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possesses and is enlightened by it? How could anyone at all be able to behold the unbearable glory? For how will the humble nature of man have the strength to see the glory of God, the nature of the Godhead? 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) as He is creator of spirits and Master, we are flesh of dust and an earthy substance, He is creator of all things, without beginning and incomprehensible, we are worms and mire and ash; and who of us will ever have strength to see Him by his own power or energy at all, unless He Himself should send forth His Divine Spirit and through it provide to the weakness of our nature strength, might and power and make man capable of seeing His divine glory? For otherwise no man will see nor have strength to see the Lord coming in glory, and thus the unjust will be separated from the just and sinners will be covered by darkness and all those who do not have the light in themselves from here. But those united to Him from here will then also be mystically and genuinely joined to God and will be inseparable from participation in Him; but those who departed separated from His light, how then will they be united or in what manner, I wish to learn from you, or to teach you. God became man, and was united to men, He partook of humanity and gave to all who believe in Him and show their faith by works a share in the participation of His divinity. Therefore, He said that only those are saved who have partaken of His divinity, just as He Himself, the creator of all things, partook of our nature, as Paul testifies that the church of Christ will become one body, masterly and divine, without spot, and without blemish, without any wrinkle; (315) who would be the faithful, and Christ the head. If this, therefore, will be so, as indeed it is, who then, being defiled, will dare to touch Him or who, being unworthy, will cleave to Him?

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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 μυστικῶς συναφθήσονται τῷ Θεῷ καί γνησίως καί τῆς αὐτοῦ ὑπάρξουσι μετουσίας ἀχώριστοι˙ οἱ δ᾿ ἀπελθόντες τοῦ φωτός αὐτοῦ κεχωρισμένοι πῶς τότε ἑνωθήσονται ἤ κατά ποῖον τρόπον, μαθεῖν παρ᾿ ὑμῶν βούλομαι, εἴτε ὑμᾶς διδάξαι˙ Θεός γέγονεν ἄνθρωπος, ἡνώθη τε ἀνθρώποις, μετέσχεν ἀνθρωπότητος καί μετέδωκε πᾶσι τοῖς εἰς αὐτόν πιστεύουσι καί τήν πίστιν ἐξ ἔργων δεικνύουσι θεότητος αὐτοῦ τῇ μετουσίᾳ. Τούτους οὖν εἶπε σῴζεσθαι μόνους τούς μετασχόντας ἐκείνου τῆς θεότητος, καθώς αὐτός μετέσχε τῆς ἡμετέρας φύσεως, ὁ ποιητής τῶν πάντων, Παῦλος ὡς μαρτύρεται Χριστοῦ τήν ἐκκλησίαν ἕν γενήσεσθαι σῶμά γε δεσποτικόν καί θεῖον, ἄσπιλον, ἄμωμον ὁμοῦ, ῥυτίδος πάσης δίχα˙ (315) οἵτινες ἄν εἶεν οἱ πιστοί, κεφαλή ὁ Χριστός δέ. Εἰ τοῦτο τοίνυν ἔσεται οὕτως, ὥσπερ καί ἔστι, τίς ἄρα τότε τολμήσει ῥυπαρός αὐτοῦ προσψαῦσαι ἤ τίς προσκολληθήσεται ἀνάξιος τυγχάνων;