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leading it back through hope, and those who have grown soft through sloth, bracing them with the word of judgment. For having been commanded to trample on serpents and scorpions, he obliterates the beginning and end of sin.

1.34 (34) An Apostle and disciple is in every way also a faithful one; but a disciple is not in every way also an apostle, but is in every way faithful. But one who is only faithful is neither a disciple nor an apostle; however, it is possible through life and contemplation, for the third to be transferred to the rank and worth of the second, and the second to the rank and worth of the first.

1.35 (35) Whatever things are created in time and according to time, once perfected come to a standstill, ceasing from their natural growth. But whatever things are wrought according to virtue (14__464> and the knowledge of God, when perfected are again moved toward increase. For their ends have become the beginnings of others. For he who has, through the virtues in the active life, brought to rest within himself the substance of perishable things, has made a beginning of other more divine formations; for God never ceases from good things, of which He did not even have a beginning. For just as it is proper to light to give light, so it is proper to God to do good. Therefore, in the Law, which describes the temporal constitution of things in generation and corruption, 1097 the Sabbath is honored through rest; but in the Gospel, which introduces the state of intelligible realities, it is made radiant through the doing of good works; even if those are indignant who do not yet know that the Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath; and that the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.

1.36 (36) There is in the Law and the Prophets both a Sabbath and Sabbaths, and a Sabbath of Sabbaths; just as there is also a circumcision, and a circumcision of circumcision; and a harvest, and a harvest of a harvest, according to what is said, When you reap your harvest. The first, then, is the completion of practical, natural, and theological philosophy. The second is release from generation and from the principles according to generation. And the third is the offering and enjoyment of the more spiritual principles according to sense and intellect. And this evidently happens threefold in each of the aforesaid things, so that the gnostic may know the principles, according to which Moses keeps the Sabbath by dying outside the holy land; while Joshua son of Nun performs circumcision after crossing the Jordan; and those who inherit the good land bring to God the offering of the delayed double harvest.

(14__466> 1.37 (37) Sabbath is the dispassion of the rational soul, which, in the active life, has completely cast off the marks of sin.

1.38 (38) Sabbaths is the freedom of the rational soul, which through natural contemplation in the spirit has laid aside even its natural activity toward the senses.

1.39 (39) Sabbath of Sabbaths is the spiritual repose of the rational soul, which has withdrawn the intellect even from all the more divine principles in created beings; and has wholly bound it to God alone in loving ecstasy, and has rendered it completely motionless for God through the mystical disposition of renunciation.

1.40 (40) Circumcision is the renunciation of the passionate disposition of the soul concerning generation.

1.41 (41) Circumcision of circumcision is the complete casting off and removal even of the natural movements of the soul concerning generation.

1.42 (42) Harvest of a rational soul is the collection and full knowledge, with understanding, of the more spiritual principles of beings according to virtue 1100 and nature.

1.43 (43) Harvest of a harvest is the comprehension of God, which is inaccessible to all, formed unknowably in the intellect after the mystical contemplation of intelligible things; which he duly offers who worthily honors the Creator from visible and invisible creatures.

1.44 (44) There is also another more spiritual harvest, said to be of God Himself; and another more mystical circumcision; and another more hidden Sabbath, in which from

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αὐτῆς δι᾿ ἐλπίδος ἐπανάγων, καί τούς δι᾿ ὄκνον μαλακισθέντας, ἐπιστύφων τῷ λόγῳ τῆς κρίσεως. Πατεῖν γάρ ἐπάνω ὄφεων καί σκορπίων κελευσθείς, ἀρχήν καί τέλος τῆς ἁμαρτίας ἐξαφανίζει.

1.34 (λδ΄) Ὁ Ἀπόστολος καί μαθητής, πάντως ἐστί καί πιστός· ὁ δέ μαθητής οὐ πάντως μέν καί ἀπόστολος, πάντως δέ πιστός. Ὁ δέ μόνον πιστός, οὔτε μαθητής οὔτε ἀπόστολός ἐστι· πλήν δύναται διά βίου καί θεωρίας, καί ὁ τρίτος εἰς τήν τοῦ δευτέρου, καί ὁ δεύτερος εἰς τήν τοῦ πρώτου μετενεχθῆναι τάξιν καί ἀξίαν.

1.35 (λε΄) Ὅσα μέν ἐν χρόνῳ κατά χρόνον δημιουργεῖται, τελειωθέντα ἵσταται, λήγοντα τῆς κατά φύσιν αὐξήσεως. Ὅσα δέ κατ᾿ ἀρετήν (14__464> ἐπιστήμη Θεοῦ κατεργάζεται, τελειωθέντα πάλιν κινεῖται πρός αὔξησιν. Τά γάρ τέλη αὐτῶν, ἑτέρων ἀρχαί καθεστήκασιν. Ὁ γάρ καταπαύσας ἐν ἑαυτῷ διά τῶν ἀρετῶν κατά τήν πρᾶξιν τήν τῶν φθειρομένων ὑπόστασιν, ἑτέρων ἀπήρξατο θειοτέρων διατυπώσεων· παύεται γάρ οὐδέποτε τῶν καλῶν ὁ Θεός, ὧν οὐδέ ἀρχήν ἔσχεν. Ὡς γάρ φωτός ἴδιον τό φωτίζειν, οὕτως ἴδιον Θεοῦ τό εὖ ποιεῖν. ∆ιό τῷ μέν νόμῳ, τήν κατά χρόνον τῶν ἐν γενέσει καί φθορᾷ σύστασιν ἀφηγουμένῳ, 1097 τιμᾶται δι᾿ ἀργίας τό Σάββατον· τῷ Εὐαγγελίῳ δέ τήν τῶν νοητῶν εἰσηγουμένῳ κατάστασιν, δι᾿ εὐποιίας καλῶν ἔργων τοῦτο φαιδρύνεται· κἄν ἀγανακτῶσιν οἱ μήπω γνόντες ὅτι διά τόν ἄνθρωπον τό Σάββατον γέγονεν, ἀλλ᾿ οὐ διά τό Σάββατον ὁ ἄνθρωπος· καί ὅτι κύριός ἐστι καί τοῦ Σαββάτου ὁ Υἱός τοῦ ἀνθρώπου.

