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if you tell him things for his own benefit, he is lifted up all the more; for being reproved or even admonished, he contradicts vehemently; being praised or even encouraged, he is wrongly exalted.

45. A man who has practiced contradicting is a two-edged sword to himself, unknowingly destroying his own soul and making it a stranger to eternal life.

46. He who contradicts is like one who willingly gives himself over to the opposing enemies of the king. For contradiction is a snare, having self-justification as bait, by which, being deceived, we swallow the hook of sin, (395) by which the wretched soul is usually seized by the spirits of wickedness, as if by the tongue and the throat, and at one time is led up to the height of pride, at another is plunged into the chaotic abyss of sin, and is condemned with those who have fallen from heaven.

47. Let him who is dishonored or insulted and greatly pained in his heart know from this that he carries the ancient serpent in his bosom. If then he endures in silence or answers with great humility, he has rendered it weak and feeble. But if he contradicts with bitterness or speaks with audacity, he has given strength to the serpent to pour its venom into his heart and to devour his inner parts without mercy, so that from then on, being strengthened each day, it makes a meal of the correction meant for good and the strength of this wretched man's soul, and from then on he lives for sin, but is completely dead to righteousness.

48. If you wish to renounce the world and be taught the evangelical way of life, do not give yourself over to an inexperienced or passionate teacher, so that you are not taught a diabolical way of life instead of an evangelical one, because the lessons of good teachers are good, and those of bad teachers are bad, and the crops from evil seeds are always evil.

49. With prayers and tears beseech God to send you a guide who is dispassionate and holy. And search the divine scriptures yourself, especially the practical writings of the holy fathers, so that by comparing what you are taught by your teacher and superior with these, you may be able to see and understand them as in a mirror, and to embrace and hold in your mind the things that are in harmony with the divine scriptures, but to discern and reject those that are spurious and foreign, so that you are not led astray. For, (396) know this, many deceivers and false teachers have arisen in these days.

50. Everyone who does not see, but promises to guide others, is a deceiver and puts those who follow him into a pit of destruction according to the voice of the Lord: “If a blind man leads a blind man, both will fall into a pit.”

51. He who is blind to the one is completely blind to all things, but he who sees in the one is in the contemplation of all things. And he abstains completely from contemplation, and he comes to be in the contemplation of all things, and he is outside of the things contemplated. This one, being in the one, sees all things, and being in all things, he sees none of all things.

52. He who sees in the one through the one perceives himself and everyone and all things, and being hidden in it, he sees none of all things.

53. He who has not perceptibly and knowably put on the image of our Lord Jesus Christ, the heavenly man and God, in his rational and noetic man, is still only blood and flesh, being unable to receive a sense of spiritual glory through words, just as those blind from birth cannot know the light of the sun through words alone.

54. He who hears and sees and perceives in this way knows the power of the things being said, as one who has already worn the image of the heavenly one and has ascended to a perfect man of the fullness of Christ. And he who is in this state is also able to guide well in the

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ὡς ἐάν εἴπῃς αὐτῷ τά τῆς ὠφελείας αὐτοῦ, μᾶλλον καί μᾶλλον ἐπαίρεται ἐλεγχόμενος γάρ ἤ καί νουθετούμενος, ἀντιλέγει σφοδρῶς, ἐπαινούμενος ἤ καί παρακαλούμενος, ἀνυψοῦται κακῶς.

με΄. Ἄνθρωπος μεμελετηκώς ἀντιλέγειν ἑαυτῷ δίστομός ἐστι μάχαιρα, ἀναιρῶν ἀγνώστως τήν ἰδίαν ψυχήν καί τῆς αἰωνίου ζωῆς ἀλλότριον αὐτήν ἐργαζόμενος.

μστ΄. Ὁ ἀντιλέγων ὅμοιός ἐστι τῷ ἑκουσίως ἔκδοτον ἑαυτόν ποιοῦντι τοῖς ὑπεναντίοις τοῦ βασιλέως ἐχθροῖς. Ἡ γάρ ἀντιλογία ἁρπάγιόν ἐστι, δέλεαρ ἔχον τήν δικαιολογίαν, δι᾿ ἧς ἀπατώμενοι, τό ἄγκιστρον καταπίνομεν τῆς ἁμαρτίας, (395) ὑφ᾿ οὗ καί ἁρπάζεται εἴωθεν, ὡς ἀπό τῆς γλώττης καί τοῦ λαιμοῦ, ὑπό τῶν πνευμάτων τῆς πονηρίας ἡ ἀθλία ψυχή καί ποτέ μέν εἰς ὕψος ὑπερηφανίας ἀνάγεσθαι, ποτέ δέ εἰς χάος ἀβύσσου ἁμαρτίας καταποντίζεσθαι καί μετά τῶν ἐξ οὐρανοῦ ἐκπεπτωκότων καταδικάζεσθαι.

