391

in scripture also a multitude of ages, both past and present and future; and that ages of ages are certain ages, and of an age an age, and eternal times, and generations connected to ages. And lest now, while saying what the word wishes to signify through the temporal ages, and what through the eternal times and (1165) generations; and again simply what are the ages of ages, and what is the simple age, and the age of the age, we should extend the discourse at great length beyond the subject, leaving these things for the studious to consider, let us return to the purpose for which we have brought these things forward. πστ΄. We know something according to Scripture that is beyond the ages; which it has signified that it exists; but what this is, it has not named, according to the text, The Lord reigns for the age, and for the age and beyond. Therefore there is something beyond the ages, the pure kingdom of God. For it is not right to say that the kingdom of God is begun, or is anticipated by ages or times. And this we believe to be the inheritance of the saved, and their dwelling, and place, as the true word hands down; as the end of those who are moved by longing toward the final object of desire; in which, when they have arrived, they receive a cessation from every kind of motion; as there is no longer any time or age for them which must be traversed, since indeed after all things they have arrived at God; who is before all ages, and whom the nature of ages is not constituted to reach. πζ΄. For as long as one is in this life, even if one is perfect according to the state here, both in action and in contemplation, he has knowledge in part and prophecy in part and the earnest of the Holy Spirit; but not the fullness itself; coming at some time after the completion of the ages to the perfect inheritance, which shows to the worthy, face to face, the truth standing by itself; so that one no longer has a part of the fullness, but receives the entire fullness of grace itself in participation. For, says the Apostle, all (that is, the saved) will arrive at a perfect man, at the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; in whom are hidden the treasures of wisdom and of knowledge; and when this appears, that which is in part will be done away. πη΄. Some ask what will be the state of those deemed worthy of perfection in the kingdom of God; whether it will be according to progress and transition, or according to identity in stability; and how one must suppose the bodies and the souls to be. To this one might say conjecturally, that just as in bodily life the principle of nourishment is twofold; the one for growth, the other for the maintenance of those who are nourished; until we reach the perfect bodily stature, we are nourished for growth; but when the body ceases from increase in size, it is no longer nourished for growth, but for maintenance. So also in the case of the soul, the principle of nourishment is twofold. For it is nourished by progressing in virtues and (1168) in contemplations, until, having traversed all existing things, it should reach the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; in which, having arrived, it ceases from all progress toward increase and growth through intermediate things; being nourished immediately by that which is beyond understanding; and for this reason perhaps beyond growth; a form of incorruptible nourishment, for the maintenance of the godlike perfection given to it, and for the manifestation of the infinite splendors of that nourishment, according to which, receiving into itself the state of always being well in the same way, it becomes a god by participation in the divine grace, having ceased from all activities according to mind and sense, both itself and having caused the natural activities of the body to cease with it, the body having been deified with it according to the participation in deification analogous to it. So that God alone may be manifest through both the soul and the body, their natural characteristics having been overcome by the excess of glory.

