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turns back the devil with shame, who suggests the aforementioned state, in which he, trusting with his own arrogance, came to the soul, exalting himself against the truth through proud thoughts; which the great David, having perhaps known and suffered and done this, he who above all had experience of the battle-array of noetic wars, "When the sinner," he says, "stood against me, I was made mute and was humbled, and I kept silent from good things;" and after him, the divine Jeremiah, commanding the people not to go out of the city, on account of the encircling sword of the enemies dwelling nearby.

πγ΄. And so the blessed Abel, if he had been on his guard, and had not gone out with Cain into the field; that is, into the breadth of natural contemplation; before apatheia, would not have risen up and killed him with guile, having stealthily attacked what is right according to the contemplation of beings before the perfect state, the law of the flesh, which is and is called Cain.

πδ΄. Likewise also Dinah, the daughter of the great Jacob, if she had not gone out with the daughters of the natives; that is, with the sensible fantasies; Shechem the son of Hamor would not have risen up and humbled her.

πε΄. It is good before the perfect state, for us not to touch natural contemplation, lest while seeking spiritual principles from visible creatures, we should unawares collect passions. For in the imperfect, the visible shapes of things seen have more power over the senses, than the principles of things created, which are hidden in the shapes, have over the soul. But those who, in a Judaic manner, have bound their mind to the letter alone, expect in this age the promises of incorruptible goods, being ignorant of the goods that are according to the nature of the soul.

πστ΄. (1253) He who has borne the image of the heavenly one, is eager to follow through all things the spirit of Holy Scripture, in which, through virtue and knowledge, the preservation of the soul exists; but he who bears the image of the earthly one, attends only to the letter; in which the worship of the body according to the senses consists, creating the passions.

πζ΄. The power of God is virtue, which destroys the passions and guards pious thoughts, which the practice of the commandments begets, through which, with the cooperation of God; or rather, by the power of God alone, we destroy the evil powers opposed to the good. And the height of God is the knowledge of the truth, which the labor of the contemplation of created things begets, and the sweats in the practice of virtues becoming fathers of labor; through which we completely obliterate the power of falsehood opposed to the truth, humbling and casting down every height of evil spirits that exalts itself against the knowledge of God. For just as practice begets virtue, so contemplation begets knowledge.

πη΄. Unforgettable knowledge, having an indefinite movement of the mind beyond intellection concerning the divine infinity, depicts through its indefiniteness the more than infinite glory of the truth; while the voluntary imitation of the wise goodness of providence, brings honor, the very clear assimilation of the mind to God in disposition, as far as is possible.

πθ΄. The tongue is a symbol of the gnostic energy of the soul; and the larynx, a proof of the natural self-love for the body. He, therefore, who has blamably joined these to each other, is not able to be mindful of the peaceful state according to virtue and knowledge, delighting in the confusion through his zeal for the passions of bodily pleasures.

τέσσ. ἀνοικ. ΄. The natural desires and pleasures, not bringing accusation to those who possess them, are established as a necessary consequence of natural appetite. For even when we do not wish it, any food at hand produces a natural pleasure, consoling a preceding want; and drink, repelling the annoyance of thirst; and sleep, renewing the power expended from being awake;

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ἀποστρέφει μετ᾿ αἰσχύνης τόν διάβολον, ὑποβαλλόμενον τήν εἰρημένην ἕξιν, ἐφ᾿ ᾗ πεποιθώς μετά τῆς οἰκείας ἀλαζονείας ἦλθε πρός τήν ψυχήν, διά τῶν ὑπερηφάνων λογισμῶν τῆς ἀληθείας κατεπαιρόμενος· ὅπερ τυχόν καί γνούς καί παθών καί ποιήσας ὁ μέγας ∆αβίδ, ὁ πάντων μάλιστα πεῖραν ἔχων τῆς τῶν νοητῶν πολέμων παρατάξεως, Ἐν τῷ συστῆναι, φησί, τόν ἁμαρτωλόν ἐναντίον μου , ἐκωφώθην καί ἐταπεινώθην, καί ἐσίγησα ἐξ ἀγαθῶν· καί μετ᾿ αὐτόν ὁ θεῖος Ἱερεμίας, προστάσσων τῷ λαῷ μή ἐκβῆναι τῆς πόλεως, διά τήν κύκλωσιν παροικοῦσαν τῶν ἐχθρῶν ῥομφαίαν.

πγ΄. Καί ὁ μακάριος τοίνυν Ἄβελ, εἴπερ ἐφυλάξατο, καί μή συνεξῆλθε τῷ Κάϊν ἐν τῷ πεδίῳ· τουτέστιν ἐν τῷ πλάτει τῆς φυσικῆς θεωρίας· πρό τῆς ἀπαθείας, οὐκ ἄν ἐπαναστάς ἀπέκτεινεν αὐτόν μετά δόλου, κλέψας τοῖς δεξιοῖς κατά τήν τῶν ὄντων θεωρίαν πρό τῆς τελαίας ἕξεως, ὁ τῆς σαρκός νόμος, ὁ Κάϊν καί ὤν καί καλούμενος.

πδ΄. Ὁμοίως καί ∆ίνα, ἡ τοῦ μεγάλου θυγάτηρ Ἰακώβ, εἰ μή συνεξῆλθε ταῖς θυγατράσι τῶν ἐγχωρίων· τουτέστι, ταῖς αἰσθητικαῖς φαντασίαις· οὐκ ἄνΣυχέμ ὁ υἱός Ἐμμόρ ἐπαναστάς αὐτήν ἐταπείνωσε.

