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saying, but separating, are forced to say that He is not co-eternal with the Father, and to make the Lord of the ages subject to time. For it is necessary both to maintain the one God and to confess the three hypostases, according to the great Gregory; and each with its own property. For indeed He is "divided," but "indivisibly," according to the same; and He is "united," but "distinctly." And for this reason, both the division and the union are paradoxical. For what paradox is there, if as a man is united to and separated from a man, so also is the Son to the Father, and nothing more?

λ΄. He who is perfect in love, and has come to the highest point of dispassion, knows no difference between his own and another's, or his own people and another's, or believer and unbeliever, or slave and free, or male and female at all; but having become superior to the tyranny of the passions, and looking to the one nature of men, he regards all equally, and is equally disposed towards all. For in him there is neither Greek nor Jew, neither male nor female, neither slave nor free; but Christ is all and in all.

λα΄. From the passions lying hidden in the soul, the demons take the opportunities to stir up impassioned thoughts within us. Then, by means of these, they war against the mind, forcing it to come to consent to sin. And when it has been defeated, they lead it to sin in thought. And when this has been accomplished, they then lead it captive to the deed. After this, then, those who have desolated the soul through thoughts, withdraw with them. Only the idol of sin remains in the mind, concerning which the Lord says: when you see the abomination of desolation standing in the holy place, let the reader understand; because the holy place and temple of God is the mind of man, in which the demons, having desolated the soul through impassioned thoughts, have set up the idol of sin. And that these things have also already happened historically, no one who has read Josephus, I think, doubts. Yet some say that these things will also happen at the time of the Antichrist.

λβ΄. There are three things that move us toward what is good: the natural seeds; the holy Powers, and good choice. The natural seeds, as when (996) what we wish men to do to us, we also do to them; or as when we see someone in straits or in need, and we naturally pity them. The holy Powers, as when, being moved to a good deed, we find good cooperation, and we succeed. And good choice, as when, distinguishing the good from the evil, we choose the good.

λγ΄. And again, there are three things that move us toward what is evil: the passions, the demons, and evil choice. The passions, as when we desire something contrary to reason; for example, food, out of season, or beyond need, or a woman, contrary to the purpose of procreation, and not lawfully. And again, when we are angry, or grieved, beyond what is fitting; for example, against one who has dishonored or harmed us. The demons, as when, in our negligence, they watch for an opportunity and attack us suddenly with great vehemence, stirring up the aforesaid passions, and the like. And evil choice, as when, in the knowledge of the good, we choose evil instead.

λδ΄. The rewards for the labors of virtue are dispassion and knowledge. For these become the means of attaining the kingdom of heaven; just as the passions and ignorance become the means of eternal punishment. He, therefore, who seeks these [in uno Reg. etn. these (fem.)] for the sake of human glory, and not for the sake of the good itself, hears from Scripture: You ask, and do not receive, because you ask wrongly.

λε΄. There are many things done by men that are good by nature, but are again not good because of some cause; for example, fasting and vigils, prayer and psalmody, almsgiving and hospitality, are by nature good works; but when they are done for vainglory, they are no longer good.

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λέγοντες, χωρίζοντες δέ, ἀναγκάζονται λέγειν μή συναΐδιον εἶναι τῷ Πατρί, καί ποιῆσαι ὑπό χρόνον τόν τῶν χρόνων δεσπότην. Χρή γάρ καί τόν ἕνα Θεόν τηρεῖν, καί τάς τρεῖς ὑποστάσεις ὁμολογεῖν, κατά τόν μέγαν Γρηγόριον· καί ἑκάστην μετά τῆς ἰδιότητος. Καί γάρ " διαιρεῖται" μέν, ἀλλ᾿ "ἀδιαιρέτως, κατά τόν αὐτόν καί συνάπτεται μέν, διῃρημένως δέ." Καί διά τοῦτο, παράδοξος καί ἡ διαίρεσις καί ἡ ἕνωσις. Ἐπεί τί ἔχει τό παράδοξον, εἰ ὡς ἄνθρωπος ἀνθρώπῳ ἥνωταί τε καί κεχώρισται, οὕτω καί ὁ Υἱός τῷ Πατρί, καί οὐδέν πλέον;

λ΄. Ὁ τέλειος ἐν ἀγάπῃ, καί εἰς ἄκρον ἀπαθείας ἐλθών, οὐκ ἐπίσταται διαφοράν ἰδίου καί ἀλλοτρίου, ἤ ἰδίας καί ἀλλοτρίας, ἤ πιστοῦ καί ἀπίστου, ἤ δούλου καί ἐλευθέρου, ἤ ὅλως ἄρσενος καί θηλείας· ἀλλ᾿ ἀνώτερος τῆς τῶν παθῶν τυραννίδος γενόμενος, καί εἰς τήν μίαν φύσιν τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἀποβλεπόμενος, πάντας ἐξ ἴσου θεωρεῖ, καί πρός πάντας ἴσως διάκειται. Οὐκ ἔστι γάρ ἐν αὐτῷ Ἕλλην καί Ἰουδαῖος, οὐδέ ἄρσεν καί θῆλυ, οὐδέ δοῦλος καί ἐλεύθερος· ἀλλά πάντα καί ἐν πᾶσι Χριστός.

