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75. Every soul will be stripped of the visible body; but of [the body] of sin, the few who have also enjoyed the pleasures of life here.

76. All will be seen as dead from among the living; but only those who have hated it from disposition will be made dead to sin.

77. Who might see himself stripped of sin before the common death of the body? And who is he that has known both himself and his own nature, what it is, before the future stripping?

Prayer knows how to unite here to the Bridegroom a soul wounded with bridal love.

78. The rational soul, situated on the boundary of the sensible and intelligible light, through

the one, was permitted to see and do the things of the body; but through the other, to do the things of the spirit. But since the latter was dimmed for it, and the former was made clear, on account of its original habit, unless it becomes wholly with the intelligible in prayer, it cannot gaze completely on divine things. And it is necessary for it to be on the borderland of darkness and light; occupied by relation with the one, but by imagination with the other.

79. Let prayer remain with the mind, as a ray with the sun; without which the cares of the senses, flying about like certain waterless clouds, keep the mind from its proper brightness.

80. Inside the narrow gate of prayer, a passionate mind cannot enter, before abandoning cares related to possessions; but being occupied around its outer tents, it will be in pain forever.

81. The power of prayer is voluntary hunger for food; and of hunger, it is neither to see, nor to hear anything of worldly things, unless there be every necessity. He who does not take care of these things has not strengthened the edifice of fasting; and has caused that of prayer to collapse upon it.

82. Unless the mind becomes free from all things of the senses, it cannot be borne upwards, and recognize its own dignity.

83. Prayer puts outside the soul all the thoughts that are hostile to it, being empowered by tears; (1420) but distraction of the mind brings them back in, being strengthened by the law of jesting; he who banishes this has also co-banished the evil that is the universal cause of forwardness.

84. Fasting is a symbol of the day, on account of its manifest nature; and prayer, of the night, on account of its hidden nature. Therefore, he who justly pursues each of these in each, will come to the city of the spies, in which pain, sorrow, and sighing have fled away in Christ.

85. Spiritual work is of a nature to be established even apart from bodily work. Blessed, therefore, is he who considers immaterial work to be better than material work. For through it he has fulfilled the lack of work, living the hidden life of prayer, which is manifest to God.

86. The Apostle exhorts us to endure in faith; to rejoice in hope, to persevere in prayer, so that the good of joy may remain with us. If this is so, then he who does not endure is not faithful; and he who does not rejoice is not hopeful; for he has cast away the cause of joy, prayer, by not persevering in it.

87. If the mind, having associated from the beginning with worldly thoughts, has acquired such a great friendship with them, how much intimacy will it not have in continuous prayer; for in those things, he says, in which it lingers, in them it is also accustomed to broaden.

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οε΄. Τοῦ μέν ὁρωμένου σώματος, πᾶσα ψυχή γυμνωθήσεται· τοῦ δέ τῆς ἁμαρτίας, οἱ τῆς ἐνταῦθα ζωῆς ὀλίγοι τῶν ἡδέων προσαπολαύσαντες.

οστ΄. Νεκροί μέν ἐκ ζώντων πάντες ὀφθήσονται· νεκρωθήσονται δέ τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ μόνοι οἱ ἐκ διαθέσεως ταύτην μισήσαντες.

οζ΄. Τίς ἑαυτόν πρό τοῦ κοινοῦ θανάτου τοῦ σώματος ἴδοι τῆς ἁμαρτίας γυμνόν; καί τίς ὁ γνούς αὐτόν τε καί τήν ἰδίαν φύσιν, ὁποία ἐστί πρό τῆς μελλούσης γυμνώσεως;

Ψυχήν ἔρωτι νυμφικῷ τετρωμένην, Εὐτή συνάπτειν οἶδεν ὦδε νυμφίῳ. οη΄. Τοῦ αἰσθητοῦ τε καί νοεροῦ φωτός ἡ λογική ἐν μεθορίῳ κειμένη ψυχή, διά

μέν τούτου, ὁρᾷν καί πράττειν τά τοῦ σώματος ἐπετράπη· δι᾿ ἐκείνου δέ, πράττειν τά τοῦ πνεύματος. Ἀλλ᾿ ἐπειδή ἠμαυρώθη μέν αὐτῇ ἐκεῖνο, ἐτρανώθη δέ τοῦτο, διά τήν ἀρχῆθεν συνήθειαν, εἰ μή ὅλως μετά τοῦ νοεροῦ ἐν τῇ εὐχῇ γένηται, ὁλικῶς τοῖς θείοις ἐνατενίζειν οὐ δύναται. Ἀνάγκη δέ εἶναι αὐτήν ἐν μεταιχμίῳ σκότους καί φωτός· κατά σχέσιν μέν τούτου, κατά δέ φαντασίαν ἐκείνου ἀναστρεφομένην.

