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activity, the keeping of the others is a fulfilled practice. And again, the one who has, according to nature, perfect scientific discernment of these things, has made the hundred a thousand. And finally, the one who, in contemplation, has applied himself to the bare principles of these things according to the mind, has made the thousand a myriad, being brought together from the distinction in practice to the unifying monad in contemplation. And to speak concisely, the one who by the perfect avoidance of evil has kept the commandments inviolate, and has demonstrated their perfect practice, and has achieved their fullest discernment according to nature, and has completed their perfect spiritual contemplation, this one has the four myriads, brought together by the perfect principle of progress in each; for the perfect, without separation, together holds the principles of both the beginning and the end.

15. How our law according to nature is activated. 16. What is the mode of activity of each natural power, for which we have also received the natural powers. 17. Of the divine [powers], clearly. 18. In how many ways the general discernment according to virtue is divided. 19. He says evil is something begun; for it has as its beginning our movement contrary to nature.

But the good is not something begun; for before every age and time, the good exists by nature. He calls the good intelligible, which alone one must not comprehend; but he calls evil not intelligible, which alone one must comprehend. He calls the good speakable; for it alone should be spoken; but evil is not speakable, which alone must not be spoken. And he calls the good something that comes into being (565) for by nature it exists unbegotten; but by grace through love for humanity, it endures to come into being from us, for the deification of us who do and speak and think, which alone must come into being; but evil is not something made, which alone must not come into being. He calls evil corruptible, for the nature of evil is corruption, in no way existing in any respect; but the good is incorruptible, as always being, and never ceasing to be; and it is the guardian of all things in which it may come to be. This, then, we seek with the rational part; with the desiderative, we long for it; with the irascible, we guard it inviolate; with the sensitive, according to knowledge we discern it unmixed from its opposites; with the vocal, by speaking we make it manifest to those who are ignorant; and with the generative, we multiply it. Or rather, to speak truly, we are multiplied according to it.

20. Another manner of contemplation. 21. He calls the first dispassion the movement of the body untouched by sin in activity.

22. He calls the second dispassion the perfect rejection of passionate thoughts in the soul; through which the movement of the passions, according to the first dispassion, withers, not having passionate thoughts to ignite it to activity.

23. He calls the third dispassion the perfect stillness of desire concerning the passions; through which the second is also naturally produced, which consists in purity of thoughts.

24. He calls the fourth dispassion the perfect putting away of the images of sensible things in the mind; according to which the third has received its generation, not having the images of sensible things forming for it the icons of the passions.

25. The thousand is a monad in no need of perfection; for it holds the fullest principle of all the monads before it, and of itself. Therefore, when compounded again, it is productive of a monad, and not of a decad. For a monad receives the composition of the thousand, as those who have precisely understood the power of numbers say. Rightly, therefore, the triad of thousands signifies the triadic principle according to theology; which the one who has left the intelligible Babylonia comes forth possessing with perfect virtue.

26. The letter Tau is a type of the cross, preserving in its shape the representation of the cross. And the Iota, as the first letter of Jesus, signifies the awesome name.

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ἐνέργειαν τήρησις τῶν λοιπῶν ἐστι πρᾶξις πεπληρωμένη. Καί πάλιν ὁ κατά φύσιν τούτων τελείαν ἐπιστημονικῶς διάκρισιν ἐσχηκώς, τήν ἑκατοντάδα πεποίηκε χιλιάδα. Καί τέλος ὁ τοῖς τούτων κατά νοῦν γυμνοῖς προσβαλών κατά τήν θεωρίαν λόγοις, πεποίηκε μυριάδα τήν χιλιάδα, ἀπό τῆς κατά τήν πρᾶξιν διαστολῆς, ἐπί τήν κατά θεωρίαν ἑναδικήν συναγόμενος μονάδα. Καί συντόμως εἰπεῖν, ὁ τῇ τελείᾳ τῆς κακίας ἀποφυγῇ τηρήσας ἀπαραβάτους τάς ἐντολάς, καί τελείαν αὐτῶν τήν πρᾶξιν ἐπιδειξάμενος, καί πληρεστάτην αὐτῶν κατορθώσας τήν κατά φύσιν διάκρισιν, καί τελείαν αὐτῶν διανύσας τήν πνευματικήν θεωρίαν, οὗτος τάς τέσσαρας ἔσχε μυριάδας, τῷ καθ᾿ ἑκάστην προκοπήν τελείῳ λόγῳ συναγομένας· τό γάρ τέλειον ἀδιαστάτως ὁμοῦ, τῆς τε ἀρχῆς καί τοῦ τέλους ἔχει τούς λόγους.

ιε΄. Πῶς ὁ κατά φύσιν ἡμέτερος ἐνεργεῖται νόμος. ιστ΄. Τίς ὁ ἑκάστης φυσικῆς δυνάμεως τρόπος τῆς ἐνεργείας, δι᾿ οὕς καί τάς

φυσικάς εἰλήφαμεν δυνάμεις. ιζ΄. Τῶν θείων δῆλον ὅτι. ιη΄. Ποσαχῶς ἡ κατ᾿ ἀρετήν γενική διαιρεῖται διάκρισις. ιθ΄. Ἠργμένον λέγει τό κακόν· ἀρχήν γάρ ἔχει τήν ἡμῶν παρά φύσιν κίνησιν.

