182

what is understood by them being shown and partially illumined, will deign to be seen more and to be united by participation with the one who is illumined, embracing him wholly in itself, and he himself wholly is left behind in the depth of the Spirit as in the midst of an abyss of infinite, light-filled waters, then, having become beyond all knowledge, he ascends ineffably into complete unknowing.

ιζ'. The mind, being simple, or rather, naked of all thought, 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 that it might be moved towards the understanding of that one, but it 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 rest from all contemplation.

ιη'. The ever-moving mind then becomes motionless and entirely without thought, 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 it is living water of eternal life. And all things there are incomprehensible, ineffable, and unattainable, in which the mind, having passed beyond all things seen and understood, comes to be and in those things alone it is moved immovably and turns, living beyond life in life, being light in light and not a light in itself; for then it does not see itself but the one who is beyond it and, being transformed in its thought by the glory from thence, it is wholly ignorant of itself.

ιθ'. Dead and not dead is the one who has reached the measures of perfection; living in God in whom he exists, as not living for himself; (418) blind, not seeing by nature; having become superior to all natural vision, as having received new eyes incomparably better than those of nature and seeing beyond nature; inactive and motionless, as having fulfilled all his own activity; without thought, as having come into the union of that which is beyond thought and ceased where there is no activity of the mind, that is, no movement at all towards reflection or reasoning or thought; for he is unable to comprehend or learn the incomprehensible and impracticable things and, as it were, rests in these, that rest which is the stillness of the blessed non-perception, while in firm perception, that is to say, reveling without curiosity in ineffable good things.

κ'. 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 only himself and not say as an excuse, "that the thing is impossible" or "that perfection happens, but unknowingly," but let him know, being fully assured by the divine Scriptures, that the thing is possible and true, occurring in deed and being worked knowingly, but through the neglect and idleness of the commandments, each such person deprives himself of good things in proportion.

κ'. 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 only himself and not say as an excuse, "that the thing is impossible" or "that perfection happens, but unknowingly," but let him know, being fully assured by the divine Scriptures, that the thing is possible and true, occurring in deed and being worked knowingly, but through the neglect and idleness of the commandments, each such person deprives himself of good things in proportion.

κα'. Many read the divine Scriptures, and others hear them being read, but few are those who are able to know correctly the power and the meaning of what is read; these at one time declare that the things said by the divine Scriptures are impossible, at another they even consider them entirely unbelievable, or they also allegorize them badly and they judge the things said concerning the present time as coming to pass in the future, while the things spoken about the future, as having already happened and according to

182

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 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.

κα'. Πολλοί μέν ἀναγινώσκουσι τάς θείας Γραφάς, οἱ δέ καί ἀναγινωσκομένας ἀκούουσιν, ὀλίγοι δέ οἱ καί τῶν ἀναγινωσκομένων τήν δύναμιν καί τήν ἔννοιαν ὀρθῶς εἰδέναι δυνάμενοι} οἵ ποτέ μέν ἀδύνατα εἶναι τά ὑπό τῶν θείων Γραφῶν λεγόμενα ἀποφαίνονται, ποτέ δέ καί ἄπιστα παντελῶς ἡγοῦνται, ἤ καί ἀλληγοροῦσι ταῦτα κακῶς καί τά μέν κατά τόν ἐνεστῶτα χρόνον λεγόμενα ὡς πρός τό μέλλον ἐκβῆναι κρίνουσι, τά δέ περί τῶν μελλόντων εἰρημένα, ὡς ἤδη γεγονότα καί καθ᾿