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I suppose, then, that here Holy Scripture calls the energies of the Holy Spirit 'lamps'(13), that is, the gifts of the Spirit, which the Logos is wont to bestow upon the Church, as the head of the whole body; "For upon him shall rest," it says, "the Spirit of God, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and piety; the spirit of the fear of God shall fill (14Γ_268> him." But if Christ is the head of the Church according to the concept of his humanity, then he who has the Spirit by nature has bestowed upon the Church the energies of the Spirit, as God; for to me the Logos became man(14), for me he also works out the whole salvation, through what is mine giving me in return what is his own by nature, for whom he also became man, and, as if receiving for my sake, he makes a manifestation of his own things, and on the one hand, as a lover of mankind, he counts my grace as his own, while on the other, he inscribes to me his own power of righteous deeds by nature, for whom he is now said to receive what is his by nature without beginning and beyond reason. For the Holy Spirit, just as he exists by nature in essence from God the Father, so also is he of the Son by nature in essence, as proceeding ineffably from the Father essentially through the begotten Son and bestowing upon the lampstand, that is, the Church, his own energies as lamps; for in the manner of a lamp that dispels darkness, every energy of the Spirit is wont to thrust out and drive away from the Church the manifold generation of sin. For wisdom(15) brings about the destruction of foolishness, understanding the removal of ignorance, counsel the abolition of indiscrimination, might the expulsion of weakness, knowledge the annihilation of nescience, piety the banishment of impiety and the wickedness of deeds associated with it, and fear drives away the callousness of contempt; for not only the commandments, but also the operations of the Spirit are light.
Again, lamps(16) are also those who through the Church signal the light of salvation to all life and the ranks that complete the good order within it. For example: the wise teacher of divine and sublime doctrines and mysteries is a lamp (14Γ_270> uncovering what was formerly not visible to the many; he who hears with understanding and knowledge the wisdom spoken among the perfect is another lamp, as an intelligent hearer guarding within himself the light of the truth of what is spoken; he who with counsel discerns the seasons appropriate to the affairs and devises the fitting modes for the words and does not allow them to be confused by falling into one another unsuitably, he too, as a marvelous counselor, is shown to be another lamp; he who bears the assaults of involuntary temptations with an unshaken mind, after the blessed Job and the noble martyrs, is a mighty lamp, himself also preserving the unquenchable light of salvation, which is kept in the manner of endurance according to courage, as having the Lord for his strength and praise; he who knows the devices of the evil one and is not ignorant of the entanglements of the unseen wars, he too, being illumined by the light of knowledge, has appeared as another lamp, appropriately speaking in harmony with the great Apostle: "for we are not ignorant of his designs"; he who pursues the life according to the commandment, piously abounding in virtues, is another lamp, as a pious man piously confirming piety by his ways; he who, in expectation of the judgment, has walled off the entrance to the soul for the passions through self-control, has become another lamp, diligently cleansing away, through the fear of God, the stains of the passions that have been rubbed into him, and by the rejection of unnatural pollutions making his life transparent and brilliant.
