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to show him to be a knower of true knowledge of beings, according to the cause for which they exist; and of theological mystagogy, to make him by grace, according to his state, like God and equal, as far as possible, being no longer at all intelligent of any of the things after God, on account of his pre-eminence.

Four Openings, 5. Whatsoever the aether is, that is, the fiery element, in the sensible world, this in the world of the intellect is prudence, as an illuminating state, and receptive of the spiritual principles proper to each of the beings [edit. ἀποδεκτική], showing forth unerringly through them the cause in all things, and drawing the soul's desire for the divine; and whatsoever in the sensible world is the air, this in the world of the intellect is courage, as a motive state, at once cohesive and active for the innate life according to the spirit, and invigorating for the soul's perpetual motion towards the divine; and whatsoever in the sensible world is water, this in the world of the intellect is temperance, being a state productive of the vital fertility in the spirit, and generative of the ever-welling amorous charm of the desire for the divine; and whatsoever in the sensible world is the earth, this in the world of the intellect is justice, being a state generative according to species of all the principles in beings, and distributive of the vital transmission in the spirit according to what is equal for each; and the immutable [male edita, μετάθετος] establishment of its proper foundation in the good according to its position.

Four Openings, 6. Just as when the flesh is in good condition and fattened, the soul is tormented and darkened by the passions, as the state of the virtues and the illumination of knowledge withdraw; so also when the soul is guarded and illumined by the divine beauty of the virtues and by the illumination of knowledge, the outer man is corrupted, as the flesh, because of the indwelling of the Word, casts off its natural well-being.

Four Openings, 7. It was not possible otherwise for the one who became man to be shown a son of God and God according to the deification of grace, unless he were first born according to choice in the spirit, through the self-moving and sovereign power naturally uniting with him; which deifying and divine and immaterial birth, because he preferred the pleasing and manifest object of sense to the then intelligible and unseen goods, the first man, having neglected, is justly condemned to have the involuntary and material and mortal generation from bodies.

Four Openings, 8. (1392) Man is now moved, either by irrational fantasies of the passions out of deceit for the sake of pleasure-loving; or by the principles of the arts out of circumstance for the sake of need; or by natural principles from the law of nature for the sake of learning; none of which in the beginning drew man by necessity, since he was, reasonably, made above all things. For so it was fitting for him to be from the beginning, distracted by nothing at all of the things after him, or around him, or according to him, and in need of only one thing for perfection, namely, the unrestrained movement toward the one above him, I mean God, with his whole power of love.

Four Openings, 9. The first man had nothing set before him between God and himself for perception, and hindering the kinship to be born from his voluntary movement toward God through love. For being passionless by grace, he did not admit the deceit of the fantasies of passions through pleasure; and being without need [ male edita προσδεής], he was free from the circumstantial necessity of the arts for the sake of need; and being wise, he stood above the contemplation of nature on account of his knowledge.

100. God, who with wisdom established all nature, and secretly placed his knowledge in proportion to the power of each of the rational substances, has also given to us men, as a munificent Master, according to nature the desire for him and

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τοῖς οὖσι καθ᾿ ἥν αἰτίαν ὑπάρχουσιν, ἀληθοῦς γνώσεως αὐτόν ἐπιστήμονα δεῖξαι· τῆς δέ θεολογικῆς μυσταγωγίας, ὅμοιον Θεῷ καί ἴσον ὡς ἐφικτόν, τῇ χάριτι κατά τήν ἕξιν ποιῆσαι, μηδενός τό σύνολον ἔτι τῶν μετά Θεόν, διά τήν ὑπεροχήν ὄντα νοήμονα.

τέσσ. ἀνοικ. ε΄. Ὁπέρ ἐστιν ὁ αἰθήρ, ἤγουν τό πύριον στοιχεῖον, ἐν τῷ κατ᾿ αἴσθησιν κόσμῳ, τοῦτο ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ τῆς διανοίας ἐστίν ἡ φρόνησις, ὡς ἕξις φωτιστική, καί τῶν ἐφ᾿ ἑκάστου τῶν ὄντων ἰδίως πνευματικῶν λόγων ὑποδεκτική [edit. ἀποδεκτική], τήν ἐν ὅλοις ἀπλανῶς αἰτίαν δι᾿ αὐτῶν ἐκφαίνουσα, καί τῆς κατά ψυχήν περί τό θεῖον ἐφέσεως ἑλκτική· καί ὅπερ ἐν τῷ αἰσθητῷ κόσμῳ ἐστίν ὁ ἀήρ, τοῦτο ἐν τῶ κατά διάνοιαν κόσμῳ ἐστίν ἡ ἀνδρεία, ὡς ἕξις κινητική καί τῆς ἐμφύτου κατά πνεῦμα ζωῆς συνεκτική τε ἅμα καί δραστική, καί τῆς κατά ψυχήν περί τό θεῖον ἀεικινησίας τονωτική· καί ὅπερ ἐν τῷ αἰσθητῷ κόσμῳ ἐστί τό ὕδωρ, τοῦτο ἐν τῷ τῆς διανοίας κόσμῳ ἐστίν ἡ σωφροσύνη, ἕξιν ὑπάρχουσα τῆς ἐν πνεύματι ζωτικῆς γονιμότητος ποιητική, καί τῆς ἀειβλύστου κατά τήν ἔφεσιν περί τό θεῖον ἐρωτικῆς θέλξεως γεννητική· καί ὅπερ ἐν τῷ αἰσθητῷ κόσμῳ ἐστίν ἡ γῆ, τοῦτο ἐν τῷ τῆς διανοίας κόσμῳ ἐστίν ἡ δικαιοσύνη, ἕξις ὑπάρχουσα κατ᾿ εἶδος γεννητική πάντων τῶν ἐν τοῖς οὖσι λόγων, καί τῆς ἐν πνεύματι κατά τῷ ἴσον ἑκάστῳ ζωτικῆς διαδόσεως ἀπονεμητική· καί τῆς οἰκείας ἐν τῷ καλῷ κατά τήν θέσιν βάσεως ἀμετάθετος [male edita, μετάθετος] ἵδρυσις.

