240

Amen.

50.

Concerning the contemplation of God and divine things and the paradoxical energy of the Holy Spirit; and concerning the properties of the Holy and consubstantial Trinity; and that he who has not managed to enter into the kingdom of heaven will profit nothing, even if he is outside the torments of Hades. (358)

What is this that has been wrought in me by You, O God, cause and ruler of all things? For what shall I say, or what indeed shall I think? Great to me is the wonder that is seen, but it is unknown and invisible to all. What is this, tell me? Let me speak faithfully: by darkness and shadow, by perceptible things and perception, by material creation, by blood and flesh I am held fast, I am intermingled, O Savior, wretched as I am. But being in these things, unhappily and wretchedly, amazement seizes me as I wish to speak: I see with my mind; where, what or how, I do not know. For the 'how' is utterly inexpressible, but the 'where' seems to me both known and unknown; known, because it is seen within me and again it shows itself from afar, yet unknown, as it carries me away with it to a place that is absolutely nowhere in any way and brings upon me a forgetfulness of perceptible things and leads me out from all material and visible things, naked and outside of the body. (359) What, then, is that which works these things in me, which I said I also see? I am unable to say. Nevertheless, listen and you will understand the matter: It is, then, in every way ungraspable by all, it is also graspable and able to be participated in by the worthy, communicative, joined ungraspably, and united to the pure without confusion, and mixed with an unmixed mixture whole to the whole of those who live blamelessly. This in me shines like a torch,

240

ἀμήν.

Ν'.

Περί θεωρίας Θεοῦ καί θείων πραγμάτων καί Ἁγίου Πνεύματος παραδόξου ἐνεργείας˙ καί περί τῶν ἰδίων τῆς Ἁγίας καί ὁμοουσίου Τριάδος˙ καί ὅτι ὁ μή φθάσας εἰσελθεῖν εἰς τήν βασιλείαν τῶν οὐρανῶν οὐδέν ὠφεληθήσεται, κἄν ἐκτός γένηται τῶν τοῦ ᾅδυο κολάσεων. (358)

Τί τό ἐν ἐμοί παρά σοῦ εἰργασμένον, ὦ τῶν πάντων αἴτιε Θεέ καί μέδον; Τί γάρ καί εἴπω, τί δ᾿ ἄρα ἐννοήσω; Μέγα μέν ἐμοί τό ὁρώμενον θαῦμα, ἄγνωστον δ᾿ ἐστί καίἀόρατον πᾶσι. Ποῖον τοῦτο, λέξον μοι; Πιστῶς ἐξείπω˙ σκότει καί σκιᾷ, αἰσθητοῖς καί αἰσθήσει, κτίσει ἐνύλῳ, αἵματι καί σαρκί τε κρατοῦμαι, συμπέρφυρμαι, Σῶτερ, ὁ τάλας. Ἐν τούτοις δ᾿ ὄντα δυστυχῶς καί ἀθλίως ἔκπληξις συνέχει με θέλοντα φράσαι˙ βλέπω νοερῶς˙ ποῦ, τί ἤ πῶς, οὐκ οἶδα. Τό γάρ πῶς ἀνέκφραστόν ἐστιν εἰς ἅπαν, τό δέ ποῦ γνωστόν καί ἄγνωστον δοκεῖ μοι˙ γνωστόν μέν, ὅτι ἐν ἐμοί καθορᾶται καί μακρόθεν δείκνυται αὐτό γε πάλιν, ἄγνωστον δ᾿ ὅμως ὡς κἀμέ συναπάγον ἐν τῷ μηδαμοῦ μηδαμῶς ὅλως τόπῳ καί τῶν αἰσθητῶν λήθην μοι ἐμπαρέχον καί τῶν ὑλικῶν πάντων καί βλεπομένων ἔξω με γυμνόν καί σώματος ἐξάγον. (359) Τί οὖν ἐστι τό ἐνργοῦν μοι ταῦτα, ὅπερ καί βλέπειν εἶπον; Εἰπεῖν οὐκ ἔχω. Ὄμως ἄκουε καί συνήσεις τό πρᾶγμα˙ ἔστιν οὖν ἀκράτητον τοῖς πᾶσι πάντῃ, ἔστι καί ληπτόν καί μεθεκτόν ἀξίοις, μεταδοτικόν, συνημμένον ἀλήπτως, ἥνωμένον τε καθαροῖς ἀσυγχύτως, ἀνακεκραμμένον τε ἀμίκτῳ μίξει ὅλον ὅλοις γε τοῖς ἀμέμπτως βιοῦσι. Τοῦτο ἐν ἐμοί δίκην λαμπάδος φαίνει,