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Rather, in the world they are as dead men, and before death and before their departure, they are held fast in the lowest Hades. These then are truly those of whom scripture speaks, the glorious, the rich, the haughty in all things, who even seem to be something because of such things altogether, being unable to perceive their own shame; for even if they possess the wisdom of the world in themselves, and glory as a garment, having built vain conceit like a tent with deceived minds, having put on the one and dwelling in the other, they sit as at the bottom in the lowest Hades and are ignorant of God, ignorant of the world and all the works of the creator in the world. For who will know the creator, before he sees creation in reason as a rational being, and in mind intellectually, and contemplating intellectually in intellectual perception? But who? He who sees spiritually, being mystically illumined through the Divine Spirit, and being led at the same time, might somehow dimly ascend to the knowledge of the maker. For thus being purified he will be deemed worthy to receive a clearer knowledge, as all scripture says. But the impassioned, as I said, those wearing folly as a garment, clothed in conceit as in glory (266), delight and laugh at others and play in the shadows in the manner of puppies. If you should throw a nut and it should rattle as it rolls, they leap upon it, they seize it, they gape around it and roll around with it and leap about together; and if someone should drag the cord of a whip before their feet, they twist around and fall and stretch their feet into the air and become providers of laughter to the men who watch them, to all, at their fall. So then these too unfeelingly delight demons in their own actions and likewise in their habits; such men then, tell me, as I ask, as you are able, how will they relate the mysteries of God to others? And how will they be enlightened at all by the light of knowledge and impart it to others, or justly bring forth a straight judgment in true discernment, they who are clothed in darkness as a garment, unfeeling in their senses, dead in the midst of life? But, O you lovers of God, listen to the words

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μᾶλλον δ᾿ ἐν κόσμῳ ὡς νεκροί εἰσί καί πρό θανάτου καί πρό ἐξόδου κάτοχοι ἐν ᾅδῃ κατωτάτῳ. Οὗτοι οὖν ὄντως πέλουσιν, οὕς ἡ γραφή γε λέγει, οἱ ἔνδοξοι, οἱ πλούσιοι, οἱ σοβαροί τοῖς πᾶσιν, οἱ καί δοκοῦντες εἶναί τι ἐκ τῶν τοιούτων ὅλως, μή συνιδεῖν ἰσχύοντες τήν ἑαυτῶν αἰσχύνην˙ κἄν γάρ σοφίαν κέκτηνται ἐν ἑαυτοῖς τοῦ κόσμου, δόξαν τε ὡς ἱμάτιον, οἴησιν τήν ματαίαν ὥσπερ σκηνήν δομήσαντες φρεσί πεπλανημέναις καί τήν μέν ἐνδυσάμενοι, τήν δέ ἐγκατοικοῦντες, ὡς ἐν πυθμένι κάθηνται ἐν ᾅδου κατωτάτου καί ἀγνοοῦσι τόν Θεόν, ἀγνοοῦσι τόν κόσμον καί τά ἐν κόσμῳ ἅπαντα ποιήματα τοῦ κτίστου. Τίς γάρ τόν κτίστην γνώσεται, πρίν ἤ τήν κτίσιν ἴδοι ἐν λόγῳ οἷα λογικός, ἐν νοΐ νοερῶς δέ, καί ἐν αἰσθήσει νοερᾷ νοερῶς κατοπτεύων; Τίς δέ; ὁ καθορῶν πνευματικῶς διά Πνεύματος Θείου μυστικῶς ἐλλαμπόμενος, ὁδηγούμενος θ᾿ ἅμα, πρός γνῶσιν τήν τοῦ ποιητοῦ ἀμυδρῶς πως ἀνέλθοι. Οὕτω γάρ καθαιρόμενος τρανοτέραν τήν γνῶσιν λαβεῖν ἀξιωθήσεται, ὡς γραφή πᾶσα λέγει. Οἱ ἐμπαθεῖς, ὡς ἔφην δέ, ἀπόνοιαν ἐκεῖνοι φοροῦντες ὡς ἱμάτιον, τήν οἴησιν ὡς δόξαν (266) ἐνδεδυμένοι τέρπονται καί γελῶσι τούς ἄλλους καί παίζουσιν ἐν ταῖς σκιαῖς τόν τῶν σκυλάκων τρόπον. Κάρυον εἰ προσρίψειας καί κροτήσειε τρέχον, ἐπιπηδῶσι, δράσσονται, περιχαίνουσι τοῦτο καί σύν αὐτῷ κυλίονται καί συσκιρτῶσιν ἅμα˙ κἄν φραγελλίου σύρῃ τις πρό ποδῶν τό σχοινίον συστρέφονται καί πίπτουσι καί πόδας εἰς ἀέρα ἐκτείνουσι καί πρόξενοι γέλωτος τοῖς ὁρῶσιν ἀνθρώποις ἐπί τῇ αὐτῶν γίνονται πτώσει πᾶσιν. Οὕτως οὖν καί οὗτοι δαίμονας τέρπουσιν ἀναισθήτως ἐν ταῖς οἰκείαις πράξεσι καί ἤθεσιν ὡσαύτως˙ οἱ γοῦν τοιοῦτοι, λέγε μοι ἐρωτῶντι, ὡς ἔχεις, πῶς τά Θεοῦ μυστήρια διηγήσονται ἄλλοις; Πῶς δέ τό φῶς τῆς γνώσεως φωτισθῶσι κἄν ὅλως καί ἄλλοις μεταδώσουσιν, εἴτε κρίσιν εὐθεῖαν ἐν διακρίσει ἀληθεῖ ἐξάξουσι δικαίως, οἱ σκότος ὡς ἱμάτιον ὄντες ἐνδεδυμένοι, ἐν αἰσθήσει ἀναίσθητοι, ζωῆς νεκροί ἐν μέσῳ; Ἀλλ᾿, ὦ ὑμεῖς φιλόθεοι, ἀκούσατε ῥημάτων