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35. Whatever is created in time and by time, once perfected, comes to a standstill, ceasing its natural growth. But whatever is wrought according to virtue by the knowledge of God, once perfected, moves again toward increase. For their ends have become the beginnings of others. For he who through the virtues according to practice has made to cease in himself the subsistence of corruptible things, has begun other, more divine formations; for God never ceases from good things, of which He did not even have a beginning. For as it is proper to light to illumine, so it is proper to God to do good. Therefore, by the Law, which narrates the temporal constitution of things in genesis and corruption, (1097) the Sabbath is honored through inactivity; but by the Gospel, which introduces the state of intelligible things, it is made radiant through the doing of good works; even if those are indignant who do not yet know that the Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath; and that the Son of Man is Lord even of the Sabbath.

36. In the Law and the Prophets there is both Sabbath and Sabbaths, and a Sabbath of Sabbaths; just as there is also circumcision, and circumcision of circumcision; and a harvest, and a harvest of a harvest, according to what is said, *When you reap your harvest*. The first, then, is the completion of practical and natural and theological philosophy. The second is the release from generation and the principles of generation. And the third is the offering and enjoyment of the more spiritual principles according to sense and intellect. And this clearly happens threefold in each of the aforementioned cases, so that the gnostic may know the principles according to which Moses, dying, keeps the sabbath outside the holy land; and Joshua, son of Nun, circumcises after crossing the Jordan; and those who inherit the good land bring to God the offering of the double harvest in transcendence.

37. Sabbath is the dispassion of the rational soul, which through practice has completely cast off the marks of sin.

38. Sabbaths is the freedom of the rational soul, which through natural contemplation in the spirit has put aside even its natural activity toward sensation.

39. Sabbath of Sabbaths is the spiritual rest of the rational soul, which has drawn its intellect back even from all the more divine principles in beings; and has wholly bound it to God alone in loving ecstasy, making it completely immovable from God through the disposition of mystical abandonment.

40. Circumcision is the putting away of the soul's passionate disposition regarding generation.

41. Circumcision of circumcision is the complete casting off and removal of even the soul's natural movements concerning generation.

42. The harvest of the rational soul is the gathering with knowledge and full recognition of the more spiritual principles of beings according to virtue (1100) and nature.

43. Harvest of a harvest is the comprehension of God, which is inaccessible to all and is formed unknowingly around the intellect after the mystical contemplation of intelligible things; which he who worthily honors the Creator from visible and invisible creatures duly offers.

44. There is also another more spiritual harvest, said to be of God Himself; and another more mystical circumcision; and another more hidden Sabbath, in which God rests, keeping sabbath from His own works, according to, *The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few*. And, *Circumcision of the heart in spirit*. And, *God blessed the seventh day and hallowed it; because on it He rested from all His works which God began to do*.

45. The harvest of God is the universal abiding and establishment of the worthy in Him at the completion of the ages.

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λε΄. Ὅσα μέν ἐν χρόνῳ καί χρόνον δημιουργεῖται, τελειωθέντα ἵσταται, λήγοντα τῆς κατά φύσιν αὐξήσεως. Ὅσα δέ κατ᾿ ἀρετήν ἐπιστήμη Θεοῦ κατεργάζεται, τελειωθέντα πάλιν κινεῖται πρός αὔξησιν. Τά γάρ τέλη αὐτῶν, ἑτέρων ἀρχαί καθεστήκασιν. Ὁ γάρ καταπαύσας ἐν ἑαυτῷ διά τῶν ἀρετῶν κατά τήν πρᾶξιν τήν τῶν φθειρομένων ὑπόστασιν, ἑτέρων ἀπήρξατο θειοτέρων διατυπώσεων· παύεται γάρ οὐδέποτε τῶν καλῶν ὁ Θεός, ὧν οὐδέ ἀρχήν ἔσχεν. Ὡς γάρ φωτός ἴδιον τό φωτίζειν, οὕτως ἴδιον Θεοῦ τό εὖ ποιεῖν. ∆ιό τῷ μέν νόμῳ, τήν κατά χρόνον τῶν ἐν γενέσει καί φθορᾷ σύστασιν ἀφηγουμένῳ, (1097) τιμᾶται δι᾿ ἀργίας τό Σάββατον· τῷ Εὐαγγελίῳ δέ τήν τῶν νοητῶν εἰσηγουμένῳ κατάστασιν, δι᾿ εὐποιίας καλῶν ἔργων τοῦτο φαιδρύνεται· κἄν ἀγανακτῶσιν οἱ μήπω γνόντες ὅτι διά τόν ἄνθρωπον τό Σάββατον γέγονεν, ἀλλ᾿ οὐ διά τό Σάββατον ὁ ἄνθρωπος· καί ὅτι κύριός ἐστι καί τοῦ Σαββάτου ὁ Υἱός τοῦ ἀνθρώπου.