οθ΄. Συμπαραμενέτω τῷ νῷ ἡ εὐχή, ὡς ἐν ἡλίῳ ἀκτίς· ἧς ἄνευ αἱ κατ᾿ αἴσθησιν μέριμναι, οἷά τινες ἄνυδροι νεφέλαι περιπετόμεναι, τόν νοῦν εἴργουσι τῆς οἰκείας λαμπρότητος.

π΄. Ἔνδον τῆς κατά τήν εὐχήν στενῆς πύλης, νοῦς παθητικός οὐ δύναται εἰσελθεῖν, πρό τοῦ τήν κατά σχέσιν ἀπολιπεῖν μέριμναι· περί δέ τά περισκήνια ἐκείνης, ὀδυνηθήσεται διά παντός ἀσχολούμενος.

πα΄. ∆ύναμις μέν εὐχῆς πείνα βρωμάτων ἑκούσιος· πείνης δέ, τό μήτε ὁρᾷν, μήτε ἀκούειν, ὅτι μή πᾶσα ἀνάγκη, τῶν ἐγκοσμίων οὐδέν. Τούτων ὁ μή ποιούμενος πρόνοιαν, τό μέν τῆς νηστείας οὐκ ἐστρέωσεν οἰκοδόμημα· τό δέ τῆς εὐχῆς ἐν αὐτῇ περιῤῥαγῆναι ἐποίησεν.

πβ΄. Ἀπέριττος εἰ μή ἐκ πάντων ὁ νοῦς τῶν κατ᾿ αἴσθησιν γένηται, ἀνωφερής γνέσθαι οὐ δύναται, καί τό οἰκεῖον γνωρίσαι ἀξίωμα.

πγ΄. Ἔξω μέν ποιεῖται τῆς ψυχῆς ἡ εὐχή, πάντας τούς ἐχθραίνοντας αὐτῇ λογισμούς, δυναμουμένη τοῖς δάκρυσιν· (1420) ἀντεισάγει δέ τούτους ὁ μετεωρισμός τοῦ νοός, νόμῳ εὐτραπελίας ἐνδυναμούμενος· ἥν ὁ ἐξορίζων, συνεξόριστον καί τό παναίτιον πεποίηκε τῆς παῤῥησίας κακόν.

πδ΄. Ἡμέρας μέν σύμβολον ἡ νηστεία, διά τό ἔκδηλον· νυκτός δέ διά τό ἄδηλον, ἡ εὐχή. Ἑκατέραν οὖν τούτων ἐν ἑκατέρᾳ ἐνδίκως ὁ μετερχόμενος, πρός τήν τῶν κατασκόπων ἀπαντήσεται πόλιν, ἐν ᾗ ἀπέδρα ὀδύνη, λύπη καί στεναγμός ἐν Χριστῷ.

πε΄. Ἡ πνευματική ἐργασία, καί σωματικοῦ ἔργου ἐκτός συνίστασθαι πέφυκε. Μακάριος οὖν ὁ κρείσσονα τοῦ ἐνύλου ἔργου, τήν ἄϋλον ἡγησάμενος ἐργασίαν. ∆ι᾿ αὐτῆς γάρ τήν τοῦ ἔργου ἐπλήρωσεν ἔλλειψιν, ζήσας τήν κεκρυμμένην ζωήν τῆς εὐχῆς καί φανεράν τῷ Θεῷ.

πστ΄. Ὑπομένειν μέν ἡμᾶς τῇ πίστει παρακαλεῖ ὁ Ἀπόστολος· χαίρειν τῇ ἐλπίδι, τῇ προσευχῇ προσκαρτερεῖν, ἵνα τό τῆς χαρᾶς ἡμῖν παραμείνῃ καλόν. Εἰ δέ τοῦτο, ἄρα ὁ μή ὑπομένων, οὐ πιστός· ὁ δέ οὐ χαίρων, οὐκ εὔελπις· ἀπεβάλετο γάρ τήν αἰτίαν τῆς χαρᾶς προσευχήν, ἐν τῷ μή προσκαρτερεῖν ἐν αὐτῇ.

πζ΄. Εἰ τοῖς ἐγκοσμίοις λογισμοῖς ὁ νοῦς ἐξ ἀρχῆς συναναστραφείς, τοσαύτην ἐν αὐτοῖς τήν φιλίαν ἐκτήσατο, πόσην οὐκ ἄν οἰκειότητα σχῇ ἐν εὐχῇ συνεχεῖ· καί γάρ ἐν οἷς, φησί, χρονίζει, ἐν αὐτοῖς καί πλατύνεσθαι εἴωθεν.