πε΄. Καλόν ἐστι πρό τῆς τελείας ἕξεως, μή ἅπτεσθαι ἡμᾶς τῆς φυσικῆς θεωρίας, ἵνα μή λόγους ἐπιζητοῦντες πνευματικούς ἐκ τῶν ὁρωμένων κτισμάτων, λάθωμεν πάθη συλλέγοντες. Πλέον γάρ ἐν τοῖς ἀτελέσι δυναστεύει πρός τήν αἴσθησιν τά φαινόμενα σχήματα τῶν ὁρωμένων, ἤ πρός τήν ψυχήν οἱ κεκρυμμένοι τοῖς σχήμασι λόγοι τῶν γεγονότων. Οἱ μέντοι μόνῳ τῷ γράμματι προσδήσαντες Ἰουδαϊκῶς τήν διάνοιαν, κατά τόν αἰῶνα τοῦτον ἐκδέχονται τάς ἐπαγγελίας τῶν ἀκηράτων ἀγαθῶν, ἀγνοοῦντες τά κατά φύσιν τῆς ψυχῆς ἀγαθά.

πστ΄. (1253) Ὁ τήν εἰκόνα φορέσας τοῦ ἐπουρανίου, τῷ πνεύματι διά πάντων ἕπεσθαι σπεύδει τῆς ἁγίας Γραφῆς, ἐν ᾧ δι᾿ ἀρετῆς καί γνώσεως, ἡ τῆς ψυχῆς ὑπάρχει συντήρησις· ὁ δέ τήν εἰκόνα φορῶν τοῦ χοϊκοῦ, τό γράμμα μόνον περιέπει· ἐν ᾧ ἡ κατ᾿ αἴσθησιν πρός σῶμα λατρεία συνέστηκε τά πάθη δημιουργοῦσα.

πζ΄. Κράτος Θεοῦ καθέστηκεν, ἡ ἀναιρετική τῶν παθῶν ἀρετή, καί τῶν εὐσεβῶν φρουρητική λογισμῶν, ἥν γεννᾷ πρᾶξις ἐντολῶν, δι᾿ ἧς τάς ἀντικειμένας τῷ ἀγαθῷ πονηράς δυνάμεις, συνεργείᾳ Θεοῦ· μᾶλλον δέ μόνῃ δυνάμει Θεοῦ διαφθείρομεν. Ὕψος δέ Θεοῦ ἐστιν ἡ γνῶσις τῆς ἀληθείας, ἥν γεννᾷ τῆς τῶν γεγονότων θεωρίας ὁ πόνος, καί οἱ ἐπί τῇ πράξει τῶν ἀρετῶν ἱδρῶτες πόνου πατέρες γινόμενοι· δι᾿ ἧς τήν ἀντικειμένην τῇ ἀληθείᾳ τοῦ ψεύδους δύναμιν, παντελῶς ἐξαφανίζομεν, πᾶν ὕψωμα τῶν ἐπαιρομένων κατά τῆς γνώσεως τοῦ Θεοῦ πονηρῶν πνευμάτων ταπεινοῦντες καί καταβάλλοντες. Καί γάρ ὥσπερ ἡ πρᾶξις γεννᾷ τήν ἀρετήν, οὕτως ἡ θεωρία τήν γνῶσιν.

πη΄. Ἡ ἄληστος γνῶσις, ἀόριστον ἔχουσα περί τήν θείαν ἀπειρίαν τήν κατά νοῦν ὑπέρ νόησιν κίνησιν, εἰκονίζει διά τῆς ἀοριστίας τήν ὑπεράπειρον δόξαν τῆς ἀληθείας· ἡ δέ τῆς κατά τήν πρόνοιαν σοφῆς ἀγαθότητος αὐθαίρετος μίμησις, τιμήν φέρει τήν πρός τόν Θεόν τοῦ νοῦ κατά τήνδιάθεσιν ἀρίδηλον, ὡς ἔστι δυνατόν, ἐξομοίωσιν.

πθ΄. Ἡ γλῶσσα τῆς κατά ψυχήν γνωστικῆς ἐνεργείας ἐστί σύμβολον· ὁ δέ λάρυγξ, τῆς πρός τό σῶμα φυσικῆς φιλαυτίας τεκμήριον. Ὁ γοῦν ταῦτα ψεκτῶς κολλήσας ἀλλήλοις, μνησθῆναι τῆς κατ᾿ ἀρετήν καί γνῶσιν εἰρηνικῆς ἕξεως οὐ δύναται, τῇ συγχύσει διά σπουδῆς τῶν σωματικῶν ἡδόμενος παθῶν.

τέσσ. ἀνοικ. ΄. Αἱ κατά φύσιν ὀρέξεις καί ἡδοναί, μή φέρουσαι τοῖς κεκτημένοις διαβολήν, ὡς ἀναγκαῖον παρακολούθημα τῆς φυσικῆς ὀρέξεως καθεστήκασιν. Ἡδονήν γάρ κατά φύσιν ποιεῖ καί μή βουλομένων ἡμῶν, καί ἡ τυχοῦσα τροφή, προλαβοῦσαν ἔνδειαν παραμυθουμένη· καί πόσις, ἀποκρουομένη τοῦ δίψους τήν ὄχλησιν· καί ὕπνος, τήν ἐκ τῆς ἐγρηγόρσεως δαπανηθεῖσαν ἀνανεούμενος δύναμιν·