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On the Entry into the Holy of Holies of our Most Pure Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary and about Her God-like way of life in that place 343 1. In matters that exceed human strength, whether it would be necessary to carry a load or to speak, those people who are superior in physical strength or mastery of words, in comparison with those who are weak in one or the other, would still equally come to the same result, having accomplished absolutely nothing and without achieving the goal. And just like if someone attempts to touch the stars, with his hand, even if he were tall, even if he could stretch his hand higher than others, in comparison with those who do not have tall stature, he will still achieve so little that this is not taken into account, and equally like others, he is distant from these ethereal (cosmic) heights; Likewise, in relation to subjects that surpass the word, illustrious orators do not prevail over those who are not like them, so as to be able to speak about this in a worthy manner. Because what attempted word will fail completely? – Isn’t it the one that turns out to be much lower than its subject? - like the gods begging themselves to balance the weight of the whole world 344 , or like the stories in fables about the gods convincing themselves to continue their journey through the sky 345 , who have deviated as much from the truth as the underlying topic is inaccessible to human reasoning and words, as having taken as their subject something premium and inaccessible to the earthly and earthbound, and possible and attributed only to gods and the like im. In relation to the highest Top of all saints, that is, the Mother of God, who is now passing - to say in the words of the Psalm: - “to the place of the wondrous dwelling” and entering the Holy of Holies “in the voice of joy and confession” (Ps. 41:5), the inspired voices that accompanied Her then, and now we, celebrating... So, in relation to Her, the Supreme Being and the saints who are in heaven, it is not that anyone taken individually could not achieve anything worthily (in his speech), but equally (could not worthily achieve this) not all in totality, if it were possible for everyone to converge into one, becoming one mouth: because the whole creation would be powerless to express the glory that would be commensurate with Her, having become Mother of the Creator of all; WHAT would our praises be for Her, content with the greatness shown to Her by Her Son, even if only from everyone in their entirety? wouldn’t it be like the slightest drop in comparison with the abyss? Thus, this matter exceeds my strength, and I am not able to compose a word of praise for the wondrous and true bliss and superiority of the Mother of God 346. 2. But, on the other hand, how will I fulfill 347 my love, or how will I pay off the debt or express gratitude 348 for Her boundless mercies to me? - Is it not because I will praise Her according to my strength? Love motivates, but duty – general and mine personally – compels; the mercy that preceded it promises to provide condescension in the future, as well as the inexhaustible love of mankind of the Ever-Virgin Bride, Who, as if a certain soul, embraces, abides among all those who obey Her, as containing and supporting everything, existing close and always helping those who call on Her with tireless and most effective prayer to God, born of Her, with prayer that brings everything to the benefit, as far as truth goes, and ourselves We are able, on the basis of the graces shown to us by Her, to be conscious and, on this basis, to have a stronger faith. So, I myself, calling on Her with the same faith, hope to have Her supporting me to the end, having now plunged myself into the sea of ​​Her miracles. For the sake of you, who surround us now, and for the sake of posterity, I did not consider it necessary to shy away from speaking this word, and because it is understandable in itself (“ek ton raston”) you will show yourself condescending, taking into account: who says what he says, as well as the enormity of the topic at hand, and in addition, the fact that, along with everyone else together, each of you has the need to weave skillful hymns to the Mother of God - numerous, Of course, weave, all those who exist are in debt to pay such a contribution to the Mother of God, both together and each individually, bringing both on their own behalf and on behalf of each other! - Rendering due praise to Her, and the skilful - in equal measure, praising Her due. So, this, as well as taking part in the hymns composed from all centuries in Her honor, perform daily and hourly, composing together, a divinely inspired and harmonious and incessant dance around These Heavenly Gates. 3. Listen to me, O divine host, sacred assembly, face composed of the heavenly Spirit, and assist this word of mine and make it our common one, not only by presenting your hearing and straining your attention, but also by your prayer giving me genuine help, so that the Word of the Father, having touched from above the words dedicated to His Mother 349, will not allow my word to turn out to be completely inadequate for its task 350, but rather would grant it to sound harmonious to your God-loving ears. So those who embark on such creations need God’s abundant help; and those who made them more characteristic and more perfect over the centuries could do this only by inspiration from above. So, God, having at the beginning put into the earth every “idea” of 351 sensual and acting according to feelings (instincts) creatures, since not one of them was at all capable of containing an immortal mind (spirit), created man who was able to contain an immortal mind; again, since observing the human race, He did not find anyone among people who would be able to contain God “from Him are all things and by Him all things” (Rom. 11:36), according to the word of the Apostle, He then created, according to His good pleasure, this Ever-Virgin, who appeared, so to speak, as the Palace of Himself, able, due to the most perfect purity, to physically contain the fullness of the Divinity, and not only to contain, oh, the greatest miracle! - but also to give birth to Him and to associate with the Divinity all people who were both before Her and after Her 352. 4. Because in the middle between the two generations chosen by God from the ages 353 stands the Mother of God, clearly appearing as if an animated image of all that is beautiful, a living image of every virtue, the concentration and totality of divine and human graces, and so to speak: a generally beneficial competition between heaven and earth, as well as those located beyond them. Because She is the divine beginning of Israel in spirit, and this is to say - the fulfillment of Christ 354, as having become the Author (of being) of the One who is above causes, and through Him raising the earthly race (to heaven), and drawing all the heavenly ones down (to earth), revealing the spirit instead of flesh and making people the children of God. Having come in the flesh from the flesh of Israel, She raised Her ancestors to such glory, so that because of Her they are considered “Godfathers.” Rather, to say something more consistent with the dignity of the Immaculate Bride, not only did She occupy a middle position between the two chosen generations (i.e. Israel in spirit and Israel in the flesh), but - having appeared as a mediator between God and the entire human race - She made God the Son of Man, and created people sons of God. She alone appeared as the Mother according to the nature of God, Who transcends all nature; by virtue of Her unspeakable birth, She became the Queen of every creature, both that existing in the world and the supermundane. Because born of Her, “all things were, and without Him nothing came into being” (John 1:3). The sign of Her royal dignity is not the decoration of diadems, inviolable for the masses, nor precious stones, nor ornaments, nor selected fabrics (or: harnesses), nor a special royal outfit, invented from earthly elements for people who do not have the power to arise from the earthly and over whom their attire reigns rather than the soul, but - a special ineffable and mind-surpassing grace 355 and premium powers and actions 356 extending above heights and the most heavenly worlds: conversions and instructions of God, changing the laws of nature for the better, the coming of the Divine Spirit, the influx of the Power of the Most High, surpassing the laws of nature, the combination of conception and virginity, the exhaustion of God's Word 357, the womb of the Ever-Virgin Youth, the miracle of miracles! release from the burden and birth from the Unartificed One, a birth that did not destroy, but preserved the signs of virginity unharmed. 5. Who would be able, not to say, to penetrate into the depths, but also to look generally into the truly hidden sanctuary and reach the threshold of the Habitation (“tis katagogis”), in which rested the One who inhabited all things, the Heavenly King, the Lord of lords, who gives strength to all nature? What word would be even more worthy, even if, leaving aside everything related directly to Her Herself, it would describe the events that surrounded Her, i.e. those who were before the unspeakable Christmas and after the unspeakable Christmas? Who would worthily tell about the supply of mysterious food from above 358, about the guidance from heaven of those coming from afar for worship (the Magi), about the doxology of many Angels, connecting the heavenly with the earth and gathering under one heavenly citizenship of this world-embracing Kingdom? In addition, what happened before this and for the sake of this, such as: the prophecies of the divinely inspired prophets, miracles that were supposed to allegorically present the great Miracle that was about to come true, the ancient institutions of the Spirit that presented the future Truth in a variety of ways, changes of peoples and positions that were supposed to pave the way for the accomplishment of the New Mystery, the fulfillment of God’s promise to Joachim and Anna, who were barren from their youth, about that in old age they will give birth to the Maiden, the vow of these beautiful spouses: to give to the Giver the Maiden given to them, in accordance with this truly worthy and most righteous vow, together with the Promised ascension into the church of God and this most glorious Queen, the glorious Entrance into the very Holy of Holies: a place intended only for God, where only the high priests of that period of time were supposed to enter only once a year; The Virgin Mother entered there at the age of three and labored here for our sake. That is why we celebrate today, contemplating Her universally beneficial feat of unsurpassed abstinence, the supernatural descent, through Her, of God to earth and our, through Him, most glorious ascension to heaven. Because the Mother of God, living then in the most sacred places of the church, set sublime ascents in Her heart (Ps. 83:6), reaching the very heavens and from there drawing the Heavenly Lord to us. Since: “All the glory of the princess’s daughter is within,” according to what is written (Ps. 44:14), then the Creator of creation prepared Her to be adorned more than all people with the indescribable beauty of all-surpassing purity, as if with shining gold, so that She would be a kindred likeness to Him; and being in human likeness (oh, Thy ineffable love for mankind, Master!), He elevated His creation to His Own, Creator, dignity. 6. Do you see what the (royal) crown of the Virgin is woven from? Do you see the general usefulness of this scarlet? - Because it is not by virtue of some random circumstance that the Virgin reigns over those who, being equal by nature, are inferior to Her in the royal rank, which gives Her absolutely nothing except the title, and subordinates Her fellow tribesmen according to earthly laws - which, although they prescribe that kings should be distinguished by a high position above those below, do not say anything about their morality rising above their subjects - but all Her subjects having exalted in Her person and instead of earthly things proclaimed to them heavenly citizenship, She, having appeared as a participant in both the best dignity and the predominant power and election 359 from heaven, was appointed to be the highest Queen over the high and the most blessed over the blessed race, shining from everywhere with the brightest and most divine radiances of body and soul. Because God seemed to want to present the Image of all that is beautiful and clearly show to the Angels and people His power in the fulfillment of this ideal, having realized this World for visible and invisible beings, or better yet, by revealing the totality of divine and human graces (gifts) and superior beauty, exalting both the one and the other world, thus He accomplished this truly all-beauty; combining in Her face everything with which he adorned everything individually, revealing an amazing way of acting, the creative power inherent only in Him alone and truly befitting of the Mother of Light. Because just as when He first created the light on its own, which in a diffuse state penetrated everything, He then revealed it in the form of a solar disk, so now He revealed His Ever-Virgin Mother as the Light of the divine and ineffable and of all that is inherent in virtue, light that was previously poured out for the good of all, and then concentrated in Her, the Image of all virtue, in which She surpassed everyone to such an extent (“iperanaveviki”). So, that which has sufficed for all who have been adorned from every age to be excellent chosen ones, and that which all those blessed by God participate in in measure, whether angels or men, all this - having united together and having alone fulfilled everything and having succeeded so much that it defies words, She pours out the most abundant grace on those who worship Her, bestowing upon them the very love of Herself, Who is the Sun of such great graces, and, moreover, out of goodness, rewarding them generously. Therefore, let no one deviate from the established offering for all people, mercifully and for our benefit, and the abundant joint payment of our debt to Her 360. 