Homilies on Second Corinthians

“Seeing it is God that said, Light shall shine out of darkness, who shined in your hearts.”

Do you see how again to those who were desirous of seeing that surpassing glory, I mean that of Moses, he shows it flashing with added lustre? 'As upon the face of Moses, so also has it shined unto your hearts,' he says. And first, he puts them in mind of what was made in the beginning of the Creation, sensible light and darkness sensible, showing that this creation is greater. And where commanded He light to shine out of darkness? In the beginning and in prelude to the Creation; for, says he, “Darkness was upon the face of the deep. And God said, Let there be light, and there was light.” Howbeit then indeed He said, “Let it be, and it was:” but now He said nothing, but Himself became Light for us. For he said not, 'has also now commanded,' but “has” Himself “shined.” Therefore neither do we see sensible objects by the shining of this Light, but God Himself through Christ. Do you see the invariableness in the Trinity? For of the Spirit, he says, “But we all with unveiled face reflecting in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are transformed into the same image from glory to glory even as from the Lord the Spirit.” And of the Son; “That the light of the glorious Gospel of Christ, Who is the Image of God, should not dawn upon them.” And of the Father; “He that said Light shall shine out of darkness shined in your hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.” For as when he had said, “Of the Gospel of the glory of Christ,” he added, “Who is the Image of God,” showing that they were deprived of His glory also; So after saying, “the knowledge of God,” he added, in the face of Christ,' to show that through Him we know the Father, even as through the Spirit also we are brought unto Him.