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by a tenfold multiplication completing its own decade; and a decade, as comprehending in itself the composition of the monads before it; and a thousand multiplied by four produces four thousand. Therefore the first monad is a symbol of mystical theology, the second monad a type of the divine economy and goodness, the third monad is an image of virtue and knowledge, and the fourth monad an indication of the universal more divine transformation of beings.

ROB (172). ANOTHER THEORY ON THE NUMBER 7

Another theory on the number 7. The number seven of the baskets, considered in another way besides the former

way, as they say, indicates wisdom and prudence, the one as moving threefold according to the intellect concerning the cause, the other as moving fourfold according to reason concerning the things after the cause and being around the cause on account of the cause. Therefore neither of these was done irrationally by the Lord, according to this great teacher, nor unworthily of the Spirit.

ROG (173). ..". DIVERSITY OF GIFTS...REQUIRING A GIFT FOR DISCERNMENT

OF THE BETTER" From the same discourse, on the text: "And there is a diversity of gifts, requiring another

gift for the discernment of the better." The diversity of gifts that requires another gift 14Ε_158 for

discernment, according to this great teacher, is prophecy, as I think, and speaking in tongues. For prophecy requires the gift of the discernment of spirits, in order that it may be known who and from where and where it is leading 1405 and of what spirit it is, and for what reason, lest it be nonsense, merely uttered rashly from the impairment of the speaker's ruling faculty, or some self-moved impulse of one supposedly prophesying, conjecturing from shrewdness about certain matters naturally according to reason through much experience, or of the wicked and demonic spirit, just as in Montanus and those like him there is a telling of marvels, the so-called prophecy, or for the sake of vainglory another perhaps puts on airs with the things of others, both speaking and parading what he himself did not produce, lying in order to be admired, and not being ashamed to put himself forward as the illegitimate father of orphan words and thoughts in order to seem to be someone wise. For "Let two or three prophets speak," says the divine Apostle, "and let the others discern."

And who are the others? Clearly those who have the gift of the discernment of spirits. Therefore, prophecy requires, as I said, the discernment of spirits, so that it may be known and believed and approved, while the gift of tongues requires the gift of interpretation, so that such a person may not seem to those present to be mad, since none of the listeners is able to follow what is being said. For "if," says the great Apostle, "you speak in tongues, and an unbeliever or an ungifted person enters, will they not say that you are mad?" And he rather commands one who speaks in tongues to be silent, if there is no one to interpret. As for the teacher saying "For the discernment of the better," those who have enlightened their mind with the divine words say that the gift of prophecy and of tongues surpasses those gifts which they need for discernment and clarification, that is, of the discernment 14Ε_160 of

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δεκαπλασιασμῷ τήν αὐτῆς ἀπαρτίζουσα δεκάδα· δεκάς δέ, ὡς τῶν πρό αὐτῆς μονάδων τήν σύνθεσιν εἰς ἑαυτήν περιγράφουσα· χιλιάς δέ τετραπλουμένη τετρακισχιλίους ὑφίστησιν. Ἔστιν οὖν ἡ πρώτη μονάς μυστικῆς θεολογίας σύμβολον, ἡ δέ δευτέρα μονάς θείας οἰκονομίας καί ἀγαθότητος τύπος, ἡ δέ τρίτη μονάς ἀρετῆς καί γνώσεώς ἐστιν εἰκών, καί ἡ τετάρτη μονάς τῆς καθόλου τῶν ὄντων θειοτέρας μεταποιήσεως δήλωσις.

ΡΟΒ (172). ΑΛΛΗ ΘΕΩΡΙΑ ΕΙΣ ΤΟΝ Ζ´. ΑΡΙΘΜΟΝ

Ἄλλη θεωρία εἰς τόν ζ´. ἀριθμόν. Ὁ δέ ἑπτά ἀριθμός τῶν σπυρίδων κατ᾿ ἄλλον πρός τῷ προτέρῳ θεωρούμενος

τρόπῳ, ὥς φασιν, ἐμφαίνει σοφίαν καί φρόνησιν, τήν μέν ὡς περί τήν αἰτίαν τρισσῶς κατά νοῦν κινουμένην, τήν δέ περί τά μετά τήν αἰτίαν καί περί τήν αἰτίαν ὄντα κατά λόγον διά τήν αἰτίαν τετραχῶς κινουμένην. Οὐδέτερον οὖν ἀλόγως παρά τοῦ Κυρίου γεγένηται κατά τόν μέγαν τοῦτον διδάσκαλον, οὐδέ ἀναξίως τοῦ Πνεύματος.

