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and makes known to all, but is not separated from it, (327) but both begets the word and holds it within, so understand the Father, that He begot the Word, that He begets eternally, and the Father of this One is not at all separated from the Son, but is seen in the Son, and the Son remains in Him. This precise image, even if it happens to be faint, the word has shown, which you will never behold, nor will you ever comprehend, unless you first cleanse, unless you first wash away the filth from your image, unless you draw it out, buried as it is in the passions, and completely wipe it clean, and likewise strip it bare and whiten it like snow. But when you have done these things and have well cleansed yourself and become a perfect image, you will not see the prototype, nor will you ever comprehend it, unless it be revealed to you by the Holy Spirit. For the Spirit teaches all things, shining with an ineffable light, (328) it will show you all intelligible things intellectually, as much as you are able to see, as much as is possible for a human, according to the proportion of your soul's purification, and you will be made like God by a precise imitation of works, of self-control and courage,

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καί γνωστόν ποιεῖ τοῖς πᾶσιν, οὐ χωρίζεται δέ τούτου, (327) ἀλλά καί γεννᾷ τόν λόγον καί ἐντός αὐτόν κατέχει, οὕτω νόει τόν Πατέρα, ὅτι ἔτεκε τόν Λόγον, ὅτι τίκτει ἀενάως, οὐ χωρίζεται δέ ὅλως τοῦ Υἱοῦ Πατήρ ὁ τούτου, ἀλλ᾿ ἐν τῷ Υἱῷ ὁρᾶται, καί Υἱός ἐν τούτῳ μένει. Ταύτην ἀκριβῆ εἰκόνα, εἰ καί ἀμυδρά τυγχάνει, καθυπέδειξεν ὁ λόγος, ἥν οὐδέποτε θεάσῃ, οὐδ᾿ οὐ μή κατανοήσῃς, εἰ μή πρότερον καθάρῃς, εί μή πρότερον ἐκπλύνῃς τῆς εἰκόνος σου τόν ῥύπον, εἰ μή κεχωσμένην οὖσαν ἐν τοῖς πάθεσιν ἐξάξῃς, ἀποσμήξῃς τε τελείως, ἀποδύσῃς τε ὡσαύτως καί λευκάνῃς ὡς χιόνα. Ὅταν ταῦτα δέ ποιήσῃς καί καλῶς σαυτόν καθάρῃς καί εἰκών τελεία γένῃ, τό πρωτότυπον οὐκ ὄψῃ, οὐδ᾿ οὐ μή κατανοήσῃς, εἰ μή ἀποκαλυφθῇ σοι διά Πνεύματος Ἁγίου. Πάντα γάρ Πνεῦμα διδάσκει ἐν φωτί λάμψαν ἀρρήτῳ, (328) νοερῶς τά νοητά σοι ἅπαντα καθυποδείξει, ὅσον δύνασαι καί βλέπειν, ὅσον ἐφικτόν ἀνθρώπῳ, κατά τήν ἀναλογίαν ψυχικῆς καθάρσεώς σου, καί Θεῷ ὁμοιωθήσῃ ἔργων ἀκριβεῖ μιμήσει, σωφροσύνης καί ἀνδρείας,