of God, and the experience of the Kingdom in this life.84 The notions of the pledge and foretaste strengthen the biblical basis of Symeon’s argument. They also convey the “already, but not yet” aspect of the Kingdom, which is both at hand and still to come. In his more sober moments, Symeon recognized that his luminous visions were special to himself. He acknowledged that other people’s experience may be less rich, despite their best efforts. On the other hand, these more tolerant teachings are found