195

and having grown cold like iron I became black and lying for a long time I took on rust. And for this reason I cry to you again asking to be cleansed, O lover of mankind, and to be restored to my former beauty and to enjoy your light both now and forever and unto all the ages, amen.

47.

Concerning the intelligible paradise, a far-shining contemplation; and concerning the tree of life in it. (345)

Blessed are you, Lord, blessed are you, alone, blessed are you, merciful one, most blessed, who have given in my heart the light of your commandments and have implanted in me the tree of your life and have shown me to be another paradise amidst visible things, intelligible amidst sensible things, but intelligible in sensation. For you united to my soul another, your Divine Spirit, which you also made to dwell in my innermost parts: this alone is truly the tree of life, this, in whatever earth or soul of man it is planted and takes root in the heart, immediately shows it to be a most brilliant paradise, adorned with all beautiful plants and trees and various fruits, embellished with flowers and fragrant lilies. These are humility and joy and peace, gentleness and compassion, mourning, showers of tears and a strange delight in them, the radiance of your grace shining upon all things in the paradise. You are a mixing bowl pouring forth for me the streams of your life, and you abundantly provide words of divine knowledge. But whenever you do not will it, but oppose these things, (346) I become mindless, senseless like a stone. The trumpet without breath will never sound; so I too without you am as if soulless. Without a soul it is impossible for the body to do anything; so the soul is not able without your Spirit to be moved and to keep your commandments, O Savior, nor can it see you nor stand before you, nor hymn your glory with understanding, O my God. For this reason therefore I cry to you and for this reason I shout: O you who are above with the Father and are with us, not as some reckon, by energy alone, nor as many suppose, by will alone, nor by your power alone, but also by your essence, if one may dare to speak or think of essence in your case, O immortal one, you who alone are beyond essence!

195

καί ψυχρανθείς ὡς σίδηρος μελανός ἐγενόμην καί ἐγχρονίσας κείμενος ἰόν προσελαβόμην. Καί διά τοῦτό σοι βοῶ πάλιν καθαρισθῆναι αἰτούμενος, φιλάνθρωπε, καί εἰς τό πρῴην κάλλος ἀνενεχθῆναι καί τοῦ σοῦ φωτός καταπολαῦσαι νῦν τε καί ἀεί καί εἰς πάντας τούς αἰῶνας, ἀμήν.

ΜΖ'.

Περί νοητοῦ παραδείσου τηλαυγῆς θεωρία˙ καί περί τοῦ ἐν αὐτῷ ξύλου ζωῆς. (345) Εὐλογητός εἶ, Κύριε, εὐλογητός εἶ, μόνε, εὐλογητός εἶ, εὔσπλαγχνε, ὑπερευλογημένε, ὁ δούς ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ μου τό φῶς τῶν ἐντολῶν σου καί ἐμφυτεύσας ἐν ἐμοί τό τῆς ζωῆς σου ξύλον καί δείξας με παράδεισον ἄλλον ἐν ὁρωμένοις, ἐν αἰσθητοῖς μέν νοητόν, νοητόν δ᾿ ἐν αἰσθήσει. Συνήνωσας γάρ τῇ ψυχῇ ἄλλον Πνεῦμά σου Θεῖον, ὅπερ καί ἐνεσκήνωσας ἐν τοῖς ἐμοῖς ἐγκάτοις˙ τοῦτο τό ξύλον τῆς ζωῆς ὄντως ὑπάρχει μόνον, τοῦτο, ἐν ᾗπερ φυτευθῇ γῇ εἴτ᾿ οὖν ψυχῇ ἀνθρώπου καί ἐν καρδίᾳ ῥιζωθῇ, παράδεισον δεικνύει ταύτην εὐθύς λαμπρότατον, πᾶσι κεκοσμημένον φυτοῖς ὡραίοις δένδροις τε καί καρποῖς διαφόροις, πεποικιλμένον ἄνθεσι καί μυριπνόοις κρίνοις. Ταῦτα δ᾿ εἰσί ταπείνωσις καί χαρά καί εἰρήνη, πρᾳότης καί συμπάθεια, πένθος, ὄμβροι δακρύων καί ξένη τέρψις ἐν αὐτοῖς, αἴγλη τῆς χάριτός σου ἅπασιν ἐπιλάμπουσα τοῖς ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ. Σύ εἶ κρατήρ προχέων μοι ζωῆς τά νάματά σου, καί λόγους θείας γνώσεως ἀφθόνως ἐμπαρέχεις. Ἐπάν δέ σύ μή βουληθῇς, ἀλλ᾿ ἀντιλέγεις ταῦτα, (346) ἄνους ἐγώ, ἀναίσθητος ὥσπερ λίθος τυγχάνω. Ἡ σάλπιγξ ἄνευ πνεύματος οὐδέποτε ἠχήσει˙ οὕτω κἀγώ σου ἄνευθεν ὡς ἄψυχος ὑπάρχω. ∆ίχα ψυχῆς ἀδύνατον ἐνεργεῖν τι τό σῶμα˙ οὕτως οὐ δύνατι ψυχή δίχα τοῦ Πνεύματός σου κινεῖσθαι καί τάς ἐντολάς τάς σάς, Σῶτερ, φυλάττειν, οὐδέ ὁρᾶν σε δύναται οὐδέ παρίστασθαί σοι, οὐδέ ὑμνεῖν τήν δόξαν σου συνετῶς, ὦ Θεέ μου. ∆ιά τοῦτο οὖν σοι βοῶ καί διά τοῦτο κράζω˙ Ὀ ἄνω ὤν σύν τῷ Πατρί καί μεθ᾿ ἡμῶν τυγχάνων οὐχ᾿ ὥς τινες λογίζονται, τῇ ἐνεργείᾳ μόνῃ, οὐδ᾿ ὡς νομίζουσι πολλοί, τῷ θελήματι μόνῳ, οὐδέ δυνάμει μόνῃ σου, ἀλλά καί τῇ οὐσίᾳ, εἴπερ οὐσίαν ἐπί σοί τολμητέον τοῦ λέγειν ἤ ἐννοεῖν, ἀθάνατε, ὑπερούσιε μόνε!