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humanity to the divinity, and having made that which was anointed. But according to his second and glorious appearance, as God and Lord and king of all creation, both being and being proclaimed.
Concerning the present discourse some are perplexed, saying, Why ever did the teacher, having said that the day of resurrection surpasses all the feasts on earth, not only the human and earth-bound ones, but even those of Christ himself and celebrated for him, as if forgetting his own declaration, place the day of renewal above it, saying, "Highly higher, and of wonders more wonderful," so that from this the teacher is thought to contradict himself.
To these things it must be said, that the teacher himself in the same discourse after a certain point says: "The Word does not wish you ever to remain in the same state, but to be always mobile, easily moved, entirely new-created." Just as, therefore, we know that the one being renewed becomes higher than himself and more godlike, being brightened by progress in virtue, so indeed we must believe that every feast day devised for our sake becomes higher than itself in us and through us, as the mystery signified by it brings its own power in us to perfection. Rightly, therefore, did the teacher call the new Sunday "higher than the high," as it is always being exalted together with us, and surpassing itself; since the day of resurrection, I mean the first Sunday, secretly through its mystery bestows a life entirely pure from every mere material (1389) imagination on those who so celebrate its mystery spiritually, while the new Sunday, in addition to these things, also makes them participants in the full enjoyment of those divine goods which the one before it began.
Another contemplation on the same topic. But if what is said seems credible to anyone, they say that the first Sunday is a type
of the resurrection to virtue according to free choice, and the second, of the state of perfection in knowledge according to free choice.
Another contemplation on the same topic. And again, the first Sunday of the future natural resurrection and
is a symbol of incorruptibility, while the second bears the image of the future deification by grace. If, therefore, the enjoyment of good things is more honorable than the state purified from evils, and the perfection according to true knowledge than the state of sound free choice according to virtue, and the transformation by grace towards God in deification than natural incorruptibility, of which things the first Sunday bears the type, while the second is the symbol, rightly, being led by the spirit, did the teacher call the new Sunday "higher than the high."
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ἀνθρωπότητα τῇ θεότητι, καί ποιήσας ὅπερ τό χρίσαν· κατά δέ τήν δευτέραν αὐτοῦ καί ἔνδοξον ἐπιφάνειαν, ὡς Θεός καί Κύριος καί πάσης κτίσεως βασιλεύς, καί ὑπάρχων καί ἀναγορευόμενος.
Εἰς τόν παρόντα λόγον τινές ἀποροῦσι φάσκοντες, Τί δήποτε φήσας ὁ διδάσκαλος ὑπερβαίνειν τήν ἀναστάσιμον ἡμέραν πάσας τάς ἐπί γῆς ἑορτάς, οὐ τάς ἀνθρωπικάς μόνον καί χαμαί ἐρχομένας, ἀλλ᾿ ἤδη καί τάς αὐτοῦ τοῦ Χριστοῦ και ἐπ᾿ αὐτῷ τελουμένας, ὥσπερ ἐπιλαθόμενος τῆς ἰδίας ἀποφάσεως, τήν τῶν ἐγκαινίων ἡμέραν ταύτης ὑπερτίθησιν εἰπών, " Ὑψηλῶς ὑψηλοτέρα, καί θαυμασίας θαυμασιοτέρα," ὡς ἐκ τούτου νομισθῆναι ἑαυτῷ περιπίπτειν τόν διδάσκαλον.
Πρός ταῦτα λεκτέον, ὡς αὐτός ὁ διδάσκαλος ἐν τῷ αὐτῷ λόγῳ μετά τινά φησιν· " Οὐ βούλοταί σε ὁ λόγος ποτέ ἐν τῷ αὐτῷ μένειν, ἀλλ᾿ ἀεί κινητόν εἶναι, εὐκίνητον, πάντως νεόκτιστον." Ὥσπερ οὖν τόν ἐγκαινιζόμενον ὑψηλότερον ἑαυτοῦ γίνεσθαι καί θεοειδέστερον ταῖς εἰς ἀρετήν προκοπαῖς φαιδρυνόμενον γινώσκομεν, οὕτω δή καί πᾶσαν δι᾿ ἡμᾶς ἐπινοηθεῖσαν ἑορτῆς ἡμέραν ἐν ἡμῖν καί δι᾿ ἡμῶν ἑαυτῆς ὑψηλοτέραν γίνεσθαι πιστεύειν ἡμᾶς χρή, τοῦ δι᾿ αὐτῆς σημαινομένου μυστηρίου τήν οἰκείαν δύναμιν ἐν ἡμῖν πρός τελείωσιν ἄγοντος. Εἰκότως οὖν ὑψηλῆς ὑψηλοτέραν τήν καινήν ὁ διδάσκαλος ἔφη Κυριακήν, ὡς ἀεί τῆς αὐτῆς ἡμῖν συνυψουμένης, καί ἑαυτήν ὑπερβαινούσης· οἷα τῆς ἀναστάσεως, λέγω δέ τῆς πρώτης Κυριακῆς, κρυφίως διά τοῦ κατ᾿ αὐτήν μυστηρίου πάσης προσύλου (1389) μόνον φαντασίας παντάπασι καθαρεύουσαν ζωήν δωρουμένης τοῖς οὕτω τό κατ᾿ αὐτήν πνευματικῶς ἐπιτελοῦσι μυστήριον, τῆς δέ νέας Κυριακῆς πρός τούτοις καί πάσης αὐτούς ἐν μετουσίᾳ ποιούσης τῆς ὧν ἡ πρό αὐτῆς ἀπήρξατο θείων ἀγαθῶν ἀπολαύσεως.
Ἄλλο θεώρημα εἰς τό αὐτό. Εἰ δέ τῷ πιστόν εἶναι δοκεῖ τό λεγόμενον, φασί τήν μέν πρώτην Κυριακήν τύπον
εἶναι τῆς κατά τήν προαίρεσιν εἰς ἀρετήν ἀναστάσεως, τήν δέ δευτέραν τῆς κατά προαίρεσιν ἕξεως εἰς γνῶσιν τελειότητος.
Ἄλλο θεώρημα εἰς τό αὐτό. Καί αὖθις τήν μέν πρώτην Κυριακήν τῆς μελλούσης φυσικῆς ἀναστάσεως καί
ἀφθαρσίας εἶναι σύμβολον, τήν δέ δευτέραν τῆς κατά χάριν μελλούσης θεώσεως φέρειν εἰκόνα. Εἰ τοίνυν τῆς μέν καθαρευούσης κακῶν ἕξεως ἡ τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἀπόλαυσίς ἐστι τιμιωτέρα, τῆς δέ κατ᾿ ἀρετήν ὑγιοῦς προαιρέσεως ἕξις τῆς κατά τήν ἀληθῆ γνῶσιν τελειότητος, καί τῆς φυσικῆς ἀφθαρσίας ἡ ἐν χάριτι πρός τόν Θεόν κατά τήν θέωσιν μεταποίησις, ὧν ἡ μέν πρώτη Κυριακή φέρει τύπον, ἡ δέ δευτέρα τυγχάνει σύμβολον, εἰκότως ὑψηλῆς ὑψηλοτέραν ἀγόμενος πνεύματι, τήν καινήν ὁ διδάσκαλος ἔφη Κυριακήν.