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28. The high-minded and those who are sick with the pride of the devil turn away from the one speaking in the Holy Spirit as from someone high-minded and proud, being struck by his words rather than moved to compunction; but the one who speaks eloquently from the belly or from learning and who speaks falsely about their salvation, they excessively praise and accept, and so there is no one among such people who is able to see and discern the matter well and as it is.

29. "Blessed," says God, "are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." Therefore, not one virtue, nor two, nor ten are naturally able to make a heart pure, but all of them together, so to speak, being as one and perfectly accomplished; and even so they are not able to make the heart pure by themselves, without the presence and energy of the Spirit. For just as the blacksmith demonstrates his art (430) through his tools, but without the energy of fire is utterly unable to craft any work, so also man does everything and uses the virtues as tools, but without the presence of the spiritual fire they remain inoperative and useless, not cleansing the filth and the corruption of the soul.

30. Where there is deep humility, there also are abundant tears; and where these are, there also is the presence of the Holy and adorable Spirit. And when this comes to be, all purity and holiness arise in the one energized by Him, and God is seen by him, and God looks upon him; "For on whom," He says, "shall I look, but on him who is meek and quiet, and who trembles at my words?".

31. Man is able to struggle against the passions, but by no means to uproot them; and he received authority not to do evil, but not to think it. For piety is not only to do good, but also not to think evil thoughts; he therefore who thinks evil thoughts cannot acquire a pure heart; for how could he, when it is being polluted by this as a mirror by mud?

32. I have understood a pure heart to be this: not only not to be troubled by any passion, but also not to conceive of anything evil or worldly, whenever one wishes, but to have only the memory of God in itself with unrestrainable love; for in a pure light the eye sees God purely, with nothing else coming between in the vision.

33. This I say is dispassion: not only to be outside the practice of the passions, but also to be alienated from the desire for them, and not only this but also for our intellect to be stripped of the concept of them, so that, whenever we wish, we may be above the heavens, being outside all things visible and sensible, our senses being, as it were, shut away (431) and our intellect entering into the things beyond sense, carrying the senses along with it by its power, as an eagle its own wings.

34. The intellect without the senses does not demonstrate its own energies, and without the intellect the senses by no means their own.

35. That heart is called and is pure which finds in itself no concept or worldly thought, which is so dedicated and united to God that it remembers neither the sorrows of life nor its joys, but lives as if caught up in vision to the third heaven and to paradise and sees the pledges of the good things promised to the saints and from there infers the eternal good things themselves, as far as is possible for human nature. This is truly a sign and sure indication of a pure heart, in which one knows the measures of purity and sees as in a mirror.

36. Just as one who is outside the house does not see those shut up within, so also one who is crucified to the world, that is, deadened, has no sensation for the things in the world.

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κη'. Τόν ἐν Πνεύματι Ἁγίῳ φθεγγόμενον οἱ ὑψηλόφρονες καί τήν ὑπερηφανίαν νοσοῦντες τοῦ διαβόλου ὡς ὑψηλόφρονα καί ὑπερήφανον ἀποστρέφονται, τοῖς λόγοις αὐτοῦ πληττόμενοι μᾶλλον ἤ κατανυσσόμενοι˙ τόν δέ ἀπό κοιλίας ἤ ἐκ μαθημάτων τορνολογοῦντα καί τῆς αὐτῶν σωτηρίας καταψευδόμενον ὑπερεπαινοῦσι καί ἀποδέχονται, καί οὕτως οὐδείς ἐν τοῖς τοιούτοις ἐστίν ὁ καλῶς καί ὡς ἔχει τό πρᾶγμα ἰδεῖν καί διακρῖναι δυνάμενος.

κθ'. «Μακάριοι», φησίν ὁ Θεός, «οἱ καθαροί τῇ καρδίᾳ, ὅτι αὐτοί τόν Θεόν ὄψονται». Καθαράν οὖν καρδίαν οὐχί μία ἀρετή οὐδέ δύο ἤ δέκα πεφύκασιν ἐκτελεῖν, ἀλλά πᾶσαι ὁμοῦ ὡς εἰπεῖν οἱονεί μία τις οὖσα καί εἰς ἄκρον κατορθωθεῖσα˙ καί οὐδέ οὕτως καθαράν τήν καρδίαν μόναι ποιῆσαι δύνανται, δίχα τῆς παρουσίας καί ἐνεργείας τοῦ Πνεύματος. Καθάπερ γάρ ὁ χαλκεύς τήν μέν τέχνην (430) διά τῶν ἐργαλείων αὐτοῦ ἐπιδείκνυται, δίχα δέ τῆς τοῦ πυρός ἐνεργείας οὐδέν ὅλως εἰς ἔργον κατασκευάσαι δύναται, οὕτω δή καί ὁ ἄνθρωπος πάντα μέν ποιεῖ καί ὡς ἐργαλείοις χρᾶται ταῖς ἀρεταῖς, ἄνευ δέ τῆς τοῦ πνευματικοῦ πυρός παρουσίας ἀνενέργητα μένει καί ἀνωφελῆ, τόν ῥύπον καί τόν ἰχῶρα μή καθαίροντα τῆς ψυχῆς.