7. But someone, looking at such a great succession of all good and at the Giver of this for those who live in virtue and according to virtue, recognizes that the Virgin has for them the same meaning as the sun has for those living in the light and under it, and just as the sun was formed, embodying the light spilled in space 361, so there must have been an initial plan, outline and image of the ineffable things that were later fulfilled in relation to Her. If people look at the Sun that miraculously shone from Her to people, Who possesses everything and whose nature surpasses everything grown by His grace, if they turn their mental eyes to Him, then the Virgin will immediately appear as Heaven, having acquired a brighter - because of all the blessings - wealth, in comparison with all the divinely blessed beings under the sky and above it, as much as the sky (in size) is greater than the sun, and the sun is brighter than the sky. 8. What word will depict, O Virgin Mary, Your divine beauty? It is impossible to limit what relates to You to reasoning and words: because all this surpasses both reason and word. It is also possible to sing only if You humanely condescend: because You are the container of all graces and the fulfillment of all noble beauty and the living image of virtue and all beauty, as the only one worthy of all spiritual gifts taken together, or better yet, the only one who miraculously had Him dwelling in Your womb, in Whom is the treasure of all, and became His wonderful Tabernacle, and therefore in body, becoming the subject of His care from infancy, so as to allow You to dwell with Him from Your very childhood, subsequently revealing You as the unshakable Church of His own graces, on the basis of such and so amazing things. So, to honor You with greater honors than is typical for people, so that You may have a miraculous birth and an even more miraculous growth, and even more miraculously, incomprehensibly give birth without artifice, and honor it with 362 promises both from God and from people, i.e. from Your parents (because they received from Him the promise of Your birth and, acting well, You, promised to them, in turn promised Him 363, to honor You 364 and to prepare the whole world for the premium promises that will come true in due time. Because a little time later, He promised You Himself, from Whom and by Whom this promise came true, as He who fulfilled the promises regarding You that were given from the ages to the friends of God, and made visions great in their meaning to be some kind of mysterious instructions and, as it were, omens of ineffable plans; because You, the only one of all, brought to perfection the thought of God (contemplation 365) of all, surpassing the common nature of Your contact with God, not only because of the ineffable birth, but also communication with Him in everything beautiful, thanks to the previous extreme purity. 9. So, there was a need for She who had to give birth to “Redder than the sons of men” (Ps. 45:3), and She Herself had to be absolutely unsurpassed in everything, and, one might say, from childhood itself, be equipped with the beauty of having One akin to Her to be in perfection, so that the Child of the Ever-Virgin Maiden would be recognized on the basis of the similarity to Her, obvious in everything, and every seeing eye would declare the Beginning 366 One who in the flesh had no father. Because would this meet the requirement of reason, so that He who composed this entire world with His word and adorned it with manifold beauties, to Her, from Whom He Himself was to descend according to the human nature that He accepted, would not transfer to Her in general and in everything the power to do everything beautifully, the power which He Himself a little later had to perceive? Therefore, behold, He who adorns the lilies of the field with greater beauty than the royal robe of Solomon had (Matthew 6:28), He and the Virgin Robe 367, from which He had to be clothed according to human nature, prenaturally adorned it to such an extent, making Her an Object of admiration for all, the perfect divine Repository of all together and each separately of beauty and goodness, the only one who revealed Not inferior in anything (in moral purity) to any person out of all people who have existed since the beginning of time, but completely superior to everyone in everything to the extent that the sky is separated from the earth, which is clearly visible to us, like gazers of the stars, standing far from them and intensely looking at everything related to Her (“ta kataitin”). 10. So, if reason was also supposed to lead the human race to God so that, perceiving with their senses heaven and earth and everything on them as belonging to the sensory world, people, on the basis of this, moving their minds to the beauty of the invisible world, would praise the common Creator of all God, then She who is praised by us now, no less, as anyone would notice, and for this reason had to be born in order to convince those who look at Her, as a result miracle, to admire the One who created It - a Miracle of miracles, illuminated by all-round beauty and illuminating the heavenly bodies and minds 368. And this is true: because if “all the glory of the Tsar’s Daughter is from within,” then everything that exists outside and sings about Her, is not in due measure consonant and akin to what is inside? Let a knowledgeable person delve into the meaning of what was spoken by the Psalmist and Prophet; so he did not say that “inside,” but said that “from within is all the glory to the Daughter of the King,” i.e. like light, pouring out from within onto the outside and pointing to everyone who sees the inner beauty, as if dwelling in Her, due to the complete absence of passions, and revealing a truly all-beautiful virgin soul. Because if the chaste Joseph was rightly called “Beautiful,” how could the All-Immaculate One not be more worthy of this name? How can She not surpass him in beauty in everything: as much as the difference between chastity and virginity, and then virginity competing with the incorporeal (Angels), it is better to say: to what extent did the virtue of chastity and all the grace, together with the most perfect virginity, which arose in one soul, surpass his virtue? Because, behold, Joseph did not correspond to this name in all his deeds, or, perhaps, was called: “Beautiful” only in physical appearance; She also has a soul associated with the name of all goodness and in an all-immaculate body bears in everything beauty, truly hidden within Her, revealed to those who see, like us, from the outside, cognizable within by the discerning spirit of the prophetic gift. 11. However, this does not mean that, on the basis that She was to become the Mother of God, She received any special gifts of Her nature that were not characteristic of the nature of all women, or that in addition to Her nature She also received a second nature (which would rather correspond to some mathematical principles), or in this sense acquired anything by learning from earthly teachers 369; but the leader - the mind - having revealed to the obedient to God, powerfully surpassing human instructions, and thus having received in Herself abundant mountain wisdom - at that age when the parents of their children, against the will of the latter, due to their still unreasonable childhood, subordinate them to educators and hand them over to the hands of teachers, then She, in the most sacred parts of the church, as if in the Divine Palace, is dedicated to God, as if animate a royal throne, higher than any earthly throne, all sealed with virtues befitting such a Great King to sit on It. Since this animated Palace of the King of all should not have been exposed to the eyes of everyone, because the sayings (St. The Scriptures) confirm that God dwells in unapproachable light (1 Tim. 6:16), and this is the same as saying: inaccessible to sight - therefore, since it was by no means proper for the Tabernacle in which the Most High dwelt on earth to be open to observation, then the Holy of Holies, called “the habitation of God,” according to the saying of David (Ps. 73:7), were immediately from childhood ceded to the Virgin Mother. Because where would it be more appropriate for the truly Holy of Holies to dwell? In what other place would it be better to erect God's truly Tabernacle? How should it not be that in this tabernacle, which served as a prototype, the Tabernacle would have been erected, in which the Creator of all things, the true King, the Lord of kings, dwelt, clothed in wonderful and embroidered purple, woven for the Creator and the Uncreated according to His nature? – A tabernacle shining not with the brilliance of metals, but filled with spiritual graces; A tabernacle containing not images of incorporeal (Cherubim) or the firstfruits of material specimens, but carrying in Itself the higher-natural and ineffable lightnings (or: brilliance) of spiritual purity, God-like will, the God-pleasing radiance of virginity, the splendor worthy of God of the totality of all that is beautiful, and, to express it succinctly: - The place, truly, of God, who united everything into one. 12. Consequently, because of Her, who was in the future to be the Dwelling Place of God, Moses, foreseeing, built this (ancient) tabernacle and for Her sake prepared the most sacred parts of the church, having been taught by God that they were intended for Her, and honored them, due to the advantage, with excellent names, presenting both in deed and in word, one might say, from her earliest childhood, Her exceptional and surpassing all dignity. Not only by the thing itself, the Virgin Mary settled in the place most befitting of Her, having received as her inheritance the glory of a dwelling, the glory of which surpasses the dignity of all other dwellings, just as She herself surpassed everyone in the dignity of her character, but she also showed clear evidence of what was to be in relation to Her greatest Mystery: because a place intended only for God and which was dedicated to Him to dwell in, and on the basis of which He gave dedication to Moses and Aaron and those who came after them (according to them), approaching (to this place of the church) for long periods of time and where they were entrusted to dwell unfalteringly in the intervals between these services 370, having miraculously accepted this place as the place of Her residence for many years over considerable periods, the Virgin Mary revealed and foreshadowed to all who have the mind that She is the future true Sanctuary of God and His Place of Abode and Purification 371, incomparably better than it (the Old Testament) and a godly Repository of the highest perfection of the Mysteries of the Spirit. 13. In addition to what has been said, and by the fact that She remained in silence, She provided contemplatives with significant protection 372: because She justly chooses a silent and detached way of life from everyone: because, if this Holy of Holies, one might say, were inaccessible to anyone’s gaze and closed to people, protected from all men and women by partitions and veils, and vestibules and curtains that were not opened for anyone man, except for the lawful high priest, and then once a year he enters and makes a sacrifice to God for himself and for all those who exist outside - then how is it that the Table of Angelic Delight 373, the ever-blooming Field, or better yet, eternal Vegetation, the common Purgatory of the entire human race, where once entered the eternal, the Highest, and the only one suitable for us, as the Apostle says, Bishop, and where he reconciled and indivisibly united God with people, would this virgin Treasure not be kept in the most sacred parts of the church, leading a lifestyle closed to the gaze of all people? 14. If the world was unworthy of the ancient Saints, as the Apostle says, then how could it be worthy of Her, who surpasses even the Saints who are in heaven? But understand this too: what a great superiority the Virgin has: because they, who fled cohabitation with people, served as a refuge, as the same Apostle says, mountains and deserts and the abysses of the earth; She was given the Holy of Holies into the dwelling; The All-Immaculate One was allowed to dwell in them, despite the fact that She had not yet reached the age of adolescence, although She showed Herself to be more reasonable than those who came to a reasonable age, as the word showed above. Because, being Gifted by God and (then, in turn, Given) to God even before Her birth (how could it have been otherwise in relation to She Who, before all ages, was foreseen to be the Abode of the Creator of Ages?! 374), and so, being the fruit of such prayer, She, in turn, is, as it were, some kind of pleasant sacred Offering given to the Giver by Her parents (oh, this most beautiful marriage! Oh, the couple chosen by God, workers who bring Him a gift of Dwelling, which He was more pleased with than heaven! 375); So, the most holy Vegetation was brought, as if from a holy root, Vegetation - from the earth reaching the sky with the greatness of Its dignity, Vegetation, which has a little later to emit 376 the eternal and unfading Color, Vegetation, which has to grow God, according to Whose single word nature and everything that exists above it grew; So, this grafted Vegetation was brought (O David, rejoicing, appear with the harp, prophesying in a fitting manner - “Like the Olive is fruitful in the house of God” (Ps. 51:10), “like a Tree” - taking (to reach) the top of God’s Mysteries and having to bear ineffable Fruit, Tree - “planted at the issue of the waters" Spirit (Ps. 1:3). 15. The Mother of God was brought to God by Her parents: not yet a teenager, not a maiden, but a child, still in great need of them, having only three more years, and only yesterday or the third day weaned from the breast and infant food. But even at this age, She revealed an unshakable way of thinking for those watching: because everyone saw that She was approaching with indescribable joy. Being near the gates of the sanctuary, while the noble maidens of Her race, who accompanied Her with lamps, surrounded Her, thus forming a most solemn procession, with the most perfect reverence escorted Her to the inner part of the church, then She clearly revealed that, better than everyone else, she was aware of the significance of what was happening and was about to happen in relation to Her; Thus, hitherto solemn and restrained and visible in a calm state of mind and mood, so that one could not quite say that She was walking ahead of the other ceremoniously walking virgins, She then, combining desire with decorum, slightly quickening her pace and outstripping the face of the virgins surrounding Her, walked ahead, while all those accompanying her walked behind Her, so that this saying relating to Her in the Psalm would be clear: “Virgins will be brought to the King in Her wake, Her sincere ones will be brought in joy and joy, they will be brought into the church of kings” (Ps. 45:15-16). When the High Priest had already appeared to meet Her and, of course, pronounced this prophetic saying to Her: “Hear, daughters, and see, and incline Your ear, and forget Your people and Your father’s house: and the King will desire Your kindness (beauty)” (Ps. 45:11-12), then She stepped forward a little and climbed (up the steps of the church), listening to this words; immediately left everyone, parents, breadwinners, peers, and separated from those gathered, the only one of all joyfully 377 approaches the Saint, looking at him affectionately and affably, and with Her very appearance, which she had at the same time, and in a barely audible whisper, decisively confirming Her complete attraction to God. 16. Surely everything that was coming true then did not cause surprise - How the three-year-old (Youth) completely becomes the Subject of care of the One who arranges everything regarding Her with the best providence, and on Her own behalf consciously makes a judgment between the creature and the Creator of the creature, and awards the best part to the Best 378, and prefers God to her father and mother’s embrace 379, and places God’s church and his Saint above those at home joy, counting everything as nothing, placing God and (everything) divine above everything, therefore 380 joyfully resorted to this. About Her, behold, the Prophet David spoke to God: “Righteousness and fate are the preparation of Your throne” (Ps. 89:15); and: “Righteousness and destiny (judgment) is the correction (foundation) of His throne” (Ps. 96:2). Since She also appeared as the animate Throne of God, it is better to say: this dignity belongs only to Her: because, strictly speaking, when speaking about the immaterial, highest angelic powers, this word is used not in the singular, but in the plural; says: "Thrones" 381; and therefore, more than these Thrones, She accomplished and produced the foundation of the great judgment and ineffable truth. Thus, even before Her birth, the Virgin possessed a will that was illustrious and capable of making judgments (“kritikotatin gnomin”), which, even before she came of age, she now showed to everyone as the most unshakable. 