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making a god by participation the one who participates, and establishing him as an interpreter of the divine blessedness, according to the ever-flowing to those in need of the divine mysteries, unceasing projection and outlet.

3.39 (39) The spirit of the fear of God is abstinence from evils in deed; but the spirit of might, the eager impulse and movement toward the active practice of the commandments; but the spirit of counsel, the state of discernment, according to which we practice the divine commandments with reason, and distinguish the worse from the better; but the spirit of knowledge, the unerring awareness of the modes of virtuous practice; according to which, when we act, we in no way fall from the right judgment of reason; but the spirit of understanding, 15∆_154 the comprehension of the commandments and of the principles in them, according to which the modes of the virtues are constituted; but the spirit of prudence is the assent to the modes and principles of the virtues, or to speak more properly, the transformation, according to which a blending of the natural powers 1277 powers with the modes and principles of the commandments occurs; but the spirit of wisdom is the ascent to and union with the cause of the more spiritual principles in the commandments, according to which, being initiated unknowingly, as is lawful for men, into the simple principles of beings that are in God, as from some gushing spring of the heart, we offer the truth in all things in various ways to other men.

3.40 (40) From the last things from God, but the nearest to us, to the first things, which are far from us but near to God, we ascend in a path and order. For from the idleness of evils through fear, we come to the practice of the virtues through might; and from the practice of the virtues, to the discernment of counsel; and from discernment, to the state of the virtues, that is, knowledge; and from the state of the virtues, to the understanding of the principles within the virtues themselves; and from this, to the transformative state regarding the known principles of the virtues; I mean, prudence; and from this, to the simple and accurate contemplation of the truth in all things; setting out from which, from the wise contemplation of the essences of sensible and intelligible beings, we shall render many and various pious accounts concerning the truth.

3.41 (41) The first good for us in effect, which is fear, the word of Scripture has enumerated last, as the beginning of wisdom, from which, being moved, we ascend to the end of wisdom, which is prudence, after which we become near to God Himself, having only wisdom mediating the union with Him. For it is not possible to attain wisdom for one who has not first 15∆_156 through fear, and the other intervening gifts, completely shaken off from himself both the filth of ignorance and the dust of wickedness. For this reason the scriptural order has arranged wisdom as near to God, but fear as near to us, so that we may learn the limit and law of good order.

3.42 (42) Ascending therefore through these eyes of faith, that is, illuminations, we are gathered to the divine monad of wisdom; gathering the division of the gifts that has come about for our sake to the cause of the gifts, by the partial ascents of the virtues, leaving behind none of the aforementioned things with God's cooperation, so that by not neglecting them bit by bit, we make our faith blind and eyeless, not having the illuminations through the works of the Spirit, and be justly punished for 1280 endless ages, as having blinded in ourselves, according to faith, as far as it is up to us, the divine eyes.

3.43 (43) Everyone who has dug out such eyes of faith in himself through idleness of the commandments, is altogether condemned, no longer having God looking upon him. For if the energies of the Spirit, he says, are the eyes of the Lord

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μεθέξει ποιοῦσα θεόν τόν μετέχοντα, καί τῆς θείας αὐτόν ὑποφήτην καθιστῶσα μακαριότητος, κατά τήν ἀένναον πρός τούς δεομένους τῶν θείων μυστηρίων, ἀνεκπόμπευτον προβολήν καί διέξοδον.

3.39 (λθ΄) Τό πνεῦμα τοῦ φόβου τοῦ Θεοῦ, τῶν κατ᾿ ἐνέργειαν κακῶν ἐστιν ἀποχή· τό δέ πνεῦμα τῆς ἰσχύος, ἡ πρός ἐνέργειαν καί πρᾶξιν τῶν ἐντολῶν πρόθυμος ὁρμή καί κίνησις· τό δέ πνεῦμα τῆς βουλῆς, ἡ ἕξις τῆς διακρίσεως, καθ᾿ ἥν σύν λόγῳ τάς θείας πράττομεν ἐντολάς, καί τῶν κρειττόνων διαιροῦμεν τά χείρονα· τό δέ πνεῦμα τῆς ἐπιστήμης, ἡ τῶν κατ᾿ ἀρετήν τῆς πράξεως τρόπων ἄπτωτος εἴδησις· καθ᾿ ἥν πράττοντες, τῆς ὀρθῆς τοῦ λόγου κρίσεως οὐδαμῶς πίπτομεν· τό δέ πνεῦμα τῆς γνώσεως, 15∆_154 ἡ τῶν ἐντολῶν καί τῶν ἐν αὐταῖς λόγων περίληψις, καθ᾿ οὕς οἱ τρόποι τῶν ἀρετῶν συνεστήκασι· πνεῦμα δέ συνέσεώς ἐστιν, ἡ πρός τούς τρόπους καί τούς λόγους τῶν ἀρετῶν συγκατάθεσις, ἤ κυριώτερον εἰπεῖν, μεταποίησις, καθ᾿ ἥν σύγκρασις γίνεται τῶν φυσικῶν δυνάμεων 1277 δυνάμεων πρός τούς τρόπους καί τούς λόγους τῶν ἐντολῶν· πνεῦμα δέ σοφίας ἐστίν, ἡ πρός τήν αἰτίαν τῶν ἐν ταῖς ἐντολαῖς πνευματικωτέρων λόγων ἀνάληψίς τε καί ἕνωσις, καθ᾿ ἥν ἀγνώστως τούς ἐν Θεῷ, κατά τό θεμιτόν ἀνθρώποις, ἁπλῶς μυούμενοι τῶν ὄντων λόγους, ὡς ἔκ τινος βλυστανούσης πηγῆς τῆς καρδίας, τήν ἐν τοῖς ὅλοις ἀλήθειαν ποικίλως τοῖς ἄλλοις ἀνθρώποις προσφέρομεν.

