Гимн 44. О богословии и о том, что ум, очистившись от вещества, невещественно созерцает Невещественного и Невидимого 329 .

Which way should I go? Which path should I take? Which ladder should I climb? Which gate should I enter? how and in which hall to open the door? in which or what kind of dwelling can we find the One who contains the universe in His hand and hand? Which mountain should I climb and from which side? and what kind of cave can I find there? or what swamp, having passed through, will I, unfortunate one, be worthy of seeing and holding the Omnipresent, Elusive and Invisible? To what hell should I descend, to what sky should I ascend and the limits of what sea should I reach, (to) find the completely Inaccessible, completely limitless and completely Intangible? Tell me, how can I find the Immaterial in the material, the Creator in the creation, and the Imperishable in the corruptible? How can I, being in the world, become outside the world? connected with matter, how can I come into contact with the Immaterial? Being all corruptible, how can I unite with the Imperishable? (being) in death, how can I get completely closer to Life? How, dead, can I approach the immortal? Being all hay, how dare I touch the fire? However, listen now to the resolution of these sacraments. Before the heavens were created, before the earth was produced, there was a Trinity God, one solitary, Light without beginning, Light uncreated, Light completely ineffable, yet God immortal, one infinite, constant, eternal and most gracious. Understand well the one God in the beginning, the Trinity existing before all beginnings, above every beginning, Incomprehensible, Immeasurable in height, depth and breadth, having no limit to greatness and light. (In the beginning) there was no air, as there is now, there was no darkness at all, no light, no water, no ether, or anything else, but there was one God - a completely light-like Spirit and at the same time omnipotent and immaterial. He created Angels, Principalities and Powers, Cherubim and Seraphim, Dominions, Thrones and unnamed ranks, serving Him and standing with fear and trembling. After this, He made the sky like a vault, material and visible, sensual and gross, and as He alone knows, He spread it out in the blink of an eye. And together the earth, the waters and all the abysses in the midst of it (the sky) with the same thought alone He created such as we see everything now. And inside (them) that immaterial Light remained, uninvolved (in any of this). The open, sensual sky, as I said, did not stop the radiance of the immaterial Light. For, being, as said, material, it turned out to be outside the immaterial not by place, of course, but by nature and essence. After all, the Immaterial is separated from the material, having no place of its own. For, being Himself unlimited, He produces everything in Himself by the word, and being separated by nature from all creatures and carrying everything in Himself, He abides outside of everything. For just as the mind and the Angel are neither removed by walls or doors outside the home nor kept inside; so their Creator is in no way located either outside or inside heaven, or in any other place, but is absolutely everywhere God, removed from everything material and from the creatures He has produced. So, the sky was created material and, differing in nature from the immaterial light, remained, as it were, a large house without light; but the Lord of the universe kindled the sun and the moon, so that for sensual (creatures) they would shine in a sensual way. He even gave (us) into our hands (this kind of) light, amazingly extracted from iron and flint, which would shine even at night. (He Himself) is far from all (material) light, and being brighter than light and more brilliant than (any) radiance, He is unbearable for every creature. For just as in the light of the sun the stars are not visible; so if the Lord of the sun desires to shine, then no one alive will endure His rising. Therefore, he combined the mind with material dust and placed all of us people among the material, so that we, by firm faith and observance of the commandments, again purifying the immaterial mind, which we had filled with the darkness of crime through the desire of material passions and tasting pleasures, in the material immaterial we saw that immaterial Light, which, I said, was from the beginning God, (Light) invisible to the sensual and material eyes and inaccessible to the intelligent eyes of the heart. In fact, I marvel at how the soul, being entirely immaterial and having an intelligent eye of light, nevertheless uses a sensory image and bodily eyes, as if two windows, and looking through them, sees everything visible, and turning back, in an immaterial image contemplates the mental and immaterial; being in an indescribable way 330 held in the midst of the imperishable and corruptible, by some it is drawn down to pleasures and passions, while by others, inspired by heaven, it is forced to remain there; however, she is brought down and again ardently strives to always ascend, desiring from what is visible to be celestial (and to see underneath everything that is sensed by sight) 331 . For, looking at everything in this world as if it were a net, she is afraid to completely step or sit on the ground, lest, being held back, she would, of course, get stuck in them and become prey to wild animals. Such is the life of the pious, the faithful and all the saints, which everyone should imitate, so that with them (also) the Judge of all, Christ God, may appear blameless and be partakers of His glory and kingdom forever. In P. r. This hymn has not survived: in the table of contents it is listed as 38 words. In l. This is chapter 25. In l. n. singulari quodam modo – in the only way” in some way. The words in brackets are taken from l. p. You might be interested in: