The Light of Knowledge and the Sleep of Death

It is not to be the case that the poor man is not being turned away from necessity. And perhaps what has been said concerning the poor man will be constructed as an argument, for it is said in the Scripture, 'The rich became poor,' and 'We became very poor'; in agreement with these, what was said concerning the Savior will also be taken: 'As He became rich through our poverty, so that we might become rich through His poverty.'

This also agrees with that concerning the needy: the groaning of the needy, always being in distress and wailing because of the hardship of approaching the destitute. 'I will come' in salvation declares 'I will limit and I will make,' just as He also in the Being placed Himself as heir of all things, the word declaring He limited and manifested Himself as heir. Toward these things, God placed first the apostles and the following in the church, and what was said toward the presbyters of the church: 'The Holy Spirit has placed you to shepherd the church as bishops.' For the word 'placed' shows the demonstration of being limited and made into apostles and bishops.

According to this meaning of preserving, the Savior also said to the Father concerning the disciples: 'Holy Father, keep them; though I am not with them, I kept them, and the evil one did not touch them' (John 17:11). But if this is the meaning because of what was said in Genesis concerning Adam to the serpent: 'He shall guard your head, and you shall guard his heel,' is not 'to guard' (φυλάσαι) and 'to keep' (τηρεῖν) the same thing here? For it appears from it: 'He shall guard your head,' and 'you, his heel.'

The one who is praying sends back the prayer: 'You, Lord, will guard us,' after having done all things from Himself, according to the exhortation saying, 'Keep your heart with all vigilance.' And since these things being made right are not sufficient for the things we strive for against the unforeseen (for if the Lord does not guard a city, in vain the one guarding it stays awake Ps 127:1), it is a rule to bring forward a prayer after we have been guarded by ourselves, saying, 'You, Lord, will guard us and will preserve us.' For while He is guarding, let us be courageous, lest we be without counsel for ever; for He is the Most High, O Master, and existing in the high places, according to the approaching height of Your goodness, the ones...

You have grown up as a son of men, judging them worthy to have your protection from your providence (Ps 12:4b, 5a). Even if these things are spoken by the Holy Spirit in the manner of an embassy, they are not spoken by one subject to the oblivion of God, but by one receiving all things of the petition into himself; and it is clear that the things of his petition are not concerning a sensible light or sleep and death, but concerning the light from the knowledge of God.

For 'enlighten yourselves with the light of knowledge, and draw near to the Lord and be enlightened.' This enlightenment becomes not concerning the sight of the flesh (for this is the sight of the sun) nor any other sensible light of those seeing the sun of righteousness; it is the true light of the eyes of the heart, not of the body, for the noetic powers are the eyes of the inner man. To the one being enlightened, there is blessed life. 'For I am the light of the world,' says the Lord; 'he who walks in me,' he says, 'shall not remain in darkness but shall have the light of life' (John 8:12).

When death comes to the one having been enlightened, it is his sleeping into death, while the one sleeping and dying is the one being in the darkness of ignorance. For he who has given up his eyes to sleep through negligence and laziness will immediately die, falling away from the life which is with virtue; therefore, one must flee from this so-called sleep and death, so that, the eyes of the soul having been enlightened, the enemy may no longer be able to prevail against him, he who formerly thought that we had sinned. (Ps 12:5b, 6)

Since the enemies, those who afflict the righteous, rejoice (Ps 12:6); if it happens that a stumbling occurs because of sin, it is necessary to be grieved for those falling; but even if they rejoice at someone being shaken, I, O Lord, pity my hope in you, and I will not be persuaded to see in myself the cause. For I await your salvation coming soon, on which my heart rejoices; for how can he not be glad and rejoice who is experiencing the experience of God's salvation? And if prophecy is being declared concerning the coming of the salvation of God, the Christ, visit. For he, having come for the salvation of the world, brought down those who were leaning upon the shaking ones according to the soul, casting down with them the enemy who was exalting himself.