performed by us, so that we may partake of the divine light like a lamp, as the soul, putting forth all of them as one candle to the unapproachable light; or rather just as a wick is dipped in wax, so the soul, being wholly fattened with all the virtues, will be kindled from it, as much as it will have strength to see, as much as it will have room to bring into its own house, and then the virtues, being enlightened as having communed with the divine light, are themselves also called light,

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διΐστανται γάρ ἐξ αὐτοῦ πᾶσαι πράξεις ἀνθρώπων, καί αὗται μέν αἱ παρ᾿ ἡμῶν ἐκπληρούμεναι πράξεις τό καθ᾿ ἡμᾶς πρός τούς λοιπούς ζῶντας ἐν πονηρίᾳ φῶς λέγονται πρός τά καλά κἀκείνους ὁδηγοῦσαι καί, ὅπερ ἔστιν ἐν ἐμοί σκότος καί ἐκτυφλοῖ με, φῶς τῷ πλησίον γίνεται καί τοῖς ὁρῶσι λάμπει. Καί ἵνα μή παράδοξα ὑποπτευθῶ σοι λέγειν, ἄκουσον, καί λαλήσω σοι αἰνίγματος τήν λύσιν˙ νηστεύω ἴσως διά σέ, ἵνα φανῶ νηστεύων, καί τοῦτο κέντρον μέν ἐμοῦ τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς ὑπάρχει καί ὡς δοκός ἐμπέπηκται μέσον ἐν τούτοις πάντως˙ σύ δέ φωτίζῃ βλέπων με, εἰ μή με κατακρίνῃς, ἀλλ᾿ εἶ μεμφόμενος σαυτόν ὡς γαστρίμαργον πάντως˙ πρός γάρ ἐγκράτειαν γαστρός καθοδηγῇ ἐκ τούτου καί τῆς τρυφῆς ὑπερορᾷν προφανῶς ἐκμανθάνεις. Πάλιν ἐγώ ἐνδέδυμαι εὐτελῆ καί ῥακώδη καί μονοχίτων ἐν παντί περιπατῶν νομίζω δόξαν ἐκ τῶν ὁρώντων με καί ἔπαινον θηρᾶσθαι καί ὡς ἀπόστολος αὐτοῖς ἄλλος νέος ὁρᾶσθαι, καί τοῦτο γίνεται ἐμοί πάσης αἴτιον βλάβης καί σκότος ὄντως καί παχύ νέφος ἐν τῇ ψυχῇ μου˙ τούς δέ ὁρῶντάς με λαούς φωτίζει καί διδάσκει ὑπερφρονεῖν καλλωπισμοῦ, ὑπερφρονεῖν καί πλούτου καί εὐτελοῦς ἀντέχεσθαι καί τραχείας ἐσθῆτος, (272) ὅπερ καί ἔστιν ἀληθῶς ἔνδυμα ἀποστόλων. Οὕτως καί πᾶσαι αἱ λοιπαί τῶν ἀρετῶν γε πράξεις πράξεις εἰσίν ἐκτός φωτός, ἔργα ἀκτῖνος δίχα, ὁμοῦ γάρ συναγόμεναι πᾶσαι, ὥσπερ προεῖπον, καί εἰς τό ἕν γινόμεναι αἱ ἐνάρετοι πράξεις, εἴπερ καί ἔστι δυνατόν ἐν ἀνθρώπῳ γενέσθαι, λαμπάδι ἐξωμοίωνται φωτός ἐστερημένῃ. Ὡς γάρ οὐκ ἔστι λέγεσθαι πῦρ τούς καρβῶνας μόνους, ἀλλ᾿ οὐδέ πάλιν ἄνθρακας οὐδέ φλόγα τά ξύλα, οὕτως οὐ πίστις ἅπασα, οὐκ ἔργα οὐδέ πράξεις, οὐκ ἐντολῶν ἐκπλήρωσις πῦρ, φλόξ ἤ φῶς τό θεῖον εἰσίν ἄξια λέγεσθαι, οὐ γάρ εἰσι τῷ ὄντι, ἀλλ᾿ ὅτι δέξασθαι τό πῦρ, τῷ φωτί τε ἐγγίσαι καί ἀναφθῆναι δύναται ἀπορρήτῳ ἑνώσει, τοῦτο ὑπάρχει ἀρετῶν ἔπαινός τε καί κλέος. Καί διά τοῦτο ἄσκησις πᾶσα καί πᾶσαι πράξεις ἐπιτελοῦνται παρ᾿ ἡμῶν, ἵνα φωτός τοῦ θείου ὥσπερ λαμπάς μετάσχωμεν, ὡς ἕν κηρίον πάσας προβαλλομένης τῆς ψυχῆς φωτί τῷ ἀπροσίτῳ˙ μᾶλλον δέ ὥσπερ πάπυρος ἐμβάπτεται κηρίῳ, οὕτω ψυχή ταῖς ἀρεταῖς ἁπάσαις πιανθεῖσα ὅλη ἀνάψει ἐξ αὐτοῦ, ὅσον ὁρᾶν ἰσχύσει, ὅσον ἐν οἴκῳ τε αὐτῆς εἰσαγαγεῖν χωρήσει, καί τότε φωτιζόμεναι αἱ ἀρεταί ὡς θείῳ φωτί συγκοινωνήσασαι φῶς καί αὐταί καλοῦνται,