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the perfection in all things and the genuine disposition against the flesh and matter, and that they did not, as we do, contemplate either creation or holy Scripture in a material and groveling way, using only sense and appearances and forms for the attainment of the blessed knowledge of God, by means of letters and syllables, from which comes erring and stumbling in the judgment of truth, but only with a most pure intellect, free from all material darkness. If, therefore, we wish to judge piously, by contemplating intellectually the principles of sensible things, we would see them proceeding correctly along a straight path to the unerring knowledge of God and divine things.

A broader contemplation on the Transfiguration. It was said above, then, that through the light-formed radiance of the Lord's face which occurred on the mountain, the thrice-blessed apostles were mystically led by the hand, in an ineffable and unknowable manner, to the power and glory of God, which is incomprehensible to all beings whatsoever, learning that the light which appeared to their sense was a symbol of the unseen hiddenness. For just as here the ray of the light that appeared overcomes the activity of the eyes, remaining beyond their capacity, so also there God surpasses all power and activity of the intellect, leaving no form whatsoever in being comprehended to the one attempting to comprehend. And through the white garments they were taught in a manner befitting God, at the same time and place, both the magnificent work in created things according to the principles by which they came to be, and the mystagogy in the words of holy Scripture according to what is understood, as with the full knowledge of God there is revealed together both the power of Scripture according to the spirit, and the wisdom and knowledge in created things according to it, through which again He is analogously revealed. But through Moses and Elijah who were with Him on either side (for this remains for the examination of the contemplation), they received many modes of gnostic knowledge, according to many conceptions, of which mysteries types had been set forth, through true contemplation.

(1161) Contemplation on Moses and Elijah. A. And first, through Moses and Elijah, they received the most pious notion concerning the necessity that both the legal and the prophetic word must in all ways be with the Word and God, as being from Him and about Him, and proclaiming Him, and established around Him.

B. Then, through the same figures, they were taught about the wisdom and goodness that are with Him; the one, because according to it the word is prescriptive of things to be done, and prohibitive of things not to be done, of which Moses was a type (for we believe the grace of lawgiving to be of wisdom); the other, because according to it He is exhortative and restorative to the divine life for those who have slipped from it, of which Elijah was a type, signifying through himself the entire prophetic gift. For the particular mark of divine goodness is the return of the straying with loving-kindness, of which we know the prophets to be heralds.

C. Or knowledge and instruction; the one, because He provides to men the knowledge of good and evil. For I have set, He says, before your face life and death, so that you might choose the one and flee the other, and not, as if it were good, fall into the worse through ignorance, which Moses is proclaimed to have done, prefiguring in himself the

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ἡ ἐν πᾶσιν ἀκρότης καί ἡ γνησία πρός τήν σάρκα καί τήν ὕλην ἀποδιάθεσις, καί ὅτι μή καθ᾿ ἡμᾶς καί αὐτοί ἤ τήν κτίσιν ἤ τήν ἁγίαν Γραφήν ὑλικῶς τε καί χαμερπῶς ἐθεώρουν, αἰσθήσει μόνον καί ἐπιφανείαις καί σχήμασι πρός ἀνάληψιν τῆς μακαρίας γνώσεως τοῦ Θεοῦ, γράμμασί τε καί συλλαβαῖς χρώμενοι, ἐξ ὧν τό πταίειν ἔστι περί τήν κρίσιν τῆς ἀληθείας καί σφάλλεσθαι, ἀλλά νῷ μόνῳ καθαρωτάτῳ καί πάσης ὑλικῆς ἀπηλλαγμένῳ ἀχλύος. Εἴπερ οὖν εὐσεβῶς κρίνειν βουλόμεθα τούς τῶν αἰσθητῶν νοητῶς διασκοποῦντες λόγους, εἰς τήν περί θεοῦ καί τῶν θείων αὐτούς ἄπταιστον γνῶσιν ὀρθῶς δι' εὐθείας τρίβου βαίνοντας κατίδοιμεν.

