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having clarified, he will turn his face toward God from "For you will save a humble people." 132 Ps 17,29 The part of the soul that is receptive of light, that is, the power, which is the mind, which some also call the reasoning faculty, is said to be its lamp, not being light in its essence but receptive of light. And its darkness is the spirited and appetitive part. Therefore, whenever the mind is enlightened by the Lord, who imparts to it His own rays, then also the irrational movements of the soul are enlightened, being accomplished with knowledge, not because the irrational parts themselves partake of light (for they are unreceptive of knowledge) but because they are led in the way they ought by a mind enlightened by knowledge and virtue. Therefore, whenever the mind, which is called a lamp, is enlightened by the Lord, it will necessarily follow that our aforementioned darkness is also enlightened. But if that in us which is naturally enlightened, that is, the mind, should be darkness through ignorance and lack of knowledge, how much more would the irrational powers of the soul, not having an enlightened guide, be intensified darkness. And this is what the Savior says: "If then the light that is in you is darkness, how great is that darkness?" For if the eye of the body, that is, the mind, which ought to be a lamp, is deprived of light, how much more is the other, so to speak, body of the soul darkness, and not the human body that surrounds it but that which happens to be according to its irrational constitution. And perhaps also those who are enlightened with the knowledge of the truth have their lamp kindled, the Lord having given this to them; and leading their actions aright from the enlightening of their mind, they also have their darkness illuminated. And not least this might also be said. Those who have acquired scientific contemplation concerning intelligible and invisible things have a lamp enlightened by the Lord, but also being very well disposed in their judgment concerning sensible things, they have their senses perceiving things brightly, which is darkness by not being naturally able to be enlightened in itself, that is, to receive knowledge; for otherwise would irrational animals also receive knowledge, since they have sensation? 133 Ps 17,30 It is not possible to be delivered from the bitter circumstances that surround us otherwise than by being in God; and one comes to be in God by partaking of him. For just as someone who has come to be in knowledge is delivered from errors, so someone striving to be in God will be delivered from temptation, not entering into temptation not by being outside of temptation but by not being caught in its snares. For because of this, he who confesses Jesus before men is in him: "For whoever confesses in me before men, I also will confess in him before my Father who is in heaven." For someone confesses Jesus by partaking of him, and he is confessed by God by being in him. But the multitude of things done irrationally by us walls us off from God and separates us, as the prophet says: "Is the hand of the Lord not strong enough to save? Or has his ear become heavy that it cannot hear? But your sins separate you from your God." And so whenever someone comes to be in God, cleaving to him and becoming one with him, he passes over the wall of sins, casting them behind his back, so that, hindered by nothing from God, he may meet him face to face. Perhaps also the mass of corporeal and sensible things, coming between our thought and God, separates us from him. Therefore, whenever we scientifically grasp him, as far as is possible, in the concept of God, as being above all bodies and sensation, desiring to be united with him, we withdraw from sensible and corporeal things as if to leap over the world and all visible things, so that we may thus be able to stand before God. 134 Ps 17,31 Our God has a blameless way that leads to him. And this is virtue, traveling on which through practice and discipline we will be shown blameless coming to him. But especially blameless might be

