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75. He who does not despise glory and pleasure, and avarice which increases them and is constituted by them, cannot cut off the pretexts for anger. But he who does not cut these off cannot attain perfect love.

76. Humility and suffering hardship free a man from all sin; the one cutting off the passions of the soul, the other those of the body. For the blessed David is also seen doing this, in that he prays to God, saying: "Look upon my humility and my labor, and forgive all my sins."

77. Through the commandments the Lord makes dispassionate those who practice them; and through the divine dogmas, He bestows on them the light of knowledge.

78. All dogmas are either concerning God, or concerning things visible and invisible, or concerning providence and judgment in them.

79. Almsgiving heals the irascible part of the soul; fasting withers desire; prayer purifies the mind and prepares it for the contemplation of things that are. For the Lord has bestowed the commandments upon us with a view to the powers of the soul.

80. "Learn from me," He says, "for I am meek and lowly in heart," and so forth. Meekness keeps anger undisturbed; humility frees the mind from pride and vainglory.

81. The fear of God is twofold. The one is engendered in us by the threats of punishment, through which self-control, patience, hope in God, and dispassion—from which comes love—are born in us in due order. The other is joined to love itself, always producing reverence in the soul, lest through the boldness of love, it should come to contempt of God.

82. The first fear is cast out by the perfect love of the soul that has acquired it, no longer fearing punishment. But the second it always has with itself, joined to it, as has been said. And to the first fear applies, "By the fear of the Lord every one departs from evil." And, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom." (980) To the second, "The fear of the Lord is pure, enduring for ever and ever." And, "There is no want to them that fear Him."

83. "Mortify your members which are upon the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness," and so forth. He called "earth" the minding of the flesh; "fornication" he called sin in act; "uncleanness" he called assent; "passion" he named the impassioned thought; "evil desire," the mere acceptance of the thought of desire; "covetousness" he named the matter that both begets and increases passion. All these, therefore, as being members of the minding of the flesh, the divine Apostle commanded to be mortified.

84. First, memory brings a simple thought to the mind; and if this lingers, passion is stirred; and if this is not removed, it bends the mind to assent; and when this has occurred, it comes at last to sin in act. Therefore, the all-wise Apostle, writing to those from the Gentiles, first commands the effect of sin to be removed; then, retracing the steps in order, to arrive at its cause. And the cause is covetousness, which, as has been said before, both begets and increases passion. But I think that here it signifies gluttony, as being the mother and nurse of fornication. For covetousness is evil not only in regard to money, but also in regard to food. Just as self-control is good not only in regard to food, but also in regard to money.

85. Just as a sparrow with its foot tied, when it begins to fly, is dragged down to the earth, being pulled by the cord; so also the mind, not yet having acquired dispassion, and

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οε΄. Ὁ μή καταφρονῶν δόξης καί ἡδονῆς, καί τῆς τούτων αὐξητικῆς, καί δι᾿ αὐτάς συνισταμένης, φιλαργυρίας, τάς τοῦ θυμοῦ προφάσεις ἐκκόπτειν οὐ δύναται. Ὁ δέ ταύτας μή ἐκόπτων, τῆς τελείας ἀγάπης τυχεῖν οὐ δύναται.

οστ΄. Ταπείνωσις καί κακοπάθεια, πάσης ἁμαρτίας ἐλευθεροῦσι τόν ἄνθρωπον· ἡ μέν, τά τῆς ψυχῆς· ἡ δέ, τά τοῦ σώματος περικόπτουσα πάθη. Τοῦτο γάρ ποιῶν καί ὁ μακάριος φαίνεται ∆αβίδ, ἐν οἷς εὔχεται πρός τόν Θεόν, λέγων· Ἰδέ τήν ταπείνωσίν μου καί τόν κόπον μου, καί ἄφες πάσας τάς ἁμαρτίας μου.

οζ΄. ∆ιά μέν τῶν ἐντολῶν ὁ Κύριος, ἀπαθεῖς τούς ἐργαζομένους αὐτάς ἀποτελεῖ· διά δέ τῶν θείων δογμάτων, τόν φωτισμόν τῆς γνώσεως αὐτοῖς χαρίζεται.

οη΄. Πάντα τά δόγματα, ἤ περί Θεοῦ εἰσιν, ἤ περί ὁρατῶν καί ἀοράτων, ἤ περί τῆς ἐν αὐτοῖς προνοίας καί κρίσεως.

οθ΄. Ἡ μέν ἐλεημοσύνη, τό θυμικόν μέρος τῆς ψυχῆς θεραπεύει· ἡ δέ νηστεία, τήν μέν ἐπιθυμίαν μαραίνει· ἡ δέ προσευχή, τόν νοῦν καθαίρει, καί πρός τήν τῶν ὄντων θεωρίαν παρασκευάζει. Πρός γάρ τάς δυνάμεις τῆς ψυχῆς, καί τάς ἐντολάς ὁ Κύριος ἡμῖν ἐχαρίσατο.

