89

the enjoyment. For this reason, he who has tasted of him and experienced the sweetest and most pleasant enjoyment, says: Taste and see that the Lord is good. Therefore, he who does not believe in the Lord Jesus says what is sweet is bitter. And he who does not believe in the Lord neither assents to the nature of true beauty, nor does he accept the vision of it. For not in the harmony of the members, nor in any fair complexion blooming on the body that has pleasure; but only by the mind that has been exceedingly purified is that which is truly beautiful in the divine nature known, according to the Psalm that says: In your beauty and in your fairness. Therefore, he who does not receive the flashes of divine beauty with his own eye, this one says what is beautiful is wicked; and in his denial, he clearly agrees with the opposite. For if the Lord is light, then the adversary is clearly darkness; if the nature of truth is sweet, then falsehood is clearly bitter; therefore, in the denial of God, there is an assent to the opposite. Since, therefore, there is no partnership between righteousness and iniquity, nor communion of light with darkness, nor agreement of Christ with Belial; these must be separated from one another. Therefore, great and exact attention is needed, so that we, not being deceived, should not consider him who transforms himself into an angel of light as light, nor, being delighted in the bitterness of wickedness, should we bear witness to the appearance of sweetness in a life that loves pleasure; nor, having our soul enslaved by the beauty of bodies, should we consider that in this is the nature of true beauty. 5.176 Woe, therefore, to those who are wise in their own eyes and knowledgeable before themselves. These things can be said about those who have thought themselves to be wise and knowledgeable, while not being such; but it can also be said about those who indeed possess the gift of wisdom and knowledge, but do not share it with others. For hidden wisdom and an unseen treasure, what is the benefit in both? Such people, therefore, are knowledgeable before themselves, but not also before others, like the one who hid the talent with himself. But neither is he knowledgeable before God who has not used his knowledge for the glory of God. And a third such interpretation of the wise and knowledgeable seems to be possible: some are such from God, those who are aware of the gift from him; but others, not referring the cause of their wisdom to God, but ascribing their achievements to themselves, are wise in their own eyes and knowledgeable before themselves. To whom it is fitting to say: What do you have that you did not receive? And if you did receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it? And that, Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it. Therefore, understanding is called, as it were, a quick-wittedness of the soul, which keenly brings together the concepts of things into one, which is naturally constituted according to the perfection of the rational seeds within us. Or understanding is a nimbleness of mind that readily finds what is proper and fitting for each thing. And knowledge is a state possessing certainty in itself, unshaken by reason. And a knowledgeable person is one in respect of having comprehended the necessary principles for blessedness, in which he now possesses them habitually and firmly in himself. And he says that wisdom is the knowledge of divine and human things, and of their causes. Since Christ is wisdom itself, we shall call him wise who has been perfected by participation in Christ, insofar as he is wisdom. But the understanding person is understood according to the perfection of the seeds of understanding in us. And the knowledgeable person, according to having comprehended the necessary principles for blessedness, while now possessing them habitually and firmly in himself. And we have found in Exodus the oracle, saying about the architects: I will fill them with a divine Spirit of understanding and knowledge. For this reason, woe to him who does not attribute the cause of understanding and knowledge to God. Therefore, let no one take such great things for himself, calling himself neither knowledgeable, nor understanding, nor wise. Because wisdom is the knowledge of divine

89

τὴν ἀπόλαυ σιν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ὁ γευσάμενος αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐν πείρᾳ γενόμενος τῆς ἡδίστης καὶ προσηνοῦς ἀπολαύσεως, λέγει· Γεύσασθε καὶ ἴδετε ὅτι χρηστὸς ὁ Κύριος. Ὁ τοίνυν μὴ πιστεύων εἰς τὸν Κύριον Ἰησοῦν, λέγει τὸ γλυκὺ πικρόν. Ὁ δὲ μὴ πιστεύωνεἰς τὸν Κύριον, οὐδὲ τῇ τοῦ ἀληθινοῦ κάλλους συντίθεται φύσει, οὐδὲ καταδέχεται τὴν θεωρίαν αὐτοῦ. Οὐ γὰρ ἐν τῇ εὐαρμοστίᾳ τῶν μελῶν, οὐδὲ ἐν εὐχροίᾳ τινὶ τῇ ἐπανθούσῃ τῷ σώματι, τὸ τερπνὸν ἔχοντι· ἀλλὰ μόνῃ τῇ διανοίᾳ τῇ καθ' ὑπερβολὴν κεκαθαρμένῃ τὸ κυρίως καλὸν ἐν τῇ θείᾳ φύσει γινώσκεται, κατὰ τὸν Ψαλμὸν, τὸν λέγοντα· Τῇ ὡραιό τητί σου καὶ τῷ κάλλει σου. Ὁ οὖν τὰς ἀστραπὰς τοῦ θείου κάλλους τῷ ἑαυτοῦ ὄμματι μὴ παραδεχόμενος, οὗτος λέγει τὸ καλὸν πονηρόν· ἐν δὲ τῇ τούτου ἀρνήσει, συντίθεται δηλονότι τῷ ἐναντίῳ. Εἰ γὰρ φῶς ὁ Κύριος, σκότος δηλονότι ὁ ἀντικείμενος· εἰ γλυκεῖα ἡ φύσις τῆς ἀληθείας, πικρὸν δηλονότι τὸ ψεῦδος· ἐν οὖν τῇ ἀρνήσει τοῦ Θεοῦ, συγκατάθεσις γίνεται τοῦ ἐναντίου. Ἐπεὶ οὖν οὐκ ἔστι μετοχὴ δικαιοσύνῃ καὶ ἀδικίᾳ, οὐδὲ κοινωνία φωτὶ πρὸς σκότος, οὐδὲ συμφώνησις Χριστοῦ πρὸς Βελιάρ· χωριστέον ταῦτα ἀλλήλων. Μεγάλης οὖν καὶ ἀκρι βοῦς τῆς προσοχῆς χρεία, πρὸς τὸ μὴ παραλογισθέντας ἡμᾶς τὸν μετασχηματιζόμενον εἰς ἄγγελον φωτὸς, ὡς φῶς λογί σασθαι, μηδὲ τῇ πικρότητι τῆς κακίας ἐνευφραινόμενον, γλυκύτητος δόξαν τῷ φιληδόνῳ βίῳ προσμαρτυρῆσαι· μηδὲ σωμάτων κάλλει τὴν ψυχὴν δουλωθέντας, ἐν τούτῳ λογίζεσθαι εἶναι τοῦ ἀληθινοῦ κάλλους τὴν φύσιν. 