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27. Seeking is the primary and simple movement of the mind towards its own cause with desire; but investigation is the primary and simple discrimination of reason concerning its own cause with a certain concept. Again, searching out is the cognitive movement of the mind according to knowledge towards its own cause with a certain fervent desire; but searching through is the discrimination of reason according to the activity of the virtues concerning its own cause, which comes about with a certain prudent and wise concept.

28. (1316) The holy and divine prophets, having searched out and searched through concerning the salvation of souls, had an ardent and fervent movement of the mind towards God according to desire, with knowledge and understanding, and a prudent and wise discrimination of reason according to the activity of divine things; those who imitate them search out the salvation of souls with understanding and knowledge, and searching through with prudence and wisdom, they pursue discrimination in divine works.

29. Reason knows a twofold knowledge of divine things: the one, relative, as consisting in reason alone and in concepts, and not having perception through experience of that which is known according to activity, through which we are governed during the present life; the other, properly true, [resting] on experience alone, according to activity without reason and concepts, providing the entire perception of that which is known through participation by grace, through which, at the future end, we receive the deification beyond nature which is unceasingly actualized. And they say that the relative knowledge, as consisting in reason and in concepts, is kinetic, [arousing] desire for knowledge through participation according to activity; but that [knowledge] according to activity, providing perception of that which is known through participation by means of experience [male edita, ἔφεσιν, cupiditatem], takes away the knowledge consisting in reason and in concepts.

30. To say that knowledge is twofold, the one, consisting in reason and divine concepts, not having in appearance a present perception of the things conceived; the other, having only according to activity, without reason and concepts, the enjoyment in appearance of true things. For since reason is by nature suited to signify the known through knowledge, it moves the desire of those moved by it toward the enjoyment of what has been signified.

31. The wise say that it is impossible for the reason concerning God to coexist with the experience of God, or the concept concerning Him with the perception of God. And by reason concerning God, I mean the analogy from existing things of the cognitive contemplation concerning Him; and by perception, the experience in participation of the goods beyond nature; (1317) and by concept, the simple and unified knowledge concerning Him from existing things; and perhaps this is also known with respect to everything else; if indeed the experience of this thing puts an end to the reason concerning it; and the perception of this thing renders the concept concerning it idle. And I call experience, knowledge itself according to activity, which comes after all reason; and perception, the very participation of the thing known, which is manifested after all conception. And perhaps teaching this mystically, the great Apostle says: Whether prophecies, they will be done away; whether tongues, they will cease; whether knowledge, it will be done away, speaking clearly about the knowledge that consists in reason and in concepts.

32. It was truly necessary for the creator of the essence of beings according to nature, to also become by grace the author of the deification of what has come into being; so that the giver of being might also appear as the bestower of eternal well-being. Since, therefore, none of the beings knows at all itself or another what it is in essence, it is reasonable that no being has by nature the foreknowledge of any of the things that will be, except God who is beyond beings, who both knows Himself, what He is in essence, and of all the things made by Him, He foreknew their existence before they came to be; and who is going to grant generously by grace to beings [to know] their own, and others', what in essence

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κζ΄. Ζήτησίς ἐστιν ἡ τοῦ νοῦ πρώτη τε καί ἁπλῆ πρός τήν ἰδίαν αἰτίαν μετ᾿ ἐφέσεως κίνησις· ἐρεύνησις δέ ἐστιν, ἡ πρώτη τε καί ἁπλῆ τοῦ λόγου περί τήν ἰδίαν αἰτίαν μετά τινος ἐννοίας διάκρισις. Ἐκζήτησις δέ πάλιν ἐστίν,ἡ τοῦ νοῦ κατ᾿ ἐπιστήμην γνωστική πρός τήν ἰδίαν αἰτίαν μετά τινος ζεούσης ἐφέσεως κίνησις· ἐξερεύνησις δέ ἐστιν, ἡ τοῦ λόγου κατ᾿ ἐνέργειαν τῶν ἀρετῶν περί τήν ἰδίαν αἰτίαν μετά τινος ἔμφρονος καί σοφῆς ἐννοίας γινομένη διάκρισις.

κη΄. (1316) Οἱ ἅγιοι καί θεῖοι προφῆται, περί τῆς σωτηρίας τῶν ψυχῶν ἐκζητήσαντές τε καί ἐξερευνήσαντες, διάπυρον εἶχον καί ζέουσαν μετ᾿ ἐπιστήμης καί γνώσεως πρός τόν Θεόν τήν τοῦ νοῦ κατ᾿ ἔφεσιν κίνησιν, καί ἔμφρονα καί σοφήν τήν τοῦ λόγου κατά τήν ἐνέργειαν τῶν θείων διάκρισιν· οὕς οἱ μιμούμενοι, μετά γνώσεως καί ἐπιστήμης τήν τῶν ψυχῶν ἐκζητοῦσι σωτηρίαν, καί μετά φρονήσεως καί σοφίας ἐξερευνῶντες, μετέρχονται τήν ἐν τοῖς θείοις ἔργοις διάκρισιν.

