336

love of pleasure, as he who serves the belly and what is under the belly. The first is praiseworthy; the second, intermediate; but the rest are passionate.

10. If you hate some, and neither love nor hate others; and love yet others, but moderately; and still others you love very much; from this inequality, (988) know that you are far from perfect love, which presupposes loving every person equally [Fr. to love].

11. Turn away from evil, and do good. That is, war against the enemies, that you may diminish the passions; and then be vigilant, that they may not increase. And again: War, that you may acquire the virtues; and afterwards be vigilant, that you may preserve them. And this would be, to work, and to keep.

12. Those who tempt us by the permission of God, either inflame the desiring part of the soul, or disturb the irascible part, or darken the rational part, or afflict the body with pains, or plunder our material possessions.

13. The demons tempt us either by themselves, or they arm against us those who do not fear the Lord. And by themselves, when we are separated from men, as the Lord in the desert; but through men, when we spend time with men, as also the Lord through the Pharisees. But let us, looking to our model, repel them on both fronts.

14. When the mind begins to advance in the love of God, then the demon of blasphemy also begins to tempt it; and he suggests to it such thoughts as no man, but only their father the devil, invents. And he does this, envying the God-loving one; so that, having come to despair for having thought such things, he may no longer dare to fly up to God through his accustomed prayer. But the destroyer gains nothing from this toward his own purpose; but rather he makes us more steadfast. For being warred against and warring in return, we are found to be more tested and more genuine in the love of God. But may his sword enter into his own heart, and may his bows be broken.

15. The mind, when it focuses on visible things, naturally perceives things through the medium of sense-perception; and neither is the mind evil, nor is perceiving according to nature; nor are the things, nor is sense-perception; for these are the works of God. What then is evil? Clearly it is the passion of the natural thought, which is able not to be present in the use of thoughts, if the mind is watchful.

16. A passion is a movement of the soul contrary to nature, (989) either towards an irrational love, or towards an indiscriminate hatred, either of something, or on account of something, among sensible things. For example, towards an irrational love, either of foods, or of a woman, or of money, or of passing glory, or of some other of the sensible things, or on account of these. And towards an indiscriminate hatred; for example, either of one of the aforementioned things, as has been said, or towards someone on account of these things.

17. Or again, vice is the mistaken judgment of thoughts, which is followed by the misuse of things. For example, in the case of a woman, the right judgment of intercourse is the goal of procreation. He therefore who looks to pleasure, has erred in his judgment, considering what is not good as good. Such a one, therefore, misuses a woman in having intercourse. And it is the same with other things and thoughts.

18. When the [Fr. Whenever therefore the] demons, having cast your mind out of temperance, surround it with thoughts of providence, then say with tears to the Master: Having cast me out they have now encircled me, O my exultation, deliver me from those who have encircled me; and you will be saved.

19. The demon of fornication is oppressive, and vehemently attacks those who struggle against the passion; and especially in neglect of diet, and in encounters with

336

φιληδονίαν, ὡς ὁ τήν γαστέρα θεραπευόμενος καί τά ὑπό γαστέρα. Καί ἡ μέν πρώτη, ἐπαινετή· ἡ δέ δευτέρα, μέση· αἱ δέ λοιπαί, ἐμπαθεῖς.

ι΄. Ἐάν τινάς μέν μισῇς, τινάς δέ οὐδέ ἀγαπᾷς οὐδέ μισῇς· ἑτέρους δέ ἀγαπᾷς, ἀλλά συμμέτρως· ἄλλους δέ σφόδρα ἀγαπᾷς· ἐκ ταύτης τῆς ἀνισότητος, (988) γνῶθι ὅτι μακράν εἶ τῆς τελείας ἀγάπης, ἥτις ὑποτίθεται πάντα ἄνθρωπον ἐξ ἴσου ἀγαπῆσαι [Fr. ἀγαπᾷν].

ια΄. Ἔκκλινον ἀπό κακοῦ, καί ποίησον ἀγαθόν. Τουτέστι, Πολέμησον τούς ἐχθρούς, ἵνα μειώσῃς τά πάθη· ἔπειτα δέ νῆφε, ἵνα μή αὐξήσωσι. Καί πάλιν· Πολέμησον, ἵνα κτήσῃ τάς ἀρετάς· καί μετέπειτα νῆφε, ἵνα αὐτάς διαφυλάξῃς. Καί τοῦτο ἄν εἴη, τό ἐργάζεσθαι, καί φυλάσσειν.

ιβ΄. Οἱ κατά συγχώρησιν Θεοῦ πειράζοντες ἡμᾶς, ἤ τό ἐπιθυμητικόν τῆς ψυχῆς ἐκθερμαίνουσιν, ἤ τό θυμικόν ἐκταράσσουσιν, ἤ τό λογικόν ἐπισκοτίζουσιν, ἤ τό σῶμα ὀδύναις περιβάλλουσιν, ἤ τά σωματικά διαρπάζουσιν.

