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he recognized Jacob, clothed in the garment of his brother Esau. For you all know how, being perplexed, he said: "The hands are the hands of Esau, but the voice is the voice of Jacob". From which it is shown that he did not know the deceit of the garment—for he was blind—but he recognized the familiar voice of his son; if, therefore, he had also been deaf, he certainly would not have been able to recognize his speech either. So then you also, who are so perplexed, being not only blind but also deaf, how can you recognize a spiritual man? In no way at all. But that this is true, and that those who do not see spiritually cannot hear spiritually either, listen to the Lord speaking thus to the unbelieving Jews: "Why do you not understand my speech? Because you cannot hear my words", and a little later: (287) "He who is of God hears the words of God; for this reason you do not hear, because you are of God. You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father". If, then, you too are flesh because of unbelief and wickedness and neglect and transgression of the commandments, thick, I say, in your hearts, and you have its ears stopped up, and the eye of the soul veiled by the passions, how then will you be able to recognize a spiritual and holy man?

But, I entreat you, let us be diligent, my fathers and brothers, each one of us in every way to know ourselves, so that from the things concerning ourselves we may one day be able to know the things beyond ourselves. For it is impossible for one who has not first known himself, so as to be able to say with David: "But I am a worm and not a man", and again, like Abraham: "I am earth and ashes", to know any of the spiritual and divine oracles spiritually and in a manner worthy of the supernatural and wise Spirit. Let no one deceive you with empty and sophistical words, that anyone can at all comprehend the divine mysteries of our faith without the Spirit who initiates and illumines; but indeed, neither without meekness and humility can one become a receptacle of the gifts of the Spirit. For it is necessary that we all indisputably first lay well the foundation of faith in the depths of our soul, then raise up the inner piety through the various forms of virtue like a strong wall; and so, when the soul has been walled on all sides and, as it were, fixed in it as on a good foundation of virtue, then it is necessary also to raise the roof of this edifice, which is the divine knowledge of God, (288) and to construct the whole house of the Spirit.

For when the soul is cleansed by tears in proportion to its repentance and the fulfillment of the commandments, a person is first deemed worthy by grace to know the things concerning him and his whole self, then after much and persistent cleansing and deep humility, he somehow dimly and little by little begins to understand also the things concerning God and divine matters and, insofar as he understands, he is astonished and acquires greater humility, considering himself completely unworthy of the knowledge and revelation of such mysteries. Wherefore also, guarded by such humility as by a strong wall, he remains within, invulnerable to thoughts of conceit, growing daily in faith, in hope, and in love for God, and clearly perceiving his progress with the addition of knowledge and ascent. But when he attains to the measure of the stature of the fullness of the knowledge of Christ and truly acquires Christ Himself and the mind of Christ, then he is disposed as if knowing or having nothing at all, and considers himself a useless and lowly servant; and what is truly wonderful and beyond nature—or rather, according to nature—is that he does not consider there to be any person in the whole world lesser or more sinful than himself.

But how this is, I cannot say, except this alone was I able to comprehend in this praiseworthy passion; and it is something like this: when the soul has been qualified and dyed

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ἐπέγνω τόν Ἰακώβ, τήν στολήν ἐνδεδυμένον Ἡσαῦ τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ αὐτοῦ. Ἴστε γάρ ἅπαντες πῶς ἐπαπορῶν ἔλεγεν· "Αἱ μέν χεῖρες χεῖρες Ἡσαῦ, ἡ δέ φωνή φωνή Ἰακώβ". Ὅθεν δείκνυται ὅτι τῆς μέν στολῆς τόν δόλον οὐκ ἔγνω - τυφλός γάρ ἦν , τήν δέ συνήθη φωνήν ἐγνώρσιε τοῦ υἱοῦ· εἰ τοίνυν καί κωφός ἦν, πάντως οὐδέ τήν λαλιάν αὐτοῦ γνωρίσαι ἴσχυσεν ἄν. Οὕτως οὖν καί ὑμεῖς, οἵτινές ἐστε οἱ οὕτως ἐπαποροῦντες, οὐ μόνον τυφλοί ἀλλά καί κωφοί τυγχάνοντες, πῶς δύνασθε ἄνδρα γνωρίσαι πνευματικόν; Οὐδαμῶς δή. Ὅτι δέ τοῦτό ἐστιν ἀληθές, καί οἱ μή βλέποντες πνευματικῶς οὐδέ ἀκούειν πνευματικῶς δύνανται, ἄκουσον τοῦ Κυρίου πρός τούς ἀπίστους τῶν Ἰουδαίων οὕτω λέγοντος· "∆ιά τί τήν λαλιάν τήν ἐμήν οὐ γινώσκετε; ∆ιότι οὐ δύνασθε ἀκούειν τῶν λόγων τῶν ἐμῶν", καί μετ᾿ ὀλίγα· (287) "Ὁ ὤν ἐκ τοῦ Θεοῦ τά ῥήματα τοῦ Θεοῦ ἀκούει· διά τοῦτο ὑμεῖς οὐκ ἀκούετε, ὅτι ἐκ Θεοῦ ἐστέ. Ὑμεῖς ἐκ τοῦ πατρός τοῦ διαβόλου ἐστέ καί τάς ἐπιθυμίας τοῦ πατρός ὑμῶν θέλετε ποιεῖν". Εἰ οὖν καί ὑμεῖς ὑπό τῆς ἀπιστίας καί πονηρίας καί τῆς τῶν ἐντολῶν ἀμελείας καί παραβάσεως σάρκες ἐστέ, παχεῖς, λέγω, τάς καρδίας, καί τά ταύτης ὦτα βεβυσμένα ἔχετε, τόν δέ ὀφθαλμόν κεκαλυμμένον τῆς ψυχῆς ὑπό τῶν παθῶν, πᾶς ἄρα πνευματικόν καί ἅγιον ἄνδρα ἐπιγνῶναι δυνήσεσθε;

