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to interpret the mysteries hidden in the words? "For we speak wisdom," he says, "not of this age which is passing away, but a wisdom in a mystery, which is hidden" from the many, but to us it is very much revealed and known, to those who are instructed in the fear of God and always look to Him. For we do not speak of what we do not know, but we testify to what we have seen, that the light already shines in the darkness, both at night and in the day, both within and without; within, in our hearts, and without, in the intellect, shining around us without evening, unchangeably, unalterably, without form, speaking, working, living and making alive, and making into light those who are illumined. We testify that God is light, and all who have been deemed worthy to see Him have beheld Him as light, and those who have received Him have received Him as light, because the light of His glory goes before Him and without light it is impossible for Him to appear, and those who have not seen His light have not seen Him either, because He is light, and those who have not received the light have not yet received grace; for those who have received grace have received the light of God and God, just as the Light, Christ, said: "I will dwell in them and walk among them."

But those who have not yet experienced or been deemed worthy of this, all such are under the law that is before grace, (360) they happen to be slaves and disciples of slaves and hearers of the law and children of a handmaid and sons of darkness, whether they be kings or patriarchs, or high priests or priests, or rulers or ruled, or laity or monastics, or ascetics or abbots, or poor or rich, or weak or healthy in body. For all who sit in darkness are sons of darkness and ought to repent. For repentance is a door leading out of darkness and into the light. Therefore, he who has not entered into the light has not passed well through the door of repentance; for if he had passed through, he would have been in the light. But he who does not repent sins, because he does not repent; "For to him who knows to do good and does not do it," he says, "to him it is sin." But he who commits sin is a slave of sin and hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works be exposed. For now, coming to the light willingly and of our own accord through repentance, we are reproved and judged, but we endure this mystically and secretly in the inner chamber of our souls for the cleansing and remission of our sins, by the mercy and love for mankind of God, that is, of God alone and of us—He who knows and sees our affairs; but then, that is, at the coming of the Lord, for those who are not willing to come to the light now but hate it, the light that is now hidden will be revealed and all their hidden things will be made manifest. (361) And what we are now, each one of us humans, hiding ourselves and not wishing to reveal our own things through repentance, then by the light we will be made clear and manifest to God and to all.

And behold for me here the magnitude of the shame. For just as in a house with the doors shut inside, if one of us, being there and thinking he is not seen by anyone from outside, sins without restraint, committing supposed adulteries and corrupting children or doing some other abominable things, and then is suddenly revealed doing the evil thing, he endures great shame; or again, otherwise, if someone plots against the king and sets out in writing things against him, or if he says or counsels any improper things at all, hidden inside a house, as has been said, and then the king with the whole senate and the other customary bodyguard arrives and surrounds the house, and suddenly the whole building is taken away, and he is revealed and all his plots, great punishment and the