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believing, how could he, by reasoning with others, make things known and believable? For this reason, if someone without stillness and watchfulness of mind and the experience of things spiritually and ineffably accomplished in it teaches about watchfulness, following his own reasonings and seeking to show through reason the good that is beyond reason, he is clearly driven to the extreme of madness and has truly had his wisdom made foolish, because he foolishly supposed he could contemplate with natural knowledge the things that are beyond nature and the depths of God, which are known only to the Spirit, and the gifts of the Spirit, which are known only to the spiritual who now possess the mind of Christ, and investigate and show them with a natural mind and carnal philosophy; and in addition to his foolishness, he will also be found a fighter against God, mistaking—O, the calamity!—the energy and grace of the good Spirit for that of Beliar, and opposing those who have received the Spirit from God, that through Him they might know the things freely given to us by God, but he will also be an heir of the "woe" on account of the harm to his listeners; "Woe," says the prophet, "to him who gives his brother turbid ruin to drink."

It is fitting, then, for those who are able to discern all things, that is, the spiritual ("for the spiritual man discerns all things," according to the apostle), it is fitting then for those who are not such to submit themselves to these, so that by their discernment they may also know (p. 178) their own affairs securely, while they themselves attempt to judge and correct those who are judged by no one ("for the spiritual man," according to the same apostle, "is judged by no one"), to their own destruction and that of those who are persuaded by them. For they say that it is not possible for anyone to partake of perfection and holiness who has not found the true opinion about existing things, and that it is impossible to have found it without division, syllogism, and analysis. Therefore, they conclude that it is most necessary for one who desires to attain perfection and holiness to be taught and to pursue the methods of division, syllogism, and analysis from secular education, and through such arguments they themselves hasten to show the wisdom that was abolished as active again. But if they had been willing to approach in humility those who are able to discern all things and to learn the truth, they would have heard that this dogma is of a Hellenic mindset. It is a heresy of the Stoics and Pythagoreans, who say that scientific knowledge is the goal of contemplation, which is acquired through the study of mathematics. But we do not consider the knowledge found through words and syllogisms to be true opinion, but rather that which is demonstrated through works and life, which is not only true, but also secure and unchangeable. For, he says, "every argument wrestles with an argument," but with a life, who does? And indeed, we do not think that anyone can know himself through methods of division, syllogism, and analysis, unless through arduous repentance and intense ascetic practice, he makes his own mind free from pride and wickedness. For one who has not prepared his own mind in such a way and to such an extent will not even know his own poverty by knowledge, which is the profitable beginning of one knowing oneself.

But neither would anyone of sound mind place all ignorance under condemnation, nor do we consider all knowledge blessed. How then, looking to it as to an end, shall we do all things? (p. 180) And the great Basil says that the form of truth is twofold, of which it is most necessary to have and to provide one kind, as it is a co-worker of salvation; but concerning earth and sea, heaven and the things in heaven, if we do not know the truth in such matters, nothing will hinder us from the blessedness in the promises. And the end set before us is the promises from God of good things to come, the adoption as sons, the deification, the of heavenly things

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πιστεύων, πῶς τοῖς ἄλλοις συμβιβάσας γνωστά τε καί πιστά ποιήσειε; ∆ιά τοῦτο εἴ τις ἄνευ ἡσυχίας τε καί νήψεως τῆς κατά νοῦν καί τῆς ἐν αὐτῇ πνευματικῶς καί ἀπορρήτως τελουμένων πείρας περί νήψεως διδάσκει, στοιχῶν τοῖς οἰκείοις διαλογισμοῖς καί διά λόγου δεῖξαι ζητῶν τό ὑπέρ λόγον ἀγαθόν, εἰς ἔσχατον ἀπονοίας δῆλός ἐστι κατενεχθείς καί τήν σοφίαν ὄντως μωρανθείς, ὅτι ἀφρόνως ὑπενόησε φυσικῇ γνώσει τά ὑπέρ φύσιν κατοπτεῦσαι καί τά βάθη τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἅ γνωστά μόνῳ τῷ Πνεύματι, καί τά χαρίσματα τοῦ Πνεύματος, ἅ γνωστά μόνοις τοῖς πνευματικοῖς καί νῦν ἔχουσι Χριστοῦ, φυσικῇ διανοίᾳ καί σαρκικῇ φιλοσοφίᾳ ἐρευνῆσαί τε καί δεῖξαι˙ πρός δέ τῇ ἀφροσύνῃ, καί θεομάχος εὑρεθήσεται, παραγνωρίζων εἰς τήν τοῦ Βελίαρ, ὤ τῆς συμφορᾶς, τήν τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ Πνεύματος ἐνέργειαν καί χάριν καί ἀντιταττόμενος τοῖς λαβοῦσι τό ἐκ Θεοῦ Πνεῦμα, ἵνα δι᾿ αὐτοῦ εἰδῶσι τά ἐκ Θεοῦ χαρισθέντα ἡμῖν, ἀλλά καί τοῦ «οὐαί» ἔσται κληρονόμος διά τήν τῶν ἀκουόντων βλάβην˙ «οὐαί» γάρ, φησίν ὁ προφήτης, «τῷ ποτίζοντι τόν ἀδελφόν αὐτοῦ ἀνατροπήν θολεράν».