Οὐκ ἠργμένον δέ, τό ἀγαθόν· πρό παντός γάρ αἰῶνος καί χρόνου φύσει τό ἀγαθόν. Νοητόν λέγει τό ἀγαθόν, ὅπερ δεῖ μόνον μή νοεῖν· οὐ νοητόν δέ λέγει τό κακόν, ὅπερ δεῖ μόνον νοεῖν. Ῥητόν λέγει τό ἀγαθόν· αὐτό γάρ εἰ μόνον λαλεῖσθαι· οὐ ῥητόν δέ κακόν, ὅπερ δεῖ μόνον μή λαλεῖσθαι. Καί γινόμενον λέγει τό ἀγαθόν (565) κατά φύσιν γάρ ὑπάρχει ἀγέννητον· κατά χάριν δέ διά φιλανθρωπίαν, παρ᾿ ἡμῶν ἀνέχεται γίνεσθαι, πρός τήν ἡμῶν τῶν ποιούντων καί λαλούντων καί νοούντων ἐκθέωσιν, ὅπερ δεῖ μονώτατον γίνεσθαι· οὐ ποιούμενον δέ τό κακόν, ὅπερ δεῖ μόνον μή γίνεσθαι. Φθαρτόν λέγει τό κακόν, φθορά γάρ ἐστιν ἡ τοῦ κακοῦ φύσις οὐδαμῶς κατ᾿ οὐδέν ὑπάρχουσα· ἄφθαρτον δέ τό ἀγαθόν, ὡς ἀεί ὄν, καί μή ποτε τοῦ εἶναι παυόμενον· καί πάντων οἷς ἄν ἐγγένηται φρουρητικόν. Τοῦτο γοῦν, τῷ μέν λογιστικῷ ζητοῦμεν· τῷ δέ ἐπιθυμητικῷ, ποθοῦμεν· τῷ δέ θυμικῷ, φυλάττομεν ἄσυλον· τῷ δέ αἰσθητικῷ, κατ᾿ ἐπιστήμην ἀμιγές αὐτό τῶν ἐναντίων διακρίνομεν· τῷ δέ φωνητικῷ λαλοῦντες αὐτό ποιοῦμεν φανερόν τοῖς ἀγνοοῦσι· καί τῷ γονίμῳ, πληθύνομεν αὐτό. Μᾶλλον δέ, ἀληθές εἰπεῖν, ἡμεῖς κατ᾿ αὐτό πληθυνόμεθα.

κ΄. Ἄλλος θεωρίας τρόπος. κα΄. Πρώτην ἀπάθειαν λέγει, τήν πρός ἁμαρτίαν τοῦ σώματος κατ᾿ ἐνέργειαν

ἀνέπαφον κίνησιν. κβ΄. ∆ευτέραν ἀπάθειαν λέγει, τήν κατά ψυχήν τῶν ἐμπαθῶν λογισμῶν τελείαν

ἀποβολήν· δι᾿ ἧς ἡ τῶν παθῶν μαραίνεται κατά τήν πρώτην ἀπάθειαν κίνησις, ἐξάπτοντας αὐτήν πρός ἐνέργειαν οὐκ ἔχουσα τούς ἐμπαθεῖς λογισμούς.

κγ΄. Τρίτην ἀπάθειαν λέγει, τήν περί τά πάθη τελείαν τῆς ἐπιθυμίας ἀκινησίαν· δι᾿ ἥν καί ἡ δευτέρα γίνεσθαι πέφυκεν, ἡ τῶν λογισμῶν καθαρότητι συνισταμένη.

κδ΄. Τετάρτην ἀπάθειαν λέγει, τήν κατά διάνοιαν περί τῶν αἰσθητῶν φαντασιῶν τελείαν ἀπόθεσιν· καθ᾿ ἥν ἡ τρίτη τήν γένεσιν εἴληφεν, οὐκ ἔχουσα τάς φαντασίας τῶν αἰσθητῶν, εἰδοποιούσας αὐτῇ τῶν παθῶν τάς εἰκόνας.

κε΄. Ἡ χιλιάς ἀπροσδεής τελειότητος ὑπάρχει μονάς· πασῶν γάρ τῶν πρό αὐτῆς μονάδων, καί ἑαυτῆς τόν λόγον ἔχει πληρέστατον. ∆ιό καί συντιθεμένη μονάδος πάλιν, καί οὐ δεκάδος ἐστί ποιητική. Μονάς γάρ τήν τῆς χιλιάδος δέχεται σύνθεσιν, ὥς φασιν οἱ τῶν ἀριθμῶν ἠκριβωκότες τήν δύναμιν. Εἰκότως οὖν τόν κατά θεολογίαν τριαδικόν σημαίνει λόγον, ἡ τῶν χιλίων τριάς· ὅν μετά τῆς τελείας ἀρετῆς ὁ τήν νοουμένην· Βαβυλωνίαν ἀφείς ἔχων ἐξέρχεται.

κστ΄. Τό Ταῦ γράμμα σταυροῦ τύπος ἐστίν, ἐν τῷ σχήματι σώζων τοῦ σταυροῦ τήν ἐκτύπωσιν. Τό δέ Ἰῶτα, ὡς ἀκροστίχιον τοῦ Ἰησοῦ, τό φοβερόν ὄνομα σημαίνει.