39

covering the evil disposition of the mind with the outward appearance of piety, by the deceit of hypocrisy buys virtue. Therefore, such a one has diverted the purpose of each of these to other things besides its cause.

3.69 (69) No evil demon, ever hinders the eagerness of the virtuous 1292; but rather, having deceitfully cut off the deficiencies of the virtues, he suggests their intensifications, being zealous along with the combatants; in order that he might draw the entire mind of the ascetic to himself, having lost the equal measure of the mean, and secretly proceed to a different lodging than the one it seems.

15∆_174 3.70 (70) The demons neither hate self-control, nor do they abominate fasting; not the distribution of money, not hospitality, not psalmody, not leisure for reading, not stillness, not the highest studies, not sleeping on the ground, not vigils, not all the rest, through which the life according to God is characterized, as long as the purpose and the cause of what is being done is inclined towards them.

3.71 (71) The other demons, perhaps, the ascetic, having perceived them more quickly, easily escapes the harm from them; but those who seem to cooperate in the course of virtue, and as if wanting to build the temple to the Lord together, what exceedingly lofty mind could perceive, without the active and living Word that penetrates all things, and pierces to the division of soul and spirit, that is, discerning which works or thoughts are of the soul, that is, natural forms or movements of virtue, and which happen to be spiritual, that is, above nature and characterizing God; but given to nature by grace; and of joints and marrow, knowing the altogether fitting or unfitting consent of the modes of virtue toward the spiritual principles, and judging the thoughts and intentions of hearts, that is, the unseen relations in depth concerning the things mentioned, to whom no creature is unseen, in us who seem to be hidden; but all things are naked and laid bare, not only things that have been done and thought, but even things that will be brought forth and thought by us.

3.72 (72) He calls division of soul and spirit, the difference between the virtues from nature, of which we have the principles by nature; and those 15∆_176 from the spirit, of which we receive the grace as a gift. For the Word, in judging, makes a clear distinction of these.

3.73 (73) The thoughts and the intentions, of which the Word is the judge, he says are the relations of the soul both to the divine principles and to the thoughts, and indeed the causes of the relations themselves. For thought moves memory, to which relation is proper; but intention looks to an end, which characterizes a cause.

3.74 (74) If God is knowledge according to essence, and mind clearly precedes all knowledge, to which it is also natural to be subject; then God is beyond this, because also beyond every mind, to which knowledge of any kind is naturally subject, He has been established infinitely beyond.

1293 3.75 (75) Who, not having the divine Word dwelling in the depth of his heart, will be able, having bowed to the unseen deceits of the hypocrisy of the demons against us, to stand completely alone by himself, without any mixture, and build the temple of the Lord, according to the great Zerubbabel and Joshua and the leaders of the tribes, saying expressly with a great voice to the deceitful spirits of pride and vainglory and people-pleasing and hypocrisy: It is not for us and for you to build the house for the Lord our God; for we alone will build for the Lord of Israel; knowing that of these

39

τήν πονηράν τῆς γνώμης διάθεσιν τῷ φαινομένῳ σχήματι καλύπτων τῆς εὐλαβείας, τῷ τῆς ὑποκρίσεως ἐξωνεῖται δόλῳ τήν ἀρετήν. Οὐκοῦν ὁ τοιοῦτος, ἐπ᾿ ἄλλα παρά τήν αἰτίαν ἑκάστου τούτων ἀπήγαγε τόν σκοπόν.

3.69 (ξθ΄) Οὐδείς τῶν πονηρῶν δαιμόνων, τοῦ ἐναρέτου 1292 ποτέ κωλύει τό πρόθυμον· ἀλλά καί μᾶλλον τάς ἐλλείψεις δολερῶς περικόψας τῶν ἀρετῶν, τάς ἐπιτάσεις ὑπαγορεύει, τοῖς ἀγωνισταῖς συμπροθυμούμενος· ἵνα πρός ἑαυτόν ὅλην ποιήσηται τοῦ ἀσκουμένου τήν ἔννοιαν, παραπολέσασαν τό ἴσον τῆς μεσότητος στάθμισιν, καί λάθῃ πρός ἄλλο παρά τό δοκοῦν ὁδεύουσα καταγώγιον.

15∆_174 3.70 (ο΄) Οἱ δαίμονες οὔτε σωφροσύνην μισοῦσιν, οὔτε νηστείαν βδελύσσονται· οὐ χρημάτων διάδοσιν, οὐ φιλοξενίαν, οὐ ψαλμῳδίαν, οὐ σχολήν ἀναγνώσεως, οὐχ ἡσυχίαν, οὐ τῶν μαθημάτων τά ὑψηλότατα, οὐ χαμευνίαν, οὐκ ἀγρυπνίαν, οὐ τά λοιπά πάντα, δι᾿ὧν ὁ κατά Θεόν χαρακτηρίζεται βίος, ἕως πρός αὐτούς νένευκεν ὁ σκοπός καί ἡ αἰτία τῶν γινομένων.

