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contemplation, a firm hope and unharmed understanding; and the deification at the assumption, perfect love, and a mind made completely and voluntarily insensible to existing things by transcendence.

5.94 (ƒδ΄) They say that the work of practical philosophy is to render the mind pure from every passionate fantasy; and of natural contemplation, to show it knowledgeable of all the true knowledge of existing things according to the cause for which they exist; and of theological mystagogy, to make it, as far as possible, like and equal to God by grace in its state, being mindful of absolutely nothing anymore of the things after God on account of transcendence.

5.95 (ƒε΄) Whatever the aether, that is, the fiery element, is in the sensible world, this in the world of the intellect is prudence, as an illuminating state, and receptive of the particular spiritual principles of each of the beings [edit. ἀποδεκτική], unerringly manifesting through them the cause in all things, and attractive of the soul's desire for the divine; and whatever in the sensible world is the air, this in the intellectual world is courage, as a motive state and both cohesive and effective for the innate life according to the spirit, and invigorating for the soul's perpetual motion toward the divine; and whatever in the sensible world is water, this in the world of the intellect is moderation, being a state productive of the vital fertility in the spirit, and generative of the ever-gushing erotic charm of desire for the divine; and whatever in the sensible world is the earth, this in the world of the intellect is justice, being a state generative according to form of all the principles in beings, and distributive of the vital diffusion in the spirit equally to each; and the unchangeable [male edita, μετάθετος] foundation of its own base in the good according to its position.

5.96 (ƒστ΄) Just as when the flesh is in good condition and grows fat, the soul is tormented and darkened by the passions (15∆_316>, as the state of the virtues and the illumination of knowledge withdraw; so also when the soul is both guarded and made radiant by the divine beauty of the virtues and by the illumination of knowledge, the outer man is corrupted, as the flesh casts off its natural well-being on account of the advent of the Word.

5.97 (ƒζ΄) It was not possible otherwise for the one who became man to be shown to be Son of God and God by the deification of grace, had he not first been born of the Spirit by choice, through the self-moving and sovereign power naturally uniting with him; which deifying and divine and immaterial birth the first man neglected, because he preferred the sensible, pleasant, and evident thing to the intelligible and then-unseen goods, and so is reasonably condemned to have the involuntary, material, and mortal birth from bodies.

1392 5.98 (ƒη΄) Man is now moved, either by irrational fantasies of the passions out of deceit for the sake of pleasure; or by principles of the arts out of circumstance for the sake of need; or by natural principles from the law of nature for the sake of learning; none of which by necessity drew man in the beginning, since he was reasonably made to be above all things. For so it was fitting for the one from the beginning to be, distracted by absolutely none of the things after him, or around him, or according to him, and in need of only one thing for perfection, namely, the unrestrained movement toward the one who is above him, I mean God, with the whole power of love.

5.99 (ƒθ΄) The first man had nothing set before him between God and himself for perception, and hindering the kinship that was to be born from the spontaneous movement toward God through love. (15∆_318> For being dispassionate by grace, he did not admit the deceit of the passions' fantasies through pleasure; and without need [ male edita προσδεής]

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θεωρίαν, ἐλπίς βεβαία καί ἀλώβητος σύνεσις· τήν δέ κατά τήν ἀνάληψιν θέωσιν, ἀγάπη τελεία, καί νοῦς τοῖς οὖσι καθ᾿ ὑπεροχήν πάμπαν ἑκουσίως πεπηρωμένος.

5.94 (ƒδ΄) Τῆς μέν πρακτικῆς φιλοσοφίας ἔργον εἶναί φασι, πάσης τόν νοῦν ἐμπαθοῦς φαντασίας καθαρόν καταστῆσαι· τῆς δέ φυσικῆς θεωρίας, πάσης τῆς ἐν τοῖς οὖσι καθ᾿ ἥν αἰτίαν ὑπάρχουσιν, ἀληθοῦς γνώσεως αὐτόν ἐπιστήμονα δεῖξαι· τῆς δέ θεολογικῆς μυσταγωγίας, ὅμοιον Θεῷ καί ἴσον ὡς ἐφικτόν, τῇ χάριτι κατά τήν ἕξιν ποιῆσαι, μηδενός τό σύνολον ἔτι τῶν μετά Θεόν, διά τήν ὑπεροχήν ὄντα νοήμονα.

