The degree of revelation is not the same as that a man deepen his emotions by the study of wisdom and by intellectual labour so as to arrive at some understanding and contemplation of anything by mental investigation. For it is said : Revelation is silence of intellect. And by zealous efforts and human thoughts no one can imagine that he has found knowledge ; this happens by spiritual power so that he to whom the revelation is imparted, at that time is not aware of any thought of his soul nor of those things which present themselves to his senses ; neither does he use them nor is he acquainted with them.

This we do not assert on our own authority, but it can be proved sufficiently from the writings of the prophets, who, when revelations happened to them, did not perceive any of the usual things nor could they use their thoughts at will nor had they any sensual apperceptions, because they were in ecstasy. Their mind was wholly concentrated upon those things which appeared to them during the revelation. As it happened to the blessed Peter when he was hungry and ascended unto the roof in order to pray : when the revelation began, he did not perceive his hunger. Even the recollection of food was effaced from his mind, because he was in ecstasy, as scripture says.

Concerning all these things one may be well instructed in particulars from the writings of the blessed bishop Theodore, the light of the whole world (NT : Theodore bishop of Mapsuestia). For he speaks about the kind and the rank of revelations, especially in the three volumes on Genesis and in the two volumes on Job and in the last one about the Twelve Prophets, and in the commentaries on the Acts and the Gospel of Matthew.

Scripture mentions six kinds of revelations. The first : that by the senses. The second : by psychic sight. The third : by rapture of the spirit. The fourth : by the rank of prophecy. The fifth : in some intellectual way. The sixth : as it were by a dream. ++++ Revelations by the senses are divided into two different kinds : those which take place by means of the elements and those which take place without matter. Examples of the former kind are the revelation in the thornbush, in the cloud, in the tables and so on, things which were also seen by the people ; also those wondrous things which every day happen in the whole world and the causes and details of which are gained by the saints in revelations ; and also the works and deeds and things which are hidden or far away, yet are revealed unto some at the time of their actual occurence.

Without matter : as for instance the men that appeared unto Abraham, the ladder of Jacob, the revelation about the tabernacle (try only to look at and to act with the likeness that appeared unto thee on the mountain, and so on), the divine light of exalted rays that shone for Paul on the way and blinded his eyes. It is well known that, though a revelation, it was visible and perceptible by the senses, so that also those who were with him saw and heard it ; yet it was not a material revelation, nor a natural and elementary light, as the blessed commentator denotes in his commentary on the story in the Acts : And those who went on the way with Paul, stood in amazement while they heard the voice, yet did not see anyone. He comments on the words, in amazement’ thus : In silence without (uttering) a word, also seized with doubt, because they had caught the voice that had spoken to him and, as far as it was possible for them, had seen the light that appeared unto him. Lest it should be surmised later that Saul had invented what had happened and that which had been wrought unto him, while none of those who were with him had heard or seen it. But they did not see anyone. For they did not see Jesus, because, as I have said, that which appeared was even no sensible light, but an incomprehensible apperception which in an immaterial way was given him by divine action in the likeness of a vision of light, so that he thought that the heavens were opened and so on. - These are the revelations which have taken place through the medium of the bodily senses. They are exalted above any commixture with the elements or any of the sensible and human events.

But those who receive these revelations are not enveloped in ecstasy of mind, as in the case of the revelation that takes place through the eyes of the soul in the vision of the soul, as : I saw the Lord sitting on a high throne and Seraphs each with six wings round it, and as in the revelation unto Ezekiel, in the revelation of the wheels and the amazing images, and the sound from the wheels resembling the sound of the sea, and the glorifications heard from the Cherubs with many eyes, which say : Blessed is the majesty of the Lord in His place. How much subtler these revelations are than those of the first mentioned class, is known to the illuminated. (To the second class also belongs) for instance the vessel that appeared to Peter and the animals in it, with the other things described. And he who wishes, may recognize these things from the scriptures.

Rapture of the spirit, as for instance when he was taken up unto the third heaven, and whether this was in the body or without, I do not know. But he was taken to Paradise and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter.

Prophecy, as for instance the things that happened unto the Prophets, who foretold future events, many ages before they took place, as it was also given unto Balaam the sorcerer to foretell many things through the spirit of prophecy, things even more numerous than what prophets had prophesied.

In some intellectual way. As for instance the blessed Paul says : I pray that you may be filled with the knowledge of God in all wisdom and spiritual understanding. And : May the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him : the eyes of your hearts being enlightened ; that ye may know what is the hope of His calling, and the riches of His glory in the saints, and the exceeding greatness of His power in us who believe and the other things which were given to the Apostle in a revelation of knowledge concerning the things of the world to be, and the order of resurrection and the alteration of human bodies and so on. And as for the degree of exalted understanding and the knowledge of the divine nature, as for instance that (man) is the likeness of the invisible God and that with His hand He has made the worlds, God has given us revelation by His spirit. Again we know in part and we understand in part ; and : In the beginning was the word ; and : Thou art the Christ, the son of the living God and so on. Again, unsearchable are His judgments, and His ways past finding out ; and : He who worketh all after the counsel of His own will ; and : God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that He might have mercy upon all and so on.

These are designations of the insight which was given unto them that they sought to know and understand through the Spirit the divine nature.

By dreams, as for instance happened to Abimelek and Joseph and Pharao and Nebukednesar ; and when the angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph the husband of Mary, and so on. ++++ Also this it is necessary to know : that all revelations, which God has granted for the sake of teaching mankind and instructing them concerning things, take place by means of images, especially revelations unto those who are of simple understanding and of small insight in the truth. But those which are destined to comfort and to instruct some person, and to console to some extent and to instruct a single person, take place without images and by intelligible apperception. This is clearly proved by the blessed commentator in the second volume on Job. For how much greater, as compared with other revelations, are the things which are given in a revelation for the intellect and the understanding through an intellectual medium and how much higher are the mysteries which serve to instruct all concerning God. This is perfection of knowledge.

And also this it is becoming to know : Revelation and (divine) action are different from truth and knowledge in so far as revelation is not the exact truth, but only shows indications and signs corresponding to human strength. Neither may the action and the wondrous things in those revelations be called knowledge and truth. They are called inspiration caused by (divine) action. So that it is impossible to gain from them instruction concerning God’s foreknowledge or His incomprehensible nature or His different qualities or the understanding of the mysteries of His will concerning mankind and the other things which are to be attained by sound knowledge concerning Him. Therefore : the mysteries which are attained by the intellect through insight into the divine nature is different from the action by which the mind is inspired during a certain time. Therefore it is not absolutely necessary that every one to whom a revelation is imparted or who is influenced by a consoling action, must know the truth and the exact knowledge concerning God. For many are those to whom such things were imparted, yet knew God as children only.