3.71 (οα΄) Τούς μέν ἄλλους δαίμονας, τάχιον ἴσως ὁ ἀσκητής καταλαβόμενος, ῥᾳδίως τήν ἐξ αὐτῶν βλάβην διαδιδράσκει· τούς δέ δοκοῦντας συνεργεῖν τῷ δρόμῳ τῆς ἀρετῆς, καί οἷον συνοικοδομεῖν βουλομένους τόν ναόν Κυρίῳ, τίς ἄν τῶν ἄγαν ὑψηλῶν καταλάβοι νοῦς, χωρίς τοῦ διά πάντων χωροῦντος ἐνεργοῦς λόγου καί ζῶντος, καί διικνουμένου ἄχρι μερισμοῦ ψυχῆς καί πνεύματος, τουτέστι, διαγινώσκοντος τίνα τῶν ἔργων ἤ νοημάτων εἰσί ψυχικά, τουτέστιν εἶδη φυσικά τῆς ἀρετῆς ἤ κινήματα, καί τίνα τυγχάνει πνευματικά, τουτέστιν, ὑπέρ φύσιν καί Θεόν χαρακτηρίζοντα· τῇ φύσει δέ κατά χάριν διδόμενα· ἁρμῶν τε καί μυελῶν, τήν πρός τούς πνευματικούς λόγους τῶν κατ᾿ ἀρετήν τρόπων, ἁρμόδιον ἤ ἀναρμόδιον διόλου σύννευσιν ἐπισταμένου, κρίνοντός τε τάς ἐνθυμήσεις καί τάς ἐννοίας τῶν καρδιῶν, τουτέστι, τάς ἐπί τοῖς εἰρημένοις ἀφανεῖς κατά τό βάθος σχέσεις, ᾧ οὐκ ἔστι κτίσις ἀφανής, ἐν ἡμῖν τοῖς λανθάνειν δοκοῦσι· πάντα δέ γυμνά καί τετραχηλισμένα, οὐ μόνον τά γεγενημένα τε καί νενοημένα, ἀλλ᾿ ἤδη καί τά γεννησόμενα παρ᾿ ἡμῶν καί νοηθησόμενα.

3.72 (οβ΄) Μερισμόν ψυχῆς καί πνεύματος λέγει, τήν διαφοράν τῶν ἐκ φύσεως ἀρετῶν, ὧν φυσικῶς ἔχομεν τούς λόγους· καί τῶν 15∆_176 ἐκ πνεύματος, ὧν κατά δωρεάν δεχόμεθα τήν χάριν. Τούτων γάρ εὐκρινῶς τήν διαστολήν ποιεῖται κρίνων ὁ λόγος.

3.73 (ογ΄) Τάς ἐνθυμήσεις καί τάς ἐννοίας, ὧν ἐστι κριτικός ὁ λόγος, φησίν εἶναι τάς τῆς ψυχῆς ἐπί τε τοῖς θείοις λόγοις καί τοῖς λογισμοῖς σχέσεις, καί τάς αὐτῶν δηλαδή τῶν σχέσεων αἰτίας. Ἡ γάρ ἐνθύμησις, κινεῖ μνήμην, ἧς οἰκεῖον ἡ σχέσις· ἡ δέ ἔννοια πέρας ἀποσκοπεῖ, ὅπερ αἰτίαν χαρακτηρίζει.

3.74 (οδ΄) Εἰ κατ᾿ οὐσίαν γνῶσίς ἐστιν ὁ Θεός, προηγεῖται δέ σαφῶς πάσης γνώσεως νοῦς, ᾧ καί ὑποπίπτειν πέφυκεν· ἅρα ὑπέρ ταύτην ἐστίν ὁ Θεός, ὅτι καί ὑπέρ πάντα νοῦν, ᾧ γνῶσις καθ᾿ ὁτιοῦν πέφυκεν ὑποπίπτειν, ὑπεραπείρως καθέστηκε.

1293 3.75 (οε΄) Τίς τόν θεῖον οὐκ ἔχων ἐνοικοῦντα λόγον τῷ βάθει τῆς καρδίας, δυνήσεται τούς ἀφανεῖς δόλους τῆς καθ᾿ ἡμῶν ὑποκρίσεως τῶν δαιμόνων ὑποκλίνας, στῆναι καθ᾿ ἑαυτόν μονώτατος, χωρίς τινος ἐπιμιξίας, καί οἰκοδομῆσαι τοῦ Κυρίου τόν ναόν, κατά τόν μέγαν Ζοροβάβελ καί τόν Ἰησοῦν καί τούς ἡγουμένους τῶν πατριῶν, φάσκοντας διαῤῥήδην μεγάλη τῇ φωνῇ τοῖς ἀπατεῶσι πνεύμασι τῆς ὑπερηφανίας καί τῆς κενοδοξίας καί τῆς ἀνθρωπαρεσκίας καί τῆς ὑποκρίσεως· Οὐχ ἡμῖν καί ὑμῖν τοῦ οἰκοδομῆσαι τόν οἶκον Κυρίῳ τῷ Θεῷ ἡμῶν· ἡμεῖς γάρ μόνοι οἰκοδομήσομεν τῷ Κυρίῳ τοῦ Ἰσραήλ· γινώσκων ὡς ἡ τούτων