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having divinely transformed them; and at other times, if they hear anything said contrary and erroneously concerning the salvation of our soul, correcting this according to the measure of knowledge given to them, they write, presenting testimonies from the divine Scriptures and are wholly unable to be still or to have their fill of the narration. In what way? Because they are no longer their own, but belong to the Spirit within them, which both moves them and is moved again by them, and all things that you hear said in the divine Scriptures concerning the kingdom of the heavens come to be in them, a pearl, a mustard seed, leaven, water, fire, bread, a drink of life, a living and leaping spring, flowing rivers of spiritual words, of words of divine life, a lamp, a couch, a bridal chamber, bridegroom, friend, (446) brother and father. And why, by saying many things, do I attempt to go through them all when, behold, they are innumerable? For what eye has not seen and ear has not heard, and what has not entered into the heart of man, how shall a tongue, having measured these things, narrate them in word? Truly, in no way. For even if we possess all things within us because we carry about God, the Giver of these things, yet we are wholly unable either to measure them with the mind or to explain them in word.

We have written these things, therefore, O fathers and brothers, not for the sake of display, may it not be so - for what of our own do we have to display, if not many sins and impurities and iniquities from our mother's womb, which, I think, not even the sand of the sea can equal in number? but we make manifest the wonders of God and set them before you, even if not worthily, yet at least according to our ability; in addition to this, also that we might benefit through this explanation those who think they unknowingly possess the Holy Spirit from holy baptism. For the account teaches us first of the complete darkness and gloom that is in us, that is, the estrangement from the divine light, when indeed it also clearly recounts the ignorance concerning God, then the reproof that comes from the conscience, then fear, then the desire for the forgiveness of debts when man also seeks for this a mediator and helper, as being clearly unable to approach shamelessly alone on account of being weighed down by many sins of shame, then the finding of the mediator and shepherd and intercessor; (447) and how by the noetic illumination of the Spirit he has also beheld him, which also shows the beginning of an illumination of which he was formerly uninitiated, and how after the revelation occurred the vision of the Spirit passed away again and, being deprived of it, he fell again into the darkness of many sins. And after these things it also made known the second call through the shepherd, then obedience, faith, humility, submission, and from these the most evident transformation that occurs in us little by little in knowledge and vision, and he who has not recognized this occurring in himself according to the explanation of the account, it is not possible for such a one to have the Holy Spirit dwelling in him. But the account, as has been said by me above, going through these things in more detail, does not show us boasting, but narrating the wonders of God, which He, in His love of good, works in those who seek him with all their soul and heart, so that every excuse and disobedience will receive its just reward on the day when God will judge the race of men, to whom is due all glory, honor and worship now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Discourse 36. (448)

Of our holy and great father Symeon the New. Thanksgiving to God concerning the benefactions that have come to him from Him. In which

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θεουργικῶς αὐτούς ἀλλοιώσαντα· ποτέ δέ, εἴ τι ἐναντίως καί ἐσφαλμένως λεγόμενον περί τῆς ψυχικῆς σωτηρίας ἡμῶν ἀκούσωσι, κατά τό δοθέν αὐτοῖς μέτρον τῆς γνώσεως διορθούμενοι, τοῦτο γράφουσι, τάς μαρτυρίας ἀπό τῶν θείων παριστῶντες Γραφῶν καί ἠρεμεῖν ὅλως ἤ κόρον τῆς διηγήσεως λαβεῖν οὐκ ἰσχύουσι. Τίνα τρόπον; Ἐπειδή οὐκέτι ἑαυτῶν, ἀλλά τοῦ ἐν αὐτοῖς εἰσι Πνεύματος, οὕς καί κινεῖ καί ὑπ᾿ αὐτῶν πάλιν κινεῖται αὐτό, καί γίνεται ἐν αὐτοῖς πάντα ὅσα ἐν ταῖς θείαις ἀκούεις Γραφαῖς περί τῆς βασιλείας τῶν οὐρανῶν λεγόμενα, μαργαρίτης, κόκκος σινάπεως, ζύμη, ὕδωρ, πῦρ, ἄρτος, πόμα ζωῆς, πηγή ζῶσά τε καί ἁλλομένη, ποταμούς ῥέουσα λόγων πνευματικῶν, λόγων θείας ζωῆς, λαμπάς, κλίνη, παστάς, νυμφῶν,νυμφίος, φίλος, (446) ἀδελφός καί πατήρ. Καί τί πολλά λέγων πειρῶμαι τά πάντα διεξελθεῖν καί ἰδού εἰσιν ἀναρίθμητα; Ἅ γάρ ὀφθαλμός οὐκ εἶδε καί οὖς οὐκ ἤκουσε καί ἐπί καρδίαν ἀνθρώπου οὐκ ἀνέβη, πῶς γλῶσσα μετρήσασα ταῦτα λόγῳ ἐκδιηγήσεται; Ὄντως οὐδαμῶς. Εἰ γάρ καί ἐντός ἡμῶν πάντα διά τό τόν πάροχον τούτων Θεόν περιφέρειν κεκτήμεθα, ἀλλ᾿ οὔτε νοΐ ἐκμετρῆσαι, οὔτε λόγῳ ἐξηγήσασθαι ταῦτα ὅλως δυνάμεθα.

