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This is the garment, the tunic of the Lord, which those being baptized put on through faith, not in ignorance, I tell you, nor in insensibility, but through faith in perception and knowledge. So that you do not say: I believe that I have put on Christ. I do not say: Believe this, but: Have the work of faith and the confirmation of faith and the seal of faith and the indubitable perfection of faith from putting on Christ in perception and knowledge, shining forth, flashing with the glory of divinity and in most brilliant light, transforming you completely, while remaining unchangeably twofold from both, God by grace, but being wholly human by nature. Having become entirely such, as I have told you, then come and stand with us, O my brother, on the mountain of divine knowledge, and of divine contemplation, and we will hear together the Father's voice, alas, (379) how far we fall short of the divine dignity, and how far we are from eternal life. As far as heaven is from the underworldly things of earth and from those long ago unfortunately held there, so far or even farther are we all truly from the dignity of God and divine contemplation, even if we say that we paradoxically dwell with Him and have Him who dwells in unapproachable light within ourselves, both abiding and dwelling wholly; and while sitting in the underworldly places we want to philosophize about the things above the earth and in heaven and even above the heavens, as though knowing them precisely, and to narrate them to all and be called gnostics, and precise theologians and initiates of the ineffable, which is certainly a sign of insensibility. For one born unfortunately in the underworldly places and dwelling entirely in the darkness of the present world, and not having seen the light of the age to come, which certainly has shone on earth and shines eternally, and saying that he understands and knows the things in heaven, and sees all things there and teaches others, is he not insensible and even more so than this? For just as a blind man contending with those who see and saying: The coin is bronze, the stamp is of another, and the letters on it declare this and that, is truly a strange wonder to those who hear and who see that the coin is of very pure gold and that the stamp is the true one of the king, showing his unfeigned image, and the inscription declares his name, so we, suffering thus, do not think we are suffering at all, (380) nor are we ashamed of anyone or of the saints themselves

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τοῦτο τό ἔνδυμά ἐστιν, ὁ χιτών τοῦ Κυρίου, ὅνπερ οἱ βαπτιζόμενοι ἐπενδύονται πίστει, οὐχί ἀγνοίᾳ, λέγω σοι, οὐδέ ἀναισθησίᾳ, ἀλλά διά τῆς πίστεως ἐν αἰσθήσει καί γνώσει. Ἵνα μή λέγῃς˙ Τόν Χριστόν ἐνδεδύσθαι πιστεύω˙ οὐ λέγω˙ Τοῦτο πίστευε˙ ἀλλά˙ Πίστεως ἔργον καί πίστεως βεβαίωσιν καί πίστεως σφραγῖδα καί πίστεως τελείωσιν ἀναμφίβολον ἔχε ἐκ τοῦ ἐνδύσασθαι Χριστόν ἐν αἰσθήσει καί γνώσει ἐκλάμποντα, ἀστράπτοντα θεότητος τῇ δόξῃ καί τρανοτάτῳ ἐν φωτί ὅλον σε ἀλλοιοῦντα, ἀναλλοιώτως μένοντα διπλοῦν ἐξ ἑκατέρων, θέσει Θεόν, τῇ φύσει δέ ἄνθρωπον ὅλον ὄντα. Τοιοῦτος δέ γενόμενος ὅλος, καθώς σοι εἶπον, τότε ἐλθέ καί σύν ἡμῖν στῆθι, ὦ ἀδελφέ μου, ἐπ᾿ ὄρους θείας γνώσεως, θείας τε θεωρίας, καί ἀκουσόμεθα ὁμοῦ πατρικῆς φωνῆς, οἴμοι, (379) ὁπόσον ἀπολείπομεν τῆς θεϊκῆς ἀξίας, ὁπόσον δέ ἀπέχομεν ζωῆς τῆς αἰωνίου. Ὅσον ἀπέχει οὐρανός τῶν γῆς καταχθονίων καί τῶν ἐκεῖσε δυστυχῶς πάλαι κεκρατημένων, τοσοῦτον ἤ καί πλέον γε ἀπέχομεν οἱ πάντες ὄντως ἀξίας τοῦ Θεοῦ καί θείας θεωρίας, κἄν σύν ἐκείνῳ κατοικεῖν λέγωμεν παραδόξως καί τόν οἰκοῦντα ἐν φωτί τῷ ἀπροσίτῳ ἔχειν ἐν ἑαυτόῖς καί μένοντα καί κατοικοῦντα ὅλον˙ καί θέλομεν καθήμενοι ἐν τοῖς καταχθονίοις φιλοσοφεῖν τά ὑπέρ γῆν καί τά ἐν οὐρανῷ γε καί οὐρανῶν ὑπέρτερα, ὡς ἀκριβῶς εἰδότες, καί διηγεῖσθαι ἅπασι καί γνωστικοί καλεῖσθαι, θεολόγοι τε ἀκριβεῖς καί μύσται τῶν ἀρρήτων, ὅπερ καί ἔνδειγμά ἐστι πάντως ἀναισθησίας. Ὁ γεννηθείς γάρ δυστυχῶς ἐν τοῖς καταχθονίοις καί σκότος ὅλος κατοικῶν τοῦ ἐνεστῶτος κόσμου, φῶς τε μή θεασάμενος τοῦ μέλλοντος αἰῶνος, ὅ πάντως ἔλαμψεν ἐν γῇ ἀενάως λάμπει, καί λέγων τά ἐν οὐρανῷ φρονεῖν καί εἰδέναι, βλέπειν τε πάντα τά ἐκεῖ καί τούς ἄλλους διδάσκειν, οὐχί ἀναίσθητός ἐστι καί πλέον ἄρα τούτου; Ὡς γάρ τυφλός φιλονεικῶν τούς βλέποντας καί λέγων˙ Τό νόμισμα χαλκοῦν ἐστιν, ἡ σφραγίς ἄλλου πέλει, τά ἐν αὐτῷ δέ γράμματα δηλοῖ τάδε καί τάδε, ὄντως παράδοξόν ἐστι τοῖς ἀκούουσι τέρας καί τό νόμισμα βλέπουσι χρυσοῦν εὔροιζον πάνυ καί τήν σφραγῖδα ἀληθῆ τοῦ βασιλέως οὖσαν, ἀπαραποίητον αὐτοῦ δεικνῦσαν τήν εἰκόνα, καί τήν γραφήν τό ὄνομα δηλοῦσαν τό ἐκείνου, οὕτω γε πάσχοντες ἡμεῖς οὐ δοκοῦμέν τι πάσχειν, (380) οὐδ᾿ αἰσχυνόμεθά τινα ἤ αὐτούς τούς ἁγίους