,

of rest the thoughts that confuse the soul through the senses. For Armenia is interpreted as a setting forth of rest. And a setting forth of rest is the projection of the divine virtues; to which the intellect, by transferring the thoughts that once dragged it down to the passions of dishonor according to sense, slays the devil who begets these thoughts for the destruction of human nature.

Hezekiah therefore acted well and very wisely according to the spiritual meaning of Scripture, when he stopped up the waters of the springs that were outside Jerusalem, because of Sennacherib, king of the Assyrians. The springs outside the city, that is, outside the soul, are all sensible things. And the waters of these springs are the concepts of sensible things. And the river flowing through the midst of the city is the knowledge gathered from sensible concepts according to natural contemplation, passing through the midst of the soul, as being a boundary between intellect and sense (14B_340>. For the knowledge of sensible things is neither entirely foreign to the intellectual power nor is it wholly assigned to the activity of sense alone, but, being as it were midway between the conjunction of the intellect with sense and of sense with the intellect, it effects through itself their connection with one another, being formed according to species by the shapes of sensible things according to sense, but transferring these types into principles of the shapes according to the intellect. Therefore, the knowledge of visible things was fittingly called a river flowing through the midst of the city, as being a borderland of the extremes, I mean of intellect and sense. He who with knowledge dissolves the unseen conflicts of wicked demons, by stopping this up in a time of disturbance from the passions, on account of the assault upon the intellect from the influx of material shapes, kills the one hundred and eighty-five thousand—I mean the habit that produces evil, which irrationally, as I said, attaches itself to the three powers of the soul through the senses, and the activity of the senses upon them, that is, the irrational activity of the natural powers with respect to the senses. For the number six, whether it is composed of units or of tens or of hundreds or of any other number, indicates the productive habit of virtue or of vice according to the proportion of the multiplication of its composition, representing the disposition that perfects this or that habit to those who consider numbers with understanding. To this number six, the number five, when joined or added or compounded, further indicates the senses, that is, the power or habit or activity of the senses, whether it is placed beside, placed upon, or composed with the natural powers of the soul. For example, if the number five is joined to the six according to units, as a simple number to a simple, it represents the productive aptitude with respect to the senses in power alone. But if the simple number five (14B_342> from units is added to the number six which is composite of many, it indicates the productive habit with respect to the senses according to power. But if the composite five from many is compounded with the composite six from many, it signifies the effective production with respect to the senses according to power and habit and activity, that is, the completion of virtue or of vice, as the number may happen to be, whether in a blameworthy or praiseworthy way, according to the passage of Scripture being contemplated, that is, examined.

The number six, therefore, when composed of tens, makes sixty. And sixty, when tripled on account of the three general powers of the soul, with five added for the innate senses, makes the number one hundred and eighty-five and indicates the habit productive of evil in the natural powers with respect to the senses, since this number is presented in a blameworthy manner in this passage of Holy Scripture, which is slain, as by a certain angel of the divine Word of knowledge, by the intellect that relies more on prayer than on its own power and ascribes to God alone the cause of every achievement and every victory against demons. Therefore, the

ἀναπαύσεως τοὺς τὴν ψυχὴν διὰ τῆς αἰσθήσεως συγχέοντας λογισμούς. Παράθεσις γὰρ ἀναπαύσεως Ἀρμενία ἑρμηνεύεται. Παράθεσις δὲ τῆς ἀναπαύσεώς ἐστιν ἡ προβολὴ τῶν θείων ἀρετῶν· πρὸς ἣν μεταφέρων ὁ νοῦς τοὺς ποτὲ πρὸς τὰ κατ᾽ αἴσθησιν πάθη τῆς ἀτιμίας αὐτὸν ὑποσύροντας λογισμοὺς ἀποκτείνει τὸν ἐπ᾽ ὀλέθρῳ τῆς ἀνθρωπίνης φύσεως τούτους γεννῶντα διάβολον.