λα΄. Ἐκ τῶν ὑποκειμένων ἐν τῇ ψυχῇ παθῶν, λαμβάνουσιν οἱ δαίμονες τάς ἀφορμάς τοῦ κινεῖν ἐν ἡμῖν τούς ἐμπαθεῖς λογισμούς. Εἶτα διά τούτων πολεμοῦντες τόν νοῦν, ἐκβιάζονται αὐτόν εἰς συγκατάθεσιν ἐλθεῖν τῆς ἁμαρτίας. Ἡττηθέντος δέ αὐτοῦ, ἄγουσιν εἰς τήν κατά διάνοιαν ἁμαρτίαν. Καί ταύτης ἀποτελεσθείσης, φέρουσιν αὐτόν λοιπόν αἰχμάλωτον εἰς τήν πρᾶξιν. Μετά δέ ταύτην λοιπόν, οἱ τήν ψυχήν διά τῶν λογισμῶν ἐρημώσαντες, σύν αὐτοῖς ὑποχωροῦσι. Μένει δέ μόνον ἐν τῷ νῷ τό εἴδωλον τῆς ἁμαρτίας, περί οὗ φησίν ὁ Κύριος· ὅταν ἴδητε τό βδέλυγμα τῆς ἐρημώσεως ἑστώς ἐν τόπῳ ἁγίῳ, ὁ ἀναγινώσκων νοείτω· ὅτι τόπος ἅγιος καί ναός Θεοῦ, ὁ νοῦς ὑπάρχει τοῦ ἀνθρώπου, ἐν ᾧ οἱ δαίμονες διά τῶν ἐμπαθῶν λογισμῶν τήν ψυχήν ἐρημώσαντες, τό εἴδωλον τῆς ἁμαρτίας ἕστησαν. Ὅτι δέ καί ἱστορικῶς ἤδη ταῦτα γέγονεν, οὐδείς τῶν τά Ἰωσήππεια ἀνεγνωκότων, ὡς οἶμαι, ἀμφιβάλλει. Πλήν τινές φασι καί ἐπί τοῦ Ἀντιχρίστου ταῦτα γενήσεσθαι.

λβ΄. Τρία εἰσί τά κινοῦντα ἡμᾶς ἐπί τά καλά· τά φυσικά σπέρματα· αἱ ἅγιαι ∆υνάμεις, καί ἡ ἀγαθή προαίρεσις. Καί τά μέν φυσικά σπέρματα, ὡς ὅταν (996) ὅ θέλομεν ἵνα ποιῶσιν ἡμῖν οἱ ἄνθρωποι, καί ἡμεῖς ὁμοίως ποιῶμεν αὐτοῖς· ἤ ὡς ὅταν ἴδωμέν τινα ἐν στενώσει ἤ ἐν ἀνάγκῃ, καί φυσικῶς ἐλεῶμεν. Αἱ δέ ἅγιαι ∆υνάμεις, οἷον ὅταν κινούμενοι ἐπί καλῷ πράγματι, εὕρωμεν συνεργίαν ἀγαθήν, καί κατευοδώμεθα. Ἡ δέ ἀγαθή προαίρεσις, ὡς ὅταν διακρίνοντες ἀπό τοῦ κακοῦ τό καλόν, αἱρώμεθα τό ἀγαθόν.

λγ΄. Τρία δέ πάλιν εἰσί τά κινοῦντα ἡμᾶς ἐπί τά κακά· τά πάθη, οἱ δαίμονες, καί ἡ κακή προαίρεσις. Καί τά μέν πάθη, ὡς ὅταν ἐπιθυμῶμεν πράγματος παρά λόγον· οἷον ἤ βρώματος, παρά τόν καιρόν, ἤ παρά τήν χρείαν, ἤ γυναικός παρά τόν σκοπόν τῆς παιδοποιΐας, καί τῆς μή νομίμου. Καί πάλιν, ὅταν ὁργιζώμεθα, ἤ λυπώμεθα παρά τό εἰκός· οἷον, κατά τοῦ ἀτιμάσαντος, ἤ ζημιώσαντος. Οἱ δέ δαίμονες, οἷον ὅταν ἐν τῇ ἐμελείᾳ ἡμῶν, καιροσκοποῦντες ἐπιτίθωνται ἡμῖν ἄφνω μετά πολλῆς σφοδρότητος κινοῦντες τά προειρημένα πάθη, καί τά ὅμοια. Ἡ δέ κακή προαίρεσις, οἷον, ὅτε ἐν γνώσει τοῦ καλοῦ, κακῶν ἀνθαιρώμεθα.

λδ΄. Μισθοί τῶν πόνων τῆς ἀρετῆς, εἰσίν ἡ ἀπάθεια καί ἡ γνῶσις. Αὗται γάρ πρόξενοι γίνονται βασιλείας οὐρανῶν· ὡς καί τά πάθη καί ἡ ἀγνωσία, κολάσεως αἰωνίου. Ὁ οὖν τούτους [in uno Reg. etn. ταύτας] διά δόξαν ἀνθρώπων ζητῶν, καί μή δι᾿ αὐτό τό καλόν, ἀκούει παρά τῆς Γραφῆς· Αἰτεῖτε, καί οὐ λαμβάνετε, διότι κακῶς αἰτεῖσθε.

λε΄. Εἰσί πολλά τινα φύσει καλά ὑπό τῶν ἀνθρώπων γινόμενα, ἀλλ᾿ οὐ καλά πάλιν διά τινα αἰτίαν· οἷον, νηστεία καί ἀγρυπνία, προσευχή καί ψαλμῳδία, ἐλεημοσύνη καί ξενοδοχία, φύσει καλά ἔργα εἰσίν· ἀλλ᾿ ὅταν διά κενοδοξίαν γίνωνται, οὐκ ἔτι καλά.