5.95 (ƒε΄) Ὁπέρ ἐστιν ὁ αἰθήρ, ἤγουν τό πύριον στοιχεῖον, ἐν τῷ κατ᾿ αἴσθησιν κόσμῳ, τοῦτο ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ τῆς διανοίας ἐστίν ἡ φρόνησις, ὡς ἕξις φωτιστική, καί τῶν ἐφ᾿ ἑκάστου τῶν ὄντων ἰδίως πνευματικῶν λόγων ὑποδεκτική [edit. ἀποδεκτική], τήν ἐν ὅλοις ἀπλανῶς αἰτίαν δι᾿ αὐτῶν ἐκφαίνουσα, καί τῆς κατά ψυχήν περί τό θεῖον ἐφέσεως ἑλκτική· καί ὅπερ ἐν τῷ αἰσθητῷ κόσμῳ ἐστίν ὁ ἀήρ, τοῦτο ἐν τῷ κατά διάνοιαν κόσμῳ ἐστίν ἡ ἀνδρεία, ὡς ἕξις κινητική καί τῆς ἐμφύτου κατά πνεῦμα ζωῆς συνεκτική τε ἅμα καί δραστική, καί τῆς κατά ψυχήν περί τό θεῖον ἀεικινησίας τονωτική· καί ὅπερ ἐν τῷ αἰσθητῷ κόσμῳ ἐστί τό ὕδωρ, τοῦτο ἐν τῷ τῆς διανοίας κόσμῳ ἐστίν ἡ σωφροσύνη, ἕξιν ὑπάρχουσα τῆς ἐν πνεύματι ζωτικῆς γονιμότητος ποιητική, καί τῆς ἀειβλύστου κατά τήν ἔφεσιν περί τό θεῖον ἐρωτικῆς θέλξεως γεννητική· καί ὅπερ ἐν τῷ αἰσθητῷ κόσμῳ ἐστίν ἡ γῆ, τοῦτο ἐν τῷ τῆς διανοίας κόσμῳ ἐστίν ἡ δικαιοσύνη, ἕξις ὑπάρχουσα κατ᾿ εἶδος γεννητική πάντων τῶν ἐν τοῖς οὖσι λόγων, καί τῆς ἐν πνεύματι κατά τῷ ἴσον ἑκάστῳ ζωτικῆς διαδόσεως ἀπονεμητική· καί τῆς οἰκείας ἐν τῷ καλῷ κατά τήν θέσιν βάσεως ἀμετάθετος [male edita, μετάθετος] ἵδρυσις.

5.96 (ƒστ΄) Ὅσπερ σαρκός εὐεκτούσης καί πιαινομένης, τοῖς πάθεσιν (15∆_316> ἡ ψυχή βασανίζεται καί σκοτίζεται, τῆς τῶν ἀρετῶν ἕξεως καί τοῦ φωτισμοῦ τῆς γνώσεως ὑποχωρούντων· οὕτω καί τῆς ψυχῆς τῷ θείῳ κάλλει τῶν ἀρετῶν, καί τῷ φωτισμῷ τῆς γνώσεως φρουρουμένης τε καί λαμπρυνομένης, ὁ ἔξω ἄνθρωπος διαφθείρεται, τῆς σαρκός διά τήν ἐπιδημίαν τοῦ λόγου τήν φυσικήν εὐεξίαν ἀποβαλλομένης.

5.97 (ƒζ΄) Οὐκ ἦν δυνατόν ἄλλως υἱόν ἀποδειχθῆναι Θεοῦ καί Θεόν κατά τήν χάριτος θέωσιν, τόν γενόμενον ἄνθρωπον, μή πρότερον κατά προαίρεσιν γεννηθέντα τῷ πνεύματι, διά τήν ἑνοῦσαν αὐτῷ φυσικῶς αὐτοκίνητον καί ἀδέσποτον δύναμιν· ἥν τινα θεοποιόν καί θείαν καί ἄϋλον γέννησιν, διά τό προτιμῆσαι τῶν νοουμένων καί ἀδήλων τέως ἀγαθῶν τό κατ᾿ αἴσθησιν τερπνόν καί ἐπίδηλον, παραλιπών ὁ πρῶτος ἄνθρωπος, τήν ἐκ σωμάτων εἰκότως ἀπροαίρετον καί ὑλικήν καί ἐπίκηρον ἔχει καταδικάζεται γένεσιν.

1392 5.98 (ƒη΄) Κινεῖται νῦν ὁ ἄνθρωπος, ἤ περί φαντασίας ἀλόγους παθῶν ἐξ ἀπάτης διά φιληδονίαν· ἤ περί λόγους τεχνῶν ἐκ περιστάσεως διά τήν χρείαν· ἤ περί φυσικούς λόγους ἐκ τοῦ νόμου τῆς φύσεως διά μάθησιν· ὧν οὐδέν κατ᾿ ἀρχάς ἐξανάγκης εἷλκε τόν ἄνθρωπον, εἰκότως, ὑπεράνω πάντων γενόμενον. Οὕτω γάρ ἔπρεπεν εἶναι τόν ἀπ᾿ ἀρχῆς, μηδενί τό σύνολον περισπώμενον τῶν μετ᾿ αὐτόν, ἤ περί αὐτόν, ἤ κατ᾿ αὐτόν, καί πρός τελείωσιν ἑνός μόνου προσδεόμενον, τῆς πρός τόν ὑπέρ αὐτόν, φημί δέ τόν Θεόν, καθ᾿ ὅλην τήν ἀγαπητικήν δύναμιν ἀσχέτου κινήσεως.

5.99 (ƒθ΄) Οὐδέν εἶχεν ὁ πρῶτος ἄνθρωπος μεταξύ Θεοῦ καί αὐτοῦ προβεβλημένον πρός εἴδησιν, καί κωλύον τήν δι᾿ ἀγάπης αὐθαίρετον κατά τήν πρός Θεόν κίνησιν γεννησομένην συγγένειαν. (15∆_318> Ἀπαθής γάρ χάριτι ὤν, ἀπάτην παθῶν φαντασίας δι᾿ ἡδονῆς οὐ προσίετο· καί ἀπροσδεής [ male edita προσδεής]