Καλῶς οὖν καὶ πάνυ σοφῶς κατὰ τὸ νοούμενον τῆς Γραφῆς Ἐζεκίας πεποίηκεν, ἐμφράξας τὰ ὕδατα τῶν πηγῶν, ἃ ἦν ἔξω Ἱερουσαλήμ, διὰ Σενναχειρὶμ βασιλέα τῶν Ἀσσυρίων. Πηγαὶ οὖν εἰσιν ἔξω τῆς πόλεως, τουτέστι τῆς ψυχῆς, τὰ αἰσθητὰ πάντα· ὕδατα δὲ τούτων τυγχάνουσι τῶν πηγῶν τὰ τῶν αἰσθητῶν νοήματα· ποταμὸς δὲ διορίζων διὰ μέσου τῆς πόλεώς ἐστιν ἡ κατὰ τὴν φυσικὴν θεωρίαν ἐκ τῶν αἰσθητῶν νοημάτων συναγομένη γνῶσις, διὰ μέσης διερχομένη τῆς ψυχῆς, ὡς νοῦ καὶ αἰσθήσεως (14Β_340> οὖσα μεθόριος. Ἡ γὰρ γνῶσις τῶν αἰσθητῶν οὔτε πάντῃ τῆς νοερᾶς ἀπεξένωται δυνάμεως οὔτε διόλου μόνῃ προσνενέμηται τῇ κατ᾽ αἴσθησιν ἐνεργείᾳ, ἀλλ᾽ οἷον τῆς τε τοῦ νοῦ πρὸς τὴν αἴσθησιν καὶ πρὸς τὸν νοῦν τῆς αἰσθήσεως συνόδου μέση τυγχάνουσα, δι᾽ ἑαυτῆς ποιεῖται τὴν πρὸς ἄλληλα τούτων συνάφειαν, κατὰ μὲν τὴν αἴσθησιν κατ᾽ εἶδος τυπουμένη τοῖς σχήμασι τῶν αἰσθητῶν, κατὰ δὲ τὸν νοῦν εἰς λόγους τῶν σχημάτων τοὺς τύπους μεταβιβάζουσα. ∆ιὸ ποταμὸς διορίζων διὰ μέσης τῆς πόλεως εἰκότως προσηγορεύθη τῶν ὁρωμένων ἡ γνῶσις, ὡς τῶν ἄκρων, λέγω δὲ νοῦ καὶ αἰσθήσεως, οὖσα μεταίχμιος. Ταύτην ἐμφράττων ἐν καιρῷ τῆς τῶν παθῶν διοχλήσεως διὰ τὴν ἐπήρειαν τῆς πρὸς τὸν νοῦν τῶν ὑλικῶν σχημάτων ἐμπτώσεως, ὁ μετὰ γνώσεως τὰς ἀφανεῖς τῶν πονηρῶν δαιμόνων συμπλοκὰς διαλύων ἀποκτείνει τὰς ἑκατὸν καὶ ὀγδοήκοντα καὶ πέντε χιλιάδας, λέγω δὲ τὴν ποιητικὴν τῆς κακίας ἕξιν, τὴν παραλόγως, ὡς ἔφην, ταῖς τρισὶ τῆς ψυχῆς διὰ τῶν αἰσθητῶν ἐπιφυομένην δυνάμεσι, καὶ τὴν ἐπ᾽ αὐταῖς ἐνέργειαν τῶν αἰσθήσεων, ἤτοι τὴν τῶν φυσικῶν δυνάμεων ἐπ᾽ αἰσθήσεσι παράλογον ἐνέργειαν. Ὁ γὰρ ἑξαδικὸς ἀριθμός, εἴτε ἐκ μονάδων ἔχει τὴν σύνθεσιν εἴτε ἐκ δεκάδων εἴτε ἐξ ἑκατοντάδων εἴτε ἐξ ἑτέρου τινὸς ἀριθμοῦ, τὴν ποιητικὴν ἕξιν δηλοῖ τῆς ἀρετῆς ἢ τῆς κακίας κατὰ τὴν ἀναλογίαν τοῦ πολλαπλασιασμοῦ τῆς συνθέσεως, τὴν ἀπαρτίζουσαν τήνδε ἢ τήνδε τὴν ἕξιν διάθεσιν τοῖς μετ᾽ ἐπιστήμης τοῖς ἀριθμοῖς ἐπιβάλλουσι παριστῶν· ᾧτινι ἑξαδικῷ ἀριθμῷ συναφθεὶς ἢ προστεθεὶς ἢ συντεθεὶς ὁ πέντε ἀριθμὸς παραδηλοῖ τὰς αἰσθήσεις, ἤγουν τὴν τῶν αἰσθητῶν δύναμιν ἢ ἕξιν ἢ ἐνέργειαν, παρακειμένην ἢ ἐπικειμένην ἢ συγκειμένην ταῖς κατὰ φύσιν τῆς ψυχῆς δυνάμεσιν. Οἷον, εἰ μὲν συνῆπται κατὰ τὰς μονάδας, ὡς ἁπλοῦς ἁπλῷ, ὁ πέντε ἀριθμὸς τῷ ἕξ, τὴν ἐπ᾽ αἰσθήσεσι μόνῃ δυνάμει ποιητικὴν ἐπιτηδειότητα παρίστησιν· εἰ δὲ προστέθειται συνθέτῳ ἐκ πολλῶν τῷ ἓξ ἀριθμῷ ὁ (14Β_342> ἁπλοῦς ἐκ μονάδων πέντε ἀριθμός, τὴν ἐπ᾽ αἰσθήσεσι κατὰ τὴν δύναμιν ποιητικὴν ἕξιν δηλοῖ· εἰ δὲ συντέθειται συνθέτῳ τῷ ἐκ πολλῶν ἓξ ἀριθμῷ ὁ ἐκ πολλῶν πέντε σύνθετος, τὴν ἐπ᾽ αἰσθήσεσι κατά τε τὴν δύναμιν καὶ τὴν ἕξιν καὶ τὴν ἐνέργειαν ἀποτελεστικὴν σημαίνει ποίησιν, ἤγουν περαίωσιν τῆς ἀρετῆς ἢ τῆς κακίας, ὡς δ᾽ ἂν ὁ ἀριθμὸς ἔχων τύχοι εἴτε ψεκτῶς εἴτε ἐπαινετῶς, κατὰ τὸν θεωρούμενον τῆς Γραφῆς ἤγουν ἐξεταζόμενον τόπον.

