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inexpressibly held between the incorruptible and the corruptible; by the one it is dragged down to pleasures, to passions, but by the other, winged toward heaven, it is forced to remain there, yet it is dragged down, and again it eagerly strives always to be borne up, wishing to be one who walks on air, away from things seen. For seeing all things in the world as snares, it is afraid to step or sit upon the earth at all, lest it be completely ensnared, being held by these things, and become food for savage beasts. Such is the life of all the pious and faithful and holy, which all must imitate, so that with them they may stand blamelessly before Christ, God, the judge of all, and will be partakers of His glory and kingdom for ever, amen.

39.

That desire and love for God surpasses all human love and all desire; and the mind of those being purified, having been dipped in the light of God, is wholly deified and is thenceforth called the mind of Christ. (293)

Your beauty is beyond contrivance, your form incomparable, your loveliness unspeakable, your glory beyond reason, your character, Master Christ, the good and gentle, surpasses all the thoughts of the earth-born, and for this reason the desire and love for you overcomes all mortal love and desire. For inasmuch as you surpass things seen, Savior, so much greater is the desire for you, and it covers over all human love and turns away the desires of carnal pleasures, and it quickly repulses all desires; for desire for the passions is truly darkness and the practice of shameful sins is deep night, but the love for you and the affection, Savior, is light. Wherefore, rising up in God-loving souls, it immediately brings about a day of dispassion, my God, driving away the darkness of passions and pleasures; O wonder, O paradoxical work of God most high and power of mysteries secretly performed! You grant us both the incorruptible and the corruptible, you give both earthly things, O God, along with heavenly things, (294) both present things together and future things, O Word, as the maker of all things absolutely, as having authority over heavenly things, Master, and earthly things; and how can we wretched ones love men

164

μέσον δ᾿ ἀφθάρτων καί φθαρτῶν ἀρρήτως κρατουμένη˙ ὑπό μέν τῶν καθέλκεται πρός ἡδονάς, πρός πάθη, ὑπό δέ τῶν πρός οὐρανόν πτερουμένη ἐκεῖσε μένειν μέν ἐκβιάζεται, κατασπᾶται δέ ὅμως καί πάλιν ἀναφέρεσθαι ἀεί θερμῶς σπουδάζει ἀεροβάμων θέλουσα εἶναι ἐξ ὁρωμένων. Ὡς γάρ παγίδας βλέπουσα τά ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ πάντα φοβεῖται ὅλως ἐν τῇ γῇ πατῆσαι ἤ καθίσαι, ἵνα μή πάντως ἐμπαγῇ κρατηθεῖσα ἐν τούτοις καί γένηται κατάβρωμα θηρίων ἀνημέρων. Τοιοῦτος ὁ τῶν εὐσεβῶν καί πιστῶν καί ἁγίων ἁπάντων βίος, ὅνπερ χρή ἐκμιμεῖσθαι τούς πάντας, ἵνα καί σύν αὐτοῖς Χριστῷ, Θεῷ, κριτῇ τῶν πάντων ἀμέμπτως παραστήσονται καί κοινωνοί τῆς δόξης καί βασιλείας τῆς αὐτοῦ ἔσονται εἰς αἰῶνας, ἀμήν.

ΛΘ'.

Ὅτι ὁ πόθος καί ἡ πρός Θεόν ἀγάπη ὑπερβαίνει πᾶσαν ἀγάπην καί πάντα πόθον ἀνθρώπινον˙ βαφείς δέ ὁ νοῦς τῶν καθαιρομένων ἐν τῷ φωτί τοῦ Θεοῦ ὅλος θεοῦται καί νοῦς ἐκεῖθεν χρηματίζει Χριστοῦ. (293)

Ἀμήχανον τό κάλλος σου, ἀσύγκριτον τό εἶδος, ἡ ὡραιότης ἄφατος, ὑπέρ λόγον ἡ δόξα, τό ἦθος, ∆έσποτα Χριστέ, τό ἀγαθόν καί πρᾷον τῶν γηγενῶν ὑπέρκειται τάς ἐννοίας ἁπάντων, καί διά τοῦτο ὁ πρός σέ πόθος καί ἡ ἀγάπη πᾶσαν ἀγάπην τῶν βροτῶν ὑπερνικᾷ καί πόθον. Καθ᾿ ὅσον γάρ ὑπέρκεισαι τῶν ὁρωμένων, Σῶτερ, κατά τοσοῦτον ὁ πρός σέ πόθος ὑπάρχει μείζων καί συγκαλύπτει ἅπασαν ἀνθρωπίνην ἀγάπην καί ἔρωτας τῶν σαρκικῶν ἡδονῶν ἀποτρέπει, ἐπιθυμίας πάσας δέ ἀποκρούεται τάχος˙ σκότος γάρ ὄντως τῶν παθῶν ἐπιθυμία πέλει καί νύξ βαθεῖα τῶν αἰσχρῶν ἁμαρτιῶν ἡ πρᾶξις, φῶς δέ ὁ ἔρως ὁ πρός σέ καί ἡ ἀγάπη, Σῶτερ. ∆ιό ἐξανατέλλουσα ἐν ψυχαῖς φιλοθέοις εὐθύς ἡμέραν ἐμποιεῖ ἀπαθείας, Θεέ μου, ἀποδιώκουσα παθῶν καί ἡδονῶν τό σκότος˙ ὤ θαῦμα, ὤ παράδοξον ἔργον Θεοῦ ὑψίστου καί μυστηρίων δύναμις τῶν κρυπτῶς τελουμένων! Σύ καί τά ἄφθαρτα ἡμῖν καί τά φθαρτά χαρίζῃ, σύ καί τά γήϊνα, Θεέ, σύν τοῖς ἐπουρανίοις, (294) τά ἐνεστῶτά τε ὁμοῦ καί τά μέλλοντα, Λόγε, ὡς πάντων πάντως ποιητής, ὡς ἔχων ἐξουσίαν τῶν οὐρανίων, ∆έσποτα, καί τῶν καταχθονίων˙ καί πῶς ἡμεῖς οἱ ἄθλιοι ἀγαπῶμεν ἀνθρώπους