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things done by men; and if we strive to set this right, and confine ourselves to ourselves, not clinging to things outside, we will not let the eye, or the ear, or the tongue see, or hear, or speak of the affairs of others, if it is possible, completely; but if not, to engage with these things sympathetically rather than passionately, and allowing them to see, and hear, and speak for our own profit; and only so much as seems good to the divine reason that guides them. For none of these organs is more prone to slip into sin, when not guided by reason; and again, nothing is more ready for salvation than them, when reason orders and regulates them, and leads them to what it must and wills.

Let us not then neglect, according to our ability, to obey God, who calls us to eternal life and a blessed end, through the practice of His divine and saving commandments; that we may receive mercy, and find grace for timely help. For grace, says the divine Apostle, be with all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ in incorruption; that is, with those who love the Lord with the incorruption of virtue, and with the pure and unfeigned seriousness of their life, in doing His will; and not corrupting any of His divine precepts.

These things I have set forth concerning these matters for the reward of obedience, according to my ability, as I was taught, not daring to touch upon the more mystical and sublime things; which if any of the lovers of learning desires to know, let him read what has been divinely composed on these subjects by Saint Dionysius the Areopagite, and he will find in truth a revelation of ineffable mysteries, granted to the human race through his divine mind and tongue, for the sake of those who are to inherit salvation. And if it has not fallen far short of your desire, thanks be to Christ, the provider of good things, and to you who compelled that these things be said. But if it falls somewhere far and much short of hope, what shall I suffer, or what shall I do, having grown weak in speaking? For weakness is pardonable, not punishable; and what is possible and feasible is rather acceptable, not blameworthy; and especially to you, who have proposed to love for God's sake. And dear to God is everything brought genuinely from the soul according to one's ability, even if it appears small in comparison with great things; who did not reject the widow who brought the two mites; whoever this widow was, and the two mites. Whether a soul widowed of evil, and as if having cast off the old law as a husband, but not yet worthy of the highest union with God the Word; yet bringing to Him as mites, in the manner of a pledge, a presently proportionate reason and life; or faith and a good conscience; or the disposition and activity towards good things; or the contemplation and practice suitable to these; or the corresponding knowledge and virtue; or those things a little beyond these, I mean the principles in the natural and the written law, which the soul possessing, brings, desiring in ecstasy and abandonment of these as of its whole being and life, to be united only with the Word and God; and accepts to be widowed of the forceful ways and institutions and customs according to nature and law, as if of husbands; or whether the text hints at something else more spiritual than these, and contemplated only by the pure in mind, through the letter which was fulfilled in the historical account. For all things that seem great among men in virtue, when compared with the contemplative reason according to theology, happen to be small. Except that even if they are small, and from a humble and not very precious material; yet bearing the royal stamp equally with the gold coins from more precious material, which the more wealthy offer, and having perhaps more of the intention of the one offering it from her whole disposition.

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παρά τῶν ἀνθρώπων πραττόμενα· ὅπερ εἰ κατορθῶσαι σπουδάσομεν, καί ἑαυτοῖς ἑαυτούς περιορίσομεν τοῖς ἐκτός οὐκ ἐπιφυόμενοι, οὔτε ὁρᾷν, οὔτε ἀκούειν, οὔτε λαλεῖν, τόν ὀφθαλμόν, ἤ τό οὖς, ἤ τήν γλῶσσαν τά τῶν ἄλλων ἀφήσομεν, εἰ μέν οἷόν τέ ἐστι, παντελῶς· εἰ δέ μήγε, συμπαθῶς μᾶλλον, ἀλλ᾿ οὐ μή ἐμπαθῶς τούτοις ἐνεργεῖν, καί εἰς κέρδος ἡμέτερον ὁρᾷν τε, καί ἀκούειν, καί λαλεῖν ἐπιτρέποντες· καί τοσοῦτον μόνον, ὅσον τῷ ἡνιοχοῦντι ταῦτα θείῳ λόγῳ δοκεῖ. Οὐδέν γάρ τούτων τῶν ὀργάνων πρός ἁμαρτίαν ἐστίν εὐολισθότερον, μή λόγῳ παιδαγωγουμένων· καί οὐδέν πάλιν πρός σωτηρίαν αὐτῶν ἑτοιμότερον, τάσσοντος αὐτά τοῦ λόγου, καί ῥυθμίζοντος καί ἐφ᾿ ἅ δεῖ καί βούλεται ἄγοντος.

Μή τοίνυν ἀμελήσωμεν κατά δύναμιν τοῦ πείθεσθαι τῷ Θεῷ, καλοῦντι ἡμᾶς εἰς ζωήν αἰώνιον καί μακάριον τέλος, διά τῆς ἐργασίας τῶν αὐτοῦ θείων τε καί σωτηρίων ἐντολῶν· ἵνα λάβωμεν ἔλεος, καί χάριν εὕρωμεν εἰς εὔκαιρον βοήθειαν· Ἡ γάρ χάρις, φησίν ὁ θεῖος Ἀπόστολος, μετά πάντων τῶν ἀγαπώντων τόν Κύριον ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦν Χριστόν ἐν ἀφθαρσίᾳ· τουτέστι, τῶν μετά τῆς κατ᾿ ἀρετήν ἀφθαρσίας, καί τῆς κατά τόν βίον καθαρᾶς τε καί ἀνυποκρίτου σεμνότητος ἀγαπώντων τόν Κύριον, ἐν τῷ ποιεῖν αὐτοῦ τά θελήματα· καί μή παραφθειρόντων τι τῶν θείων αὐτοῦ προσταγμάτων.

