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acting, we do not fall at all from the right judgment of reason; the spirit of knowledge is the comprehension of the commandments and of the principles within them, according to which the modes of the virtues are constituted; the spirit of understanding is the assent to the modes and principles of the virtues, or to speak more properly, a transformation, according to which a blending of the natural powers (1277) with the modes and principles of the commandments occurs; the spirit of wisdom is the assumption of and union with the cause of the more spiritual principles in the commandments, according to which, being initiated unknowably and simply into the principles of beings that are in God, in a manner permissible to men, as from some gushing spring of the heart, we offer the truth in all things in various ways to other people.

40. From the things that are last from God, but near to us, we ascend to the first things, which are far from us, but near to God, in a path and an order. For from the inactivity of evil through fear, we come to the practice of the virtues through strength; and from the practice of the virtues, to the discernment of counsel; and from discernment, to the state of the virtues, that is, scientific knowledge; and from the state of the virtues, to the knowledge of the principles within the virtues themselves; and from this, to the transformative state with respect to the known principles of the virtues; I mean, understanding; and from this, to the simple and precise contemplation of the truth in all things; starting from which, out of the wise contemplation of the essences of both sensible and intelligible beings, we shall render many and various pious accounts concerning the truth.

41. The first good with respect to us in actuality, which is fear, the word of Scripture has enumerated last, as the beginning of wisdom, starting from which, we ascend toward the end of wisdom, which is understanding, after which we become near to God himself, having only wisdom mediating the union with him. For it is not possible for one to lay hold of wisdom, who has not first through fear, and the other intervening gifts, completely shaken off from himself both the filth of ignorance and the dust of evil. For this reason, the scriptural order has arranged wisdom as near to God, and fear as near to us, so that we might learn the definition and law of good order.

42. Ascending, therefore, through these eyes of faith, that is, illuminations, we are gathered into the divine monad of wisdom; gathering the division of the gifts that has come about for our sake toward the cause of the gifts, by the partial ascents of the virtues, leaving behind none of the aforementioned things with God's cooperation, lest by neglecting little by little, we should render our faith blind and eyeless, not having the illuminations that come through the works of the Spirit, and be justly punished for (1280) infinite ages, as having blinded, as much as was in our power, the divine eyes within ourselves according to faith.

43. Everyone who has gouged out such eyes of faith in himself through inactivity in the commandments is completely condemned, no longer having God looking upon him. For if the word, he says, calls the energies of the Spirit the eyes of the Lord, he who does not open them by the practice of the commandments does not have God looking upon him. For it is not in God’s nature to watch over those on earth through other eyes, as is likely, if our illumination according to virtue is a ray of divine vision.

44. Wisdom is a monad, indivisibly contemplated in the various virtues that come from it; and conceived in a single form in their energies; and again shown to be a simple monad, by the restorations of the virtues from it to it; when we, for whose sake it makes its procession according to the generation of each virtue, are gathered up anagogically through each virtue to it.

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πράττοντες, τῆς ὀρθῆς τοῦ λόγου κρίσεως οὐδαμῶς πίπτομεν· τό δέ πνεῦμα τῆς γνώσεως, ἡ τῶν ἐντολῶν καί τῶν ἐν αὐταῖς λόγων περίληψις, καθ᾿ οὕς οἱ τρόποι τῶν ἀρετῶν συνεστήκασι· πνεῦμα δέ συνέσεώς ἐστιν, ἡ πρός τούς τρόπους καί τούς λόγους τῶν ἀρετῶν συγκατάθεσις, ἤ κυριώτερον εἰπεῖν, μεταποίησις, καθ᾿ ἥν σύγκρασις γίνεται τῶν φυσικῶν δυνάμεων (1277) δυνάμεων πρός τούς τρόπους καί τούς λόγους τῶν ἐντολῶν· πνεῦμα δέ σοφίας ἐστίν, ἡ πρός τήν αἰτίαν τῶν ἐν ταῖς ἐντολαῖς πνευματικωτέρων λόγων ἀνάληψίς τε καί ἕνωσις, καθ᾿ ἥν ἀγνώστως τούς ἐν Θεῷ, κατά τό θεμιτόν ἀνθρώποις, ἁπλῶς μυούμενοι τῶν ὄντων λόγους, ὡς ἔκ τινος βλυστανούσης πηγῆς τῆς καρδίας, τήν ἐν τοῖς ὅλοις ἀλήθειαν ποικίλως τοῖς ἄλλοις ἀνθρώποις προσφέρομεν.

μ΄. Ἀπό μέν τῶν ἐκ Θεοῦ τελευταίων, ἡμῖν δέ προσεχῶν, ἐπί τά πρῶτα, καί ἡμῶν μέν πόῤῥω, τῷ δέ Θεῷ προσεχῆ, καθ᾿ ὁδόν καί τάξιν ἀναβαίνομεν. Ἀπό γάρ τῆς ἀργίας τῶν κακῶν διά φόβου, ἐπί τήν τῶν ἀρετῶν δι᾿ ἰσχύος ἐρχόμεθα πρᾶξιν· ἀπό δέ τῆς τῶν ἀρετῶν πράξεως, ἐπί τήν διάκρισιν τῆς βουλῆς· ἀπό δέ τῆς διακρίσεως, ἐπί τήν ἕξιν τῶν ἀρετῶν, ἤγουν ἐπιστήμην· ἀπό δέ τῆς ἕξεως τῶν ἀρετῶν, ἐπί τήν γνῶσιν τῶν ἐν αὐταῖς ταῖς ἀρεταῖς λόγων· ἀπό δέ ταύτης, εἰς τήν πρός τούς ἐγνωσμένους λόγους τῶν ἀρετῶν μεταποιητικήν ἕξιν· φημί δέ τήν σύνεσιν· καί ἀπό ταύτης, εἰς τήν ἁπλῆν τῆς ἐν ὅλοις ἀληθείας ἀκριβῆ θεωρίαν· ἀφ' ἧς ὁρμώμενοι, πολλούς καί ποικίλους ἐκ τῆς τῶν ὄντων αἰσθητῶν τε καί νοητῶν οὐσιῶν σοφῆς θεωρίας, εὐσεβεῖς λόγους περί τῆς ἀληθείας ἀποδώσομεν.

