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flying towards the knowledge of heavenly things, being dragged down by the passions, is pulled down to the earth.

96. When the intellect is completely freed from the passions, then it also journeys unswervingly towards the contemplation of beings, making its way towards the knowledge of the Holy Trinity.

97. The intellect, being pure, taking up the concepts of things, is moved to their spiritual contemplation; but when it has become impure from negligence, it imagines bare concepts of other things; but when it receives human things, it is turned to shameful or wicked thoughts.

98.(981) When, always in the time of prayer, none of the world's concepts disturbs the intellect, then know yourself not to be outside the bounds of dispassion.

99. When the soul begins to be sensible of its own health, then also the phantasies in dreams, it begins to see as bare and untroubled.

Unnumbered. Just as the beauty of visible things draws the physical eye; so also the knowledge of invisible things draws the pure intellect to itself. By invisible things, I mean incorporeal things.

Unnumbered. 1. It is a great thing not to suffer with regard to things; but it is much greater to remain dispassionate with regard to their phantasies. Because the demons' war against us through thoughts is more difficult than the war through things.

Unnumbered. 2. He who has achieved the virtues, and become rich in knowledge, since he then discerns things naturally, both does and says everything according to right reason, not turning aside at all. For from using things reasonably or unreasonably, we become either virtuous or wicked.

Unnumbered. 3. A sign of perfect dispassion is that the bare concepts of things always rise to the heart, both when the body is awake, and during sleep.

Unnumbered. 4. Through the practice of the commandments, the intellect puts off the passions; through the spiritual contemplation of visible things, the passionate concepts of things; through the knowledge of invisible things, the contemplation of visible things; and this, through the knowledge of the Holy Trinity.

Unnumbered. 5. Just as the sun, rising and illuminating the world, shows both itself and the things illuminated by it; so also the Sun of Righteousness, rising in the pure intellect, shows both himself and the inner principles of all things that have been and will be made by him.

Unnumbered. 6. We do not know God from his essence, but from his magnificent works and his providence for beings. For through these, as through mirrors, we perceive his infinite goodness and wisdom and power.

Unnumbered. 7. The pure intellect is found either in the bare concepts of human affairs, or in the natural contemplation of visible things, or in that of invisible things; or in the light of the Holy Trinity.

Unnumbered. 8. The intellect, when engaged in the contemplation of visible things, either investigates their natural inner principles, or those signified through them, or seeks their very cause.

Unnumbered. 9. But when occupied with invisible things, it seeks both their natural inner principles, and the cause of their generation, and what follows from these. And what is the providence and judgment concerning them.

100. But when it is in God, inflamed by longing, it first seeks the inner principles concerning his (984) essence, but finds no consolation from the things pertaining to his essence—for this is impossible and equally inaccessible to every created nature—but it is consoled by the things around him; I mean, those concerning his eternity, infinity and boundlessness; his goodness and wisdom and power, creative and providential and

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ἐπί τήν τῶν οὐρανίων γνῶσιν πετόμενος, ὑπό τῶν παθῶν καθελκόμενος, ἐπί τήν γῆν κατασπᾶται.

πστ΄. Ὅτε νοῦς τελείως τῶν παθῶν ἐλευθερωθῇ, τότε καί ἐπί τήν θεωρίαν τῶν ὄντων ἀμεταστρεπτί ὁδεύει, ἐπί τήν γνῶσιν τῆς ἁγίας Τριάδος τήν πορείαν ποιούμενος.

πζ΄. Καθαρός ὑπάρχων ὁ νοῦς, τά νοήματα τῶν πραγμάτων ἀναλαμβάνων, εἰς τήν πνευματικήν θεωρίαν αὐτῶν κινεῖται· ἀκάθαρτος δέ ἐκ ῥᾳθυμίας γεγονώς, τά μέν τῶν λοιπῶν πραγμάτων νοήματα ψιλά φαντάζεται· τά δέ ἀνθρώπινα δεχόμενος, εἰς αἰσχρούς ἤ πονηρούς λογισμούς μετατρέπεται.

πη΄.(981) Ὅταν ἀεί ἐν τῷ καιρῷ προσευχῆς μηδέν τῶν τοῦ κόσμου νοημάτων διενοχλήσῃ τῷ νῷ, τότε γίνωσκε σαυτόν μή ἔξω εἶναι τῶν ὄρων τῆς ἀπαθείας.

πθ΄. Ὅταν ἡ ψυχή ἄρχηται τῆς ἰδίας ὑγείας ἐπαισθάνεσθαι, τότε καί τάς ἐν τοῖς ὕπνοις φαντασίας, ψιλάς καί ἀταράχους ἄρχεται βλέπειν.

τέσ. ἀνοικτό΄. Ὥσπερ τόν αἰσθητόν ὀφθαλμόν ἡ καλλονή τῶν ὁρατῶν· οὕτω καί τόν καθαρόν νοῦν, ἡ γνῶσις τῶν ἀοράτων πρός ἑαυτήν ἐπισπᾶται. Ἀόρατα δέ λέγω, τά ἀσώματα.

