CONCERNING THE SIGNS of APATHEIA

Περὶ τῶν τῆς ἀπαθείας συμβόλων

63. WHEN the nous begins perform its prayers without distractions, then there commences an all-out battle day and night against the irascible part.

 ξγ´. Ὅταν ὁ νοῦς ἀπερισπάστως ἄρξηται ποιεῖσθαι τὰς προσευχάς, τότε περὶ τὸ θυμικὸν μέρος τῆς ψυχῆς νύκτωρ καὶ μεθ' ἡμέραν ὁ πᾶς συνίσταται πόλεμος.

64. THE proof of apatheia is that the nous begins to behold its [own] proper gentle radiance; that it remains tranquil in the presence of visions during sleep; and that it looks at matters calmly.

 ξδ´. 'Απαθείας τεκμήριον, νοῦς ἀρξάμενος τὸ οἰκεῖον φέγγος ὁρᾶν, και πρὸς τὰ καθ' ὕπνον φάσματα διαμένων ἥσυχος, καὶ λεῖος βλέπων τὰ πράγματα.

65. THE nous is strong when it does not imagine any worldly thing at all during the time of its prayer.

 ξε' Ἔρρωται νοῦς μηδὲν τῶν τοῦ κόσμου τούτου παρὰ τὸν καιρὸν τῆς προσευχῆς φανταζόμενος.

66. A nous that has, with God’s help, accomplished the ascetical life (praktike) successfully and drawn near to knowledge, hardly if at all perceives the irrational part of the soul, because knowledge catches it up on high and separates it from perfectible things

 ξς' Νοῦς σὺν Θεῷ πρακτικὴν κατορθώσας καὶ προσπελάσας τῇ γνώσει ὀλίγον η]̀ οὐδ' ὅλως τοῦ ἀλόγου μέρους τῆς ψυχῆς ἐπαισθάνεται, τῆς γνώσεως αὐτὸν ἁρπαζούσης μετάρσιον καὶ χωριζούσης τῶν αἰσθητῶν.

67. THE soul possesses apatheia not when it is unmoved by matters, but when it remains undisturbed by the memory of them.

 ξζ´. Ἀπάθειαν ἔχει ψυχή, οὐχ ἡ μὴ πάσχουσα πρὸς τὰ πράγματα, ἀλλ' ἡ καὶ πρὸς τὰς μνήμας αὐτῶν ἀτάραχος διαμένουσα.

68. THE perfect [person] does not practise self-control, and one [who has attained] apatheia does not practise patient endurance, since endurance pertains to the vulnerable [person] and self-control to the troubled.

 ξη' Ὁ τέλειος οὐκ ἐγκρατεύεται, καὶ ὁ ἀπαθὴς οὐχ ὑπομένει, ἔπερ τοῦ πάσχοντος ἡ ὑπομονή, καὶ τοῦ ὀχλουμένου ἡ ἐγκράτεια.

69. A GREAT thing - to pray without distraction; a greater thing still - to sing psalms without distraction.

 ζθ´. Μέγα μὲν τὸ ἀπερισπάστως προσεύχεσθαι, μεῖζον δὲ τὸ καὶ ψάλλειν ἀπερισπάστως.

70. A MAN who has established the virtues in himself and is entirely permeated with them no longer remembers the law or the commandments or punishment. Rather, he says and does what [this] excellent condition suggests.

 ο´. Ὁ τὰς ἀρετας ἐν ἑαυτῷ καθιδρύσας, καὶ ταύταις ὅλος ἀνακραθείς, οὐκ ἔτι μέμνηται νόμου ἢ ἐντολῶν ἢ κολάσεως, ἀλλὰ ταῦτα λέγει καὶ πράττει ὁπόσα ἡ ἀρίστη ἕχις ὑπαγορεύει.

71. THE demonic songs move our desire and throw the soul into shameful fantasies. But “psalms and hymns and spiritual songs” (Eph 5:19) summon the nous to continuous memory of virtue by cooling our boiling indignation and by quenching our desires.

 οα´. Αἱ μὲν δαιμονιώδες ᾠδαι τὴν ἐπιθυμίαν ἡμῶν κινοῦσι, καὶ ἐις αἰσχρὰς τὴν ψχὴν φαντασίας ἐμβάλλουσιν· οἱ δὲ ψαλμοὶ καὶ ὕμνοι καὶ αἱ πνευματικαὶ ὠδαὶ εἰς μνὴμην ἀεὶ τῆς ἀρετῆς τὸν νοῦν προκαλοῦνται, περιζέοντα τὸν θυμὸν ἡμῶν καταψύχοντες καὶ τὰς ἐπιθυμιας μαραίνοντες.

