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But the cause of the thoughts of sensible things, in time corrupting knowledge, has been spoken of in the chapters on prayer.

CHAPTER 24. Of the demons opposed to the practical life, there are three ruling

chieftains, whom the whole battle-array of the enemy follows, who are the first to stand in the war, and call souls forth to wickedness through impure thoughts: those entrusted with the appetites of gluttony, those who suggest avarice to us, and those who call us forth to the glory of men. Desiring therefore pure prayer, guard your anger, and loving temperance, control your stomach, do not give bread to your belly, and afflict it with water, keep vigil in prayer, and put remembrance of wrongs far from you, may the words of the Holy Spirit not fail you, and knock at the doors with the hands of virtues. Then will dawn for you impassibility of heart, and you will see a star-like intellect in prayer. Of thoughts, some impress our ruling faculty, and give it shape, but others provide knowledge only, not impressing the intellect, nor giving it shape. For, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God," indeed places a certain concept in the heart, but does not give it shape, nor impress it. The phrase, "having taken bread," gives shape to the intellect, and the phrase, "to break," again impresses the intellect. But the phrase, "I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up," impresses the intellect, apart from the phrase, "I saw the Lord," and the literal expression seems to impress the intellect, but what is signified does not impress it. For he has seen with a prophetic eye the rational nature exalted through the practical life, having received in itself the knowledge of God. For God is said to be seated where he is known, for which reason a pure intellect is also called a throne of God. And a woman is called a throne of dishonor, meaning, a soul hating righteous things, and the dishonor of a soul is wickedness and ignorance. Therefore, the concept of God is, not among those things that impress the intellect, but among the concepts that do not impress the intellect. For it is necessary for one who prays to be entirely79.1229 separated from those things that impress the intellect. And you will ask, if, as it is with bodies and their concepts, so it is also with incorporeal beings and their principles, and in one way the intellect will be impressed seeing an intellect, and in another way be disposed seeing its principle? From this we know, how spiritual knowledge removes the intellect from the concepts that impress it, and presents it without impression to God, because the concept of God is not among those things that impress; for God is not a body, but rather among those that do not impress. Again, of the contemplations that do not impress the intellect, some signify the essence of incorporeal beings, and others their principles; and it is not as it happens with bodies, so also with incorporeal beings; for in the case of bodies some impressed the intellect, and others did not impress it; but here neither concept impresses the intellect.

CHAPTER 25. When the demon of gluttony, having struggled much and often

the demon is not strong enough to corrupt the established continence, then he casts into the intellect a desire for the most extreme asceticism, from which he also brings forward the things concerning Daniel, that poor life, and the seeds, and he mentions certain other anchorites who have lived thus always, or who began so, and he compels one to become an imitator of these; so that in pursuing immoderate continence, he may fail even of due measure, the body not being sufficient on account of its own weakness, truly blessing the body, and cursing the heart; whom I think it right not to obey, nor to abstain from bread, and oil, and water. For the brothers have found this diet to be very good, and this not to satiety, and once a day. For I wonder if anyone, being sated with bread and water, will be able of the

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δὲ ἡ αἰτία τοῦ τὰ νοήματα τῶν αἰσθητῶν πραγμάτων, χρονίζοντα διαφθείρειν τὴν γνῶσιν εἴρηται ἐν τοῖς περὶ προσευχῆς κεφαλαίοις.