The Holy Spirit, therefore, effects purification in those worthy of the purity of the virtues(17) through fear and piety and knowledge, but the illumination of the
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Λύχνους(13) οὖν ἐνταῦθα φάναι τὴν ἁγίαν Γραφὴν ὑπονοῶ τὰς ἐνεργείας τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος, ἤγουν τὰ χαρίσματα τοῦ Πνεύματος, ἅπερ δωρεῖσθαι τῇ Ἐκκλησίᾳ πέφυκεν ὁ Λόγος, ὡς κεφαλὴ τοῦ παντὸς σώματος· «καὶ ἐπαναπαύσεται γὰρ ἐπ᾽ αὐτόν», φησίν, «Πνεῦμα Θεοῦ, πνεῦμα σοφίας καὶ συνέσεως, πνεῦμα βουλῆς καὶ ἰσχύος, πνεῦμα γνώσεως καὶ εὐσεβείας· ἐμπλήσει (14Γ_268> αὐτὸν πνεῦμα φόβου Θεοῦ». Εἰ δὲ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας κεφαλὴ κατὰ τὴν ἐπίνοιαν τῆς ἀνθρωπότητός ἐστιν ὁ Χριστός, ἄρα τῇ Ἐκκλησίᾳ δεδώρηται ὁ κατὰ φύσιν ἔχων τὸ Πνεῦμα τὰς ἐνεργείας τοῦ Πνεύματος, ὡς Θεός· ἐμοὶ γὰρ ὁ Λόγος γενόμενος ἄνθρωπος(14), ἐμοὶ καὶ τὴν ὅλην πραγματεύεται σωτηρίαν, διὰ τῶν ἐμῶν ἐμοὶ τὰ οἰκεῖα αὐτῷ κατὰ φύσιν ἀντιδιδούς, δι᾽ ὃν καὶ ἄνθρωπος γέγονεν, καί, ὡς λαμβάνων δι᾽ ἐμέ, ποιεῖται τῶν οἰκείων τὴν ἔκφανσιν, καὶ ἑαυτῷ μὲν τὴν ἐμήν, ὡς φιλάνθρωπος, λογιζόμενος χάριν, ἐμοὶ δὲ τὴν οἰκείαν αὐτοῦ κατὰ φύσιν τῶν κατορθωμάτων ἐπιγραφόμενος δύναμιν, δι᾽ ὃν καὶ νῦν λαμβάνειν λέγεται τὸ φύσει προσὸν ἀνάρχως καὶ ὑπὲρ λόγον. Τὸ γὰρ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἄγιον, ὥσπερ φύσει κατ᾽ οὐσίαν ὑπάρχει τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ Πατρός, οὕτως καὶ τοῦ Υἱοῦ φύσει κατ᾽ οὐσίαν ἐστίν, ὡς ἐκ τοῦ Πατρὸς οὐσιωδῶς δι᾽ Υἱοῦ γεννηθέντος ἀφράστως ἐκπορευόμενον καὶ τῇ λυχνίᾳ, τουτέστι τῇ Ἐκκλησίᾳ, καθάπερ λύχνους τὰς οἰκείας ἐνεργείας δωρούμενον· λύχνου γὰρ τρόπον τὸ σκότος λύοντος πᾶσα τοῦ Πνεύματος ἐνέργεια τὴν πολύτροπον γένεσιν τῆς ἁμαρτίας ἐξωθεῖσθαι τῆς Ἐκκλησίας καὶ ἀπελαύνειν πέφυκεν. Ποιεῖται γὰρ ἡ μὲν σοφία(15) τῆς ἀνοίας ἀναίρεσιν, ἡ δὲ σύνεσις τῆς ἀνεπιγνωμοσύνης ἀφαίρεσιν, ἡ δὲ βουλὴ τῆς ἀδιακρισίας κατάργησιν, ἡ δὲ ἰσχὺς τῆς ἀσθενείας ἐξήλωσιν, ἡ δὲ γνῶσις τῆς ἀγνωσίας ἀφανισμόν, ἡ δὲ εὐσέβεια τῆς ἀσεβείας καὶ τῆς ἐπ᾽ αὐτῇ τῶν ἔργων φαυλότητος διωγμόν, ὁ δὲ φόβος τῆς καταφρονήσεως ἀπελαύνει τὴν πώρωσιν· φῶς γὰρ οὐ μόνον τὰ προστάγματα, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰ ἐνεργήματα τυγχάνει τοῦ Πνεύματος.
