[chagljev hihot]

“Self-conscious truth is living thought. Truth is thought as it is in itself, and formulated thought is speech. When Eternal Thought desired a form, it said: ‘Let there be light.’ Now, this Thought which speaks is the Word, and the Word said:
‘Let there be light,’ because the Word itself is the light of minds. The untreated light, which is the Divine Word, shines because it desires to be seen. When it says:
‘Let there be light!’ it ordains that eyes shall open; it creates intelligences. When God said: ‘Let there be light!’ Intelligence was made, and the light appeared.
Now, the Intelligence which God diffused by the breath of His mouth, like a star given off from the sun, took the form of a splendid angel, who was saluted by heaven under the name of Lucifer. Intelligence awakened, and comprehended its nature completely by the understanding of that utterance of the Divine Word: ‘Let there be light!’ It felt itself to be free because God had called it into being, and, raising up its head, with both wings extended, it replied: ‘I will not be slavery.’
‘Then shalt thou be suffering,’ said the Untreated Voice. ‘I will be liberty,’ replied the light. ‘Pride will seduce thee,’ said the Supreme Voice, ‘and thou wilt bring forth death.’ ‘I needs must strive with death to conquer life,’ again responded the
reated light. Thereupon God loosed from His bosom the shining cord which restrained the superb angel, and beholding him plunge through the night, which he furrowed with glory, He loved the offspring of His thought, and said with an ineffable smile: ‘How beautiful was the light!’
“God has not created suffering; intelligence has accepted it to be free. And suffering has been the condition imposed upon freedom of being by Him who alone cannot err, because He is infinite. Forthe essence of intelligence is judgement, and the essence of judgement is liberty. The eye does not really possess light except by
the faculty of closing or opening. Were it forced to be always open, it would be the
slave and victim of the light, and would cease to see in order to escape the torment.
Thus, created Intelligence is not happy in affirming God, except by its liberty
to deny Him. Now, the Intelligence which denies, invariably affirms
something, since it is asserting its liberty. It is for this reason that blasphemy glorifies
God and that hell was indispensable to the happiness of heaven. Were the
light unrepelled by shadow, there would be no visible forms. If the first angels had
not encountered the depths of darkness, the child-birth of God would have been
incomplete, and there could have been no separation between the created and
essential light. Never would Intelligence have known the goodness of God if it had
never lost Him. Never would God's infinite love have shone forth in the joys of His
mercy had the prodigal Son of Heaven remained in the House of His Father.
When all was light, there was light nowhere; it filled the breast of God, who was
labouring to bring it forth. And when He said: ‘Let there be light!’ He permitted
the darkness to repel the light, and the universe issued from chaos. The negation
of the angel who at birth refused slavery constituted the equilibrium of the world,
and the motion of the spheres commenced. The infinite distances admired this
love of liberty, which was vast enough to fill the void of eternal night and strong
enough to bear the hatred of God. But God could hate not the noblest of His children,
and He proved him by His wrath only to confirm him in His power. So also
the Word of God Himself, as if jealous of Lucifer, willed to come down from
heaven and pass triumphantly through the shadows of hell. He willed to be proscribed
and condemned; He premeditated that terrible hour when He should cry,
in the throes of His agony: ‘My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?’ As
the star of the morning goes before the sun, the rebellion of Lucifer announced to
new-born Nature the coming incarnation of God. Possibly Lucifer, in his fall
through night, carried with him a rain of suns and stars by the attraction of his
glory. Possibly our sun is a demon among the stars, as Lucifer is a star among the
angels. Doubtless it is for this reason that it lights so calmly the horrible anguish
of humanity and the long agony of earth -because it is free in its solitude and possesses
its light.”