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3.70 (ο') If for a little while, having cut off the causes of the passions, we occupy ourselves with spiritual contemplations, but do not always abide in them, having this as our work, we are easily turned again to the passions of the flesh, having reaped nothing else from there than bare knowledge with conceit; the end of which is both the gradual darkening of this knowledge itself and the complete turning away of the intellect to material things.

3.71 (οα') A blameworthy passion of love occupies the intellect with material things; a praiseworthy passion of love binds it to divine things. For the intellect is accustomed to be enlarged in those things in which it spends time; and in those things in which it is enlarged, in them it also turns its desire and love, whether to divine and kindred and intelligible things, or to the things and passions of the flesh.

3.72 (οβ') God created the invisible world and the visible; and He Himself, of course, made the soul and the body. And if the visible world is so beautiful, of what kind then is the invisible? And if that one is greater than this one, how much greater than both is the God 14__296 who created them? If, then, the Creator of all good things is greater than all things that have come into being, for what reason does the intellect, abandoning what is greater than all, occupy itself with what is worse than all? I mean, with the passions of the flesh. Or is it clear that it has consorted with this and been accustomed to it from birth, but has not yet received a perfect experience of Him who is greater than and beyond all things? If, therefore, by prolonged discipline in the control of pleasures and in the study of divine things, we gradually tear it away from such a relationship, it is enlarged in divine things, progressing little by little, and recognizes its own proper dignity, and finally transfers all its desire to the divine.

3.73 (ογ') He who speaks of a brother's sin without passion speaks for two reasons: either to correct him or to benefit another. But if he speaks apart from these reasons, whether to him or to another, he speaks reproaching or slandering him, and he shall not escape divine abandonment, but will certainly fall into the same or another fault, and having been reproved and reviled by others, he will be put to shame.

3.74 (οδ') The case is not one, but varied, for those who commit the same sin in act. For example, it is one thing to sin from habit and another to sin by being carried away; the latter had no thought of it before the sin nor after the sin, but is even greatly pained at what has happened; but the one who sins from habit is the opposite; for first, in his mind he did not cease from sinning, and after the deed he is of the same disposition.

3.75 (οε') He who pursues the virtues for the sake of vainglory, it is clear that he also 14__298 pursues knowledge for the sake of vainglory. And it is clear that such a person does not do or say anything for edification, but in all things hunts for glory from those who see or hear. And the passion is exposed when some of the aforementioned people cast blame on his works or words, and at this he is greatly grieved, not because they are not edified (for this was not his purpose), but because he himself has been held in contempt.

3.76 (οστ') The passion of avarice is exposed by this: in taking with joy and giving with sorrow. Such a person cannot be a good steward.

3.77 (οζ') A person endures suffering for these reasons: either for the love of God, or for the hope of reward, or for the fear of punishment, or for the fear of men, or because of nature, or for pleasure, or for gain, or for vainglory, or through necessity.

3.78 (οη') It is one thing to be rid of thoughts and another to be freed from passions. And often someone is rid of thoughts, when those things towards which he has the passions are not present; but the passions are hidden in the soul

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3.70 (ο') Ἐὰν πρὸς ὀλίγον τῶν παθῶν τὰς αἰτίας ἐκκόψαντες τοῖς πνευματικοῖς ἐνασχοληθῶμεν θεωρήμασι, μὴ ἐν αὐτοῖς δὲ ἀεὶ διατρίψωμεν, αὐτὸ τοῦτο ἔχοντες ἔργον εὐχερῶς πάλιν ἐπὶ τὰ τῆς σαρκὸς πάθη περιτρεπόμεθα, μηδὲν ἄλλο ἐκεῖθεν καρπωσάμενοι ἢ ψιλὴν γνῶσιν μετὰ οἰήσεως· ἧς τὸ τέλος ἥ τε αὐτῆς κατὰ μικρὸν τῆς γνώσεως σκότωσις καὶ ἡ παντελὴς τοῦ νοῦ ἐπὶ τὰ ὑλικὰ ἐκτροπή.

3.71 (οα') Πάθος ἀγάπης ψεκτὸν τοῖς ὑλικοῖς πράγμασι τὸν νοῦν ἐνασχολεῖ· πάθος ἀγάπης ἐπαινετὸν καὶ τοῖς θείοις αὐτὸν συνδεσμεῖ. Εἴωθε γὰρ ὁ νοῦς ἐν οἷς χρονίζει πράγμασιν, ἐν αὐτοῖς καὶ πλατύνεσθαι· ἐν οἷς δὲ πλατύνεται, ἐν αὐτοῖς καὶ τὴν ἐπιθυμίαν καὶ τὴν ἀγάπην τρέψαι, εἶτε ἐν τοῖς θείοις καὶ οἰκείοις καὶ νοητοῖς εἶτε ἐν τοῖς τῆς σαρκὸς πράγμασί τε καὶ πάθεσι.