ιγ΄. Ἤ δι᾿ ἑαυτῶν ἡμᾶς οἱ δαίμονες ἐκπειράζουσιν, ἤ τούς μή φοβουμένους τόν Κύριον καθ᾿ ἡμῶν ἐφοπλίζουσιν. Καί δι᾿ ἑαυτῶν μέν, ὅταν ἐκ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἰδιάσωμεν, ὥσπερ τόν Κύριον ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ· διά τῶν ἀνθρώπων δέ, ὅταν μετά τῶν ἀνθρώπων συνδιατρίψωμεν, ὥσπερ καί τόν Κύριον διά τῶν Φαρισαίων. Ἀλλ᾿ ἡμεῖς εῖς τόν τύπον ἡμῶν ἀποβλεπόμενοι, ἀμφοτέρωθεν αὐτούς ἀποκρουσώμεθα.

ιδ΄. Ὅταν ἄρχηται ὁ νοῦς εἰς τήν ἀγάπην τοῦ Θεοῦ προκόπτειν, τότε καί ὁ δαίμων τῆς βλασφημίας ἄρχεται ἐκπειράζειν αὐτόν· καί τοιούτους αὐτῷ λογισμούς ὑποβάλλει, οἷους ἀνθρώπων μέν οὐδείς, μόνος δέ ὁ τούτων πατήρ διάβολος ἐφευρίσκει. Τοῦτο δέ ποιεῖ, φθονῶν τῷ θεοφιλεῖ· ἵνα εἰς ἀπόγνωσιν ἐλθών ὡς τοιαῦτα διανοηθείς, μηκέτι τολμήσῃ διά τῆς συνήθους προσευχῆς πρός αὐτόν ἀναπτῆναι. Οὐδέν δέ ἐντεῦθεν ὠφελεῖται ὁ ἀλάστωρ πρός τόν ἴδιον σκοπόν· ἀλλά καί μᾶλλον βεβαιοτέρους ἡμᾶς ἀπεργάζεται. Πολεμούμενοι γάρ καί ἀντιπολεμοῦντες, δοκιμώτεροι καί γνησιώτεροι εἰς τήν ἀγάπην τοῦ Θεοῦ εὑρισκόμεθα. Ἡ δέ ῥομφαία αὐτοῦ, εἰσέλθοι εἰς τήν καρδίαν αὐτοῦ, καί τά τόξα αὐτοῦ συντριβείη.

ιε΄. Ὁ νοῦς ἐπιβάλλων τοῖς ὁρατοῖς, κατά φύσιν νοεῖ τά πράγματα διά μέσης τῆς αἰσθήσεως· καί οὔτε ὁ νοῦς κακόν, οὔτε τό κατά φύσιν νοεῖν· οὔτε δέ τά πράγματα, οὔτε ἡ αἴσθησις· Θεοῦ γάρ εἰσι ταῦτα τά ἔργα. Τί οὖν ἐστι τό κακόν; ∆ῆλον ὅτι τό πάθος τοῦ κατά φύσιν νοήματος, ὅπερ δύναται μή εἶναι ἐν τῇ τῶν νοημάτων χρήσει, ἐάν ὁ νοῦς γρηγορῇ.

ιστ΄. Πάθος ἐστί κίνησις ψυχῆς παρά φύσιν, (989) ἤ ἐπί φιλίαν ἄλογον, ἤ ἐπί μῖσος ἄκριτον, ἤ τινος, ἤ διά τι τῶν αἰσθητῶν. Οἷον ἐπί μέν φιλίαν ἄλογον, ἤ βρωμάτων, ἤ γυναικός, ἤ χρημάτων, ἤ δόξης παρερχομένης, ἤ τινος ἄλλου τῶν αἰσθητῶν, ἤ διά ταῦτα.Ἐπί μῖσος δέ ἄκριτον· οἷον ἤ τινος τῶν προειρημένων, ὡς εἴρηται, ἤ πρός τινα διά ταῦτα.

ιζ΄. Ἤ πάλιν κακία ἐστίν, ἡ ἐσφαλμένη κρίσις τῶν νοημάτων, ᾗ ἐπακολουθεῖ ἡ παράχρησις τῶν πραγμάτων. Οἷον ὡς ἐπί τῆς γυναικός, ἡ ὀρθή κρίσις τῆς συνουσίας, ὁ σκοπός ἐστι τῆς παιδοποιίας.Ὁ οὖν εἰς τήν ἡδονήν ἀποβλεψάμενος, ἐσφάλη περί τήν κρίσιν, τό μή καλόν ὡς καλόν ἡγησάμενος. Ὁ γοῦν τοιοῦτος, παραχρῆται γυναικί συνουσιαζόμενος. Καί ἐπί τῶν ἄλλων πραγμάτων καί νοημάτων.

ιη΄. Ὅτε τόν νοῦν σου οἱ [Fr. Ὅταν τοίνυν τόν νοῦν οἱ] δαίμονες τῆς σωφροσύνης ἐκβαλόντες, τοῖς τῆς προνείας λογισμοῖς περικυκλώσωσι, τότε μετά δακρύων λέγε πρός τόν ∆εσπότην· Ἐκβαλόντες με νῦν περιεκύκλωσάν με, τό ἀγαλλίαμά μου λύτρωσαί με, ἀπό τῶν κυκλωσάντων με· καί σώζῃ.

ιθ΄. Βαρύς ὁ τῆς πορνείας δαίμων, καί σφοδρῶς ἐπιτίθεται τοῖς κατά τοῦ πάθους ἀγωνιζομένοις· καί μάλιστα ἐν τῇ ἀμελείᾳ τῆς διαίτης, καί ἐν ταῖς συντυχίαις τῶν