Ἀλλά, παρακαλῶ, σπουδάσωμεν, πατέρες καί ἀδελφοί μου, παντί τρόπῳ ἑαυτούς ἡμῶν ἕκαστος ἐπιγνῶναι, ἵνα ἐκ τῶν καθ᾿ ἡμᾶς τά ὑπέρ ἡμᾶς γνῶναί ποτε δυνησώμεθα. Ἀδύνατον γάρ τόν μή ἐπιγνόντα ἑαυτόν πρότερον, ὥστε δύνασθαι μετά τοῦ ∆αυίδ λέγειν· "Ἐγώ δέ εἰ μι σκώληξ καί οὐκ ἄνθρωπος", καί πάλιν, ὡς ὁ Ἀβραάμ· "Ἐγώ εἰμι γῆ καί σποδός", ἐπιγνῶναί τι τῶν πνευματικῶν καί θείων λογίων πνευματικῶς καί ἀξίως τοῦ ὑπερφυοῦς καί σοφοῦ Πνεύματος. Μηδείς ὑμᾶς πλανάτω κενοῖς καί σεσοφισμένοις λόγοις, ὅτι τά θεῖα τῆς πίστεως ἡμῶν μυστήρια δύναταί τις ὅλως καταλαβεῖν ἄνευ τοῦ μυσταγωγοῦντος καί φωτίζοντος Πνεύματος· ἀλλά γάρ οὐδέ πρᾳότητος καί ταπεινοφροσύνης χωρίς δύναται γενέσθαι δοχεῖον τῶν χαρισμάτων τοῦ Πνεύματος. Χρή γάρ ἀναντιρρήτως τόν θεμέλιον τῆς πίστεως καλῶς πάντας ἡμᾶς καταβαλεῖν πρότερον εἰς τά τῆς ψυχῆς ἡμῶν βάθη, εἶτα τήν ἐντός εὐσέβειαν διά τῶν ποικίλων τῆς ἀρετῆς εἰδῶν ὡς τεῖχος ὀχυρόν ἀνυψῶσαι· καί οὕτω πάντοθεν τειχισθείσης τῆς ψυχῆς καί οἱονεί ἐμπαγείσης ἐν αὐτῇ ὡς ἐπί θεμελίῳ καλῷ τῆς ἀρετῆς, τότε δεῖ καί τήν σκέπην τῆς οἰκοδομῆς ταύτης, ἥτις ἐστίν ἡ γνῶσις ἡ θεία τοῦ Θεοῦ, (288) ἀνεγεῖραι καί ὁλόκληρον τόν οἶκον κατασκευάσαι τοῦ Πνεύματος.

Ἡνίκα γάρ κατά ἀναλογίαν τῆς μετανοίας καί τῆς τῶν ἐντολῶν ἐκπληρώσεως διά δακρύων ἐκκαθαρθῇ ἡ ψυχή, πρῶτον μέν τά κατ᾿ αὐτόν ὁ ἄνθρωπος καί ἑαυτόν ὅλον ὑπό τῆς χάριτος ἐπιγνῶναι καταξιοῦται, εἶτα μετά πολλήν καί ἐπίμονον κάθαρσιν καί βαθεῖαν ταπείνωσιν ἀμυδρῶς πως κατ᾿ ὀλίγον καί τά περί Θεοῦ καί τῶν θείων νοεῖν ἄρχεται καί, καθ᾿ ὅσον νοεῖ, καταπλήττεται καί πλείονα κτᾶται ταπείνωσιν, ἀνάξιον ἑαυτόν παντάπασι τῆς τῶν τοιούτων μυστηρίων γνώσεως καί ἀποκαλύψεως λογιζόμενος. ∆ιόπερ καί ὑπό τῆς τοιαύτης ταπεινώσεως, ὡς ὑπό τείχους ὀχυροῦ φρουρούμενος, ἔνδον μένει, ἀπό οἰήσεως λογισμῶν ἄτρωτος, αὐξάνων τῇ πίστει, τῇ ἐλπίδι καί τῇ εἰς Θεόν ἀγάπῃ τό καθ᾿ ἡμέραν, καί τήν προκοπήν μετά προσθήκης τῆς γνώσεώς τε καί ἀναβάσεως τρανῶς καθορῶν. Ὅταν δέ καί εἰς μέτρον ἡλικίας τοῦ πληρώματος τῆς γνώσεως τοῦ Χριστοῦ καταντήσῃ καί Χριστόν αὐτόν καί νοῦν ἀληθῶς Χριστοῦ κτήσηται, τότε ὡς μηδέν ὅλως εἰδώς ἤ ἔχων διάκειται καί ὡς ἀχρεῖον ἑαυτόν καί εὐτελεῖ δοῦλον ἡγεῖται· τό δέ δή θαυμαστόν καί ὑπέρ φύσιν, μᾶλλον δέ κατά φύσιν ὄν, ἄνθρωπον ἐλαχιστότερον ἑαυτοῦ ἤ ἁμαρτωλότερον ἐν ὅλῳ τῷ κόσμῳ οὐ λογίζεται εἶναι.

Τό δέ πῶς, εἰπεῖν οὐκ ἔχω, εἰ μή τοῦτο μόνον ἐν τῷ ἐπαινετῷ τούτῳ πάθει καταλαβεῖν ἠδυνήθην· ἔστι δέ τι τοιοῦτον· ποιωθείσης τῆς ψυχῆς καί ἐμβαφείσης