Bringing Light

Γλυκὺς Ὁ Λόγος ὁ φωτίσας ἡμᾶς ὑπὲρ χρυσίον καὶ λίθον τίμιον· ποθεινός ἐστιν ὑπὲρ μέλι καὶ κηρίον. Πῶς γὰρ οὐ ποθεινὸς, ὁ τὸν ἐν σκότει κατορωρυγμένον νοῦν ἐνεργῆ ποιησάμενος, καὶ τὰ φωσφόρα τῆς ψυχῆς ἀποξύνας ὅμματα; γὰρ ὥσπερ ἡλίον μὴ ὄντος, ἔνεκα τῶν ἄλλων ἄστρων νὺξ ἂν ἧν τὰ πάντα· οὕτως, εἰ μὴ τὸν Λόγον ἔγνωμεν, καὶ τούτῳ κατηυγάσθημεν, οὐδὲν ἂν τῶν σιτευομένων ὀρνίθων ἐλειπόμεθα, ἐν σκότει πιαινόμενοι, καὶ θανάτῳ τρεφόμενοι. Χωρήσωμεν τὸ φῶς, ἵνα χωρήσωμεν τὸν Θεόν, χωρήσωμεν τὸ φῶς, καὶ μαθητεύσωμεν τῷ Κυρίῳ. Τοῦτό τοι καὶ ἐπήγγελεται τῷ Πατρί· Διηγήσομαι τὸ ὄνομα σου τοῖς ἀδελφοῖς μου· ἐν μέσῳ Ἐκκλησίας ὑμνήσω σε. Ὕμνησον, καὶ διηγήσομαι τὸν πατέρα σου, τὸν Θεόν· σώζει σου τὰ διηγήματα, παιδεύσει με ἡ ᾠδῄ, ὡς μέχρι νῦν ἐπλανώμην, ζητῶν τὸν Θεόν. Ἐπεὶ δέ με φωταγωγεῖς, Κύριε, καὶ τὸν Θεὸν εὑρίσκω διὰ σοῦ, καὶ τὸν Πατέρα ἀπολαμβάνω παρὰ σοῦ, γίνομαι σου συγκληρονόμος, ἐπεὶ τὸν ἀδελφὸν οὐκ ἐπῃσχύνθης. Ἀφέλωμεν οὖν, ἀφέλωμεν τὴν λήθην τῆς ἀληθείας, τὴν ἄγνοιαν· καὶ τὸ σκότος τὸ ἐμποδὼν, ὡς ἀχλὺν ὅψεως καταγαγόντες, τὸν ὄντες ὄντα Θεὸν ἐποπτεύσωμεν, ταύτην αὐτῷ πρῶτον ἀνυμνήσαντες τὴν φωνὴν· Καῖρε, φῶς· ὅτι φῶς ἡμῖν ἐξ οὐρανοῦ, τοῖς ἐν σκότει κατορωρυγμένοις, καὶ ἐν σκιᾷ θανάτου κατακεκλεισμένοις, ἐξέλαψεν, ἡλίου καθαρώτερον, ζωῆς τῆς ἐνταῦθα γλυκύτερον. Τὸ φῶς ἐκεῖνο ζωή ἐστιν ἀΐδιος· καὶ ὅσα μετείληφεν αὐτοῦ, ζῇ. Ἡ νὺξ δε εὐλαβεῖται τὸ φῶς· καὶ δύνουσα διὰ τὸν φόβον, παραχωρεῖ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ Κυρίου. Τὰ πάντα φῶς ἀκοίμητον γέγονε, καὶ ἡ δύσις ἀνατολῇ πεπίστευκεν. Τοῦτο ἡ κτίσις ἡ καινὴ βεβούληταν, ὁ γὰρ τὰ πάντα καθιππεύων δικαιοσύνης Ἥλιος ἐπίσης περιπολεῖ τὴν ἀνθρωπότητα, τὸν Πατέρα μιμούμενος, ὅς ἐπὶ πάντας ἀνθρώπους ἀνατέλλει τὸν ἥλιον αὐτοῦ, καὶ καταψεκάζει τὴν δρόσον τῆς ἀληθείας· Οὗτος τὴν δύσιν εἰς ἀνατολὴν μετήγαγε, καὶ τὸν θάνατον εἰς ζωὴν ἀνεσταύρωσεν· ἐξαρπάσας δὲ τῆς ἀπωλείας τὸν ἄνθρωπον, προσεκρέμασεν αἰθέρι, μεταφυτεύων τὴν φθορὰν εἰς ἀφθαρσίαν, καὶ γῆν μεταβάλλων εἰς οὐρανοὺς. Κλήμης ὁ Ἀλεξανδρεύς, Προτρεπτικός Πρὸς Ἑλληνας, Κεφ ΙΑ' Source: Migne PG 8.229c-232c

Sweet the Word that has enlightened us, precious beyond gold and gems, more desirable than honey and the honey comb. 1 For how can it be other than desired, since it has revived the mind buried in darkness and sharpened the light bringing eyes of the soul? For just as if there were there no sun, despite all the other stars, night would reign over all things, so, if we had not known the Word and been enlightened by Him, we would have not been any different from birds fattened in darkness and fed for death. Let us admit the light, that we may admit God; let us admit the light, and be disciples of the Lord. This, too, has been promised to the Father: 'I will declare Your name to my brethren; in the midst of the assembly I will praise You.' 2 Praise and declare to me Your Father, God; Your declarations save, Your song teaches me that until now I have wandered, seeking God. But since You lead me to light, O Lord, and through You I find God, and receive from You the Father, I become 'Your fellow heir,' 3 because You 'were not ashamed to have me as brother.' 4 Let us put away, then, let us put away forgetfulness of the truth, all ignorance, and removing obstructing darkness, all gloomy vision, let us contemplate the true God, first giving voice to song: Hail, O light; for in us light from heaven has shone, we who were buried in darkness, shut up in the shadow of death, light purer than the sun, sweeter than life here below. That light is eternal life; and whatever partakes of it lives. But night fears the light, and it hides itself in terror, giving place to the day of the Lord. Sleepless light is now over all things, the west has believed in the east. This was the will of the new creation. For 'the Sun of Righteousness,' 5 who drives His chariot over all, pervades equally all humanity, like 'His Father, who makes His sun rise on all men,' 6 and scatters on them the dew of the truth. He has changed sunset into sunrise, and crucified death to life, and having wrested man from destruction, He has lifted him up in the air, transplanting mortality into immortality, and earth to heaven Clement of Alexandria, Exhortation to the Heathen, Chapter 11 1 Ps 18.11 2 Ps 21.23 3 Rom 8.17 4 Heb 2.11 5 Malachi 4.2 6 Mt 5.43