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he sacrificed the motion of phenomena, and having accomplished the practical, he ate virtue. But he who rose from the false opinion about beings, sacrificed the shapes of phenomena; but having eaten the non-phenomenal principles, he achieved natural contemplation in spirit; but he who rose from polytheistic error, sacrificed the very substance of beings; but having eaten the cause of beings according to faith, was filled with theological power.

Every contemplative mind, therefore, possessing the sword of the spirit, which is the word of God, having killed within itself the motion of phenomenal creation, has achieved virtue; and having cut off from itself the image of sensible shapes, has found the truth in the principles of beings; according to which natural contemplation consists; and having become superior to the substance of beings, receives the illumination of the divine and invincible monad, according to which the mystery of true theology consists.

Or perhaps the chief of the apostles, Peter the all-glorious, was commanded by God, having risen from the power commensurate with nature to the divine good fortune according to grace, with God to sacrifice with the sword of the word the passions of wickedness in men, and to make good food, suitable for the Word, and given up to spiritual digestion, by the putting away of the former impassioned and bestial life. For they say that the blood, which naturally flows from every slaughtered animal, is a symbol of life. And perhaps the difference in the animals that were shown signifies the variety of passions in men. For the reptiles prefigure those whose whole desiring faculty is dragged down to earthly things; the wild beasts, those who furiously arouse their entire irascible faculty for the destruction of one another; the birds, those who have thrust their entire rational faculty to the insolence of pride, and the high-mindedness resulting from it, and who speak injustice to the heights, and have set their mouth in heaven; which things the great Peter, as a co-worker with God, having sacrificed with the word of the spirit, made some desirous of heavenly things, others gentle and philanthropic, and helpful to one another; and others lovers of God and humble-minded.

Let us consider what Joppa also wishes to signify through the interpretation of its own name, in which the great foundation of the Church, Peter the all-holy, saw this vision. Joppa is interpreted as "a lookout," (357) signifying the fitting watchfulness of the practical life. For situated by the shore of the sea, it would have been overwhelmed by many waves, if the city did not have its position on high. Whence it seems to me to signify one who builds virtue like a city upon the height of knowledge; but not being far from involuntary temptations, having lying near it like a sea the relationship with sensible things that has not yet been completely cast off, and for this reason needing a lookout, lest the unclean demons, concealed through involuntary temptations, make an assault of voluntary passions; but Joppa also belongs to the portion of the tribe [al. φυλακῆς] of Issachar; and this is interpreted as "reward" and "labor"; it gives one to understand further that Joppa is a watchful state of the practical life, guarding against the unseen assaults of the spirits of wickedness. Therefore, having risen from this, the great apostle was perhaps commanded to transfer his mind toward the knowledge of higher things.

He, therefore, who inhabits the height of the lookout of practical philosophy, let him be said to be in Joppa; but he who dwells in Zion in Jerusalem, that is, the watchtower, which is established according to the vision of peace—for this is how Jerusalem is interpreted—has become far from all relation according to sense, as far as, historically, the sea is from the location of the place of Zion; and being at the height of knowledge he beholds only the intelligible spectacles of beings; by the mental removal of the phenomenal shapes in existing things; and receives the manifestations of divine things as is right.

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φαινομένων ἔθυσε κίνησιν, καί τήν πρακτικήν κατορθώσας ἔφαγεν ἀρετήν. Ὁ δέ τῆς ψευδοῦς περί τῶν ὄντων δόξης ἀναστάς, τά μέν τῶν φαινομένων ἔθυσε σχήματα· τούς δέ μή φαινομένους λόγους φαγών, τήν ἐν πνεύματι φυσικήν θεωρίαν κατώρθωσεν· ὁ δέ τῆς πολυθέου πλάνης ἀναστάς, αὐτήν μέν τῶν ὄντων τήν οὐσίαν κατέθυσε· τήν δέ τῶν ὄντων αἰτίαν κατά πίστιν φαγών, θεολογικῆς ἐνεφορήθη δυνάμεως.

Πᾶς οὖν θεωρητικός νοῦς ἔχων τήν μάχαιραν τοῦ πνεύματος, ὅ ἐστι ῥῆμα Θεοῦ, ἐν ἑαυτῷ τῆς φαινομένης κτίσεως ἀποκτείνας τήν κίνησιν, κατώρθωσεν ἀρετήν· καί τῶν αἰσθητῶν σχημάτων ἑαυτοῦ τήν φαντασίαν ἀποτεμών, τήν ἐν τοῖς λόγοις τῶν ὄντων εὗρεν ἀλήθειαν· καθ᾿ ἥν ἡ φυσική θεωρία συνέστηκε· καί τῆς οὐσίας τῶν ὄντων ὑπεράνω γενόμενος, τόν τῆς θείας καί ἀμάχου μονάδος δέχεται φωτισμόν, καθ᾿ ὅν τῆς ἀληθοῦς θεολογίας συνέστηκε τό μυστήριον.