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σαφηνίσας μεταβαλεῖ πρὸς τὸν θεὸν τὸ πρόσωπον ἀπὸ τοῦ Οτι σὺ λαὸν ταπεινὸν σώσεις. 132 Ps 17,29 Τὸ δεκτικὸν φωτὸς τῆς ψυχῆς μόριον ητοι δύναμις, τουτέστιν ὁ νοῦς ο καὶ λογιστικόν τινες καλοῦσιν, λύχνος αὐτῆς ειναι λέγεται, οὐκ ων αὐτὸς κατ' οὐσίαν φῶς ἀλλὰ φωτὸς δεκτικός. τὸ δὲ σκότος αὐτῆς τὸ θυμοειδὲς καὶ ἐπιθυμητικόν ἐστιν. οτ' αν ουν ὁ νοῦς φωτισθῇ ὑπὸ τοῦ κυρίου μεταδόντος αὐτῷ τῶν ἰδίων αὐγῶν, τὸ τηνικάδε καὶ τὰ τῆς ψυχῆς αλογα κινήματα φωτίζεται ἐπιστημονικῶς ἐπιτελούμενα, οὐχ οτι ἐξ αὐτῶν τὰ αλογα μετέχει φωτὸς (ἐπιστήμης γὰρ ἀνεπίδεκτα) ἀλλ' οτι ὑπὸ νοῦ πεφωτισμένου ὑπὸ ἐπιστήμης καὶ ἀρετῆς ον δεῖ τρόπον αγονται. οτ' αν ουν ὑπὸ τοῦ κυρίου φωτισθῇ ὁ νοῦς ος ειρηται λύχνος, ἀναγκαίως ἀκολουθήσει καὶ τὸ φωτισθῆναι τὸ εἰρημένον ἡμῶν σκότος. εἰ δὲ τὸ ἐν ἡμῖν πεφυκὸς φωτίζεσθαι, τουτέστιν ὁ νοῦς, δι' αγνοιαν καὶ ἀνεπιστημοσύνην σκότος ειη, πολλῷ πλέον αἱ αλογοι τῆς ψυχῆς δυνάμεις, οὐκ εχουσαι πεφωτισμένον ἡγεμόνα, ἐπιτεταμένον ειεν σκότος. καὶ τοῦτό ἐστιν ο φησιν ὁ σωτήρ· Εἰ ουν τὸ ἐν σοὶ φῶς σκότος ἐστίν, τὸ σκότος πόσον; εἰ γὰρ ὁ ὀφθαλμὸς τοῦ σώματος, τουτέστιν ὁ νοῦς, ὀφείλων ειναι λύχνος ἐστέρηται φωτός, πολλῷ πλέον τὸ αλλο, ιν' ουτως ειπω, σῶμα τῆς ψυχῆς σκότος ὑπάρχει, σῶμα δὲ οὐχ ο περίκειται ἀνθρώπινον ἀλλὰ τὸ κατὰ τὴν αλογον σύστασιν αὐτῆς τυγχάνον. Τάχα δὲ καὶ οἱ τὴν γνῶσιν τῆς ἀληθείας πεφωτισμένοι ἐξημμένον εχουσι τὸν λύχνον, τοῦ κυρίου αὐτοῖς τοῦτο δεδωκότος· τὰς δὲ πράξεις κατ' ὀρθὸν αγοντες ἐκ τοῦ πεφωτίσθαι τὸν νοῦν καὶ τὸ σκότος αὐτῶν εχουσιν φωτιζόμενον. οὐχ ηκιστα δὲ καὶ τοῦτο ῥηθείη. οἱ θεωρίαν ἐπιστημονικὴν περὶ τῶν νοητῶν καὶ ἀοράτων πραγμάτων ἐσχηκότες πεφωτισμένον ὑπὸ κυρίου εχουσι λύχνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ περὶ τῶν αἰσθητῶν ευ μάλα κατὰ τὴν γνώμην διακείμενοι τὴν αισθησιν φωτεινῶς ἀντιλαμβανομένην τῶν πραγμάτων εχουσιν, ητις σκότος ἐστὶν τῷ μὴ πεφυκέναι καθ' ἑαυτὴν φωτίζεσθαι τουτέστιν ἐπιστήμην δέχεσθαι· η γὰρ αν καὶ τὰ αλογα ἐπιστήμην ἐδέχοντο αισθησιν εχοντα; 133 Ps 17,30 Οὐκ αλλως ῥυσθῆναι δυνατὸν ἀπὸ τῶν περιεστηκότων πραγμάτων πικρῶν η ἐν θεῷ γινόμενον· ἐν θεῷ δέ τις γίνεται μετέχων αὐτοῦ. ὡς γὰρ ἐκ τῶν ἀγνοημάτων ῥύεταί τις ἐν ἐπιστήμῃ γεγενημένος, ουτως ἐν θεῷ τις σπεύδων ειναι ῥυσθήσεται ἀπὸ πειρατηρίου, εἰς πειρασμὸν μὴ εἰσερχόμενος οὐ τῷ ἐκτὸς πειρασμοῦ γενέσθαι ἀλλὰ τῷ μὴ ἁλῶναι ταῖς παγίσιν αὐτοῦ. διὰ τοῦτο γὰρ καὶ ὁ ὁμολογῶν ̓Ιησοῦν εμπροσθεν τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἐν αὐτῷ ἐστιν· Πᾶς γὰρ ος αν ὁμολογήσῃ ἐν ἐμοὶ εμπροσθεν τῶν ἀνθρώπων, ὁμολογήσω κἀγὼ ἐν αὐτῷ εμπροσθεν τοῦ πατρός μου τοῦ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς. ὁμολογεῖ τις γὰρ ̓Ιησοῦν μετέχων αὐτοῦ, καὶ ὁμολογεῖται ὑπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ ἐν αὐτῷ τυγχάνων. διατειχίζει δὲ ἡμᾶς ἀπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ τὸ πλῆθος τῶν πρὸς ἡμῶν παραλόγως πραττομένων καὶ διΐστησιν, ῃ φησιν ὁ προφήτης· Μὴ οὐκ ἰσχύει ἡ χεὶρ κυρίου ῥύσασθαι; η ἐβάρυνεν τὸ ους αὐτοῦ τοῦ μὴ εἰσακοῦσαι; ἀλλὰ τὰ ἁμαρτήματα ὑμῶν διϊστῶσιν ἀνὰ μέσον ὑμῶν καὶ τοῦ θεοῦ. καὶ οτ' αν ουν ἐν θεῷ τις γένηται κολλώμενος αὐτῷ καὶ εν πρὸς αὐτὸν γινόμενος, ὑπερβαίνει τὸ τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων τεῖχος εἰς νῶτον καὶ ὀπίσω αὐτὰ ῥίπτων, ινα μὴ ὑπὸ μηδενὸς διειργόμενος τοῦ θεοῦ προσβάλῃ αὐτῷ πρόσωπον πρὸς πρόσωπον. Τάχα δὲ καὶ ὁ τῶν σωματικῶν καὶ αἰσθητῶν ογκος, χωρῶν μεταξὺ τῆς νοήσεως ἡμῶν καὶ τοῦ θεοῦ, διαζεύγνυσιν ἡμᾶς αὐτοῦ. οτ' αν ουν ἐπιστημονικῶς κατὰ τὸ δυνατὸν τῇ περὶ θεοῦ ἐννοίᾳ ἀνωτέρω πάντων σωμάτων καὶ αἰσθήσεως αὐτὸν καταλάβωμεν ἑνωθῆναι αὐτῷ γλιχόμενοι, ἀναχωροῦμεν τῶν αἰσθητῶν καὶ σωμάτων ὡς ὑπερπηδῆσαι τὸν κόσμον καὶ τὰ ὁρατὰ πάντα, ιν' ουτω τῷ θεῷ παραστῆναι δυνηθῶμεν. 134 Ps 17,31 ̔Ο ἡμέτερος θεὸς αμωμον εχει τὴν πρὸς αὐτὸν αγουσαν ὁδόν. αυτη δέ ἐστιν ἡ ἀρετή, ην ὁδεύοντες διὰ μελέτης καὶ ἀσκήσεως αμωμοι ἀποδειχθησόμεθα πρὸς αὐτὸν ἐρχόμενοι. μάλιστα δὲ αμωμος ειη