Ὁ μὲν οὖν ἑξαδικὸς ἀριθμὸς ἐκ δεκάδων συντεθεὶς ποιεῖ τὸν ἑξήκοντα· ὁ δὲ ἑξήκοντα τριπλασιασθεὶς διὰ τὰς γενικὰς τρεῖς τῆς ψυχῆς δυνάμεις, προστεθέντων πέντε διὰ τὰς ἐμφύτους αἰσθήσεις, ποιεῖ τὸν ἑκατὸν καὶ ὀγδοήκοντα καὶ πέντε ἀριθμὸν καὶ δηλοῖ τὴν ἐπ᾽ αἰσθήσεσι τῶν κατὰ φύσιν δυνάμεων ποιητικὴν τῆς κακίας ἕξιν, ἐπειδὴ ψεκτῶς κεῖται κατὰ τοῦτον τῆς ἁγίας Γραφῆς τὸν τόπον οὗτος ὁ ἀριθμός, ἣν ἀποκτείνει, ὡς δι᾽ ἀγγέλου τινὸς τοῦ θείου Λόγου τῆς γνώσεως, ὁ τῆς οἰκείας δυνάμεως τῇ προσευχῇ πλέον ἐπερειδόμενος νοῦς καὶ παντὸς κατορθώματος καὶ πάσης κατὰ δαιμόνων νίκης αἴτιον τὸν Θεὸν μόνον ἐπιγραφόμενος. Ὁ τοίνυν