63

before attaining that purely? (p. 324) Did they then go about seeking if anyone professed to know something, a Greek or an Egyptian or a Chaldean, in order to learn from him and his writings and to gather understanding from every source, as you yourself teach us, saying verbatim thus, “the knowledge of existing things does not come from the keeping of the commandments, nor from passionlessness alone,” and “it is not possible to be holy without having received the knowledge of existing things and having been purified of this ignorance”? Did they then go about gathering understanding from every source, as you yourself teach us, or were they, according to what is written, “continually in the temple, persevering in prayer and supplication” and prefiguring and practically portraying in sacred writing this truly supermundane and all-holy life according to the monks, according to which we profess to ascend above the holy way of life that is in the mean, and renounce every divided life and imagination, and are truly monastically led up to the unifying divine wisdom, which is higher than all philosophy, through the unifying commandments, and are sacerdotally perfected into a most holy monad? For in truth we become a henad in the tri-hypostatic monad which is transcendent above all things and alone in every way incomprehensible, according to the proud and mystical manifestation and co-operation on our behalf of him who for our sakes shared in our dyad and did not ineffably depart from his own monad, according to his own unoriginate, superessential power.

What then do we do that is absurd, O most learned one, if we require him who is hastening toward the unitive concentration of the mind according to the profession, having abandoned the study of manifold learning, to transcend the divided and transient thoughts in these things and the sensible words and the kinds of knowledge that have their origin from sense-perception? And how could the inner man become a monk according to the principle of the transcendent, unifying life, unless he should ascend above the acquired world and all human (p. 326) learning and unitively and monastically stretch himself forth concisely to God, which the removal of the adornment of hair from the head also symbolically teaches to those capable of understanding? Perhaps also the not ascending by steps to the divine altar and the building this with uncut stones, on which no tool has been laid, was hinting at this, that the naked nature of the mind itself must be a house of prayer, unattempted by all sorts of concepts and human methods? But did not the Lord explicitly forbid zeal for secular learning? But neither marriage, nor abstaining from meat, nor living together with those who live in marriage. If, therefore, we demand these things of them, will someone accuse us, saying according to you who seem to twist everything with the turns of your arguments, that no less, since he did not forbid it, must one engage in it than abstain from it, since he did not permit it? Certainly not, unless he himself wishes to be justly accused; for many of the things done without condemnation by the Christian flock are in every way not permitted to monks because of the different nature of their way of life. But there are some of the fathers who also forbid the use of baths and do not permit those who are sick to use medical aids, as being wholly dedicated to God and entirely dependent on him and unhesitatingly expecting what is expedient from God. However, they do not consider as abominable those who have not reached this measure of faith, although God has often borne witness to that conviction through extraordinary miracles. But at times they even paternally condescend to us who are humble; and one could find them both doing and saying this very thing also concerning secular education. How then did you bring yourself, O monk and philosopher, to class with the transgressor and apostate one who both does and says the same things as the fathers? He attempted to deprive Christians (p.328) of secular learning as unworthy, but I do not deprive monks of it. For the time before undertaking this way of life is sufficient for the not-indolent to acquire every kind of learning. Neither then

63

πρίν ἐκείνης καθαρῶς τυχεῖν; (σελ. 324) Ἆρα περιῄεσαν ζητοῦντες εἴ τις ἐπαγγέλλεταί τι εἰδέναι, Ἕλλην ἤ Αἰγύπτιος ἤ Χαλδαῖος, ὡς παρά τούτου καί τῶν τούτου συγγραμμάτων μανθάνειν καί πανταχόθεν συλλέγειν τό φρονεῖν, ὡς αὐτός ἡμᾶς ἐκδιδάσκεις λέγων ἐπί λέξεως οὕτως, «οὐκ ἐκ τῆς τῶν ἐντολῶν φυλακῆς, οὐδ᾿ ἐξ ἀπαθείας μόνης τό εἰδέναι τά ὄντα περιγίνεται» καί «οὐκ ἔστιν ἅγιον εἶναι μή τήν γνῶσιν εἰληφότα τῶν ὄντων καί τῆς ἀγνοίας ταύτης κεκαθαρμένον»; Ἆρ᾿ οὖν περιῄρεσαν πανταχόθεν τό φρονεῖν συλλέγοντες, ὡς αὐτός μᾶς ἐκδιδάσκεις, ἤ ἦσαν, κατά τό γεγραμμένον, «διά παντός ἐν τῷ ἱερῷ, προσκαρτεροῦντες τῇ προσευχῇ καί τῇ δεήσει καί προϋπογράφοντες καί πρακτικῶς ἱερογραφοῦντες τήν κατά μοναχούς ταύτην ὄντως ὑπερανῳκισμένην καί πανίερον ζωήν, καθ᾿ ἥν τήν ἐν μεσότητι μέν οὖσαν ἱεράν πολιτείαν ὑπεραναβῆναι ἐπαγγελλόμεθα, πάσῃ δέ διαιρετῇ καί ζωῇ καί φαντασίᾳ ἀποταττόμεθα καί πρός τήν πάσης φιλοσοφίας ὑψηλοτέραν ἑνιαίαν θεοσοφίαν διά τῶν ἑνοποιῶν ἐντολῶν ὄντως μοναστικῶς ἀναγόμεθα καί εἰς ἱερωτάτην ἱερουργικῶς τελεσιουργούμεθα μονάδα; Ἑνάς γάρ ἐν ἀληθείᾳ γινόμεθα ἐν τῇ πάντων ὑπεξῃρημένῃ καί μόνῃ πάντως ἀπερινοήτως τρισυποστάτῳ μονάδι, κατά τήν ὑπέρ ἡμῶν αὐχην καί μυστικήν ἐμφάνειαν καί συνεργίαν τοῦ δι᾿ ἡμᾶς τῇ καθ᾿ ἡμᾶς κοινωνήσαντος δυάδι καί τῆς οἰκείας ἀπορρήτως μή ἀποφοιτήσαντος μονάδος καθ᾿ ὑπερούσιον ἑαυτοῦ δύναμιν ἀνεκφοίτητον.

