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2.97 (ƒζ') A pure mind sees things rightly; a trained reason brings what is seen into view; and a bright hearing receives 14__260 them. But he who is deprived of the three blames the speaker.

2.98 (ƒη') He is with God who knows the Holy Trinity and its creation and providence and possesses the passible part of the soul in a state of impassibility.

2.99 (ƒθ') They say that the rod signifies the judgment of God; and the staff, providence. It is therefore for him who has partaken of the knowledge of these things to say: Your rod and Your staff, they have comforted me.

2.100 (ρ') When the mind is stripped of the passions and is illuminated by the contemplation of beings, then it can both be in God and pray as is needful.

14__262 THE THIRD CENTURY 3.1 (a) The rational use of thoughts and things

is productive of self-control, love, and knowledge; but the irrational, of licentiousness, hatred, and ignorance.

3.2 (β') You have prepared a table before me, and so on. The table here signifies practical virtue; for this was prepared by Christ in the presence of those who afflict us. The oil that anoints the mind signifies the contemplation of created things; the cup of God, the knowledge of God; and His mercy, His Word and God. For He, through His incarnation, pursues us all our days, until He overtakes all who are to be saved, as He did Paul. The house signifies the kingdom, in which all the saints are restored. The length of days, eternal life.

3.3 (γ') The vices of the soul's powers come upon us through misuse, for instance, of the desiring, the incensive, and the rational powers. And the misuse of the rational power is ignorance and folly; of the incensive and desiring powers, 14__264 hatred and licentiousness. But the right use of these is knowledge and prudence, and love and self-control; and if this is so, nothing of the things created and made by God is evil.

3.4 (δ') Not foods are evil, but gluttony; nor childbearing, but fornication; nor money, but avarice; nor glory, but vainglory. And if this is so, nothing among existing things is evil, except misuse, which comes about from the mind's neglect of its natural cultivation.

3.5 (ε') The blessed Dionysius says that the evil in demons is these things: irrational anger, mindless desire, rash imagination. But irrationality, mindlessness, and rashness in rational beings are privations of reason, mind, and circumspection. And privations are secondary to states; therefore, there was a time when reason, mind, and reverent circumspection existed in them. And if this is so, demons are not evil by nature, but they became evil from the misuse of their natural powers.

3.6 (στ') Some of the passions are productive of licentiousness; others, of hatred; and others, of both licentiousness and hatred.

3.7 (ζ') Eating too much and eating for pleasure are causes of licentiousness; while avarice and vainglory are causes of hatred toward one's neighbor; but the mother of these, self-love, is the cause of both.

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2.97 (ƒζ') Νοῦς μὲν καθαρὸς ὀρθὰ βλέπει τὰ πράγματα· λόγος δὲ γεγυμνασμένος ὑπ᾽ ὄψιν ἄγει τὰ ὁραθέντα· ἀκοὴ δὲ λαμπρὰ ὑποδέχεται 14__260 αὐτά. Ὁ δὲ τῶν τριῶν ἐστερημένος τὸν εἰρηκότα κακίζει.

2.98 (ƒη') Μετὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐστιν ὁ τὴν ἁγίαν γινώσκων Τριάδα καὶ τὴν δημιουργίαν αὐτῆς καὶ τὴν πρόνοιαν καὶ τὸ παθητικὸν μέρος τῆς ψυχῆς ἀπαθὲς κεκτημένος.

2.99 (ƒθ') Τὴν ῥάβδον σημαίνειν φασὶ τὴν κρίσιν τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ· τὴν δὲ βακτηρίαν, τὴν πρόνοιαν. Τοῦ οὖν τῆς τούτων γνώσεως μετειληφότος ἐστὶ τὸ λέγειν· Ἡ ῥάβδος σου καὶ ἡ βακτηρία σου, αὐταί με παρεκάλεσαν.

2.100 (ρ') Ὅταν ὁ νοῦς παθῶν γυμνωθῇ καὶ τῇ τῶν ὄντων καταλάμπηται θεωρίᾳ, τότε δύναται καὶ ἐν Θεῷ γενέσθαι καὶ ὡς δεῖ προσεύχεσθαι.

14__262 ΕΚΑΤΟΝΤΑΣ ΤΡΙΤΗ 3.1 (α') Ἡ μὲν εὔλογος τῶν νοημάτων καὶ τῶν πραγμάτων χρῆσις

σωφροσύνης καὶ ἀγάπης καὶ γνώσεώς ἐστι ποιητική· ἡ δὲ ἄλογος, ἀκολασίας καὶ μίσους καὶ ἀγνωσίας.

