In the context of spiritual development, the concept of the "holy" emphasizes that a person endowed with God's grace lives according to spiritual laws and stands apart from the world, being chosen for communion with God, while the "enlightened" is one whose mind and heart have been purified to such an extent that they are capable of perceiving and contemplating divine radiance and the true reality of the world.

Divine Grace and the Path to Enlightenment

In the context of spiritual development, the concept of the "holy" emphasizes that a person endowed with God's grace lives according to spiritual laws and stands apart from the world, being chosen for communion with God, while the "enlightened" is one whose mind and heart have been purified to such an extent that they are capable of perceiving and contemplating divine radiance and the true reality of the world.

If one refers to the material from file link txt, it becomes clear that the word "holy" is linked to the idea of an alternate existence and transcendence. In the Old Testament, this term underscored God's pre-worldly and supramundane nature, whereas in the New Testament the Apostle Paul uses it to denote the distinctiveness of Christians as the spiritual Israel. This means that holiness is expressed through belonging to God and possessing the grace of the Spirit, which guides a person’s actions and life. As stated:
"Holiness—primarily is a 'not'. This 'not' in the concept of holiness corresponds to... when God in the Old Testament is called Holy, it means we are talking about His pre-worldly and supramundane nature, His transcendence over the world, which is why Philo, in his philosophical transcription of biblical revelation, directly translates the idea of God's holiness to the philosophical concept of transcendence." (source: link txt)

On the other hand, the concept of the "enlightened" characterizes the achievement of the highest stage in spiritual development, when a person’s mind is purified and filled with the Divine light. In this state, one returns to their original purity, acquiring the ability to directly see and contemplate God and heavenly beauties. As described in file link txt:
"Enlightenment is the highest level to which the knowing subject ascends when his mind is illuminated by the light of Christ and the Holy Spirit, when his soul is 'enlightened by the immaterial and Divine fire'. The purified, enlightened mind returns to its primordial purity, which it possessed before the fall, embraces 'its own nature — ten idian physin', and produces pure, immaculate knowledge." (source: link txt)

Thus, the main difference is that being "holy" means being a bearer of divine grace, living according to the Spirit's will, and distinguishing oneself from worldly passions and sin—often through a prolonged process of purification and a change in life direction, as emphasized by various sources. At the same time, reaching a state of enlightenment indicates that the mind has become so pure that it can perceive spiritual realities and magnificence, invisible to the ordinary eye. Although both concepts are interrelated, as holiness can serve as a prerequisite for enlightenment, they reflect different aspects of the spiritual journey: one refers to a state of life infused with God's grace, and the other to the culmination of inner vision and the grasp of true spiritual reality.