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71. The ascetic, perhaps perceiving the other demons more quickly, easily escapes the harm from them; but as for those who seem to cooperate in the course of virtue, and who wish, as it were, to build the temple for the Lord, what exceedingly lofty mind could perceive them, without the active and living Word that penetrates all things, and pierces even to the division of soul and spirit, that is, discerning which of the works or thoughts are psychical, that is, natural forms or movements of virtue, and which happen to be spiritual, that is, supernatural and characterizing God; but are given to nature by grace; of joints and marrow, knowing the wholly fitting or unfitting consent of virtuous ways to spiritual principles, and judging the thoughts and intentions of the hearts, that is, that is, the hidden dispositions in the depths concerning the aforesaid things, before whom no creature is hidden, in us who seem to be concealed; but all things are naked and laid bare, not only those that have been done and thought, but even those that will be done and thought by us.

72. By division of soul and spirit, he means the difference between the virtues that come from nature, of which we have the principles naturally; and those that come from the spirit, of which we receive the grace as a free gift. For the Word, in judging, makes a clear distinction between these.

73. The thoughts and intentions, of which the Word is judge, he says are the soul’s dispositions toward both the divine principles and the thoughts, and the causes of these very dispositions. For thought moves memory, to which disposition is proper; but intention looks to an end, which characterizes cause.

74. If God is knowledge by essence, and mind, to which knowledge is naturally subject, clearly precedes all knowledge; then God is beyond this, because He is established beyond all measure above every mind to which knowledge of any kind is naturally subject.

75. (1293) Who, not having the divine Word dwelling in the depth of his heart, will be able, having bowed to the unseen deceits of the demons’ hypocrisy against us, to stand completely alone, without any mixture, and to build the temple of the Lord, like the great Zerubbabel and Joshua and the leaders of the tribes, saying plainly with a loud voice to the deceitful spirits of pride and vainglory and people-pleasing and hypocrisy: “It is not for us and for you to build the house for the Lord our God; for we alone will build for the Lord of Israel”; knowing that their admixture causes the ruin and demolition of the whole building, and plunders the grace from the beauty of the divine offerings.

76. No one who has one of the aforementioned demons partaking in his virtue can build it for the Lord; for he does not have God as the end of his actions, whom he would behold while carrying it out; but the passion, which he establishes through it.

77. The demons who fight through a lack of virtue are those who teach fornication and drunkenness, avarice and envy; but those who fight through excess are they who teach conceit and vainglory and pride, and through things of the right hand covertly introduce things of the left.

78. Would that we too might always say to the spirits of wickedness who invisibly attack us under the pretense of spiritual friendship, and who secretly wish to work the death of sin through the good, and say: “We will build the temple with you for your Lord”; “It is not for us and for you to build the house for the Lord our God; for we alone will build for the Lord of Israel.” Alone, indeed, because having been freed from the spirits who fight through a lack of virtue, which we have also cast out, we do not wish through excesses by

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οα΄. Τούς μέν ἄλλους δαίμονας, τάχιον ἴσως ὁ ἀσκητής καταλαβόμενος, ῥᾳδίως τήν ἐξ αὐτῶν βλάβην διαδιδράσκει· τούς δέ δοκοῦντας συνεργεῖν τῷ δρόμῳ τῆς ἀρετῆς, καί οἷον συνοικοδομεῖν βουλομένους τόν ναόν Κυρίῳ, τίς ἀν τῶν ἄγαν ὑψηλῶν καταλάβοι νοῦς, χωρίς τοῦ διά πάντων χωροῦντος ἐνεργοῦς λόγου καί ζῶντος, καί διικνουμένου ἄχρι μερισμοῦ ψυχῆς καί πνεύματος, τουτέστι, διαγινώσκοντος τίνα τῶν ἔργων ἤ νοημάτων εἰσί ψυχικά, τουτέστιν εἶδη φυσικά τῆς ἀρετῆς ἤ κινήματα, καί τίνα τυγχάνει πνευματικά, τουτέστιν, ὑπέρ φύσιν καί Θεόν χαρακτηρίζοντα· τῇ φύσει δέ κατά χάριν διδόμενα· ἁρμῶν τε καί μυελῶν, τήν πρός τούς πνευματικούς λόγους τῶν κατ᾿ ἀρετήν τρόπων, ἁρμόδιον ἤ ἀναρμόδιον διόλου σύννευσιν ἐπισταμένου, κρίνοντός τε τάς ἐνθυμήσεις καί τάς ἐννοίας τῶν καρδιῶν, τουτέστι, τουτέστι, τάς ἐπί τοῖς εἰρημένοις ἀφανεῖς κατά τό βάθος σχέσεις, ᾧ οὐκ ἔστι κτίσις ἀφανής, ἐν ἡμῖν τοῖς λανθάνειν δοκοῦσι· πάντα δέ γυμνά καί τετραχηλισμένα, οὐ μόνον τά γεγενημένα τε καί νενοημένα, ἀλλ᾿ ἤδη καί τά γεννησόμενα παρ᾿ ἡμῶν καί νοηθησόμενα.

οβ΄. Μερισμόν ψυχῆς καί πνεύματος λέγει, τήν διαφοράν τῶν ἐκ φύσεως ἀρετῶν, ὧν φυσικῶς ἔχομεν τούς λόγους· καί τῶν ἐκ πνεύματος, ὧν κατά δωρεάν δεχόμεθα τήν χάριν. Τούτων γάρ εὐκρινῶς τήν διαστολήν ποιεῖται κρίνων ὁ λόγος.