5.176 Οὐαὶ οὖν οἱ συνετοὶ ἐν ἑαυτοῖς καὶ ἐνώπιον ἑαυ τῶν ἐπιστήμονες. ∆ύναται ταῦτα λέγεσθαι περὶ τῶν ἑαυτοὺς δεδοκηκότων, ὅτι εἶεν συνετοὶ καὶ ἐπιστήμονες, μὴ ὄντων δὲ τοιούτων· δύ ναται δὲ καὶ περὶ τῶν ἐχόντων μὲν κατὰ ἀλήθειαν τὸ τῆς συνέσεως καὶ ἐπιστήμης χάρισμα, μὴ κοινωνούντων δὲ καὶ ἑτέροις. Σοφία γὰρ κεκρυμμένη καὶ θησαυρὸς ἀφανὴς, τίς ὠφέλεια ἐν ἀμφοτέροις; Οἱ οὖν τοιοῦτοι ἐνώπιον ἑαυτῶν εἰσιν ἐπιστήμονες· οὐχὶ δὲ καὶ ἐνώπιον ἑτέρων, ὡς ὁ τὸ τάλαντον κρύψας παρ' ἑαυτῷ. Ἀλλ' οὐδὲ ἐνώπιον Θεοῦ ἐπιστήμων, ὁ μὴ εἰς δόξαν Θεοῦ τῇ ἐπιστήμῃ κατακεχρημένος. Καὶ τρίτη δ' ἄν τις τοιαύτη εἶναι δοκεῖ ἐκδοχὴ τῶν συνετῶν καὶ ἐπιστημόνων· οἱ μὲν ἀπὸ Θεοῦ ὄντες τοιοῦ τοι, οἱ αἰσθανόμενοι τῆς παρ' αὐτοῦ δωρεᾶς· οἱ δὲ μὴ ἀναφέροντες ἐπὶ τὸν Θεὸν τὴν αἰτίαν τῆς συνέσεως, ἑαυτοῖς δὲ τὰ κατορθώματα ἐπιγράφοντες, συνετοί εἰσιν ἐν ἑαυτοῖς καὶ ἐνώπιον ἑαυτῶν ἐπιστήμονες. Πρὸς οὓς εὔκαιρον εἰπεῖν· Τί δὲ ἔχεις, ὃ οὐκ ἔλαβες; Εἰ δὲ καὶ ἔλαβες, τί καυχᾶσαι, ὡς μὴ λαβών; Καὶ τὸ Ἐὰν μὴ ὁ Κύριος οἰκοδομήσῃ οἶκον, εἰς μάτην ἐκοπίασαν οἱ οἰκοδομοῦντες. Λέγεται τοίνυν σύνεσις οἷον εὐπαρακολουθησία ψυχῆς, ὀξέως εἰς ἓν συναγούσης τὰς τῶν πραγμάτων ἐννοίας, ἥτις κατὰ τὸν ἀπαρτισμὸν τῶν ἐν ἡμῖν λογικῶν σπερμάτων συνίσ τασθαι πέφυκεν. Ἤ ἐστι σύνεσις ἐντρέχεια διανοίας εὐπαρα κολουθήτως τῷ ἑκάστῳ πράγματι οἰκεῖον καὶ πρέπον ἐξευ ρίσκουσα. Ἐπιστήμη δὲ ἕξις ἐν ἑαυτῇ τὸ βέβαιον ἔχουσα, ἀμετάπτωτος ὑπὸ τοῦ λόγου. Ἐπιστήμων δὲ ὁ κατὰ τὸ ἐμπεριειληφέναι τὰ ἀναγκαῖα τῶν εἰς μακαριότητα θεωρη μάτων, καθ' ὃ ἤδη ἑκτικῶς καὶ βεβαίως συνέχει ἐν ἑαυτῷ. Σοφίαν δέ φησιν εἶναι ἐπιστήμην θείων καὶ ἀνθρωπίνων πραγμάτων, καὶ τῶν τούτων αἰτιῶν. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ αὐτοσοφία ὁ Χριστός ἐστι, σοφὸν ἐροῦμεν τὸν κατὰ μετοχὴν Χριστοῦ, καθ' ὃ σοφία ἐστὶ, τετελειωμένον. Ὁ δὲ συνετὸς νοεῖται κατὰ ἀπαρτισμὸν τῶν ἐν ἡμῖν τῆς συνέσεως σπερμάτων. Ὁ δὲ ἐπιστήμων, κατὰ τὸ ἐμπε ριειληφέναι τὰ ἀναγκαῖα εἰς μακαριότητα θεωρήματα, μετὰ τοῦ ἤδη ἑκτικῶς καὶ παγίως συνέχειν ἐν ἑαυτῷ. Ηὕρομεν δὲ ἐν τῇ Ἐξόδῳ τὸν χρηματισμὸν, λέγοντα περὶ τῶν ἀρχιτεκτόνων· Ἐμπλήσω αὐτοὺς Πνεῦμα θεῖον συνέσεως καὶ ἐπιστήμης. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο οὐαὶ τῷ μὴ ἀνατιθέντι τὴν αἰτίαν τῆς συνέσεως καὶ τῆς ἐπιστήμης Θεῷ. Μηδεὶς οὖν ἑαυτῷ λαμβανέτω τὰ τηλικαῦτα, μήτε ἐπιστήμονα ἑαυτὸν, μήτε συνετὸν λέγων, μήτε σοφόν. Ἐπειδήπερ ἡ σοφία ἐπισ τήμη ἐστὶ θείων