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42. A thing is one thing, a concept is another, and a passion is another. And a thing is, for example, a man, a woman, gold, and so on. A concept, for example, is the simple memory of one of the aforementioned things. A passion, for example, is an irrational love or an indiscriminate hatred for one of the aforementioned things. The monk's battle, therefore, is against passion.

43. A passionate concept is a thought composed of a passion and a concept. Let us separate the passion from the concept, and a simple thought remains. And we separate it through spiritual love and self-control, if we wish.

44. The virtues separate the intellect from the passions; spiritual contemplations, from simple concepts; and pure prayer presents the intellect itself to God.

45. The virtues exist for the sake of the knowledge of created things; knowledge, for the sake of the knower; and the knower, for the sake of the One who is known unknowingly and who knows beyond knowledge.

46. Not as being in need of anything did the all-full God bring created things into being; but so that they might enjoy Him by partaking of Him analogously, [Fr. ἀπολαύσῃ] and that He might rejoice in His works, seeing them rejoicing and being ever insatiably satiated by the Insatiable.

47. The world has many who are poor in spirit, but improperly so. And many who mourn, but for the loss of money or the loss of children. And many who are meek, but towards unclean passions. And many who hunger and thirst, but to seize the things of others and to profit from injustice. And many who are merciful, but towards the body and the things of the body. And pure in heart, but for the sake of vainglory. And peacemakers, but subjecting the soul to the flesh. And many who are reproached, but for shameful sins; but only those are blessed, (1032) who do and suffer these things for Christ's sake and according to Christ. Why? Because theirs is the kingdom of heaven; and, They shall see God, and so on. So then, it is not because they do and suffer these things that they are blessed, but because they do and suffer these things for Christ's sake and according to Christ.

48. In all things done by us, the purpose is sought by God, as has often been said; whether we act for His sake, or for some other reason. When, therefore, we wish to do something good, let us not have men-pleasing as our purpose, but God; so that by always looking to Him, we may do all things for His sake; so that we may not both endure the toil and lose the reward.

49. Both the simple concepts of human affairs and the contemplations of all created things, cast out of your intellect at the time of prayer; lest by imagining the lesser things, you fall away from Him who is incomparably better than all beings.

50. If we genuinely love God, through this love itself we cast out the passions. And love for Him is to prefer Him to the world, and the soul to the flesh; in despising worldly affairs, and being at leisure for Him always, through self-control and love and prayer and psalmody, and the like.

51. If, being at leisure for God for a long time, we care for the passionate part of the soul, we no longer run aground at the assaults of thoughts; but also, by more accurately discerning and cutting off their causes, we become more discerning; so that what is said is fulfilled in us: "And my eye has looked upon my enemies, and my ear will hear of the wicked who rise up against me."

52. When you see your intellect conducting itself piously and justly among the concepts of the world, know that your body also remains pure and without sin;

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μβ΄. Ἄλλο ἐστί πρᾶγμα, καί ἄλλο νόημα, καί ἄλλο πάθος. Καί πρᾶγμα μέν ἐστιν, οἷον, ἀνήρ, γυνή, χρυσός, καί τά ἑξῆς. Νόημα δέ, οἷον, μνήμη ψιλή τινος τῶν προειρημένων. Πάθος δέ, οἷον, φιλία ἄλογος, ἤ μῖσος ἄκριτόν τινος τῶν προειρημένων. Πρός οὖν τό πάθος ἐστί τοῦ μοναχοῦ ἡ μάχη.

μγ΄. Νόημά ἐστι ἐμπαθές, λογισμός σύνθετος ἀπό πάθους καί νοήματος. Χωρίσωμεν τό πάθος ἀπό τοῦ νοήματος, καί ἀπομένει ὁ λογισμός ψιλός. Χωρίζομεν δέ δι᾿ ἀγάπης πνευματικῆς καί ἐγκρατείας, ἐάν θέλωμεν.

μδ΄. Αἱ μέν ἀρεταί, τῶν παθῶν τόν νοῦν χωρίζουσι· αἱ δέ πνευματικαί θεωρίαι, τῶν ψιλῶν νοημάτων· ἡ δέ καθαρά προσευχή αὐτῷ αὐτόν παρίστησιν τῷ Θεῷ.

με΄. Αἱ μέν ἀρεταί, διά τήν γνῶσιν τῶν γεγονότων· ἡ δέ γνῶσις, διά τόν γινώσκοντα· ὁ δέ γινώσκων, διά τόν ἀγνώστως γινωσκόμενον, καί ὑπέρ γνῶσιν γινώσκοντα.

μστ΄. Οὐχ ὡς προσδεόμενός τινος ὁ ὑπερπλήρης Θεός, παρήγαγεν εἰς τό εἶναι τά γεγονότα· ἀλλ᾿ ἵνα αὐτά μέν αὐτοῦ ἀναλόγως μετέχοντα ἀπολαύῃ, [Fr. ἀπολαύσῃ] αὐτός δέ εὐφρανθῇ ἐπί τοῖς ἔργοις αὐτοῦ ὁρῶν αὐτά εὐφραινόμενα, καί τόν ἀκόρεστον ἀκορέστως ἀεί κορεννύμενα.