κθ΄. ∆ιττήν οἶδε τήν τῶν θείων γνῶσιν ὁ λόγος, τήν μέν, σχετικήν, ὡς ἐν λόγῳ μόνῳ κειμένην καί νοήμασι, καί τήν κατ᾿ ἐνέργειαν τοῦ γνωσθέντος διά πείρας οὐκ ἔχουσαν αἴσθησιν, δι᾿ ἧς κατά τήν παροῦσαν ζωήν οἰκονομούμεθα· τήν δέ, κυρίως ἀληθινήν, ἐπί μόνῃ τῇ πείρᾳ, κατ᾿ ἐνέργειαν δίχα λόγου καί νοημάτων, ὅλην τοῦ γνωσθέντος κατά χάριν μεθέξει παρεχομένην τήν αἴσθησιν, δι᾿ ἧς κατά τήν μέλλουσαν λῆξιν, τήν ὑπέρ φύσιν ὑποδεχόμεθα θέωσιν ἀπαύστως ἐνεργουμένην. Καί τήν μέν σχετικήν, ὡς ἐν λόγῳ κειμένην καί τοῖς νοήμασι, κινητικήν εἶναί φασι, τῆς πρός τήν μεθέξει κατ᾿ ἐνέργειαν γνῶσιν ἐφέσεως· τήν δέ κατ᾿ ἐνέργειαν, διά τῆς πείρας μεθέξει παρεχομένην τοῦ γνωσθέντος τήν αἴσθησιν [male edita, ἔφεσιν, cupiditatem], ἀφαιρετικήν εἶναι τῆς ἐν λόγῳ κειμένης καί νοήμασι γνώσεως.

λ΄. ∆ιττήν εἶναι λέγειν τήν γνῶσιν, τήν μέν, ἐν λόγῳ κειμένην καί θείοις νοήμασι, κατ᾿ εἶδος παροῦσαν τήν αἴσθησιν τῶν νοηθέντων οὐκ ἔχουσαν· τήν δέ, κατ᾿ ἐνέργειαν μόνην ἔχουσαν, δίχα λόγου καί νοημάτων τῶν ἀληθῶν τήν κατ᾿ εἶδος ἀπόλαυσιν. Ἐπειδή γάρ διά γνώσεως ὁ λόγος τό γνωστόν πέφυκεν ὑποσημαίνειν, κινεῖ τήν ἔφεσιν τῶν δι᾿ αὐτοῦ κινουμένων, πρός τήν τοῦ σημανθέντος ἀπόλαυσιν.

λα΄. Ἀμήχανον εἶναί φασιν οἱ σοφοί, συνυπάρχειν τῇ πείρᾳ τοῦ Θεοῦ, τόν περί αὐτοῦ λόγον, ἤ τῇ αἰσθήσει τοῦ Θεοῦ, τήν περί αὐτοῦ νόησιν. Λόγον δέ περί Θεοῦ φημι, τήν ἐκ τῶν ὄντων ἀναλογίαν τῆς περί αὐτοῦ γνωστικῆς θεωρίας· αἴσθησιν δέ, τήν ἐν τῇ μεθέξει πεῖραν τῶν ὑπέρ φύσιν ἀγαθῶν· (1317) νόησιν δέ, τήν ἐκ τῶν ὄντων ἁπλῆν περί αὐτοῦ καί ἐνιαίαν γνῶσιν· τάχα δέ καί ἐπ᾿ ἄλλου παντός τοῦτο γνωρίζεται· εἴπερ ἡ τοῦδε τοῦ πράγματος πεῖρα, τόν περί αὐτοῦ καταπαύει λόγον· καί ἡ τοῦδε τοῦ πράγματος αἴσθησις, τήν περί αὐτοῦ σχολάζουσαν ἐργάζεται νόησιν. Πεῖραν δέ λέγω, αὐτήν τήν κατ᾿ ἐνέργειαν γνῶσιν, τήν μετά πάντα λόγον ἐπιγινομένην· αἴσθησιν δέ, αὐτήν τοῦ γνωσθέντος τήν μέθεξιν, τήν μετά πᾶσαν νόησιν ἐκφαινομένην. Καί τοῦτο τυχόν μυστικῶς διδάσκων ὁ μέγας Ἀπόστολος, φησίν· Εἴτε δέ προφητεῖαι καταργηθήσονται, εἴτε γλῶσσαι παύσονται, εἴτε γνῶσις καταργηθήσεται, περί τῆς ἐν λόγῳ κειμένης καί νοήμασι γνώσεως δηλονότι φάσκων.

λβ΄. Ἐχρῆν ὡς ἀληθῶς τόν κατά φύσιν τῆς τῶν ὄντων οὐσίας δημιουργόν, καί τῆς κατά χάριν αὐτουργόν γενέσθαι τῶν γεγονότων θεώσεως· ἵνα ὁ τοῦ εἶναι δοτήρ, φανῆ καί τοῦ ἀεί εὖ εἶναι χαριστικός. Ἐπεί οὖν οὐδέν τῶν ὄντων ἑαυτό τοπαράπαν, ἤ ἄλλο γινώσκει ὅ τί ποτε κατ᾿ οὐσίαν ἐστίν, εἰκότως οὐδέ τῶν γενησομένων οὐδενός οὐδέν τῶν ὄντων, ἔχει κατά φύσιν τήν πρόγνωσιν, πλήν τοῦ ὑπέρ τά ὄντα Θεοῦ, καί ἑαυτόν γινώσκοντος, ὅ τι κατ᾿ οὐσίαν ἐστί, καί πάντων τῶν ὑπ᾿ αὐτοῦ πεποιημένων, καί πρίν γενέσθαι προεγνωκότος τήν ὕπαρξιν· καί μέλλοντος κατά χάριν φιλοτιμεῖσθαι τοῖς οὖσι τήν ἑαυτῶν, καί ἄλλων, ὅ τί ποτε κατ᾿ οὐσίαν