Blindness And Sight

Παῦλος διώκτης ὑπάρχων τῆς τοῦ Χριστοῦ Ἐκκλησίας ἀπετυφλώθη πρῶτον τοῖς κακοῖς, καὶ τῇ ἀφάτῳ ὠμότητι, ὅπως ἀναβλέπει τῷ Θεῷ, καὶ τῇ δικαιοσύνῃ. Εἰκότως τοίνυν ὁ Κύριος ἔλεγεν· Ἐγω ἦλθον εἰς τὸν κόσμον, ἵνα οἱ μὴ βλέποντες βλέπωσι, καὶ οἱ βλέποντες τυφλοὶ γένωνται. Ἠνίξατο γὰρ τοὺς τοῖς πονηρεύμασιν, καὶ ταῖς ἀτοπίαις προστετηκότας ὀφλαμοὺς ἀποτυφλῶσαι, ἀνοῖξαι δὲ, καὶ ἀκέσασθαι τοὺς νοητοὺς ὀφλαμοὺς, οἶς ἐφοπτεύεται τὸ κάλλος τῶν ἀρετῶν καὶ τῆς θεογνωσίας. Ἅγιος Νειλος, Βιβλιον Πρῶτον, Ἐπιστολὴ ΣΙΕ' Ἰγνατιῳ Ἀνθυπατῳ Source: Migne PG 79 161

When Paul was a persecutor of the Church of Christ, he was first blinded for his evil and unspeakable cruelty that he recover his sight for God and for righteousness. 1 With good reason the Lord said, 'I came into the world that those who do not see might see and that those who see become blind.' 2 For it is as one who for wicked crimes and foolishness has his eyes taken out, but here however it is done for the opening and healing of the spiritual eyes, by which the beauty of virtue and Divine knowledge is seen. Saint Nilus of Sinai, Book 1, Letter 215, to Ignatius the Proconsul  1 Acts 9.1-9 2 Jn 9.39