λστ΄. Ἔστι τῷ νόμῳ καί τοῖς προφήταις, καί Σάββατον καί Σάββατα, καί Σάββατα Σαββάτων· ὥσπερ καί περιτομή, καί περιτομῆς περιτομή· καί θέρος, καί θέρους θέρος, κατά τό εἰρημένον, Ὅταν θερίσητε τόν θερισμόνὑμῶν. Ἔστιν οὖν τό μέν πρῶτον, πρακτικῆς καί φυσικῆς καί θεολογικῆς φιλοσοφίας ἀποπεράτωσις. Τό δεύτερον δέ, γενέσεως καί τῶν κατά γένεσιν λόγῳν, ἀπόλυσις. Τό δέ τρίτον, τῶν κατ᾿ αἴσθησιν καί νοῦν πνευτικωτέρων λόγων, εἰσφορά καί ἀπόλαυσις. Καί τοῦτο τρισσῶς ἐφ᾿ ἑκάστῳ δηλονότι τῶν εἰρημένων γινόμενον, ἵνα γνῷ τούς λόγους ὁ γνωστικός, καθ᾿ οὕς ὁ μέν Μωϋσῆς ἔξω τῆς ἁγίας γῆς σαββατίζει τελευτῶν· ὁ δέ τοῦ Ναυῆ Ἰησοῦς, περιτέμνει περάσας τόν Ἰορδάνην· οἱ δέ τήν ἀγαθήν γῆν κληρονομοῦντες, τήν εἰσφοράν τοῦ καθ᾿ ὑπέρθεσιν διπλοῦ θέρους τῷ Θεῷ προσκομίζουσιν.

λζ΄. Σάββατόν ἐστιν, ἀπάθεια ψυχῆς λογικῆς· κατά τήν πρακτικήν παντελῶς ἀποβαλομένης τῆς ἁμαρτίας τά στίγματα.

λη΄. Σάββατά ἐστιν, ἐλευθερία ψυχῆς λογικῆς· καί αὐτήν τήν κατά φύσιν πρός αἴσθησιν, διά τῆς ἐν πνεύματι φυσικῆς θεωρίας, ἀποθεμένης ἐνέργειαν.

λθ΄. Σάββατα Σαββάτων ἐστίν, ἡρεμία πνευματική ψυχῆς λογικῆς· καί ἀπ᾿ αὐτῶν πάντων τῶν ἐν τοῖς οὖσι θειτέρων λόγων τόν νοῦν συστειλάσης· καί μόνῳ τῷ θεῷ κατ᾿ ἐρωτικήν ἔκστασιν ὁλικῶς ἐνδησάσης, καί παντελῶς ἀκίνητον αὐτόν τοῦ Θεοῦ διά τῆς μυστικῆς ἀπόθεσιν διαθέσεως.

μ΄. Περιτομή ἐστιν, ἡ περί γένεσιν τῆς κατά ψυχήν ἐμπαθοῦς ἀπόθεσις διαθέσεως.

μα΄. Περιτομή περιτομῆς ἐστιν, ἡ καί αὐτῶν τῶν κατά ψυχήν περί τήν γένεσιν φυσικῶν κινημάτων, παντελής ἀποβολή καί περιαίρεσις.

μβ΄. Θέρος ἐστί ψυχῆς λογικῆς, ἡ τῶν κατ᾿ ἀρετήν (1100) καί φύσιν τῶν ὄντων πνευματικωτέρων λόγων μετ᾿ ἐπιστήμης συλλογή καί ἐπίγνωσις.

μγ΄. Θέρους θέρος ἐστίν, ἡ πᾶσιν ἄβατος μετά τήν τῶν νοητῶν μυστικήν θεωρίαν περί νοῦν ἀγνώστως συνισταμένη τοῦ Θεοῦ κατανόησις· ἥν προσφέρει δεόντως ὁ ἐκ τῶν ὁρατῶν καί ἀοράτων κτισμάτων ἀξίως γεραίρων τόν Κτίσαντα.

μδ΄. Ἔστι καί ἄλλο πνευματικώτερον θέρος, αὐτοῦ λεγόμενον εἶναι τοῦ Θεοῦ· καί ἄλλη μυστικωτέρα περιτομή· καί ἄλλο κρυφιώτερον Σάββατον, ἐν ᾧ ἀπό τῶν ἰδίων ἔργων σαββατίζων ὁ Θεός ἀναπαύει, κατά τό, Ὁ μέν θερισμός, πολύς· οἱ δέ ἐργάται, ὀλίγοι. Καί, Περιτομή καρδίας ἐν πνεύματι. Καί, Εὐλόγησεν ὁ Θεός τήν ἡμέραν τήν ἑβδόμην, καί ἡγίασεν αὐτήν· ὅτι ἐν αὐτῇ κατέπαυσεν ἀπό πάντων τῶν ἔργων αὐτοῦ, ὧν ἤρξατο ὁ Θεός ποιῆσαι.

με΄. Θεοῦ θέρος ἐστίν, ἡ εἰς αὐτόν κατά τήν τῶν αἰώνων ἀποπεράτωσιν γινομένη τῶν ἀξίων καθόλου μονή τε καί ἵδρυσις.