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271

This therefore will be a true sign for men, that they have become sons and heirs of God, that having received, they have my Divine Spirit, and from this they are called Christians truly in truth and in deed, not in name only. These things are faithful and desirable, my Christ; whom you clearly foreknew and have granted to become conformed to your image in the Divine Spirit, and in every way these things are possible for them as those called to the ineffable joy by you for ages. But to the rest all these things seem impossible, who, slandering, disbelieve completely, deceiving themselves, or the senseless think to console themselves with empty hopes, speaking loftily as if elegant with arrogant words, and allegorizing these things according to their own preferences, they utterly despise your fearful commandments. For they do not want to seek you, for they think they have you; but if they confess they do not have you, my God, (405) then they proclaim you to all as entirely incomprehensible, and that no man is able to see you, nor is there one who surpasses them in knowledge. For they teach that you are either comprehensible and accessible to all men, or entirely incomprehensible and inaccessible; yet in both they are mistaken, not understanding divine and human things, being darkened. To them award the light of knowledge, give a hand of divine fear, grant that they may rise from the pit of evil suspicion and come to the awareness that they lie in a pit, and sit in darkness, not seeing the divine light. Which they who see you now bear witness to. If your light does not shine for them and they do not see in knowledge, how can they believe clearly that you appear to the worthy and converse and dwell with them now and for the ages as with friends, as with your faithful servants, as you have said? But you are the God of the faithful, and not of the unfaithful, for which reason you do not look upon them at all. For to those who deny you and say that your eternal light does not shine into the souls of the worthy, how will you show the face of your light, my Savior? In no way, unless they acquire much faith, as you have said, and keep your divine law eagerly

271

Τοῦτο οὖν ἔσται ἀληθές σημεῖον τοῖς ἀνθρώποις, ὅτι Θεοῦ γεγόνασιν υἱοί καί κληρονόμοι, ὅτι λαβόντες ἔχουσι τό Πνεῦμά μου τό Θεῖον, ἐντεῦθέν τε Χριστιανοί χρηματίζουσιν ὄντως ἀληθείᾳ καί πράγματι, οὐκ ὀνόματι μόνῳ. Ταῦτα πιστά καί ποθεινά τυγχάνουσι, Χριστέ μου˙ οὕσπερ προέγνωκας σαφῶς καί δέδωκας γενέσθαι συμμόρφους τῆς εἰκόνος σου ἐν Πνεύματι τῷ Θείῳ, καί πάντῃ δυνατά ἐστιν αὐτοῖς ὡς κεκλημένοις εἰς τήν χαράν τήν ἄφραστον ὑπό σοῦ εἰς αἰῶνας. Τοῖς δέ λοιποῖς ἀδύνατα πᾶσι δοκοῦσι ταῦτα, οἵ καί διαβάλλοντες ἀπιστοῦσιν εἰς ἅπαν φρεναπατοῦντες ἑαυτούς, ἤ καί παραμυθεῖσθαι οἴονται οἱ παράφρονες ἐπί κεναῖς ἐλπίσιν, ὑψηγοροῦντες ὡς κομψοί τοῖς ἐπηρμένοις λόγοις, καί πρός τά φίλα ἑαυτῶν ἀλληγοροῦντες ταῦτα τῶν φοβερῶν σου ἐντολῶν καταφρονοῦσιν ὅλως. Σέ γάρ ζητεῖν οὐ θέλουσιν, ἔχειν γάρ σε δοκοῦσιν˙ εἰ δέ ὁμολογήσουσι μή ἔχειν σε, Θεέ μου, (405) τότε σε πάντῃ ἄληπτον κηρύσσουσι τοῖς πᾶσι, καί ὡς οὐδείς θεάσασθαι ἰσχύει σε ἀνθρώπων, οὐδέ ὑπάρχει ὁ αὐτῶν ὑπερέχων ἐν γνώσει. Ἤ γάρ τοῖς πᾶσί τε ληπτόν καί προσιτόν ἀνθρώποις, ἤ ἄληπτον, ἀπρόσιτον διδάσκουσί σε πάντῃ˙ ὅμως ἐν ἀμφοτέροις δέ σφάλλονται, μή νοοῦντες τά θεῖα καί ἀνθρώπινα, ἐσκοτισμένοι ὄντες. Οἷς βράβευσον φῶς γνώσεως, δός χεῖρα φόβου θείου, δός ἀναστῆναι τῆς κακῆς ὑπονοίας τοῦ λάκκου καί εἰς συναίσθησιν ἐλθεῖν ὅτι ἐν λάκκῳ κεῖνται, ἐν σκότει καί καθέζονται, φῶς θεῖον οὐχ ὁρῶντες. Ὅ μαρτυροῦσιν ὅτι νῦν εἰσίν οἱ βλέποντές σε. Οἷς εἰ μή λάμψῃ σου τό φῶς καί ἴδωσιν ἐν γνώσει, πῶς ἄν πιστεύσωσι τρανῶς ὅτι ἀξίοις φαίνῃ καί συλλαλεῖς καί συνοικεῖς νῦν καί εἰς τούς αἰῶνας αὐτοῖς ὡς φίλοις, ὠς πιστοῖς δούλοις σου, καθώς εἶπας; Ἀλλά πιστῶν σύ εἶ Θεός, οὐχί δέ καί ἀπίστων, οὗ χάριν πρός αὐτούς ὅλως οὐκ ἐπιβλέπεις. Τοῖς γάρ ἀπαρνουμένοις σε καί λέγουσι μή λάμπειν τό φῶς σου τό ἀΐδιον εἰς ψυχάς τῶν ἀξίων, πῶς σου φωτός τό πρόσωπον ὑποδείξῃς, Σωτήρ μου; Οὐδαμῶς, εἰ μή κτήσονται πίστιν πολλήν, ὡς εἶπας, καί τόν νόμον φυλάξουσι τόν θεῖόν σου προθύμως