17. That Moses at this age did not have the ability to reason, his tongue, however, although moving with difficulty, nevertheless declared quite clearly (Ex. 4:10), preserving traces of fire, which, as they say, tested the value of gold in relation to the touchstone. Regarding the upcoming courage of Her soul, certain good omens could be given, 382 but regarding the miraculousness of what is happening (the Entry of the Mother of God into the church), they, perhaps, would not be suitable: because what does a royal crown, decorated with sheets of gold and shining precious stones, mean for the spiritual disposition of a child, in comparison with the warmth of a mother’s embrace and the tenderness and care that the Virgin, the only one of all at Her age, voluntarily despised? And that at such an age he could resort to God with unshakable love and remain alone, laboring in the hidden parts of the church, as if in an indescribable way performing sacred service, this cannot be said about him (Moses), who, after ceasing to be under the protection of Pharaoh, turning to people, rather experienced fear, rather than divine love, had in himself, although much later, for the accomplishment of virtue and deeds in relation to it and his ascension to the mountain to God, he was worthy to be initiated into the images of this Virgin and, assisting, accomplished what should have been prepared for Her 383. 18. But leaving him down, together with the servants (of God), to whom he justly showed himself, let us raise our word to those who, of their own initiative (“autepangeltus”) came to the knowledge of God: we admire Abraham and the famous Melchizedek, who themselves came to the knowledge of God, but this was when they were already of a reasonable age and had the opportunity to contemplate this great testimony of the existence of God, i.e. - this great world, the earth, everything that exists on earth, a mixture of elements, a beautiful symphony composed of opposing elements, the sky - this great limit 384, which has all the sensual creation gathered within its borders, a multitude of existing stars established in it: their diversity and wonderful arrangement; and not in a straight line, and again not opposite to each other, but harmonious and harmonious and very purposeful movement of the stars; and in connection with this movement, the distances between them, collections, confluences, angles of displacement - and from there significant positions, as those knowledgeable in this matter say; - and everything else that functions according to the law of nature, which from time immemorial has proclaimed God existing above all this. She, without looking at any of this (because such an infancy does not yet allow this), comes to know God, and rejoices at being brought to Him; It’s better to say - She begins on Her own impulse, as if by nature itself inspired by sacred and divine Love; and then beautifully seeing the Bishop of God: that - what was hardly possible to achieve in the rarest cases over the course of many ancient centuries for some chosen ones, this very Virgin has in Herself from childhood and will possess this throughout Her entire life, rising high above everyone, (therefore) and more than was accepted in relation to all other people, honored Her and settled Her in the Holy of Holies, and then convinced everyone with love to agree to what was coming true, with the assistance and support God, acting in the most just manner: because She had to become His Chosen Vessel, not like the (Old Testament) Ark, filled with 385 shadows and images, but filled with the Truth Itself, and had to bear the Divine name not before kings and nations, as was later applied to Paul (Acts 9:10), but - to bear in the womb Himself, God and “a wonderful name” ( Ps.8:1), and in this way to do this, so that instead of Saul, the most famous Paul will be revealed, not inferior to any of the most famous men from all ages, and honored to carry him (this Divine name) with boldness. 19. Therefore, if anyone duly pays attention not only to the beginning 386 of those who have ever shone in virtue 387 , but also to the entire field of virtue of these ascetics, as well as to the final rewards and crowns from above, he will find that they are inferior to the beginning 388 of the Virgin Mary, which is now celebrated by the entire human race, at this very time remembering with indescribable joy Her movement from among people - into the very Holy of Holies. Once upon a time, Enoch was removed from among people 389, but this does not cause a nationwide holiday. After him, Elijah was taken on a chariot of fire 390, but this did not become the basis for such a great holiday for the whole world, and does not embrace all of some divine pleasure and does not respond from heaven to those living on earth. After them, the three-year-old Maiden was transferred, and, behold, the whole world rejoices and everything is filled with joy, filled with divine inspiration. Oh! What kind of miracle is this!? What power does this Young Lady have, the perfection of inspiration, the superiority of greatness?! Who is this “She who conquered the world” (John 5:4), who renewed the human race, who took away from among people the sorrow that was the result of the forefather’s curse, and (instead) planted this divine and pure joy in the earth: this general and repeated joy from year to year, unfading, always abundant (or: blooming), stronger than the flow of all-destroying time? But we've strayed a little from the topic. So, Enoch, having pleased God, was removed (from among people); but, on the other hand, it must be taken into account that he was 365 years old and spent his whole life of his own free will; and the Young Lady, about Whom is our word 391, was barely three years old when, having embarked on deeds that transcend nature, and on the basis of this (Her feat) becoming the Cause of joy on earth, She immediately then established a calling 392 from earth to heaven, a calling that embraces everything. But God moved him (Enoch) too; therefore - moved him to heaven? - Get away, such a thought! – Because, as the Gospel says 393: – “No one ascends into heaven, except He who came down from heaven and for our sake (as a Man) was born of this Holy Virgin”, “He is in heaven” (John 3:13). So, if it is written that Enoch, while on earth, was transferred by God, however, of course, he was transferred to a less significant place than that which has now become the lot of the Virgin, because there was nothing more sacred on earth than the Holy of Holies. And despite this significance 394, he did not help the human race in any way 395 and did not abolish sin and did not contribute to righteousness; so that in the third generation after him this Flood occurred (Gen. 6 and Gen. 7). Now, on the basis of Her and thanks to Her, the renewal of the world has appeared, and thanks to Her, Heaven has opened the gates for us, shedding not swift and terrible rain that brings death to every breath 396, but the dew of the words of the teaching of the Spirit 397, the common delight of our souls, surpassing the mind and the great and “impregnable Light” (1 Tim. 6:16), “enlightening every person coming into the world" (John 1:9). 20. If anyone points out that the Virgin then returned to people, then let him know that by this he greatly added to the advantage of the Virgin: because, just as the Only Begotten Son of the Father came down from the holy heavens for our sake, so She came to people from the shrine of the church for our sake. Therefore (though), and betrothed to a mortal (husband), She became the Unbrided Bride of the Immortal Father; She did not need people 398 but (did this) in order, in the presence of witnesses, to show us the great miracle of the ineffable Birth and to save those who believed. And just as when the sun periodically rises for us and makes a circular flow, it does so that there is no one who can hide from its warmth, according to what is written (“From the ends of the heavens,” it is said, “its departure, and the meeting (procession) of it to the ends of the heavens” (Ps. 18:7), i.e. from where it rose 399 - so the All-Charged One, having left 400 from the midst of people and entered the Holy of Holies, again then she returned to the people, so that, having opened the source of sanctification 401, she would inalienably give everyone participation in the gift of sanctification, without depriving anyone of its share, not even in the things most hidden from the world, that is, these holiest parts of the church. Since what happens to us thanks to the sun is very fragile, 402 we need it to continually return (to us in its flow); since the gifts of the Ever-Virgin are unshakable, there was a need for only one rising (of the Sun), and in it She constantly illuminates everyone, unexpectedly shining for us That Sun “has no change or change in the shadow” (James 1:17) 403 .. So, having discussed the issue of God moving Enoch, let’s move our mental gaze to the admiration of Elijah 404 , who did more than that one, leaving the student a great gift - his mantle, through which he received extreme power to work miracles 405; but what applies to the Virgin Mother is very much and in many ways superior to him: because She appeared as a Miracle of miracles on earth and as a generally useful Sign, greater than all those who have existed since the beginning of time, and she wore Adam’s robe in Her womb 406 to the Son of God Himself; Through this worshiped (divine) garment, it happened for us that “even if one thing were written, the whole world could not contain the books that were written,” as the most theologian of the Evangelists says (John 21:25). 21. But why do I not weave the premium radiance to the crown of the Virgin, but still hold on to those who have shone on earth? - Because since She, being a Virgin, had to give birth to One who, by Her nature, is beyond everything, then She, from early childhood, was in dignity beyond everything, incomparably higher than the most worldly Minds themselves; because which of the Angels was ever told what was said to Her, who was still in childhood, namely: “The King will desire Your kindness (beauty)” (Ps. 44:12)? Did they not rather desire, as it is written (1 Peter 1:12), to penetrate into what was given to us through Her? And, behold, about those highest ranks 408 Isaiah writes: “And the Seraphim stood around Him” (Is. 6:2). Regarding Her, David says this: “The Queen stands at Your right hand” (Ps. 44:10). Do you see the difference in position? From this you can also conclude the difference in dignity: because the Seraphim surround God; close to Him Himself is only the Queen of all, Whom God Himself admires and praises Her, as if proclaiming Her to the surrounding (heavenly) Powers, and saying, according to what is said in the book of the Song of Songs: “How beautiful You are, My Neighbor” 409, the brightest of light, more full of flowering than paradise, more beautiful than the entire visible and invisible world! Not only is She near Him, but, in justice, also at His right hand: because where Christ sat in heaven, i.e. at the right hand of the Majesty, there She also stands: not only because She loves Him and is exceptionally mutually loved by Him, which follows on the basis of the very laws of nature, but also because She is truly His Throne; and where the King sits, there His Throne stands. 22. This Throne and Isaiah saw between His cherubic choir and called it “high and exalted” (Is. 6:1), demonstrating the superiority of the Mother of God over the heavenly Powers. Because if immediately behind Her he places the second rank, in this case the order of the supermundane highest (angelic) hierarchies, however, in relation to the concept of dignity, this does not at all mean that he 410 occupies the second rank: because, in this case, when compared, perhaps, they would be lesser, and She would be by some small measure greater, however, in reality, She surpasses them to the highest degree. Just as, for example, after the sun, we do not have any other luminary that we could point to as truly “second” in terms of luminous intensity, perhaps with the exception of the full moon, although it has a very small luminous intensity (when compared with the sun); This is how it seems to me that the situation is also in relation to the Mother of God: there is no one among the God-shined (highest Angelic Powers) whom we could conceive as occupying the second rank, with the exception of the Seraphim; but to careful investigators it will be obvious that the question of comparison of merit can hardly be raised, and will seem as if comparing any lamp with a flame blazing brightly. Therefore, the Prophet introduces the Angels themselves, praising God for Her and saying: “Blessed is the glory of the Lord from His Throne” (Ezek. 3:12) 411. David depicted this in a different way: combining in his person a multitude of saved ones and using, as it were, certain different voices directed to Her from different generations, he begins a harmonious song in praise of Her, saying: “I will remember Your name in every generation and generation: for this reason people will confess to You forever, and forever and ever” (Ps. 44:18). Do you see that all creation glorifies the Virgin Mother, and not in passing years, but forever and ever? Based on this, we can conclude that She will not cease in all ages to benefit all creation, and I am not only speaking in relation to us, but also in relation to the spiritual and supermundane (angelic) ranks themselves: because together with us they, because of Her alone, are participants in deification and touch God, This inviolable Nature; Isaiah clearly presented this: because he saw that Seraphim did not directly take coal from the altar, but took it with the help of tongs, with the help of which he touched the lips of the prophets, giving (them) cleansing; this vision of ticks is identical with the great sight that Moses saw: - a bush burning with fire and unscorched; who does not know that this Virgin Mother is both this Bush and these Ticks, having unburntly conceived the Divine Fire, whose conception was served by the Archangel, who through Her combined with the human race this Divine Fire, which took away the sin of the world and by the power of this ineffable union cleansed us? 23. So, She alone is the mediator between created and uncreated natures, and no one would come to God except through Her and from Her, and not one of God’s gifts would be either for Angels or for people, if only not thanks to Her. Because just as in relation to lanterns on earth, made of glass or some other transparent material, it is impossible to see the light or to be involved in the ray emitted from it, only through the medium of this lantern, so the unapproachable gaze (or: attraction) to God for everyone and from His side a certain reciprocal movement towards everyone, would not be possible, unless there were this God-bearing and truly luminous Lamp - the Ever-Virgin. “God is in the midst of it, and does not move” (Ps. 45:6). 