μζ΄. Ὁ ἀτιμαζόμενος ἤ ὑβριζόμενος καί σφόδρα ἀλγῶν τήν καρδίαν γινωσκέτω ἐκ τούτου ὅτι τόν παλαιόν ὄφιν περιφέρει ἐγκόλπιον. Εἰ μέν οὖν μετά σιωπῆς ὑπομείνῃ ἤ μετά πολλῆς ἀποκριθήσεται ταπεινώσεως, ἀσθενῆ τοῦτον καί ἐκλελυμένον εἰργάσατο. Εἰ δέ μετά πικρίας ἀντείπῃ ἤ καί λαλήσῃ μετά θρασύτητος, δέδωκεν ἰσχύν τῷ ὄφει τόν ἰόν ἐκχέαι ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ αὐτοῦ καί ἀνημέρως τά ἐντός αὐτοῦ κατεσθίειν, ὡς ἐντεῦθεν καθ᾿ ἑκάστην ἐνδυναμούμενον αὐτόν κατάβρωμα ποιεῖσθαι τήν ἐπ᾿ ἀγαθοῖς διόρθωσιν καί ἰσχύν τῆς ἀθλίας τούτου ψυχῆς, καί ζῆν μέν αὐτόν ἔκτοτε τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ, νεκρόν δέ παντελῶς εἶναι τῇ δικαιοσύνῃ.

μη΄. Ἐάν ἀποτάξασθαι βουληθῇς καί τήν εὐαγγελικήν πολιτείαν ἐκδιδαχθῆναι, μή ἀπείρῳ μηδέ ἐμπαθεῖ διδασκάλῳ ἑαυτόν ἐκδῷς, ἵνα μή ἀντί εὐαγγελικῆς διαβολικήν πολιτείαν ἐκδιδαχθῇς, ἐπειδή καλῶν μέν διδασκάλων καλά τά μαθήματα, κακῶν δέ κακά καί σπερμάτων πονηρῶν πάντως πονηρά τά γεώργια.

μθ΄. Εὐχαῖς καί δάκρυσι τόν Θεόν καθικέτευσον πέμψαι σοι ὁδηγόν ἀπαθῆ τε καί ἅγιον ἐρεύνα δέ καί αὐτός τάς θείας γραφάς, μάλιστα τάς τῶν ἁγίων πατέρων πρακτικάς συγγραφάς, ἵνα ταύταις ἀντιπαρατιθείς τά παρά τοῦ διδασκάλου καί προεστῶτός σοι διδασκόμεθα, ὡς ἐν κατόπτρῳ βλέπειν δύνασαι ταῦτα καί καταμανθάνειν, καί τά μέν συνᾴδοντα ταῖς θείαις γραφαῖς ἐγκολποῦσθαι καί κατέχειν τῇ διανοίᾳ, τά δέ νόθα καί ἀλλότρια διακρίνειν καί ἀποπέμπεσθαι, ἵνα μή πλανηθῇς. Πολλοί γάρ, (396) ἴσθι, πλάνοι καί ψευδοδιδάσκαλοι ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις ταύταις γεγόνασιν.

ν΄. Πᾶς ὁ μή βλέπων, ἄλλους δέ ὁδηγεῖν ὑπισχνούμενος, πλάνος ἐστί καί τούς ἑπομένους αὐτῷ εἰς βόθρον ἀπωλείας ἐντίθησι κατά τήν τοῦ Κυρίου φωνήν «Τυφλός τυφλόν ἐάν ὁδηγῇ, ἀμφότεροι εἰς βόθυνον ἐμπεσοῦνται».

να΄. Ὁ τυφλός πρός τό ἕν τυφλός ὅλως πρός πάντα ἐστίν, ὁ δέ βλέπων ἐν τῷ ἑνί ἐν θεωρίᾳ τῶν πάντων ἐστί τῆς θεωρίας τε πάντως ἀπέχεται, καί ἐν τῇ θεωρίᾳ τῶν πάντων γίνεται, καί τῶν θεωρουμένων ἔξω ἐστίν ἐν τῷ ἑνί οὗτος ὤν τά πάντα ὁρᾷ, καί ἐν πᾶσιν ὤν οὐδέν τῶν πάντων ὁρᾷ.

νβ΄. Ὁ βλέπων ἐν τῷ ἑνί διά τοῦ ἑνός καί ἑαυτόν καί πάντας καί ἅπαντα καθορᾷ, καί κεκρυμμένος ὤν ἐν αὐτῷ, οὐδέν τῶν πάντων ὁρᾷ.

νγ΄. Ὁ μή τήν εἰκόνα τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, τοῦ ἐπουρανίου ἀνθρώπου τε καί Θεοῦ, ἐν τῷ λογισμῷ καί νοερῷ ἀνθρώπῳ εὐαισθήτως καί γνωστῶς ἐνδυσάμενος, αἷμα μόνον ἐστίν ἔτι καί σάρξ, πνευματικῆς δόξης αἴσθησιν μή δυνάμενος διά τοῦ λόγου λαβεῖν, καθάπερ καί οἱ ἐκ γενετῆς τυφλοί τό τοῦ ἡλίου φῶς διά λόγου μόνον γνῶναι οὐ δύνανται.

νδ΄. Ὁ ἀκούων οὕτως καί βλέπων καί αἰσθανόμενος οἶδε τῶν λεγομένων τήν δύναμιν, ὡς ἤδη τήν εἰκόνα φορέσας τοῦ ἐπουρανίου καί εἰς ἄνδρα τέλειον ἀνελθών τοῦ πληρώματος τοῦ Χριστοῦ καί ὁ οὕτως ἔχων δύναται καί καλῶς ὁδηγεῖν ἐν τῇ