474

renders it, and the soul is the same, but no longer tangible, just as incandescent iron is not, to external touches.

104. Blessed is he who in this life has been deemed worthy to be thus contemplated, and has seen the same statue, by nature of clay, become fiery by grace.

105. For those being initiated, the law of prayer is imposed like a master; but for the advanced, it is like a desire that drives a hungry man to a sumptuous feast.

106. For those who rightly pursue the active life, prayer is at one time like an overshadowing cloud, warding off from them searing thoughts; and at another time, sprinkling them with drops as of tears, it reveals spiritual contemplations.

107. A song will be found to be the sweetening of a lyre that is struck by someone from without; but a soul, when the mystical invocation in the spirit does not come together with it in prayer, is not naturally shown to be full of compunction. For the saying, "For we do not know what to pray for as we ought," and what follows, leads the one praying to this.

By the same author. The mind of gnostic contemplation is enlightened, raised on high by encountering these sayings. 108. It is necessary for the gnostic to know when his mind is in the region of

thoughts; and when in that of reasonings; and when in that which is according to sense-perception. And in this last, again, whether it is found more in things that are timely, or in things that are untimely.

109. When the mind is not in thoughts, it is certainly in reasonings; but when it is in reasonings, it is not in thoughts. But when it has come to be in sense-perception, it is with all of them.

110. (1425) Through thought, the mind passes to intelligible things; through reasoning, reason passes to rational things; and to the practical life, sense-perception passes through imagination.

111. The mind, when gathered into itself, contemplates none of the things that belong to reasoning; but naked meanings and divine illuminations, gushing forth both peace and grace.

112. The meaning of a thing is one thing, and its definition is another; and that which is brought under sense-perception is yet another. And the first is substance; the second, accident; and the third, the differentia of the subject.

113. The mind, in traversing many paths, shows itself to be insatiable; but when gathered to the one path of prayer, before perfection it appears to be constricted, begging its partaker to be released to those things from which it has come forth.

114. The mind that has been led from above will not run up there again, unless it has achieved a perfect contempt for things below through leisure for divine things.

115. And if you cannot make your soul be with only its own thoughts, at least by compelling your body to be alone, constantly considering the wretchedness concerning it; for thus in time, by the mercy of God, you will be able to run back to the first dignity of your noble birth.

116. The active man can easily subject the mind to prayer; but the contemplative man, prayer to the mind. The one restrains sense-perception from appearing forms; the other transfers the soul to the principles hidden in the words. And the one persuades the mind to consider the principles of bodies; the other, to comprehend incorporeal things. And the incorporeal principles of bodies are their properties and their substances.

117. When you have freed your mind from the sensual pleasure of bodies, and foods, and possessions, then whatever you do will be counted as a pure gift to God; and it will be given you in return that the eyes of your heart be opened (1428), and that you clearly meditate on the laws of God hidden within it,

474

καθίστησι, καί ἔστι ψυχή μέν ἡ αὐτή, οὐκέτι δέ καί ἁπτή, ὡς οὐδέ ὁ πυρακτωθείς σίδηρος, ταῖς ἔξωθεν ἐπαφαῖς.

ρδ΄. Μακάριος ὁ ἐν τῷ βίῳ τούτῳ οὑτωσί θεωρηθῆναι ἀξιωθείς, καί τόν αὐτόν φύσει πήλινον ἀνδριάντα, χάριτι πύρινον κατιδών.

ρε΄. Τοῖς μέν εἰσαγομένοις οἷά τις δεσπότης, ὁ νόμος ἐπίκειται τῆς εὐχῆς· τοῖς προκόψασι δέ, ὡς ἔρως ὁ συνελαύνων πεινῶντα καθάπερ πολυτελῆ πρός ἑστίασιν.

ρστ΄. Τοῖς καλῶς τήν πρακτικήν μετερχομένοις, ποτέ μέν ἡ εὐχή νεφέλη καθάπερ ἐπισκιάζουσα, τούς καυστικούς ἀπείργει ἐξ αὐτῶν λογισμούς· ποτέ δέ σταγόνας οἷα δακρύων τούτους ἐπιψεκάζουσα, δείκνυσι τά πνευματικά θεωρήματα.

ρζ΄. ᾨδή μέν ἥδυσμα κιθάρας, τῆς κρουομένης ὑπό τινος ἔξωθεν εὑρεθήσεται· ψυχή δέ μή συνερχούσης αὐτῇ ἐν εὐχῇ τῆς ἐν πνεύματι μυστικῆς προσφωνήσεως, εὐκατάνυκτος οὐ πέφυκε δείκνυσθαι. Τό γάρ, Τί προσευξώμεθα καθό δεῖ οὐκ οἴδαμεν, καί τά ἑξῆς, εἰς τοῦτο ἐνάγει τόν προσευχόμενον.

