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the gnostic will never bear a grudge; he is angry with no one, even if the things done happen to be worthy of hatred. For he reveres the Creator, and loves his companion in life, pitying and praying for him on account of his ignorance. -Wealth never makes the gnostic rejoice, nor does the lack of money lead him to humiliation, since virtue and wisdom exalt him, and prepare him to stand above these things, so that through magnanimity he is indifferent to things pleasant and unpleasant.

TITLE 2. -Concerning, Know thyself, or, Take heed to thyself; and that it is necessary

for each to consider his own affairs, and not to be a busybody in other men's matters. Take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget all

the words, which thine eyes have seen; and let them not depart from thy heart. Those who know themselves are wise. Be watchful, and take diligent heed, for you walk with your own fall. To friend and foe do not relate lives, but praises. And if you have a sin, do not reveal it. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how will you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye'; and behold, the log is in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye. Judge not, that you be not judged. See to it that the light in you is not darkness. Who are you to judge another’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for God is able to make him stand. But why do you judge your brother? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. Keep yourself pure. He who speaks against his brother, or judges, speaks 95.1300 against the law, and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law. Know yourself before all things. For nothing is more difficult. But when you know yourself, then you will also be able to know God, and to consider matters with reason, as is fitting. Have you suffered, O man, what you accuse? and you diligently look upon another's evil, but your own shame you place nowhere? It is easier for each of us to be a busybody in other men's matters than to examine our own affairs. Therefore, that we may not suffer this, cease, he says, from searching out the evils of this or that person. Do not give leisure to your thoughts to examine the sickness of another, but take heed to yourself; that is, turn the eye of your soul to your own inquiry, and do not cease investigating yourself. Remembering your nature, you will never be lifted up. And you will remember yourself, if you take heed to yourself. Therefore take heed to yourself; that is, examine yourself from every side. Keep the eye of the soul sleepless for your own protection. You walk in the midst of snares; hidden nets have been fixed by the enemy from many sides. Therefore examine everything, that you may be saved like a gazelle from nets, and like a bird from a snare. See to it, then, that you do not appear worse than the irrational animals in your own protection, lest being caught in the snares, you become prey to the devil, having been taken captive by him to do his will. Therefore, take heed to yourself, that is, neither to your things, nor to the things around you, but rather take heed to yourself. For we ourselves are one thing, our things are another, and the things around us are another. We, then, are the soul and the mind, according to which we have been made in the image of the Creator. Our thing is the body, and the senses through it, and the things around us are possessions, crafts, and the rest of life's provision; what then does the word say? Do not pay attention to the flesh, nor pursue its good by every means, health, and beauty, and the enjoyment of pleasures, and long life, nor admire possessions, and glory, and power, nor whatever fulfills the service of your temporary life. But take heed to yourself, that is, to your soul. Adorn it, and take care of it; so that all the filth that comes upon it from wickedness may be removed through attention, and all the shame from vice

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μνησικακήσει ὁ γνωστικός ποτε· οὐ χαλεπανεῖ οὐδενὶ, κἂν μίσους ἄξια τυγχάνῃ, ἐφ' οἷς διαπράττεται. Σέβει μὲν γὰρ τὸν Ποιητὴν, ἀγαπᾷ δὲ τὸν κοινωνικὸν τοῦ βίου, οἰκτείρων καὶ ὑπερευχόμενος αὐτοῦ διὰ τὴν ἄγνοιαν αὐτοῦ. -Τὸν γνωστικὸν οὐδέποτε τὸ πλουτεῖν γήθειν ποιεῖ, οὐδὲ τῶν χρημάτων ἀπορεῖν, εἰς ταπείνωσιν ἄγει, τῆς ἀρετῆς καὶ σοφίας αὐτὸν ὑπερυψούσης, καὶ ὑπεράνω αὐτῶν ἵστασθαι παρασκευαζούσης, ὡς διὰ μεγαλοψυχίαν ἐναδιαφορεῖν τοῖς ἡδέσι καὶ ἀηδέσι.

