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to rest upon him. For the principles of all things are comprehensible to him; but he himself is comprehensible to none of the things that exist. Therefore, the Lord said that the one who has faith like a grain of mustard seed can move a mountain by a word; that is, to cast out the power of the devil against us, and to move it from its foundation.

11. The grain of mustard seed is the Lord, sown according to faith in the Spirit in the hearts of those who receive him; he who diligently cultivates this through the virtues, on the one hand moves the mountain of earthly-mindedness, casting out with authority his own hard-to-move habit of evil; on the other hand, he makes the principles of his commandments and the ways, or even the divine powers, rest upon himself like birds of the air.

12. Let us build upon the Lord as upon a certain foundation of faith, the height of good things, adding gold, silver, precious stones; that is, pure and unadulterated theology, and a transparent and brilliant life, and divine thoughts which are pearl-like concepts; but not wood, not hay, nor stubble; that is, not idolatry; or rather, the agitation concerning perceptible things; nor an irrational life, nor impassioned thoughts, deprived of understanding according to wisdom as if of ears of grain.

13. He who desires knowledge, let him establish the immovable foundations of the soul beside the Lord, as God says to Moses: But you, stand here with me. It must be known, however, that even among those who stand beside the Lord there is a difference; if indeed that passage is not read carelessly by lovers of learning, which says, There are some of those standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God having come with power. For the Lord does not always appear with glory to all who stand by him, but to those being introduced, he comes in the form of a servant; but to those who are able to follow him as he ascends to the high mountain of his transfiguration, he appears in the form of God; in which he was, (1132) before the world was. It is possible, therefore, that the same Lord does not appear in the same way to all who are with him; but to some in one way, to others in another, varying the vision, obviously, according to the measure of faith in each.

14. When the Word of God becomes manifest and brilliant in us, and his face shines like the sun, then also his garments appear white; that is, the words of the holy Scripture of the Gospels, clear and plain, and having nothing concealed. But Moses and Elijah also come with him; that is, the more spiritual principles of the law and the prophets.

15. Just as the Son of Man comes, as it is written, with his angels in the glory of the Father, so at each stage of progress in virtue the Word of God is transfigured for the worthy, coming with his angels in the glory of the Father. For the more spiritual principles in the law and the prophets, which Moses and Elijah prefigure through themselves, appearing with the Lord at the Lord’s transfiguration, preserve the proportion of glory in them, revealing to the worthy the power that is for the time being comprehensible.

16. He who has in some way been initiated into the principle concerning the Monad, has certainly also known the principles concerning providence and judgment which are with it. Therefore also he votes, according to Saint Peter, that it is good for three tabernacles to be made by him [one Royal codex: by him] for those who were seen; that is, the three states of salvation: I mean, that of virtue, and that of knowledge, and that of theology. For the first requires the fortitude and temperance of practice, of which the blessed Elijah was a type; the second, the righteousness of natural contemplation, which the great Moses indicated through himself; and the third, the unadulterated perfection of prudence, which the Lord manifested. And they were called tabernacles because there are others better and more manifest than these, which are the states that will receive the worthy in the future.

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αὐτῷ ἐπαναπαύεσθαι. Πάντων γάρ οἱ λόγοι καθεστήκασιν αὐτῷ χωρητοί· αὐτός δέ, τῶν ὄντων ἐστίν οὐδενί χωρητός. ∆ιό τόν ἔχοντα πίστιν ὡς κόκκον σινάπεως, δύνασθαι μεταθεῖναι λόγῳ τό ὄρος ὁ Κύριος ἔφη· τουτέστι, τό καθ᾿ ἡμῶν τοῦ διαβόλου κράτος ἀποδιώκειν, καί μετατιθέναι τῆς βάσεως.

ια΄. Κόκκος τοῦ σινάπεώς ἐστιν ὁ Κύριος, κατά πίστιν ἐν Πνεύματι σπειρόμενος ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις τῶν δεχομένων· ὅν ὁ ἐπιμελῶς διά τῶν ἀρετῶν γεωργήσας, τό μέν ὄρος τοῦ χοϊκοῦ φρονήματος μετατίθησι, τήν δυσκίνητον ἕξιν ἑαυτοῦ τῆς κακίας κατ᾿ ἐξουσίαν ἀπωθούμενος· τούς δέ λόγους ἑαυτῶ τῶν ἐντολῶν καί τούς τρόπους, ἤ καί τάς θείας δυνάμεις, ὥσπερ πετεινά οὐρανοῦ ἐπαναπαύει.

ιβ΄. Τῷ Κυρίῳ καθάπερ τινί θεμελίῳ πίστεως, τό ὕψος ἐποικοδομοῦντες τῶν ἀγαθῶν, χρυσίον, ἀργύριον, λίθους τιμίους ἐπιθώμεθα· τουτέστι, θεολογίαν καθαράν καί ἀκίβδηλον, καί βίον διαφανῆ καί λαμπρόν, καί θείους λογισμούς τά μαργαρώδη νοήματα· ἀλλά μή ξύλα, μή χόρτον μήτε καλάμην· τουτέστι, μήτε εἰδωλολατρείαν· ἤγουν τήν περί τά αἰσθητά πτόησιν· μήτε βίον ἀλόγιστον, μήτε λογισμούς ἐμπαθεῖς, καί τῆς κατά σοφίαν συνέσεως ὥσπερ ἀσταχύων ἐστερημένους.