Λύχνοι δὲ πάλιν τυγχάνουσι(16) παντὶ τῷ βίῳ διὰ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας τὸ φῶς τῆς σωτηρίας πυρσεύοντες καὶ οἱ συμπληροῦντες βαθμοὶ τὴν κατ᾽ αὐτὴν εὐκοσμίαν. Οἷον· ὁ σοφὸς τῶν θείων καὶ ὑψηλῶν δογμάτων τε καὶ μυστηρίων διδάσκαλος λύχνος (14Γ_270> ἐστὶ ἐκκαλύπτων τὰ τέως τοῖς πολλοῖς μὴ φαινόμενα· ὁ μετὰ συνέσεως καὶ ἐπιστήμης κατακούων τῆς ἐν τοῖς τελείοις λαλουμένης σοφίας ἄλλος ὑπάρχει λύχνος, ὡς συνετὸς ἀκροατὴς φυλάττων ἐν ἑαυτῷ τῆς τῶν λαλουμένων ἀληθείας τὸ φῶς· ὁ δὲ μετὰ βουλῆς διακρίνων ἁρμοδίως τοῖς πράγμασι τοὺς καιροὺς καὶ τοῖς λόγοις τοὺς ἐπιβάλλοντας τρόπους ἐπινοῶν καὶ μὴ συγχωρῶν ἀλλήλοις ἀπροσφόρως ἐμπεσόντας συγχεῖσθαι, καὶ οὗτος, ὡς θαυμαστὸς σύμβουλος, ἄλλος ὑπάρχων δέδεικται λύχνος· ὁ δὲ τὰς προσβολὰς τῶν ἀκουσίων πειρασμῶν, κατὰ τὸν μακάριον Ἰὼβ καὶ τοὺς γενναίους μάρτυρας, ἀκατασείστῳ φέρων τῷ φρονήματι λύχνος ἐστὶν ἰσχυρός, ἀκατάσβεστον καὶ αὐτὸς φυλάττων τὸ φῶς τῆς σωτηρίας ἐν τῷ τρόπῳ τῆς κατὰ τὴν ἀνδρείαν ὑπομονῆς φυλαττόμενον, ὡς τὸν Κύριον ἰσχὺν ἔχων καὶ ὕμνησιν· ὁ δὲ γινώσκων τοῦ πονηροῦ τὰ μηχανήματα καὶ τὰς συμπλοκὰς τῶν ἀφανῶν πολέμων οὐκ ἀγνοῶν, καὶ οὗτος, τῷ φωτὶ τῆς γνώσεως περιλαμπόμενος, ἄλλος πέφηνε λύχνος, τῷ μεγάλῳ Ἀποστόλῳ προσηκόντως συμφθεγγόμενος· «οὐ γὰρ αὐτοῦ τὰ νοήματα ἀγνοοῦμεν»· ὁ δὲ τὸν κατ᾽ ἐντολὴν βίον εὐσεβῶς ταῖς ἀρεταῖς εὐθηνούμενον μετερχόμενος ἄλλος ὑπάρχει λύχνος, ὡς εὐσεβὴς τὴν εὐσέβειαν εὐσεβῶς τοῖς τρόποις πιστούμενος· ὁ δὲ τῇ προσδοκίᾳ τῆς κρίσεως τοῖς πάθεσι πρὸς τὴν ψυχὴν δι᾽ ἐγκρατείας ἀποτειχίσας τὴν εἴσοδον ἄλλος γέγονε λύχνος, διὰ σπουδῆς τῷ φόβῳ τοῦ Θεοῦ τὰς ἐπιτριβείσας αὐτῷ τῶν παθῶν κηλίδας ἐκκαθαιρόμενος καὶ τῇ τῶν παρὰ φύσιν ἀποβολῇ μολυσμῶν διαυγῆ καὶ λαμπρὸν τὸν βίον ποιούμενος.
Τὴν μὲν οὖν κάθαρσιν τοῖς ἀξίοις τῆς τῶν ἀρετῶν καθαρότητος(17) διὰ φόβου καὶ εὐσεβείας καὶ γνώσεως ποιεῖται τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον, τὸν δὲ φωτισμὸν τῆς τῶν