At this point, the "Illuminatio" ("theoria" in Greek) commenced. During this period the monks practiced the paths to holiness as revealed in the Gospel, identifying strongly with the Christ who taught the Sermon on the Mount (found in Matthew 5–7). Many monks took in visitors and students and tended the poor as much as their resources allowed. Many monks died never having moved past this period. The final stage was the "Unitio" ("theosis" in Greek), a period in which the soul of the monk was meant to bond with the Spirit of God in a union often described as the marriage of the "Song of Solomon" (also called the "Song of Songs" or the "Canticle of Canticles"). To find the solitude and peace that this level of mystical awareness demanded, elderly monks often fled into the deep desert or into remote forests.