ιγ΄. Ὁ γνώσεως ἐφιέμενος, ἀμετακινήτους τάς βάσεις τῆς ψυχῆς ἐρεισάτω παρά τῷ Κυρίῳ, καθά φησιν ὁ Θεός τῷ Μωϋσῇ· Σύ δέ αὐτοῦ στῆθι μετ᾿ ἐμοῦ. Ἰστέον δέ, ὅτι καί ἐν αὐτοῖς τοῖς ἱσταμένοις παρά τῷ Κυρίῳ ἐστί διαφορά· εἴπερ ἐκεῖνο μή παρέργως ἀναγινώσκεται τοῖς φιλομαθέσι, τό, Εἰσί τινες τῶν ὧδε ἑστώτων, οἵτινες οὐ μή γεύσωνται θανάτου, ἕως ἄν ἴδωσι τήν βασιλείαν τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐληλυθυῖαν ἐν δυνάμει. Οὐ γάρ πᾶσιν ἀεί μετά δόξης ὁ Κύριος ἐπιφαίνεται τοῖς παρ᾿ αὐτῷ ἱσταμένοις, ἀλλά τοῖς μέν εἰσαγομένοις, ἐν δούλου μορφῇ παραγίνεται· τοῖς δέ δυνάμενοις ἀκολουθῆσαι αὐτῷ ἐπί τό ὑψηλόν ἀναβαίνοντι τῆς αὐτοῦ μεταμορφώσεως ὄρος, ἐν μορφῇ Θεοῦ ἐπιφαίνεται· ἐν ᾗ ὑπῆρχε, (1132) πρό τοῦ τόν κόσμον εἶναι. ∆υνατόν οὖν ἐστι, μή κατά τό αὐτό τόν αὐτόν πᾶσι τοῖς παρ᾿ αὐτῷ τυγχάνουσιν ἐπιφαίνεσθαι Κύριον· ἀλλά τοῖς μέν οὕτως, τοῖς δέ ἑτέρως, κατά τό μέτρον τῆς ἐν ἑκάστῳ πίστεως δηλονότι ποικίλλων τήν θεωρίαν.

ιδ΄. Ὅταν περιφανής καί λαμπρός ἐν ἡμῖν ὁ τοῦ Θεοῦ γένηται λόγος, καί τό πρόσωπον αὐτοῦ λάμψοι καθάπερ ἥλιος, τότε καί τά ἱμάτια αὐτοῦ φαίνεται λευκά· τουτέστι, τά ῥήματα τῆς ἁγίας τῶν Εὐαγγελίων Γραφῆς, τρανά καί σαφῆ, καί μηδέν ἔχοντα κεκαλυμμένον. Ἀλλά καί Μωϋσῆς καί Ἠλίας μετ᾿ αὐτοῦ παραγίνονται· τουτέστιν, οἱ τοῦ νόμου καί τῶν προφητῶν πνευματικώτεροι λόγοι.

ιε΄. Ὥσπερ ἔρχεται ὁ Υἱός τοῦ ἀνθρώπου, ὡς γέγραπται, μετά τῶν ἀγγέλων αὐτοῦ ἐν τῇ δόξῃ τοῦ Πατρός, οὕτως καθ᾿ ἑκάστην προκοπήν ἀρετῆς μεταμορφοῦται τοῖς ἀξίοις ὁ τοῦ Θεοῦ λόγος, ἐρχόμενος μετά τῶν ἀγγέλων αὐτοῦ ἐν τῇ δόξῃ τοῦ Πατρός. Οἱ γάρ ἐν νόμῳ καί προφήταις πνευματικώτεροι λόγοις, οὕς Μωϋσῆς καί Ἠλίας δι᾿ ἑαυτῶν προτυπούσι, μετά τοῦ Κυρίου φαινόμενοι, κατά τήν μεταμόρφωσιν τοῦ Κυρίου , τήν ἀναλογίαν σώζουσι τῆς ἐν αὐτοῖς δόξης, τήν τέως χωρητήν τοῖς ἀξίοις ἀποκαλύπτοντες δύναμιν.

ιστ΄. Ὁ τόν περί μονάδος ποσῶς μυηθείς λόγον, πάντως καί τούς περί προνοίας καί κρίσεως ἐπέγνω λόγους, συνόντας αὐτῷ. ∆ιό καί τρεῖς γενέσθαι σκηνάς παρ᾿ ἑαυτῷ [unus Reg. παρ᾿ αὐτῷ] κατά τόν ἅγιον Πέτρον, τοῖς ὁραθεῖσι καλόν εἶναι ψηφίζεται· τουτέστι, τάς τρεῖς ἕξεις τῆς σωτηρίας· τήν τῆς ἀρετῆς λέγω, καί τήν τῆς γνώσεως, καί τήν τῆς θεολογίας. Ἡ μέν γάρ δεῖται τῆς κατά πρᾶξιν ἀνδρείας καί σωφροσύνης, ἧς ὁ μακάριος τύπος ὑπῆρχεν Ἠλίας· ἡ δέ, τῆς κατά τήν φυσικήν θεωρίαν δικαιοσύνης, ἥν ὁ μέγας ἐμήνυε δι᾿ ἑαυτοῦ Μωϋσῆς· ἡ δέ, τῆς κατά τήν φρόνησιν ἀκραιφνοῦς τελειότητος, ἥν ὁ Κύριος ἐδήλου. Σκηναί δέ προσηγορεύθησαν, διά τό ἄλλας εἶναι τούτων κρείττους καί περιφανεστέρας, τάς τούς ἀξίους κατά τό μέλλον διαδεξομένας λήξεις.