ογ΄. Τάς ἐνθυμήσεις καί τάς ἐννοίας, ὧν ἐστι κριτικός ὁ λόγος, φησίν εἶναι τάς τῆς ψυχῆς ἐπί τε τοῖς θείοις λόγοις καί τοῖς λογισμοῖς σχέσεις, καί τάς αὐτῶν δηλαδή τῶν σχέσεων αἰτίας. Ἡ γάρ ἐνθύμησις, κινεῖ μνήμην, ἧς οἰκεῖον ἡ σχέσις· ἡ δέ ἔννοια πέρας ἀποσκοπεῖ, ὅπερ αἰτίαν χαρακτηρίζει.

οδ΄. Εἰ κατ᾿ οὐσίαν γνῶσίς ἐστιν ὁ Θεός, προηγεῖται δέ σαφῶς πάσης γνώσεως νοῦς, ᾧ καί ὑποπίπτειν πέφυκεν· ἅρα ὑπέρ ταύτην ἐστίν ὁ Θεός, ὅτι καί ὑπέρ πάντα νοῦν, ᾧ γνῶσις καθ᾿ ὁτιοῦν πέφυκεν ὑποπίπτειν, ὑπεραπείρως καθέστηκε.

οε΄. (1293) Τίς τόν θεῖον οὐκ ἔχων ἐνοικοῦντα λόγον τῷ βάθει τῆς καρδίας, δυνήσεται τούς ἀφανεῖς δόλους τῆς καθ᾿ ἡμῶν ὑποκρίσεως τῶν δαιμόνων ὑποκλίνας, στῆναι καθ᾿ ἑαυτόν μονώτατος, χωρίς τινος ἐπιμιξίας, καί οἰκοδομῆσαι τοῦ Κυρίου τόν ναόν, κατά τόν μέγαν Ζοροβάβελ καί τόν Ἰησοῦν καί τούς ἡγουμένους τῶν πατριῶν, φάσκοντας διαῤῥήδην μεγάλη τῇ φωνῇ τοῖς ἀπατεῶσι πνεύμασι τῆς ὑπερηφανίας καί τῆς κενοδοξίας καί τῆς ἀνθρωπαρεσκίας καί τῆς ὑποκρίσεως· Οὐχ ἡμῖν καί ὑμῖν τοῦ οἰκοδομῆσαι τόν οἶκον Κυρίῳ τῷ Θεῷ ἡμῶν· ἡμεῖς γάρ μόνοι οἰκοδομήσομεν τῷ Κυρίῳ τοῦ Ἰσραήλ· γινώσκων ὡς ἡ τούτων ἐπιμιξία, τῆς ὅλης οἰκοδομῆς ποιεῖται φθοράν καί καθαίρεσιν, καί συλᾷ τῆς τῶν θείων ἀναθημάτων εὐπρεπείας τήν χάριν.

οστ΄. Οὐδείς δύναταί τινα τῶν εἰρημένων δαιμόνων ἔχων τήν ἀρετήν συμμετερχόμενον, ταύτην τῷ Κυρίῳ οἰκοδομῆσαι· οὐ γάρ ἔχει τόν Θεόν τῶν γινομένων τέλος, ὅν θεώμενος ταύτην διέξεισι· ἀλλά τό πάθος, ὅπερ διά ταύτης συνίστησιν.

οζ΄. Οἱ κατ᾿ ἔλλειψιν ἀρετῆς πολεμοῦντες, δαίμονές εἰσιν, οἱ πορνείαν καί μέθην, φυλαργυρίαν τε καί φθόνον διδάσκοντες· οἱ δέ καθ᾿ ὑπερβολήν πολεμοῦντες, εἰσίν οἱ τήν οἴησιν καί τήν κενοδοξίαν καί τήν ὑπερηφανίαν διδάκοντες, καί διά τῶν δεξιῶν τοῖς ἀριστεροῖς ἐπικεκρυμμένως ἐμπείροντες.

οη΄. Εἴθε γένοιτο καί ἡμᾶς ἀεί λέγειν τοῖς ἐν πλάσματι φιλίας πνευματικῆς ἀοράτως προσβάλλουσι πνεύμασι τῆς πονηρίας, καί διά τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ λεληθότως βουλομένοις κατεργάσασθαι τῆς ἁμαρτίας τόν θάνατον καί λέγουσι· Συνοικοδομήσομεν ὑμῖν τόν ναόν τῷ Κυρίῳ ὑμῶν· Οὐχ ἡμῖν καί ὑμῖν τοῦ οἰκοδομῆσαι τόν οἶκον Κυρίῳ τῷ Θεῷ ἡμῶν· ἡμεῖς γάρ μόνοι οἰκοδομήσομεν τῷ Κυρίῳ τοῦ Ἰσραήλ. Μόνοι μέν, ὅτι τῶν κατ᾿ ἔλλειψιν τῆς ἀρετῆς πολεμούντων ἐλευθερωθέντες πνευμάτων, ὧν καί ἐκβεβήκαμεν, οὐ βουλόμεθα ταῖς ὑπερβολαῖς δι᾿