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"to prayer," he says, "becomes an obstacle to each, and especially insofar as it partakes in violence in some way and produces pleasure or pain, and even more especially concerning the grossest and most irrational of the senses, touch." Therefore, someone might say to the one introducing such things, that one who is concerned with noetic prayer ought not to fast, not to keep vigil, not to be enclosed, not to sleep on the ground, not to stand for a long time, not to do anything of the sort; for all these things are forced to act painfully upon the sense of touch and bring, as you yourself might say, a disturbance to the praying soul, when it is necessary to procure for it from every side an undisturbed state (p. 356). "For it would be extraordinary," he says again, "if we were to dishonor sight and hearing in prayers, the more immaterial, impassible, and rational of the senses, but should accept touch, the grossest and most irrational of all, and suppose that its activities cooperate." For he has not perceived, although he is a philosopher, the difference in the senses, how, partaking differently of the corporeal power within themselves, not all of them continue to be moved only by things that fall upon them from without. But for us, wishing to explain what happens to the material senses from immaterial prayer, there was need both of the most perfect state according to it and of a treatise looking to one thing, this alone; but "He who gives prayer to those who pray" also gives to those who speak on their behalf a word commensurate with the present purpose.

Therefore, as many of the senses as are moved by external activities, it is necessary for these to be at rest when we are turned toward what is within; but as for those that are disposed along with the dispositions of the soul, and these the good ones, what need is there? And what device is there for one who has come to be in himself to be released from these of his own accord? And for what reason should one seek to be released from these, when they are in no way opposed, but even cooperate with the corresponding disposition as much as possible? For this body, our yoke-fellow, has been joined to us by God as one that will be a co-worker, or rather has been yoked under us; therefore, when it is restive we shall restrain it, but we shall accept it when it is led where it ought. Hearing, therefore, and sight are purer and more rational than touch, but one will not perceive anything through them at all, nor be pained through them, unless the visible or the audible, being discordant or even misshapen, falls upon them from without; but the body is pained rather through the sense of touch when we practice fasting and (p. 458) do not bring external food to it. For this reason, those who withdraw themselves from external things to what is within cause the senses that are not active when external things are not present to cease from their activity in this regard, for as long as they remain within; but as for those that are active even when external things are absent, how might they make them inactive, and especially when these tend also toward the proposed end? But that this painful sensation through touch is most profitable to those who pray noetically, all know who have even moderately engaged in the struggle according to it, and for these there is less need of words, since they know by experience, who also do not accept those who investigate such things by reason alone, saying that this is the knowledge that puffs up.

Nevertheless, those who truly pray noetically must be impassible and have shaken off their disposition toward things that are somehow indifferent, for thus they might attain to an untroubled and pure prayer, but those who have not yet reached this measure, though hastening toward it, must rise above hedonistic passion, and be completely freed from impassionedness (for one must put to death the sinful part of the body, which is to be freed from impassionedness, and have reasoning stronger than the evil passions moved in the intellectual world, which is to rise above hedonistic passion); if these things are so, as indeed they are, and when impassionedness prevails, not even with the tips, as the saying goes,

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προσευχῇ», φησίν, «ἐμπόδιον ἑκάστῃ γίνεται καί μάλιστ᾿ ἐφ᾿ ὅσον βίας ὁπωσοῦν μετέχει καί ἡδονήν ἤ ἄλγος ἐμποιεῖ καί ἔτι μάλιστα περί τήν παχυτάτην καί ἀλογωτάτην τῶν αἰσθήσεων ἁφήν». Οὐκοῦν εἴποι τις ἄν πρός τόν τά τοιαῦτα εἰσηγούμενον, οὐ νηστεύειν, οὐκ ἀγρυπνεῖν, οὐ κλείνειν, οὐ χαμευνεῖν, οὐκ ἐπί πλέον ἵστασθαι, οὐδέν τοιοῦτον πράττειν δεῖ τόν προσευχῆς νοερᾶς ἐπιμελούμενον˙ ἀλγεινῶς γάρ ταῦθ᾿ ἅπαντα τήν ἀφήν ἐνεργεῖν βιάζεται καί ὄχλον, ὡς ἄν αὐτός φαίης, τῇ ψυχῇ προσευχομένῃ προσφέρει, δέον τόν ἀνενόχλητον (σελ. 356) πανταχόθεν αὐτῇ περιποιεῖν. «Καί γάρ ὑπερφυές ἄν εἴη», πάλιν φησίν, «εἰ ὄψιν μέν καί ἀκοήν, τάς ἀϋλοτέρας τῶν αἰσθήσεων καί ἀπαθεστέρας καί λογικωτέρας, ἀτιμάζοιμεν ἐν προσευχαῖς, ἁφήν δέ τήν παχυτάτην πασῶν καί ἀλογωτάτην προσδεξαίμεθα καί τάς κατ᾿ αὐτήν ἐνεργείας συνεργεῖν ὑποληψόμεθα». Καί γάρ οὐ συνεώρακε, καίτοι φιλόσοφος ὤν, τήν ἐν ταῖς αἰσθήσεσι διαφοράν, ὅπως διαφόρως τῆς ἐν αὑταῖς σωματοειδοῦς δυνάμεως μεταλαγχάνουσαι, μή πρός μόνων τῶν ἔξωθεν αὐταῖς προσπιπτόντων ἅπασαι κινούμεναι, διατελοῦσιν. Ἡμῖν δέ τά συμβαίνοντα ταῖς ἐνύλοις αἰσθήσεσιν ἐκ τῆς ἀΰλου προσευχῆς ἐξηγεῖσθαι βουλομένοις, καί τῆς κατ᾿ αὐτήν ἕξεως τελεωτάτης ἔδει καί πραγματείας πρός ἕν ὁρώσης, τοῦτο μόνον˙ ἀλλ᾿ «ὁ διδούς εὐχήν τοῖς εὐχομένοις» καί τοῖς ὑπέρ αὐτῶν λαλοῦσι λόγον τήν νῦν προθέσει σύμμετρον.

