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5.80 (π΄) All the saints, having genuinely taken hold of the divine and unerring Word, passed through this age, without resting the footprint of their soul on any of the pleasant things in it. For having very fittingly opened their mind to the highest accounts about God attainable by men, I mean of goodness and of love; they were taught that God, moved by these, both gave being to existing things and bestowed well-being; if indeed it is right to speak of motion in the case of (15∆_306> God, who alone is unmoved, and not rather of will, which both moves all things and brings them into being and holds them together, but is itself in no way ever moved.

5.81 (πα΄) The soul, being an intellectual and rational substance, both thinks and reasons; having the intellect as its power; intellection as its movement; and the concept as its activity. For this is the limit of the intellection of both the thinker and the thought, as it is what defines the relationship of the extremes to each other. For the soul, when it thinks. 1384 ceases to think that which has been thought after its intellection. For that which has been properly thought once, no longer calls forth the power of the soul to be thought again; and so with respect to each concept it accepts a cessation of the specific intellection regarding the concept of what has been thought.

5.82 (πβ΄) Just as ignorance is divisive for those who are in error, so the presence of the intelligible light is unifying and unitive for those who are illumined and perfecting and converting; turning them back from many opinions to that which truly is, and gathering the diverse views, or to speak more properly, appearances, into a single, true and pure and uniform knowledge; and filling them with a single and unitive light.

5.83 (πγ΄) The good is the same as the beautiful, because all things for every reason desire the beautiful and the good, and there is nothing among beings that does not partake of the beautiful and the good. For the beautiful and the good is to all things, as truly admirable, desirable and lovely and pleasing and choice and beloved. But note how the divine love, pre-existing in the good, begot the good love in us, through which we desire the beautiful and the good, according to him who said, I became a lover of her beauty. And, Love her, and she will keep you; embrace her, and she will exalt you.

(15∆_308> 5.84 (πδ΄) The theologians call the divine sometimes love (eros), sometimes love (agape), and sometimes the lovely and the beloved. Wherefore, as being love (eros) and love (agape), it is moved; but as the lovely and the beloved, it moves towards itself all things capable of love (eros) and love (agape). And to speak more clearly again, it is moved as creating an inward disposition of love (eros) and love (agape) in those receptive of them; but it moves, as naturally attractive, the desire of those things moved toward it. And again it moves and is moved, as thirsting to be thirsted for, and loving to be loved, and loving to be loved.

5.85 (πε΄) Divine love is also ecstatic, not allowing lovers to belong to themselves, but to their beloveds. And this is shown by the superior things, being provident for the inferior; and by equals, through their communion with one another; and by the subordinate things, through their more divine turning back to the primary things. Wherefore also Paul the great, having come under the possession of divine love, and having partaken of its ecstatic power, with inspired mouth, says, I live, no longer I, but Christ lives in me; as a true lover and standing outside himself, as he himself says, for God, and not living his own life, but the life of the beloved, as being exceedingly beloved.

5.86 (πστ΄) One must dare to say this also for the sake of truth; 1385 that the Cause of all things Himself, through the beautiful and good love for all things, through an excess of loving goodness, goes out of Himself, in His providences for all existing things, and is, as it were, charmed by goodness and love and love; and from being above all, and removed from all, is brought down to be in all things by an ecstatic, superessential power,

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5.80 (π΄) Οἱ ἅγιοι πάντες τοῦ θείου καί ἀπλανοῦς λόγου γνησίως ἐπειλημμένοι, τόν αἰῶνα τοῦτο διέβησαν, οὐδενί τῶν ἐν αὐτῷ τερπνῶν τό τῆς ψυχῆς ἴχνος ἐναπερείσαντες. Πρός γάρ τούς ἄκρους τῶν ἀνθρώποις ἐφικτῶν περί Θεοῦ λόγους, τῆς ἀγαθότητός τέ φημι καί τῆς ἀγάπης, μάλα γε εἰκότως τόν νοῦν ἀναπετάσαντες· οἷς κινηθέντα τόν Θεόν, τό εἶναί τε δοῦναι τοῖς οὖσι, καί τό εὖ εἶναι χαρίσασθαι, ἐπαιδεύθησαν· εἴπερ κίνησιν ἐπί (15∆_306> Θεοῦ τοῦ μόνου ἀκινήτου θέμις εἰπεῖν, ἀλλά μή μᾶλλον βούλησιν, τήν πάντα κινοῦσάν τε καί εἰς τό εἶναι παράγουσαν καί συνέχουσαν, κινουμένην δέ οὐδαμῶς οὐδέποτε.

5.81 (πα΄) Ἡ ψυχή οὐσία νοερά τε καί λογική ὑπάρχουσα, καί νοεῖ καί λογίζεται· δύναμιν μέν ἔχουσα τόν νοῦν· κίνησιν δέ, τήν νόησιν· ἐνέργειαν δέ, τό νόημα. Πέρας γάρ τοῦτο, τῆς τε τοῦ νοοῦντος καί τοῦ νοουμένου νοήσεώς ἐστιν, ὡς περιοριστικόν τῆς πρός ἄλληλα τῶν ἄκρων ὑπάρχον σχέσεως. Νοοῦσα γάρ ἡ ψυχή. 1384 ἵσταται τοῦ νοεῖν ἐκεῖνο τό νοηθέν μετά τήν αὐτοῦ νόησιν. Τό γάρ νοηθέν κυρίως ἅπαξ, οὐκέτι τήν πρός τό νοηθῆναι πάλιν ἐκκαλεῖται τῆς ψυχῆς δύναμιν· καί καθ᾿ ἕκαστον νόημα οὕτω στάσιν δέχεται τῆς ποιᾶς ἐπί τῷ νοήματι τοῦ νοηθέντος νοήσεως.