3.40 (μ΄) Ἀπό μέν τῶν ἐκ Θεοῦ τελευταίων, ἡμῖν δέ προσεχῶν, ἐπί τά πρῶτα, καί ἡμῶν μέν πόῤῥω, τῷ δέ Θεῷ προσεχῆ, καθ᾿ ὁδόν καί τάξιν ἀναβαίνομεν. Ἀπό γάρ τῆς ἀργίας τῶν κακῶν διά φόβου, ἐπί τήν τῶν ἀρετῶν δι᾿ ἰσχύος ἐρχόμεθα πρᾶξιν· ἀπό δέ τῆς τῶν ἀρετῶν πράξεως, ἐπί τήν διάκρισιν τῆς βουλῆς· ἀπό δέ τῆς διακρίσεως, ἐπί τήν ἕξιν τῶν ἀρετῶν, ἤγουν ἐπιστήμην· ἀπό δέ τῆς ἕξεως τῶν ἀρετῶν, ἐπί τήν γνῶσιν τῶν ἐν αὐταῖς ταῖς ἀρεταῖς λόγων· ἀπό δέ ταύτης, εἰς τήν πρός τούς ἐγνωσμένους λόγους τῶν ἀρετῶν μεταποιητικήν ἕξιν· φημί δέ τήν σύνεσιν· καί ἀπό ταύτης, εἰς τήν ἁπλῆν τῆς ἐν ὅλοις ἀληθείας ἀκριβῆ θεωρίαν· ἀφ' ἧς ὁρμώμενοι, πολλούς καί ποικίλους ἐκ τῆς τῶν ὄντων αἰσθητῶν τε καί νοητῶν οὐσιῶν σοφῆς θεωρίας, εὐσεβεῖς λόγους περί τῆς ἀληθείας ἀποδώσομεν.

3.41 (μα΄) Τό πρός ἡμᾶς κατ᾿ ἐνέργειαν πρῶτον ἀγαθόν, ὅπερ ἐστίν ὁ φόβος, τελευταῖον ἀπηριθμήσατο τῆς Γραφῆς ὁ λόγος, ὡς σοφίας ἀρχήν, ἀφ᾿ οὗ κινούμενοι, πρός τό τῆς σοφίας τέλος τήν σύνεσιν, ἀναβαίνομεν, μεθ᾿ ἥν προσεχεῖς αὐτῷ γινόμεθα τῷ Θεῷ, μόνην τήν σοφίαν τῆς πρός αὐτόν ἑνώσεως μεσιτεύουσαν ἔχοντες. Οὐ γάρ ἐστι δυνατόν ἐπιλαβέσθαι σοφίας, τόν μή πρότερον 15∆_156 διά τοῦ φόβου, καί τῶν διά μέσου λοιπῶν χαρισμάτων, τήν τε λήμην τῆς ἀγνοίας, καί τόν τῆς κακίας κονιορτόν, ἑαυτοῦ παντελῶς ἀποσεισάμενον. ∆ιά τοῦτο Θεῷ μέν, προσεχῆ τήν σοφίαν, ἡμῖν δέ, τόν φόβον ἡ γραφική τάξις διέθηκεν, ἵνα ἡμεῖς εὐταξίας μάθωμεν ὅρον καί νόμον.

3.42 (μβ΄) ∆ιά τούτων οὖν ἀναβαίνοντες τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν τῆς πίστεως, ἤγουν φωτισμῶν, πρός τήν θείαν τῆς σοφίας συναγόμεθα μονάδα· τήν γεγενημένην δι᾿ ἡμᾶς τῶν χαρισμάτων διαίρεσιν, πρός τήν αἰτίαν τῶν χαρισμάτων συνάγοντες, ταῖς κατά μέρος τῶν ἀρετῶν ἀναβάσεσι, μηδέν τῶν εἰρημένων συνεργίᾳ Θεοῦ παραλιμπάνοντες, ἵνα μή κατ᾿ ὀλίγον ἀμελοῦντες, τυφλήν ἡμῶν τήν πίστιν και ἀνόμματον καταστήσωμεν, οὐκ ἔχουσαν τούς διά τῶν ἔργων τοῦ Πνεύματος φωτισμούς, καί κολασθῶμεν δικαίως εἰς 1280 ἀπείρους αἰῶνας, ὡς ἐν ἑαυτοῖς κατά τήν πίστιν ὅσον τό ἐφ᾿ ἡμῖν, τούς θείους ἐκτυφλώσαντες ὀφθαλμούς.

3.43 (μγ΄) Πᾶς ὁ τῆς πίστεως ἐν ἑαυτῷ διά τῆς ἀργίας τῶν ἐντολῶν τούς τοιούτους ἀνορύξας ὀφθαλμούς, πάντως κατάκριτος, μηκέτι τόν Θεόν ἔχων εἰς αὐτόν ἐπιβλέποντα. Εἰ γάρ τάς ἐνεργείας τοῦ Πνεύματος, φησίν, ὀφθαλμούς Κυρίου