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Him who is outside of all things and filling the universe and all things (313) and again outside, being the same whole self ineffably? Nevertheless, I see you as the sun and I behold you as a star, and I carry you in my bosom, like a pearl, and I see you as a lamp lit within the vessel. But because you are not broadened, because you do not make me all light and show yourself wholly to me, such as, as great as you are, I do not seem to have you at all as my life, but I lament like one who has become poor from being rich and from being glorious, dishonored, and having no hope. Therefore, seeing this, the enemy says to me: You are not being saved; for indeed, behold, you have fallen, you have missed your hopes, because you do not have boldness toward God as before. To whom I do not utter a word, I do not presume, my God, but I breathe upon [him], and immediately he is made to vanish. Thus I ask, Master, thus I entreat your compassion, grant me also then, my Savior, when my soul departs from my body, to be able by my breath alone to put to shame all those who will attack me, your servant, and to pass through unharmed, guarded by the light of your Spirit, and to stand before your judgment seat, having your grace, O Christ, your divine grace with me, protecting me, showing me entirely unashamed. For who would dare to appear before you, if he is not clothed in it, if he does not at least possess it within and is illumined by it? How could anyone at all be able to behold the unbearable glory? For the glory of God, a human, and the nature of the Godhead, how could humble human nature be strong enough to perceive? For God is uncreated, but we are all created; He is incorruptible, we are corruptible and dust; He is by nature spirit, and above every spirit (314) being the creator of spirits and Master, we are flesh of dust and earthly substance; He is the creator of all, without beginning and incomprehensible, we are worms together, and mire and ash; and who among us will ever be strong enough to see Him by his own power or energy at all, unless He himself should send forth his divine Spirit and through It grant to the weakness of our nature vigor, strength, and power, and make man able to perceive his divine glory? For otherwise no one will behold nor will any man be able to see the Lord coming in glory, and thus the unjust will be separated from the just and sinners will be covered in darkness and all who do not have the light in themselves from this life. But those who are united to him from here and then

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τόν πάντων ἔξω καί τό πᾶν καί τά πάντα πληροῦντα (313) καί ἔξω πάλιν τόν αὐτόν ὅλον ὄντα ἀφράστως; Ὅμως ὡς ἥλιον ὁρῶ καί ὡς ἄστρον σε βλέπω, καί ἐν τῷ κόλπῳ φέρω σε, καθάπερ μαργαρίτην, καί ὡς λαμπάδα βλέπω σε σκεύους ἡμμένην ἔνδον. Ὅτι δέ οὐ πλατύνεσαι, ὅτι μή ὅλον φῶς με ἀποτελεῖς καί δείκνυσαι ὅλος μοι, οἷος, ὅσος ὑπάρχεις, ὅλως οὐ δοκῶ ἔχειν σε τήν ζωήν μου, ἀλλά θρηνῶ ὥς τις πτωχός γεγονώς ἐκ πλουσίων καί ἐξ ἐνδόξων ἄτιμος καί μή ἔχων ἐλπίδα. Τοῦτο οὖν βλέπων ὁ ἐχθρός λέγει μοι˙ Σύ οὐ σῴζῃ˙ καί γάρ ἰδού, ἐκπέπτωκας, ἠστόχησας ἐλπίδων, ὅτι οὐκ ἔχεις πρός Θεόν ὡς πάλαι παρρησίαν. Πρός ὅν οὐ βλόγον φθέγγομαι, οὐκ ἀξιῶ, Θεέ μου, ἀλλ᾿ ἐμφυσῶ, καί ἄφαντος εὐθύς ἀποτελεῖται. Οὕτως αἰτοῦμαι, ∆έσποτα, οὕτως παρακαλῶ σου τήν εὐσπλαγχνίαν δώρησαι καί τότε μοι, Σωτήρ μου, ὅτε ψυχή ἐξέλθῃ μου τοῦ σώματος, ἰσχύσαι μόνῳ τῷ ἐμφυσήματι ἅπαντας καταισχύναι τούς κατ᾿ ἐμοῦ, τοῦ δούλου σου, μέλλοντας ἐπιτρέχειν, καί διαβῆναι ἀβλαβῆ φρουρούμενον φωτί σου τοῦ Πνεύματος καί ἔμπροσθεν στῆναι τοῦ βήματός σου, ἔχοντι χάριν σου, Χριστέ, συνοῦσάν μοι τήν θείαν, σκέπουσαν, ἀκαταίσχυντον δεικνύουσάν με ὅλον. Τίς γάρ τολμήσειεν ἄρα ἄμπροσθέν σου ὀφθῆναι, εἰ μή αὐτήν ἐνδέδυται, εἰ μή αὐτήν ἐντός γε κατέχει καί φωτίζεται ὑπ᾿ αὐτῆς; Πῶς τήν δόξαν τήν ἄστεκτον θεάσασθαι δυνηθῇ πᾶς τις ὅλως; ∆όξαν Θεοῦ γάρ ἄνθρωπος, φύσιν θεότητός τε φύσις ἀνθρώπου ταπεινή πῶς κατιδεῖν ἰσχύσει; Ἔστι Θεός γάρ ἄκτιστος, ἡμεῖς κτιστοί δέ πάντες, ἐκεῖνος πέλει ἄφθαρτος, ἡμεῖς φθαρτοί καί κόνις, ἐκεῖνος πνεῦμα πέφυκεν, ὑπέρ ἅπαν δέ πνεῦμα (314) ὡς ποιητής πνευμάτων τε καί ∆εσπότης ὑπάρχων, ἡμεῖς σάρκες χοϊκαί καί γεώδης οὐσία, ἐκεῖνος πάντων ποιητής, ἄναρχος ἄληπτός τε, ἡμεῖς σκώληκες ὁμοῦ καί βόρβορος καί τέφρα˙ καί τίς ἰσχύσει ἐξ ἡμῶν τοῦτον ποτέ ἰδέσθαι ἐξ οἰκείας δυνάμεως ἤ ἐνεργείας ὅλως, εἰ μή αὐτός ἐκπέμψειε Πνεῦμα αὐτοῦ τό Θεῖον καί δι᾿ αὐτοῦ τῷ ἀσθενεῖ τῆς φύσεως παράσχῃ ῥώμην, ἰσχύν καί δύναμιν καί ἱκανόν ποιήσῃ τόν ἄνθρωπον τοῦ κατιδεῖν δόξαν αὐτοῦ τήν θείαν; Ἄλλως γάρ οὐ θεάσεται οὐδέ ἰδεῖν ἰσχύσει ἀνθρώπων τις τόν Κύριον ἐρχόμενον ἐν δόξῃ, καί οὕτως χωρισθήσονται ἄδικοι τῶν δικαίων καί σκότει καλυφθήσονται ἁμαρτωλοί καί πάντες ὅσοι μή ἕξουσι τό φῶς ἐν αὐτοῖς ἀπ᾿ ἐντεῦθεν. Οἱ συνημμένοι δέ αὐτῷ ἐκ τῶν ὧδε καί τότε