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of intelligible realities, always moving in the same manner, has history or contemplation entirely corresponding to itself. Therefore, one who faultlessly exercises the divine knowledge of Scripture must, according to the differences of things that happen or are said, receive each of the enumerated things differently, and duly assign to it the contemplation that is fitting according to place or time.

4.73 (73) It is necessary to teach all those in the entire world to live their lives by reason alone, and to have only so much care for their bodies as to sever through much diligence the soul's relation to them, 1337 and to give the soul absolutely no fantasy of matter; once that which was from the beginning has been extinguished by the Word—that which had thrust aside reason and had accepted the irrationality of pleasure like a creeping serpent—namely, sense-perception, against which death was justly decreed, so that it might cease from providing the devil entry to the soul.

4.74 (74) Sense-perception, being one in genus, becomes fivefold in its species, through the perceptive activity proper to each species, persuading the erring soul to love what is naturally suited to it, the sensible object, instead of God. Therefore, the one who wisely follows the Word, before the forced and unwilling death, willingly condemns the flesh to death, making a complete separation of the will from sense-perception.

4.75 (75) Sense-perception, having taken the intellect captive, teaches polytheism, through each sense-perception serving the naturally suited sensible object as something divine by its enslavement to the passions.

4.76 (76) He who attends only to the letter of Scripture has only sense-perception ruling his nature, according to which only the soul's relation to the flesh is naturally manifested. For the (15∆_242> letter, if not understood spiritually, has only sense-perception defining its utterance, and not allowing the power of what is written to pass over to the intellect. But if the letter has an affinity for sense-perception alone, everyone who accepts the letter in a Jewish manner according to history alone, lives according to the flesh, dying the death of sin daily by the will on account of living sense-perception, not being able to put to death the deeds of the body by the spirit, so that he might live the blessed life in the spirit. For if you live according to the flesh, you are going to die, says the divine Apostle; but if by the spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live.

4.77 (77) Let us not therefore, when we light the divine lamp, that is, the illuminating word of knowledge through contemplation and action, place it under a bushel basket, lest we be condemned as those who delimit the incomprehensible power of wisdom by the letter; but upon the lampstand, I mean the holy Church, on the height of true contemplation, holding up to all the light of the divine doctrines.

4.78 (78) He who bears the assaults of involuntary temptations with an unshaken mind, like the blessed Job and the noble martyrs, is a strong lamp, himself also keeping unquenched the light of salvation, preserved in the manner of endurance through courage, as one who has the Lord as his strength and praise. And he who knows the devices of the evil one, and is not ignorant of the entanglements of the unseen wars, this one too, being illumined by the light of knowledge, has appeared as another lamp, crying out fittingly with the great Apostle, For we are not ignorant of his designs.

1340 4.79 (79) Purification for those worthy of the purity of the virtues, the Holy Spirit accomplishes through fear and piety and knowledge; but the illumination of the knowledge of beings according to the principles by which they exist, He bestows through strength and counsel and understanding (15∆_244> upon those worthy of light; but perfection, through

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νοητῶν, κατά τόν αὐτόν ἀεί κινούμενον τρόπον, ἔχει συμβαίνουσαν ἑαυτῇ διόλου τήν ἱστορίαν ἤ τήν θεωρίαν. ∆ιό χρή τόν ἀπταίστως τήν θείαν τῆς Γραφῆς ἐξασκούμενον εἴδησιν, ταῖς διαφοραῖς τῶν γινομένων ἤ λεγομένων, διαφόρως ἐκδέχεσθαι τῶν ἀπηριθμημένων ἕκαστον, καί τήν ἁρμόζουσαν αὐτῷ κατά τόν τόπον, ἤ τόν χρόνον δεόντως θεωρίαν προσνέμειν.

4.73 (ογ΄) ∆ιδάσκειν χρή πάντας τούς ἐν παντί τῷ κόσμῳ, λόγῳ ζῇν μόνῳ πολιτεύεσθαι, καί τοσοῦτον ἔχειν περί τῶν σωμάτων τήν μέριμναν, ὅσο διά πολλῆς φροντίδος τήν πρός αὐτά σχέσιν τῆς ψυχῆς διακόψας, 1337 καί μηδεμίαν διδόναι τό σύνολον ὕλης τῇ ψυχῇ φαντασίαν· σβεσθείσης ἤδη τῷ λόγῳ τῆς κατ᾿ ἀρχάς, τόν μέν λόγον παρωσαμένης, τήν ἀλογίαν δέ τῆς ἡδονῆς ὄφεως δίκην ἑρπυστικοῦ προσδεξαμένης, αἰσθήσεως, καθ᾿ ἧς ὡρίσθη δικαίως ὁ θάνατος, ἵνα παύσηται τῷ διαβόλῳ πρός τήν ψυχήν παρεχομένη τήν εἴσοδον.

