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2.2 (β΄) He says truth is divine knowledge; and virtue, the struggles for truth of those who desire it. Therefore, the one who for the sake of knowledge endures the labors of virtue is not vainglorious, knowing that truth is by nature incomprehensible through labors; for the first is not by nature circumscribed by the second. But the one who pursues knowledge for the sake of the struggles for it is completely vainglorious, as if thinking he has received the crowns before the sweat; not knowing that the labors are for the sake of the crowns, but the crowns are not for the sake of the labors; for every method by nature becomes unpracticed, when that for which it exists has been accomplished, or seems to have been accomplished.

2.3 (γ΄) The one who pursues only the form of knowledge, which is bare reason; and the image of virtue, which is bare character, is himself a Jew, puffed up by the types of truth.

2.4 (δ΄) The one who sees all the visible worship of the law not according to sense, but having examined each of the 15∆_078 visible symbols with the approaches of the mind, being taught the hidden, God-perfecting Logos in each, finds God in the law, carefully groping by the intellectual power as if in a mixture, in the matter of the legal ordinances, if somewhere he might find hidden in the flesh of the law the pearl, the Logos, who completely escapes the senses.

2.5 (ε΄) And the one who circumscribes the nature of visible things not by sense alone, but wisely investigates according to the mind the 1224 logos in each creature, finds God, from the magnificent work of beings set forth, being taught the cause of these same beings.

2.6 (στ΄) Since, therefore, discernment is the property of one who gropes, the one who goes over the legal symbols gnostically and contemplates the visible nature of beings scientifically, discerning Scripture and creation and himself, Scripture, into letter and spirit; creation, into logos and appearance; and himself, into mind and sense; and having taken the spirit of Scripture, the logos of creation, and the mind of himself, and having united them to each other indissolubly, found God; as one who has come to know, as is right and possible, God, who is in Mind and Logos and Spirit; having been delivered from all that leads astray and drags down into countless opinions, I mean letter and appearance and sense, in which exists differing quantity, and which is opposed to the monad. But if someone, having interwoven and confused the letter of the law, the appearance of visible things, and his own sense with each other, he is blind and shortsighted, suffering from ignorance of the Cause of beings.

2.7 (ζ΄) The divine and great Apostle, defining what faith is, says: Faith is the substance of things hoped for, and the 15∆_080 evidence of things not seen. But if someone should also define it as an inward good, or as true knowledge demonstrating the ineffable goods, he has not missed the truth.

2.8 (η΄) Faith is a relational power, or an active relation of a perfect, supernatural, and immediate union of the believer with the God who is believed in.

2.9 (θ΄) Since, therefore, man, existing of soul and body, is shaken by two laws, I mean of the flesh and of the spirit; and the law of the flesh has its activity according to sense, while that of the spirit has its activity according to the mind; and the law of the flesh, being active according to sense, is by nature bound to matter, while the law of the spirit, being active according to the mind, makes its union with God immediate; reasonably, He who has not doubted in his heart; that is, in his mind not having separated, or rather having severed the immediate union with God that has come about through faith, as one who is dispassionate, or rather already having become a god through faith by the union, will say to this mountain to move, and it will move; 1225 demonstratively by saying this, the

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2.2 (β΄) Ἀλήθειαν μέν εἶναι λέγει, τήν θείαν γνῶσιν· ἀρετήν δέ, τούς ὑπέρ ἀληθείας τῶν ἐφιεμένων αὐτῆς ἀγῶνας. Ὁ τοίνυν γνώσεως ἕνεκεν, ἀρετῆς ὑπομένων πόνους, οὐ κενοδοξεῖ, γινώσκων ἀπερίληπτον εἶναι φύσει τοῖς πόνοις τήν ἀλήθειαν· τοῖς δευτέροις γάρ οὐ περιγράφεται φύσει τό πρῶτον. Ὁ δέ τήν γνῶσιν διά τούς ὑπέρ αὐτῆς ἀγῶνας ἐπιτηδεύων, πάντως κενόδοξος ὡς εἰληφέναι δοκῶν τούς στεφάνους πρό τῶν ἱδρώτων· οὐκ εἰδώς ὅτι διά τούς στεφάνους οἱ πόνοι, ἀλλ᾿ οὐ διά τούς πόνους οἱ στέφανοι· φύσει γάρ ἀμελέτητος πᾶσα καθέστηκε μέθοδος, τοῦ δι᾿ ὅ πέφυκεν ἐξανυσθέντος, ἤ ἀνυσθῆναι δόξαντος.

2.3 (γ΄) Ὁ μόνον τῆς γνώσεως τήν μορφήν, ὅπερ ἐστίν ὁ ψιλός λόγος· καί ὁ τήν εἰκόνα τῆς ἀρετῆς, ὅπερ ἐστί τό ψιλόν ἦθος, ἐπιτηδεύων, Ἰουδαῖός ἐστι καί αὐτός ἀληθείας τύποις φυσιούμενος.

