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CENTURIES on LOVE (various) |
[PG 91, 1089A; 1099C-1096] |
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| 1.10. When the nous, by the eros of agape, goes out of itself towards God, then it has no perception either of itself or of any of the beings whatsoever. For illuminated by the divine and unbounded light, it is insensible of any of those things that have been brought into being by Him, just as the physical eye has no sensation of the stars, when the sun has risen. (tr.LD) | 1.10 [Ι] Ὅταν τῷ ἔρωτι τῆς ἀγάπης πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν ὁ νοῦς ἐκδημῇ͵ τότε οὔτε ἑαυτοῦ οὔτε τινὸς τῶν ὄντων παντάπασιν ἐπαισθάνεται. Ὑπὸ γὰρ τοῦ θείου καὶ ἀπείρου φωτὸς καταλαμπόμενος͵ ἀναισθητεῖ πρὸς πάντα τὰ ὑπ΄ αὐτοῦ γεγονότα͵ καθάπερ καὶ ὁ αἰσθητὸς ὀφθαλμὸς πρὸς τοὺς ἀστέρας͵ τοῦ ἡλίου ἀνατέλλοντος. |
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1.11. All the virtues assist the nous towards the divine eros, but pure prayer above all. By it the [nous] is given wings towards God and becomes external to all things.(tr.LD) |
1.11 [ΙΑ] Πᾶσαι μὲν αἱ ἀρεταὶ συνεργοῦσι τῷ νῷ πρὸς τὸν θεῖον ἔρωτα͵ πλέον δὲ πάντων ἡ καθαρὰ προσευχή· διὰ ταύτης γὰρ πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν πτερούμενος͵ ἔξω γίνεται πάντων τῶν ὄντων. |
| 2.48. For the one whose nous is continually with God, | 2.48 [ΜΗ] Οὗτινος ὁ νοῦς διαπαντός ἐστι πρὸς τὸν Θεόν͵ |
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his epithumia |
τούτου καὶ ἡ ἐπιθυμία |
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is increased beyond measure to divine eros |
εἰς τὸν θεῖον ὑπερηύξησεν ἔρωτα |
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and all of [his] thumos |
καὶ ὁ θυμὸς ὁλοστὸς |
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is transformed into divine agape. |
εἰς τὴν θείαν μετετράπη ἀγάπην. |
| For by continual participation in the divine radiance, [the nous] becomes wholly full of light | Τῇ γὰρ χρονίᾳ τῆς θείας ἐλλάμψεως μετουσίᾳ ὅλος φωτοειδὴς γεγονὼς |
| and the passible part [of the soul], become one with it, | καὶ τὸ παθητικὸν αὐτοῦ μέρος πρὸς ἑαυτὸν συσφίγξας͵ |
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turns back, as has been said, |
εἰς ἔρωτα θεῖον͵ ὡς εἴρηται͵ ἀκατάλεκτον |
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and unceasing agape, |
καὶ ἀγάπην ἀκατάπαυστον ἔστρεψεν͵ |
| completely conveyed from the earthly to the divine. (tr.LD) | ὅλως ἐκ τῶν ἐπιγείων ἐπὶ τὸ θεῖον μεταγαγών. |
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3.67. Just as the simple [psilos] thought [logismos] of human matters does not compel the nous to have contempt for the divine, so the simple knowledge of divine [matters] does not compel contempt for human [matters]; for the truth now exists in shadows and figures. Therefore is is necessary for the blessed passion [tou makariou pathous] of holy love [tēs hagias agapēs], to bind the nous to spiritual contemplation and persuade it to prefer the immaterial to the material and the noetic and divine to the sensible. (tr.LD) |
3.67 [ΞΖ] Ὥσπερ ὁ ψιλὸς τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων πραγμάτων λογισμὸς οὐκ ἀναγκάζει τὸν νοῦν καταφρονεῖν τῶν θείων͵ οὕτως οὐδὲ ἡ ψιλὴ γνῶσις τῶν θείων πείθει εἰς τέλος καταφρονεῖν τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων· διότι ἐν σκιαῖς νῦν ὑπάρχει καὶ εἰκασμοῖς ἡ ἀλήθεια. Καὶ διὰ τοῦτο δεῖται τοῦ μακαρίου πάθους τῆς ἁγίας ἀγάπης͵ τῆς συνδεσμούσης τὸν νοῦν τοῖς πνευματικοῖς θεωρήμασι καὶ πειθούσης προτιμᾶν τῶν ὑλικῶν τὰ ἄϋλα καὶ τῶν αἰσθητῶν τὰ νοητὰ καὶ θεῖα. |
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[Self-Love is the Origin of Logismoi] |
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| 3.56. Self-love, as we have frequently said, is established as the cause of all the impassioned [tempting-]thoughts (logismoi). | 3.56 [ΝϚ] Ἡ φιλαυτία͵ ὡς πολλάκις εἴρηται͵ πάντων τῶν ἐμπαθῶν λογισμῶν αἰτία καθίσταται. |