ΤΙΤΛ. Βʹ. -Περὶ τοῦ, Γνῶθι σεαυτὸν, ἤτοι, Πρόσεχε σεαυτῷ· καὶ ὅτι χρὴ

ἕκαστον τὰ οἰκεῖα περισκοπεῖν, καὶ μὴ τὰ ἀλλότρια περιεργάζεσθαι. Πρόσεχε σεαυτῷ, καὶ φύλαξον τὴν ψυχήν σου σφόδρα, μὴ ἐπιλάθῃ πάντας

τοὺς λόγους, οὓς ἑωράκασιν οἱ ὀφθαλμοί σου· καὶ μὴ ἀποστήτωσαν ἀπὸ τῆς καρδίας σου. Οἱ ἑαυτῶν ἐπιγνώμονες, σοφοί. Συντήρησον, καὶ πρόσεχε σφοδρῶς, ὅτι μετὰ τῆς πτώσεώς σου περιπατεῖς. Ἐν φίλῳ καὶ ἐχθρῷ μὴ διηγοῦ βίους, ἀλλ' ἐπαίνους. Καὶ εἴ σοί ἐστιν ἁμαρτία, μὴ ἀποκάλυπτε. Τί βλέπεις τὸ κάρφος ἐν τῷ ὀφθαλμῷ τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ σου, τὴν δὲ ἐν τῷ σῷ ὀφθαλμῷ δοκὸν οὐ κατανοεῖς; ἢ πῶς ἐρεῖς τῷ ἀδελφῷ σου, Ἄφες, ἔκβαλε τὸ κάρφος ἐκ τοῦ ὀφθαλμοῦ σου· καὶ ἰδοὺ ἡ δοκὸς ἐν τῷ ὀφθαλμῷ σου; Ὑποκριτὰ, ἔκβαλε πρῶτον τὴν δοκὸν ἐκ τοῦ ὀφθαλμοῦ σου, καὶ τότε διαβλέψεις ἐκβαλεῖν τὸ κάρφος τὸ ἐν τῷ ὀφθαλμῷ τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ σου. Μὴ κρίνετε, ἵνα μὴ κριθῆτε. Σκόπει, μὴ τὸ φῶς τὸ ἐν σοὶ σκότος ἐστιν. Σὺ τίς εἶ ὁ κρίνων ἀλλότριον οἰκέτην; τῷ ἰδίῳ κυρίῳ στήκει, ἢ πίπτει. Σταθήσεται δέ· δυνατὸς δὲ ὁ Θεὸς στῆσαι αὐτόν. Σὺ δὲ τί κρίνεις τὸν ἀδελφόν σου; Πάντες παραστησόμεθα τῷ βήματι τοῦ Χριστοῦ. Σεαυτὸν ἁγνὸν τήρει. Ὁ καταλαλῶν τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ αὐτοῦ, ἢ κρίνων, κατα 95.1300 λαλεῖ νόμον, καὶ κρίνει νόμον. Εἰ δὲ νόμον κρίνεις, οὐκ εἶ ποιητὴς νόμου. Γνῶθι σεαυτὸν πρὸ πάντων. Οὐδὲν γὰρ δυσχερέστερον. Ὅταν δὲ σαυτὸν γνῷς, τότε δυνήσῃ καὶ Θεὸν ἐπιγνῶναι, καὶ λογισμῷ ἐπελθεῖν τὰ πράγματα, ὡς καθήκει. Ἔπαθες, ἄνθρωπε, ὃ ἐγκαλεῖς; καὶ τὸ μὲν ἀλλότριον κακὸν ἐπιμελῶς ἐπιβλέπεις, τὸ δὲ αὑτοῦ αἰσχρὸν οὐδαμοῦ τιθεῖς; Ῥᾴδιον ἑκάστῳ ἡμῶν πολυπραγμονεῖν