unchanging love. Having, therefore, the pledge of baptism, you have the "talent" perfectly, but if you have not worked on it, you will be imperfect, and not only that, but you will also be deprived of it. Do not, therefore, reckon that giving away your "possessions" is anything. And if you have the gift of speech, speaking "with the tongues of angels and of men," do not be puffed up; for you have not yet received "that which is perfect." And if you have "interpretation," do not rest in it. And if you possess "all faith," come to "love," which does not permit you to fall. For "love never fails," for being unchanging, it makes those who have desired it impassible and unshakable. Therefore, the gifts are performed for the sake of the economy according to the division of God's will for those who are still infants and imperfect, but love (as I said before) renders those who have been counted worthy of it impassible and unchanging, for it is "God," as we have learned in the catholic epistles. Therefore, every soul that is activated by filthy thoughts and wicked reflections is not a virgin for Christ, for it commits adultery with the adversary. But she who has purely desired to present herself to the Lord lives in purity of heart, as the bridgeroom's friend says: "For I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent dec167eived Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted." Therefore, those whose minds are corrupted are in the communion of the devil's corruption and not in the communion of the Savior's incorruption; "For what communion has light with darkness?" or "what agreement has the temple of God with idols"? So let us believe these things, that we may also read without falsehood: "I no longer live, but Christ lives in me." For in whom Christ does not dwell, being dead, they do not genuinely praise God, since in the prophet: "The dead shall not praise you, Lord." Therefore, let "the life of Jesus" reign in our mortal flesh. Let us acquire in ourselves the "Spirit of Christ," that we may be his; for he says, "If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not his." Let us destroy the nations within us; let us say to God, "Scatter the nations that desire wars," "flash forth lightning, and you will scatter them," for we accuse ourselves, not the Israelites, saying: "They did not destroy the nations, which the Lord told them." We accuse ourselves, not the idols; for we have "ears" and do not hear, we have "eyes" and do not see, for there is no spirit in us.

So let us pray that "the eyes of our understanding may be enlightened," that we may know what it is: "Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law." Let us cry from the heart, "Rabboni," that we may receive our sight. He who sees again, even if he is "in the flesh," does not war "according to the flesh"; "for the weapons of" his "warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God." Let us lift up "holy hands" in prayers unceasingly "without wrath and doubting." Let us become fellow-tribesmen of the Lord who arose from the tribe of "Judah." Let us be Jews in secret; "for