24. If rewards are in accordance with the measure of love for God, and the one who loves the Son is loved by Him and His Father, and becomes the abode of both of them, mysteriously dwelling and acting in his soul, according to the Sovereign promise, then who loved Him more than His Mother did, and not only for the reason that He was the only one with Her, but also because She was the only one who gave birth without a spouse, so that Her love concludes for yourself the deep love that both father and mother have for their child? 412 And, on the other hand, who more than the Mother would be loved by the Only Begotten, and even then, who ineffably came from Her alone in the last times, as He came from the one and only Father from all eternity? How can the manifestations of honor due to Her, on the basis of the law, be multiplied beyond the proper disposition by Him who came down to fulfill the law? If the Father and the Son have one love, and next to both, the Spirit has the same honor and agreement (oh, what a grace of the Virgin that surpasses the mind!) 413, then, consequently, in the depths of her soul She carries the entire uncreated Trinity, One of the Persons of Which She conceived without seed in the womb and, being a virgin, painlessly gave birth. 25. So, just as through Her alone He came to us, appeared on earth and lived among people, Who before Her was invisible to everyone, so in the future unceasing age, every outflow of divine illumination and every revelation of divine mysteries, and every kind of spiritual gifts, besides Her, will have no place for anyone; but She is the first, having accepted the fullest fulfillment of the Fulfiller of the universe, establishes for everyone a measure of completeness, distributing to each according to his strength, according to the correspondence and measure of purity of each, so that She would be the keeper and manager of the wealth of the Divine, and the highest Cherubic authorities would look at Her and entrust themselves to Her; and so most of all with trepidation (“anatatikos”) they held on to love for Her, to the extent that they would strive for greater illumination (happening) through Her and receiving unspeakable and divine gifts, and in the same way (in turn) would make the Intelligent (Angelic) Powers located under them partakers of divine love and the divine illumination (happening) through Her; and after them - for us, and in general, for everyone and for everything, to the extent of the unchanging and holy desire for this truly God-like Virgin and spiritual and unceasing love and the highest and true gravitation (towards Her), - the degree and clarity of God's illumination will follow. Because, since this is also an eternal law in heaven: that the lesser through the greater have a share in the Being that is beyond them - the Virgin Mother is incomparably greater than all, then, therefore, through Her those who will be partakers of 414 God will become participants; and those who know God will declare Her to be the Place of the Incontainable; and immediately after God she will be praised by those who praise God. She is both the Foundation of those who were before Her and the Leader of those who are after Her, and the Guardian of the eternal; She is the Foundation of the Prophets, the Beginning of the Apostles, the Establishment of the Martyrs, the Foundation of the Teachers; She is the Glory of those on earth, the Joy of those in heaven, the Beauty of all creation; She is the Beginning and the Source and the Root of ineffable blessings; She is the Top and Perfection of all that is holy. 26. O Divine Virgin, how can I express everything that relates to You? How will I fulfill my love? How can I glorify You, Treasure of Glory? And the very memory of You has sanctified those who remember; and the very desire for You created the mind illuminated, immediately raising it to divine heights; through You the eye of the soul is enlightened; through You the spirit is illuminated by the influx of the Divine Spirit: because You have become the Manager and the Set of grace-filled gifts; not in the sense of keeping it for Himself, but in order to fill the entire universe with grace; because the manager of inexhaustible treasures is appointed for the purpose of distributing them: because why, of course, would he keep locked up that wealth that does not decrease? Therefore, generously give to us, O Master, and if we did not contain, make us capable of containing more, and thus measure: because You are the only one who has received beyond measure: because everything has been given into Your hands. 27. So be it. It is necessary, I think, to return somewhat to the topic and give the word a task: if possible, look closely and see the way of life of the Virgin Mary in the Holy of Holies, and bring it to light and praise and tell 415. May God help me! Because with weak forces, the word encounters many and great difficulties, which it is powerless to overcome, unless divine help is provided from above 416. Well, all the admirers of the Ever-Virgin Bride, having prayed together that She from the heavenly Sanctuary, where she now resides, would lend aid to our words, let us go inside the bridal chamber, go into the bridal chamber, explore the inner most sacred parts of the church: because for Her sake everything has become open to us, both in heaven above and on earth below. So, let us consider how reality corresponds to images, how the image of truth is realized in its outline. Entered the temporary Holy of Holies - the Eternal Holy of Holies. The Tabernacle of the Word Not Made by Hands entered, gifted with reason and animated by the Icon 417 of the Bread of Life truly sent for us from heaven; entered the place where there was a man-made ark, in which there was a stamna 418 containing manna - the composition of the morning dew, transformed by the creative divine will into the form of food - which, on the grounds that it was sent down from above, was called by the imperfect and uninitiated into the true divine secrets: “angel bread”; for those versed in the divine mysteries and those who saw in the Divine Spirit, this was presented as an image of things that would be fulfilled in this Virgin of truth. The Book of Life entered, not a written word, but containing the very Word of the Father inexpressibly; entered the place where the tablets of the covenant rested, on which the lifeless outline of the word was depicted. The ever-blooming Vegetation entered, from Which came the pure Color, which gave us incorruptibility (immortality); she entered where Aaron’s rod was, which, being dry, blossomed, foreshadowing the seedless Nativity from the Virgin. 28. But the church, one might say, was entirely decorated with gold, and the ark was overlaid with pure gold, and the radiance shone perfectly around it. But isn’t virgin beauty much more luminous than gold, which God Himself loved? Do you want to see a sign (confirmation) of what was spoken from heaven? – Golden images of Angels surrounded the ark, overshadowing it; The true Icon was not surrounded by images of Angels, but by the Angels themselves; and what else - more, not overshadowing Her, but serving and contributing to the delivery of what served as food for Her. What kind of food this was, we cannot even say about this, when, behold, both the manna, which is the subject of many interpretations, and the food that was delivered to Elijah turned out to be the concept of a miracle. And the proof of this is obvious: thus, the manna, compiled at the command of God, was brought by the air in the form of snow (scattering it) from above; and, now, remembering this, the divine Psalmist called it “the bread of angels,” saying: “The bread of angels is for man” (Ps. 77:25), foreseeing in it a prototype of that truly heavenly food that the Holy Virgin had during Her stay in the Holy of Holies 419. So, I admit that the air, bringing, every day delivered manna to the Israelites, and the Angel daily delivered this food to the Virgin, as, of course, perfect and most mysterious and characteristic and akin to himself, and by its nature as much better than manna as the Angel is better than air; Elijah’s food was delivered by a raven, a child-hating animal, a symbol, as they say, of heartlessness towards one’s loved ones. 29. So, this Messenger from Heaven appeared, I believe, as clear evidence of the angelic way of life of the Virgin, existing at such an age, who, while serving Her, but, of course, not overshadowing Her, stayed with Her all the time, foreshadowing Her future greatness. Because it was not an Angel, not an Archangel, not the Cherubim or Seraphim themselves who overshadowed Her, but the Most Hypostatic Power of the Most High; and what is the most: not through the storm and clouds 420, not through darkness and fire 421, not through the voice of the breath of the breeze 422, as was once the case in other cases for those who were once honored with this 423; but directly, without any covering, the power of the Most High overshadowed the virgin womb, and there was nothing between the Overshadowing and the Overshadowed, neither air, nor ether, nor any of the sensory creatures, or those above them. This is not an overshadowing, but a direct connection. Since it always happens in nature that what overshadows thereby imposes its form and its image on the overshadowed, then not only the union, but also the formation took place in the womb, and formed on the basis of both: i.e. the power of the Most High and that most pure and virgin womb, was the incarnate Word of God. Ah, to what depths of mystery the word has led us! 30. But having come out of this depth (because it is impossible, impossible that the standards of mortals or the entirely limited human mind should reach the depth) 424, let us stick to the present topic. So, the Virgin entered the Holy of Holies, and immediately looked around everything; what She saw and enjoyed, accordingly served as a treasure for Her thoughts; and immediately, from the beauty of the things She saw there, She shifted Her gaze to the invisible beauties, no longer finding joy in anything earthly. Therefore, She became above the needs of nature and earthly 425 pleasures: some things that are pleasant to look at, judging as unworthy of looking at, while others - pleasant to eat - were despised, She was the first and only to reveal Herself in everything beyond the tyranny of the one who attacks us through these temptations, and has since shown in this regard a sign of victory over him; and then, having labored not in one day from morning to evening, and not in relation to the fruit of one tree 426, but over the course of a cycle of many years in relation to various, or better yet, all kinds of pleasures that are bait for the soul 427, invented by the princes of darkness, which all This Mother of God, the only one of all, being still in childhood, in the end despising, rightly receives a reward 428 from heaven: - food brought to Her by an Angel, thanks to which Her bodily strength was strengthened and, at the same time, evidence of Her way of life worthy of heaven; Better yet, I will say something most befitting and at the same time corresponding to the dignity of the Ever-Virgin Bride: from Her very beginning She, having Heavenly Minds 429 serving Her, revealed Herself as the Queen of Heaven. 31. And thus She lived, as it were, in paradise and a chosen place on earth, or better yet, as if in heavenly dwellings, because these holiest places of the church were their image. So, She lived, leading an ascetic lifestyle 430, secluded, free from worries and sorrow, not involved in base passions, surpassing the pleasure of this world, which is not free from sorrow; living only by God, visible only by God, nourished only by God, preserved only by God, who, thanks to Her, has to dwell with us; looking entirely and Herself only at God, having delight in God, constantly listening to God. Also with extreme zeal She listened to the writings of Moses and the sayings of other Prophets, when all the people from outside came every Saturday, as was the custom; and She learned about Adam and Eve and everything about them, and about bringing everything from non-existence into existence, about staying in paradise, about the commandment given in it, about the destructive advice on the part of the evil one, about the deception contained in this advice, about, as a consequence of this, expulsion from there and the loss of incorruptibility (immortality) and the change to this much-painful life 431; and She saw this cursed life of ours, which, due to hereditary succession, stretches along with time and, moreover, tends to deteriorate all the time, and (she saw) that God’s creation (created) in the likeness of God is alienated (“apallotriumenon”) from the Creator (him) and becomes more and more akin to the one who maliciously oppressed him 432 (alas! what power did he have over us? the evil one and what his insatiable fury! what insensibility on our part and “without looking back” gravitation towards the earth!) 433 while there is no one who would be able to stop this general homicidal frenzy and restrain the uncontrollable desire of the human race to hell; Since the Virgin Mary heard this, and also saw it, she felt pity for the common (with Her) human race and reflecting on how a cure could be found to counteract such an ailment, She immediately decided with all her soul to turn to God and, taking upon herself an embassy for us, to force the Uncompelled One and quickly attract Him to Us so that He Himself would remove the curse and stop the spread of the fire, burning souls, and weakened the strength of the opposing forces, and instead of (the curse) bestowed blessing, and the sacred light shone and, having healed the infirm, united His creation with Himself. And, behold, in such a fitting manner, the Blessed Virgin, having thought within herself, oh, to what extent, miraculously and beyond any word, she undertook an embassy for all nature! - Because searching for (a way) in which She could convincingly and truly enter into communion with God, to Whom the Ambassador came on Her own initiative (“autochirotonitos”), or better yet, by the will of God, She was diligent in every kind of virtue and studied what was spoken in the Law and found in the word (oral tradition) and in those belonging to both, and also studied subjects from among the main sciences, as if imprinting everything in Himself, and inventing something 434 most characteristic of God, which on this basis, possessing a special property, knows those who use it - to directly liken it 435 to Him; since She did not see anything manifested by people before Her that would definitely indicate this, She Herself cuts out the best and most perfect path and invents and She Herself performs and passes on to subsequent people the highest work of contemplation 436; contemplation (thought of God) is as much superior to what was previously known as truth is superior to fantasy. 