The Light and the Visible

Therefore he is that one. For they become such by imitating him. And so he is called 'first' in honor and 'last' in honor.

But if you wish to hear a deeper word: Jesus your Lord, 'passing through the heavens,' imitated all the logoi in both the ascent and the descent, just as it is carried in Isaiah to the one ascending, so that he might benefit every rank; for he did not pass through a place descending, where no benefit was accomplished. Therefore the super-ascending one can also be a living being, but the 'last' is perhaps the 'man or the one descended.' He imitated all, so that every rank might be benefited. For did not the apostle himself say, 'he has become all things to all, so that he might win all' (1 Cor 9:22)? And to those to whom 'he became all things' and who also are 'the last,' 'he became lawless to the lawless, so that he might win the lawless; a Jew to the Jews, so that he might win the Jews; wisdom to the wise' (1 Cor 9:20-22)—if then his imitator was doing these things, he does much more.

Furthermore, he says having said this: 'the living one and I was born a corpse.' 'I am the living one,' not the 'one having become living'; for he is 'living,' for he is 'life,' but 'he became' 'dead'; but the intervening part is resolved: for he came up; 'and behold, I am living forever' (Rev 1:18). For if even 'living' he happens to have 'become dead,' he has not 'become dead forever' by that 'life' shining forth, which they had before the death.

And the light is sweet and good to the eyes. In either way, the 'light is sweet' 'to the eyes and good.' It benefits the 'eyes.' And if you take it regarding the sensible, it shows him the visible things. But if regarding the divine 'light' of the eternal, about which it is said, 'was the true light, which enlightens every man' (John 1:9), 'enlightening the eyes of the heart,' it is 'sweet' to them. In either way, the 'light' and the 'eyes' must be taken, and likewise the 'sweetness.' Similarly, if he speaks about the visible things of those shown by the sensible...

The word 'sweet' is instead 'pleasant'. If you take the internal 'eyes' and the 'true light', it is 'sweet' just as it is said, 'Taste and see that the Lord is good' (Psalm 34:8) and 'Your words are sweeter than honey and wax' (Psalm 19:10), 'Eat honey, my son, for it is good wax, so that your palate may be sweetened' (Proverbs 24:13). The 'honey', that which is eaten, is the 'good', the spiritual dripping from the Scriptures; and the 'wax', in which the word of the Scriptures consists.

Regarding 11,7b, it is seeing with the sun. He who has this 'light' 'sees the sun'. Listen again in another way. The other visible things are shown by 'sun' and 'light'; but the 'light' itself is not shown by another, but it manifests itself. This happens both in history and in the upward ascent. To see in harmony, there must be both sight and 'light' and visible things. For there are times when, though sight exists, visible things are not perceived, when it is night. And again, when the 'light' exists, if someone does not look, even if he is not deprived of it, he does not see them. Therefore, you see these things when the 'light'... makes them manifest for perception.

And there is something else: the 'light' that shows, the visible things that are shown, and the sight that shows. Regarding the intelligible, it is not so. The 'light' is not shown by 'light' even though it is visible, but it makes itself manifest. Moses said this, 'Show me yourself', and 'no one else is able to show me' (Exodus 33:20), just as if someone said to the 'sun', 'Show yourself to me', for no one else can show you. So also the Savior said in the Gospels: 'He who has my commandments and keeps them, he is the one who loves me; and he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will manifest to him' (John 14:21).