he is not a Jew who is one outwardly," "but he who is one inwardly," who through idleness from vain thoughts and filthy conceptions always keeps sabbath and has received circumcision in his inner man. 168 Therefore let us circumcise the unclean foreskin of the "heart," cutting out the excess of the mind, which is "the sting of death," "sin," sown alongside by the enemy in disobedience. Let us receive in our hearts the law of God in spirit, which he promised, saying: "I will put my laws in their hearts, and in their minds I will write them" and from David: "The law of God is in their hearts, and their steps shall not be tripped up." If, therefore, you wish not to be tripped up, receive the law of God in secret, which through sanctification establishes you in impassibility. These are the

ἄτρεπτος ἀγάπη. ἔχουσα οὖν τὸν ἀρραβῶνα τοῦ βαπτίσματος τὸ μὲν «τάλαντον» τέλειον ἔχεις, μὴ ἐπεργασαμένη δὲ ἀτελὴς ἔσῃ, οὐ μόνον δὲ ἀλλὰ καὶ στερηθήσῃ αὐτοῦ. μὴ τοίνυν λογίζου ψωμίσασά σου «τὰ ὑπάρχοντα» εἶναί τι. εἰ δὲ καὶ λόγον ἔχεις λαλοῦσα «ταῖς γλώσσαις τῶν ἀγγέλων καὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων», μὴ ἐπαίρου· οὐδέπω γὰρ «τὸ τέλειον» εἴληφας. ἐὰν δὲ καὶ «ἑρμηνείαν» ἔχῃς, μὴ ἐναπομείνῃς. εἰ δὲ καὶ «πᾶσαν τὴν πίστιν» κέκτησαι, ἐλθὲ ἐπὶ τὴν «ἀγάπην» τὴν μὴ συγχωροῦσάν σοι πεσεῖν. «ἡ» γὰρ «ἀγάπη οὐδέποτε πίπτει», ἄτρεπτος γὰρ οὖσα ἀπαθεῖς καὶ ἀσαλεύτους ἐργάζεται τοὺς αὐτὴν ποθήσαντας. οὐκοῦν τὰ χαρίσματα οἰκονομίας ἕνεκεν ἐπιτελεῖται κατὰ τὴν διαίρεσιν τῆς τοῦ θεοῦ βουλήσεως τοῖς ἔτι νηπίοις καὶ ἀτελέσιν, ἡ δὲ ἀγάπη (ὡς προεῖπον) ἀπαθεῖς καὶ ἀτρέπτους τοὺς καταξιωθέντας αὐτῆς καθίστησιν, «θεὸς» γάρ ἐστιν, ὡς ἐν ταῖς καθολικαῖς μεμαθήκαμεν. πᾶσα οὖν ψυχὴ ἐνεργουμένη ὑπὸ λογισμῶν ῥυπαρῶν καὶ ἐνθυμήσεων πονηρῶν οὐ Χριστῷ παρθενεύεται, μοιχεύεται γὰρ ὑπὸ τοῦ ἐναντίου. ἡ δὲ καθαρῶς ἐπιθυμήσασα παραστῆναι τῷ κυρίῳ ἐν ἁγνότητι καρδίας διάγει, καθώς φησιν ὁ νυμφαγωγός· «ἡρμωσάμην γὰρ ὑμᾶς ἑνὶ ἀνδρὶ παρθένον ἁγνὴν παραστῆσαι τῷ Χριστῷ· φοβοῦμαι δὲ μή πως, ὡς ὁ ὄφις ἐξ167 ηπάτησεν Εὔαν ἐν τῇ πανουργίᾳ αὐτοῦ, οὕτω φθαρῇ τὰ νοήματα ὑμῶν». ὅσων οὖν τὰ νοήματα φθείρεται, ἐν τῇ κοινωνίᾳ τῆς τοῦ διαβόλου φθορᾶς εἰσι καὶ οὐκ ἐν τῇ κοινωνίᾳ τῆς τοῦ σωτῆρος ἀφθαρσίας· «τίς γὰρ κοινωνία φωτὶ πρὸς σκότος» ἢ «τίς συγκατάθεσις ναῷ θεοῦ μετὰ εἰδώλων»; ὥστε πιστεύσωμεν τούτοις, ἵνα καὶ ἀψευδῶς ἀναγινώσκωμεν· «ζῶ δὲ οὐκέτι ἐγώ, ζῇ δὲ ἐν ἐμοὶ Χριστός». ἐν οἷς γὰρ Χριστὸς οὐκ ἐνοικεῖ, νεκροὶ ὑπάρχοντες οὐκ αἰνοῦσι γνησίως τὸν θεόν, ἐπειδὴ ἐν τῷ προφήτῃ· «οὐχ οἱ νεκροὶ αἰνέσουσί σε, κύριε». βασιλευσάτω τοίνυν «ἡ ζωὴ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ» ἐν τῇ θνητῇ σαρκὶ ἡμῶν. κτησώμεθα ἐν ἑαυτοῖς «πνεῦμα Χριστοῦ», ἵνα ὦμεν αὐτοῦ· «εἴ τις» γάρ φησι «πνεῦμα Χριστοῦ οὐκ ἔχει, οὗτος οὐκ ἔστιν αὐτοῦ». ἐξολοθρεύσωμεν τὰ ἐν ἡμῖν ἔθνη· εἴπωμεν τῷ θεῷ «διασκόρπισον ἔθνη τὰ τοὺς πολέμους θέλοντα», «ἄστραψον ἀστραπὴν καὶ σκορπιεῖς αὐτούς», ἑαυτῶν γὰρ κατηγοροῦμεν οὐ τῶν Ἰσραηλιτῶν, λέγοντες· «οὐκ ἐξωλόθρευσαν τὰ ἔθνη, ἃ εἶπε κύριος αὐτοῖς». ἑαυτῶν κατηγοροῦμεν, οὐ τῶν εἰδώλων· «ὦτα» γὰρ ἔχομεν καὶ οὐκ ἀκούομεν, «ὀφθαλμοὺς» ἔχομεν καὶ οὐ βλέπομεν, οὐδὲ γάρ ἐστι πνεῦμα ἐν ἡμῖν.