Ταῦτα τοίνυν ἐγράψαμεν, ὦ πατέρες καί ἀδελφοί, οὐκ ἐνδείξεως χάριν, μή γένοιτο - τί γάρ καί ἔχομεν ἡμέτερον ἐνδείξασθαι, εἰ μή ἐκ κοιλίας μητρός ἡμῶν ἁμαρτίας καί ἀκαθαρσίας καί ἀνομίας πολλάς, αἷς ὡς οἶμαι οὐδέ ἡ θαλαττία ψάμμος τῷ πλήθει συνεξισάζεται; ἀλλά τοῦ Θεοῦ τά θαυμάσια φανεροῦμεν καί παρατιθέμεθα ὑμῖν, εἰ καί μή ἀξίως, ἀλλ᾿ οὖν κατά γε τήν ἡμετέραν δύναμιν· πρός τούτοις καί ἵνα τούς οἰομένους Πνεῦμα Ἅγιον ἀγνώστως ἔχειν ἀπό τοῦ θείου βαπτίσματος διά ταύτης τῆς ἐξηγήσεως ὠφελήσωμεν. ∆ιδάσκει γάρ ὁ λόγος ἡμᾶς τήν ἐνοῦσαν ἐν πρώτοις ἡμῖν παντελῆ σκότωσίν τε καί ζόφωσιν ἤγουν τήν ἀλλοτρίωσιν τοῦ θείου φωτός, ὅτε δηλαδή καί τήν περί Θεοῦ ἄγνοιαν σαφῶς διεξέρχεται, ἔπειτα τόν ἐκ τῆς συνειδήσεως γινόμενον ἔλεγχον, εἶτα τό φόβον, εἶτα τήν ἐπιθυμίαν τῆς ἀφέσεως τῶν χρεῶν ὅτε καί μεσίτην ὁ ἄνθρωπος ἐπιζητεῖ πρός τοῦτο καί βοηθόν, ὡς μή δυνάμενος δηλονότι μόνος ἀναιδῶς προσελθεῖν διά τό καταβαρεῖσθαι αὐτόν ὑπό πολλῶν τῆς αἰσχύνης ἁμαρτιῶν , εἶτα τήν ἐπιτυχίαν τοῦ μεσίτου καί ποιμένος καί πρεσβευτοῦ· (447) καί πῶς τῇ νοερᾷ ἐλλάμψει τοῦ Πνεύματος καί τοῦτον τεθέαται, ὅ καί ἀρχήν γενομένην ἐλλάμψεως δείκνυσιν, ἧς πρῴην ὑπῆρχεν ἀμύητος, πῶς τε μετά τό γενέσθαι τήν ἀποκάλυψιν πάλιν ἡ θεωρία παρῆλθε τοῦ Πνεύματος καί, στερηθείς ταύτης, πάλιν ἐν σκότει ἁμαρτιῶν πολλῶν περιέπεσε. Μετά δέ ταῦτα καί τήν διά τοῦ ποιμένος δευτέραν κλῆσιν ἐδήλωσεν, εἶτα τήν ὑπακοήν, τήν πίστιν, τήν ταπείνωσιν, τήν ὑποταγήν, ἐκ δέ τούτων τήν κατά μικρόν ἐν γνώσει καί θεωρίᾳ γινομένην ἐν ἡμῖν ἐναργεστάτην ἀλλοίωσιν, ἥν ὁ μή ἐπεγνωκώς ἐν ἑαυτῷ γενομένην κατά τήν τοῦ λόγου ἐξήγησιν, οὐ δυνατόν ἔχειν Πνεῦμα Ἅγιον τόν τοιοῦτον κατοικοῦν ἐν αὐτῷ. Ἀλλά ταῦτα μέν ὁ λόγος, καθώς μοι ἄνωθεν εἴρηται, διεξοδικώτερον διερχόμενος, οὐ καυχωμένους ἡμᾶς ἀποδεικνύει, ἀλλά διηγουμένους τά θαυμάσια τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἅ ἐν τοῖς ἐκζητοῦσιν αὐτόν ἐξ ὅλης ψυχῆς καί καρδίας φιλαγάθως ἐργάζεται, ὡς ἄν πᾶσα πρόφασις καί παρακοήν ἔνδικον ἀπολήψεται τήν μισθαποδοσίαν ἐν ἡμέρᾳ ᾗ κρινεῖ ὁ Θεός τό γένος τῶν ἀνθρώπων, ᾧ πρέπει πᾶσα δόξα, τιμή καί προσκύνησις νῦν καί ἀεί καί εἰς τούς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.

Λόγος Λστ΄. (448)

Τοῦ ἁγίου καί μεγάλου πατρός ἡμῶν Συμεών τοῦ Νέου. Εὐχαριστία πρός Θεόν περί τῶν γεγονότων εὐεργεσιῶν εἰς αὐτόν παρ᾿ αὐτοῦ. Ἐν ᾗ