32. But let the greatness of the sacrament be heard with diligence; because I will tell you a science that is useful for the entire fulfillment of Christ, especially for those who have renounced the world, thanks to which it is possible for a person to taste these future blessings and become equal to the Angels and gain citizenship in heaven, if only he wishes to be jealous, in strength, of the first and only one who renounced the world since childhood, for the sake of the world, of the Ever-Virgin Bride. Because every type of virtue, insofar as it was previously acquired and jointly clearly transmitted by the said men 438, contributed to the improvement of morals, streamlined family and social life, and thereby protected the limited requirements of virtue. The second part of it, which is more sublime than those listed, is, of course, knowledge, thanks to which we comprehend the laws of nature, and also obtain concepts about the soul itself, as far as this is comprehensible, and also observe the relationships and forms and quantities of material things, although divided into types, but in the ideal concept of belonging to matter, remain inseparable 439 . If we theologize and philosophize about objects completely without matter, which was called “primary philosophy” by the “youths of Hellas” 440 - it would be better to say: the fathers and founders of science - knowing nothing about a more sublime form of contemplation, but it also contained some truth: because it (this “primary philosophy”) denied the possibility of seeing God and pointed out that communication with God is limited to the extent of acquiring knowledge. Because saying something about God and “meeting God” are not the same thing: because the first needs a word to speak, as well as the art of eloquence, if one intends not only to possess knowledge, but also to apply it and pass it on; it also needs all kinds of methods of inference and necessary conclusions arising from evidence, as well as examples, which either all or most are drawn on the basis of what has been seen and heard and is close to people moving in this world; Let all this answer the wise of this age, even if they have not completely cleansed (from sins) their life and soul. It is impossible to become truly close to God unless, in the process of purifying ourselves, we become outside ourselves, or better yet, above ourselves, leaving with the senses everything that is perceived by the senses 441, rising above reasoning and conclusions and all knowledge and thoughts themselves; being entirely in the action of the spiritual sense, which Solomon predicted, calling it “divine sense” (Proverbs 1:7), and achieving this - exceeding all knowledge - ignorance 442, and this is the same as saying: exceeding every kind of well-known philosophy, if, indeed, according to it, knowledge is its goal. 33. So, the Virgin, seeking this (because it is absolutely necessary for ambassadors to meet those to whom they come with an embassy), found a guide in sacred silence 443 (2 Cor. 12:2), according to the divine Paul, “sees until she encounters some obstacle during contemplation, forcing him to come to himself.” “Once, seeing him leaving his cell with a joyful face, I, in the simplicity of my heart, asked him about the reason for this phenomenon. This ever-memorable man, like a loving father, answered me like this: “The soul, clinging to God and consumed by love for Him, rises above creation, lives above visible things and, being completely filled with the desire of God, cannot hide in any way. After all, the Lord promised her, saying: “Your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you in reality” (Matthew 6:6), and again: “let your light shine before men, so that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 5:16); for then the heart jumps and rejoices, the mind is all in pleasant excitement, the face is cheerful and joyful, - in the words of the wise: “When the heart rejoices, the face blooms” (Proverbs 15:13). Then I asked him again: “Most Divine Father! Explain to me, out of love for the truth, what the soul is and how it is contemplated by the saints? “Having listened to my question, he affectionately and, as was his custom, with a slight lowering of his voice, answered me like this: “My beloved spiritual child! “Do not seek those who are superior to you, and do not test those who are stronger for yourself” (Sir.3:21) - because you, while still a baby, i.e. imperfect, you cannot digest the hardest food, i.e. understand things that exceed your strength, just as the food of perfect men is not good for tender babies in need of milk.” And I, falling at his feet and firmly grasping them, asked even more persistently to explain to me such an important subject. Having agreed to my strong request, he told me briefly: “whoever does not see the resurrection of his soul cannot know exactly what an intelligent soul is.” But I, turning to him with due reverence, again proposed the question: “Tell me, Father, have you reached the measure of this ascent, - i.e. Have you learned what an intelligent soul is? “Yes,” he answered me with great humility. “For the love of the Lord, teach me this too,” I then humbly asked him: “this can bring great benefit to my soul.” Then this divine and in all respects venerable man, praising my zeal, taught me the following: “When the soul uses all its zeal and strives through active virtues, with proper reasoning, then it overthrows all passions and subjugates them to itself. And if the passions are subdued, natural virtues surround her and follow her like a shadow behind the body, and not only follow her, but also teach her and instruct her in what is above nature, teaching her, as it were, to climb a spiritual ladder. When the mind, by the grace of Christ, ascends to that which is higher than nature, then, enlightened by the radiance of the Holy Spirit, it stretches to clear vision - then, having become higher than itself, according to the measure of the grace given to it from God, it sees the essence of things very clearly and purely, and no longer at all in the same way as external sages think about it, rushing only after the shadow of things, and not trying, as they should, to follow the essential action of nature. After all, the Divine Scripture says: “Their foolish heart became futile, and when they said they were to become wise, they became fools” (Rom. 1:21-23). Then the soul, having accepted the betrothal and grace of the Holy Spirit, due to the many visions that it sees, little by little leaves the previous ones and moves on to the highest and most divine, as the Apostle Paul says: forgetting what is behind, reaching out to what is ahead (Phil. 3:13), and thus truly casts off all fear and fear, and, clinging with love to the Bridegroom Christ, sees that its natural thoughts are completely they fall silent and, according to the scriptures of the holy fathers, remain behind. Having achieved formless and ineffable beauty, she now, illuminated by the bright radiance and grace of the Holy Spirit, converses only with God, and having been enlightened by this boundless light, and having a desire for God alone, she, due to her wonderful and new change, no longer feels at all her humble, earthly and material body; for it is pure and bright, without any admixture of material partiality - it is a truly intelligent being, as our ancestor Adam was before the Fall. He was first covered with the grace of boundless light, and then, due to a bitter crime, he was naked from this luminous glory.” - To all this, this divine chapter added that “man, through hardworking exercise in mental prayer, having reached such a wondrous height and seeing purely his own dispensation, into which he came by the grace of Christ, has already seen the resurrection of his soul, before the expected general resurrection - so that the soul, thus purified, can speak with the divine Paul: “whether in the body, or apart from the body, I know nothing” ( 2 Corinthians 12:2). But, at the same time, she is perplexed and amazed at this, and cries out in amazement: “Oh the depth of the wealth and wisdom and mind of God! for His judgment has not been tried, and His ways have not been tried" (Rom. 11:33)." (“Athonite Patericon” vol. I, pp. 307–313). St. Simeon the New Theologian also testifies to the illumination of the gracious light in the 56th word, speaking as if about someone else, about his experience: “One day, as he stood in this way in prayer and said with his mind more than with his lips: God, be merciful to me, a sinner, - suddenly a divine illumination of light descended on him from above and filled all that place. Then this young man already forgot that he was in the room and under the roof because he saw one light in all directions, he did not even know whether he was trampling the ground with his feet; He no longer cared about anything worldly, but was completely merged with the immaterial light; He then forgot the whole world and was filled with tears and inexpressible joy. Then his mind ascended to heaven, and he saw there another light, brighter than the one that was around him. When this vision passed and the young man came to his senses, he found himself completely filled with joy and amazement, and cried with all his heart, which was filled with tears and great sweetness.” This vision, but only to a weaker degree, was repeated later in the life of St. Simeon. But the Saints warn that the ascetic, if he is not careful, may be subject to delusion, i.e. spiritual delusion caused by demons. See “Monks Callistus and Ignatius, Instructions for the Silent,” ch. 61 and up to 64 and then ch. 73. Demons can seduce an ascetic with the vision of light, but this light is not the same as what comes from grace. “The light of the enemy’s power is fiery, smoky and like sensual fire; and when the soul, which has curbed passions and been cleansed of them, sees him, treats him with unpleasantness and abhors him: the light of the good Spirit is good, joyful and pure, and as it approaches, it sanctifies with light, fills the soul with joy and tranquility, and makes it meek and humane” (from the 5th volume of the Philokalia). The demon shows a person “a light that is not bright and pure, but reddish” (On mental prayer from the life of St. Maximus Kapsokalivit, ibid.). This light then turns into darkness, and a sure sign that this light is not from God is instinctive restlessness, a certain fear and disgust in the human soul (Abba Barsanuphius the Great and Abba John Questions and Answers, questions 59, 402, 411 and 416): in silence - which is constancy of mind and order, oblivion of earthly things, introduction to higher mysteries, turning thoughts to best; it is true doing, the path to true contemplation (thought of God) or vision of God; it is more appropriate to say: it is the only indicator that the soul is truly healthy; because, otherwise, every virtue is, as it were, a protective medicine for the feelings of the soul and a remedy against bad passions that have taken root as a result of negligence; contemplation (thought of God) is the fruit of a healthy soul, being, as it were, a certain goal and a divine image, because through contemplation, a person becomes like God 444, achieving this not through rational analogy, on the basis of words or visible things - away from something like that (because it is earthly and human)! 445 - but through internal discipline 446 built on silence. Because through this, we free ourselves from the earthly 447 and draw closer to God, and staying, as it were, in the upper room 448 of our way of life, night and day, holding tightly to prayers and supplications, we somehow touch the inviolable 449 and blessed Nature of Him. And thus, those who have purified their hearts through sacred silence, when the light that transcends feeling and mind was inexpressibly combined with them, contemplate God in themselves, as in a mirror. A brief proof that it (sacred silence) is the most beneficial and unites those who follow it with God was shown by this Virgin, Who... “from tender nails” 450 became close to him: because she was the only one of all who, from early childhood, most naturally took upon herself the feat of sacred silence, She was the only one of all who unartfully carried the Word of the God-man. 34. But, here, we have to linger a little on this: so that this great science becomes easily accessible to those who have ears. I consider this method very worthy of praise, which helps those who listen to it, opening up the path to salvation for them; and even if there is something that has been said that is difficult to understand and not easily accessible, due to the height of the goal, I still do not think that because of this it should be rejected from the sacred fence 451; since we do not shy away from the path leading to life on the grounds that it is narrow and difficult to pass. So, come, O noble men 452, who do not exchange hard-earned gold for worthless earthly dust, and, having gathered each of your minds within yourself - just as they gather their cloaks, those who happen to pass through gorges - diligently raise it to the greatness of the goal, because for the reptiles on the earth, at its height, even the steps (raising to it) are not accessible. However, zealous, having raised your mind and encouraged to feat by the way of life of the Mother of God in the holy church, and striving to perceive something from the experience there, you will very soon have the reward that those who have purified their hearts receive, as a gift inherent in the nature of the immortal world: - (the gift) invisibly (because God's nature is inaccessible to sight) to contemplate (in your heart) God 453. 