Stephen and The Holy Spirit

Πῶς εἶδε τὴν ὑπερουράνιον δόξαν ὁ Στέφανος; τίς αὐτῷ τὰς πύλας τῶν οὐρανῶν διεπέτασεν; Ἄρ' ἀνθρωπίνης δυνάμεως ἥν τὸ κατόρθωμα; ἆρά τινος τῶν ἀγγέλων πρὸς τὸ ὕψος ἐκεῖνο τὴν κάτω κειμένην φύσιν ἀναβιβάσαντος; Οὐκ ἔστι ταῦτα· οὐ γὰρ οὕτως ἡ κατ' αὐτὸν ἱστορία φησὶν, ὅτι Στέφανος δὲ πολὺς κατὰ τὴν δύναμῖν ὤν, ἢ τῆς ἀγγελικῆς βοηθείας πλήρης γενόμενος, εἶδεν ἂ εἶδεν. Ἀλλὰ τί λέγει; 'Στέφανος δὲ. πλήρης ὤν Πνεύματος ἁγίου, εἰδε τὴν δόξαν τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ τὸν μονογενῆ τοῦ Θεοῦ Υιόν. Οὐ γὰρ ἔστι, καθώς φησιν ὁ Προφήτης. τὸ φως ὀφθῆναι, μὴ ἐν φωτὶ καθορώμενον.' Ἐν  γὰρ τῷ φωτί σου,' φησιν, 'ὀψόμεθα φῶς.' Εἰ οὖν οὖκ ἐνδέχεται μὴ ἐν τῷ φωτὶ γενέσθαι τὴν τοῦ φωτὸς θεωρίαν· πῶς γὰρ ἔστιν ἀπιδεῖν εἰς τὸν ἥλιον ἔξω τῶν ἀκτίνων γενόμενον; ἐπεὶ οὖν ἐν τῷ φωτὶ τοῦ Πατρὸς, τουτέστιν ἐν τῷ Πνεύματι τῷ ἁγίῳ τῷ ἐκεῖθεν ἐκπορευομένῳ, τὸ Μονογενὲς καθορᾶται φῶς· διὰ τοῦτο προκαταυγασθεὶς τῇ δόξῃ τοῦ Πνεύματος, ἐν περινοίᾳ τῆς τοῦ Πατρὸς καὶ τοῦ Ὑιοῦ δόξης γίνεται. Ἐπεὶ, πῶς τὴν εὐαγγελικὴν ἀπόφασιν ἀληθεύειν φήσομεν, ὁτι 'Θεὸν οὐδεὶς ἑώρακε πώποτε; Πῶς δὲ τὸν Ἀπόστολον μὴ ἐναντία τοῖς ἱστορηθεῖσι Βοᾷν, ὅταν λεγει· Οὔτε τις εἶδεν αὐτὸν ἀνθρώπων, οὐτε ἰδεῖν δύναται; Εἰ γὰρ ἀνθρωπίνῃ φύσει τε καὶ δυνάμει, ἡ τοῦ Πατρός τε καὶ του Ὑιοῦ δόξα χωρητὴ κατέστη· ψευδὴς πάντως, ὁ ἀχώρητον ἀνθρώποις ἀποφηνάμενος εἶναι τὸ θεῖον θέαμα. Ἀλλὰ μὴν οὐτε ἐκεῖνον ψεύδεσθαι, καὶ τὴν ἱστορίαν ἀληθεύειν ἐπάναγκες. Ἂρα φανερῶς ἡ κακουργία τῶν Πνευματομάχων πεφώραται, ὅτι τῷ ὁμοίῳ καθορᾶσθαι τὰ ὅμοια παρὰ τῆς Γραγῆς μεμαρτύρηται. Ὁ γὰρ Στέφανος οὐκ ἐν ἀνθρωπίνῃ φύσει τε καὶ δυνάμει μένων τὸ Θεῖον βλέπει· ἀλλὰ πρὸς τὴν τοῦ ἀγίου Πνεύματος χάριν ἀνακραθεὶς, δι' ἐκείνου ὑψώθη πρὸς τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ κατανόησιν. Οὐκοῦν εἰ χωρὶς τοῦ Πνεύματος  οὕτε Κύριον Ἰησοῦν ἔστιν εἰπεῖν, καθώς φησιν ὁ Ἀπόστολος, οὔτε τὴν Πατρικὴν δόξαν κατανοῆσαι· δέδεικται σαφῶς, ὅτι ὅπου τὸ Πνεῦμά ἐστιν, ἐκεῖ καὶ ὁ Ὑιὸς καθορᾶται, καὶ ἡ Πατρικὴ δόξα καταλαμβάνεται. Ἅγιος Γρηγόριος Νύσσης, Εἰς Τον Ἁγιον Στεφανον Τον Προτομαρτυρα

How did Stephen see transcendent glory? Who revealed the gates of heaven to him? Was this wonder by the power of men? Which of the angels elevated a lower nature soar to that height? I do not speak of these things from his own telling, for Stephen was among many when he was filled with power coming from the angels by which he saw the things he saw. What is said? 'Stephen was filled with the Holy Spirit and saw the glory of God and his Only-Begotten Son'1. For it is not, as the Prophet says, that light is seen unless one is brought into the light: 'In your light we shall see light,' 2 If observation of the light does not partake of the light, how can anyone deprived of the sun's rays see it?. Since the Father's light makes this possible, the Only Begotten's light emanates through the Holy Spirit which makes it visible. Therefore the Spirit's glory enables us to perceive the glory of both the Father and Son. But can we say that the Gospel is true which says that 'No man has ever seen God'? 3 How do the Apostle's words agree with the following, 'No man has seen nor can see '?4 If human nature and power is able to grasp the glory of the Father and Son, it must be an error that the sight of God is unachievable by man. But this is no lie and the record is true. The evil deed of the pneumatomachoi is indeed exposed because Scripture bears witness to similar sights. For Stephen does not see God by human nature and power but he is lifted up by the grace of the Holy Spirit that he might comprehend God. Therefore, apart from the Spirit one cannot say that Jesus is Lord, as the Apostle says. 5 And nor can one contemplate the Father's glory, for where the Spirit is the Son is seen and there the Father's glory is grasped . Saint Gregory of Nyssa, On the First Martyr Saint Stephen 1. Acts 7.55 2. Ps 35.10 3 Jn 1.18 4 1 Tm 6.16 5 cf. 1Tm 6.16, 1Cor 12.3