3.2 (β') Ἡτοίμασας ἐνώπιόν μου τράπεζαν, καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. Ἡ τράπεζα ἐνταῦθα σημαίνει τὴν πρακτικὴν ἀρετήν· αὕτη γὰρ ἐξ ἐναντίας τῶν θλιβόντων ἡμᾶς παρὰ Χριστοῦ ἡτοιμάσθη. Τὸ δὲ ἔλαιον τὸ λιπαῖνον τὸν νοῦν, τὴν θεωρίαν τῶν γεγονότων· τὸ δὲ ποτήριον τοῦ Θεοῦ, τὴν γνῶσιν τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ· τὸ δὲ ἔλεος αὐτοῦ, τὸν Λόγον αὐτοῦ καὶ Θεόν. Οὗτος γὰρ διὰ τῆς ἐνανθρωπήσεως αὐτοῦ καταδιώκει πάσας τὰς ἡμέρας, ἕως οὗ πάντας καταλάβῃ τοὺς σωθησομένους, ὥσπερ τὸν Παῦλον. Ὁ δὲ οἶκος, τὴν βασιλείαν, ἐν ᾗ ἀποκαθίστανται πάντες οἱ ἅγιοι. Ἡ δὲ μακρότης τῶν ἡμερῶν, τὴν αἰώνιον ζωήν.

3.3 (γ') Κατὰ παράχρησιν αἱ κακίαι τῶν τῆς ψυχῆς δυνάμεων ἡμῖν ἐπισυμβαίνουσιν, οἷον τῆς τε ἐπιθυμητικῆς καὶ τῆς θυμοειδοῦς καὶ τῆς λογιστικῆς. Καὶ τῆς μὲν λογιστικῆς δυνάμεως παράχρησίς ἐστιν ἀγνωσία καὶ ἀφροσύνη· τῆς δὲ θυμοειδοῦς καὶ ἐπιθυμητικῆς, 14__264 μῖσος καὶ ἀκολασία. Χρῆσις δὲ τούτων, γνῶσις καὶ φρόνησις, ἀγάπη τε καὶ σωφροσύνη· εἰ δὲ τοῦτο, οὐδὲν τῶν ὑπὸ Θεοῦ κτισθέντων καὶ γεγονότων ἐστὶ κακόν.

3.4 (δ') Οὐ τὰ βρώματα κακά, ἀλλ᾽ ἡ γαστριμαργία· οὐδὲ ἡ παιδοποιία, ἀλλ᾽ ἡ πορνεία· οὐδὲ τὰ χρήματα, ἀλλ᾽ ἡ φιλαργυρία· οὐδὲ ἡ δόξα, ἀλλ᾽ ἡ κενοδοξία. Εἰ δὲ τοῦτο, οὐδὲν ἐν τοῖς οὖσι κακόν, εἰ μὴ ἡ παράχρησις, ἥτις ἐπισυμβαίνει ἐκ τῆς τοῦ νοῦ ἀμελείας περὶ τὴν φυσικὴν γεωργίαν.

3.5 (ε') Τὸ ἐν δαίμοσι κακὸν ταῦτα εἶναί φησιν ὁ μακάριος ∆ιονύσιος· θυμὸν ἄλογον, ἄνουν ἐπιθυμίαν, φαντασίαν προπετῆ. Ἀλογία δὲ καὶ ἄνοια καὶ προπέτεια ἐπὶ τῶν λογικῶν στερήσεις εἰσὶ λόγου καὶ νοῦ καὶ περισκέψεως. Αἱ δὲ στερήσεις τῶν ἕξεών εἰσι δεύτεραι· ἄρα οὖν ἦν ὅτε ὑπῆρχεν ἐν αὐτοῖς λόγος καὶ νοῦς καὶ περίσκεψις εὐλαβής. Εἰ δὲ τοῦτο, οὐδὲ οἱ δαίμονες φύσει κακοί· ἀλλ᾽ ἐκ παραχρήσεως τῶν φυσικῶν δυνάμεων κακοὶ γεγόνασι.

3.6 (στ') Τὰ μὲν τῶν παθῶν, ἀκολασίας· τὰ δέ, μίσους· τὰ δέ, καὶ ἀκολασίας καὶ μίσους εἰσὶ ποιητικά.

3.7 (ζ') Πολυφαγία καὶ ἡδυφαγία ἀκολασίας εἰσὶν αἰτίαι· φιλαργυρία δὲ καὶ κενοδοξία, μίσους πρὸς τὸν πλησίον· ἡ δὲ τούτων μήτηρ φιλαυτία τῶν ἀμφοτέρων ἐστὶν αἰτία.