Θεωρία εἰς τήν Μεταμόρφωσιν πλατυτέρα. Εἴρηται τοίνυν ἀνωτέρω ὅτι διά μέν τῆς γενομένης ἐπί τοῦ ὄρους τοῦ προσώπου τοῦ

Κυρίου φωτοειδοῦς λαμπρότητος πρός τήν πᾶσι καθόλου τοῖς οὖσιν ἄληπτον τοῦ Θεοῦ μυστικῶς οἱ τρισμακάριοι ἀπόστολοι κατά τό ἄῤῥητόν τε καί ἄγνωστον ἐχειραγωγοῦντο δύναμίν τε καί δόξαν, τῆς ἀφανοῦς κρυφιότητος τό φανέν αὐτοῖς πρός τήν αἴσθησιν φῶς σύμβολον εἶναι μανθάνοντες. Ὡς γάρ ἐνταῦθα τοῦ γενομένου φωτός τήν τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν νικᾷ ἐνέργειαν ἡ ἀκτίς, ἀχώρητος αὐτοῖς διαμένουσα, οὕτω κἀκεῖ Θεός πᾶσαν νοός δύναμιν ὑπερβαίνει καί ἐνέργειαν, οὐδ᾿ ὅλως ἐν τῷ νοεῖσθαι τῷ νοεῖν πειρωμένῳ τόν οἱονοῦν τύπον ἀφείς. ∆ιά δέ τῶν λευκῶν ἱματίων τήν τε ἐν τοῖς κτίσμασιν ἀναλόγως τοῖς καθ᾿ οὕς γεγένηνται λόγοις μεγαλουργίαν καί τήν ἐν τοῖς ῥήμασι τῆς ἁγίας Γραφῆς κατά τό νοούμενον μυσταγωγίαν ἐν ταὐτῷ καί ἅμα θεοπρεπῶς ἐδιδάσκοντο, οἷα τῇ ἐπιγνώσει τοῦ Θεοῦ συναναφαινομένης τῆς τε γραφικῆς κατά τό πνεῦμα δυνάμεως καί τῆς ἐν τοῖς κτίσμασι κατ᾿ αὐτό σοφίας καί γνώσεως, δι᾿ ὧν πάλιν αὐτός ἀναλόγως ἐκφαίνεται. ∆ιά δέ Μωϋσέως καί Ἠλίου τῶν ἑκατέρωθεν αὐτῷ συνόντων (τοῦτο γάρ εἰς τήν ἐξέτασιν τῆς θεωρίας λείπεται), πολλούς κατά πολλάς ἐπινοίας, ὧν τύποι προεβέβληντο μυστηρίων δι᾿ ἀληθοῦς θεωρίας γνωστικούς ὑπεδέχοντο τρόπους.

(1161) Θεωρία εἰς τόν Μωϋσῆν καί τόν Ἠλίαν. Α´. Καί πρῶτον μέν τήν περί τοῦ δεῖν πάντως συνεῖναι τῷ Λόγῳ καί Θεῷ τόν τε

νομικόν καί τόν προφητικόν λόγον διά Μωϋσέως καί Ἠλίου εὐσεβεστάτην ἐλάμβανον ἔννοιαν, ὡς ἐξ αὐτοῦ καί περί αὐτοῦ καί ὄντας καί ἀπαγγέλοντας, καί περί αὐτόν ἱδρυμένους.

Β´. Εἶτα σοφίαν καί χρηστότητα συνοῦσαν αὐτῷ διά τῶν αὐτῶν ἐπαιδεύοντο, τήν μέν ὅτι κατ᾿ αὐτήν διαγορευτικός ἐστι τῶν ποιητέων ὁ λόγος, καί ἀπαγορευτικός τῶν οὐ ποιητέων, ἧς τύπος ὑπῆρχε Μωϋσῆς (σοφίας γάρ τήν τῆς νομοθεσίας εἶναι πιστεύομεν χάριν), τήν δέ ὅτι κατ᾿ αὐτήν προτρεπτικός ἐστι καί ἐπιστρεπτικός πρός τήν θείαν ζωήν τῶν αὐτῆς ἀπολισθησάντων, ἧς τύπος ὑπῆρχεν Ἠλίας, δι᾿ ἑαυτοῦ ὅλον τό προφητικόν δηλῶν χάρισμα. Χρηστότητος γάρ θείας ἴδιον γνώρισμα, τῶν πεπλανημένων ἡ μετά φιλανθρωπίας ἐπιστροφή, ἧς κήρυκας τούς προφήτας γινώσκομεν.

Γ´. Ἤ γνῶσιν καί παιδείαν, τήν μέν ὅτι καλοῦ τε καί κακοῦ τῆς εἰδήσεως τοῖς ἀνθρώποις ὑπάρχει παρεκτικός. ∆έδωκα γάρ, φησί, πρό προσώπου σου τήν ζωήν καί τόν θάνατον, ἐφ᾿ ᾧ τήν μέν ἑλεῖν αἱρεῖσθαι, τόν δέ φυγεῖν, καί μή ὡς καλῷ περιπεσεῖν ἐξ ἀγνοίας τῷ χείρονι, ὅπερ Μωϋσῆς πεπραχώς ἀνηγόρευται, προτυπῶν ἐν ἑαυτῷ τῆς