The Unceasing Growth of Participation in Divinity.
Man's continual struggle, his knowledge that his longing will
have no end, and his resolution to accept this, all make him similar to the
Divinity because It too is infinite. Everything which can be truly conceived of
God must be boundless, and this is why our longing is also unending. "By leaving
that in which we abide, we ascend to the greatest good." This striving is not
futile but is a continual process of discovery. "When the soul participates in
things that are superior to it, it becomes superior to itself. Once it begins to
grow this growth never stops." "The good things in which it participates abide
in it, and by its constant participation the soul receives good things in
abundance." For this reason the longing of love is stronger at the highest
stages of contemplation than at the beginning. "Participation in the Divinity is
such that whoever partakes of it grows and becomes more receptive. This
participation develops the capacities of the participant. Whoever receives this
nourishment grows and never ceases to grow." Even when it is united with its
desired object the soul longs for more. "And even when it achieves this it
begins to yearn again. This bliss has become absolutely necessary for it, and it
is pained and grieved when it does not receive the object of its desire." That
which is desired continually slips away from the "embrace of the mind" and the
soul's attempts to contain it are in vain. "They looked for Him but did not find
Him, for He was beyond imagination and conception and ran away at the approach
of reason."
"The soul stretches its hands out to its source, seeks that
which cannot be grasped, and calls to that which cannot be overtaken . . . It
looks for that which cannot be found and calls on the One who is ineffable, in
spite of all His names. Thus the soul learns from its vigil that it loves One
who is inaccessible and desires One who cannot be embraced. The soul suffers
from the hopelessness of its longing until it realizes that its true desire is a
bliss which is infinite and inexhaustible. The uppermost robe of grief and doubt
is removed by the recognition that yearning, striving, and continual ascent are
in themselves the true enjoyment of that which is desired. The fulfillment of
one desire always leads to the desire of something greater. Therefore, as soon
as the outer robe of hopelessness is removed, the soul sees that the
indescribable beauty of its desired object, which exceeds its expectations,
becomes ever more beautiful. The soul thus reaches the ultimate extent of
desire. It reveals itself to its Beloved through the daughters of Jerusalem and
admits that it has received the chosen arrow of God. It has been deeply struck
by the arrow of faith and been fatally wounded by love." In the words of John,
"God is love." In Gregory's interpretation the Song of Songs describes the love
and longing experienced by the true believer.
Ecstasy as the Highest Stage of Ascent.
The culmination of the ascent to God is a "divine and solemn
intoxication" and a "frenzy of the mind." This ecstasy is the highest stage of
contemplation and it cannot be comprehended in concepts or images. Gregory's
descriptions of the ecstatic condition are influenced by Philo's theory of the
knowledge of God, but he does not merely borrow or imitate the Greek
philosopher's thought. Gregory uses Philo's terminology to describe his personal
mystical experience, which is similar to the experience of Basil the Great and
other ascetics of the fourth century and later. Their mystical vision reveals
Christ and not the Logos, as was the case for Clement of Alexandria and Origen.
Gregory interprets the Song of Songs as a revelation of Christ. His
commentary is not only an essay on mysticism but is an intimate diary of
mystical experience which is conveyed in the form of an exegetical treatise.
The Wedding of the Soul with God
In the highest stages of contemplation the soul is united with
God, becomes similar to Him, and lives in Him. "It becomes similar to His
inaccessible nature when it is pure and impassive." This is the mysterious
wedding of the soul, its "incorporeal, spiritual, immaterial union with God,"
which is man's greatest good and bliss. Once this union is achieved a mutual
interpenetration takes place. God abides in the soul and the soul makes its home
in God. This life in God is beyond expression and the great mystics have never
been able to describe their contemplation and the mysteries of paradise that
they have seen. "Although you may hear words about this," Gregory writes, "the
knowledge of God will remain ineffable." Ideas and concepts are inadequate to
God and "what He is by nature." Words are incommensurate with the Divinity
because It surpasses cognition and reasoning and is "higher than the highest
things." "The truth of existence is the true Life, and this is not accessible to
our knowledge."
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