ΡΟΓ (173). ..». ∆ΙΑΦΟΡΑ ΧΑΡΙΣΜΑΤΩΝ...∆ΕΟΜΕΝΗ ΧΑΡΙΣΜΑΤΟΣ ΠΡΟΣ ∆ΙΑΚΡΙΣΙΝ

ΤΟΥ ΒΕΛΤΙΟΝΟΣ» Ἐκ τοῦ αὐτοῦ λόγου, εἰς τό· «Καί ἔστι διαφορά χαρισμάτων, ἄλλου δεομένη

χαρίσματος πρός διάκρισιν τοῦ βελτίονος». Ἡ διαφορά τῶν χαρισμάτων ἡ ἄλλου δεομένη χαρίσματος 14Ε_158 πρός

διάκρισιν κατά τόν μέγαν τοῦτον διδάσκαλόν ἐστιν, ἡ προφητεία, καθώς οἶμαι, καί τό λαλεῖν γλώσσαις. Ἡ μέν γάρ προφητεία δεῖται τοῦ χαρίσματος τῆς διακρίσεως τῶν πνευμάτων, πρός τό γνωσθῆναι τίς καί πόθεν καί ποῦ φέρουσα 1405 καί ποίου πνεύματός ἐστι, καί δι᾿ ἥν αἰτίαν, μή πως φλήναφός ἐστι, μόνον εἰκῆ προφερομένη ἐκ τῆς κατά τό ἡγεμονικόν βλάβης τοῦ λέγοντος, ἤ αὐτοκίνητός τις ὁρμή τοῦ δῆθεν προφητεύοντος, ἐξ ἀγχινοίας περί τινων φυσικῶς κατά λόγον διά πολυπειρίαν τεκμαιρομένου πραγμάτων, ἤ τοῦ πονηροῦ καί δαιμονιώδους πνεύματος, ὥσπερ ἐν Μοντανῷ καί τοῖς ἐκείνῳ παραπλησίοις ἐστί τερατολογία ἐν προφητείας εἴδει τό λεγόμενον, ἤ δόξης ἕνεκεν κενῆς τοῖς ἄλλων ἄλλος τυχόν ἁβρύνεται, λέγων τε καί πομπεύων ἅπερ αὐτός οὐκ ἐγέννησεν, ὑπέρ τοῦ θαυμασθῆναι ψευδόμενος, καί πατέρα νόθον ὀρφανῶν λόγων καί νοημάτων ἑαυτόν ὑπέρ τοῦ δόξαι σοφός τις εἶναι προβάλλεσθαι οὐκ αἰσχυνόμενος. Προφῆται γάρ δύο, φησίν ὁ θεῖος Ἀπόστολος, ἤ τρεῖς λαλείτωσαν, καί οἱ ἄλλοι διακρινέτωσαν.

Τίνες δέ τυγχάνουσιν οἱ ἄλλοι δηλονότι οἱ τό χάρισμα τῆς διακρίσεως ἔχοντες τῶν πνευμάτων. ∆εῖται τοίνυν ἡ μέν προφητεία, καθώς ἔφην, τῆς διακρίσεως τῶν πνευμάτων, ἵνα γνωσθῇ καί πιστευθῇ καί ἐγκριθῇ, τό δέ χάρισμα τῶν γλωσσῶν δεῖται τοῦ χαρίσματος τῆς ἑρμηνείας, ἵνα μή δόξῃ τοῖς παροῦσιν ὁ τοιοῦτος μαίνεσθαι, μή δυναμένου τινός τῶν ἀκουόντων παρακολουθῆσαι τοῖς λαλουμένοις. Ἐάν γάρ, φησίν ὁ μέγας Ἀπόστολος, λαλεῖτε γλώσσαις, εἰσέλθῃ δέ τις ἄπιστος ἤ ἰδιώτης, οὐκ ἐροῦσιν ὅτι μαίνεσθε; Καί κελεύει μᾶλλον σιωπᾷν τόν λαλοῦντα γλώσσαις, ἐάν μή ᾗ ὁ διερμηνεύων. Τό δέ "Πρός διάκρισιν" φάναι τό διδάσκαλον "τοῦ βελτίονος" φασίν οἱ τοῖς θείοις τόν νοῦν καταφωτίσαντες λόγοις ὑπερέχειν τό τῆς προφητείας καί τό τῶν γλωσσῶν χάρισμα τῶν ὧν πρός διάκρισίν τε καί διασάφησιν χρῄζουσι χαρισμάτων, τουτέστι τῆς διακρίσεως 14Ε_160 τῶν