Ὅσαι μέν οὖν τῶν αἰσθήσεων ὑπό τῶν ἔξωθεν ἐνεργειῶν κινοῦνται, ταύτας ἠρεμεῖν ἀνάγκη περί τά ἔνδον στρεφομένων ἡμῶν˙ ὅσαι δέ ταῖς τῆς ψυχῆς διαθέσεσι συνδιατίθενται, καί ταῦτα ταῖς ἀγαθαῖς, τίς χρεία; Τίς δέ μηχανή τούτων οἴκοθεν ἀφεῖσθαι τόν ἐν ἑαυτῷ γενόμενον; Τίνος δέ καί χάριν ἀφίεσθαι τούτων δεῖ ζητεῖν, μηδαμῶς προσισταμένων, ἀλλά καί συνεργουσῶν τῇ συνδιαθέσει ὅ τι μάλιστα; Τό γάρ σύζυγον ἡμῖν τουτί σῶμα ὑπό τοῦ Θεοῦ ὡς συνεργόν ἐσόμενον συνέζευκται, μᾶλλον δέ ὑπέζευκται˙ οὐκοῦν ἀφνιάζον μέν εἴρξομεν, ἀποδεξόμεθα δέ ἀγόμενον ᾗ δέον. Ἀκοή μέν οὖν καί ὄψις ἁφῆς καθαρώτεραί τε καί λογικώτεραί εἰσιν, ἀλλ᾿ οὐκ ἄν ὅλως ἀντιλήψεταί τις τούτων οὐδενός, οὐδ᾿ ἄν ὀδυνηθείη κατ᾿ αὐτό, μή ἔξωθεν προσπεσόντος τοῦ ὁρατοῦ ἤ τοῦ ἀκουστοῦ, δυσηχοῦς ὄντος ἤ καί δυσειδοῦς˙ τό δέ σῶμα ὀδυνᾶται μᾶλλον κατά τήν ἁφήν, ὅταν νηστείαν ἀσκῶμεν καί (σελ. 458) μή προσάγωμεν αὐτῷ τήν ἔξωθεν τροφήν. ∆ιά τοῦτο οἱ πρός τά ἔνδον ἀπό τῶν ἔξω ἑαυτούς συστέλλοντες τάς μέν μή παρόντων τῶν ἔξωθεν οὐκ ἐνεργούσας αἰσθήσεις τῆς κατά ταῦτα ἐνεργείας ἀποπαύουσιν, ἐφ᾿ ὅσον εἴσω μένουσι˙ τάς δέ καί ἀπόντων τῶν ἔξω ἐνεργούσας, πῶς ἄν ἀργεῖν παρασκευάσωσι, καί μάλισθ᾿ ὅταν τείνωσιν αὗται καί πρός τό προκείμενον τέλος; Ὅτι δέ ἡ ἀλγεινή κατά τήν ἁφήν αὕτη αἴσθησις τοῖς νοερῶς προσευχομένοις ἐς τά μάλιστα λυσιτελεῖς, πάντες μέν ἴσασιν ὅσοι καί μετρίως ἥψαντο τοῦ κατ᾿ αὐτήν ἀγῶνος, καί λόγων τούτοις ἧττον δῖ, διά πείρας ἐγνωκόσιν, οἵ καί τούς λόγῳ μόνῳ τά τοιαῦτα ζητοῦντας οὐκ ἀποδέχονται, ταύτην εἶναι λέγοντες τήν φυσιοῦσαν γνῶσιν.

Οὐ μήν ἀλλ᾿ εἰς τούς νοερῶς ὡς ἀληθῶς προσευχομένους ἀπροσπαθεῖς ἀνάγκη εἶναι καί τήν πρός τά μέσως πως ἔχοντα τῶν πραγμάτων σχέσιν ἀποτιναξαμένους, οὕτω γάρ ἄν σχοῖεν ἀπαρενοχλήτου καί καθαρᾶς τυγχάνειν προσευχῆς, τούς δέ μήπω πρός τοῦτο τό μέτρον ἐφθακότας, ἐπειγομένους μέντοι πρός αὐτό, τῆς μέν ἡδυπαθείας ὑπερκύπτειν, ἀπηλλάχθαι δέ τελείως ἐμπαθείας (δεῖ γάρ τό μέν ἁμαρτητικόν τοῦ σώματος νεκρώσαι, ὅ ἐστιν ἐμπαθείας ἀπηλλάχθαι, τόν δέ λογισμόν ἐπικρατέστερον ἔχειν τῶν ἐν τῷ κατά διάνοιαν κόσμῳ πονηρῶν παθημάτων κινουμένων, ὅ ἐστιν ἡδυπαθείας ὑπερκύπτειν)˙ εἰ ταῦθ᾿ οὕτως ἔχει, καθάπερ γοῦν ἔχει, καί τῆς ἐμπαθείας ἐπικρατούσης, οὐδ᾿ ἄκροις, τό τοῦ λόγου,