1.36 (λστ΄) Ἔστι τῷ νόμῳ καί τοῖς προφήταις, καί Σάββατον καί Σάββατα, καί Σάββατα Σαββάτων· ὥσπερ καί περιτομή, καί περιτομῆς περιτομή· καί θέρος, καί θέρους θέρος, κατά τό εἰρημένον, Ὅταν θερίσητε τόν θερισμόν ὑμῶν. Ἔστιν οὖν τό μέν πρῶτον, πρακτικῆς καί φυσικῆς καί θεολογικῆς φιλοσοφίας ἀποπεράτωσις. Τό δεύτερον δέ, γενέσεως καί τῶν κατά γένεσιν λόγῳν, ἀπόλυσις. Τό δέ τρίτον, τῶν κατ᾿ αἴσθησιν καί νοῦν πνευτικωτέρων λόγων, εἰσφορά καί ἀπόλαυσις. Καί τοῦτο τρισσῶς ἐφ᾿ ἑκάστῳ δηλονότι τῶν εἰρημένων γινόμενον, ἵνα γνῷ τούς λόγους ὁ γνωστικός, καθ᾿ οὕς ὁ μέν Μωϋσῆς ἔξω τῆς ἁγίας γῆς σαββατίζει τελευτῶν· ὁ δέ τοῦ Ναυῆ Ἰησοῦς, περιτέμνει περάσας τόν Ἰορδάνην· οἱ δέ τήν ἀγαθήν γῆν κληρονομοῦντες, τήν εἰσφοράν τοῦ καθ᾿ ὑπέρθεσιν διπλοῦ θέρους τῷ Θεῷ προσκομίζουσιν.

(14__466> 1.37 (λζ΄) Σάββατόν ἐστιν, ἀπάθεια ψυχῆς λογικῆς· κατά τήν πρακτικήν παντελῶς ἀποβαλομένης τῆς ἁμαρτίας τά στίγματα.

1.38 (λη΄) Σάββατά ἐστιν, ἐλευθερία ψυχῆς λογικῆς· καί αὐτήν τήν κατά φύσιν πρός αἴσθησιν, διά τῆς ἐν πνεύματι φυσικῆς θεωρίας, ἀποθεμένης ἐνέργειαν.

1.39 (λθ΄) Σάββατα Σαββάτων ἐστίν, ἡρεμία πνευματική ψυχῆς λογικῆς· καί ἀπ᾿ αὐτῶν πάντων τῶν ἐν τοῖς οὖσι θειοτέρων λόγων τόν νοῦν συστειλάσης· καί μόνῳ τῷ Θεῷ κατ᾿ ἐρωτικήν ἔκστασιν ὁλικῶς ἐνδησάσης, καί παντελῶς ἀκίνητον αὐτόν τοῦ Θεοῦ διά τῆς μυστικῆς ἀπόθεσιν διαθέσεως.

1.40 (μ΄) Περιτομή ἐστιν, ἡ περί γένεσιν τῆς κατά ψυχήν ἐμπαθοῦς ἀπόθεσις διαθέσεως.

1.41 (μα΄) Περιτομή περιτομῆς ἐστιν, ἡ καί αὐτῶν τῶν κατά ψυχήν περί τήν γένεσιν φυσικῶν κινημάτων, παντελής ἀποβολή καί περιαίρεσις.

1.42 (μβ΄) Θέρος ἐστί ψυχῆς λογικῆς, ἡ τῶν κατ᾿ ἀρετήν 1100 καί φύσιν τῶν ὄντων πνευματικωτέρων λόγων μετ᾿ ἐπιστήμης συλλογή καί ἐπίγνωσις.

1.43 (μγ΄) Θέρους θέρος ἐστίν, ἡ πᾶσιν ἄβατος μετά τήν τῶν νοητῶν μυστικήν θεωρίαν περί νοῦν ἀγνώστως συνισταμένη τοῦ Θεοῦ κατανόησις· ἥν προσφέρει δεόντως ὁ ἐκ τῶν ὁρατῶν καί ἀοράτων κτισμάτων ἀξίως γεραίρων τόν Κτίσαντα.

1.44 (μδ΄) Ἔστι καί ἄλλο πνευματικώτερον θέρος, αὐτοῦ λεγόμενον εἶναι τοῦ Θεοῦ· καί ἄλλη μυστικωτέρα περιτομή· καί ἄλλο κρυφιώτερον Σάββατον, ἐν ᾧ ἀπό