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into which thoughts our mind descends from divisible things, that is from perceptible and discursive reasons, instead of the forms and the multitude, which is of material things, gathering the thoughts immaterially, contemplating all things in the simple.

Intelligible: Understand "intelligible" as referring to us, and "intellectual" as referring to God. Or from divisible things: We are in divisible senses; for hearing is one thing, and

sight is another, and the others likewise; and from divisible perceptible things according to these we take up the knowledge of beings, or in divisible thoughts according to parts, and from divisible learnings, that is, of things being understood; and sometimes also through discursive reasons, that is, of those making the explanation clear and unfolded. But the intellectual natures, having no share in all such things, are illumined with the knowledge of the truth by a unified and simple intellection.

And it is for them: He says that for the angels there is an intellectual power and energy that comes from the supernatural wisdom of God; for from Him the divine angels have by participation the power of intellectual energy, by which they understand themselves and beings, and understanding the ideas with direct vision, which he called the thoughts of God. Therefore they have this intellectual energy as something introduced from God as cause, and they understand beings in a way far transcending souls, since souls indeed understand beings from the beings themselves and apply themselves to the forms, which is to understand more discursively, and to encompass all things in a circle. The angels, however, according to the godlikeness within them, understand the multitudes of creation in a unified way, and are not divided into the scattering of the variety of beings, that is, into perceptible things, as are rational souls; but souls are in some way deemed worthy of that, in imitation of the angels, when, rolling up the intellection (14S_268> of the many into one, they have all things together in themselves, distinguished without confusion; and yet souls have understanding as something introduced from without, while the angels understand from themselves and in themselves, since they are also godlike. And these things are concerning the intelligible things; but concerning how God understands, you have it both here and above in the fifth chapter near the end; but what we said about souls, that they understand in an angel-like way by rolling up the many into one, they will have this perfectly especially in the resurrection, when, having come to be again in their own bodies, they will receive perfect knowledge of beings. And the resurrection of the just will have these things perfectly, according to what has been said: "and so we shall always be with the Lord"; and again: "now we see as in a mirror and in a riddle, but then face to face," that is, we shall be taught the knowledge of beings.

Discursively and circularly: It has been said what is understood by discursively. Discursively, therefore, and circularly, that is, not by a single application of the mind does the human soul attain to divine knowledge, but receiving the true understanding of beings from particular things, for which reason it also falls short of the angelic vision of God, around the one cause it gathers the concept of the variously contemplated things and is deemed worthy of thoughts equal to the angels.

It therefore desires to attain: The demonic mind indeed desires equality with God out of irrationality, but it does not know how it is possible to attain this, not having suffered ignorance by nature, but voluntarily choosing what is contrary to nature. But note that the demons, insofar as they have a mind, possess it from the Good; but having become irrational and not wanting to remain what they were, they endured a fall from wisdom.

(14S_270> By eminence: Concerning the fact that things said of God by way of privation and their opposites, are understood by way of eminence.

And all other things from within: Let no one from these things be led away to absurd notions, so as to say that God also pre-contains evils in Himself causally, that is, for it to be inferred from this that He is their cause; for the discourse is not about these things to the

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εἰς ἅς διανοήσεις κάτεισιν ἡμῶν ὁ νοῦς ἐκ τῶν μεριστῶν, τουτέστι τῶν αἰσθητῶν καί διεξοδικῶν λόγων, ἀντί τοῦ τῶν εἰδῶν καί τοῦ πλήθους, ὅπερ ἐστί τῶν ὑλικῶν συλλέγουσαι τάς νοήσεις ἀΰλως, πάντα ἐν τῷ ἁπλῷ θεωροῦσαι.

Νοηταί: Τό νοηταί νόησον ὡς πρός ἡμᾶς, τό δέ νοεραί ὡς πρός τόν Θεόν. Ἤ ἀπό μεριστῶν: Ἡμεῖς ἐν μεριστοῖς τοῖς αἰσθητηρίοις· ἄλλο γάρ ἀκοή, καί

ἕτερον ὄψις, καί τά ἄλλα ὁμοίως· καί ἀπό μεριστῶν τῶν κατά ταῦτα αἰσθητῶν τήν τῶν ὄντων γνῶσιν ἀναλαμβάνομεν, ἤ ἐν μεριστοῖς μέν τοῖς κατά μέρος νοήμασι, ἀπό μεριστῶν δέ τῶν μαθήσεων, ἤτοι τῶν νοουμένων· ἔσθ' ὅτε δέ καί διά λόγων τῶν διεξοδικῶν, τουτέστι σαφῆ καί διηπλωμένην τήν ἐξήγησιν ποιουμένων. Αἱ δέ νοεραί φύσεις, ἀκοινωνήτως εἰς τά τοιαῦτα πάντα ἔχουσαι, ἑνιαίᾳ καί ἁπλῇ νοήσει τῆς ἀληθείας τήν γνῶσιν ἐλλάμπονται.