∆έον οὖν τοῖς πάντα ἀνακρίνειν δυναμένοις, δηλονότι τοῖς πνευματικοῖς («ὁ γάρ πνευματικός πάντα ἀνακρίνει» κατά τόν ἀπόστολον), δέον οὖν τούτοις τούς μή τοιούτους φέροντας ὑποτάσσειν ἑαυτούς, ὡς τῇ τούτων ἀνακρίσει καί τά (σελ. 178) καθ᾿ ἑαυτούς εἰσομένους ἀσφαλῶς, αὐτοί τούς ὑπ᾿ οὐδενός τούτους ἀνακρινομένους («ὁ γάρ πνευματικός» κατά τόν αὐτόν ἀπόστολον «ὑπ᾿ οὐδενός ἀνακρίνεται») κρίνειν καί διορθοῦν ἐπιχειροῦσι πρός καταστροφήν ἑαυτῶν τε καί τῶν τούτοις πειθομένων. Φασί γάρ μηδένα δυνατόν εἶναι τελειότητός τε καί ἁγιότητος μετέχειν τήν ἀληθῆ περί τῶν ὄντων οὐχ εὑρηκότα δόξαν, εὑρηκέναι δέ αὐτήν ἄνευ διαρέσεως καί συλλογισμοῦ καί ἀναλύσεως ἀδύνατον ὑπάρχειν. Οὐκοῦν τόν ἐπειλῆφθαι τελειότητος καί ἁγιότητος ἐπιθυμοῦντα τάς διαιρετικάς καί συλλογιστικάς καί ἀναλυτικάς μεθόδους ἀναγκαιότατον παρά τῆς ἔξω παιδείας διδαχθῆναί τε καί μετιέναι συμπεραίνειν οἴονται καί διά τοιούτων λόγων τήν καταργηθεῖσαν πάλιν ἐνεργόν αὐτοί δεῖξαι σπεύδουσι σοφίαν. Εἰ δέ παρά τῶν πάντα ἀνακρίνειν δυναμένων ἐν ταπεινώσει προσελθόντες ἠθέλησαν τήν ἀλήθειαν μαθεῖν, ἤκουσαν ἄν ὡς τοῦτο τό δόγμα φρονήματός ἐστιν ἑλληνικοῦ. Στωικῶν τε καί Πυθαγορείων αἵρεσις, οἵ τήν ἐπιστήμην τέλος λέγουσι τῆς θεωρίας προσγινομένην διά τῆς τῶν μαθημάτων ἀναλήψεως. Ἡμεῖς δέ οὐ τήν διά λόγων καί συλλογισμῶν εὑρισκομένην γνῶσιν δόξαν ἀληθῆ νομίζομεν, ἀλλά τήν δι᾿ ἔργων τε καί βίου ἀποδεικνυμένη ἤ καί μή μόνον ἀληθής, ἀλλά καί ἀσφαλής ἐστι καί ἀπερίτρεπτος. «Λόγῳ» γάρ, φησί, «παλαίει πᾶς λόγος», βίῳ δέ τίς; Καί μήν οὐδέ ἑαυτόν γνῶναι δυνηθῆναί τινα οἰόμεθα διαιρετικαῖς καί συλλογιστικαῖς καί ἀναλυτικαῖς μεθόδοις, ἄν μή δι᾿ ἐπιπόνου μετανοίας καί ἀσκήσεως συντόνου, ἄτυφον καί ἀπόνηρον ποιήσῃ τόν οἰκεῖον νοῦν. Ὁ γάρ μή τοιοῦτον καί οὕτω τόν ἑαυτοῦ κατασκεύσας νοῦν, οὐδέ τήν οἰκείαν κατά γνῶσιν εἴσεται πενίαν, ὅ τοῦ γνῶναί τινα ἑαυτόν ἐστιν ἀρχή λυσιτελής.

Ἀλλ᾿ οὐδέ πᾶσαν ἀγνωσίαν ὑπ᾿ ἔγκλημα θοῖτ᾿ ἄν τις εὖ φρονῶν, οὐδέ πᾶσαν γνῶσιν οἰόμεθα μακαριστόν. Πῶς οὖν πρός αὐτήν ὡς πρός τέλος ἀφορῶντες πάντα πράξομεν; (σελ. 180) ∆ιπλοῦν δέ φησι καί ὁ μέγας Βασίλειος τό εἶδος τῆς ἀληθείας, ὧν τό μέν ἔχειν τε καί παρέχειν ἀναγκαιότατον, ὡς συνεργόν τῆς σωτηρίας ὑπάρχον˙ περί δέ γῆς καί θαλάσσης, οὐρανοῦ τε καί τῶν κατ᾿ οὐρανόν, ἐάν μή εἰδῶμεν τήν ἐν τοῖς τοιούτοις ἀλήθειαν, οὐδέν ἡμῖν ἐμποδίσει πρός τήν ἐν ἐπαγγελίαις μακαριότητα. Καί τέλος δέ τό προκείμενον ἡμῖν, αἱ παρά τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐπαγγελίαι τῶν μελλόντων ἀγαθῶν, ἡ υἱοθεσία, ἡ ἐκθέωσις, ἡ τῶν οὐρανίων