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For what partaker of reason, and not without a share of friendship for virtue, is ignorant that the soul's perpetual motion around the beautiful is nothing other than its natural activity, for which and because of which cause it was brought to perfection? But turning, a movement contrary to nature, introduces the failure of this cause. For turning, in my opinion, is nothing other than weakness, and a falling away from natural activities. Therefore, no longer deem it worthy to say to the idle talkers, 'You who dare to compare God and creation.' Since the Divine, properly speaking, is neither body, nor incorporeal, nor substance, nor any of the things conceived or spoken, that I may not enumerate everything in order; but even when conceived remains incomprehensible, and when spoken, ineffable.

Let these things, then, be said by us inquiringly, but not dogmatically; and if it is sufficient for the subject, as is possible in a brief letter, and has not fallen far short of your magnanimity; thanks be to God, and to you who lead me on. But if you wish, should the gainsayers not be persuaded, to engage with them more contentiously, we are ready by the grace of God to bring down upon them the cloud of divine martyrs and testimonies that surrounds us; so that, laying aside the burden of all the laborious investigation concerning this, and the easily besetting wrangling of the contentious, 15Β_112 we may without disturbance possess the true knowledge concerning both God and his creatures. But if inadequately, which all must suffer, and not successfully, as things brought forth from an ignorant mind and a weak instrument; forgive me, beloved, who for obedience alone, as God who searches the hearts knows, have dared to say these things; and gently correct one who does not wish to be ignorant of anything 0433 profitable, and compassionately guide one who desires to walk aright.

LETTER 7. ... CONCERNING THE SOUL HAVING AFTER DEATH ITS

INTELLECTUAL ACTIVITY... 7. From the same to John the Presbyter, concerning the soul having even after death

its intellectual activity, and not being deprived of any natural power. 15Β_114 On the second day of the present month of August of the current

first indiction, our common friend delivered to me the precious letters of your paternal holiness; upon reading which, I was naturally encouraged on account of you, my masters, and after God the cause of all good things for me, living in good health. For the Holy Spirit of God is so completely united with you, that even when you are absent, by contemplating you with the eyes of the mind alone, I am ordered according to my underlying power and life and reason; as seeing and revering God manifested through you in my memory. But I was not a little vexed at the dogma concerning the soul being fearlessly preached there by some, as you have written, considering how much strength and boldness such an evil has here as well. But what fills me with more dejection here, and casts a weight like a cloud upon my mind, is the novel dogma concerning the resurrection now held by almost everyone, and especially by the supposedly eminent monks; so that one no longer supposes the coming of the Antichrist to be heralded conjecturally; but rather to believe and be assured that he is present, anyone who has any share of reason; having the very (absurdity) of the things said testifying to such an evil.

15Β_116 For they say, those who fearlessly sharpen their tongue against everything, and consider nothing of the things impiously done or said to be dreadful, with phlegm again and blood, and also with yellow and black bile and with a draught of air, and with sensible food for the

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Ἐπεί τίς ἄν λόγου μέτοχος, καί ἀρετῆς φιλίας οὐκ ἄμοιρος ἀγνοεῖ, ὅτι οὐδέν ὑπάρχει ἕτερον ἡ περί τό καλόν τῆς ψυχῆς ἀεικινησία, ἤ ἐνέργεια φυσική, ἐφ᾿ ᾗ καί δι᾿ ἥν γεγένηται αἰτίαν τελουμένη; ἡ δέ τροπή, κίνησις παρά φύσιν, τήν ταύτης ἀποτυχίαν τῆς αἰτίας εἰσάγουσα. Τροπή γάρ, κατ᾿ ἐμέ εἰπεῖν, οὐδέν καθέστηκεν ἕτερον, ἤ ἀσθένεια, καί ἔκπτωσις τῶν κατά φύσιν ἐνεργειῶν. Μηκέτι οὖν φάναι ἀξίωσον τοῖς λογολέσχαις, Θεόν καί κτίσιν συγκρῖναι τολμήσητε. Ἐπειδή τό Θεῖον κυρίως εἰπεῖν, οὔτε σῶμα, οὔτε ἀσώματον, οὔτε οὐσία, οὔτε τι τῶν νοουμένων ἤ λεγομένων ἐστίν, ἵνα μή πάντα καθεξῆς ἀπαριθμῶμαι· ἀλλά καί νοούμενον ἄληπτον, καί λεγόμενον ἄῤῥητον διαμένει.