| For from this are born the three generic [tempting-]thoughts (logismoi) of desire (epithumia): | Ἐκ γὰρ ταύτης γεννῶνται οἱ τρεῖς γενικώτατοι τῆς ἐπιθυμίας λογισμοί· |
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greed, avarice, and vainglory. |
ὁ τῆς γαστριμαργίας καὶ τῆς φιλαργυρίας καὶ τῆς κενοδοξίας. |
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From greed is born fornication; from avarice, acquisitiveness; from vainglory, pride. |
Ἐκ μὲν τῆς γαστριμαργίας γεννᾶται ὁ τῆς πορνείας· ἐκ δὲ τῆς φιλαργυρίας͵ ὁ τῆς πλεονεξίας· ἐκ δὲ τῆς κενοδοξίας͵ ὁ τῆς ὑπερηφανίας. |
| All the rest follow on from each of these three: | Οἱ δὲ λοιποὶ πάντες ἑκάστῳ τῶν τριῶν ἀκολουθοῦσιν· |
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anger, grief, bearing grudges, listlessness, envy, backbiting, and the rest. |
ὅ τε τῆς ὀργῆς καὶ ὁ τῆς λύπης καὶ ὁ τῆς μνησικακίας καὶ ἀκηδίας καὶ φθόνου καὶ καταλαλιᾶς καὶ οἱ λοιποί. |
| These passions chain the nous to material things and drag it down to the earth, weighing upon it like a very heavy stone, | Ταῦτα οὖν τὰ πάθη συνδεσμοῦσι τὸν νοῦν τοῖς ὑλικοῖς πράγμασι καὶ κατέχουσιν αὐτὸν εἰς τὴν γῆν͵ λίθου δίκην βαρυτάτου αὐτῷ ἐπικείμενα͵ |
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while by nature it is lighter and sharper than fire. |
φύσει ὄντα αὐτὸν πυρὸς κουφότερον καὶ ὀξύτερον. |
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Dispute with Pyrrhus: NATURE and THE VIRTUES |
p. 121 MAXIMI DISPUTATIO CUM PYRRHO (PG 91 / 288) |
| Disciplined training and the toils that go with it were devised simply for the purpose of separating from the soul in those who love virtue the deceit that infects it through the senses. It is not as if the virtues have been lately introduced from outside. For they were inserted in us from creation, as has been already said. Once therefore deceit has been completely expelled from us, at that moment, too, the soul manifests the radiance of its natural virtue. He therefore who is not foolish is sensible; and he who is not cowardly or foolhardy is courageous; and he who is not undisciplined is chaste; and he who is not unjust is just. |
ΜΑΞ. Ἡ ἄσκησις, καί οἱ ταύτῃ ἑπόμενοι πόνοι, πρός τό μόνον διαχωρίσαι τήν ἐμφυρεῖσαν δι᾿ αἰσθήσεως ἀπάτην τῇ ψυχῇ ἐπενοήθησαν τοῖς φιλαρέτοις· οὐ πρός τό ἔξωθεν προσφάτως ἐπεισαγαγεῖν τάς ἀρετάς· ἔκγειται γάρ ἡμῖν ἐκ δημιουργίας, ὡς εἴρηται· ὅθεν καί ἅμα τελείως διακριθῇ ἡ ἀπάτη, ἅμα καί τῆς κατά φύσιν ἀρετῆς τήν λαμπρότητα ἐνδείκνυται ἡ ψυχή. Ὁ γάρ μή ἄφρων, φρόνιμος· καί ὁ μή δειλός ἤ θρασύς, ἀνδρεῖος· καί ὁ μή (312) ἀκόλαστος, σώφρων· καί ὁ μή ἄδικος, δίκαιος. |
| For by nature | Κατά φύσιν δέ |
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reason is prudence, |
ὁ λόγος, φρόνησίς ἐστι· |
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and discernment is justice, |
καί τό κριτήριον, δικαιοσύνη, |
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and thumos is courage, |
καί ὁ θυμός, ἀνδρεία· |
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and epithumia temperance. |
καί ἡ ἐπιθυμία, σωφροσύνη. |
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Therefore with the removal of what is contrary to nature [para fysin] only what is natural [kata fysin] is accustomed to be manifest. |
Ἄρα τῇ ἀφαιρέσει τῶν παρά φύσιν, τά κατά φύσιν καί μόνα διαφαίνεσθαι εἴωθεν· |
| Just as, if rust is removed, there is manifest the natural gleam and lustre of iron. | ὥσπερ καί τῇ τοῦ ἰοῦ ἀποβολῇ, ἡ τοῦ σιδήρου κατά φύσιν αὐγή καί λαμπρότης. |
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(Pospelov, 2004, pp. 174–176) |
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This Webpage was created for a workshop held at Saint Andrew's Abbey, Valyermo, California in 1990
