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that which is according to the image of the creator, and the activity of the mind is a good thing, and that, being ever in motion, it often forms fantasies about non-existent things as if they were real, but often it is carried straight toward the truth. But since two powers are attached to it, according to our belief, we who have believed in God, the one evil, that of the demons, drawing us along with it to their own apostasy, and the other more divine and good, leading us up to the likeness of God, when the mind remains on its own, it perceives small things and those commensurate with itself, but when it gives itself over to those who deceive, having obscured its own judgment, it consorts with strange fantasies. Then it believes that wood is not wood, but God, and judges that gold is not wealth, but an object of worship. But if it should incline toward the more divine part and receive the graces of the Spirit, then it becomes capable of apprehending more divine things, insofar as is commensurate with its nature. There are, therefore, as it were, three states of life, and our mind's activities are equal in number to these. For either our practices are evil, and clearly the movements of our mind are evil; such as adulteries, thefts, idolatries, slanders, strife, fits of anger, rivalries, conceits, and as many things as the apostle Paul enumerated among the works of the flesh. Or there is a certain intermediate activity of the soul, having nothing condemnable nor praiseworthy; such as the taking up of these mechanical arts which indeed we also call intermediate, inclining in their own nature neither to virtue nor to vice. For what vice is there in navigation or medicine? And yet they are not virtues in and of themselves either, but from the choice of those who use them they incline to the lot of one of the opposites. The mind, however, that has been mingled with the divinity of the Spirit, this is already an observer of great theorems and perceives the divine beauties, yet only so much as grace allows and its own constitution receives. 233.2 So, leaving aside those dialectical questions, let them examine the truth not maliciously, but reverently. The judgment of the mind has been given to us for the understanding of the truth. And the Truth-in-itself is our God. Therefore, it is the mind's primary task to know our God; but to know in such a way as it is possible for the infinitely great to be known by the very small. For just because the eyes are appointed for the perception of visible things, it does not mean that all visible things are brought under their sight. For not even the hemisphere of heaven is seen in a single instant, but an impression of sight surrounds us, while in truth many things in it, not to say all, are unknown: the nature of the stars, their sizes, distances, movements, conjunctions, oppositions, the other relations, the very substance of the firmament, the depth from the concave circumference to the convex surface. But nevertheless we would not say the heaven is invisible because of the things that are unknown, but visible because of the moderate perception of it. So also it is with God. If the mind is harmed by demons, it will commit idolatry or be turned aside to some other form of impiety. But if it has given itself to the help of the Spirit, it will know the truth and will recognize God. But it will know, as the Apostle said, in part; but in the life after this, more perfectly. "For when that which is more perfect comes, that which is in part will be done away." So the mind's judgment is both a good thing and given for a useful end, the understanding of God, yet operating only so much as is possible for it.

234.t TO THE SAME, CONCERNING ANOTHER QUESTION

234.1 Do you worship what you know, or what you do not know? If we should answer that we worship what we know, their response is swift: what is the essence of the one who is worshipped? But if we confess that we are ignorant of the essence, turning it back on us again they say that