τὰ ἀλλότρια, ἢ τὰ οἰκεῖα ἑαυτοῦ διασκέπτεσθαι. Ἵνα οὖν μὴ τοῦτο πάσχωμεν, παῦσαι, φησὶ, τὰ τοῦ δεῖνος κακὰ περιερευνώμενος. Μὴ δίδου σχολὴν τοῖς λογισμοῖς τὸ ἀλλότριον ἐξετάζειν ἀῤῥώστημα, ἀλλὰ σαυτῷ πρόσεχε· τουτέστιν ἐπὶ τὴν οἰκείαν ἔρευναν στρέφε τὸ ὄμμα σου τῆς ψυχῆς, καὶ μὴ παύσῃ διερευνώμενος σεαυτόν. Μεμνημένος τῆς φύσεως, οὐκ ἐπαρθήσῃ ποτέ. Μεμνήσῃ δὲ ἑαυτοῦ, ἐὰν προσέχῃς σεαυτῷ. Πρόσεχε οὖν σεαυτῷ· τουτέστι πανταχόθεν σεαυτὸν περισκόπει. Ἀκοίμητον ἔχε πρὸς τὴν σεαυτοῦ φυλακὴν τὸ τῆς ψυχῆς ὄμμα. Ἐν μέσῳ παγίδων διαβαίνεις· κεκρυμμένοι βρόχοι παρὰ τοῦ ἐχθροῦ πολλαχόθεν καταπεπήγασιν. Πάντα οὖν περισκόπει, ἵνα σώζῃ ὥσπερ δορκὰς ἐκ βρόχων, καὶ ὥσπερ ὄρνεον ἐκ παγίδος. Ὅρα οὖν μὴ χείρων φανῇς τῶν ἀλόγων πρὸς τὴν σεαυτοῦ φυλακὴν, μήποτε ταῖς παγίσιν ἁλοὺς, θήραμα γένῃ τοῦ διαβόλου, ἐζωγρημένος ὑπ' αὐτοῦ εἰς τὸ ἐκείνου θέλημα. Πρόσεχε οὖν σεαυτῷ, τουτέστι μήτε τοῖς σοῖς, μήτε τοῖς περὶ σὲ, ἀλλὰ σεαυτῷ μᾶλλον πρόσεχε. Ἄλλο γάρ ἐσμεν ἡμεῖς αὐτοὶ, ἄλλο τὰ ἡμέτερα, καὶ ἄλλο περὶ ἡμᾶς. Ἡμεῖς μὲν οὖν ἐσμεν ἡ ψυχὴ καὶ ὁ νοῦς, καθ' ὃν κατ' εἰκόνα τοῦ Κτίσαντος γεγενήμεθα. Ἡμέτερον δὲ τὸ σῶμα, καὶ αἱ διὰ τούτου αἰσθήσεις, περὶ ἡμᾶς δὲ χρήματα, τέχναι, καὶ ἡ λοιπὴ τοῦ βίου κατασκευή· τί οὖν φησιν ὁ λόγος; Μὴ τῇ σαρκὶ πρόσεχε, μηδὲ τὸ ταύτης ἀγαθὸν ἐκ παντὸς τρόπου δίωκε, ὑγείαν, καὶ κάλλος, καὶ ἡδονῶν ἀπολαύσεις, καὶ μακροβίωσιν, μηδὲ χρήματα, καὶ δόξαν, καὶ δυναστείαν θαύμαζε, μηδ' ὅσα σοι τῆς προσκαίρου ζωῆς τὴν ὑπηρεσίαν πληροῖ. Ἀλλὰ πρόσεχε σεαυτῷ, τουτέστι τῇ ψυχῇ σου. Ταύτην κατακόσμησον, καὶ ταύτης ἐπιμελοῦ· ὥστε πάντα μὲν τὸν ἐκ πονηρίας ἐπιγινόμενον αὐτῇ ῥύπον ἀποικονομεῖσθαι διὰ τῆς προσοχῆς, πᾶν δὲ τὸ ἀπὸ κακίας αἶσχος