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are actions outside of light, works without a ray, for all virtuous actions, gathered together, as I said before, and becoming one, if indeed it is possible for this to happen in a human, are likened to a lamp deprived of light. For just as it is not possible to call coals alone fire, nor again to call wood coals or flame, so not all faith, nor works nor actions, nor the fulfillment of the commandments are worthy to be called divine fire, flame, or light, for in reality they are not, but that they are able to receive the fire, to approach the light and to be kindled by an ineffable union, this is the praise and glory of the virtues. And for this reason, all ascetic practice and all actions are performed by us, so that we may partake of the divine light like a lamp, as the soul offers them all as one candle to the unapproachable light; or rather, just as a wick is dipped in wax, so the soul, being enriched by all the virtues, will be entirely kindled by it, as much as it has strength to see, as much as it has capacity to bring into its own house, and then the virtues, being illumined, having communed with the divine light, are themselves also called light, or rather, they are also light mingled with light, and they illumine with light the soul itself and the body and truly shine first for the one who possesses them and then for all the rest who are in the darkness of this life; whom illumine, O Christ, in the All-Holy Spirit and make them heirs of the kingdom of heaven with all your saints, now and unto the ages; amen.

34.

That the union of the All-Holy Spirit with purified souls occurs with clear perception, that is, in full knowledge, and, in whomever it occurs, it makes them luminous like himself and light itself. (273)

The invisible is in every way distinct from the visible, and the one who first fashioned them from the created things, and the incorruptible from the corruptible, and darkness from light,

181

πράξεις εἰσίν ἐκτός φωτός, ἔργα ἀκτῖνος δίχα, ὁμοῦ γάρ συναγόμεναι πᾶσαι, ὥσπερ προεῖπον, καί εἰς τό ἕν γινόμεναι αἱ ἐνάρετοι πράξεις, εἴπερ καί ἔστι δυνατόν ἐν ἀνθρώπῳ γενέσθαι, λαμπάδι ἐξωμοίωνται φωτός ἐστερημένῃ. Ὡς γάρ οὐκ ἔστι λέγεσθαι πῦρ τούς καρβῶνας μόνους, ἀλλ᾿ οὐδέ πάλιν ἄνθρακας οὐδέ φλόγα τά ξύλα, οὕτως οὐ πίστις ἅπασα, οὐκ ἔργα οὐδέ πράξεις, οὐκ ἐντολῶν ἐκπλήρωσις πῦρ, φλόξ ἤ φῶς τό θεῖον εἰσίν ἄξια λέγεσθαι, οὐ γάρ εἰσι τῷ ὄντι, ἀλλ᾿ ὅτι δέξασθαι τό πῦρ, τῷ φωτί τε ἐγγίσαι καί ἀναφθῆναι δύναται ἀπορρήτῳ ἑνώσει, τοῦτο ὑπάρχει ἀρετῶν ἔπαινός τε καί κλέος. Καί διά τοῦτο ἄσκησις πᾶσα καί πᾶσαι πράξεις ἐπιτελοῦνται παρ᾿ ἡμῶν, ἵνα φωτός τοῦ θείου ὥσπερ λαμπάς μετάσχωμεν, ὡς ἕν κηρίον πάσας προβαλλομένης τῆς ψυχῆς φωτί τῷ ἀπροσίτῳ˙ μᾶλλον δέ ὥσπερ πάπυρος ἐμβάπτεται κηρίῳ, οὕτω ψυχή ταῖς ἀρεταῖς ἁπάσαις πιανθεῖσα ὅλη ἀνάψει ἐξ αὐτοῦ, ὅσον ὁρᾶν ἰσχύσει, ὅσον ἐν οἴκῳ τε αὐτῆς εἰσαγαγεῖν χωρήσει, καί τότε φωτιζόμεναι αἱ ἀρεταί ὡς θείῳ φωτί συγκοινωνήσασαι φῶς καί αὐταί καλοῦνται, μᾶλλον δ᾿ εἰσί καί αὗται φῶς φωτί συγκεκραμέναι, περιαυγάζουσί τε φῶς ψυχήν αὐτήν καί σῶμα καί λάμπουσί γε ἀληθῶς πρῶτον τῷ κεκτημένῳ καί τότε πᾶσι τοῖς λοιποῖς τοῖς ἐν σκότει τοῦ βίου˙ οὕς φώτισον ἐν Πνεύματι, Χριστέ, τῷ Παναγίῳ καί κληρονόμους ποίησον οὐρανῶν βασιλείας μετά πάντων ἁγίων σου, νῦν καί εἰς τούς αἰῶνας˙ ἀμήν.

Λ∆'.

Ὅτι ἡ τοῦ Παναγίου Πνεύματος ἕνωσις πρός κεκαθαρμένας ψυχάς ἐν αἰσθήσει τρανῇ, ἤγουν ἐν ἐπιγνώσει γίνεται καί, ἐν αἷς ἄν γένηται, φωτοειδεῖς ὁμοίας ἑαυτόῦ καί φῶς αὐτάς ἀπεργάζεται. (273)

∆ιΐσταται τῶν ὁρατῶν ὁ ἀόρατος πάντως καί τῶν κτισμάτων ὁ αὐτά πρῶτον κατασκευάσας καί τῶν φθαρτῶν ὁ ἄφθαρτος, τό σκότος τοῦ φωτός τε,