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τὸ κατ' εἰκόνα τοῦ κτίσαντος, καὶ καλὸν τοῦ νοῦ ἡ ἐνέργεια, καὶ ὅτι, ἀεικί νητος ὢν οὗτος, πολλάκις μὲν φαντασιοῦται περὶ τῶν οὐκ ὄντων ὡς ὄντων, πολλάκις δὲ εὐθυβόλως ἐπὶ τὴν ἀλήθειαν φέρεται. Ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ τούτῳ διτταὶ δυνάμεις παραπεφύ κασι κατά τε τὴν ἡμετέραν τῶν εἰς Θεὸν πεπιστευκότων ὑπόληψιν, ἡ μὲν πονηρὰ ἡ τῶν δαιμόνων πρὸς τὴν ἰδίαν ἀποστασίαν ἡμᾶς συνεφελκομένη, ἡ δὲ θειοτέρα καὶ ἀγαθὴ πρὸς τὴν Θεοῦ ὁμοίωσιν ἡμᾶς ἀνάγουσα, ὅταν μὲν ἐφ' ἑαυτοῦ μένῃ ὁ νοῦς, μικρὰ καθορᾷ καὶ τὰ ἑαυτῷ σύμμετρα, ὅταν δὲ τοῖς ἀπατῶσιν ἑαυτὸν ἐπιδῷ ἀφανίσας τὸ οἰκεῖον κριτήριον, φαντασίαις σύνεστιν ἀλλοκότοις. Τότε καὶ τὸ ξύλον οὐχὶ ξύλον εἶναι νομίζει, ἀλλὰ Θεόν, καὶ χρυσὸν οὐχὶ χρήματα εἶναι κρίνει, ἀλλὰ σεβάσματα. Ἐὰν δὲ πρὸς τὴν θειοτέραν ἀπονεύσῃ μερίδα καὶ τὰς τοῦ Πνεύματος ὑποδέ ξηται χάριτας, τότε γίνεται τῶν θειοτέρων καταληπτικός, ὅσον αὐτοῦ τῇ φύσει σύμμετρον. Τρεῖς οὖν εἰσιν οἱονεὶ βίων καταστάσεις, καὶ ἰσάριθμοι τούτοις αἱ τοῦ νοῦ ἡμῶν ἐνέρ γειαι. Ἢ γὰρ πονηρὰ ἡμῶν τὰ ἐπιτηδεύματα, καὶ πονηρὰ ἡμῶν δηλονότι τὰ τοῦ νοῦ κινήματα· οἷον μοιχεῖαι, κλοπαί, εἰδωλολατρεῖαι, συκοφαντίαι, ἔριδες, θυμοί, ἐριθεῖαι, φυσιώ σεις, καὶ ὅσα ἐν τοῖς ἔργοις τῆς σαρκὸς ὁ ἀπόστολος Παῦ λος ἀπηριθμήσατο. Ἢ μέση τίς ἐστι τῆς ψυχῆς ἡ ἐνέργεια, οὔτε κατεγνωσμένον τι ἔχουσα οὔτε ἐπαινετόν· ὡς ἡ τῶν βαναύσων τούτων τεχνῶν ἀνάληψις ἃς δὴ καὶ μέσας προσ αγορεύομεν, οὐδὲν τῷ ἑαυτῶν λόγῳ πρὸς ἀρετὴν ἢ κακίαν ἀποκλινούσας. Ποία γὰρ κακία κυβερνητικῆς ἢ ἰατρικῆς; Οὐ μέντοιγε οὐδὲ ἀρεταὶ αὐταὶ καθ' ἑαυτάς, ἀλλ' ἐκ τῆς τῶν κεχρημένων προαιρέσεως πρὸς τὴν τοῦ ἑτέρου τῶν ἀντικειμένων ἀποκλίνουσι μοῖραν. Ὁ μέντοι τῇ θεότητι τοῦ Πνεύματος ἀνακραθεὶς νοῦς, οὗτος ἤδη τῶν μεγάλων ἐστὶ θεωρημάτων ἐποπτικὸς καὶ καθορᾷ τὰ θεῖα κάλλη, τοσοῦτον μέντοι ὅσον ἡ χάρις ἐνδίδωσι καὶ ἡ κατασκευὴ αὐτοῦ ὑπο δέχεται. 