Praktikos
THE STATE
APPROACHING APATHEIA
(§ 57-62)
 

Based on: Monks, Memling, 1574 (image modif.)

THE STATE
APPROACHING APATHEIA

Περὶ  καταστάσεως
ἐγγιζούσης τῇ ἀπαθείᾳ

[A] the first grows from natural seeds;

[B] while the other is engendered by the withdrawal of the demons

[1] humility, with

[2] compunction, and

[3] tears, and

[4] limitless longing (pothos) for God, and

[5] immeasurable eagerness for [our assigned] task.

 ταπεινοφροσύνη μετὰ

 κατανύξεως͵ καὶ

δάκρυον καὶ

πόθος πρὸς τὸ θεῖον ἄπειρος͵

καὶ σπουδὴ περὶ τὸ ἔργον ἀμέτρητος·

[1] vainglory with

[2] pride,

κενοδοξία μετὰ

ὑπερηφανίας

which capture the monk when the other demons go away.

One who perceives the beginnings of the first [peaceful] state will be even more sharply aware of the attacks of the demons

Ὁ τοίνυν τηρῶν τὰ ὅρια τῆς προτέρας καταστάσεως͵ τὰς ἐπιδρομὰς τῶν δαιμόνων ὀξύτερον ἐπιγνώσεται.

58. THE demon of vainglory is opposed to the demon of sexual impurity and it is inconceivable that they should both attack the soul at the same tine, since one promises honour and the other heralds disgrace So whichever of them comes and presses upon you, form in your mind the [tempting-] thoughts of the opposing demon. If you are able, as they say, to use a nail to drive out a nail, you can know that you are near to the borders of passionlessness, because your mind is strong enough to drive away demonic thoughts with human thoughts

νη'  Ὁ τῆς κενοδοξίας δαίμων ἀντίκειται τῷ δαίμονι τῆς πορνείας͵ καὶ τούτους ἅμα προσβαλεῖν ψυχῇ τῶν οὐκ ἐνδεχο μένων ἐστίν· εἴπερ ὁ μὲν τιμὰς ἐπαγγέλλεται͵ ὁ δὲ ἀτιμίας πρόξενος γίνεται· ὁπότερος τοίνυν τούτων ἐὰν προσεγγίσας πιέζῃ σε͵ τοὺς τοῦ ἀντικειμένου δαίμονος πλάττε δῆθεν ἐν σεαυτῷ λογισμούς· κἂν δυνηθῇς τὸ δὴ λεγόμενον ἥλῳ τὸν ἧλον ἐκκρούειν͵ γίνωσκε σεαυτὸν πλησίον ὄντα τῶν ὅρων τῆς ἀπαθείας· ἴσχυσε γάρ σου ὁ νοῦς λογισμοῖς ἀνθρωπίνοις λογισμοὺς ἀφανίσαι δαιμόνων.

59. THE more the soul progresses, the greater the opponents which take over In the battle against it I do not believe it is always the same derons waiting on it The people who know this best are the ones who attend most acutely to their temptations and who see the passionlessness which they possess being battered by one demon after another

νθ'  Ὅσῳ προκόπτει ψυχή͵ τοσούτῳ μείζονες αὐτὴν ἀντα γωνισταὶ διαδέχονται· τοὺς γὰρ αὐτοὺς ἀεὶ δαίμονας αὐτῇ παραμένειν οὐ πείθομαι· καὶ τοῦτο ἴσασι μάλιστα οἱ ὀξύτερον τοῖς πειρασμοῖς ἐπιβάλλοντες͵ καὶ τὴν προσοῦσαν αὐτοῖς ἀπάθειαν ἐκμοχλευομένην ὑπὸ τῶν διαδεξαμένων ὁρῶντες.

60. PERFECT apatheia comes into being in the soul after it has defeated all the demons that oppose the praktikē perfect apatheia is relative to the force of the particular demon which is attacking at any given time

 ξ'   Ἡ μὲν τελεία τῇ ψυχῇ ἀπάθεια μετὰ τὴν νίκην τὴν κατὰ πάντων τῶν ἀντικειμένων τῇ πρακτικῇ δαιμόνων ἐγγίνεται· ἡ δὲ ἀτελὴς ἀπάθεια ὡς πρὸς τὴν δύναμιν τέως τοῦ παλαίοντος αὐτῇ λέγεται δαίμονος.

61. UNLESS it sets straight what we have inside us, the mind will not make progress or achieve the good exodus and enter the place of the incorporeals.  Its own domestic troubles habitually make it turn back to the place from which it had set out.

ξα'  Οὐκ ἂν προέλθοι ὁ νοῦς͵ οὐδὲ ἀποδημήσει τὴν καλὴν ἐκείνην ἀποδημίαν͵ καὶ ἐν τῇ χώρᾳ γένοιτο τῶν ἀσωμάτων͵ μὴ τὰ ἔνδον διορθωσάμενος· ἡ γὰρ ταραχὴ τῶν οἰκείων ἐπιστρέφειν αὐτὸν εἴωθε πρὸς τὰ ἀφ΄ ὧν ἐξελήλυθεν.

62. THE nous is blinded by both virtues and vices: the former keep it from seeing the vices; the latter keep it from glimpsing the virtues.

ξβ'  Τὸν νοῦν καὶ αἱ ἀρεταὶ καὶ αἱ κακίαι τυφλὸν ἀπεργάζονται· αἱ μέν͵ ἵνα μὴ βλέπῃ τὰς κακίας· αἱ δέ͵ ἵνα μὴ πάλιν ἴδῃ τὰς ἀρετάς.