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engendering magnificence in the worthy, “that they may see your good works, he says, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”

Thus, therefore, will one who rejoices in the intelligible contemplations of Holy Scripture understand the lampstand that was seen and the lamp according to the manner that has been given; and he will take the seven lamps(27) to be the division of the different gifts of the Spirit according to the previously given explanation, which mystically shine upon and rest upon the one perfected according to Christ through virtue and knowledge, since the Word knows Christ as the one who lives according to Christ and is revealed through the same ways and principles, as is permissible for a human being, as one who also has wisdom and understanding, counsel and strength, and knowledge and piety and fear, through which, as through intelligible eyes, God is said to look upon all the land of each person's heart; “for these are the seven eyes of the Lord,” it says, “which look upon all the earth.”

“And seven spouts for the lamps that are on top of it.” The spouts(28) are the dispositions according to practice and contemplation of those worthy of the division among the divine gifts; from which, as from certain vessels, pouring in, like oil, the power of mystical thoughts, they keep the light of the gifts of the Spirit unquenched.

And he will understand the two olive trees(29), as I said before, to be the two Covenants, the Old(30) on the left of the lamp, which for the gnostic part of the soul(31), that is, the contemplative, like oil, produces the modes of the virtues according to practice, and the New on the right, which for the affective part of the soul, that is, the practical, like oil, ceaselessly produces the spiritual principles of knowledge according to (14Γ_282> contemplation, so that through both the light of theology, like a lamp, may be further strengthened along with the connatural gifts of the Spirit, being supplied from the Old Testament with the modes that adorn knowledge through practice, and from the New Testament with the principles that illuminate the practice of the virtues through spiritual contemplation, and that the mystery of our salvation may be perfected from both into one beauty, making one's life a demonstration of reason(32), and reason the glory of one's life, and practice, contemplation put into action, and contemplation, practice being initiated into the mysteries, and to speak concisely, making virtue the manifestation of knowledge, and knowledge the power that preserves virtue, and through both, I mean virtue and knowledge, showing one wisdom being constituted, so that we may know(33) that the two Testaments are more in harmony with each other in all things according to grace for the completion of one mystery than the soul and body correspond to each other in composition for the generation of one human being.

But if someone, being ambitious in the contemplations according to the intellect, should take and say that the two olive trees are the two laws, I mean the natural and the spiritual, he has not stepped outside the truth. For the natural law(34), as from the left of the lamp, that is, of the incarnate God the Word, will be understood as bringing to reason through its kindred sense-perception the modes for virtue in sensible things, while the intellectual, that is, the spiritual, law, from the right, through its kindred intellection, collects the principles for spiritual knowledge in existing things; through which, having filled the various dispositions of the spiritual gifts, like spouts of lamps, with practical and gnostic theorems, we keep the light of truth unquenched.

And perhaps this passage of Scripture, when understood more gnostically through the two olive trees, the ones on the right of the lamp and on the left, signifies providence and judgment, between which stands, as on a golden lampstand of the holy catholic Church or of the soul of each saint, holding up for all the light of truth, the Word who, as God, contains all things, and those according to providence and judgment

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ἀξίοις γεννῶντα μεγαλοπρέπειαν, «ὅπως ἴδωσιν ὑμῶν τὰ καλὰ ἔργα, φησίν, καὶ δοξάσωσι τὸν Πατέρα ὑμῶν τὸν ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς».

Οὕτω μὲν οὖν νοήσει κατὰ τὸν ἀποδοθέντα τρόπον τὴν ὁραθεῖσαν λυχνίαν καὶ τὸ λαμπάδιον ὁ ταῖς νοηταῖς χαίρων τῆς ἁγίας Γραφῆς θεωρίαις· τοὺς ἑπτὰ δὲ λύχνους ἐκδέξεται(27) τὴν τῶν διαφόρων χαρισμάτων τοῦ Πνεύματος εἶναι διαίρεσιν κατὰ τὴν προαποδοθεῖσαν ἐξήγησιν, ἣν μυστικῶς ἐπιλάμπειν καὶ ἐπαναπαύεσθαι τῷ κατὰ Χριστὸν δι᾽ ἀρετῆς τετελειωμένῳ καὶ γνώσεως, ἐπειδὴ Χριστὸν οἶδεν ὁ λόγος τὸν ζῶντα κατὰ Χριστὸν καὶ τοῖς αὐτοῖς τρόποις τε καὶ λόγοις, καθώς ἐστιν ἀνθρώπῳ θεμιτόν, διαφαινόμενον, οἷα δὴ καὶ αὐτὸν ἔχοντα σοφίαν καὶ σύνεσιν βουλήν τε καὶ ἰσχὺν καὶ γνῶσιν καὶ εὐσέβειαν καὶ φόβον, δι᾽ ὧν, ὡς δι᾽ ὀφθαλμῶν νοητῶν, ἐπιβλέπειν λέγεται πᾶσαν τῆς ἑκάστου καρδίας τὴν γῆν ὁ Θεός· «ἑπτὰ γάρ εἰσιν οὗτοι ὀφθαλμοὶ Κυρίου», φησίν, «οἱ ἐπιβλέποντες ἐπὶ πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν».

«Καὶ ἑπτὰ ἐπαρυστρίδες τοῖς λύχνοις τοῖς ἐπάνω αὐτῆς». Ἐπαρυστρίδες εἰσὶν(28) αἱ κατὰ πρᾶξιν καὶ θεωρίαν ἕξεις τῶν ἀξίων τῆς ἐν τοῖς θείοις χαρίσμασι διαιρέσεως· ἀφ᾽ ὧν, ὡς ἐξ ἀγγείων τινῶν, ἐπιχέοντες, καθάπερ ἔλαιον, τῶν μυστικῶν νοημάτων τὴν δύναμιν, τὸ φῶς τῶν χαρισμάτων τοῦ Πνεύματος διαφυλάττουσιν ἄσβεστον.