233.2 Ὥστε ἀφέντες ἐκείνας τὰς διαλεκτικὰς ἐρωτήσεις, μὴ κακεντρεχῶς, ἀλλ' εὐλαβῶς ἐξεταζέτωσαν τὴν ἀλήθειαν. ∆έδοται ἡμῖν τὸ τοῦ νοῦ κριτήριον εἰς τὴν τῆς ἀληθείας σύνεσιν. Ἔστι δὲ ἡ αὐτοαλήθεια ὁ Θεὸς ἡμῶν. Ὥστε προηγούμενόν ἐστι τῷ νῷ τὸν Θεὸν ἡμῶν ἐπιγινώσκειν· ἐπιγινώσκειν δὲ οὕτως ὡς δυνατὸν γνωρίζεσθαι τὸν ἀπει ρομεγέθη ὑπὸ τοῦ μικροτάτου. Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἐπειδὴ ὀφθαλμοὶ εἰς κατανόησιν τῶν ὁρατῶν εἰσι τεταγμένοι, ἤδη πάντα τὰ ὁρατὰ ὑπὸ τὴν ὄψιν ἄγεται. Οὐδὲ γὰρ τὸ ἡμισφαίριον τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ἐν μιᾷ ῥοπῇ καθορᾶται, ἀλλὰ φαντασία μὲν ὄψεως ἡμᾶς περιίσταται, κατὰ δὲ τὴν ἀλήθειαν πολλά, ἵνα μὴ πάντα εἴπω, ἔστιν ἐν αὐτῷ τὰ ἀγνοούμενα· ἀστέρων φύσις, μεγέθη τούτων, διαστήματα, κινήσεις, συνδρομαί, ἀποστά σεις, αἱ λοιπαὶ σχέσεις, αὐτὴ ἡ οὐσία τοῦ στερεώματος, τὸ βάθος τὸ ἀπὸ τῆς κοίλης περιφερείας ἐπὶ τὴν κυρτὴν ἐπι φάνειαν. Ἀλλ' ὅμως οὐκ ἂν εἴποιμεν ἀόρατον εἶναι τὸν οὐρανὸν διὰ τὰ ἀγνοούμενα, ἀλλ' ὁρατὸν διὰ τὴν μετρίαν αὐτοῦ κατανόησιν. Οὕτω δὴ καὶ περὶ Θεοῦ. Εἰ μὲν βεβλαμ μένος ἐστὶν ὑπὸ δαιμόνων ὁ νοῦς, εἰδωλολατρήσει ἢ πρὸς ἄλλο τι εἶδος ἀσεβείας παρατραπήσεται. Εἰ δὲ τῇ τοῦ Πνεύματος ἑαυτὸν ἐπιδέδωκε βοηθείᾳ, τὴν ἀλήθειαν γνωρί σει καὶ Θεὸν ἐπιγνώσεται. Ἐπιγνώσεται δέ, ὡς ὁ Ἀπόστολος εἶπεν, ἐκ μέρους· ἐν δὲ τῇ μετὰ ταῦτα ζωῇ, τελεώτερον· «Ὅταν γὰρ ἔλθῃ τὸ τελειότερον, τὸ ἐκ μέρους καταργηθή σεται». Ὥστε καὶ καλὸν τοῦ νοῦ τὸ κριτήριον καὶ πρὸς εὔχρηστον τέλος, τὴν Θεοῦ κατανόησιν, δεδομένον, ἐνερ γοῦν μέντοι τοσοῦτον ὅσον αὐτῷ χωρητόν.

234.τ ΤΩ ΑΥΤΩ ΠΡΟΣ ΑΛΛΟ ΕΡΩΤΗΜΑ

234.1 Ὃ οἶδας σέβεις, ἢ ὃ ἀγνοεῖς; Ἐὰν ἀποκρινώμεθα ὅτι ὃ οἴδαμεν τοῦτο

προσκυνοῦμεν, ταχεῖα παρ' αὐτῶν ἡ ἀπάν τησις· τί ἡ οὐσία τοῦ προσκυνουμένου; Ἐὰν δὲ ἀγνοεῖν ὁμολογήσωμεν τὴν οὐσίαν, πάλιν ἡμῖν περιτρέψαντες λέγου σιν ὅτι