Ταῦτα μέν ἐγώ περί τούτων διά τόν τῆς ὑπακοῆς μισθόν, κατά δύναμιν, ὡς ἐδιδάχθην, ἐξεθέμην, τῶν μυστικωτέρων τε καί ὑψηλοτέρων ἅψασθαι μή τολμήσας· ἅπερ εἰ ποθεῖ τις γνῶναι τῶν φιλομαθῶν, τοῖς περί τούτων τῷ ἁγίῳ ∆ιονυσίῳ τῷ Ἀρεοπαγίτῃ ἐνθέως πονηθεῖσιν ἐντύχοι, καί εὑρήσει κατ᾿ ἀλήθειαν μυστηρίων ἀῤῥήτων ἀποκάλυψιν, διά τῆς θείας αὐτοῦ καί διανοίας καί γλώττης χαρισθεῖσαν τῷ τῶν ἀνθρώπων γένει, διά τούς μέλοντας κληρονομεῖν σωτηρίαν. Καί εἰ μέν πολύ τῆς ὑμῶν ἐπιθυμίας οὐκ ἀποπέπτωκε, τῷ Χριστῷ χάρις τῷ χορηγῷ τῶν καλῶν, καί ὑμῖν τοῖς λεχθῆναι ταῦτα βιασαμένοις. Εἰ δέ μακράν που καί πολύ τῆς ἐλπίδος ἀπολείπεται· τί πάθω, ἤ τί δράσω, περί τό λέγειν ἀσθενήσας; Συγγνωστόν γάρ, οὐ τιμωρητόν, ἡ ἀσθένεια· καί ἀποδεκτόν μᾶλλον, ἀλλ᾿ οὐ μεμπτόν τό ἐγχωροῦν καί ἐνδεχόμενον· καί μάλισθ᾿ ὑμῖν, τοῖς ἀγαπᾷν διά τόν θεόν προθεμένοις. Καί Θεῷ δέ φίλον τό κατά δύναμιν ἅπαν γνησίως ἐκ ψυχῆς προσαγόμενον, κἄν μικρόν συγκρίσει μεγάλων ὑπάρχον φανήσεται· ὅς οὐδέ τήν χήραν, τά δύο λέπτά προσκομίσασαν, ἀπεώσατο· ἥτις ποτέ ἦν ἡ χήρα αὕτη, καί τά δύο λεπτά. Εἴτε ψυχή κακίας χηρεύουσα, καί ὥσπερ ἄνδρα τόν παλαιόν μέν ἀποβαλομένη νόμον, οὕπω δέ τῆς πρός τόν Λόγον θεόν ἄκρας συναφείας ἀξία· προσάγουσα δέ ὅμως αὐτῷ ἀῤῥαβῶνος λόγῳ ὥσπερ λεπτά, τόν τέως σύμμετρον λόγον καί βίον· ἤ πίστιν καί ἀγαθήν συνείδησιν· ἤ τήν περί τῶν καλῶν ἕξιν καί ἐνέργειαν· ἤ τήν τούτοις πρόσφορον θεωρίαν καί πρᾶξιν· ἤ τήν ἀνάλογον γνῶσιν καί ἀρετήν· ἤ τούς μικρόν ὑπέρ ταῦτα, φημί δέ τούς ἐν τῷ φυσικῷ καί τῷ γραπτῷ νόμῳ λόγους, οὕς ἡ ψυχή κεκτημένη, κατ᾿ ἔκστασιν τούτων καί ἄφεσιν ὡς ὅλου βίου καί ζωῆς, μόνῳ συναφθῆναι τῷ Λόγῳ καί Θεῷ βουλομένη, προσάγει· καί τῶν κατά φύσιν καί νόμον βιαίων τρόπων τε καί θεσμῶν καί ἐθῶν, ὥσπερ ἀνδρῶν χηρεύειν δέχεται· εἴτε τι ἄλλο τούτων πνευματικώτερον, καί μόνοις θεωρητόν τοῖς καθαροῖς τήν διάνοιαν, διά τοῦ καθ᾿ ἱστορίαν πληρωθέντος γράμματος, ὁ λόγος αἰνίττεται. Πάντα γάρ τῷ κατά θεολογίαν ἐποπτικῷ συγρινόμενα λόγῳ, τά ἐν ἀνθρώποις δοκοῦντα κατ᾿ ἀρετήν εἶναι μεγάλα, μικρά τυγχάνει. Πλήν γε ὅτι κἄν μικρά, καί ἐξ ὕλης εὐτελοῦς καί οὐ πολύ τιμίας· ἀλλ οὖν τοῖς ἐκ χρυσοῦ νομίσμασι τῆς ἐν ὕλαις τιμιωτέρας, ἅ προσφέρουσιν οἱ εὐπορώτεροι, κατά τό ἴσον τόν βασιλικόν χαρακτῆρα φέροντα, κατά (καί τό) πλέον ἴσως ἔχοντα τῆς προσαγούσης τήν ἐξ ὅλης διαθέσεως πρόθεσιν.