Τοῦ αὐτοῦ. Φωτίζεται νοῦς γνωστικῆς θεωρίας Πρός ὕψος ἀρθείς, τοῖσδ᾿ ἐπεντυχών λόγοις. ρη΄. Ἀναγκαῖον εἰδέναι τόν γνωστικόν, πότε ὁ νοῦς αὐτοῦ εἰς τήν χώραν τῶν

νοημάτων ἐστίν· πότε δέ εἰς τήν τῶν λογισμῶν· καί πότε εἰς τήν κατ᾿ αἴσθησιν. Καί ἐν ταύτῃ πάλιν, εἰ ἐν τοῖς κατά καιρόν, ἤ ἐν τοῖς παρά καιρόν μᾶλλον εὑρίσκεται.

ρθ΄. Ἐν νοήμασιν οὐκ ὤν ὁ νοῦς ἐν λογισμοῖς πάντως ἐστίν· ἐν λογισμοῖς δέ ὤν, ἐν νοήμασιν οὐκ ἔστιν. Ἐν δέ τῇ αἰσθήσει γενόμενος, μετά πάντων ἐστίν.

ρι΄. (1425) ∆ιά τοῦ νοήματος μέν ὁ νοῦς διέρχεται πρός τά νοητά· διά δέ τοῦ λογισμοῦ πρός τά λογικά ὁ λόγος· πρός δέ τήν πρακτικήν, διά τῆς φαντασίας ἡ αἴσθησις.

ρια΄. Εἰς ἑαυτόν ὁ νοῦς συναγόμενος, οὐδέν οὔτε τῶν κατά τόν λογισμόν θεωρεῖ· γυμνούς δέ νόας καί θείας αὐγάς, βλυζούσας εἰρήνην τε καί χάριν.

ριβ΄. Ἄλλο ὁ νοῦς τοῦ πράγματος, καί ἄλλο ὁ λόγος αὐτοῦ· καί ἕτερον τό ὑπό τήν αἴσθησιν ἀναγόμενον. Καί τό μέν ἔστιν οὐσία· τό δέ, συμβεβηκός· τό δέ, ἡ τοῦ ὑποκειμένου διαφορά.

ριγ΄. Πολλάς ὁδούς ἀνατέμνων ὁ νοῦς, ἀκόρεστος δείκνυται· πρός μίαν δέ συναγόμενος τῆς εὐχῆς, πρό τῆς ἐντελείας στενοχωρούμενος φαίνεται, λιπαρῶν τόν μέτοχον ἀπολυθῆναι, πρός τά ἀφ᾿ ὧν, ἐξελύληθεν.

ριδ΄. Ἄνωθεν ἠγμένος ὁ νοῦς, οὐκ ἀναδραμεῖται αὖθις ἐκεῖσε, εἰ μή τελείαν τῶν κάτω ποιήσηται καταφρόνησιν διά τῆς περί τά θεῖα σχολῆς.

ριε΄. Εἴ τε μή τήν ψυχήν σου δύνῃ μετά μόνων ποιῆσαι τῶν περί αὐτήν λογισμῶν, κἄν τό σῶμα σου μονάζειν ἀναγκάζον, τήν περί αὐτό ἀθλιότητα διά παντός ἐννοούμενος· οὕτω γάρ τῷ χρόνῳ ἐλέει Θεοῦ, καί πρός τό πρῶτον ἀναδραμεῖν δυνήσῃ τῆς εὐγενείας ἀξίωμα.

ριστ΄. Ὁ μέν πρακτικός ὑποτάσσειν εὐκόλως δύναται τόν νοῦν τῇ εὐχῇ· ὁ δέ θεωρητικός, τήν εὐχήν τῷ νοΐ. Ὁ μέν ἀπό τῶν φαινομένων συστέλλων σχημάτων τήν αἴσθησιν· ὁ δέ τήν ψυχήν πρός τούς ἐγκεκρυμμένους τοῖς ῥήμασι λόγους μεταβιβάζων. Καί ὁ μέν σωμάτων πείθει λόγους τόν νοῦν ἐννοεῖν· ὁ δέ ἀσωμάτων κατανοεῖν. Ἀσώματοι δέ εἰσι λόγοι σωμάτων, ἰδιότητές τε καί οὐσίαι αὐτῶν.

ριζ΄. Ὅταν τόν νοῦν σου τῆς τῶν σωμάτων, καί βρωμάτων, καί χρημάτων ἡδυπαθείας ἐλευθερώσῃς, τότε καί ὅπερ ἄν ποιεῖς, δῶρον καθαρόν τῷ Θεῷ λογισθήσεται· ἀντιδοθήσεται δέ σοι τοῦ διανοιγῆναι (1428) τούς τῆς καρδίας σου ὀφθαλμούς, καί τρανῶς ἐμμελετᾷν τοῖς ἐγκεκρυμμένοις ἐν αὐτῇ νόμοις Θεοῦ,