3.72 (οβ') Ὁ Θεὸς ἔκτισε τὸν ἀόρατον κόσμον καὶ τὸν ὁρώμενον· καὶ τὴν ψυχὴν καὶ τὸ σῶμα δηλονότι αὐτὸς ἐποίησε. Καὶ εἰ ὁ ὁρώμενος κόσμος τοιοῦτός ἐστι καλός, ποῖος ἄρα ἐστὶν ὁ ἀόρατος; Εἰ δὲ κρείττων τούτου ἐκεῖνος, πόσον ὑπὲρ τοὺς δύο ὁ τούτους κτίσας 14__296 Θεός; Εἰ οὖν κρείττων πάντων τῶν γεγονότων ὁ πάντων δημιουργὸς τῶν καλῶν, τίνι λόγῳ ὁ νοῦς ἀφεὶς τὸ πάντων κρεῖττον τοῖς πάντων χείροσιν ἐνασχολεῖται; λέγω δὲ τοῖς τῆς σαρκὸς πάθεσιν· ἢ δῆλον ὅτι ταύτῃ μὲν ἐκ γενετῆς συναναστραφεὶς καὶ συνεθίσας, τοῦ δὲ πάντων κρείττονος καὶ ὑπὲρ πάντα οὔπω τελείαν εἴληφε πεῖραν; Ἐὰν οὖν χρονίᾳ ἀσκήσει τῆς τῶν ἡδονῶν ἐγκρατείας καὶ τῆς τῶν θείων μελέτης κατὰ μικρὸν αὐτὸν τῆς τοιαύτης σχέσεως ἀπορρήξωμεν, πλατύνεταί τε ἐν τοῖς θείοις κατ᾽ ὀλίγον προκόπτων καὶ τὸ οἰκεῖον γνωρίζει ἀξίωμα καὶ τέλος ὅλον τὸν πόθον ἐπὶ τὸ θεῖον μεταφέρει.

3.73 (ογ') Ὁ ἀπαθῶς λέγων ἁμάρτημα ἀδελφοῦ κατὰ δύο αἰτίας λέγει, ἢ ἵνα αὐτὸν διορθώσηται ἢ ἵνα ἄλλον ὠφελήσῃ. Εἰ δὲ ἐκτὸς τούτων λέγει εἴτε αὐτῷ εἴτε ἄλλῳ, ὀνειδίζων ἢ διασύρων αὐτὸν λέγει καὶ οὐ μὴ ἐκφύγῃ τὴν θείαν ἐγκατάλειψιν, ἀλλ᾽ ἢ αὐτῷ ἢ ἄλλῳ πταίσματι πάντως περιπεσεῖται καὶ ὑπὸ ἑτέρων ἐλεγχθεὶς καὶ ὀνειδισθεὶς καταισχυνθήσεται.

3.74 (οδ') Οὐχ εἷς λόγος τῶν τὴν αὐτὴν ἁμαρτίαν κατ᾽ ἐνέργειαν ἁμαρτανόντων ἐστίν, ἀλλὰ διάφοροι. Οἷον ἄλλο ἐστὶ τὸ ἀπὸ ἕξεως ἁμαρτάνειν καὶ ἄλλο τὸ κατὰ συναρπαγήν· ὃς οὔτε πρὸ τῆς ἁμαρτίας εἶχε τὴν ἐνθύμησιν οὔτε μετὰ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν, ἀλλὰ καὶ σφόδρα ἐπὶ τῷ γεγονότι ὀδυνᾶται· ὁ δὲ ἀπὸ ἕξεως, ἐκ τοῦ ἐναντίου· καὶ πρῶτον γὰρ κατὰ διάνοιαν οὐκ ἐπαύετο ἁμαρτάνων καὶ μετὰ τὸ πρᾶξαι τῆς αὐτῆς ἐστι διαθέσεως.

3.75 (οε') Ὁ διὰ κενοδοξίαν τὰς ἀρετὰς μετερχόμενος δῆλον ὅτι καὶ 14__298 τὴν γνῶσιν διὰ κενοδοξίαν μετέρχεται. Ὁ δὲ τοιοῦτος οὐδὲ πρὸς οἰκοδομὴν δῆλον ὅτι πράττει τι ἢ διαλέγεται, ἀλλ᾽ ἐν πᾶσι τὴν παρὰ τῶν βλεπόντων ἢ ἀκουόντων δόξαν θηρώμενος. Ἐλέγχεται δὲ τὸ πάθος, ὅταν τινὲς τῶν προειρημένων τοῖς ἔργοις ἢ τοῖς λόγοις αὐτοῦ ψόγον ἐπιφέρωσι καὶ ἐπὶ τούτῳ σφόδρα λυπῆται, οὐ διὰ τὸ ἐκείνους μὴ οἰκοδομεῖσθαι· οὐδὲ γὰρ τοῦτο εἶχε σκοπόν· ἀλλὰ διὰ τὸ αὐτὸν ἐξουδενωθῆναι.

3.76 (οστ') Τὸ τῆς φιλαργυρίας πάθος ἐντεῦθεν ἐλέγχεται· ἐν τῷ χαίροντα λαμβάνειν καὶ λυπούμενον μεταδιδόναι. Οὐ δύναται δὲ ὁ τοιοῦτος οἰκονομικὸς εἶναι.

3.77 (οζ') ∆ιὰ ταῦτά τις πάσχων ὑπομένει· ἢ διὰ τὴν ἀγάπην τοῦ Θεοῦ ἢ διὰ τὴν ἐλπίδα τῆς μισθαποδοσίας ἢ διὰ τὸν φόβον τῆς κολάσεως ἢ διὰ τὸν φόβον τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἢ διὰ φύσιν ἢ διὰ ἡδονὴν ἣ διὰ κέρδος ἢ διὰ κενοδοξίαν ἢ δι᾽ ἀνάγκην.

3.78 (οη') Ἄλλο ἐστὶ λογισμῶν ἀπαλλαγῆναι καὶ ἄλλο παθῶν ἐλευθερωθῆναι. Καὶ πολλάκις τις λογισμῶν ἀπαλλάττει, μὴ παρόντων τῶν πραγμάτων ἐκείνων πρὸς ἅπερ τὰ πάθη κέκτηται· κέκρυπται δὲ τὰ πάθη ἐν τῇ ψυχῇ