Andrew Louth - Syriac Christian Church

112 DIFFICULTY 10
1137A
B
C
into the fulfilment of one cosmos by relating the parts to the
whole, they reduce the two forms to one form of
contemplation. In this way they direct the mind in a single
glance through the logoi in things to the cause, drawing
everything together in a single gathering, and passing over the
dispersion of the individual logoi of the universe. Thus they
are clearly persuaded by an accurate attention to the things
that are that there is truly only One God, and of the being and
movement of beings, and the clear distinction of what is
different, and an indissoluble holding together of what is
mixed, and an immutable foundation of what is set in position.
So through their conviction that God is simply the cause of all
being however understood, and of movement, and difference,
mixture and position, through the resembling likeness they
wisely transfer their hidden contemplation of the realm of the
senses to the [spiritual] cosmos that is brought to fulness of
being through the virtues at the level of mind in the Spirit. In
this way, they gather together the above-mentioned forms of
contemplation into the single meaning that, by the different
forms of the virtues, fulfils the spiritual cosmos at the level of
mind, and, as far as is possible, they impart them to
themselves, passing through all the logoi of beings and those
of the virtues, or rather with them passing to the one who
transcends them, being drawn up to the [ultimate] logos, that
is beyond being and goodness, for which these things are and
from which being comes to them. So that wholly united, so far
as is possible, to the natural power that is within them, they
are made by Him so receptive as to be known from the sole one
and to possess completely through the divine characteristics
the form of the whole God the Word, contemplated as in the
clearest of mirrors, missing none of the ancient characters, by
which the human is naturally made known, everything yielding
to what is better, just as dark air is wholly transformed by
light.
20
Fivefold contemplation of Melchisedec 51
20a
This, I think, that wonderful and great man, Melchisedec,
knew and experienced, 52 about whom the divine Word in the
Scriptures declares great and wonderful things, that he had