Ἤ τυχόν ἐκελεύετο θεόθεν ἡ τῶν ἀποστόλων ἀκρότης, Πέτρος ὁ πανένδοξος, ἀναστάς τῆς συμ[με]μετρημένης τῇ φύσει δυνάμεως, ἐπί τήν κατά χάριν θείαν εὐκληρίαν, μετά Θεοῦ καταθῦσαι τῇ μαχαίρᾳ τοῦ λόγου τά ἐν ἀνθρώποις πάθη τῆς μοχθηρίας, καί ποιῆσαι βρῶμα καλόν, καί τῷ Λόγῳ πρόσφορον, καί εἰς πέψιν πνευματικήν ἀναδιδόμενον, τῇ ἀποθέσει τῆς προτέρας ἐμπαθοῦς καί θηριώδους ζωῆς. Φασί γάρ ζωῆς σύμβολον εἶναι τό αἷμα, ὅπερ παντός ἀποῤῥεῖν σφαττομένου ζώου πέφυκεν. Καί δηλοῖ τάχα τῶν δειχθέντων ζώων ἠ διαφορά, τήν ἐν ἀνθρώποις τῶν παθῶν ποικιλίαν σημαίνουσα. Τά μέν γάρ ἑρπετά, τούς ἅπαν τό ἐπιθυμητικόν τοῖς γηΐνοις ἐπισυρόμενον ἔχοντας προδείκνυσι· τά δέ θηρία, τούς ὅλον τό θυμικόν εἰς τήν ἀλλήλων φθοράν ἐκμανῶς διεγείροντας· τά δέ πετεινά, τούς ὅλον τό λογικόν πρός τήν ὕβριν τῆς ὑπερηφανίας ἀνώσαντας, καί τήν ἐξ αὐτῆς ὑψηλοφροσύνην, καί ἀδικίαν λαλοῦντας εἰς ὕψος, καί θεμένους εἰς οὐρανόν τό στόμα αὐτῶν· ἅπερ οἷα Θεῶ συνεργός ὁ μέγας Πέτρος καταθύσας τῷ λόγῳ τοῦ πνεύματος, τούς μέν ἐποίησε τῶν οὐρανίων ἐπιθυμητάς, τούς δέ ἡμέρους καί φιλανθρώπους, καί ἀλλήλων ἀνθεκτικούς· τούς δέ φιλοθέους καί ταπεινόφρονας.

Τί δέ καί Ἰόππη βούλεται δηλοῦν διά τῆς ἑρμηνείας τοῦ οἰκείου ὀνόματος, ἐν ᾗ ταύτην εἶδε τήν ὀπτασίαν ἡ μεγάλη τῆς Ἐκκλησίας κρηπίς, Πέτρος ὁ πανάγιος, κατίδωμεν. Ἰόππη κατασκοπή ἑρμηνεύεται, (357) τήν πρακτικήν πρέπουσαν φυλακήν σημαίνουσα. Παρ᾿ αὐτήν γάρ κειμένη τῆς θαλάσσης τήν ὄχθην, πολλοῖς ἀνεβάλλετο κύμασιν, εἰ μή ἐφ᾿ ὕψος εἶχε τήν θέσιν ἡ πόλις. Ὅθεν μοι φαίνεται δηλοῦν τόν ἐπί τό ὕψος τῆς γνώσεως, καθάπερ πόλιν οἰκοδομοῦντα τήν ἀρετήν· οὐ μακράν δέ τῶν ἀκουσίων ὄντα πειρασμῶν, ἔχοντα παρακειμένην ἐγγύθεν καθάπερ θάλασσαν, τήν μήπω τελείως ἀποῤῥαπισθεῖσαν σχέσιν τῶν αἰσθητῶν, καί διά τοῦτο κατασκοπῆς δεόμενον, μήπως λαθόντες διά τῶν ἀκουσίων πειρασμῶν, ποιήσωνται τήν τῶν ἑκουσίων παθῶν ἐπιδρομήν οἱ ἀκάθαρτοι δαίμονες· ἀλλά καί τῆς μερίδος τυγχάνουσα τῆς φυλῆς [al. φυλακῆς]. Ἰσσάχαρ Ἰόππη· μισθός δέ καί κάματος οὗτος ἑρμηνεύεται· δίδωσι πλέον νοεῖν, ὅτι πρακτικῆς ἐστιν ἕξις φυλακτική Ἰόππη, τάς ἀοράτους ἐφόδους φυλαττομένη τῶν πνευμάτων τῆς πονηρίας. Ταύτης οὖν ἀναστάντα πρός τήν τῶν ὑψηλῶν γνῶσιν μεταθεῖναι τόν νοῦν ἴσως ἐκελεύετο ὁ μέγας ἀπόστολος.

Ὁ τοίνυν τῆς πρακτικῆς φιλοσοφίας οἰκῶν τό τῆς κατασκοπῆς ὕψος, ἐν Ἰόππῃ λεγέσθω εἶναι· ὁ δέ τήν ἐν Ἱεροσολύμοις Σιών κατοικῶν, τουτέστι τό σκοπευτήριον, τό κατα τήν ὄρασιν τῆς εἰρήνης ἱδρυμένον· τοῦτο γάρ Ἱερουσαλήμ ἑρμηνεύεται, πάσης μακράν γέγονε τῆς κατ᾿ αἴσθησιν σχέσεως, ὅσον ἱστορικῶς, τοῦ τόπου τῆς Σιών κατά τήν θέσιν, ἡ θάλασσα· καί σκοπεύει μόνον κατά τό ὕψος τυγχάνων τῆς γνώσεως, τά νοητά τῶν ὄντων θεάματα· τῇ κατά νοῦν περιαιρέσει τῶν φαινομένων ἐν τοῖς οὖσι σχημάτων· καί δέχεται τάς τῶν θείων ἐμφάσεις κατά τό θεμιτόν