35. Thus, man represents the whole better world in a small way, a combination of everything, a collection in one person of all God’s creatures; Therefore, he was brought into being later than everyone else, just as we conclude our speeches with an epilogue, because if anyone wanted, he could call this world the writing of the Self-hypostatic Word. So, man, who combined the immortal mind and the animal principle 454, according to the best wisdom of the One who combined immiscible elements, uses imagination, judgment and thinking, as if mediating bonds connecting the nearest with the extremely distant; for example, in the quartet of elements of the world around us, air is a mediator between fire and water, and that, in turn, between air and earth, and thus mutually opposite elements are united and irreconcilable ones are reconciled, without losing their defensive properties in relation to each other... Thus the world is great in its size; thus a person is great in his dignity. In this situation, they correspond to each other: the world, indeed, exceeds man in size; and man surpasses the world with his intelligence; one is reborn in the other; as, for example, in a large house some very valuable thing envelops in itself some much more valuable thing, or as in a palace, not the king himself (such a thought is generally inappropriate!): but the royal palace in relation to some royal clothes, embroidered and of great value: the palace surpasses it with great stones, but cheap and found everywhere, and it surpasses it with its stones, although small, but difficult to obtain and precious. 36. How much better is the (human) mind than heaven, a mind that is the image of God and knows God and the only one of everything in the world, if it wishes, becomes God 455, while carrying with it a humble body! How superior is the sense of sensation to the earth, the sense of sensation, which comprehends not only the measures and size and various qualities of it (the earth), but, behold, with knowledge it has reached the celestial spheres and has comprehended various movements, and has cognized the many-formed, perhaps also meaningful, confluences and divergences of celestial forces, and on this basis the celestial sciences, I will call them that, gave birth! And those who are between heaven and earth, on the border between them, those, in their dignity, are less than the mind and sense of sensation; in terms of the concepts of correspondence they are identical (with each other), but in terms of the encompassing masses, they are very different 456. Thus, the “sense of sensation” is the instinctive ability to perceive and feel present objects, cognizable by the senses; “imagination” originates from the sense of sensation, but has its own field of activity, which includes absent objects cognizable by the senses; and, indeed, someone could call it “mind” (mental power) - since it acts on its own - nevertheless (it should be called) “impressionable mind” (i.e., acting as a result of the impression received and depending on the receipt of it) 457, because it is not without intermediaries. “Opinion,” which originates from the imagination, is a judgment built on the feeling of sensation, which comes from thinking; because it is inherent in both; “thinking” is always associated with reason; it develops according to circumstances, resulting in an opinion expressed in words. Yet these abilities were located and act through the first organ - the “psychic spirit”, existing in the brain 458. The “mind” is by no means an organ, but is a self-sufficient entity and acting on its own, although it reduces itself to mental thoughts and everyday life. 37. But why have I explained and defined this now? and why did I first count the types of virtues 459, and then the mental abilities? - Because they are their seeds, and on the basis of them all have their being. Since the God-wise Virgin did not have to acquire a special closeness to God on the basis of these 460, then (therefore) She divided her spiritual abilities: would She not have encountered something that would contribute to the acquisition of communication with God; Thus She found that some of them are of an instinctive order, completely connected with sensory perceptions; As for opinion and thinking, although these forces are associated with the mind, they are also detached from the area of ​​sensory perception, i.e. - from imagination; in addition, they function through the psychic spirit as an organ; knowing wisely that the Apostle also said after this that “a natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit” (1 Cor. 2:14). She sought a life that was higher than this and truly spiritual and not mixed with earthly life, miraculously striving for God and super-peaceful union with Him. Because just as it is impossible to strive for sensual light and at the same time not love the sun, so the situation is in this regard. 38. In relation to this sacred and divine love, She finds only one thing, truly in its nature superior to everything else in us - the only perfect and by no means inseparable being in us, which even the development of thoughts on which scientific knowledge is established - one might say: like reptiles, moving by means of squeezing and unclenching parts of the body - and divides and groups 461, (acting) like the Idea of ​​Ideas 462. Because if the mind extends to all its activities and descends to them and through them to a life composed of many parts, but, of course, it also has some other, better activity, which it performs on its own, as being able to remain at rest and in itself, after either being separated from the body and with what is connected with the body, or, being united with it by caring for it, it will be able, with the help of the grace of God, to rise from this complexity and the painful and earth-creeping way of our life; for example, a horseman has some much stronger energy in controlling the reins (or bridle), and this ability remains with him whether he is on foot or riding a horse or chariot, and is not lost if he does not completely devote himself to this task 463. Likewise, the mind, even if it does not always devote all of itself to caring about earthly things, may be involved in better and higher activities, i.e. that which is inherent in him by nature, only thanks to which he can approach God, although the second is much heavier than the first, as for a nature associated with the body and mixed with the knowledge inherent in the flesh and the manifold provisions arising from this life in relation to earthly things and from which it is difficult to free oneself (“disapovlitis”). 39. So, having rejected them from the very barrier (as they say) of life, the All-Immaculate One left the human environment, and fleeing from the reprehensible way of our life, chose for Herself a way of life invisible to everyone in the holiest parts of the church, being in which, freed from all binding bonds and shaking off all connections (or: relationships) and becoming above compassion for Her own body, She gathered her mind to concentration in oneself and attention and unceasing divine prayer. And thanks to this, being completely in possession of Herself, and having become above the various dump of thoughts and simply all sorts of impressions, She paved a new and ineffable path to heaven, which I will call - speculative silence. And having given up his mind to this, he soars above every creature and more than it was in relation to Moses, sees the glory of God, and is initiated into divine grace, which is completely beyond sensory perception; of unsullied souls and minds is the most joyful and sacred vision, - having become a participant in which, She, as it is said in sacred chants, becomes the “Luminous Cloud” of truly living Water, the Radiance of the mysterious Day and the fiery Chariot of the Word. Because, indeed, without the presence (in man) of divine grace, neither the mind, even if it was spiritually attuned, would be able to see and would not become a truly independent energy, as, for example, nor the eye could see without the presence of sensory light. For the reverends, i.e. for those who are godlike, He Himself is Light and there is no other: and what the sensual sun is to the eyes, is God to the spiritual. Just as, for example, the eye, when it functions, itself becomes light and becomes akin to the light, and looks with the help of light, and first sees this very light, which is poured out on everything visible: in the same way, a person who has become involved in the divine action and changed by the divine change, himself becomes completely like light, and abides with the light, and with the help of light he confidently sees what, without the presence of such ineffable grace, inaccessible to the vision of all, having become above not only the bodily senses, but also everything that we know, having achieved this, of course, in that it surpasses our physical capabilities: because those who have purified their hearts see God, according to the true pleasure from the Lord (Matthew 5:8), Who, being Light, according to the words of the most theologian John, the Son of Thunder (John 8:12), dwells in them and reveals Himself to those who love Him and are beloved by Him, according to Him his own promise given to him (John 14:23); appears to the purified mind as if in a mirror, being invisible by nature; So, when reflected in a mirror, the one who is reflected is not visible (only his image in the mirror is visible), and at the same time it is completely impossible to see face to face the one who is reflected in the mirror and his very reflection in the mirror). At the present time, in this way, as if in a mirror, God is visible to those who have purified themselves in the love of God; then, says the Apostle, they will see Him “face to face” (1 Cor. 13:12). But who loved God more than She who is now praised by us? Who was more loved by God than She? What other creation is purer than Her, or equal to Her, or comes closer to Her? Therefore, in these highest contemplations (thoughts of God), having achieved the highest perfections and in this way, the only one of all former people from the ages who united with God and became like Him, She fulfilled this wonderful embassy undertaken for the sake of all of us, and in Her person brought it to a successful end, not only having acquired this, surpassing the word, ascent of the mind, but also using it for our sake and, by virtue of boldness (which She acquired) to God, having accomplished a great and more than great deed: not only did She become in the likeness of God, but she also made God 464 in the image of man; not only having convinced Him, but also carrying Him seedlessly in the womb and giving birth incomprehensibly, having been realized to this by the grace of God (therefore from the Archangel she is called “Graceful”), She realized God in human nature; therefore, She was told to “rejoice.” 40. Who will proclaim Your greatness, O Virgin? - “All Your praises will be heard” (Ps. 105:2), O Lady of God? – You appeared as the Mother of God; united the mind with God, united God with the flesh; She made God the Son of Man, and man the Son of God; You have reconciled the world with the Creator of the world; deeds showed us that contemplation (thought of God) truly comes to people not so much through sensory concepts or even thinking (because in this way they would not be much better than the dumb), but much more through the purification of the mind and the communion of divine grace, according to which we enjoy not thoughts, but immaterial touches of god-like beauties. You have granted us with our bodily eyes to see the Invisible One, who has taken on the image and form of us, people; touch the Immaterial and Inviolable, which has perceived matter. You fed the Nurse of the Angels with our human food; through Him, the Breadwinner of Angels, You fed us with truly heavenly and pure food. You have placed people who lead such a lifestyle on an equal footing with the Angels: better yet, You have honored them with great gifts, through the action of the Holy Spirit, having conceived the God-man 465 and miraculously giving birth and ineffably making human nature akin to the Divine nature, and so to speak, “one-divine.” So, it is said that the Pious King - he probably received this name on the basis of his deeds - so, it is said that when those around him were languishing with thirst, he raised his righteous right hand to God, saying: “With this hand I pray to You, the Giver of life, - let it not be cut off alive”; and immediately rain clouds gathered in the cloudless sky and heavy rain poured down 467. The Queen of the truly pious Virgin, in the shrines of the church, exalted Her mind (spirit), which completely rejected everything above, or better yet, never had anything in common with it, and “with this mind (spirit) I beg You” - saying to God - “with a mind to which nothing earthly came” - She made the whole earth a sky, calling not clouds, which are often many, according to their prayers, showed obedience 468, but - calling on the One who calls together the clouds from the ends of the earth, and not the consolation due to temporary rain, but - produced the very Treasure for us of all good things, the eternal Source from the Fatherly bosom inseparably 469 opening up: the Word sitting above the vaults of heaven, who from there brought us living water and gave us the food of immortality, making its participants sons of God, adopted not only by name, but in the communion of God’s Spirit (oh, what an ineffable gift!) through the Body and Blood of God, akin to God and to each other. 