,

cultivates the word, circumcising the mind from matter and material things according to knowledge, but not in a Jewish manner, considering shame to be glory. The Word says that these too are in need of the divine stream of wisdom from the cisterns hewn in the desert, so that according to the proportion of his faith each may receive the appropriate word from those entrusted with the grace of the teaching of the saving word; through whom our Lord Jesus Christ magnificently cares for the soul of each person, being and always becoming the good and skillful husbandman, and having done all the aforementioned things for the sake of our salvation.

So then, let the things set forth be contemplated by us summarily in one way, referring to our Lord Jesus Christ. But in another way, and contemplated with respect to each individual mind, it has very great power for the achievement of the perfection of those guarded by the fear and love of the Lord. But before touching upon their contemplation, I am at a loss, wondering how Uzziah, being king of Judea, could, according to the history, have vinedressers on Carmel, which was not under the kingdom of Judah, but subject to the kingdom of Israel; on which the very city of the kingdom of Israel had almost been built. But, as it seems, the Word, rousing our sluggishness of mind to the search for truth, has mixed into the texture of the history what is in no way there.

Uzziah, then, is the mind that has acquired divine (14Β_316> strength in practice and contemplation; for it is interpreted, as I said, “strength of God.” And it says, “Uzziah was seeking the Lord in the days of Zechariah, who had understanding in the fear of the Lord.” Zechariah is interpreted “remembrance of God.” Therefore the mind, insofar as it has a living remembrance of God in itself, seeks the Lord through contemplation, and not simply, but in the fear of the Lord, that is, in the practice of the commandments. For he who seeks the Lord through contemplation without practice does not find the Lord, because he did not seek the Lord in the fear of the Lord.

And the Lord made him prosper. For the Lord makes everyone prosper who acts with knowledge, teaching both the ways of the commandments and revealing the true principles of beings.

And Uzziah built towers in Jerusalem. He who is prospering well in seeking the Lord through contemplation with the requisite fear, that is, the practice of the commandments, builds towers in Jerusalem, that is, according to the simple and tranquil state of the soul, raising up discourses concerning the Godhead.

And at the corner gate. The corner gate, that is, of the ecclesiastical faith, is the pious way of life, through which we are led into the inheritance of good things; upon which, as if strong and noble towers, the gnostic mind builds the fortifications of the divine dogmas concerning the Incarnation, composed as if from certain stones of various thoughts, and the ways of the virtues for the guarding of the work of the commandments.

And at the corner of the valley. The valley is the flesh, and its corner is the union with the soul through the law of the commandments; upon which, as a tower, it builds the discernment that subjects the flesh to the soul according to the law of the Spirit.

And at the corners. He says there are many corners, (14Β_318> upon which the mind that is most powerful according to God is said to have built the towers. A corner is not only, within the same nature, the union of the parts with the universals according to the same principle of being, as, for instance, the individuals to the species under them, and the species to the genera, and the genera to the substance, being joined to one another monadically at the limit of the extremities, upon which are made the universal principles of the parts that have become manifest

λόγον γεωργεῖ, κατ᾽ ἐπίγνωσιν τὸν νοῦν περιτέμνων τῆς ὕλης καὶ τῶν ὑλικῶν, ἀλλ᾽ οὐκ ἰουδαϊκῶς τὴν αἰσχύνην δόξαν ἡγούμενος. Χρῄζειν δὲ καὶ τούτους φησὶν ὁ λόγος τοῦ ἐκ τῶν λατομηθέντων ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ λάκκων θείου τῆς σοφίας νάματος, ἵνα κατὰ τὴν ἀναλογίαν τῆς πίστεως ἕκαστος τὸν ἐπιτήδειον δέχηται λόγον ἐκ τῶν πεπιστευμένων τὴν χάριν τῆς τοῦ σωτηρίου λόγου διδασκαλίας· δι᾽ οὗ μεγαλοφυῶς τῆς τοῦ καθέκαστον ἐπιμελεῖται ψυχῆς ὁ Κύριος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦς Χριστός, ὁ καλὸς καὶ ἐπιστήμων γεωργὸς καὶ ὢν καὶ ἀεὶ γινόμενος καὶ πάντα τὰ προειρημένα τῆς ἡμῶν ἕνεκεν σωτηρίας πραξάμενος.

Οὕτω μὲν οὖν ἐπιτόμως ἡμῖν καθ᾽ ἕνα τρόπον τε θεωρήσθω τὰ προτεθέντα, τὸν Κύριον ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦν Χριστὸν ὑφηγούμενα. Καθ᾽ ἕτερον δὲ τρόπον, καὶ εἰς τὸν καθέκαστον νοῦν θεωρούμενα, πλείστην ἔχει δύναμιν πρὸς ἀπαρτισμὸν τελειότητος τῶν τῷ φόβῳ καὶ τῇ ἀγάπῃ τοῦ Κυρίου πεφρουρημένων. Πρὶν δὲ τῆς αὐτῶν ἅψασθαι θεωρίας, ἀπορῶ θαυμάζων πῶς ἠδύνατο τῆς Ἰουδαίας ὑπάρχων βασιλεὺς ὁ Ὀζίας κατὰ τὴν ἱστορίαν ἔχειν ἀμπελουργοὺς ἐν τῷ Καρμήλῳ, μὴ ὄντι ὑπὸ τὴν βασιλείαν Ἰούδα, ἀλλὰ τῇ τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ ὑποκειμένῳ βασιλείᾳ· ἐφ᾽ οὗ καὶ ἡ πόλις αὐτὴ τῆς τοῦ Ἰσραὴλ βασιλείας σχεδὸν ᾠκοδόμητο. Ἀλλ᾽ ὡς ἔοικε τὸ νωθρὸν ἡμῶν τῆς διανοίας πρὸς ἔρευναν τῆς ἀληθείας διεγείρων ὁ λόγος τὸ μηδαμῶς ὑπάρχον τῷ τῆς ἱστορίας ὕφει παρέμιξεν.