τεσ. ἀνοικτό α΄. Μέγα μέν τό πρός τά πράγματα μή πάσχειν· μεῖζον δέ πολλῷ, τό πρός τάς φαντασίας αὐτῶν ἀπαθῆ διαμεῖναι. ∆ιότι ὁ διά τῶν λογισμῶν πρός ἡμᾶς τῶν δαιμόνων πόλεμος, τοῦ διά τῶν πραγμάτων πολέμου ἐστί χαλεπώτερος.

τεσ. ἀνοικτό β΄. Ὁ τάς ἀρετάς κατορθώσας, καί τῇ γνώσει πλουτήσας, ὡς φυσικῶς λοιπόν τά πράγματα διορῶν, πάντα κατά τόν ὀρθόν λόγον καί πράττει καί διαλέγεται, τό σύνολον μή παρατρεπόμενος. Ἐκ γάρ τοῦ εὐλόγως ἤ παραλόγως τοῖς πράγμασι χρήσασθαι, ἤ ἐνάρετοι ἤ φαῦλοι γινόμεθα.

τέσ. ἀνοικ. γ΄. Σημεῖον ἄκρας ἀπαθείας, τό ψιλά τά νοήματα τῶν πραγμάτων ἀεί ἀναβαίνειν ἐπί τήν καρδίαν, καί ἐγρηγορότος τοῦ σώματος, καί κατά τούς ὕπνους.

τέσ. ἀνοικ. δ΄. ∆ιά μέν τῆς ἐργασίας τῶν ἐντολῶν, τά πάθη ὁ νοῦς ἀποδύεται· διά δέ τῆς τῶν ὁρατῶν πνευματικῆς θεωρίας, τά ἐμπαθῆ τῶν πραγμάτων νοήματα. ∆ιά δέ τῆς τῶν ἀοράτων γνώσεως, τήν τῶν ὁρατῶν θεωρίαν· ταύτην δέ, διά τῆς γνώσεως τῆς ἁγίας Τριάδος.

τέσ. ἀνοικ. ε΄. Ὥσπερ ὁ ἥλιος ἀνατέλλων καί τόν κόσμον φωτίζων, δείκνησί τε ἑαυτόν καί τά ὑπ᾿ αὐτοῦ φωτιζόμενα πράγματα· οὕτω καί ὁ τῆς δικαιοσύνης Ἥλιος τῷ καθαρῷ νῷ ἀνατέλλων, καί ἑαυτόν δείκνυσι, καί πάντων τῶν ὑπ᾿ αὐτοῦ γεγονότων καί γενησομένων τούς λόγους.

τέσ. ἀνοικ. στ΄. Οὐκ ἐκ τῆς οὐσίας αὐτοῦ τόν Θεόν γινώσκομεν, ἀλλ᾿ ἐκ τῆς μεγαλουργίας αὐτοῦ καί προνοίας τῶν ὄντων. ∆ιά τούτων γάρ ὡς δι᾿ ἐσόπτρων, τήν ἄπειρον ἀγαθότητα καί σοφίαν καί δύναμιν κατανοοῦμεν.

τέσ. ἀνοικ. ζ΄. Ὁ καθαρός νοῦς, ἤ ἐν τοῖς ψιλοῖς νοήμασι τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων πραγμάτων εὑρίσκεται, ἤ ἐν τῇ τῶν ὁρατῶν φυσικῇ θεωρίᾳ, ἤ ἐν τῇ τῶν ἀοράτων· ἤ ἐν τῷ φωτί τῆς ἁγίας Τριάδος.

τέσ. ἀνοικ. η΄. Ἐν τῇ τῶν ὁρατῶν θεωρίᾳ γενόμενος ὁ νοῦς, ἤ τούς φυσικούς αὐτῶν λόγους ἐρευνᾷ, ἤ τούς δι᾿ αὐτῶν σημαινομένους, ἤ αὐτήν τήν αἰτίαν ζητεῖ.

τέσ. ἀνοικ. θ΄. Ἐν δέ τῇ τῶν ἀοράτων διατρίβων, τούς τε φυσικούς αὐτῶν λόγους ζητεῖ, καί τήν αἰτίαν τῆς γενέσεως αὐτῶν, καί τά τούτοις ἀκόλουθα. Καί τίς ἡ περί αὐτούς πρόνοια καί κρίσις.

ρ΄. Ἐν δέ Θεῷ γενόμενος, τούς περί τῆς οὐσίας (984) αὐτοῦ πρῶτον λόγους, ζητεῖ μέν ὑπό τοῦ πόθου φλεγόμενος, οὐκ ἐκ τῶν κατ᾿ αὐτόν δέ τήν παραμυθίαν εὑρίσκει· ἀμήχανον γάρ τοῦτο, καί ἀνένδεκτον πάσῃ γενητῇ φύσει ἐξ ἴσου· ἐκ δέ τῶν περί αὐτόν παραμυθεῖται· λέγω δή, τῶν περί ἀϊδιότητος, ἀπειρίας τε καί ἀοριστίας· ἀγαθότητός τε καί σοφίας καί δυνάμεως, δημιουργικῆς τε καί προνοητικῆς καί