Καί ἔστιν αὐταῖς: Τοῖς ἀγγέλοις νοεράν εἶναί φησι δύναμιν καί ἐνέργειαν ἐκ τῆς ὑπερφυοῦς σοφίας τοῦ Θεοῦ γενομένην· ἐξ αὐτοῦ γάρ οἱ θεῖοι ἄγγελοι κατά μετοχήν τήν δύναμιν τῆς νοερᾶς ἐνεργείας ἔχουσι, καθ' ἥν νοοῦσιν ἑαυτούς καί τά ὄντα, καί τάς ἰδέας ἐποπτικῶς νοοῦντες, ἅς νοήσεις ὠνόμασε τοῦ Θεοῦ εἶναι. Ἐπείσακτον οὖν ἔχουσιν ἐξ αἰτίου τοῦ Θεοῦ τήν νοεράν ταύτην ἐνέργειαν, καί νοοῦσι τά ὄντα λίαν ὑπεραναβεβηκότως τῶν ψυχῶν, εἴ γε αἱ μέν ψυχαί ἐκ τῶν ὄντων αὐτῶν νοοῦσι τά ὄντα καί τοῖς εἴδεσιν ἐπιβάλλουσιν, ὅπερ διεξοδικώτερόν ἐστι νοεῖν, καί κύκλῳ περιεῖναι τά πάντα. Οἵ γε μήν ἄγγελοι κατά τήν ἐνοῦσαν αὐτοῖς θεοείδειαν, ἑνιαίως τά πλήθη τῆς κτίσεως νοοῦσι, καί οὐ μερίζονται εἰς τόν σκεδασμόν τῆς ποικιλίας τῶν ὄντων, ἤτοι εἰς τά αἰσθητά, ὡς αἱ λογικαί ψυχαί· ἐκείνου δέ ποσῶς ἀξιοῦνται αἱ ψυχαί, εἰς μίμησιν ἀγγέλων, ὅτε, τήν νόησιν (14S_268> τῶν πολλῶν εἰς ἕν συνελίττουσαι, ἔχουσιν ὁμοῦ πάντα ἐν αὐταῖς ἀσυγχύτως διακεκριμένα· καί ἔξωθεν μέντοι αἱ ψυχαί ἐπείσακτον ἔχουσι τό νοεῖν, τῶν ἀγγέλων ἐξ ἑαυτῶν καί ἐν ἑαυτοῖς νοούντων, ἅτε καί θεοειδῶν ὄντων. Καί ταῦτα μέν περί τῶν νοητῶν· περί δέ Θεοῦ ὅπως νοεῖ, ἔχεις καί ὧδε καί ἄνω ἐν πέμπτῳ κεφαλαίῳ ἐγγύς τοῦ τέλους· ὅ δέ εἴπομεν περί ψυχῶν, ὅτι ἀγγελοειδῶς εἰς ἕν τά πολλά συνελίξασαι νοοῦσι, μάλιστα ἐν τῇ ἀναστάσει τελείως ἕξουσιν, ὅτε αὖθις ἐν τοῖς ἑαυτῶν σώμασι γενόμεναι, τήν τῶν ὄντων γνῶσιν τελείαν ἀπολήψονται. Ταῦτα δέ ἡ τῶν δικαίων ἀνάστασις τελείως ἕξει, κατά τό εἰρημένον· «καί οὕτως πάντοτε σύν Κυρίῳ ἐσόμεθα»· καί πάλιν· «νῦν ὡς ἐν κατόπτρῳ καί αἰνίγματι βλέπομεν, τότε δέ πρόσωπον πρός πρόσωπον», τήν τῶν ὄντων γνῶσιν δηλονότι παιδευθησόμεθα.

∆ιεξοδικῶς δέ καί κύκλῳ: Είρηται τί τό διεξοδικῶς νοεῖται. ∆ιεξοδικῶς τοίνυν καί κύκλῳ, τουτέστιν οὐκ ἀθρόᾳ τοῦ νοῦ ἐπιβολῇ ἡ ἀνθρωπίνη ψυχή τήν θείαν κατακαλύπτεται γνῶσιν, ἀλλά τήν ἀληθῆ τῶν ὄντων κατανόησιν ἐκ τοῦ κατά μέρος δεχομένη, καθ' ὅ καί τῆς ἀγγελικῆς ἀπολείπεται θεοπτίας, περί τό ἕν αἴτιον τήν τῶν ποικίλως θεωρουμένων συνάγει ἔννοιαν καί τῶν ἰσαγγέλων ἀξιοῦται νοήσεων.

Τυχεῖν οὖν ἐφίεται: Ἐφίεται μέν ἐξ ἀλογίας τό ἰσόθεον ὁ δαιμόνιος νοῦς, οὐκ οἶδε δ' ὅπως τούτου τυχεῖν ἔνεστιν, οὐ φύσει παθών τήν ἄγνοιαν, ἀλλ' ἐκουσίως τό παρά φύσιν αἱρούμενος. Σημείωσαι δέ, ὅτι οἱ δαίμονες, καθ' ὅ νοῦν ἔχουσιν, ἐκ τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ τοῦτον κέκτηνται· ἀλογίσαντες δέ καί μή βουληθέντες μεῖναι ὅπερ ἦσαν, ἔκπτωσιν σοφίας ὑπέμειναν.

(14S_270> Καθ' ὑπεροχήν: Περί τοῦ, ὅτι τά κατά στέρησιν λεγόμενα ἐπί τοῦ Θεοῦ καί τά ἐναντία, ὑπεροχικῶς νοοῦνται.

Καί πάντα τἄλλα ἔνδοθεν: Μηδείς ἐκ τούτων πρός ἀτόπους ἀπαγέσθω ἐννοίας, ὥστε λέγειν καί τῶν κακῶν ἐν ἑαυτῷ κατ' αἰτίαν προέχειν τόν Θεόν, ἤγουν αἴτιον αὐτῶν ἐκ τούτου εἶναι συνάγεσθαι· οὐ γάρ περί τούτων ἐστίν ὁ λόγος τῷ