Τὰς δὲ δύο ἐλαίας νοήσει(29), καθὼς προέφην, τὰς δύο ∆ιαθήκας, τὴν μὲν Παλαιὰν(30) ἐξ εὐωνύμων τοῦ λαμπαδίου, τὴν τῷ γνωστικῷ τῆς ψυχῆς(31), ἤγουν θεωρητικῷ, καθάπερ ἔλαιον, γεννῶσαν τοὺς κατὰ τὴν πρᾶξιν τρόπους τῶν ἀρετῶν, τὴν δὲ Νέαν ἐκ δεξιῶν, τὴν τῷ παθητικῷ τῆς ψυχῆς, ἤγουν πρακτικῷ, καθάπερ ἔλαιον, ἀεννάως γεννῶσαν τοὺς κατὰ τὴν (14Γ_282> θεωρίαν πνευματικοὺς λόγους τῶν γνώσεων, ἵνα δι᾽ ἀμφοῖν τὸ τῆς θεολογίας φῶς, καθάπερ λαμπάδιον, μετὰ τῶν συμφυῶν χαρισμάτων τοῦ Πνεύματος πλέον κρατύνηται, χορηγούμενον ἐκ μὲν τῆς Παλαιᾶς ∆ιαθήκης τοὺς διὰ πράξεως τὴν γνῶσιν σεμνύνοντας τρόπους, ἐκ δὲ τῆς Νέας ∆ιαθήκης τοὺς διὰ θεωρίας πνευματικῆς τὴν πρᾶξιν τῶν ἀρετῶν λαμπρύνοντας λόγους, καὶ πρὸς ἓν ἐξ ἀμφοῖν κάλλος ἀπακριβωθῇ τὸ τῆς σωτηρίας ἡμῶν μυστήριον, ἐπίδειξιν μὲν λόγου(32) τὸν βίον, δόξαν δὲ βίου τὸν λόγον ποιούμενον, καὶ τὴν μὲν πρᾶξιν θεωρίαν ἐνεργουμένην, τὴν δὲ θεωρίαν πρᾶξιν μυσταγωγουμένην, καὶ συντόμως εἰπεῖν, τὴν μὲν ἀρετὴν φανέρωσιν γνώσεως, τὴν δὲ γνῶσιν ἀρετῆς συντηρητικὴν ἐργαζόμενον δύναμιν, καὶ δι᾽ ἀμφοῖν, ἀρετῆς λέγω καὶ γνώσεως, μίαν σοφίαν συνισταμένην ἐπιδεικνύμενον, ἵνα γνῶμεν(33) ὅτι συμφωνοῦσιν ἀλλήλαις διὰ πάντων αἱ δύο ∆ιαθῆκαι κατὰ τὴν χάριν πλέον εἰς ἑνὸς μυστηρίου συμπλήρωσιν ἢ ὅσον ψυχὴ καὶ σῶμα πρὸς ἑνὸς ἀνθρώπου γένεσιν κατὰ τὴν σύνθεσιν ἀλλήλοις συμβαίνουσιν.

Εἰ δέ τις, ταῖς κατὰ νοῦν θεωρίαις φιλοτιμούμενος, ἐκλαβὼν εἴποι τὰς δύο ἐλαίας εἶναι τοὺς δύο νόμους, τόν τε φυσικὸν λέγω καὶ τὸν πνευματικόν, οὐκ ἔξω βέβηκε τῆς ἀληθείας. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ φυσικός(34), ὡς ἐξ ἀριστερῶν τοῦ λαμπαδίου, τουτέστι τοῦ σαρκωθέντος Θεοῦ Λόγου, διὰ τῆς συγγενοῦς αἰσθήσεως τοὺς ἐν τοῖς αἰσθητοῖς πρὸς ἀρετὴν τρόπους νοηθήσεται τῷ λόγῳ προσάγων, ὁ δὲ νοερός, ἥγουν πνευματικός, ἐκ δεξιῶν διὰ τῆς συγγενοῦς νοήσεως τοὺς ἐν τοῖς οὖσι πρὸς γνῶσιν πνευματικὴν λόγους ἀναλεγόμενος· δι᾽ ὧν τὰς διαφόρους ἕξεις τῶν πνευματικῶν χαρισμάτων, καθάπερ λύχνων ἐπαρυστρίδας, πρακτικῶν καὶ γνωστικῶν θεωρημάτων πληρώσαντες, ἄσβεστον τὸ φῶς τῆς ἀληθείας φυλάττομεν.

Γνωστικώτερον δὲ τυχὸν ὁ τόπος οὗτος τῆς Γραφῆς κατανοούμενος διὰ τῶν δύο ἐλαιῶν, τῶν ἐκ δεξιῶν τοῦ λαμπαδίου καὶ ἐξ εὐωνύμων, τὴν πρόνοιαν δηλοῖ καὶ τὴν κρίσιν, ὧν ἕστηκε μέσος, ὡς ἐπὶ λυχνίας χρυσῆς τῆς ἁγίας καθολικῆς Ἐκκλησίας ἢ τῆς τοῦ καθ᾽ ἕκαστον ἁγίου ψυχῆς, πᾶσι πυρσεύων τῆς ἀληθείας τὸ φῶς, ὁ τὸ πᾶν, ὡς Θεός, περιέχων Λόγος, καὶ τοὺς κατὰ πρόνοιαν καὶ κρίσιν