A Certain Sight

Καὶ ἀφελῶ τὴν χεῖρα καὶ τὸτε ὅψει τὰ ὁπίσω μου· τὸ δὲ πρόσωπόν μου οὐκ ὀφθήσεται σοι. Ἡ μὲν προκόσμιος ὕπαρξίς τε και θειότης δηλοῦται διὰ τοῦ προσώπου· ἡ δὲ δημιουργία καὶ πρόνοια διὰ τῶν ὀπίσω. Δίδυμος Αλεξανδρεύς, Ἐκλογαὶ Εἰς Την Ἐξοδον Source: Migne PG 39.1116a

'I shall remove my hand and you shall see behind me, but my face you shall not see.' 1 The Divine nature which has existed from before the beginning of the world, is what 'face' indicates, and creation and providence is what 'behind' signifies. Didymus the Blind, Commentary on Exodus, Fragment 1 Exod 33.23