72. WRESTLERS are in the position of crushing and being crushed; the demons wrestle with us and as they crush us, they are crushed by us in return As it says, ‘I will crush them and they will not be able to rise’ (Ps 17 39) and ‘My enemies and those who were crushing me wearied and fell.’ (Ps 26 2)

 οβ' Εἰ οἱ παλαίοντες ἐν τῷ θλίβεσθαι καὶ ἀντιθλίβειν εἰσί, παλαίουσι δὲ ἡμῖν οἱ δαίμονες, καὶ αὐτοὶ ἄρα θλίβοντες ἡμᾶς ὑφ̓ ἡμῶν ἀντιθλίβονται. Ἐκθλιψω γὰρ αὐτούς, φησί, καὶ οἱ ἐχθροί μου αὐτοὶ ἠσθένησαν καὶ ἔπεσον.

73. REPOSE is connected with wisdom, toil with prudence It is impossible to win wisdom without fighting, and it is impossible to conduct the war well without prudence It is to prudence that the responsibility is given for withstanding the fury (thumos) of the demons, obliging the powers of the soul to work in accordance with their nature and preparing the way for wisdom.

 ογ' Ἀνάπαυσις μὲν τῇ σοφίᾳ, κόπος δὲ τῂ φρονήσει συνέζευκται· ου]κ ἔστι γὰρ σοφίαν κτήσασθαι ἄνευ πολέμου, καὶ οὐκ ἔστι κατορθῶσαι τὸν πόλεμον χωρὶς φρονήσεως· αὕτη γὰρ ἀνθίστασθαι τῷ θυμῷ τῶν δαιμόνων πεπίστευται, τὰς τῆς ψυχῆς δυνάμεις κατὰ φύσιν ἐνεργεῖν ἀναγκάζουσα, καὶ τὴν ὁδὸν τῆς σοφίας προευτρεπίζουσα.

74. THE monk’s temptation is in the form of a thought (logismos) which rises up through the passionate part of the soul and darkens the mind.

 οδ' Πειρασός ἐστι μοναχοῦ λογισμὸς διὰ τοῦ παθητικοῦ μέρους τῆς ψυχῆς ἀναβὰς καὶ σκοτίζων τὸν νοῦν.

75. THE monk’s sin is his consenting to the forbidden pleasure of a thought (logismos).

 οεʹ Ἁμαρτία ἐστὶ μοναχοῦ ἡ πρὸς τὴν ἀπηγορευμένην ἡδονὴν τοῦ λογισμοῦ συγκατάθεσις.

76. THE angels are glad when vice decreases the demons are glad when virtue decreases; the one are servants of mercy and charity, the others are attendants of anger and hatred. The former approach to fill us with spiritual contemplation, the latter to cast the soul into lewd fantasies.

 ος' Ἄγγελοι μὲν χαίρουσι μειουμένης κακίας, δαίμονες δὲ τῆς ἀρετῆς· οἱ μὲν γάρ εἰσιν ἐλέους καὶ ἀγάπης θεράποντες, οἱ δὲ ὀργῆς καὶ μίσους ὑπήκοοι· καὶ οἱ μὲν πρότεροι πλησιάζοντες πνευματικῆς θεωρίας ἡμᾶςπληροῦσιν, οἱ δὲ δεύτεροι προσεγγίζοντες εἰς αἰσχρὰς τὴν ψυχὴν φαντασίας ἐμβάλλουσιν.

77. THE virtues de not prevent the assault of demons, but they preserve us from being harmed.

 οζ' Αἱ ἀρεταὶ οὐ τὰς τῶν δαιμόνων ὁρμὰς ἀνακόπτουσιν, ἀλλ' ἡμᾶς ἀθῴους διαφυλάττουσιν.

78. ASCETICAL practice is a spiritual method purifying the passionate part of the soul.

 οηʹ Πρακτική ἐστι μέθοδος πνευματικὴ τὸ παθετικὸν μέρος τῆς ψυχῆς ἐκκαθαίρουσα.

79. THE effects of [keeping] the commandments are not sufficient to perfectly heal the powers of the soul, unless their [corresponding] contemplations succeed one other in the nous.

 οθʹ Οὐκ ἀρκοῦσιν αἱ ἐνέργειαι τῶν ἐντολῶν πρὸς τὸ τελείως ἰάσασθαι τὰς δυνάμεις τῆς ψυχῆς, ἐὰν μὴ καὶ κατάλληλοι ταύταις διαδέξωνται τὸν νοῦν θεωρίαι.

80. IT is not possible to resist all the thoughts (logismoi) suggested to us by the angels, but it is possible to reject all those suggested by demons. The former are followed by a state of peace, the latter by a state of turmoil.