41. So, let us preserve the unity God has divinely created in us with God and with each other, adhering to the laws of love. Let us always look to our Heavenly Parent. Let us leave the earth, because we are no longer earthly, existing from the earth, as the first man was, but, like the Second Man, the Lord, we are heavenly. Mount (upward) let us have our heart towards Him. Let us contemplate this great vision 470: our nature is coeternal with the spiritual flame of the Divine, and throwing away the leather garments in which we have put on as a result of the crime 471, we will stand on holy ground; each one revealing the holy land in himself through the path of virtue and firm aspiration towards God, so that we may have boldness when God appears in fire, and having flown to Him, shine and forever remain shining, to the glory of His highest Light, the three-solar and most original Radiance, to which belongs all glory, power, honor and worship, now and ever and ever endless centuries. Amen. In the 1861 edition it is listed as No. 58, pp. 131–180. According to another manuscript, it is called not “conversation”, but “word”. This refers to the mythical god Atlas, who holds the earth. For history see The Oxford Classical Dictionary. Edit. Hammond-Scullard. Oxf., p. 143. This refers to the story of Daedalus and Icarus. See also in the same book: “The Oxford Classical Dictionary” p. 309. We convey this phrase according to the publisher's word-by-word explanation, since the original is unnaturally difficult to understand and translate. Of the two discrepancies, I settled on the one indicated in the note. Original: “I will proclaim grace.” The “and” in the original is released on the advice of the publisher. Original: “sung in the wrong tone.” “Idea” according to the concept of the philosophy of Plato and Aristotle. Orig.: “to be the Co-creator of divine kinship for all people who were before Her and after Her.” This refers to Israel according to the flesh and Israel according to the spirit, i.e. Christians; the further text of the Conversation explains this idea. Orig. “charites”, the word has many meanings, so the exact meaning is not entirely clear, but it seems, however, that we have not made a mistake regarding the truth. Orig. “energy” – action and forces to produce actions. “The exhaustion of God’s Word” is a theological term meaning that God, God’s Word, became incarnate and became Man after us. Sacred tradition says that the Mother of God, during Her residence in the Holy of Holies, received heavenly food from an Angel; this is probably what is meant in this conversation. “Tys ekton uranon chirotonias” – election to office by show of hands, a known type of “voting” in ancient Greece. Our duty towards the Mother of God is expressed in praising Her. The parentheses belong to the original. Orig.: “cosmifine” – also “to decorate”. "Beginning", i.e. A mother who gave birth without a husband. The phrase is given in free translation. The discrepancy makes it clear that these intervals were very short. The “Purgatory” was the name given to the golden covering over the Ark of the Covenant. What is meant here is the following: by the fact that the Mother of God chose a way of life concentrated in prayer and silence in the church, She presented to the hesychast monks who adhere to a concentrated, silent way of life, the so-called. “spiritual work”, the opportunity to defend one’s feat by referring to the way of life of the Mother of God in the church during Her childhood. Hesychast monks had to endure great struggles and endure attacks. Although I translated here according to the printed text, it seems to me that there is a typo or typo here and instead of “trifis” - “delight”, it follows: “trophis” - “food”, which corresponds to the whole phrase: “Meal of angelic food”, i.e. “manna” given by the Angels to the Israelites in the desert and kept in the Holy of Holies. Variation: “to produce.” Those. the highest angelic authorities. Variation: “to the joyful Saint.” Those. make a judgment about: Who belongs to: God or the creature, and decisively gives His soul and mind (“the best part” in man) to God (“the Best”). According to different readings: “She preferred God to fatherly and maternal embraces.” “and” is borrowed from a different reading. I have included a note in the text in the translation, which makes it easier to understand. The omens are manifestations of courage on the part of Moses. Moses was shown a prototype of the Mother of God in a burning bush, burning and not being consumed, just as the Mother of God received God in her womb and remained unburned by the fire of the Divine. The laws of Moses regarding the tabernacle also contained prototypes of the Mother of God, as did the tabernacle itself and the ark of the covenant. Aristotle's expression, repeated by Philo of Alexandria. There is a typo in the book: it says “amplion”, followed by “empleos”. According to the note: “I.e. things at the beginning of life." Orig.: “appeared miraculous in regard to virtue.” Those. affairs at the beginning of life (which includes Entry into the Church). Orig.: “set before us.” Orig.: “that kleos”, which primarily means: “rumour”, “rumour”, “glory”; I believe that in this case the root should be sought in the verb: “kaleo”, which means: “to call”, “to call”. The words: “as the Gospel says” are emphasized by us because of different readings. Those. such is his (Enoch's) righteousness. Also: “Didn’t bring any benefit”, “didn’t help”. According to the discrepancy, the translation was made. Orig.: “in them”, further text gives us reason to translate here “in people”. Brackets in the original text. “Having opened the source of sanctification,” this is how I freely translated the original text: “having completed the prytane.” The prytaneum was a public building in Greek cities that served as a meeting place for the board of rulers of the country, like a parliament. Prytaneum was considered the symbolic center of the entire country; especially honored citizens and honored foreign guests also received meals there at the state expense. T.arr. The prytaneum was both the symbolic center of the country and the ministry of supplies, or an honorary guardianship for the citizens of the country, which concept remained for further centuries after the disappearance from the history of ancient Hellas. Orig.: “changing quickly.” Rus. transl.: “with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning”: That is the ascension of Elijah on a chariot of fire (2 Kings 2:1–12). Orig.: “he became a creator of great miracles.” Those. In the womb of the Ever-Virgin, flesh was created for the incarnate Son of God. Orig.: “from delicate nails.” The highest angelic ranks according to the interpretation of Dionysius the Areopagite (“Heavenly Hierarchy”, Chapter 7) are: Seraphim, Cherubim and Thrones; among them, according to the interpretation of Bryennius (“2nd word on the Gospel”), the highest place is occupied by the Thrones (see note in the Greek text pp. 156–157). The rarest book: “On the Heavenly Hierarchy” was republished in 1974 by the Publishing House of the Brotherhood of Rev. Job Pochaevsky. Montreal. Canada. Those. rank of higher angelic powers. As indicated in the note of the text, the quotation from the Bible reads: “Blessed is the glory of the Lord from His Place”: the publisher believes that the error was due to the carelessness of the copyists, but it seems to us that St. Gregory Palamas deliberately replaced the word “His Place” with the word: “His Throne,” which is essentially the same thing, but is more consistent with the whole idea of ​​​​this place omilia. The end of the phrase is given in free translation. In the original, the present tense is used here, but, following the advice of the publisher and logic, we use the future tense here. The entire phrase is conveyed in a free presentation of the text for the sake of greater clarity (original: “I think it is necessary to return somewhat to the topic, and thus introduce the word: if I can, piercing myself, see what exists in the holiest parts of the church and bring it to the light and sing and tell”). The phrase is freely translated. The Righteous Job, the Prophet Moses and the Prophet Elijah were worthy of this. Orig.: “sensual”, which in Greek. language means “related to the senses”, “felt”; Meanwhile, in Russian this word sounds rude and cannot be used in relation to the Mother of God and the Saints, which is why we translated it: “earthly.” A reference to Eve, who could not resist the temptation to eat the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Plato's expression (Tim. 69): “Pleasure is the bait of evil.” Orig.: “victorious branch” given to the winner in a competition.” The translation is made according to the meaning of the word: "askenos" in Lampe, "Patristic Greek Lexicon", Oxford 1961. I would translate this word as “vegetation,” but in Greek. he's not there. What this “something” was will be shown in the next word. The last phrase is given in free translation. “Contemplation,” which we sometimes translate in much less powerful terms like “contemplation” or “meditation,” is in its primary meaning the result of a high degree of asceticism. For us, who are in the bustle of life and the world, it is almost inaccessible. St. Macarius the Great conveys this state in this way: “Everyone should know that there are eyes, which are the inner parts of these eyes, and there is hearing, which is the inner part of this hearing. And just as these eyes sensually see and recognize the face of a friend or loved one: so the eyes of a worthy and faithful soul, enlightened by the divine light, spiritually see and recognize the true Friend, the sweetest and much-desired Bridegroom-Lord, as soon as the soul is illuminated by the venerable Spirit. And thus, the soul, mentally contemplating the coveted and one ineffable beauty, is wounded by divine love, attuned to all spiritual virtues, and as a result of this acquires boundless and inexhaustible love for the Lord longed for by it” (“Philokalia”, vol. I. Instructions of St. Macarius Vel. ch. 277). “Regarding “contemplation” in Rev. Theodore the Studite we read: “A monk is one who looks to God alone, desires one God, is devoted to God alone, tries to please God alone, has peace towards God, and is the culprit of peace among others... Then the soul remains at peace from destructive passions: which is peace to have towards God through our Lord Jesus Christ, in whom, having established itself, the soul rejoices with great joy and delights in insatiable sweetness, loving to enter into thoughts about God and delve deeper into the contemplation of His ineffable greatness, to the point of forgetting oneself” (“Philokalia” vol. 4. Instructions. 258,266). Those. Moses and other Prophets mentioned above. Free translation of Greek. text: “inseparably divisible.” This was the name of the professional Greek philosophers who laid the foundation for all European science. “Leaving with the senses everything that is perceived by the senses,” i.e. so that what is perceived through the senses, such as what is seen, heard, leaves a taste impression, etc. - would not go further than the surface and would not serve as material for reflection, memory and experience, and this would distract the soul from its main task, which consists in its complete concentration in God and unceasing prayer, in undisturbed, unclouded contemplation of God. Great ascetics did not want and avoided having impressions from the outside world, so as not to disturb the inner harmony of the soul’s presence in God. St. Gregory Palamas calls the senses “windows” through which external impressions flow into the soul; and great spiritual vigilance is required so that nothing penetrates through these “windows” that can bring harm to the soul; how many dangers are impressions of the visible; Didn’t the Savior Himself say: “Everyone who looks at a woman to lust after her has already committed adultery with her in his heart” (Matthew 5:28). The Apostle warns about the dangers that come through the ear, saying: “Do not be flattered: good customs are corrupted by evil conversations” (1 Cor. 15:33). But often completely innocent impressions can disturb the peace in the soul of an ascetic and break what is called “the silence of thoughts” and distract the soul from thoughts of God. “Silence of thoughts” is established in the soul of the ascetic as a result of his spiritual exploits, as a gift of God’s grace for his labors. Not wanting anything to distract the soul from thinking about God, the ascetics went into the desert, where they were not only far from worldly impressions, but also where nature itself, meager, harsh, monotonous and even terrible, did not distract the soul from being in God. We hear from the Ancient Patericon that some ascetics preserved this state of “silence of thoughts” to such an extent that they remained hopelessly in their cells, refusing to see even their closest relatives; and if you ever had to go out, you closed your eyes so as not to see anything, so as not to disturb your peace of mind. Other ascetics no longer needed seclusion, because their thoughts on God could no longer be disturbed by anything. They say about St. Bernard of Clairvoy that he and his disciples happened to travel along the road that ran along Lake Geneva itself, famous for its beauty both in those ancient times and now. St. Bernard's students often expressed their delight and stopped to admire one view or another. At the end of the trip, they asked their teacher: what impression did Lake Geneva with its blue and clear waters and the adjacent luxurious gray mountains of the Alps with their snowy peaks sparkling in the bright blue, sunlit sky leave on him? But it turned out that St. Bernard did not even notice either the lake or the mountains: because all his attention was in God. The writer of these lines happened to ask the recently deceased great ascetic Archbishop John Maksimovich about one large city where I was sent, and where the late Bishop himself spent a certain time. Vladika John answered me and said: “Yes, I haven’t even seen the city.” All who knew the late Vladyka can testify that he was always entirely in God. – But perhaps they will say, don’t the views of nature elevate our soul? Doesn’t Psalm 103 glorify God precisely as the Creator of nature and lists in detail the works of God’s hands? Doesn’t it say in the Psalms: “Waters will pass through the midst of the mountains. There will be water on the mountains. Wonderful are Your works, O Lord!” “For He is the sea, and He created it” and “For in His hand are all the ends of the earth and the heights of the mountains of Him”? And on the other hand, don’t the creations of the human mind, created in the image and likeness of God, deserve attention, such as magnificent buildings, majestic churches, grandiose bridges, etc.? - Undoubtedly. But God is much more beautiful than any of His creations, and not to mention the creations of man. God is the desired goal of everything: in Him, as Bl. Augustine, “the endless end.” Whoever has tasted the contemplation of God, for him everything else completely loses its meaning and distracts, if mixed in, from this contemplation. This state of “silence of thought” is also called “dispassion,” which is the literal translation of the Greek word: “apathy.” But this same word, rendered in Russian letters, namely “apathy,” has nothing in common with the Greek original: “apathy.” Apathy is the powerlessness of the soul and mind. Apathy is a painful indifference in the soul as a result of disappointment, grief, illness or some kind of shock. This state is unnatural: because the soul and mind tend to be active. Apathy is a negative, relaxing and deadening phenomenon. “Dispassion” among holy ascetics is the result of internal spiritual activity, prayer and love for God. The mind of the ascetic is completely absorbed in the active contemplation of God and internal unceasing prayer. Dispassion is victory over passions; this is detachment from worldly ties; this is the path of a spiritual ship already sailing in the ocean of eternity; dispassion is the path to perfection, the path of heavenly pleasure, endless growth in perfection, because God Himself is infinite. Dispassion does not dull love for God and neighbor, but on the contrary makes it perfect and free. Dispassion is the state of a healthy soul, not suffering from the disease of attachment to the fleeting: because the dead are left to be buried by the dead. Dispassion is the state of a strong soul, which nothing prevents from ascending from strength to strength. Thus, there is nothing in common between “dispassion” and “apathy” except for the phonetic image. Thus it follows that the ignorance about which St. Gregory Palamas speaks is higher than knowledge. But this should not be understood at the same level of comparison. We are talking about ignorance, which is higher than all earthly knowledge, experience and science. Therefore, we speak about higher knowledge, based not on the work of the brain, but in addition to it - as a state of grace, as knowledge, etc. “beyond” knowledge based on experience and teaching. If knowledge is comparable to light, then the “ignorance” that St. Gregory Palamas speaks of is light above light; this is the