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being capable of God; which as long as they are used for understanding, cannot be without mediation and partial comprehension. But since what is in part is abolished when that which is perfect appears, and all the mirrors and enigmas pass away when the truth comes face to face, the one who is saved, being perfected according to God, will be beyond all worlds and ages and places, by which he was previously instructed as a child.

71. Pilate is a type of the natural law; the multitude of the Jews, of the written law. He, therefore, who has not through faith gone beyond these two laws, cannot receive the truth that is beyond nature and reason; but in every way crucifies the Word, either as a Jew, considering the Gospel a stumbling block, or as a Greek, a foolishness.

72. When you see Herod and Pilate becoming friends with one another over the killing of Jesus, then understand the conspiracy against Him: of the demon of fornication and of vainglory, agreeing with one another to put to death the word of virtue and knowledge. For the vainglorious demon, feigning spiritual knowledge, refers to the demon of vainglory. Wherefore, it says, Herod, clothing him in a splendid garment, sent Jesus back to Pilate.

73. It is good not to permit the mind to be occupied with the flesh and the passions. For, it says, they do not gather figs from thorns; that is, virtue from the passions; nor from a bramble bush, the grape; that is, from the flesh, knowledge which gladdens.

74. The ascetic, being tested through the patient endurance of temptations, and purified through bodily training, and perfected through the careful study of sublime contemplations, is made worthy of divine consolation. For the Lord, says Moses, has come from Sinai; that is, from temptations; and He appeared (1112) to us from Seir; that is, from bodily labors; and He rested [lego κατέσπευσεν ut est in Sixt.] from Mount Paran with ten thousands of Kadesh; that is, from the mountain of faith [alii Regii, πτοήσεως, Fr. πτήσεως], with ten thousands of holy cognitions.

75. Herod represents the principle of the mindset of the flesh; Pilate, of sense-perception; Caesar, of sense-objects; and the Jews, of the thoughts of the soul. When, therefore, in ignorance the soul is attached to sense-objects, it betrays the Word to sense-perception for death, ratifying against itself by its confession the kingdom of corruptible things. For the Jews say, We have no king but Caesar.

76. Herod holds the place of the activity of the passions; Pilate, of the habit deceived by them; Caesar, of the dark ruler of this world; and the Jews, of the soul. Whenever, therefore, the soul, having submitted to the passions, surrenders virtue to be subject to the habit of evil, it manifestly denies the kingdom of God, and goes over to the destructive tyranny of the devil.

77. The subjugation of the passions is not sufficient for the soul's spiritual gladness, unless it also acquires the virtues by the fulfillment of the commandments. For do not rejoice, He says, that the demons are subject to you—that is, the activities of the passions—but that your names are written in heaven; having been transferred to the state of dispassion by the grace of adoption through the virtues.

78. Absolutely necessary for the gnostic is the wealth of virtues acquired through practice. For he who has, He says, a purse—that is, spiritual knowledge—let him take also a bag—that is, the abundance of virtues which lavishly nourishes the soul. But he who has not, that is, a purse and a bag—that is, knowledge and virtue—let him sell his garment and buy a sword. Let him readily, He says, give over his own flesh to the labors of the virtues, and let him wisely wield, for the sake of the peace of God, the war against the passions and the demons; that is, the habit of distinguishing, by the word of God, the worse from the better.

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Θεοῦ δυναμένους· οἷς ἕως χρῶνται πρός κατανόησιν, οὐ δύνανται δίχα μεσότητος εἶναι καί μερικῆς καταλήψεως. Ἐπειδή δέ τό ἐκ μέρους τοῦ τελείου φανέντος καταργεῖται, καί τά ἔσοπτρα πάντα καί τά αἰνίγματα παρέρχονται, τῆς πρόσωπον πρός πρόσωπον παραγινομένης ἀληθείας, ὑπέρ πάντας ἔσται κόσμους καί αἰῶνας καί τόπους, οἷς τέως ὡς νήπιος ἐπαιδαγωγεῖτο, τελειωθείς κατά Θεόν ὁ σωζόμενος.

οα΄. Ὁ Πιλάτος, τοῦ κατά φύσιν τύπος ἐστί· τοῦ δέ γραπτοῦ νόμου, τό πλῆθος τῶν Ἰουδαίων. Ὁ τοίνυν κατά πίστιν ὑπέρ τούς δύο μή γενόμενος νόμους, οὐ δύναται δέξασθαι τήν ὑπέρ φύσιν καί λόγον ἀλήθειαν· ἀλλά σταυροῖ πάντως τόν Λόγον· ἤ ὡς Ἰουδαῖος, σκάνδαλον· ἤ ὡς Ἕλλην, μωρίαν ἡγούμενος τό Εὐαγγέλιον.

οβ΄. Ὅταν ἴδῃς Ἠρώδην καί Πιλάτον ἀλλήλοις φικιάζοντας ἐπί τῇ ἀναιρέσει τοῦ Ἰησοῦ, τότε νόει τήν εἰς αὐτό συνδρομήν· τοῦ τε τῆς πορνείας καί τῆς κενοδοξίας δαίμονος, ἐπί τῷ θανατῶσαι τόν λόγον τῆς ἀρετῆς καί τῆς γνώσεως, ἀλλήλοις συμφωνούντων. Ὁ μέν γάρ κενόδοξος δαίμων, πνευματικήν γνῶσιν ὑποκρινόμενος, παραπέμπει τῷ δαίμονι τῆς κενοδοξίας. ∆ιό, Λαμπράν περιθείς ἐσθῆτα, φησίν, ὁ Ἡρώδης, ἀνέπεμψε Πιλάτῳ τόν Ἰησοῦν.