ΚΕΦΑΛ. Κ∆ʹ. Τῶν ἀντικειμένων δαιμόνων τῇ πρακτικῇ, τρεῖς εἰσιν ἄρχοντες

πρωτοστάται, οἷς ἕπεται πᾶσα ἡ παρεμβολὴ τῶν ἀλλοφύλων, οἵτινες πρῶτοι κατὰ τὸν πόλεμον ἵστανται, καὶ τὰς ψυχὰς διὰ τῶν ἀκαθάρτων λογισμῶν ἐκκαλοῦνται πρὸς τὴν κακίαν· οἱ τὰς τῆς γαστριμαργίας ὀρέξεις πεπιστευμένοι, οἱ τὴν φιλαργυρίαν ἡμῖν ὑποβάλλοντες, καὶ οἱ πρὸς τὴν τῶν ἀνθρώπων δόξαν ἡμᾶς ἐκκαλούμενοι. Ἐπιθυμῶν οὖν καθαρᾶς προσευχῆς, διατήρησον θυμὸν, καὶ ἀγαπῶν σωφροσύνην, κράτει γαστρὸς, μὴ δῷς ἄρτον σῇ κοιλίᾳ, καὶ ἐν ὕδατι ἔκθλιβε αὐτὴν, ἀγρύπνει ἐν προσευχῇ, καὶ μνησικακίαν μακρὰν ποίησον ἀπὸ σοῦ, λόγοι Πνεύματος ἁγίου μὴ ἐκλειπέτωσάν σε, καὶ θύρας κροῦε χερσὶν ἀρετῶν. Τότε ἀνατελεῖ σοι καρδίας ἀπάθεια, καὶ νοῦν ἀστεροειδῆ ὅψει ἐν προσευχῇ. Τῶν νοημάτων, τὰ μὲν τυποῖ τὸ ἡγεμονικὸν ἡμῶν, καὶ σχηματίζει, τὰ δὲ γνῶσιν μόνον παρέχει μὴ τυποῦντα τὸν νοῦν, μηδὲ σχηματίζοντα. Τὸ γὰρ, «Ἐν ἀρχῇ ἦν ὁ Λόγος, καὶ ὁ Λόγος ἦν πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν,» ἐναποτίθεται μέν τι νόημα τῇ καρδίᾳ, οὐ μὴν σχηματίζει αὐτὴν, οὐδὲ τυποῖ. Τὸ μὲν, «Λαβὼν ἄρτον,» σχηματίζει τὸν νοῦν, τὸ δὲ, «κλάσαι,» πάλιν τυποῖ τὸν νοῦν. Τὸ δὲ, «Εἶδον τὸν Κύριον καθήμενον ἐπὶ θρόνου ὑψηλοῦ, καὶ ἐπηρμένου,» τυποῖ τὸν νοῦν χωρὶς τοῦ, «Εἶδον τὸν Κύριον,» καὶ τὸ μὲν ῥητὸν δοκεῖ τυποῦν τὸν νοῦν, τὸ δὲ σημαῖνον, οὐ τυποῖ. Ἑώρακε γὰρ προφητικῷ ὀφθαλμῷ τὴν φύσιν τὴν λογικὴν ὑψωθεῖσαν διὰ πρακτικῆς δεξαμένην ἐν ἑαυτῇ τὴν γνῶσιν τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ. Ἐκεῖ γὰρ λέγεται καθέζεσθαι Θεὸς, ἔνθα γινώσκεται, διότι καὶ θρόνος λέγεται Θεοῦ νοῦς καθαρός. Λέγεται δὲ καὶ θρόνος ἀτιμίας γυνὴ, ἀντὶ τοῦ, ψυχὴ μισοῦσα δίκαια, ἀτιμία δὲ ψυχῆς κακία, καὶ ἀγνωσία. Τὸ τοίνυν νόημα τοῦ Θεοῦ, οὐκ ἐν τοῖς τυποῦσι τὸν νοῦν, ἀλλὰ τοῖς νοήμασι τοῖς μὴ τυποῦσι τὸν νοῦν. ∆ιότι τὸν προσευχόμενον δεῖ παντά79.1229 πασι χωρίζεσθαι τῶν τυπούντων τὸν νοῦν. Καὶ ζητήσεις, εἴπερ, ὡς ἔχει ἐπὶ τῶν σωμάτων, καὶ τῶν λογισμῶν αὐτῶν, οὕτως ἔχει, καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν ἀσωμάτων, καὶ τῶν λόγων αὐτῶν, καὶ ἄλλως μὲν ὁ νοῦς τυπωθήσεται ὁρῶν νοῦν, καὶ ἄλλως διατεθήσεται ὁρῶν τὸν λόγον αὐτοῦ; Ἐντεῦθεν δὲ γινώσκομεν, πῶς ἡ γνῶσις ἡ πνευματικὴ ἀφίστησι τὸν νοῦν τῶν νοημάτων τῶν τυπούντων αὐτὸν, ἀτύπωτον δὲ αὐτὸν παρίστησι τῷ Θεῷ, διότι τὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ νόημα οὐκ ἐν τοῖς τυποῦσίν ἐστιν· οὐ γάρ ἐστι σῶμα ὁ Θεὸς, ἀλλ' ἐν τοῖς μὴ τυποῦσι μᾶλλον. Πάλιν τῶν θεωρημάτων τῶν μὴ τυπούντων τὸν νοῦν, τὰ μὲν οὐσίαν σημαίνει ἀσωμάτων, τὰ δὲ τοὺς λόγους αὐτῶν· καὶ οὐχ ὡς ἐπὶ τῶν σωμάτων συμβαίνει, οὕτω καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν ἀσωμάτων· ἐπὶ μὲν γὰρ τῶν σωμάτων τὰ μὲν ἐτύπου τὸν νοῦν, τὰ δὲ οὐκ ἐτύπου· ἐνταῦθα δὲ οὐδέτερον νόημα τὸν νοῦν τυποῖ.

ΚΕΦΑΛ. ΚΕʹ. Ὅταν ὁ τῆς γαστριμαργίας πολλὰ καὶ πολλάκις ἀγωνισάμενος

δαίμων μὴ ἰσχύσῃ διαφθεῖραι τὴν τετυπωμένην ἐγκράτειαν, τότε εἰς ἐπιθυμίαν ἀσκήσεως ἀκροτάτης ἐμβάλλει τὸν νοῦν, ἐξ ὧν καὶ τὰ περὶ τὸν ∆ανιὴλ εἰς μέσον φέρει, τὴν πενιχρὰν ἐκείνην ζωὴν, καὶ τὰ σπέρματα, καί τινων ἄλλων ἀναχωρητῶν μνημονεύει βεβιωκότων διὰ παντὸς οὕτως, ἢ ἀρξαμένων, καὶ τούτων μιμητὴν γενέσθαι καταναγκάζει· ἵνα τὴν ἄμετρον διώκων ἐγκράτειαν, ἀποτύχῃ καὶ τῆς συμμετρίας τοῦ σώματος μὴ ἐπαρκέσαντος διὰ τὴν οἰκείαν ἀσθένειαν, ὄντως εὐλογῶν τῷ σώματι, καὶ καταρώμενος τῇ καρδίᾳ· ᾧ μὴ πείθεσθαι δίκαιον τούτους νομίζω, μηδὲ ἀπέχεσθαι ἄρτου, καὶ ἐλαίου, καὶ ὕδατος. Ταύτην γὰρ τὴν δίαιταν πάνυ καλλίστην οἱ ἀδελφοὶ πεπειράκασι, καὶ τοῦτο οὐ πρὸς κόρον, καὶ ἅπαξ εἰς τὴν ἡμέραν. Θαυμάζω γὰρ εἴ τις, ἄρτου καὶ ὕδατος κορεννύμενος, δυνήσεται τὸν τῆς