Ταῦτα μέν οὖν ζητητικῶς, ἀλλ᾿ οὐ δογματικῶς παρ᾿ ἡμῶν εἰρήσθω· καί εἰ μέν αὐτάρκως ἔχει πρός τήν ὑπόθεσιν, ὡς δι᾿ ἐπιτόμου ἐπιστολῆς δυνατόν, καί οὐ πολύ τῆς ὑμεστέρας μεγαλονοίας ἀπολέλειπται· Θεῷ χάρις, καί ὑμῖν τοῖς προβιβάζουσιν. Εἰ δέ βούλεσθε, εἴπερ μή πεισθεῖεν οἱ ἀντιλέγοντες, ἀγωνιστικώτερον αὐτοῖς συμπλακῆναι, ἕτοιμοί ἐσμεν Θεοῦ χάριτι, τό περικείμενον ἡμῖν τῶν θείων ματρύρων τε καί μαρτυριῶν καταφεῖναι αὐτῶν νέφος· ἵνα πάσης τῆς ἐπιπόνου περί τούτου διασκέψεως τόν ὄγκον ἀποθέμενοι, καί τή εὐπερίστατον τῶν φιλονείκων λογομαχίαν, 15Β_112 ἀνενοχλήτως τήν ἀληθῆ περί τε Θεοῦ καί τῶν αὐτοῦ κτισμάτων γνῶσιν κατέχωμεν. Εἰ δέ ἐνδεῶς, ὅπερ πᾶσα παθεῖν ἀνάγκη, καί οὐκ ἐπιτετευγμένως, ὡς ἐξ ἀμαθοῦς διανοίας καί ἀσθενοῦς ὀργάνου προενηνεγμένα· σύγγνωτέ μοι, ἠγαπημένοι, δι᾿ ὑπακοήν καί μόνην, ὡς ὁ ἐρευνῶν τάς καρδίας ἐπίσταται Θεός, καί ταῦτα εἰπεῖν θαῤῥήσαντι· καί διορθώσασθε ἠπίως τόν οὐκ ἐθέλοντά τι 0433 τῶν συμφερόντων ἀγνοεῖν, καί χειραγωγήσατε συμπαθῶς τόν ὀρθῶς βαίνειν ἐπιθυμοῦντα.

ΕΠΙΣΤΟΛΗ Ζ'. ... ΠΕΡΙ ΤΟΥ ΚΑΙ ΜΕΤΑ ΘΑΝΑΤΟΝ ΕΧΕΙΝ ΤΗΝ ΨΥΧΗΝ ΤΗΝ

ΝΟΕΡΑΝ ΕΝΕΡΓΕΙΑΝ... Ζ´. Τοῦ αὐτοῦ πρός Ἰωάννην πρεσβύτερον, περί τοῦ καί μετά θάνατον ἔχειν

τήν ψυχήν τήν νοεράν ἐνέργειαν, καί μηδεμιᾶς ἐξίστασθαι φυσικῆς δυνάμεως. 15Β_114 Τῇ δευτέρᾳ τοῦ ἐνεστῶτος Αὐγούστου μηνός τῆς παρούσης

πρώτης ἐπινεμήσεως, ὁ κοινός ἡμῶν φίλος τίμια τῆς ὑμετέρας πατρικῆς ἁγιωσύνης γράμματα ἐπιδέδωκέ μοι· οἷς ἐντυχών, παρεκλήθην μέν εἰκότως ἐφ᾿ ὑμῖν τοῖς ἐμοῖς δεσπόταις, καί μετά Θεόν πάντων μοι τῶν καλῶν αἰτίοις, ἐν ὑγείᾳ διάγουσι. Τοσοῦτον γάρ ὑμῖν ἥνωται δι᾿ ὅλου τό Πνεῦμα τοῦ Θεοῦ τό ἅγιον, ὅτι καί ἀπόντας ὑμᾶς νοός ὀφθαλμοῖς μόνον ἀναθεωρῶν, ῥυθμίζομαι κατά τήν ὑποῦσάν μοι δύναμιν καί βίον καί λόγον· ὡς Θεόν κατά τήν μνήμην δι᾿ ὑμῶν ἐμφανιζόμενον, καί ὁρῶν καί αἰδούμενος. Ἠνιάθην δέ οὐ μετρίως ἐπί τῷ περί ψυχῆς δόγματι τῷ ὑπό τινων, ὡς γεγράφατε, ἀδεῶς ἐκεῖσε κηρυττομένῳ, ὅσην κἀνταῦθα τό τοιοῦτο κακόν ἔχειν ἰσχύν καί παῤῥησίαν ἐννοῶν. Τό δέ πλέον με κατηφείας ἐμπιπλῶν ἐνταῦθα, καί βάρος ὥσπερ νέφος τῇ διανοίᾳ ἐμβάλλον, τό νῦν ὑπό πάντων σχεδόν, καί μάλιστα τῶν δῆθεν ἐπιφανῶν μοναχῶν πρεσβευόμενον περί ἀναστάσεως καινοπρεπές δόγμα· ὥστε μηδέ στοχαστικῶς ἔτι προοιμιάζεσθαι τήν τοῦ Ἀντιχρίστου παρουσίαν ὑπολαμβάνειν· παρεῖναι δέ μᾶλλον πιστεύειν καί διαβεβαιοῦσαθαι , καί τόν ὁποσοῦν μετέχοντα τοῦ λογίζεσθαι· αὐτήν μαρτυροῦσαν τῷ τοιούτῳ κακῷ τήν τῶν λεγομένων (ἀτοπίαν) ἔχοντα.

15Β_116 Φασί γάρ οἱ πρός πάντα τήν γλῶσσαν ἀδεῶς ὀξύνοντες, καί μηδέν τῶν ἀσεβῶς γινομένων ἤ λεγομένων ἡγούμενοι φοβερόν, φλέγματι πάλιν καί αἵματι, χολῇ τε αὖ ξανθῇ καί μελαίνῃ καί ὀλκῇ ἀέρος, καί τροφῇ αἰσθητῇ πρός τό