391

γραφῇ καί πλῆθος αἰώνων, παρελθόντων τε καί ἐνεστώτων καί μελλόντων· καί αἰῶνας αἰώνων εἶναί τινας αἰῶνας, καί αἰῶνος αἰῶνα, καί χρόνους αἰωνίους, καί γενεάς συνημμένας αἰῶσι. Καί ἵνα μή νῦν, τί μεν διά τῶν χρονικῶν αἰώνων, τί δέ διά τῶν αἰωνίων χρόνων καί (1165) γενεῶν βούλεται δηλοῦν ὁ λόγος, λέγοντες· τινές δέ παλιν ἁπλῶς οἱ αἰῶνες τῶν αἰώνων, τίς τε ὁ ἁπλοῦς αἰών, καί ὁ αἰών τοῦ αἰῶνος, πολύν παρά τήν ὑπόθεσιν ἐκτείνωμεν λόγον, τά περί τούτων τοῖς φιλομαθέσι σκοπεῖν ἐάσαντες, πρός τόν σκοπόν δι᾿ ὅν ταῦτα προηγάγομεν, ἐπανέλθωμεν. πστ΄. Οἴδαμεν τι κατά τήν Γραφήν ὑπεραιώνιον· ὅπερ ὅτι μέν ἔστιν, ἐσήμανε· τί δέ τοῦτό ἐστιν, οὐκ ὠνόμασε, κατά τό, Κύριος βασιλεύων τόν αἰῶνα, καί ἐπ᾿ αἰῶνα καί ἔτι. Οὐκοῦν ἔστι τι πρᾶγμα ὑπέρ αἰῶνας, ἡ ἀκραιφνής τοῦ Θεοῦ βασιλεία. Οὐ γάρ δή θέμις εἰπεῖν ἦρχθαι, ἤ φθάνεσθαι ὑπό αἰώνων ἤ χρόνων τήν τοῦ Θεοῦ βασιλείαν. Ταύτην δέ πιστεύομεν εἶναι τῶν σωζομένων κληρονομίαν, καί μονήν, καί τόπον, καθώς ὁ ἀληθής παραδίδωσι λόγος· ὡς τέλος τῶν δι' ἐφέσεως πρός τό ἔσχατον ὀρεκτόν κινουμένων· ἐν ᾧ γινόμενοι, πάσης τῆς ὁποιασοῦν δέχονται παῦλαν κινήσεως· ὡς μηκέτι χρόνου τινός ὄντος αὐτῶν ἤ αἰῶνος τοῦ διαβαθῆναι ὀφείλοντος, οἷα δή μετά πάντα καταντήσασιν εἰς τόν Θεόν· τόν πρό πάντων ὄντα τῶν αἰώνων, καί ὅν φθάνειν αἰώνων φύσις οὐ πέφυκεν. πζ΄. Ἐφ᾿ ὅσον χρόνον τίς ἐστιν ἐν τῇ ζωῇ ταύτῃ, κἄν τέλειός ἐστι κατά τήν ἐνθάδε κατάστασιν, καί πράξει καί θεωρίᾳ, τήν ἐκ μέρους ἔχει καί γνῶσιν καί προφητείαν καί ἀῤῥαβῶνα Πνεύματος ἁγίου· ἀλλ᾿ οὐκ αὐτό τό πλήρωμα· ἐλευσόμενός ποτε μετά τήν τῶν αἰώνων περαίωσιν εἰς τήν τελείαν λῆξιν, τήν πρόσωπον πρός πρόσωπον τοῖς ἀξίοις δεικνῦσαν αὐτήν ἐφ᾿ ἑαυτῆς ἑστῶσαν τήν ἀλήθειαν· ὡς μηκέτι ἐκ τοῦ πληρώματος μέρος ἔχειν, ἀλλ᾿ αὐτό τό πλήρωμα τῆς χάριτος κατά μέθεξιν ὅλον κομίζεσθαι. Καταντήσεσθαι γάρ, φησίν ὁ Ἀπόστολος, πάντας (δηλονότι τούς σωζομένους) εἰς ἄνδρα τέλειον, εἰς μέτρον ἡλικίας τοῦ πληρώματος τοῦ Χριστοῦ· ἐν ᾧ εἰσιν οἱ θησαυροί τῆς σοφίας καί τῆς γνώσεως ἀπόκρυφοι· ἧς φαινομένης, τό ἐκ μέρους καταργηθήσεται. πη΄. Ζητοῦσί τινες, πῶς ἔσται τῶν ἀξιουμένων τῆς ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ τοῦ Θεοῦ τελειότητος ἡ κατάστασιν· πότερον κατά προκοπήν καί μετάβασιν, ἤ κατά τήν ἐν στάσει ταυτότητα· πῶς τε τά σώματα καί τάς ψυχάς εἶναι χρεών ὑπολαμβάνειν. Πρός δή τοῦτο στοχαστικῶς ἐρεῖ τις, ὅτι καθάπερ ἐπί τῆς σωματικῆς ζωῆς διττός ἐστιν ὁ τῆς τροφῆς λόγος· ὁ μέν πρός αὔξησιν, ὁ δέ πρός συντήρησιν τῶν τρεφομένων· μέχρις οὗ φθάσωμεν τό τέλειον τῆς σωματικῆς ἡλικίας, τρεφόμεθα πρός αὔξησιν· ἐπειδάν δέ τό σῶμα στῇ τῆς εἰς μέγεθος ἐπιδόσεως, οὐκέτι τρέφεται πρός αὔξησιν, ἀλλά πρός συντήρησιν. Οὕτως καί ἐπί τῆς ψυχῆς διττός ὁ τῆς τροφῆς λόγος.Τρέφεται γάρ προκόπτουσα ταῖς ἀρεταῖς καί (1168) τοῖς θεωρήμασι, μέχρις οὗ διαβᾶσα τά ὄντα πάντα φθάσῃ τό μέτρον τῆς ἡλικίας τοῦ πληρώματος τοῦ Χριστοῦ· ἐν ᾧ γινομένη, πάσης τῆς πρός ἐπίδοσίν τε καί αὔξησιν διά τῶν μέσων ἵσταται προκοπῆς· ἀμέσως τρεφομένη τό ὑπέρ νόησιν· καί διά τοῦτο τυχόν ὑπέρ αὔξησιν· τῆς ἀφθάρτου τροφῆς εἶδος, πρός συντήρησιν τῆς δοθείσης αὐτῇ θεοειδοῦς τελειότητος, καί ἔκφανσιν τῶν τῆς τροφῆς ἐκείνης ἀπείρων ἀγλαϊῶν, καθ᾿ ἥν τό ἀεί εὖ ὡσαύτως εἶναι ἐνδημῆσαν αὐτῇ δεχομένη, γίνεται θεός τῆς μεθέξει τῆς θεϊκῆς χάριτος, πασῶν τῶν κατά νοῦν καί αἴσθησιν ἐνεργειῶν, αὐτή τε παυσαμένη, καί ἑαυτῇ τάς τοῦ σώματος συναπαύσασα φυσικάς ἐνεργείας, συνθεωθέντος αὐτῇ κατά τήν ἀναλογοῦσαν αὐτῷ μέθεξιν τῆς θεώσεως. Ὥστε μόνον τόν Θεόν διά τε τῆς ψυχῆς καί τοῦ σώματος φαίνεσθαι, νικηθέντων αὐτῶν τῇ ὑπερβολῇ τῆς δόξης, τῶν φυσικῶν γνωρισμάτων.