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having, as I later learned this by deed. From where could I have known, O Master, that You, being invisible and uncontainable, are seen and contained within us? From where could I ever have reckoned that the Master who created all things unites Himself to men, whom He Himself fashioned, and makes them God-bearers and makes them Your sons, so that I might come to desire these things and seek to receive them from You? From where did I know, O Lord, that I have such a God, such a Master, such a protector, father and brother and king, You who became poor for my sake and took the form of a servant?

(439) Truly, my philanthropic Master, I knew absolutely none of all these things. For even if I ever stooped down and read about these things in the divine Scriptures, which Your saints set forth, yet I heard them as if spoken about certain others or to certain others, and I was insensate toward all that was written, never being able to form a concept about them. For hearing Your herald Paul crying out and saying: "What eye has not seen, and ear has not heard, and has not entered into the heart of man, what God has prepared for those who love him," I was persuaded that it was impossible for anyone being in the flesh to come into the vision of those things. And I thought that out of generosity You had shown these things to him alone, and I, wretched one, did not know that this is also done by You for all who love You. From where or how could I know that everyone who believes in You becomes Your member, flashing forth Divinity by grace—and who will believe this? and may he become blessed, having become a blessed member of the blessed God? From where could I have known that You, instead of perceptible food, become insatiable, immortal, and incorruptible bread for those who hunger for Your sake, and an immortal spring for those who thirst, and a brilliant tunic for those clothed in humble garments for Your sake? For hearing these things being said by Your heralds, I supposed they would happen only in the age to come and after the resurrection, and I did not know that they are fulfilled even more now, when we stand in greater need of them.

These things I neither knew, all-holy King, nor did I ever have a desire for them, nor did I ask to receive any of them from You, (440) but remembering my sins, I sought only their forgiveness and desired to find an intercessor and advocate, as I said above, O Master, so that through his intercession and my servitude to him I might find in the age to come the remission of my many sins. And when I heard everyone saying with one accord that there was no such holy man on earth now, I fell into greater grief. But nevertheless I never believed this, but I answered such people, O Master Christ, as You know, and said: "My Lord, have mercy. Has the devil become so much more powerful than the Lord God, that he has drawn all to himself and made them his own portion, so that not one is left on God's side?".

For this reason, I think, philanthropic King, You shone Your holy light on me as I was sitting in the darkness of this life and in the midst of evils, and in it You showed me Your saint. And in the same way that You dealt with Your servant Paul, calling him while he was persecuting You through Your divine appearance—for when he saw You and said, "Who are you?" You did not say, "I am the one who made heaven and earth. I am the one who brought all things from non-being into being," nor did You say, "I am He who is, or: the God Sabaoth, or: the God of your fathers," nor any other of Your glorious names, but You said only this to him: "I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting," so that he might know clearly that You are (441) the God made flesh for our sakes, whom he was persecuting—so also did You do in my case, O Master, when You were pleased to show me Your saint Symeon.

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ἔχων, ὡς ὕστερον ἔργῳ τοῦτο μεμάθηκα. Πόθεν που ἐγίνωσκον, ∆έσποτα, ὅτι σύ ἀόρατος ὤν καί ἀχώρητος, ὁρᾶσαι καί χωρῆσαι ἐντός ἡμῶν; Πόθεν που εἶχόν ποτε λογίσασθαι ὅτι ὁ κτίσας ∆εσπότης τά σύμπαντα ἀνθρώποις ἑνοῦσαι, οὕς αὐτός ἔπλασας, καί θεοφόρους τούτους ἐργάζῃ καί υἱούς σου ποιεῖς, ἵνα καί εἰς πόθον τούτων ἦλθον καί ταῦτα λαβεῖν ἐζήτησα παρά σοί; Πόθεν δέ ᾔδειν, Κύριε, ὅτι τοιοῦτον ἔχω Θεόν, τοιοῦτον ∆εσπότην, τοιοῦτον προστάτην, πατέρα καί ἀδελφόν καί βασιλέα, σέ τόν πτωχεύσαντα δι᾿ ἐμέ καί μορφήν δούλου λαβόντα;

