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having considered such things, may he no longer dare to fly up to him through his accustomed prayer. But the avenger profits nothing from this for his own purpose, but rather makes us more steadfast. For by being warred upon and warring in return, we are found to be more tested and more genuine in the love of God; may his sword enter into his own heart and may his bows be broken.

2.15 (15) The mind, when directing itself to visible things, naturally perceives things through the medium of the senses; and neither the mind is evil, nor the natural perception, nor the things, nor the senses; for these are the works of God 14__218. What then is evil? Clearly it is the passion of the natural thought, which can be absent from the use of thoughts, if the mind is watchful.

2.16 (16) A passion is a movement of the soul contrary to nature, either toward an irrational love or toward an indiscriminate hatred of someone or for the sake of something perceptible. For example, toward an irrational love of foods, or a woman, or money, or passing glory, or some other perceptible thing, or for the sake of these things; and toward an indiscriminate hatred, for example, of any of the aforementioned things, as has been said, or toward someone because of these things.

2.17 (17) Or again, evil is the mistaken use of thoughts, which is followed by the misuse of things. For example, in the case of a woman, the right use of intercourse has as its purpose the procreation of children. He, therefore, who looks to pleasure has erred concerning the use, considering what is not good as good; such a one therefore misuses a woman in having intercourse. And it is the same with other things and thoughts.

2.18 (18) When the demons, having cast chastity out of the mind, surround it with thoughts of fornication, then with tears say to the Master: Having cast me out they have now surrounded me; my exultation, deliver me from those who have surrounded me; and you will be saved.

2.19 (19) The demon of fornication is heavy and attacks fiercely those who struggle against the passion, and especially in neglect of diet and in encounters with women. For secretly by the 14__220 smoothness of pleasure it steals away the mind, and then later invades it through memory when it is at rest; both setting the body on fire and presenting various forms to the mind, it provokes it to consent to sin; which if you wish not to linger in you, take up fasting and labor and vigil and good stillness with intense prayer.

2.20 (20) Those who always seek our soul seek it through passionate thoughts, in order to cast it into sin in thought or in deed. When, therefore, they find the mind not receiving them, then they will be ashamed and put to confusion; but when they find it engaged in spiritual contemplation, then they will be turned back and greatly ashamed with speed.

2.21 (21) He holds the place of a deacon who anoints the mind for the sacred contests and drives away passionate thoughts from it; of a presbyter, he who enlightens it to the knowledge of existing things and makes falsely-named knowledge to disappear; of a bishop, he who perfects it with the holy myrrh of the knowledge of the adorable and holy Trinity.

2.22 (22) The demons grow weak when the passions in us are diminished through the commandments; and they are destroyed when they are finally made to disappear through the soul’s passionlessness, no longer finding the things through which 14__222 they were found in it and warred against it. And this would be the meaning of: They will grow weak and will perish from before your face.

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τοιαῦτα διανοηθείς, μηκέτι τολμήσῃ διὰ τῆς συνήθους προσευχῆς πρὸς αὐτὸν ἀναπτῆναι. Οὐδὲν δὲ ἐντεῦθεν ὠφελεῖται ὁ ἀλάστωρ πρὸς τὸν ἴδιον σκοπόν, ἀλλὰ καὶ μᾶλλον βεβαιοτέρους ἡμᾶς ἀπεργάζεται. Πολεμούμενοι γὰρ καὶ ἀντιπολεμοῦντες δοκιμώτεροι καὶ γνησιώτεροι εἰς τὴν ἀγάπην τοῦ Θεοῦ εὑρισκόμεθα· ἡ δὲ ῥομφαία αὐτοῦ εἰσέλθοι εἰς καρδίαν αὐτοῦ καὶ τὰ τόξα αὐτοῦ συντριβείη.

2.15 (ιε') Ὁ νοῦς ἐπιβάλλων τοῖς ὁρατοῖς κατὰ φύσιν νοεῖ τὰ πράγματα διὰ μέσης τῆς αἰσθήσεως καὶ οὔτε ὁ νοῦς κακὸν οὔτε τὸ κατὰ φῦσιν νοεῖν οὔτε δὲ τὰ πράγματα οὔτε ἡ αἴσθησις· Θεοῦ 14__218 γάρ εἰσι ταῦτα τὰ ἔργα. Τί οὖν ἐστι τὸ κακόν; ∆ῆλον ὅτι τὸ πάθος τοῦ κατὰ φύσιν νοήματος, ὅπερ δύναται μὴ εἶναι ἐν τῇ τῶν νοημάτων χρήσει, ἐὰν ὁ νοῦς γρηγορῇ.

2.16 (ιστ') Πάθος ἐστὶ κίνησις ψυχῆς παρὰ φύσιν ἢ ἐπὶ φιλίαν ἄλογον ἢ ἐπὶ μῖσος ἄκριτον ἤ τινος ἢ διά τι τῶν αἰσθητῶν. Οἷον ἐπὶ μὲν φιλίαν ἄλογον ἢ βρωμάτων ἢ γυναικὸς ἢ χρημάτων ἢ δόξης παρερχομένης ἤ τινος ἄλλου τῶν αἰσθητῶν ἢ διὰ ταῦτα· ἐπὶ μῖσος δὲ ἄκριτον, οἷον ἤ τινος τῶν προειρημένων, ὡς εἴρηται, ἢ πρός τινα διὰ ταῦτα.

