The Sun of Righteousness and the Seasons of Progress

Knowing not what day or what hour, he recalls a complete number, both days and accordingly. Just as 'God saw' (Gen 1:4) meant that it was good, so 'God saw' means as it is understood in the fading. We say these things to clarify the word, but these things could be for an ascent.

It was said before that 'let there be light' (Gen 1:3) must be raised to the Savior, not as emerging from non-existence, but as becoming fitting for those being enlightened. Among those being enlightened, some receive a lesser illumination and others a greater; and from these come those who experience a nocturnal state. Thus there are now luminaries of the Son's perception, following the will of the present matter: it fits each person's measure, becoming a sun of righteousness for those being raised, and for the lesser, being proportioned and providing a Spirit-illumination analogous to the moon.

And there were also those being enlightened in the night who, being perfect, necessarily provided for the body's need. For the perfect one, even if he is so, all at once, because he has a body, is nourished and undergoes the other needs of the body, which he himself makes perfect as a perfect one; for this reason he also has light, and such a light is a nocturnal light, since the intensity is so much relative to the body's needs, even if it is not lost, but experiences relaxation. And just as the moon itself receives rays from the sun and becomes a second light provided by the greater, so also the church is the light of the world.

For the Lord said to his own disciples, 'You are the light of the world' (Matt 5:14), not solar—for he himself was the sun of righteousness—but lesser and provided by him. But also the apostle, saying, 'In which you are as luminaries in the world' (Phil 2:15), shows that having participated in the true light, they are the light of the world; for he leads on: 'holding the word of life' (Heb 1:3). And the relationship to this light of his might be a moon; for he did not say 'you are the lights,' but the light; for all having unity toward themselves, they are thus one light, being the church. And the stars of these would be subject to the Word, having ascended far above the others according to the allegory, whom...

And they shine. Those who were prophets, sending forth the dawn of the pre-proclamation before the rising of the sun. For He, having risen, guided the whole, and showed all things as one light, because those participating are shown to be perfect light.

For it has been said that the righteous will shine 'as the sun in the kingdom of their own Father' (Malachi 4:2), not 'sun,' but as the sun, just as it is also said in the Song concerning her sharing in the light: 'Who is this that rises like the dawn, beautiful as the moon, dazzling as the sun?' (Song of Solomon 6:10). And observe that some progress are revealed through these: first, one becomes like the dawn, then like the chosen moon instead of the full and uninterrupted moon according to the new moon—for even it is the same, being divided and not moon-like and oscillating, but its perfect state is according to the new moon, which he likens to the bride—and after which, although it is like the sun, it is a dazzling wonder because of much progress and union.

Those becoming such are not light by construction of this kind, but by participation in the true light. They also divide 'in the midst of the day' and 'in the midst of the darkness,' dividing evil from virtue, and thus illuminating those upon the earth, who are not yet heavenly through works. They also signify seasons and days and months and years, knowing the measure of each and how this one stands regarding instruction, just as we say of a physician that it is a time of nourishment based on how the one being fed stands, for even the one using medical art feeds at night.

Therefore, the sun of righteousness and the moon spoken of with it and the stars signify such a time as a time of lessons, a time of progress, a time of introduction; and they signify even the things themselves—for when someone is enlightened, the underlying things themselves are clear—not then under the sun of righteousness when it signifies, but being eternally present, signifying when those advancing need guidance. Therefore they are also said to have come on the fourth day, signifying through allegory the relation toward logical matters. For as it was previously stated, being in potentiality of virtue, we need those who lead into the energy of virtues, which comes from...