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contemplative, through true knowledge having acquired by grace kinship with the Word. And Salome, which is interpreted as Peace or Most Full, is every soul that is at peace through the rejection of the passions, and by the abundance of the practical virtues has subjected the mind of the flesh to the law of the spirit, and through the fulfillment of the spiritual concepts according to contemplation has wisely embraced the knowledge of beings as far as possible. And Joanna, which is interpreted as a dove, the gentle, guileless, and prolific animal, is every soul that through meekness has put away what is passionate, and has the fervent spiritual fruitfulness in knowledge. And these weep at early dawn, that is, they pour forth tears of knowledge, seeking the Word who is the very source of all virtue and knowledge. And first they see the stone rolled away from the door of the tomb, that is, the hardness of the obscurity of the Word that lies upon the heart; then the angels, that is, the natural principles of beings in spirit, silently proclaiming the all-causative Word.

ΡΛS (136). ANOTHER CONTEMPLATION ON THE ANGELS

Another contemplation on the angels. Or the words of holy Scripture, concerning Christ 14Ε_114 as God and man, that is, concerning theology and the economy, providing a clearer meaning to them. For the account says that they saw one at the head, and one at the feet. For at the head is the word of theology on account of the divinity of Christ, and at the feet the word of the economy on account of the incarnation, and one would not be wrong to say that the head of Christ is His divinity, and His feet His humanity.

ΡΛΖ (137). ANOTHER CONTEMPLATION ON THE SAME

Another contemplation on the same. Or perhaps the angels are the movements of conscience concerning the word of piety, because of the complete rejection of evil and ignorance; proclaiming to them intellectually the resurrection of the Word who was once dead in them through evil. And finally they see the Word Himself appearing to them distinctly, without symbols and types, and filling their intellectual capacities with intelligible joy.

ΡΛΗ (138). ..». BECOME PETER OR JOHN; HASTEN TO THE TOMB,

RUNNING AGAINST..». From the same discourse, on the text: "Become Peter or John; hasten to the tomb, running against, running with, competing in the good contest." Peter is every man who has acquired the firmness of faith in Christ in the conduct of his life; John, however, is he who, through great meekness 1381 and the resulting unadulterated purity of heart, is beloved by the Word, and for this reason 14Ε_116 is entrusted with the treasures of wisdom and knowledge, and through reclining on the breast received from the hidden divinity of the Word Himself the power of theology. And these run against each other, the one striving to overcome the other's contemplation through virtuous practice, the other hastening to surpass the other's practice through gnostic contemplation. They run together

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θεωρητική, διά γνώσεως ἀληθοῦς τήν πρός τόν λόγον κατά χάριν κτησαμένη συγγένειαν. Σαλώμη δέ ἐστιν, ἥτις ἑρμηνεύεται Εἰρήνη ἤ Πληρεστάτη, πᾶσα ψυχή διά μέν τῆς ἀποβολῆς τῶν παθῶν εἰρηνεύουσα, καί τῇ περιουσίᾳ τῶν πρακτικῶν ἀρετῶν τό φρόνημα τῆς σαρκός καθυποτάξασα τῷ νόμῳ τοῦ πνεύματος, διά δέ τῆς πληρώσεως τῶν κατά θεωρίαν πνευματικῶν νοημάτων τήν τῶν ὄντων γνῶσιν κατά τό δυνατόν σοφῶς περιλαβοῦσα. Ἰωάννα δέ ἐστιν, ἥτις ἑρμηνεύεται περιστερά, τό πρᾶον ζῶον καί ἄχολον καί πολύγονον, πᾶσα ψυχή διά πραότητος τό ἐμπαθές ἀποθεμένη, καί τήν ἐν γνώσει πολυγονίαν τοῦ πνεύματος διάπυρον ἔχουσα. Αὗται δέ δακρύουσιν ὄρθριαι, τουτέστι δάκρυα προχέουσι γνωστικά, ζητοῦσαι τόν πάσης ἀρετῆς τε καί γνώσεως ἀρχικώτατον Λόγον. Καί πρῶτον ὁρῶσι τόν λίθον ἐκ τῆς θύρας ἠρμένον τοῦ μνημείου, τουτέστι τήν ἐπικειμένην τῇ καρδίᾳ τῆς ἀσαφείας τοῦ Λόγου πώρωσιν· εἶτα τούς ἀγγέλους, τουτέστι τούς ἐν πνεύματι τῶν ὄντων φυσικούς λόγους, σιωπῇ κηρύττοντας τόν παναίτιον Λόγον.