τέσσ. ἀνοικ. στ΄. Ὅσπερ σαρκός εὐεκτούσης καί πιαινομένης, τοῖς πάθεσιν ἡ ψυχή βασανίζεται καί σκοτίζεται, τῆς τῶν ἀρετῶν ἕξεως καί τοῦ φωτισμοῦ τῆς γνώσεως ὑποχωρούντων· οὕτω καί τῆς ψυχῆς τῷ θείῳ κάλλει τῶν ἀρετῶν, καί τῷ φωτισμῷ τῆς γνώσεως φρουρουμένης τε καί λαμπρυνομένης, ὁ ἔξω ἄνθρωπος διαφθείρεται, τῆς σαρκός διά τήν ἐπιδημίαν τοῦ λόγου τήν φυσικήν εὐεξίαν ἀποβαλλομένης.

τέσσ. ἀνοικ. ζ΄. Οὐκ ἦν δυνατόν ἄλλως υἱόν ἀποδειχθῆναι Θεοῦ καί Θεόν κατά τήν χάριτος θέωσιν, τόν γενόμενον ἄνθρωπον, μή πρότερον κατά προαίρεσιν γεννηθέντα τῷ πνεύματι, διά τήν ἑνοῦσαν αὐτῷ φυσικῶς αὐτοκίνητον καί ἀδέσποτον δύναμιν· ἥν τινα θεοποιόν καί θείαν καί ἄϋλον γέννησιν, διά τό προτιμῆσαι τῶν νοουμένων καί ἀδήλων τέως ἀγαθῶν τό κατ᾿ αἴσθησιν τερπνόν καί ἐπίδηλον, παραλιπών ὁ πρῶτος ἄνθρωπος, τήν ἐκ σωμάτων εἰκότως ἀπροαίρετον καί ὑλικήν καί ἐπίκηρον ἔχει καταδικάζεται γένεσιν.

τέσσ. ἀνοικ. η΄. (1392) Κινεῖται νῦν ὁ ἄνθρωπος, ἤ περί φαντασίας ἀλόγους παθῶν ἐξ ἀπάτης διά φιληδονίαν· ἤ περί λόγους τεχνῶν ἐκ περιστάσεως διά τήν χρείαν· ἤ περί φυσικούς λόγους ἐκ τοῦ νόμου τῆς φύσεως διά μάθησιν· ὧν οὐδέν κατ᾿ ἀρχάς ἐξανάγκης εἷλκε τόν ἄνθρωπον, εἰκότως, ὑπεράνω πάντων γενόμενον. Οὕτω γάρ ἔπρεπεν εἶναι τόν ἀπ᾿ ἀρχῆς, μηδενί τοσύνολον περισπώμενον τῶν μετ᾿ αὐτόν, ἤ περί αὐτόν, ἤ κατ᾿ αὐτόν, καί πρός τελείωσιν ἑνός μόνου προσδεόμενον, τῆς πρός τόν ὑπέρ αὐτόν, φημί δέ τόν Θεόν, καθ᾿ ὅλην τήν ἀγαπητικήν δύναμιν ἀσχέτου κινήσεως.

τέσσ. ἀνοικ. θ΄. Οὐδέν εἶχεν ὁ πρῶτος ἄνθρωπος μεταξύ Θεοῦ καί αὐτοῦ προβεβλημένον πρός εἴδησιν, καί κωλύον τήν δι᾿ ἀγάπης αὐθαίρετον κατά τήν πρός Θεόν κίνησιν γεννησομένην συγγένειαν. Ἀπαθής γάρ χάριτι ὤν, ἀπάτην παθῶν φαντασίας δι᾿ ἡδονῆς οὐ προσίετο· καί ἀπροσδεής [ male edita προσδεής] ὑπάρχων, τῆς περί τέχνας περιστατικῆς ἀνάγκης διά τήν χρείαν, ἐλεύθερος ἦν· καί σοφός ὤν, τῆς περί τήν φύσιν θεωρίας ὑπεράνω καθειστήκει διά τήν γνῶσιν.

ρ΄. Ὁ πᾶσαν μετά σοφίας τήν φύσιν ὑποστήσας Θεός, καί πρός τήν ἑκάστου τῶν λογικῶν οὐσιῶν δύναμιν τήν αὐτοῦ γνῶσιν κρυφίως ἐνθέμενος, δέδωκε καί ἡμῖν τοῖς ἀνθρώποις, ὡς μεγαλόδωρος ∆εσπότης, κατά φύσιν τόν εἰς αὐτόν πόθον καί