2.17 (ιζ') Ἤ πάλιν κακία ἐστὶν ἡ ἐσφαλμένη χρῆσις τῶν νοημάτων, ᾗ ἐπακολουθεῖ ἡ παράχρησις τῶν πραγμάτων. Οἷον ὡς ἐπὶ τῆς γυναικὸς ἡ ὀρθὴ χρῆσις τῆς συνουσίας ὁ σκοπός ἐστι τῆς παιδοποιίας. Ὁ οὖν εἰς τὴν ἡδονὴν ἀποβλεψάμενος ἐσφάλη περὶ τὴν χρῆσιν, τὸ μὴ καλὸν ὡς καλὸν ἡγησάμενος· ὁ οὖν τοιοῦτος παραχρῆται γυναικὶ συνουσιαζόμενος. Καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν ἄλλων δὲ πραγμάτων καὶ νοημάτων ὁμοίως.

2.18 (ιη') Ὅταν τὸν νοῦν οἱ δαίμονες τῆς σωφροσύνης ἐκβαλόντες τοῖς τῆς πορνείας λογισμοῖς περικυκλώσωσι, τότε μετὰ δακρύων λέγε πρὸς τὸν ∆εσπότην· Ἐκβαλόντες με νῦν περιεκύκλωσάν με· τὸ ἀγαλλίαμά μου, λύτρωσαί με ἀπὸ τῶν κυκλωσάντων με· καὶ σώζῃ.

2.19 (ιθ') Βαρὺς ὁ τῆς πορνείας δαίμων καὶ σφοδρῶς ἐπιτίθεται τοῖς κατὰ τοῦ πάθους ἀγωνιζομένοις καὶ μάλιστα ἐν τῇ ἀμελείᾳ τῆς διαίτης καὶ ἐν ταῖς συντυχίαις τῶν γυναικῶν. Λεληθότως γὰρ τῇ 14__220 λειότητι τῆς ἡδονῆς ὑποκλέπτων τὸν νοῦν, μετέπειτα ἐπεμβαίνει διὰ τῆς μνήμης ἡσυχάζοντι· τό τε σῶμα ἐμπυρίζων καὶ ποικίλας μοφρὰς τῷ νῷ παριστῶν, πρὸς τὴν συγκατάθεσιν τῆς ἁμαρτίας αὐτὸν ἐκκαλεῖται· ἃς ἐὰν θέλῃς μὴ ἐγχρονίζειν ἔν σοι, νηστείαν ἀναλαβοῦ καὶ κόπον καὶ ἀγρυπνίαν καὶ τὴν καλὴν ἡσυχίαν μετὰ ἐκτενοῦς προσευχῆς.

2.20 (κ') Οἱ τὴν ψυχὴν ἡμῶν ἀεὶ ζητοῦντες διὰ τῶν ἐμπαθῶν λογισμῶν ζητοῦσιν, ἵνα αὐτὴν εἰς τὴν κατὰ διάνοιαν ἢ τὴν κατ᾽ ἐνέργειαν ἁμαρτίαν ἐμβάλωσιν. Ὅταν οὖν εὕρωσι τὸν νοῦν μὴ παραδεχόμενον, τότε αἰσχυνθήσονται καὶ ἐντραπήσονται· ὅταν δὲ τῇ πνευματικῇ θεωρίᾳ ἐνασχολούμενον, τότε ἀποστραφήσονται καὶ καταισχυνθήσονται σφόδρα διὰ τάχους.

2.21 (κα') ∆ιακόνου λόγον ἐπέχει ὁ πρὸς τοὺς ἱεροὺς ἀγῶνας ἀλείφων τὸν νοῦν καὶ τοὺς ἐμπαθεῖς λογισμοὺς ἀπελαύνων ἀπ᾽ αὐτοῦ· πρεσβυτέρου δέ, ὁ εἰς τὴν γνῶσιν τῶν ὄντων φωτίζων καὶ τὴν ψευδώνυμον γνῶσιν ἐξαφανίζων· ἐπισκόπου δέ, ὁ τῷ ἁγίῳ μύρῳ τελειῶν τῆς γνώσεως τῆς προσκυνητῆς καὶ ἁγίας Τριάδος.

2.22 (κβ') Ἀσθενοῦσι μὲν οἱ δαίμονες, ὅταν διὰ τῶν ἐντολῶν μειῶνται τὰ πάθη τὰ ἐν ἡμῖν· ἀπόλλυνται δέ, ὅταν εἰς τέλος διὰ τῆς ἀπαθείας τῆς ψυχῆς ἐξαφανίζωνται, μηκέτι εὑρίσκοντες τὰ δι᾽ ὧν 14__222 ἐν αὐτῇ εὑρίσκοντο καὶ ἐπολέμουν αὐτήν. Καὶ τοῦτο ἂν εἴη τό· Ἀσθενήσουσι καὶ ἀπολοῦνται ἀπὸ προσώπου σου.