μζ΄. Πολλούς ἔχει ὁ κόσμος πτωχούς τῷ πνεύματι, ἀλλά παρά τό προσῆκον. Καί πολλούς πενθοῦντας, ἀλλά διά ζημίας χρημάτων, ἤ ἀποβολάς τέκνων. Καί πολλούς πραεῖς, ἀλλά πρός τά ἀκάθαρτα πάθη. Καί πολλούς πεινῶντας καί διψῶντας, ἀλλά τό ἁρπάζειν τά ἀλλότρια, καί κερδαίνειν ἐξ ἀδικίας. Καί πολλούς ἐλεήμονας, ἀλλά πρός τό σῶμα καί τά τοῦ σώματος. Καί καθαρούς τῆ καρδίᾳ, ἀλλά διά κενοδοξίαν. Καί εἰρηνοποιούς, ἀλλά τήν ψυχήν τῇ σαρκί ὑποτάσσοντας. Καί πολλούς ὀνειδιζομένους, ἀλλ᾿ ἐπ᾿ αἰσχροῖς ἁμαρτήμασι· ἀλλ᾿ ἐκεῖνοι μόνοι μακάριοι, (1032) οἱ διά Χριστόν καί κατά Χριστόν ταῦτα καί ποιοῦντες καί πάσχοντες. ∆ιατί; Ὅτι αὐτῶν ἐστιν ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν· καί, Αὐτοί τόν Θεόν ὄψονται, καί τά ἑξῆς. Ὥστε, οὐχ ὅτι ποιοῦσι ταῦτα καί πάσχουσι, εἰσί μακάριοι· ἀλλ᾿ ὅτι διά Χριστόν καί κατά Χριστόν ταῦτα καί ποιοῦσι καί πάσχουσι.

μη΄. Ἐν πᾶσι τοῦ ὑφ᾿ ἡμῶν πραττομένοις, ὁ σκοπός ζητεῖται παρά Θεῷ, ὡς πολλάκις εἴρηται· εἴτε δι᾿ αὐτόν, εἴτε δι᾿ ἄλλο τι πράττομεν. Ὅταν οὖν τι θέλωμεν πρᾶξαι ἀγαθόν, μή τήν ἀνθρωπαρέσκειαν, ἀλλά τόν Θεόν σχῶμεν σκοπόν· ἵνα εἰς αὐτόν ἀεί ἀποβλεπόμενοι, δι᾿ αὐτόν πάντα πράξωμεν· ἵνα μή καί τόν τόπον ὑπομένωμεν, καί τόν μισθόν ἀπολέσωμεν.

μθ΄. Καί τά ψιλά τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων πραγμάτων νοήματα, καί τά πάντων τῶν γεγονότων θεωρήματα, ἀπόβαλε τοῦ νοός ἐν τῷ καιρῷ τῆς προσευχῆς· ἴνα μή τά ἥττονα φανταζόμενος, τοῦ πάντων τῶν ὄντων ἀσυγκρίτως κρείττονος ἐκπέσῃς.

ν΄. Ἐάν τόν Θεόν γνησίως ἀγαπήσωμεν, δι᾿ αὐτῆς τῆς ἀγάπης τά πάθη ἀποβάλλομεν. Ἡ δέ εἰς αὐτόν ἀγάπη ἐστί, τό προτιμᾷν αὐτόν τοῦ κόσμου, καί τήν ψυχήν τῆς σαρκός· ἐν τῷ τῶν κοσμικῶν μέν καταφρονεῖν πραγμάτων, αὐτῷ δέ σχολάζειν διά παντός, διά τε ἐγκρατείας καί ἀγάπης καί προσευχῆς καί ψαλμῳδίας, καί τῶν ἑξῆς.

να΄. Ἐάν σχολάζοντες τῷ Θεῷ χρόνῳ πολλῷ, τοῦ παθητικοῦ μέρους τῆς ψυχῆς ἐπιμελώμεθα, οὐκ ἔτι πρός τάς τῶν λογισμῶν προσβολάς ἐξοκείλομεν· ἀλλά καί ἀκριβέστερον τάς τούτων αἰτίας κατανοοῦντες και ἐκκόπτοντες, διορατικώτεροι γινόμεθα· ὥστε πληρωθῆναι εἰς ἡμᾶς τό, Καί ἐπεῖδεν ὁ ὀφθαλμός μου ἐν τοῖς ἐχθροῖς μου· και ἐν τοῖς ἐπανισταμένοις ἐπ᾿ ἐμέ πονηρευομένοις, ἀκούσεται τό οὖς μου.

νβ΄. Ὅταν βλέπῃς τόν νοῦν σου εὐσεβῶς καί δικαίως ἀναστρεφόμενον ἐν τοῖς τοῦ κόσμου νοήμασι, γίνωσκε καί τό σῶμα σου καθαρόν καί ἀναμάρτητον διαμένειν·