Ὀζίας τοίνυν ἐστὶν ὁ περὶ πρᾶξιν καὶ θεωρίαν τὴν θείαν (14Β_316> ἰσχὺν κεκτημένος νοῦς· ἰσχὺς γὰρ Θεοῦ, καθὼς ἔφην, ἑρμηνεύεται. Καὶ ἦν φησιν Ὀζίας ἐκζητῶν τὸν Κύριον ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις Ζαχαρίου τοῦ συνιέντος ἐν φόβῳ Κυρίου. Ζαχαρίας ἑρμηνεύεται μνήμη Θεοῦ. Οὐκοῦν ὁ νοῦς, ἐφ᾽ ὅσον ἔχει ζῶσαν ἐν ἑαυτῷ τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ μνήμην, διὰ τῆς θεωρίας ἐκζητεῖ τὸν Κύριον, καὶ οὐχ ἁπλῶς, ἀλλ᾽ ἐν φόβῳ Κυρίου, τουτέστιν ἐν τῇ πράξει τῶν ἐντολῶν. Ὁ γὰρ ἐκζητῶν διὰ θεωρίας τὸν Κύριον χωρὶς πράξεως, οὐχ εὑρίσκει τὸν Κύριον, ὅτι οὐκ ἐν φόβῳ Κυρίου τὸν Κύριον ἐξεζήτησεν.

Καὶ εὐόδωσεν αὐτῷ ὁ Κύριος. Παντὶ γὰρ τῷ μετὰ γνώσεως πράττοντι εὐοδοῖ ὁ Κύριος, τούς τε τῶν ἐντολῶν διδάσκων τρόπους καὶ τοὺς τῶν ὄντων ἀληθεῖς λόγους ἀποκαλύπτων.

Καὶ ᾠκοδόμησεν Ὀζίας πύργους ἐν Ἱερουσαλήμ. Ὁ καλῶς εὐοδούμενος ἐπὶ τὴν διὰ θεωρίας ἐκζήτησιν τοῦ Κυρίου μετὰ τοῦ ἐπιβεβλημένου φόβου, τουτέστι τῆς τῶν ἐντολῶν πράξεως, οἰκοδομεῖ πύργους ἐν Ἱερουσαλήμ, κατὰ τὴν ἁπλῆν δηλαδὴ καὶ ἠρεμαίαν τῆς ψυχῆς κατάστασιν τοὺς περὶ θεότητος ἀνυψῶν λόγους.

Καὶ ἐπὶ τὴν πύλην τῆς γωνίας. Πύλη τῆς γωνίας, ἤγουν τῆς ἐκκλησιαστικῆς πίστεως, ἔστιν ἡ εὐσεβὴς πολιτεία, δι᾽ ἧς εἰς τὴν τῶν ἀγαθῶν εἰσαγόμεθα κληρονομίαν· ἐφ᾽ ἧς καθάπερ πύργους ἰσχυρούς τε καὶ γενναίους ὁ γνωστικὸς νοῦς τὰ ὀχυρώματα τῶν θείων περὶ σαρκώσεως δογμάτων οἰκοδομεῖ, ὡς ἐκ λίθων τινῶν τῶν διαφόρων νοημάτων συγκείμενα, καὶ τοὺς τρόπους τῶν ἀρετῶν εἰς τὴν φυλακὴν τοῦ ἔργου τῶν ἐντολῶν.

Καὶ ἐπὶ τὴν γωνίαν τῆς φάραγγος. Φάραγξ ἐστὶν ἡ σάρξ, γωνία δὲ ταύτης ἡ πρὸς τὴν ψυχὴν διὰ τοῦ νόμου τῶν ἐντολῶν ἐστιν ἕνωσις· ἐφ᾽ ἧς καθάπερ πύργον οἰκοδομεῖ τὴν κατὰ τὸν νόμον τοῦ Πνεύματος ὑποτάσσουσαν τῇ ψυχῇ τὴν σάρκα διάγνωσιν.

Καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν γωνιῶν. Πολλάς φησιν εἶναι τὰς γωνίας, (14Β_318> ἐφ᾽ ὧν ᾠκοδομηκέναι λέγεται τοὺς πύργους ὁ κατὰ Θεὸν ἰσχυρότατος νοῦς. Γωνία ἐστὶν οὐ μόνον ἐπὶ τῆς αὐτῆς φύσεως ἡ τῶν μερῶν πρὸς τὰ καθόλου κατὰ τὸν αὐτὸν τοῦ εἶναι λόγον ἕνωσις, ὡς φέρε εἰπεῖν πρὸς τὰ εἴδη τὰ ὑπ᾽ αὐτὰ ἄτομα καὶ πρὸς τὰ γένη τὰ εἴδη καὶ πρὸς τὴν οὐσίαν τὰ γένη, μοναδικῶς κατὰ τὸ πέρας τῶν ἄκρων ἀλλήλοις συναπτομένων, ἐφ᾽ ὧν οἱ καθόλου τῶν μερῶν προφανέντες λόγοι ποιοῦνται