result of approaching God, Who Himself, as they say in the Eucharistic prayer, is “Unknown and Incomprehensible” - i.e. cannot be comprehended by any knowledge. In the service of some saints it is said that they, like Moses, entered the darkness of a mysterious illumination; but, of course, this “darkness” must not be understood in the earthly concept of the word. The saints precisely entered into the light surrounding God, because God, according to the word of the Apostle, abides in unapproachable light (1 Tim. 6:16). Why is this light called “darkness” here? – Because it cannot be accepted by the organs of vision: it is beyond the possibility of contemplation with earthly eyes. That this “darkness” should not at all be understood in earthly terms, I will refer only to a few examples. In the general service to the Saints it is said: “As the fathers did unto Moses, they ascended the mountain of dispassion, into the darkness of reason and grace.” From the service to St. Basil the Great: “Thou hast set the souls of the tablet with thy words, and in them thou hast inscribed the divine teachings. In the same way, the darkness passed through the covering cloud of the body, and you shone forth...” What kind of “darkness” is this, if, having passed through it, it is said that the Saint shone up? Or, from the service to St. Gregory the Theologian: - “You entered into incomprehensible darkness... you saw God and you were a speaker of unmixed confusion”; What is this “impregnable darkness” that made St. Gregory the speaker of ineffable dogmas about God? Is this not precisely the “unapproachable light” surrounding God? Ap. Paul testifies that he was illuminated with a light that surpasses the radiance of the sun. But this light for him, who had not yet been cleansed of the sins of Saul, was like darkness, because he saw nothing. One book, published back in Tsarist Russia (and recently republished by the Brotherhood of St. Job of Pochaev, Montreal, Canada) describes the case of a man who died: passed into the afterlife, and then, by the command of God, as not yet ready for the afterlife, came to life. From his experience (by the way, very small) he says that his soul began to approach the light, which so surpassed his capabilities of contemplation that he saw nothing; he understood perfectly well that it was light, but he says that for him it was the same as darkness, because his organs of vision could not perceive it. Thus, we have to conclude that the “darkness” that we spoke about is an impregnable light. Likewise, the “ignorance” that St. Gregory Palamas speaks of is not ignorance in an earthly concept, but, on the contrary, the highest knowledge that a person receives as he approaches God. During the Transfiguration of Christ on Tabor, the Apostles, whom the Lord took with him, were in such ignorance. Ap. Peter turned to the Savior with the words: “Mentor! It’s good for us to be here; We will make three tabernacles, one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah, not knowing what he said” (Luke 9:33). So, his brain did not know what he was saying, but with this “ignorance”, coupled with the bliss in which he felt, he definitely learns that Moses and Elijah are with the Savior; How could he know this? Is it not clear that his ignorance contained knowledge of a higher order? Again, Ap. Paul testifies to himself, although he speaks as if about the experience of another person, that he was taken into paradise and heard ineffable verbs that cannot be repeated. But at the same time he says that he does not know whether he was in the body or outside the body at the time. So, again there is ignorance of the earthly order coupled with higher knowledge, “ignorance” (1 Cor. 12). Why do we see the unapproachable light of the Divine in the naming of “darkness”. The “darkness” into which Moses entered to receive the tablets from God, according to the interpretation of St. Gregory of Nyssa (“Life of Moses”) was precisely the unapproachable light of the Divine. Why does St. Gregory Palamas speak of “ignorance” when in fact he means the highest knowledge? – So that we understand that we are talking about the terms of non-earthly concepts, otherwise we could present them incorrectly, assimilating them with earthly concepts, if they were always presented to us in earthly similarities (we find this idea in St. Dionysius the Areopagite in the essay “On the Heavenly Hierarchy” ch. 2, §3). So, for example, when we hear about “ignorance,” we are clearly aware that this does not belong to what can be comprehended by teaching, science, experience and memory. It can only be comprehended by a person's approach to God through righteousness and only as a gift of His grace. A person who has reached such a state of “ignorance” not only no longer needs ordinary knowledge, but even the function of the senses as providers of knowledge. In the 1st volume of the Athos Patericon, in the life of St. Gregory of Sinaite, who taught about “smart work”, about the asceticism of the spirit in sacred silence, tells about one elder who reached a state of “ignorance”. “I won’t keep silent about the wonderful Aaron. He was deprived of bodily vision. The Divine Gregory, very compassionate with him, explained to Aaron that the blindness of the bodily eyes not only cleanses the spiritual, but also bestows eternal light on those who endure it with gratitude, hoping in everything undoubtedly in God, and that when we, with the help and grace of God, cleanse our hearts through fervent and constant prayer, then our mind and understanding are enlightened, which are like two eyes in the soul. And if the eyes of our soul are enlightened and opened, then man, having become spiritual in God, sees naturally - just as Adam saw before his crime. Aaron fervently prayed to God to open the eyes of his soul. And the prayer of the blind man, so humble and from the depths of his soul, was not in vain: he was heard by God, and the eyes of his soul were enlightened so that he no longer needed physical vision. Now he no longer needs a counselor on the road. Moreover, he saw the actions of others even at a distance far from himself. Once they went with the above-mentioned Jacob to a certain monk. While still far from the cell of this monk, Aaron, enlightened from above, said to Jacob: “The monk to whom we are going holds the sacred Gospel in his hands and is reading such and such a beginning of the Gospel.” Arriving at the monk’s cell and testing it with precision, they found that what Aaron had predicted was true. But this is only a small part of many” (pp. 318–9). - Thus, this old man was blind and at the same time sighted to an infinitely greater extent than bodily eyes can give. The situation is similar with regard to the “ignorance” that St. Gregory Palamas speaks of. “Ignorance” is knowledge that exceeds the mind, earthly knowledge and experience; This, let us repeat what has been said, is “knowledge on the other side of knowledge,” the result of the gracious illumination of the soul as it approaches God through spiritual achievement. What sacred silence is, what it consists of and what it achieves, the reader will find in the 5th volume of the Philokalia, in the writings of the same St. Gregory Palamas, which are given there, as well as in the writings of a number of other holy ascetics, placed in the same 5th volume of the Philokalia. Here I will present the essence of this spiritual work, as it is set out in the Athos Patericon, vol. I, in the life of St. Gregory the Sinaite. It is narrated that St. Gregory of Sinai, having achieved a high degree of asceticism, acting by the method of imposing bodily labors on himself, learns that there is a more faithful and effective way to achieve perfection. “Indeed, his face, from immeasurable abstinence, became yellow, his limbs withered and were barely able to move. Despite all this, this blessed worker for God had a fiery desire to find some spiritual elder who could instruct him in what, on the path to spiritual perfection, he had not yet achieved. Soon the Lord looked upon the holy desire of His faithful servant, and arranged the matter in His wise way. Through a special revelation, the divine Gregory is informed about one hermit who was silent in that country - an old man experienced in work and contemplation, named Arsenia. Moved by the Spirit of God, Arseny himself comes to the cell of St. Gregory. Saint Gregory joyfully receives the guest. After the usual prayer and greeting, this speculative elder began a conversation, as if from some divine book, about guarding the mind, about sobriety and attention, about mental prayer, about purifying the mind through the creation of commandments, about the possibility of making it light-like, and about much more. After such a conversation, he asked Saint Gregory: “And you, child, what kind of work do you use?” Then the divine Gregory told him everything about himself, from the day almost of his birth. The Divine Arseny, who already knew very well the path that leads a person to the heights of virtue, said to him: “all this, child, that you told me about, the God-bearing fathers call doing, and not vision (contemplation). Hearing this, blessed Gregory immediately falls at his feet and earnestly asks, conjuring even in the name of God, to teach him smart work and explain to him contemplation. The divine Arseny, not wanting to hide the talent given to him by God, eagerly agreed to fulfill the request of the monk and, in a short time, taught him everything that he himself had richly received from divine grace. At the same time, he revealed to Gregory how diverse and innumerable the machinations of the enemy of our salvation are - i.e. told him about what happens to those who practice deeds of virtue from misanthropic demons and from envious people whom the evil one uses as instruments of his malice. Having received such invaluable lessons from the divine Arsenius, Saint Gregory arrived at the holy Mount Athos. Addressing the Svyatogorsk fathers, he saw among them ascetics, highly decorated with active virtues; when he asked them whether they practiced mental prayer, sobriety and guarding the mind, they told him that they did not know what was called mental prayer, or guarding the mind and sobriety. But in the monastery of Magul he found three monks who were practicing not only in doing, but also in contemplation. Here he built himself a cell at some distance, so that he could be completely immersed in God alone, through mental prayer, and be constantly occupied with Him - i.e. so that, according to the lessons of his divine mentor Arseny, he can freely indulge in contemplation. So, collecting all the feelings inside himself, uniting the mind with the spirit and nailing it to the cross of Christ, he often repeated: “Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner!” - he prayed with tenderness and contrition of heart, with sighs from the depths of his soul, and watered the earth with warm tears flowing like a river from his eyes. And the Lord did not despise his prayer: “God will not despise a contrite and humble heart” (Ps. 8:19), but he very soon heard it, for “the righteous cried, and the Lord heard them” (Ps. 33:18). Therefore, having inflamed his soul and heart and, through the action of the Holy Spirit, having been transformed by a good and glorious change, he saw, illuminated by divine grace, that his house was full of light. Filled with joy and inexpressible joy, and again pouring out springs of tears, he was consumed by divine love. In truth, the fatherly saying was fulfilled on him: “the work of vision is ascension.” And since the monk was above the flesh and the world, he was completely imbued with divine love, and from that time this light did not cease to illuminate him: “there is always light for the righteous” (Prov. 13:9). This glorious father, to the question of me and my fellow students about contemplation, answered, says the compiler of the biography of St. Gregory: “he who rises to God, by the grace of the Holy Spirit, sees, as if in a mirror, all creation with light, - “whether in the body, or apart from the body, he knows nothing.” In the original: “made by God.” Orig.: “and agogi”, which we translated as “inner discipline”. Those. earthly things and interests. The upper room is a room located at the top of the house and therefore receives the most sunlight and heat. Thus, the soul living at the height of virtues receives light and warmth from the Sun of Truth - Christ. Variation: “invisible.” Those. from the depths of the Church, to reject and not accept. Although the word “God” is spoken here about a person, in the original Greek it is written with a capital letter, which I have preserved here in the translation. The meaning here is not entirely clear to me; I assume that St. Gregory Palamas is talking about the heavenly bodies, which in their dignity in the rank of God’s creation are inferior to man, created directly in the image and likeness of God; since they and man are together the creations of God, then in this respect they are equal, just as they are equal to each other, but in their appearance and size they are different. Aristotle calls the “impressionable mind” the “imagination”; he will be followed by St. Fathers: St. Dionysius, St. Gregory the Theologian, St. Maximus the Confessor and St. Gregory Palamas. Those. the vital principle in a person, concentrated in the brain and different from the pure “mind” (spirit) of the highest, immortal principle in a person, bringing him closer to God, to the “Great Mind”. The text listing the virtues that St. Gregory Palamas talks about has been lost. Those. so-called natural abilities. Those. divides and groups this scientific data and knowledge. Those. as the highest Idea in the concept of the philosophy of Plato and Aristotle. The reader will find about the concept of “Ideas” in Plato and then in Aristotle in the history of Philosophy, for example. "The Story of Philosophy" W. Durant, 1944, pp. 26–28, etc. A small part of the phrase is given in free translation. Orig. “Godlike form” - “Theandricine morphine”. Here is a reference to the Roman Emperor Antoninus, who was called "The Pious" - Pius. The above-mentioned incident from his life is also narrated by the Constantinople writer and orator Themist (820–390, see about him “Trikentiki ke itiki Egkiklopedia”, vol. 8, p. 147. Athens 1965) in his 15th word (printed in Paris in 1684), who adds that he saw an image of this miracle: “the autocrat marching in the military camp, and the soldiers exposing their helmets to the falling rain and filling them from this God-given source.” According to another version, the event is attributed to Marcus Aurelius, adopted by Antony Pius. According to the third version, the miracle is attributed to the prayer of Christian soldiers in the army of Marcus Aurelius. Through the prayers of many saints, and simply by serving a special prayer service, abundant rain often fell on the parched, thirsty land. “Inseparable” - as directed. lamp. Patristic Greek Lexicon, p.132, Oxford 1961. That is violation by the Forefathers of the commandment of God given to them in paradise. You might be interested in: