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155

Yes, truly thus it happens, thus it is accomplished, (276) thus is revealed the grace of the Spirit and through Him and in Him the Son with the Father. And he sees them, as it is possible to behold, and then he is ineffably taught by them the things concerning them, and he speaks and writes to all others and sets forth doctrines worthy of God, as all the holy fathers who have gone before teach. For thus they dogmatized the divine symbol, having become such, as we said, and they too with God spoke and said the things of God. For who has theologized about the Triadic Monad or who has turned back heresies without becoming such, or who was called a saint without partaking of the Holy Spirit? No one ever. Just as the intelligible light is by nature added with sensation to those to whom it will be present. But those who say they partake of it without sensation, they in reality call themselves senseless, but we call them also dead, deprived of life, even if they seem still to live—O error, O madness! But, O Light, shine upon them, shine, so that seeing they may be persuaded that You are truly true light, and those with whom You unite, like light, You make like Yourself. I shine as I always do before the face of the blind, but they do not wish to see, but rather they shut their eyes and do not want to look up at me, O child. And they also turn their sight elsewhere, and I turn around with them, I stand before them, and they again send their gaze elsewhere and do not see the light of my face at all. Some of these cover their eyes with veils, while others flee outside, having hated me completely. (277) What then should I do with them, I am utterly at a loss. For to save them unwillingly and by force, this too would seem an affliction, since they do not want to be saved. For the good will be truly good by volition, but the unwilling good will not be good, and for this reason I both see and am seen by those who are willing and I make them co-heirs of my kingdom, but those who are unwilling I leave willing in the world, and they become judges of themselves before the judgment, because while I, the unapproachable light, was shining, they alone procured darkness for themselves, not wishing to see the light and remaining in darkness.

155

Ναί, ὄντως οὔτως γίνεται, οὕτως ἐπιτελεῖται, (276) οὕτως ἀποκαλύπτεται τοῦ Πνεύματος ἡ χάρις καί δι᾿ αὐτοῦ καί ἐν αὐτῷ ὁ Υἱός σύν Πατρί τε˙ καί τούτους βλέπει, ὥς ἐστι δυνατόν κατιδέσθαι, καί τότε τά περί αὐτῶν ἐξ αὐτῶν ἀπορρήτως διδάσκεται καί φθέγγεται καί πᾶσιν ἄλλοις γράφει καί δόγματα θεοπρεπῆ ἐκτίθεται, ὡς πάντες οἱ προλαβόντες ἅγιοι διδάσκουσι πατέρες˙ οὕτως γάρ ἐδογμάτισαν τό σύμβολον τό θεῖον, τοιοῦτοί τε γενόμενοι, ὡς εἴπομεν, κἀκεῖνοι μετά Θεοῦ τά τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐφθέγξαντο καί εἶπον. Τίς γάρ ἐθεολόγησε τριαδικήν μονάδα ἤ τίς αἱρέσεις ἔτρεψε μή γεγονώς τοιοῦτος ἤ τίς ἐκλήθη ἅγιος μή μετασχών Ἁγίου Πνεύματος; Οὐδείς πώποτε. Ὥς καί τό φῶς αἰσθήσει τό νοητόν προσγίνεσθαι πέφυκεν, οἷς προσέσται. Οἱ δ᾿ ἀναισθήτως λέγοντες τούτου μεταλαμβάνειν, αὐτοί τῷ ὄντι ἑαυτούς καλοῦσιν ἀναισθήτους, ἡμεῖς δέ καί νεκρούς ὄντας ζωῆς ἐστερημένους, εἰ καί δοκοῦσιν ἔτι ζῆν, ὤ πλάνης, ὤ μανίας! Ἀλλ᾿, ὦ φῶς, λάμψον εἰς αὐτούς, λάμψον, ὅπως ἰδόντες πεισθῶσιν ὄντως ὅτι φῶς σύ ἀληθές ὑπάρχεις, καί οἷς ἑνοῦσαι, ὥσπερ φῶς, ὁμοίους σοι ἐργάζῃ. Λάμπω καθώς καί πάντοτε τῶν τυφλῶν πρό προσώπου, ἀλλά ἰδεῖν οὐ βούλονται, καμμύουσι δέ μᾶλλον καί ἀναβλέψαι πρός ἐμέ οὐ θέλουσιν, ὦ τέκνον. Πρός δέ καί ἀποστρέφονται τάς ὄψεις ἀλλαχόθεν, κἀγώ συμπεριστρέφομαι, τούτων ἔμπροσθεν στήκω, κἀκεῖνοι πάλιν ἀλλαχοῦ ἐκπέμπουσι τό ὄμμα καί ὅλως τοῦ προσώπου μου τό φῶς οὐ καθορῶσι. Τούτων οἱ μέν καλύπτονται καλύμμασι τάς ὄψεις, οἱ δέ καί ἔξω φεύγουσι μισήσαντές με πάντως. (277) Τί οὖν τούτους ποιήσαιμι, ἀξαπορῶ εἰς ἅπαν˙ τό ἀβουλήτως γάρ αὐτούς καί βίᾳ τάχα σῶσαι, καί τοῦτο θλῖψις δόξειε, μή θέλοντας σωθῆναι. Τό γάρ καλόν θελήματι ἔσται καλόν τῷ ὄντι, τό δ᾿ ἀβουλήτως ἀγαθόν οὐκ ἀγαθόν ὑπάρξει, καί διά τοῦτο θέλοντας καί ὁρῶ καί ὁρῶμαι καί βασιλείας τῆς ἐμῆς ποιῶ συγκληρονόμους, τούς δέ μή θέλοντας ἐῶ θέλοντας ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ, καί γίνονται κριταί αὐτοί ἑαυτῶν πρό τῆς δίκης, ὅτι ἐμοῦ ἐκλάμποντος φωτός τοῦ ἀπροσίτου αὐτοί τό σκότος ἑαυτόῖς προεξένησαν μόνοι, φῶς ἰδεῖν μή θελήσαντες καί μείναντες ἐν σκότει.