12.
But by deeper words, Isaiah says: 'I gave Egypt and Ethiopia and Syene as thy exchange; since thou becamest precious before me.' The exact word concerning this and the rest — if, loving learning in Christ, and wishing already to surpass learning 'through a mirror' and 'in a riddle,' you hasten to him who called — you shall know not yet 'face to face,' as friends of the heavenly Father and Teacher. For friends learn in form, not through riddles — with bare wisdom, apart from voices and words and symbols and types — assailing the nature of intelligibles and beauty of truth. If you believe Paul was 'caught up to the third heaven,' 'caught up into Paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which a man may not speak' — you shall consistently know that, of the unspeakable words then revealed to Paul — after which he came down from the third heaven — you shall know more and greater straightway, without coming down after knowledge: if, taking up the cross, you follow after Jesus, whom we have as 'great High Priest, passed through the heavens.' And yourselves, not departing from behind him, shall pass through the heavens — surpassing not only earth and earth's mysteries but heavens and theirs. For stored with God are far greater spectacles than these, which no nature in a body — unless first freed from all body — can hold. I am persuaded that what sun and moon and the star-choir saw — and holy angels, whom God made 'spirit' 'and a flame of fire' — ... [transition to ch. XIV damaged; see section 13].
Greek (GCS)
ρ ἀπολέσωμεν αὐτὴν ἕνεκεν Χριστοῦ αὐτῷ ἐπιῤῥιπτοῦντες αὐτὴν ἐν τῷ di αὐτὸν ϑανάτῳ, τὴν ἀληϑῆ σωτηρίαν περιποιήσομεν αὐτῇ᾽ ἐὰν δὲ τὸ ἐναντίον, ἀκούσομεν ὅτι οὐδὲν ὠφελεῖται ὁ τὸν ὅλον χκερδήσας αἰσϑητὸν κόσμον διὰ τῆς ἰδίας ἀπωλείας ἢ διὰ τοῦ ἑαυτὸν ἐζημιῶσϑαι. ἅπαξ δὲ ἀπολέσας τις τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ψυχὴν ἢ) ζημιωϑεὶς αὐτὴν, κἂν τὸν ὅλον κερδήσῃ κόσμον, οὐ δυνήσεται αὐτὸν δοῦναι (ἀντάλλαγμα τῆς" ἀπολλυμένης ἠρυχῆς". ἡ γὰρ κατ᾽ εἰκόνα ϑεοῦ“ dednu μιουργημένη τιμιωτέρα ἐστὶ πάντων σωμάτων. εἷς μόνος δεδύνηται δοῦναι ἀντάλλαγμα τῆς ἀπολλυμένης πρότερον ψυχῆς ἡμῶν, ὁ ὠνησάμενος ἡμᾶς τῷ ἑαυτοῦ ,τιμίῳ αἵματι". ΧΗ]. Kal κατά τινας δὲ βαϑυτέρους λόγους φησὶν: Ἡσαΐας" κμἔδωκά σου ἄλλαγμα Αἴγυπτον καὶ Aldıoriav καὶ Συήνη» ὑπὲρ σοῦ" ἀφ᾽ οὗ σὺ ἔντιμος ἐγενήϑης ἐναντίον ἐμοῦ". τὸν δὲ περὶ τούτου χαὶ τῶν λοιπῶν ἀκριβὴ λόγον ἐὰν φιλομαϑοῦντες ἐν Χριστῷ καὶ ἤδη ποτὲ τὸ „be ἐσόπτρου" καὶ „ev αἰνίγματι" μανϑάνειν ὑπερβαίνειν ϑέλοντες σπεύδητε πρὸς τὸν καλέσαντα, 0009 οὐδέπω -πρόσωπον πρὸς πρόσωπον" εἴσεσϑε ὡς φίλοι τοῦ ἐν οὐρανοῖς πατρὸς καὶ δι- δασχάλου. οἱ γὰρ φίλοι ἐν εἴδει καὶ οὐ de αἰνιγμάτων μανϑάνουσιν ἢ) γυμνῇ σοφίᾳ φωνῶν καὶ λέξεων καὶ συμβόλων xal τύπων, προσ- βάλλοντες τῇ τῶν νοητῶν “φύσει καὶ τῷ τῆς ἀληϑείας κάλλει. εἴπερ πιστεύετε ὅτι Παῦλος ἡρπάγη „eis τρίτον οὐραγὸν" καὶ υἹρπάγη εἰς τὸν παράδεισον καὶ ἤχουσεν ἄῤῥητα ῥήματα, ἃ οὐκ ἐξὸν ἀνϑρώπῳ λαλῆσαι", ἀχολούϑως εἴσεσϑε ὅτι τῶν τότε Παύλῳ ἀποχαλυφϑέντων ῥημάτων ἀῤῥήτων, μεϑ᾽ ἃ χαταβέβηχεν ἀπὸ τοῦ τρίτου οὐρανοῦ, πλείονα καὶ μείζονα εὐθέως γνώσεσϑε, μετὰ τὴν γνῶσιν οὐ καταβη- σόμενοι, ἐὰν αἴροντες τὸν σταυρὸν ὀπίσω τοῦ Ἰησοῦ ἀκολουϑῆτε, ὃν ἔχομεν μἀρχιερέα μέγαν διεληλυϑότα τοὺς οὐρανούς. καὶ αὐτοὶ οὐχ ἀφιστάμενοι | τῶν ὀπίσω αὐτοῦ διελεύσεσϑε τοὺς οὐρανοὺς, οὐ μόνον γῆν καὶ τὰ περὶ γῆς μυστήρια ὑπερβαίνοντες ἀλλὰ καὶ οὐρανοὺς καὶ 5 τὰ περὶ αὐτῶν. ἔστι γὰρ ἐν τῷ ϑεῷ ἐναποτεϑησατνρισμένα πολλῷ μείζονα τούτων ϑεάματα, ἅτινα οὐδεμία φύσις τῶν ἐν σώματι μὴ πρότερον. ἀπαλλαγεῖσα παντὸς σώματος χωρῆσαι δύναται. πέπεισμαι γὰρ ὅτι ὧν εἶδεν ἥλιος καὶ σελήνη καὶ ὁ τῶν ἀστέρων χορὸς ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀγγέλων ἁγίων, οὺς ἐποίησεν ὁ ϑεὸς »πνεῦμα“" xal πυρὸς φλόγα", πολλῷ μείζονα ταμιεύεται καὶ τηρεῖ παρ᾽ ἑαυτῷ ὁ ϑεὸς, ἵνα αὐτὰ φανερώσῃ,