λ'. Ὅπου βαθεῖα ταπείνωσις, ἐκεῖ καί δάκρυον δαψιλές˙ ἔνθα δέ ταῦτα, ἐκεῖ καί ἡ παρουσία τοῦ Ἁγίου καί προσκυνητοῦ Πνεύματος. Ταύτης δέ γενομένης, πᾶσα καθαρότης καί ἁγιωσύνη ἐν τῷ ὑπό τούτου ἐνεργουμένῳ γίνεται, καί ὁρᾶται τούτῳ Θεός, καί ὁ Θεός ὁρᾷ ἐπ᾿ αὐτόν˙ «Ἐπί τίνα γάρ», φησίν, «ἐπιβλέψω ἀλλ᾿ ἤ ἐπί τόν πρᾷον καί ἡσύχιον καί τρέμοντά μου τούς λόγους;».

λα'. Καταγωνίσασθαι μέν ἄνθρωπος τά πάθη δύναται, ἐκριζῶσαι δέ αὐτά οὐδαμῶς˙ καί μή ποιῆσαι μέν τό πονηρόν ἐξουσίαν ἔλαβε, μή ἐνθυμηθῆναι δέ αὐτό οὐκέτι. Εὐσέβεια δέ ἐστιν οὐ τό ποιῆσαι μόνον τό ἀγαθόν, ἀλλά καί τό μή λογίζεσθαι πονηρα˙ ὁ οὖν πονηρά λογιζόμενος καρδίαν καθαράν κτήσασθαι οὐ δύναται˙ πῶς γάρ, μολυνομένης ἐκ τούτου ὡς ὑπό πηλοῦ κάτοπτρον;

λβ'. Καρδίαν καθαράν τοῦτο εἶναι ὑπείληφα, οὐ τό μή ὀχλεῖσθαι ὑπό πάθους μόνον τινός, ἀλλά καί τό μή ἐννοεῖν πονηρόν τι ἤ βιωτικόν, ὅτε ἄν βουληθῇ τις, ἔχειν δέ μόνην ἐν ἑαυτῷ τήν τοῦ Θεοῦ μνήμην ἐν ἀκατασχέτῳ τῷ ἔρωτι˙ ἐν γάρ φωτί καθαρῷ καθαρῶς ὁρᾷ Θεόν ὀφθαλμός, μηδενός ἑτέρου τῇ θεωρίᾳ μεσάζοντος.

λγ'. Τοῦτο λέγω εἶναι ἀπάθειαν οὐ τό ἔξω μόνον γενέσθαι τῆς πράξεως τῶν παθῶν, ἀλλά καί τό ἀλλοτριωθῆναι τῆς ἐπιθυμίας αὐτῶν, καί οὐδέ τοῦτο ἀλλά καί τό γυμνωθῆναι ἡμῶν τόν νοῦν ἐκ τῆς ἐννοίας αὐτῶν, ὡς ἄν, ὅτε βουλόμεθα, γινώμεθα ὑπεράνω τῶν οὐρανῶν, ἔξω πάντων γινόμενοι ὁρατῶν τε καί αἰσθητῶν, οἱονεί ἀποκλειομένων (431) ἡμῶν τῶν αἰθήσεων καί τοῦ νοός ἡμῶν εἰς τά ὑπέρ αἴσθησιν ἐμβατεύοντος, συνεπιφερομένου δυνάμει τάς αἰσθήσεις μεθ᾿ ἑαυτοῦ ὥσπερ τις ἀετός τάς ἑαυτοῦ πτέρυγας.

λδ'. Νοῦς αἰσθήσεων δίχα τάς ἰδίας ἐνεργείας οὐκ ἐπιδείκνυται καί ἄνευ νοός αἱ αἰσθήσεις τάς ἑαυτῶν οὐδαμῶς.

λε'. Καρδία ἐκείνη λέγεται καί ἔστι καθαρά, ἡ μηδεμίαν ἔννοιαν ἤ βιωτικόν λογισμόν ἐν ἑαυτῇ εὑρίσκουσα, ἡ Θεῷ οὕτως ἀνακειμένη καί συνηνωμένη, ὡς μήτε τῶν ἀνιαρῶν μεμνῆσθαι τοῦ βίου μήτε τῶν τούτου χαροποιῶν, ἀλλά διάγειν ὡς εἰς τρίτον ἐν θεωρίᾳ τόν οὐρανόν καί εἰς παράδεισον ἁρπάζεσθαι καί βλέπειν τούς ἀρραβῶνας τῶν ἐπηγγελμένων τοῖς ἁγίοις καλῶν καί αὐτά τά αἰώνια ἀγαθά κατά τό ἐγχωροῦν τῇ ἀνθρωπίνῃ φύσει ἐκεῖθεν τεκμαίρεσθαι. Τοῦτο καρδίας καθαρᾶς ἐπ᾿ ἀληθῶς σημεῖον καί ἔνδειγμα βέβαιον, ἐν ᾧ τις καί τά μέτρα γινώσκει τῆς καθαρότητος καί ὡς ἐν κατόπτρῳ καθορᾷ.

λστ'. Ὥσπερ ὁ ἔξω τῆς οἰκίας ὤν τούς ἐνδοθεν ἐγκεκλεισμένους οὐχ ὁρᾷ, οὕτως οὐδέ ὁ ἐσταυρωμένος τῷ κόσμῳ, ἤτοι νενεκρωμένος, αἴσθησίν τινα πρός τά ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ πράγματα κέκτηται.