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to happen also to those who are increasing in spiritual progress and ascending to the perfection of knowledge and contemplation.

15. When those progressing toward spiritual perfection are partially illumined, that is, are enlightened only in the mind, then they behold the glory of the Lord with their mind as in a mirror and are mystically taught by grace from above a knowledge of deeper knowledge and revelations of mysteries, being led up from the contemplation of beings to the knowledge of the One who is above beings.

16. Those approaching perfection and still seeing as if in part, understanding the infinity and incomprehensibility of what they see, are astonished. For inasmuch as they enter into the light of knowledge, (417) they receive a full knowledge of their own ignorance. But when what appears dimly to them and is shown as in a mirror and partially illumines their understanding, is pleased to be seen more fully and to be united by participation with the one being illumined, encompassing him wholly in itself, and he is left wholly in the depth of the Spirit as in the midst of an abyss of infinite, light-filled waters, then to complete unknowing, as having become beyond all knowledge, he ineffably ascends.

17. The mind, being simple, or rather, stripped of every concept and having entered wholly into the simple divine light, being covered by it, has nothing else to find of that in which it exists, so as to be moved toward the understanding of it, but remains in the depth of the divine light, not being permitted to look outside at all. And this is: "God is light" and the highest light and for those who have come to be in it, there is a repose from all contemplation.

18. Then the ever-moving mind becomes motionless and completely devoid of concepts, when it is wholly covered by the divine darkness and light. Nevertheless, it exists in contemplation and perception and enjoyment of the good things in which it is. For the depth of the Holy Spirit is not like the depth of the waters of the sea, but is living water of eternal life. And all things there are incomprehensible, ineffable, and unattainable, in which the mind comes to be, having passed beyond all things seen and thought, and in those alone it is moved without motion and turns, living beyond life in life, being light in light and not light in and of itself. For then it does not see itself, but the one who is above it and being changed in concept by the glory from there, it is entirely ignorant of itself.

19. Dead and not dead is the one who has attained the measures of perfection: living in God in whom he exists, as not living to himself; (418) blind, not seeing by nature; having become superior to all natural sight, as having received new and incomparably better eyes than those of nature, and seeing beyond nature; inactive and motionless, as having fulfilled all his own activity; devoid of concepts, as having come to be in the union with the one beyond concept and having ceased where there is no activity of the mind, that is, no movement at all toward thought or reasoning or concept. For it is unable to comprehend or understand the incomprehensible and unattainable, and, as it were, rests in these, that rest which is the motionlessness of blessed insensibility, while evidently delighting without curiosity in a sure perception of the ineffable good things.

20. He who has not been deemed worthy to reach such a measure of perfection and to come into possession of such good things, let him condemn himself alone and not say, making excuses, that the thing is impossible, or that perfection occurs, but unknowingly. But let him know, being fully assured by the divine Scriptures, that the thing is possible and true, happening in deed and being actively known, but by the neglect and idleness of the commandments each such person himself deprives himself of good things in proportion.

20. He who has not been deemed worthy to reach such a measure of perfection and to come into possession of such good things, let him condemn himself alone and not

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γίνεσθαι καί εἰς τούς κατά προκοπήν πνευματικήν αὐξάνοντας καί εἰς τελειότητα γνώσεως καί θεωρίας ἀνερχομένους.

ιε'. Ὅταν οἱ πρός τήν πνευματικήν προκόπτοντες τελειότητα μερικῶς φωτίζωνται, ἤτοι μόνον ἐλλάμπωνται τόν νοῦν, τότε τήν δόξαν Κυρίου νοερῶς ἐνοπτρίζονται καί ἐπιγνώσεως γνῶσιν καί ἀποκαλύψεις μυστηρίων ὑπό τῆς ἄνωθεν χάριτος μυστικῶς ἐκδιδάσκονται ἀπό τῆς τῶν ὄντων θεωρίας ἐπί τήν τοῦ ὑπέρ τά ὄντα ὄντος ἀναγόμενοι γνῶσιν.

ιστ'. Οἱ τῇ τελειότητι προσεγγίζοντες καί ἔτι βλέποντες ὡς ἐκ μέρους τήν ἀπειρίαν καί ἀκαταληψίαν ὧνπερ ὁρῶσι κατανοοῦντες ἐκπλήττονται} καθόσον γάρ τῷ φωτί τῆς γνώσεως ὑπεισέρχονται, (417) ἐπίγνωσιν τῆς ἑαυτῶν ἀγνωσίας λαμβάνουσιν} ὁπηνίκα δέ τό ἀμυδρῶς πως φαινόμενον αὐτοῖς καί ὡς ἐν ἐσόπτρῳ δεικνύμενον καί μερικῶς ἐλλάμπον αὐτῶν τό νοούμενον, ὀφθῆναι πλέον εὐδοκήσει καί ἑνωθῆναι κατά μέθεξιν τῷ ἐλλαμπομένῳ, ὅλον αὐτόν περιλαμβάνον ἐν ἑαυτῷ, καί ὅλος ἐκεῖνος ἐν τῷ βάθει τοῦ Πνεύματος ὡς ἐν μέσῳ ἀβύσσου φωτοειδῶν ὑδάτων ἀπείρων ἐναπολειφθῇ, τηνικαῦτα εἰς παντελῆ ἀγνωσίαν, ὡς ὑπέρ ἅπασαν γνῶσιν γενόμενος, ἀπορρήτως ἀνέρχεται.

