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1.32 (λβ΄) It is necessary, with the rational faculty, instead of ignorance, to be moved in a most singular way toward God through knowledge in search; and with desire, purified from the passion of self-love, to be driven by longing toward God alone; and with the incensive faculty, separated from tyranny, to strive to attain God alone, and from these things and for which 15∆_034 these things exist, to fashion divine and blessed love, which both unites to God and makes divine the one who loves God.

1.33 (λγ΄) When self-love, as the beginning and, as I have said, the mother of evils, is plucked out, all things that are from it and after it are wont to be plucked out with it, since, when it is not present, no form or trace of evil at all can possibly exist.

1.34 (λδ΄) It is necessary to hold fast to ourselves and to one another, just as Christ Himself has previously demonstrated by His own person, having endured suffering for our sake.

1.35 (λε΄) Because of love all the saints resisted sin, taking no account of the present life; and they endured the manifold forms of death, so that they might be gathered from the world to themselves and to God, and might unite in themselves the divisions of nature. For this is the true and blameless wisdom of God for the faithful, whose end is the good and the truth, if indeed love for humankind is good, and love for God according to faith is true, which are the distinguishing marks of love, as it unites human beings to God and to one another, and for this reason possesses an unfailing permanence of good things.

1193 1.36 (λστ΄) The activity and proof of perfect love toward God is a genuine disposition toward one's neighbor through voluntary goodwill. For he who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, says the divine John, cannot love God whom he has not seen.

1.37 (λζ΄) The way of truth is love, which the Word of God called Himself, presenting those who walk in it, having become pure of all things, to God the Father.

15∆_036 1.38 (λη΄) This is the door, through which he who enters comes into the Holy of Holies, and is made worthy to become a spectator of the unapproachable beauty of the holy and royal Trinity.

1.39 (λθ΄) It is truly fearful and beyond all condemnation to voluntarily put to death the life given to us by God as a gift of the Holy Spirit, through love for corruptible things; and those who have made it their practice to prefer the truth to self-love surely know this fear.

1.40 (μ΄) Let us make proper use of peace, and having rejected the friendship toward the world and the ruler of the world which has wickedly established itself in us, let us, though late it may be, put an end to the war that is waged against God through the passions; and having made unbreakable treaties of peace with Him, in the abolition of the body of sin, let us cease from our enmity toward Him.

1.41 (μα΄) It is impossible for us to be reconciled with God, while we are in rebellion against Him through the passions, and while we endure to pay tribute through wickedness to the evil tyrant and murderer of souls, the devil, unless we have first gone to war completely against the evil one. For we remain enemies and adversaries of God, even if we fabricate for ourselves the name of believers, as long as we wish to be slaves to passions of dishonor; and no benefit will henceforth come to us from peace in the world, while the soul is in a bad state, and in rebellion against its own Creator, and not enduring to be under His kingdom; being still sold to countless cruel masters for

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1.32 (λβ΄) ∆έον, λόγῳ μέν, ἀντί τῆς ἀγνοίας, πρός τόν Θεόν διά γνώσεως κατά ζήτησιν μονώτατον κινεῖσθαι· δι᾿ ἐπιθυμίας δέ, τοῦ τῆς φιλαυτίας πάθους καθαρᾶς, κατά πόθον πρός τόν Θεόν μόνον ἐλαύνεσθαι· καί τῷ θυμῷ τυραννίδος κεχωρισμένῳ, πρός τό τοῦ Θεοῦ μόνου τυχεῖν ἀγωνίζεσθαι, καί τήν ἐκ τούτων καί δι᾿ ἥν 15∆_034 ταῦτα θείαν καί μακαρίαν ἀγάπην δημιουργῆσαι, τῷ Θεῷ συνάπτουσάν τε καί θεόν ἀποφαίνουσαν τόν φιλόθεον.

1.33 (λγ΄) Τῆς φιλαυτίας ὡς ἀρχῆς, καθώς εἶπον, καί μητρός τῶν κακῶν ἀποτιλείσης, πάντα τά ἐξ αὐτῆς τε καί μετ᾿ αὐτήν, συναποτίλλεσθαι εἴωθεν ἐπειδή ταύτης μή οὔσης, οὐδέ οὐδαμῶς τό παράπαν κακίας εἶδος ἤ ἴχνος ὑφίστασθαι δύναται.

1.34 (λδ΄) ∆έον ἐστίν, ἑαυτῶν καί ἀλλήλων τοσοῦτον ἀντέχεσθαι, ὅσον αὐτός δι᾿ αὐτοῦ ὁ Χριστός προλαβών ἀπεδείξατο, ὑπέρ ἡμῶν παθεῖν ἀνασχόμενος.