ογ΄. Καλόν μή συχωρεῖν σαρκί καί πάθεσι προσανέχειν τόν νοῦν. Οὐ γάρ συλλέγουσι, φησίν, ἐξ ἀκανθῶν σῦκα· τουτέστιν, ἐκ παθῶν, ἀρετήν· οὔτε ἐκ βάτου σταφυλήν· τουτέστιν, ἐκ τῆς σαρκός, τήν εὐφραίνουσαν γνῶσιν.

οδ΄. ∆ιά τῆς ὑπομονῆς τῶν πειρασμῶν δοκιμαζόμενος ὁ ἀσκητής, καί διά τῆς σωματικῆς παιδαγωγίας καθαιρόμενος, καί διά τῆς ἐπιμελείας τῶν ὑψηλῶν θεωρημάτων τελειούμενος, ἀξιοῦται τῆς θείας παρακλήσεως. Κύριος γάρ,φησίν ὁ Μωϋσῆς, ἐκ Σινᾶ ἤκει· τουτέστιν, ἐκ τῶν πειρασμῶν· καί ἐπεφάνη (1112) ἡμῖν ἐκ Σηείρ· τουτέστιν, ἐκ τῶν σωματικῶν πόνων· καί κατέπαυσεν [lego κατέσπευσεν ut est in Sixt.] ἐξ ὄρους Φαράν σύν μυριάσι Κάδης· τουτέστιν, ἐξ ὄρους τῆς πίστεως [alii Regii, πτοήσεως, Fr. πτήσεως], σύν μυριάσιν ἁγίων γνώσεων.

οε΄. Ὁ Ἡρώδης, φρονήματος λόγον ἐπέχει σαρκός· ὁ δέ Πιλάτος, αἰσθήσεως· ὁ δέ Καῖσαρ τῶν αἰσθητῶν· οἱ δέ Ἰουδαῖοι, τῶν ψυχικῶν λογισμῶν.Ἐπειδάν οὖν ἐν ἀγνοίας ἡ ψυχή τοῖς αἰσθητοῖς προστεθῇ, προδίδωσι τῇ αἰσθήσει τόν Λόγον εἰς θάνατον, καθ᾿ ἑαυτῆς κυροῦσα δι᾿ ὁμολογίας, τήν τῶν φθαρτῶν βασιλείαν. Φασί γάρ οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι, Οὐκ ἔχομεν βασιλέα εἰ μή Καίσαρα.

οστ΄. Ὁ Ἡρώδης, ἐνεργείας τόπον ἐπέχει παθῶν· ὁ δέ Πιλάτος, τῆς ἐπ᾿ αὐτοῖς ἠπατημένης ἕξεως· ὁ δέ Καῖσαρ, τοῦ σκοτεινοῦ κοσμοκράτορος· οἱ δέ Ἰουδαῖοι, ψυχῆς. Ὁπηνίκα γοῦν ὑποκλιθεῖσα ψυχή τοῖς πάθεσι, τήν ἀρετήν παραδῷ τῇ ἕξει τῆςκακίας ὑποχείριον, τήν μέν τοῦ Θεοῦ προδήλως ἀρνεῖται βασιλείαν· πρός δέ τήν τοῦ διαβόλου μετέρχεται φθοροποιόν τυραννίδα.

οζ΄. Οὐκ ἀρκεῖ τῇ ψυχῇ πρός εὐφροσύνην πνευματικήν ἡ ὑποταγή τῶν παθῶν, εἰ μή τάς ἀρετάς κτήσηται τῇ πληρώσει τῶν ἐντολῶν. Μή χαίρετε γάρ, φησίν, ὅτι τά δαιμόνια ὑμῖν ὑποτάσσεται· τουτέστι, τά ἐνεργήματα τῶν παθῶν· ἀλλ᾿ ὅτι τά ὀνόματα ὑμῶν ἐγράφη ἐν οὐρανῷ· τῇ δι᾿ ἀρετῶν τῆς υἱοθεσίας χάριτι, πρός τόν τόπον τῆς ἀπαθείας μεταγραφέντα.

οη΄. Ἀναγκαῖος τῷ γνωστικῷ πάντως ἐστίν, ὁ διά πράξεως πλοῦτος τῶν ἀρετῶν. Ὁ ἔχων γάρ, φησί, βαλάντιον· τουτέστι, γνῶσιν πνευματικήν· ἀράτω ὁμοίως καί πήραν· τουτέστι, τήν δαψιλῶς τήν ψυχήν διατρέφουσαν τῶν ἀρετῶν ἀφθονίαν. Ὁ δέ μή ἔχων, βαλάντιον δηλονότι καί πήραν· τουτέστι, γνῶσιν καί ἀρετήν, πωλησάτω τό ἱμάτιον αὐτοῦ, καί ἀγορασάτω μάχαιραν. Ἐκδότω, φησί, προθύμως τήν ἑαυτοῦ σάρκα τοῖς πόνοις τῶν ἀρετῶν, καί μεταχειρισάσθω σοφῶς ὑπέρ τῆς εἰρήνης τοῦ Θεοῦ, τόν πρός τά πάθη καί τούς δαίμονας πόλεμον· ἤγουν τήν ἐν ῥήματι Θεοῦ διακρίνουσαν ἕξιν τό χεῖρον τοῦ κρείττονος.