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having fallen to the earth from a high tree. For in darkness it has power and authority, but in the light it becomes a dead corpse for all time. But hearing of light, pay attention to what sort of light I am speaking of, lest you suppose I mean the light of the sun! For you see in this light many people sinning as I did, being terribly scourged, falling and foaming in the middle of the day, and suffering invisibly from evil spirits, (270) and while the sun is shining, no further benefit from it accrues to those given over to demons. Therefore I do not speak to you of the light of the perceptible sun, not of the day, far from it, not of a lamp at all, not of the many stars, nor the light of the moon, nor of the radiance of any other visible light at all, as though I were showing you that it has such an effect at all. For perceptible lights illuminate and shine only for perceptible eyes and allow them to see only perceptible things, but not intelligible things. All, therefore, who see only perceptible things, are blind in the intelligible eyes of the heart. Therefore, the intelligible eyes of the intelligible heart ought to be illuminated by an intelligible light. For if he whose pupils of the body are extinguished is entirely in darkness, not knowing where he is, how much more will he who has the eye of his soul blind be darkened, and will exist almost dead in body and deed, and also in spirit? Understand, therefore, precisely what kind of light I am speaking of! For I do not speak to you of faith, I do not speak of the practice of works nor of repentance nor of fasting at all, not of poverty in any way, not of wisdom, not of knowledge, nor even of teaching; for none of these is light or the radiance of the light of which I speak to you, nor indeed is outward piety, nor a humble and simple habit; for all these things are actions and the fulfillment of commandments, if indeed they are performed well and are fulfilled, as the Creator himself commands. Tears are shed in many ways and are either beneficial or even more harmful; for the time being they are in themselves entirely useless. (271) And the vigil of monks is not at all for them alone, but also for the common people occupied with their works, and women who weave, and goldsmiths and coppersmiths keep vigil more than most monks, and for this reason we say that none of all these virtuous practices is called light. Wherefore also all actions and virtues, when gathered together into one without fail, are not the divine light,

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καταπεσόντα ἐπί γῆν ἀφ᾿ ὑψηλοῦ τοῦ δένδρου. Ἐν σκότει γάρ τήν δύναμιν ἔχει καί ἐξουσίαν, ἐν τῷ φωτί δέ γίνεται πτῶμα νεκρόν εἰς ἅπαν. Φῶς δέ ἀκούων, πρόσεχε ὁποῖον φῶς σοι λέγω, μή ὑπολάβῃς λέγειν με τό φῶς τό τοῦ ἡλίου! Καί γάρ ὁρᾷς ἐν τῷ φωτί τούτου πολλούς ἀνθρώπους ἐξαμαρτόντας ὡς ἐγώ, δεινῶς μαστιζομένους, πίπτοντας καί ἀφρίζοντας μεσούσης τῆς ἡμέρας, καί ἀοράτως πάσχοντας ἐκ πονηρῶν πνευμάτων, (270) καί τοῦ ἡλίου λαμποντος οὐδέν ἐκ τούτου πλέον ἐγγίνεται τό ὄφελος τοῖς δαίμοσιν ἐκδότοις. τοίνυν οὐ λέγω σοι τό φῶς τοῦ αἰσθητοῦ ἡλίου, οὐ τῆς ἡμέρας, ἄπαγε, οὐ λυχνιαῖον ὅλως, οὐ τῶν ἀστέρων τῶν πολλῶν, οὐδέ σελήνης φάος, οὐκ ἄλλου ὅλως ὁρατοῦ ἀπαύγασμα φωτός σοι παραδηλῶν ἐνέργειαν τοιαύτην ὅλως ἔχειν. Τά αἰσθητά τούς αἰσθητούς ὀφθαλμούς καί γάρ μόνους φωτίζουσι καί λάμπουσι φῶτα καί βλέπειν μόνον παρέχουσι τά αἰσθητά, τά νοητά οὐ μέντοι. Πάντες οὖν, ὅσοι βλέπουσι τά αἰσθητά καί μόνον, τυφλοί εἰσι τά νοερά ὄμματα τῆς καρδίας. Τά νοερά οὖν ὄμματα τῆς νεορᾶς καρδίας καί νοερῷ φωτίζεσθαι ὀφείλουσι φωτί γε. Εἰ γάρ ὁ ἔχων σώματος τάς κόρας ἐσβεσμένας ὅλος ὑπάρχει σκοτεινός, ἀγνοῶν ποῦ ὑπάρχει, πόςῳ γε μᾶλλον ὁ ψυχῆς ἔχων τυφλόν τό ὄμμα ἐσκοτισμένος ἔσεται, καί σώματι καί πράξει μικροῦ νενεκρωμένος δέ καί πνεύματι ὑπάρξει; Νόησον τοίνυν ἀκριβῶς, ὁποῖον φῶς σοι λέγω! Οὐ λέγω σοι τήν πίστιν γάρ, οὐ λέγω τήν τῶν ἔργων πρᾶξιν οὐδέ μετάνοιαν οὐδέ νηστείαν πάντως, ἀκτημοσύνην οὐδαμῶς, οὐ σοφίαν, οὐ γνῶσιν, ἀλλ᾿ οὐδέ τό διδάσκειν˙ τούτων γάρ οὐδέν ἐστιν, οὐ φῶς οὐδέ ἀπαύγασμα φωτός, οὗπέρ σοι λέγω, οὐδέ γε ἡ εὐλάβεια ἡ ἔξωθεν, οὐ σχῆμα τό ταπεινόν καί εὐτελές˙ πάντα γάρ ταῦτα πράξεις καί ἐντολῶν ἐκπλήρωσις, εἴ γε καλῶς τελοῦνται καί ἐκπληροῦνται, ὡς αὐτός ἐντέλλεται ὁ κτίστης. Τά δάκρυα κατά πολλούς ἐκχέονται τούς τρόπους καί ἤ ἐπωφελῆ εἰσιν ἤ καί βλάπτουσι μᾶλλον˙ τέως αὐτά καθ᾿ ἑαυτά ἀνόνητα εἰς ἅπαν. (271) ἡ δ᾿ ἀγρυπνία μοναχῶν οὐκ ἔστι πάντως μόνων, ἀλλά καί τοῦ κοινοῦ λαοῦ ἔργοις ἀσχολουμένων, καί ἀγρυπνοῦσι πλείονα ὑφαίνουσαι γυναῖκες, χρυσοχόοι τε καί χαλκεῖς ἤ μονασταί οἱ πλεῖστοι, καί διά τοῦτο λέγομεν ὅτι τούτων ἁπάντων τῶν ἐναρέτων πράξεων οὐδέν φάος καλεῖται. Ὅπου καί συναγόμεναι εἰς ἕν αἱ πᾶσαι πράξεις καί ἀρεταί ἀνελλιπῶς φῶς οὐκ εἰσί τό θεῖον,