Ὥστε εὐξώμεθα «πεφωτισμένους τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς» τῆς διανοίας ἡμῶν γενέσθαι, ἵνα γνῶμεν τί ἐστιν· «ἀποκάλυψον τοὺς ὀφθαλμούς μου, καὶ κατανοήσω τὰ θαυμάσιά σου ἐκ τοῦ νόμου σου». βοήσωμεν ἐκ καρδίας «ῥαββουνί», ἵνα ἀναβλέψωμεν. ὁ ἀναβλέπων εἰ καὶ «ἐν σαρκί» ἐστιν «οὐ κατὰ σάρκα» στρατεύεται· «τὰ γὰρ ὅπλα τῆς στρατείας» αὐτοῦ «οὐ σαρκικὰ ἀλλὰ δυνατὰ τῷ θεῷ πρὸς καθαίρεσιν ὀχυρωμάτων, λογισμοὺς καθαιροῦντες καὶ πᾶν ὕψωμα ἐπαιρόμενον κατὰ τῆς γνώσεως τοῦ θεοῦ». ἐπάρωμεν «χεῖρας ὁσίους» ἐν προσευχαῖς ἀπαραλείπτως «χωρὶς ὀργῆς καὶ διαλογισμῶν». γενώμεθα συμφυλέται τοῦ κυρίου τοῦ ἀνατείλαντος ἐκ τῆς φυλῆς «Ἰούδα». ἰουδαίσωμεν ἐν τῷ κρυπτῷ· «οὐ γὰρ ὁ ἐν τῷ φανερῷ Ἰουδαῖος», «ἀλλ' ὁ ἐν τῷ κρυπτῷ», ὁ διὰ τῆς ἀργίας τῶν ματαίων λογισμῶν καὶ ῥυπαρῶν ἐννοιῶν σαββατίζων πάντοτε καὶ περιτομὴν δεξάμενος ἐν τῷ ἔσω αὐτοῦ ἀνθρώπῳ. 168 τοιγαροῦν περιτέμωμεν τὴν ἀκάθαρτον ἀκροβυστίαν τῆς «καρδίας» τὸ περιττὸν τοῦ νοὸς ἐκτεμόντες, ὅπερ ἔστι «τὸ κέντρον τοῦ θανάτου ἡ ἁμαρτία» ἡ παρασπαρεῖσα διὰ τοῦ ἐχθροῦ ἐν τῇ παρακοῇ. δεξώμεθα ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις ἡμῶν τὸν ἐν πνεύματι θεοῦ νόμον, ὃν ἐπηγγείλατο λέγων· «διδοὺς νόμους μου ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις αὐτῶν, καὶ ἐπιγράψω αὐτοὺς ἐπὶ ταῖς διανοίαις αὐτῶν» καὶ παρὰ τοῦ ∆αβίδ· «ὁ νόμος τοῦ θεοῦ ἐν καρδίαις αὐτῶν, καὶ οὐχ ὑποσκελισθήσεται τὰ διαβήματα αὐτῶν». εἰ οὖν βούλει μὴ ὑποσκελίζεσθαι, δέξαι τὸν ἐν τῷ κρυπτῷ τοῦ θεοῦ νόμον, τὸν διὰ τοῦ ἁγιασμοῦ εἰς ἀπάθειάν σε καθιστῶντα. ταῦτά ἐστι τὰ