π΄. Μάθετε ἀπ᾿ ἐμοῦ, φησίν, ὅτι πρᾶός εἰμι καί ταπεινός τῇ καρδίᾳ, καί τά ἑξῆς. Ἡ μέν πραότης, ἀτάραχον τόν θυμόν διαφυλάττει· ἡ δέ ταπείνωσις, τύφου καί κενοδοξίας τόν νοῦν ἐλευθεροῖ.

πα΄. ∆ιττός ἐστιν ὁ τοῦ Θεοῦ φόβος· ὁ μέν ἐκ τῶν ἀπειλῶν τῆς κολάσεως ἡμῖν ἐντικτόμενος, δι᾿ ὅν ἡ ἐγκράτεια καί ἡ ὑπομονή, καί ἡ εἰς Θεόν ἐλπίς, καί ἡ ἀπάθεια, ἐξ ἧς ἡ ἀγάπη, κατά τάξιν ἡμῖν ἐγγίνονται· ὁ δέ, αὐτῇ τῇ ἀγάπῃ συνέζευκται, εὐλάβειαν τῇ ψυχῇ ἀεί ἐμποιῶν, ἵνα μή διά τήν τῆς ἀγάπης παῤῥησίαν, εἰς καταφρόνησιν Θεοῦ ἔλθῃ.

πβ΄. Τόν μέν πρῶτον φόβον ἔξω βάλλει ἡ τελεία ἀγάπη τῆς ψυχῆς τῆς κεκτημένης αὐτήν, μηκέτι τήν κόλασιν φοβουμένης· τόν δέ δεύτερον, ἑαυτῇ ἔχει ἀεί, ὡς εἴρηται συνεζευγμένον. Καί τῷ μέν πρώτῳ φόβῳ, ἁρμόζει τό, Τῷ φόβῳ Κυρίου ἐκκλίνει πᾶς ἀπό κακοῦ. Καί, Ἀρχή σοφίας φόβος Κυρίου. (980) Τῷ δέ δευτέρῳ, τό, Ὁ φόβος Κυρίου ἁγνός διαμένων εἰς αἰῶνα αἰῶνος. Καί τό, Οὐκ ἔστιν ὑστέρημα τοῖς φοβουμένοις αὐτόν.

πγ΄. Νεκρώσατε τά μέλη ὑμῶν τά ἐπί τῆς γῆς· πορνείαν, ἀκαθαρσίαν, πάθος, ἐπιθυμίαν κακήν, καί τήν πλεονεξίαν, καί τά ἑξῆς. Γῆν μέν ὠνόμασε, τό φρόνημα τῆς σαρκός· πορνείαν δέ εἶπε, τήν κατ᾿ ἐνέργειαν ἁμαρτίαν· ἀκαθαρσίαν δέ, τήν συγκατάθεσιν ἐκάλεσε· πάθος δέ, τόν ἐμπαθῆ λογισμόν ὠνόμασεν· ἐπιθυμίαν δέ κακήν, τήν ψιλήν τοῦ λογισμοῦ τῆς ἐπιθυμίας παραδοχήν· πλεονεξίαν δέ, τήν γεννητικήν τε καί αὐξητικήν τοῦ πάθους ὠνόμασεν ὕλην. Ταῦτα οὖν πάντα ὡς μέλη ὄντα τοῦ φρονήματος τῆς σαρκός, ἐκέλευσεν ὁ θεῖος Ἀπόστολος νεκρῶσαι.

πδ΄. Πρῶτον μέν ἡ μνήμη, ψιλόν τόν λογισμόν ἐπί τόν νοῦν ἀναφέρει· καί τούτου ἐγχρονίζοντος, κινεῖται τό πάθος· τούτου δέ μή ἀναιρουμένου, κάμπτει τόν νοῦν εἰς συγκατάθεσιν· ταύτης δέ γενομένης, ἔρχεται λοιπόν εἰς τήν κατ᾿ ἐνέργειαν ἁμαρτίαν. Ὁ οὖν πάνσοφος Ἀπόστολος πρός τούς ἀπό ἐθνῶν γράφων, τό ἀποτέλεσμα πρῶτον κελεύει ἀναιρεῖν τῆς ἁμαρτίας· εἶτα κατά τάξιν ἀναποδίζοντας, εἰς τήν αἰτίαν καταλήγειν. Ἡ δέ αἰτία ἐστίν, ἡ γεννητική, ὡς προείρηται, καί αὐξητική τοῦ πάθους πλεονεξία. Οἶμαι δέ ἐνταῦθα τήν γαστριμαργίαν σημαίνειν, ὡς μητέρα καί τροφόν τῆς πορνείας ὑπάρχουσαν. Ἡ γάρ πλεονεξία, οὐ μόνον ἐπί χρημάτων, ἀλλά καί ἐπί βρωμάτων κακή. Ὥσπερ καί ἡ ἐγκράτεια, οὐ μόνον ἐπί βρωμάτων, ἀλλά καί ἐπί χρημάτων καλή.

πε΄. Ὥσπερ στρουθίον τόν πόδα δεδεμένον ἀρχόμενον πέτεσθαι, ἐπί τήν γῆν κατασπᾶται σχοινίῳ ἑλκόμενον· οὕτω καί ὁ νοῦς μήπω ἀπάθειαν κτησάμενος, καί