Chapter XX.

Now, to those who are capable of understanding him, the apostle manifestly presents to view “things which are the objects of perception,” calling them “things seen;” while he terms “unseen,” things which are the object of the understanding, and cognisable by it alone.  He knows, also, that things “seen” and visible are “temporal,” but that things cognisable by the mind, and “not seen,” are “eternal;” and desiring to remain in the contemplation of these, and being assisted by his earnest longing for them, he deemed all affliction as “light” and as “nothing,” and during the season of afflictions and troubles was not at all bowed down by them, but by his contemplation of (divine) things deemed every calamity a light thing, seeing we also have “a great High Priest,” who by the greatness of His power and understanding “has passed through the heavens, even Jesus the Son of God,” who has promised to all that have truly learned divine things, and have lived lives in harmony with them, to go before them to the things that are supra-mundane; for His words are:  “That where I go, ye may be also.”1309    Cf. John xiv. 3.  And therefore we hope, after the troubles and struggles which we suffer here, to reach the highest heavens,1310    πρὸς ἄκροις τοῖς οὐρανοῖς. and receiving, agreeably to the teaching of Jesus, the fountains of water that spring up unto eternal life, and being filled with the rivers of knowledge,1311    ποταμοὺς τῶν θεωρήματων. shall be united with those waters that are said to be above the heavens, and which praise His name.  And as many of us1312    For ὅσον γε Boherellus proposes ὅσοι γε, which is adopted in the translation. as praise Him shall not be carried about by the revolution of the heaven, but shall be ever engaged in the contemplation of the invisible things of God, which are no longer understood by us through the things which He hath made from the creation of the world, but seeing, as it was expressed by the true disciple of Jesus in these words, “then face to face;”1313    Cf. 1 Cor. xiii. 12. and in these, “When that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part will be done away.”1314    Cf. 1 Cor. xiii. 10.

Ἄντικρυς γὰρ τοῖς ἀκούειν δυναμένοις παρίστησι τὰ μὲν αἰσθητὰ λέγων αὐτὰ "βλεπόμενα", τὰ δὲ νοητὰ καὶ νῷ μόνῳ καταληπτὰ ὀνομάζων "μὴ βλεπόμενα". Οὗτος δὲ καὶ "πρόσκαιρα" μὲν οἶδε τὰ αἰσθητὰ καὶ "βλεπόμενα", "αἰώνια" δὲ τὰ νοητὰ καὶ "μὴ βλεπόμενα"· καὶ βουλό μενος πρὸς τῇ ἐκείνων θέᾳ γενέσθαι ὑπὸ τοῦ πρὸς ἐκεῖνα πόθου βοηθούμενος πᾶσαν θλῖψιν τὸ οὐδὲν καὶ ἐλαφράν τινα ἐνόμιζεν εἶναι· καὶ παρ' αὐτὸν τὸν "τῆς θλίψεως" καὶ τῶν πόνων καιρὸν μηδαμῶς μὲν βαρούμενος ὑπ' αὐτῶν, ἐπελαφρί ζων δὲ διὰ τὴν περὶ ἐκεῖνα θέαν πᾶσαν περίστασιν· ἐπεὶ καὶ ἔχομεν ἡμεῖς "ἀρχιερέα μέγαν" τῷ μεγέθει τῆς δυνάμεως καὶ τοῦ νοῦ αὐτοῦ "διεληλυθότα τοὺς οὐρανούς, Ἰησοῦν τὸν υἱὸν τοῦ θεοῦ", ἐπαγγειλάμενον τοῖς γνησίως μαθοῦσι τὰ θεῖα καὶ ἀξίως αὐτῶν βιώσασι προάξειν αὐτοὺς ἐπὶ τὰ ὑπερκόσμια· φησὶ γάρ· "Ἵν' ὅπου ἐγὼ ὑπάγω καὶ ὑμεῖς ἦτε." ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ἡμεῖς μετὰ τοὺς ἐνταῦθα πόνους καὶ τοὺς ἀγῶνας ἐλπίζομεν πρὸς ἄκροις γενέσθαι τοῖς οὐρανοῖς, καὶ πηγὰς "ὕδατος ἁλλομένου εἰς ζωὴν αἰώνιον" ἀναλα βόντες κατὰ τὴν Ἰησοῦ διδασκαλίαν ποταμούς τε χωρήσαντες τῶν θεωρημάτων σὺν τοῖς λεγομένοις ὕδασιν "ὑπεράνω τῶν οὐρανῶν", αἰνοῦσι "τὸ ὄνομα κυρίου", ἔσεσθαι. Καὶ ὅσον γε αἰνοῦμεν αὐτόν, οὐ περιαχθησόμεθα ἀπὸ τῆς τοῦ οὐρανοῦ περιφορᾶς, ἀεὶ δὲ πρὸς τῇ θέᾳ ἐσόμεθα τῶν ἀοράτων τοῦ θεοῦ, οὐκέτι "ἀπὸ κτίσεως κόσμου τοῖς ποιήμασι" νοουμένων ἡμῖν, ἀλλ' ὡς ὠνόμασεν ὁ γνήσιος τοῦ Ἰησοῦ μαθητὴς λέγων· "Τότε δὲ πρόσωπον πρὸς πρόσωπον" καὶ τό· "Ἐὰν ἔλθῃ τὸ τέλειον, τὸ ἐκ μέρους καταργηθήσεται".