ΡΛS (136). ΑΛΛΟ ΘΕΩΡΗΜΑ ΕΙΣ ΤΟΥΣ ΑΓΓΕΛΟΥΣ

Ἄλλο θεώρημα εἰς τούς ἀγγέλους. Ἤ τούς λόγους τῆς ἀγίας Γραφῆς, τήν περί τοῦ Χριστοῦ 14Ε_114 ὡς Θεοῦ

καί ἀνθρώπου, ἤγουν τήν περί θεολογίας καί οἰκονομίας, τρανοτέραν αὐταῖς παρεχομένους ἔννοιαν. Ἕνα γάρ φησίν ὁ λόγος αὐτάς ἑωρακέναι πρός τῇ κεφαλῇ, καί ἕνα πρός τοῖς ποσί. Πρός τῆ κεφαλῇ γάρ εἶναι τόν τῆς θεολογίας λόγον διά τήν θεότητα τοῦ Χριστοῦ, πρός δέ τοῖς ποσί τόν τῆς οἰκονομίας διά τήν σάρκωσιν, καί Χριστοῦ μέν κεφαλήν τήν θεότητα αὐτοῦ, πόδας δέ τήν ἀνθρωπότητα αὐτοῦ λέγων τις τοῦ εἰκότος οὐχ ἁμαρτήσεται.

ΡΛΖ (137). ΑΛΛΟ ΘΕΩΡΗΜΑ ΕΙΣ ΤΟΥΣ ΑΥΤΟΥΣ

Ἄλλο θεώρημα εἰς τούς αὐτούς. Ἤ τυχόν τάς κατά συνείδησιν περί τόν λόγον τῆς εὐσεβείας κινήσεις εἶναι

τούς ἀγγέλους, διά τήν παντελῆ τῆς κακίας τε καί ἀγνωσίας ἀποβολήν· κηρύττουσας αὐταῖς νοητῶς τοῦ ποτέ διά κακίαν ἐν αὐταῖς νεκρωθέντος Λόγου τήν ἀνάστασιν. Καί τέλος αὐτόν ὁρῶσι τόν Λόγον διαῤῥήδην αὐταῖς ἐμφανιζόμενον, συμβόλων δίχα καί τύπων, καί πληροῦντα χαρᾶς νοητῆς τάς νοεράς αὐτῶν χωρήσεις.

ΡΛΗ (138). ..». ΓΕΝΟΥ ΠΕΤΡΟΣ Η ΙΩΑΝΝΗΣ· ΕΠΙ ΤΟΝ ΤΑΦΟΝ ΕΠΕΙΧΘΗΤΙ,

ΑΝΤΙΤΡΕΧΩΝ..». Ἐκ τοῦ αὐτοῦ λόγου, εἰς τό· «Γενοῦ Πέτρος ἤ Ἰωάννης· ἐπί τόν τάφον

ἐπείχθητι, ἀντιτρέχων, συντρέχων, τήν καλήν ἅμιλλαν ἁμιλλώμενος». Πέτρος μέν ἐστι πᾶς ἄνθρωπος τό στερέωμα τῆς εἰς Χριστόν πίστεως κατά

τήν ἀναστροφήν τοῦ βίου κτησάμενος· Ἰωάννης δέ ὁ διά πραότητα πολλήν 1381 καί τήν ἐκ ταύτης ἀκραιφνῆ καθαρότητα τῆς καρδίας ἀγαπώμενος τῷ Λόγῳ, καί διά τοῦτο 14Ε_116 τούς τῆς σοφίας καί τῆς γνώσεως θησαυρούς πιστευόμενος, καί τῇ ἐπί τό στῆθος ἀναπτώσει ἐξ αὐτῆς τοῦ Λόγου τῆς κρυφίας θεότητος τήν τῆς θεολογίας κομισάμενος δύναμιν. Ἀντιτρέχουσι δέ ἀλλήλοις οὗτοι, ὁ μέν κατά τήν ἐνάρετον πρᾶξιν τήν τοῦ ἑτέρου θεωρίαν νικῆσαι φιλονεικῶν, ὁ δέ κατά τήν γνωστικήν θεωρίαν τήν πρᾶξιν τοῦ ἄλλου παραδραμεῖν ἐπειγόμενος. Συντρέχουσι