μα΄. Τό πρός ἡμᾶς κατ᾿ ἐνέργειαν πρῶτον ἀγαθόν, ὅπερ ἐστίν ὁ φόβος, τελευταῖον ἀπηριθμήσατο τῆς Γραφῆς ὁ λόγος, ὡς σοφίας ἀρχήν, ἀφ᾿ οὗ κινούμενοι, πρός τό τῆς σοφίας τέλος τήν σύνεσιν, ἀναβαίνομεν, μεθ᾿ ἥν προσεχεῖς αὐτῷ γινόμεθα τῷ Θεῷ, μόνην τήν σοφίαν τῆς πρός αὐτόν ἑνώσεως μεσιτεύουσαν ἔχοντες. Οὐ γάρ ἐστι δυνατόν ἐπιλαβέσθαι σοφίας, τόν μή πρότερον διά τοῦ φόβου, καί τῶν διά μέσου λοιπῶν χαρισμάτων, τήν τε λήμην τῆς ἀγνοίας, καί τόν τῆς κακίας κονιορτόν, ἑαυτοῦ παντελῶς ἀποσεισάμενον. ∆ιά τοῦτο Θεῷ μέν, προσεχῆ τήν σοφίαν, ἡμῖν δέ, τόν φόβον ἡ γραφική τάξις διέθηκεν, ἵνα ἡμεῖς εὐταξίας μάθωμεν ὅρον καί νόμον.

μβ΄. ∆ιά τούτων οὖν ἀναβαίνοντες τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν τῆς πίστεως, ἤγουν φωτισμῶν, πρός τήν θείαν τῆς σοφίας συναγόμεθα μονάδα· τήν γεγενημένην δι᾿ ἡμᾶς τῶν χαρισμάτων διαίρεσιν, πρός τήν αἰτίαν τῶν χαρισμάτων συνάγοντες, ταῖς κατά μέρος τῶν ἀρετῶν ἀναβάσεσι, μηδέν τῶν εἰρημένων συνεργίᾳ Θεοῦ παραλιμπάνοντες, ἵνα μή κατ᾿ ὀλίγον ἀμελοῦντες, τυφλήν ἡμῶν τήν πίστιν και ἀνόμματον καταστήσωμεν, οὐκ ἔχουσαν τούς διά τῶν ἔργων τοῦ Πνεύματος φωτισμούς, καί κολασθῶμεν δικαίως εἰς (1280) ἀπείρους αἰῶνας, ὡς ἐν ἑαυτοῖς κατά τήν πίστιν ὅσον τό ἐφ᾿ ἡμῖν, τούς θείους ἐκτυφλώσαντες ὀφθαλμούς.

μγ΄. Πᾶς ὁ τῆς πίστεως ἐν ἑαυτῷ διά τῆς ἀργίας τῶν ἐντολῶν τούς τοιούτους ἀνορύξας ὀφθαλμούς, πάντως κατάκριτος, μηκέτι τόν Θεόν ἔχων εἰς αὐτόν ἐπιβλέποντα. Εἰ γάρ τάς ἐνεργείας τοῦ Πνεύματος, φησίν, ὀφθαλμούς Κυρίου προσαγορεύει ὁ λόγος, ὁ μή τούτους τῇ πράξει τῶν ἐντολῶν διανοίγων, ἐπιβλέποντα τόν Θεόν ἐπ᾿ αὐτόν οὐκ ἔχει. ∆ι᾿ ἄλλων γάρ, ὡς εἰκός, ὀφθαλμῶν ἐπισκοπεῖν τούς ἐπί γῆς οὐ πέφυκεν ὁ Θεός, εἴπερ θείας ὁράσεως ἀκτίς ἐστιν, ὁ κατ᾿ ἀρετήν ἡμῶν φωτισμός.

μδ΄. Ἡ σοφία μονάς ἐστι, ταῖς ἐξ αὐτῆς διαφόροις ἀρεταῖς ἀτμήτως ἐνθεωρουμένη· καί μονοειδῶς ταῖς αὐτῶν ἐνεργείαις ἐπινοουμένη· καί πάλιν ἁπλῆ μονάς ἀποδεικνυμένη, ταῖς πρός αὐτήν τῶν ἐξ αὐτῆς ἀρετῶν ἀποκαταστάσεσιν· ὅταν ἡμεῖς, δι᾿ οὕς κατά τήν ἑκάστης ἀρετῆς γένεσιν ποιεῖται τήν πρόοδον, ἀνατατικῶς δι᾿ ἑκάστης ἀρετῆς πρός αὐτήν συναγόμεθα.