5.82 (πβ΄) Ὥσπερ ἡ ἄγνοια διαιρετική τῶν πεπλανημένων ἐστίν, οὕτως ἡ τοῦ νοητοῦ φωτός παρουσία συναγωγός καί ἑνωτική τῶν φωτιζομένων ἐστί καί τελειωτική καί ἐπιστρεπτική· πρός τό ὄντως ὄν, ἀπό τῶν πολλῶν δοξασμάτων ἐπιστρέφουσα, καί τάς ποικίλας ὄψεις, ἤ κυριώτερον εἰπεῖν, φαντασίας, εἰς μίαν ἀληθῆ καί καθαράν καί μονοειδῆ συνάγουσα γνῶσιν· καί ἑνός καί ἑνωτικοῦ φωτός ἐμπιπλῶσα.

5.83 (πγ΄) Ταὐτόν ἐστιν τῷ ἀγαθῷ τό καλόν, ὅτι τοῦ καλοῦ καί ἀγαθοῦ κατά πᾶσαν αἰτίαν πάντα ἐφίεται, καί οὐκ ἔστι τῶν ὄντων, ὅ μή μετέχει τοῦ καλοῦ καί ἀγαθοῦ. Πᾶσι γάρ ἐστι τό καλόν καί ἀγαθόν, ὡς ὄντως ἀγαστόν, ἐφετόν καί ἐραστόν καί ἀρεστόν καί αἱρετόν καί ἀγαπητόν. Σημείωσαι δέ πῶς ὁ θεῖος ἔρως ἐν τῷ ἀγαθῷ προϋπάρχων, ἔτεκε τόν ἐν ἡμῖν ἀγαθόν ἔρωτα, δι᾿ οὗ τοῦ καλοῦ καί ἀγαθοῦ ἐφιέμεθα, κατά τόν εἰπόντα, Ἐραστής ἐγενόμην τοῦ κάλλους αὐτῆς. Καί, Ἐράσθητι αὐτῆς, καί τηρήσει σε· περιχαράκωσον αὐτήν, καί ὑψώσει σε.

(15∆_308> 5.84 (πδ΄) Τό θεῖον οἱ θεολόγοι, ποτέ μέν ἔρωτα, ποτέ δέ ἀγάπην, ποτέ δέ ἐραστόν καί ἀγαπητόν καλοῦσιν. Ὅθεν, ὡς μέν ἔρως ὑπάρχον καί ἀγάπη, κινεῖται· ὡς δέ ἐραστόν καί ἀγαπητόν, κινεῖ πρός ἑαυτό πάντα τά ἔρωτος καί ἀγάπης δεκτικά. Καί τρανότερον αὖθις φάναι, κινεῖται μέν ὡς σχέσιν ἐμποιοῦν ἐνδιάθετον ἔρωτος καί ἀγάπης τοῖς τούτων δεκτικοῖς· κινεῖ δέ, ὡς ἑλκτικόν φύσει, τῆς τῶν ἐπ᾿ αὐτό κινουμένων ἐφέσεως. Καί πάλιν κινεῖ καί κινεῖται, ὡς διψῶν τό διψᾶσθαι, καί ἐρῶν τό ἐρᾶσθαι, καί ἀγαπῶν τό ἀγαπᾶσθαι.

5.85 (πε΄) Ἔστι δέ καί ἐκστατικός ὁ θεῖος ἔρως, οὐκ ἐῶν ἑαυτῶν εἶναι τούς ἐραστάς, ἀλλά τῶν ἐρωμένων. Καί δηλοῦσι τά μέν ὑπέρτερα, τῆς προνοίας τῶν καταδεεστέρων γινόμενα· καί τά ὁμόστοιχα, τῆς ἀλλήλων συνοχῆς· καί τά ὑφειμένα, τῆς πρός τά πρῶτα θειοτέρας ἐπιστροφῆς. ∆ιό καί Παῦλος ὁ μέγας ἐν κατοχῇ τοῦ θείου γεγονώς ἔρωτος, καί τῆς ἐκστατικῆς αὐτοῦ δυνάμεως μετειληφώς, ἐνθέῳ στόματι, Ζῷ ἐγώ,φησίν, οὐκέτι, ζῇ δέ ἐν ἐμοί Χριστός· ὡς ἀληθής ἐραστής καί ἐξεστηκώς, ὡς αὐτός φησί, τῷ Θεῷ, καί οὐ τήν ἑαυτοῦ ζῶν, ἀλλά τήν τοῦ ἐραστοῦ ζωήν, ὡς σφόδρα ἀγαπητήν.

5.86 (πστ΄) Τολμητέον καί τοῦτο ὑπέρ ἀληθείας εἰπεῖν· 1385 ὅτι καί αὐτός ὁ πάντων αἴτιος, τῷ καλῷ καί ἀγαθῷ τῶν πάντων ἔρωτι, δι᾿ ὑπερβολήν τῆς ἐρωτικῆς ἀγαθότητος, ἔξω ἑαυτοῦ γίνεται, ταῖς εἰς τά ὄντα πάντα προνοίαις, καί οἷον ἀγαθότητι καί ἀγαπήσει καί ἔρωτι θέλγεται· καί ἐκ τοῦ ὑπέρ πάντα, καί πάντων ἐξῃρημένου, πρός τό ἐν πᾶσι κατάγεται κατ᾿ ἐκστατικήν ὑπερούσιον δύναμιν,