Τί οὖν ἄτοπον ποιοῦμεν, ὦ φιλολογώτατε, εἰ τόν πρός τήν ἑνοειδῆ συνέλιξιν τοῦ νοῦ κατά τήν ἐπαγγελίαν ἐπειγόμενον, ἀφέμενον τῆς κατά τά πολυειδῆ μαθήματα μελέτης, ὑπερβῆναι ἀξιοῦμεν τάς ἐν τούτοις μεριστάς καί μεταβατικάς νοήσεις καί τούς αἰσθητούς λόγους καί τάς ἐξ αἰσθήσεως ἐχούσας γνώσεις τήν ἀρχήν; Πῶς δ᾿ ἄν ὁ ἔσω ἄνθρωπος κατασταίη μοναχός κατά λόγον τῆς ὑπερκειμένης ἑνιαίας ζωῆς, εἰ μή τόν ἐπίκτητον κόσμον ὑπεραναβαίη καί πάσας τάς ἀνθρωπικάς (σελ. 326) μαθήσεις καί ἑνιαίως καί μοναχῶς πρός Θεόν ἀνατείνει συντόμως ἑαυτόν, ὅ καί ὁ τῆς κεφαλῆς ἐκ τριχῶν κόσμος περιαιρούμενος τοῖς ἐπαΐειν ἱκανοῖς συμβολικῶς ἐκδιδάσκει; Τάχα δέ καί τό μή ἀναβαθμίσιν ἀναβαίνειν ἐπί τό θεῖον θυσιαστήριον καί τό λίθοις τοῦτο κτίζειν ἀτμήτοις, ἐφ᾿ οἷς ἐγχειρίδιον οὐκ ἐπιβέβληται, τοῦτ᾿ αἰνιττόμενον ἦν, ὡς αὐτήν χρή γυμνήν τήν τοῦ νοῦ φύσιν οἶκον εἶναι προσευχῆς, περινοίας παντίαις καί ἀνθρωπίναις μεθόδοις ἀνεπιχείρητον; Ἀλλ᾿ ὁ Κύριος οὐ ρητῶς ἀπεῖρξε τήν περί λόγους σπουδήν; Ἀλλ᾿ οὐδέ τόν γάμον, οὐδέ τό κρεῶν ἀπέχεσθαι, οὐδέ τό μετά τῶν ἐν συζυγίᾳ ζώντων συνοικεῖν. Εἰ γοῦν ἡμεῖς ταῦτα τούτους ἀπαιτοῦμεν, κατηγορήσει τις ἡμῶν λέγων κατά σέ τόν πάντα στρέφειν δοκοῦντα τοῖς τῶν λόγων στροφαῖς ὡς οὐδέν ἧττον, ἐπεί οὐκ ἐκώλυσεν, ἔχεσθαι δεῖ ἤ ἀπέχεσθαι, ἐπί οὐκ ἐπέτρεψεν; Οὔμενουν, εἰ μή κατηγορημένος αὐτός ἐθέλει δικαίως εἶναι˙ πολλά γάρ τῶν ἀκατακρίτως ἐνεργουμένων τῷ χριστωνύμῳ πληρώματι, τρόπῳ παντί τοῖς μοναχοῖς οὐκ ἐφεῖται διά τό τῆς πολιτείας ἐξηλλαγμέονον. Εἰσί δ᾿ οἵ τῶν πατέρων καί λουτρῶν θεραπείας ἀπείργουσι καί νοσοῦσιν αὐτοῖς ταῖς ἐξ ἰατρικῆς χρῆσθαι βοηθείας οὐκ ἐπιτρέπουσιν, ὡς ὅλους ἀνακειμένους Θεῷ καί τό πᾶν ἐξηρτημένους ἐκεῖθεν καί τό συνοῖσον ἀνενδοιάστως προσδόκιμον θεόθεν ἔχοντας. Οὐ μήν τούς μή πρός τό μέτρον τοῦτο τῆς πίστεως φθάνοντας ἀποτροπαίους ἡγοῦνται, καίτοι τοῦ Θεοῦ πολλάκις δι᾿ ἐξαισίων θαυμάτων ἐπιμαρτυρήσαντος ἐκείνῃ τῇ γνώμῃ. Πατρικῶς δ᾿ ἔσθ᾿ ὅτε καί συγκαταβαίνουσι τοῖς ταπεινοῖς ἡμῖν˙ τοῦτο δή καί περί τήν τοῦ λόγου παιδείαν εὕροι τις ἄν καί ποιοῦντας καί λέγοντας. Πῶς οὖν τόν ταὐτά τοῖς πατράσι καί ποιοῦντα καί λέγοντα τῷ παραβάτῃ καί ἀποστάτῃ συντάττειν ὑπέμεινας, ὁ μοναχός καί φιλόσοφος; Ἐκεῖνος χριστιανούς ὡς ἀναξίους τῶν λόγων ἀποστερεῖν (σελ.328) ἐπεχείρησεν, ἐγώ δ᾿ οὐκ ἀποστερεῖν μοναχούς. Ἱκανός γάρ ὁ πρό τοῦ τήν πολιτείαν ταύτην ὑπελθεῖν χρόνος πρός λόγου κτῆσιν παντοίαν τοῖς οὐ ρᾳθύμοις. Οὔτ᾿ οὖν