(439) Ὄντως, ∆έσποτά μου φιλάνθρωπε, οὐδέν οὐδαμῶς τούτων ἁπάντων ἐγίνωσκον. Εἰ γάρ καί ἐν ταῖς θείαις Γραφαῖς, ἅς οἱ ἅγιοί σου ἐξέθεντο, ἐγκύψας ἀνέγνων περί τούτων ποτέ, ἀλλ᾿ ὡς περί ἄλλων τινῶν ἤ πρός τινας ἄλλους λεγομένων ἤκουον καί ἀναισθήτως πρός πάντα διεκείμην τά γεγραμμένα, μηδέ ἔννοιάν ποτε περί τούτων δυνηθείς λαβεῖν. Ἀκούων γάρ τοῦ κήρυκός σου Παύλου βοῶντος καί λέγοντος· "Ἅ ὀφθαλμός οὐκ εἶδε καί οὖς οὐκ ἤκουσε καί ἐπί καρδίαν ἀνθρώπου οὐκ ἀνέβη, ἅ ἡτοίμασεν ὁ Θεός τοῖς ἀγαπῶσιν αὐτον", ἀδύνατον εἶναι ἐπειθόμην τοῦ ἐν σαρκί ὄντα τινά ἐκείνων ἐν θεωρίᾳ γενέσθαι. Ἐνόμιζον δέ ὅτι ἐκείνῳ μόνῳ κατά φιλοτιμίαν ταῦτα ὑπέδειξας καί οὐκ ᾔδειν ὁ ἄθλιος ὅτι καί ἐπί πάντας τούς ἀγαπῶντάς σε τοῦτο γίνεται παρά σοῦ. Πόθεν δέ ἤ πῶς ἠδυνάμην εἰδέναι ὅτι πᾶς ὁ πιστεύων εἰς σέ μέλος σόν γίνεται, χάριτι ἀπαστράπτων Θεότητα - τίς δέ τοῦτο πιστεύσει; καί μακάριος γένηται, μακαρίου Θεοῦ μακάριον μέλος γενόμενος; Πόθεν που ἐγίνωσκον ὅτι σύ ἀντί τροφῆς αἰσθητῆς ἀθάνατος καί ἄφθαρτος ἄρτος τοῖς διά σέ πεινῶσιν ἀκόρεστος γίνῃ καί πηγή τοῖς διψῶσιν ἀθάνατος καί χιτών ἀπαστράπτων τοῖς εὐτελῆ διά σέ περιβεβλημένοις ἱμάτια; Ταῦτα γάρ ἀκούων διά τῶν σῶν κηρύκων λεγόμενα, ἐν τῷ μέλλοντι αἰῶνι καί μετά τήν ἀνάστασιν μόνον ὑπελάμβανον γίνεσθαι καί οὐκ ᾔδειν ὅτι καί νῦν μᾶλλον ἐπιτελοῦνται, ὅτε καί τούτων ἐν χρείᾳ πλείονι καθεστήκαμεν.

Ταῦτα οὔτε ᾔδειν, πανάγιε Βασιλεῦ, οὔτε ἐν ἐπιθυμίᾳ τούτων ποτέ γέγονα, οὔτε ᾐτησάμην τι ἐκ τούτων λαβεῖν παρά σοῦ, (440) ἀλλ᾿ ἤ τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν μου μιμνησκόμενος, τήν ἐκείνων συγχώρησιν μόνον ἐζήτουν μεσίτην καί πρεσβευτήν εὑρεῖν, ὡς ἄνωθεν εἶπον, ∆έσποτα, ἐπεθύμησα, ἵνα διά τῆς ἐκείνου ἐντεύξεως καί τῆς πρός ἐκεῖνόν μου δουλώσεως κἄν ἐν τῷ μέλλοντι εὕροιμι τῶν πολλῶν μου ἁμαρτημάτων τήν ἄφεσιν. Ὡς δέ ἤκουον ὁμοθυμαδόν ἅπαντας λέγοντας μή εἶναι τοιοῦτον ἐπί τῆς ἄρτι ἅγιον, εἰς πλείονα λύπην ἔπιπτον. Πλήν ὅμως οὐδέποτε τοῦτο ἐπίστευσα, ἀλλά πρός τούς τοιούτους ἀπεκρινάμην, ∆έσποτα Χριστέ, καθώς οἶδας, καί ἔλεγον· "Κύριέ μου, ἐλέησον. Καί τοσοῦτον ὁ διάβολος τοῦ ∆εσπότου Θεοῦ ἐγένετο δυνατώτερος, ἵνα πάντας ἐφελκύσῃ πρός ἑαυτόν καί εἰς τήν αὐτοῦ μερίδα ποιήσηται, ὥστε μή καταληφθῆναί τινα εἰς τό μέρος τοῦ Θεοῦ;".

∆ιά τοῦτο, ὡς οἶμαι, φιλάνθρωπε βασιλεῦ, ἐν τῷ τοῦ βίου σκότει καί ἐν μέσῳ τῶν κακῶν καθημένῳ μοι τό φῶς σου τό ἅγιον ἔλαμψας καί ἐν αὐτῷ τόν σόν μοι καθυπέδειξας ἅγιον. Καί ὅν τρόπον ἐπί τοῦ δούλου σου Παύλου ἐποίησας, διώκοντά σε καλέσας αὐτόν διά τῆς θεϊκῆς ἐμφανείας σου - καί γάρ ἐκείνου θεασαμένου σε καί εἰπόντος· "Τίς εἶ;" οὐκ εἶπας· "Ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ ποιήσας τόν οὐρανόν καί τήν γῆν. Ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ ἐκ τοῦ μή ὄντος εἰς τό εἶναι τά πάντα παραγαγών", οὐδέ εἶπας· "Ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ ὤν, ἤ· ὁ Θεός Σαβαώθ, ἤ· ὁ Θεός τῶν πατέρων σου", οὐδέ ἕτερόν τι ἐκ τῶν τῆς δόξης σου προσηγοριῶν, ἀλλ᾿ ἤ τοῦτο μόνον πρός αὐτόν εἴρηκας· "Ἐγώ εἰμι Ἰησοῦς ὁ Ναζωραῖος, ὅν σύ διώκεις", ἵνα γνῷ σαφῶς ὅτι σύ ὑπάρχεις (441) ὁ σαρκωθείς Θεός δι᾿ ἡμᾶς, ὅν ἐκεῖνος ἐδίωκεν , οὕτω καί ἐπ᾿ ἐμοί ἐποίησας, ∆έσποτα, ὅτε μοι τόν ἅγιόν σου Συμεών καθυποδεῖξαι εὐδόκησας.