1.35 (λε΄) ∆ιά τήν ἀγάπην οἱ ἅγιοι πάντες πρός τήν ἁμαρτίαν ἀντικατέστησαν, τῆς παρούσης ζωῆς οὐδένα λόγον ποιησάμενοι· καί τούς πολυειδεῖς τοῦ θανάτου τρόπους ὑπέστησαν, ἵνα πρός ἑαυτούς ἀπό τοῦ κόσμου καί τόν Θεόν συναχθῶσι, καί τά τῆς φύσεως ἐφ᾿ ἑαυτῶν ἑνώσωσι ῥήγματα. Αὕτη γάρ ἐστιν ἡ ἀληθής καί ἀμώμητος τῶν πιστῶν θεοσοφία· ἧς τέλος, τό ἀγαθόν ἐστι καί ἡ ἀλήθεια· εἴπερ ἀγαθόν τό φιλάνθρωπον, καί ἀληθές τό κατά πίστιν φιλόθεον, τά τῆς ἀγάπης γνωρίσματα· ὡς Θεῷ καί ἀλλήλοις τούς ἀνθρώπους συνάπτουσα, καί διά τοῦτο τῶν ἀγαθῶν τήν διαμονήν ἀδιάπτωτον ἔχουσα.

1193 1.36 (λστ΄) Ἐνέργεια καί ἀπόδειξις τῆς πρός Θεόν τελείας ἀγάπης ἐστίν, ἡ γνησία δι᾿ εὐνοίας ἑκουσίου πρός τόν πλησίον διάθεσις. Ὁ γάρ μή ἀγαπῶν τόν ἀδελφόν αὐτοῦ, ὅν ἐώρακε, φησίν ὁ θεῖος Ἰωάννης, τόν Θεόν ὅν οὐχ ἐώρακεν, οὐ δύναται ἀγαπᾷν.

1.37 (λζ΄) Ἡ τῆς ἀληθείας ὁδός, ἡ ἀγάπη ἐστίν, ἥν ἑαυτόν ὀνομάσας ὁ τοῦ Θεοῦ Λόγος, τούς ἐν αὐτῇ ὁδεύοντας, τῷ Θεῷ καί Πατρί καθαρούς παντοίων γενομένους παρίστησιν.

15∆_036 1.38 (λη΄) Αὕτη ἐστίν ἡ θύρα, δι᾿ ἧς ὁ εἰσερχόμενος, εἰς τά Ἅγια γίνεται τῶν ἁγίων, καί τοῦ ἀπροσίτου κάλλους τῆς ἁγίας καί βασιλικῆς Τριάδος καθίσταται ἄξιος θεατής γενέσθαι.

1.39 (λθ΄) Φοβερόν ὄντως καί πάσης κατακρίσεως ὑπερέκεινα, τό τήν δοθεῖσαν ἡμῖν παρά Θεοῦ κατά δωρεάν τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος ἑκουσίως νεκρῶσαι ζωήν, διά τῆς πρός τά φθειρόμενα ἀγάπης· καί ἴσασι πάντως τοῦτον τόν φόβον, οἱ τήν ἀλήθειαν τῆς φιλαυτίας προτιμᾷν μελετήσαντες.

1.40 (μ΄) Χρησώμεθα εἰς δέον τῇ εἰρήνῃ, καί τήν πρός τόν κόσμον, καί τόν κοσμοκράτορα κακῶς ἡμῖν ἐνυπάρξασαν ἀθετήσαντες φιλίαν, τόν διά τῶν παθῶν πρός τόν Θεόν συνιστάμενον, κἄν ὀψέ ποτε καταλύσωμεν πόλεμον· καί σπονδάς ἀλύτους τῆς πρός αὐτόν εἰρήνης ποιήσαντες, ἐν τῇ καταργήσει τοῦ σώματος τῆς ἁμαρτίας, τῆς πρός αὐτόν ἔχθρας παυσώμεθα.

1.41 (μα΄) Ἀδύνατόν ἐστιν ἡμᾶς φιλιωθῆναι Θεῷ, διά τῶν παθῶν πρός αὐτόν στασιάζοντας, καί τῷ πονηρῷ τυράννῳ καί φονευτῇ τῶν ψυχῶν διαβόλῳ διά κακίας δασμοφορεῖν ἀνεχομένους, μή πρότερον διόλου πολεμωθέντας τῷ πονηρῷ. Μέχρι γάρ τότε τοῦ Θεοῦ καθεστήκαμεν ἐχθροί καί πολέμιοι, κἄν πιστῶν προσηγορίαν ἡμῖν αὐτοῖς περιπλάττωμεν, μέχρις οὗ πάθεσιν ἀτιμίας δουλεύειν βουλόμεθα· καί οὐδέν ὄφελος ἡμῖν ἐκ τῆς κατά τόν κόσμον εἰρήνης λοιπόν περιγενήσεται, τῆς ψυχῆς κακῶς διακειμένης, καί πρός τόν ἴδιον ποιητήν στασιαζούσης, καί ὑπό τήν αὐτοῦ βασιλείαν γενέσθαι οὐκ ἀνεχομένης· ἔτι μυρίοις πεπραμένης ὠμοῖς δεσπόταις εἰς