2.4 (δ΄) Ὁ πᾶσαν τήν φαινομένην τοῦ νόμου λατρείαν μή κατ᾿ αἴσθησιν ὁρῶν, ἀλλά ταῖς κατά νοῦν ἐφόδοις ἕκαστον τῶν 15∆_078 ὁρωμένων συμβόλων διασκοπήσας, τόν ἐν ἑκάστῳ κεκρυμμένον θεοτελῆ Λόγον ἐκδιδασκόμενος, ἐν τῷ νόμῳ τόν Θεόν εὑρίσκει, καλῶς ψηλαφῶν διά τῆς νοερᾶς δυνάμεως ὡς ἐν φορυτῷ, τῇ ὕλῃ τῶν νομικῶν διατάξεων, εἴ που κεκρυμμένον εὕροι τῇ σαρκί τοῦ νόμου τόν τήν αἴσθησιν διαφεύγοντα παντελῶς μαργαρίτην Λόγον.

2.5 (ε΄) Καί ὁ τήν φύσιν δέ τῶν ὁρωμένων μή τῇ αἰσθήσει μόνῃ περιγράφων, ἀλλά κατά νοῦν σοφῶς τόν 1224 ἐν ἑκάστῳ κτίσματι λόγον ἐρευνώμενος, εὑρίσκει Θεόν, ἀπό τῆς προβεβλημένης τῶν ὄντων μεγαλουργίας, τήν αὐτῶν τῶν ὄντων διδασκόμενος αἰτίαν.

2.6 (στ΄) Ἐπειδή τοίνυν ἴδιον τοῦ ψηλαφῶντος ἡ διάκρισίς ἐστιν· ὁ τά νομικά σύμβολα γνωστικῶς ἐπερχόμενος, καί τήν φαινομένην τῶν ὄντων φύσιν ἐπιστημονικῶς θεώμενος, διακρίνων τήν Γραφήν καί τήν κτίσιν καί ἑαυτόν, τήν μέν Γραφήν, εἰς γράμμα καί πνεῦμα· τήν δέ κτίσιν, εἰς λόγον καί ἐπιφάνειαν· ἑαυτόν δέ, εἰς νοῦν καί αἴσθησιν· καί τῆς μέν Γραφῆς, τό πνεῦμα· τῆς δέ κτίσεως, τόν λόγον· ἑαυτοῦ δέ, τόν νοῦν λαβών, καί ἀλλήλοις ἀλύτως ἑνώσας, εὗρε Θεόν· ὡς ἐπιγνούς καθώς δεῖ, καί δυνατόν ἐστι, τόν Θεόν, τόν ἐν Νῷ καί Λόγῳ καί Πνεύματι· πάντων τῶν πλανώντων καί εἰς μυρίας δόξας κατασυρόντων ἀπαλλαγείς, λέγω δέ γράμματος καί ἐπιφανείας καί αἰσθήσεως, ἐν οἷς ἡ διάφορος ὑπάρχει ποσότης, καί τῆς μονάδος ἀντίθετος. Εἰ δέ τό γράμμα τοῦ νόμου, καί τήν τῶν ὁρωμένων ἐπιφάνειαν καί τήν οἰκείαν αἴσθησιν ἀλλήλοις τις προσπλέξας συμφύρῃ, τυφλός ἐστι μυωπάζων, τήν τῆς Αἰτίας τῶν ὄντων ἀγνωσίαν νοσῶν.

2.7 (ζ΄) Ὁ θεῖος καί μέγας Ἀπόστολος, τί ἐστι πίστις ὁρίζων, φησί· Πίστις ἐστίν, ἐλπιζομένων ὑπόστασις, καί πραγμάτων 15∆_080 ἔλεγχος οὐ βλεπομένων. Εἰ δέ τις καί ἐνδιάθετον αὐτήν ἀγαθόν ὁρίσαιτο, ἤ γνῶσιν ἀληθῆ τῶν ἀποῤῥήτων ἀγαθῶν ἀποδεικτικήν, τῆς ἀληθείας οὐ διήμαρτεν.

2.8 (η΄) Ἡ πίστις, δύναμίς ἐστι σχετική, ἤ σχέσις δραστική τῆς ὑπέρ φύσιν ἀμέσου τοῦ πιστεύοντος πρός τόν πιστευόμενον Θεόν, τελείας ἑνώσεως.

2.9 (θ΄) Ἐπειδή τοίνυν ὁ ἄνθρωπος ἐκ ψυχῆς ὑπάρχων καί σώματος, δυσί σαλεύεται νόμοις, σαρκός λέγω καί πνεύματος· καί ὁ μέν τῆς σαρκός νόμος, κατά τήν αἴσθησιν· ὁ δέ τοῦ πνεύματος, κατά τόν νοῦν κέκτηται τήν ἐνέργειαν· καί ὁ μέν τῆς σαρκός ὕλῃ συνδεῖν πέφυκε, κατά τήν αἴσθησιν ἐνεργούμενος, ὁ δέ τοῦ πνεύματος κατά νοῦν ἐνεργούμενος, πρός τόν Θεόν ἀμέσως ποιεῖται τήν ἕνωσιν· εἰκότως Ὁ μή διακριθείς ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ αὐτοῦ· τουτέστιν, ἐν τῷ νοΐ μή διακρίνας, ἤγουν διατεμών τήν διά τῆς πίστεως πρός τόν Θεόν γεγενημένην ἄμεσον ἕνωσιν, ὡς ἀπαθής, μᾶλλον δέ θεός ἤδη διά τῆς πίστεως τῇ ἑνώσει γεγενημένος, ἐρεῖ τῷ ὄρει τούτῳ μεταβῆναι, καί μεταβήσεται· 1225 δεικτικῶς διά τοῦ τοῦτο φάναι, τό