ιζ'. Ἁπλοῦς ὤν ὁ νοῦς, μᾶλλον δέ πάσης ἐννοίας γυμνός καί ἐν ἁπλῷ εἰσδύς ὅλος θείῳ φωτί, ὑπ᾿ αὐτοῦ καλυπτόμενος, οὐκ ἔχει ἄλλο τι τοῦ ἐν ᾧ ὑπάρχει εὑρεῖν, ἵνα καί πρός τήν ἐκείνου κατανόησιν κινηθῇ, ἀλλά μένει ἐν τῷ βυθῷ τοῦ θείου φωτός, ἔξω ὅλως ἀποβλέψαι μή συγχωρούμενος. Καί τοῦτό ἐστιν} «Ὁ Θεός φῶς ἐστι» καί φῶς τό ἀκρότατον καί οὗ γενομένοις πάσης θεωρίας ἀνάπαυσις.

ιη'. Ἀκίνητος τηνικαῦτα ὁ ἀεικίνητος νοῦς καί πάντῃ ἀνέννοιος γίνεται, ὁπηνίκα ὅλος ὑπό τοῦ θείου γνόφου καί φωτός καλυφθῇ} πλήν ἐν θεωρίᾳ ὑπάρχει καί αἰσθήσει καί ἀπολαύσει τῶν ἐν οἷς ἐστιν ἀγαθῶν. Οὐ γάρ ὥσπερ ὁ βυθός τῶν τῆς θαλάσσης ὑδάτων, οὕτω καί ὁ βυθός ἐστι τοῦ Ἁγίου Πνεύματος, ἀλλ᾿ ὕδωρ ὑπάρχει ζῶν αἰωνίου ζωῆς. Πάντα δέ τά ἐκεῖσε ἀκατανόητα, ἀνερμήνευτα καί ἀκατάληπτά εἰσιν, ἐν οἷς ὁ νοῦς πάντα τά ὁρώμενα καί νοούμενα διαβάς γίνεται καί ἐν μόνοις ἐκείνοις ἀκινήτως κινεῖται καί στρέφεται, ζῶν ὑπέρ ζωήν ἐν ζωῇ, φῶς ὤν ἐν φωτί καί οὐ φῶς τό καθ᾿ ἑαυτόν} οὐ γάρ ἑαυτόν τότε ἀλλά τόν ὑπέρ αὐτόν καθορᾷ καί ἐκ τῆς ἐκεῖθεν δόξης τήν ἔννοιαν ἀλλοιούμενος ὅλον ἑαυτόν ἀγνοεῖ.

ιθ'. Νεκρός καί οὐ νεκρός ὤν ὁ εἰς μέτρα πεφθακώς τελειότητός ἐστι} ζῶν ἐν ᾧ ὑπάρχει Θεῷ, ὡς μή ζῶν ἑαυτῷ} (418) τυφλός, οὐ φύσει ὁρῶν} πάσης φυσικῆς ὁράσεως ὑπέρτερος γεγονώς, ὡς καινούς ὀφθαλμούς καί κρείττονας ὑπέρ τούς τῆς φύσεως ἀσυγκρίτως λαβών καί ὑπέρ φύσιν ὁρῶν} ἀνενέργητος καί ἀκίνητος, ὡς πᾶσαν ἑαυτοῦ πληρώσας ἐνέργειαν} ἀνέννοιος, ὡς ἐν τῇ τοῦ ὑπέρ ἔννοιαν ἑνώσει γενόμενος καί καταπαύσας ἔνθα οὐκ ἔστι νοός ἐνέργεια, ἤτοι πρός ἐνθύμησιν ἤ λογισμόν ἤ ἔννοιαν ὅλως κίνησις} τά γάρ ἀκατανόητα καί ἀμήχανα κατανοεῖν ἤ καταμανθάνειν ἀδυνατεῖ καί οἱονεί ἐν τούτοις ἐπαναπαύεται, ἀνάπαυσιν ἐκείνην τήν ἀκινησίαν τῆς μακαρίας ἀναισθησίας, ἐν αἰσθήσει βεβαίᾳ τῶν ἀνεκφράστων δηλονότι ἀπεριέργως ἐντρυφῶν ἀγαθῶν.

κ'. Ὁ μή πρός τό τοιοῦτον μέτρον τῆς τελειότητος φθάσαι καταξιωθείς καί τῶν τοιούτων ἐν κατασχέσει γενέσθαι καλῶν ἑαυτοῦ μόνου καταγινωσκέτω καί μή λεγέτω προφασιζόμενος, ὅτι ἀδύνατόν ἐστι τό πρᾶγμα ἤ ὅτι γίνεται μέν ἡ τελειότης, ἀγνώστως δέ, ἀλλά γινωσκέτω, πληροφορούμενος ὑπό τῶν θείων Γραφῶν, ὅτι τό μέν πρᾶγμα δυνατόν καί ἀληθές ἐστιν, ἔργῳ γινόμενον καί γνωστῶς ἐνεργούμενον, τῇ δέ ἐλλείψει καί ἀργίᾳ τῶν ἐντολῶν αὐτός ἑαυτόν ἕκαστος τῶν τοιούτων κατά ἀναλογίαν ἀποστερεῖ ἀγαθῶν.

κ'. Ὁ μή πρός τό τοιοῦτον μέτρον τῆς τελειότητος φθάσαι καταξιωθείς καί τῶν τοιούτων ἐν κατασχέσει γενέσθαι καλῶν ἑαυτοῦ μόνου καταγινωσκέτω καί μή