4.74 (οδ΄) Μία ὑπάρχουσα κατά τό γένος ἡ αἴσθησις, πενταπλοῦται τοῖς εἴδεσι, διά τῆς καθ᾿ ἕκαστον εἶδος ἀντιληπτικῆς ἐνεργείας, τό προσφυές αἰσθητόν, ἀντί Θεοῦ στέργειν τήν πλανωμένην ψυχήν ἀναπείθουσα. ∆ιόπερ ὁ τῷ Λόγῳ σοφῶς ἑπόμενος, πρό τοῦ βεβιασμένου καί παρά γνώμην θανάτου, τόν θάνατον τῆς σαρκός ἑκουσίως καταψηφίζεται, τόν πρός αἴσθησιν τῆς γνώμης παντελῆ ποιούμενος χωρισμόν.

4.75 (οε΄) Λαβοῦσα τόν νοῦν ἡ αἴσθησις ὑποχείριον, διδάσκει πολύθεον, δι᾿ ἑκάστης αἰσθήσεως τῇ περί τά πάθη δουλείᾳ ὡς θεῖον τό προσφυές αἰσθητόν θεραπεύουσα.

4.76 (οστ΄) Ὁ μόνῳ τῷ γράμματι τῆς Γραφῆς παρακαθήμενος, μόνην ἔχει τήν αἴσθησιν κρατοῦσαν τῆς φύσεως, καθ᾿ ἥν ἡ πρός τήν σάρκα τῆς ψυχῆς σχέσις μόνη διαφαίνεσθαι πέφυκε. Τό γάρ (15∆_242> γράμμα μή νοούμενον πνευματικῶς, μόνην ἔχει τήν αἴσθησιν περιγράφουσαν αὐτοῦ τήν ἐκφώνησιν, καί μή συγχωροῦσαν πρός τόν νοῦν διαβῆναι τῶν γεγραμμένων τήν δύναμιν. Εἰ δέ πρός μόνην τήν αἴσθησιν ἔχει τό γράμμα τήν οἰκειότητα, πᾶς ὁ καθ᾿ ἱστορίαν μόνην Ἰουδαϊκῶς τό γράμμα δεχόμενος, κατά σάρκα ζῇ, τῆς ἁμαρτίας καθ᾿ ἑκάστην ἡμέραν διά τήν ζῶσαν αἴσθησιν γνωμικῶς ἀποθνήσκων τόν θάνατον, μή δυνάμενος πνεύματι τάς πράξεις θανατῶσαι τοῦ σώματος, ἵνα ζῇ τήν ἐν πνεύματι μακαρίαν ζωήν. Εἰ γάρ κατά σάρκα ζῆτε, μέλλετε ἀποθνήσειν, φησίν ὁ θεῖος Ἀπόστολος· εἰ δέ πνεύματι τάς πράξεις τοῦ σώματος θανατοῦτε, ζήσεσθε.

4.77 (οζ΄) Μή τοίνυν τόν θεῖον λύχνον, ἤγουν τόν φωτιστικόν τῆς γνώσεως λόγον ἀνάπτοντες διά θεωρίας καί πράξεως, ὑπό τόν μόδιον θήσωμεν, ἵνα μή κατακριθῶμεν ὡς περιγράφοντες τῷ γράμματι τήν τῆς σοφίας ἀπερίληπτον δύναμιν· ἀλλ᾿ ἐπί τήν λυχνίαν, λέγω τήν ἁγίαν Ἐκκλησίαν, ἐν τῷ ὕψει τῆς ἀληθοῦς θεωρίας, πᾶσι τό φῶς τῶν θείων δογμάτων πυρσεύουσαν.

4.78 (οη΄) Ὁ τάς προσβολάς τῶν ἀκουσίων πειρασμῶν κατά τόν μακάριον Ἰώβ καί τούς γενναίους μάρτυρας ἀκατασείστῳ φέρων τῷ φρονήματι, λύχνος ἐστίν ἰσχυρός, ἀκατάσβεστον καί αὐτός φυλάττων τό φῶς τῆς σωτηρίας, ἐν τῷ τρόπῳ τῆς κατά τήν ἀνδρίαν ὑπομονῆς φυλαττόμενον, ὡς τόν Κύριον ἰσχύν ἔχων καί ὕμνησιν. Ὁ δέ γινώσκων τοῦ πονηροῦ τά μηχανήματα, καί τάς συμπλοκάς τῶν ἀφανῶν πολέμων οὐκ ἀγνοῶν, καί οὗτος τῷ φωτί τῆς γνώσεως περιλαμπόμενος, ἄλλος πέφηνε λύχνος, τῷ μεγάλῳ Ἀποστόλῳ προσηκόντως φθεγγόμενος, Οὐ γάρ αὐτοῦ τά νοήματα ἀγνοοῦμεν.

1340 4.79 (οθ΄) Τήν μέν κάθαρσιν τοῖς ἀξίοις τῆς τῶν ἀρετῶν καθαρότητος, διά φόβου καί εὐσεβείας καί γνώσεως ποιεῖται τό Πνεῦμα τό ἅγιον· τόν δέ φωτισμόν τῆς τῶν ὄντων καθ᾿ οὕς ὑπάρχουσι λόγους γνώσεως, δι᾿ ἰσχύος καί βουλῆς καί συνέσεως δωρεῖται (15∆_244> τοῖς ἀξίοις φωτός· τήν δέ τελειότητα, διά