 π' Οὐ πᾶσι μὲν τοῖς ὑπ' ἀγγέλων λογισμοῖς ἡμῖν ἐμβαλλομένοις δυνατὸν ἀντιστῆναι, πάντας δὲ τοὺς ὑπὸ δαιμόνων λογισμοὺς δυνατὸν ἀνατρέψαι· ἕπεται δὲ τοῖς μὲν προτέροις λογισμοῖς εἰρηνικὴ κατάστασις, τοῖς δὲ δευτέροις τεταραγμενη.

81. CHARITY is the offspring of apatheia; apatheia is the flower of the ascetical life (praktike). The ascetical life is constituted by keeping the commandments, and these are watched over by the fear of God, which is begotten by right belief. Belief is an indwelling good which exists naturally even in those who have not yet believed in God.

 πα' Ἀπαθείας ἔγγονον ἀγάπη· ἀπάθεια δέ ἐστιν ἄνθος τῆ πρακτικῆς· πρακτικὴν δὲ συνίστησιν ἡ τήρησις τῶν ἐντολῶν· τούτων δὲ φύλαξ ὁ φόβος τοῦ Θεοῦ, ὅστις γέννημα τῆς ὀρθ͂ς ἐστι πίστεως· πίστις δέ ἐστιν ἐνδιάθετον ἀγαθόν, ἥτις ἐνυπάρχειν πέφυκε καὶ τοῖς μηδέπω πεπιστευκόσι Θεῷ.

82. THE soul becomes aware of our sick members as it tries to operate by means of the body; in the same way, the mind, exercising its own proper activity, perceives its own powers and discovers the commandment which can heal its [activity] by means of the [activity] which is interfering with it.

 πβ' Ὥσπερ ἐνεργσα διὰ τοῦ σώματος ἡ ψυχὴ τῶν ἀσθενούντων μελῶν ἐπαισθάνεται· οὕτως ἐνεργῶν καὶ ὁ οῦς τὴν οἰκείαν ἐνέργειαν τάς τε δυνάμεις ἐπιγινώσκει τὰς ἑαυτοῦ καὶ διὰ τῆς ἐμποδιζούσης αὐτῷ τὴν θεραπευτικὴν αὐτῆς ἐντολὴν ἐφευρίσκει.

83. THE impassioned nous waging war will not be able to contemplate the logoi [purposes] of the war; it is like one fighting at night. But when it has obtained apatheia, it will easily recognise the wiles of the enemies.

 πγ' Ὁ νοῦς τὸν ἐμπαθ͂ πόλεμον πολεμῶν οὐ θεωρήσει τοὺς λόγους τοῦ πολέμου· τῷ γὰρ ἐν νυκτὶ μαχομένῳ ἔοικεν· ἀπάθειαν δὲ κτησάμενος, ῥᾳδίως ἐπιγνώσεται τὰς μεθοδείας τῶν πολεμίων.

84. THE end of the ascetical life (praktike) is charity; that of knowledge is theology. The beginning in each case is faith and natural contemplation. The demons which fasten on to the passionate part Of the soul are said to oppose the ascetical life, those which disturb the reason are called enemies of all truth and opponents of contemplation.

 πδ' Πέρας μὲν πρακτικῆς ἀγάπη· γνώσεως δὲ θεολογία· ἀρχαὶ δὲ ἑκατέρων πίστις καὶ φυσικὴ θεωρία· καὶ ὅσοι μὲν τῶν δαιμόνων τοῦ παθητικοῦ μέρους ἐφάπτονται τῆς ψυχῆς, οὗτοι λέγονται ἀντικεῖσθαι τῇ πρακτικῇ· ὅσοι δ' αὖ πάλιν τῷ λογιστικῷ διοχλοῦσιν, ἐχθροὶ πάσης Ἀληθείας ὀνομάζονται καὶ ἐναντίοι τῇ θεωρίᾳ.

85. THE  things which purify bodies never remain with them once they are clean; but the virtues both purify the soul and remain with it when it is clean.

 πε' Οὐδὲν τῶν καθαιρότων τὰ σώματα σύνεστι μετὰ τοῦτο τοῖς καθαρθεῖσιν· αἱ δὲ ἀρεταὶ ὁμοῦ τε καθαίρουσι τὴν ψυχὴν καὶ καθαρθείσῃ συμπαραμένουσιν.

86. THE rational soul operates naturally when its desiring part desires virtue, and its spirited part (thumikon) fights for virtue, and its reasoning part applies itself to the contemplation of creatures.

 πς' Κατὰ φύσιν ἐνεργεῖ ψυχὴ λογικὴ ὅταν τὸ μεν ἐπιθυμητικὸν αὐτῆς μέρος τῆς ἀρετῆς ἐφίεται, τὸ δὲ θυμικὸν ὑπὲρ αὐτῆς ἀγωνίζεται, τὸ δὲ λογιστικὸν ἐπιβάλλει τῇ θεωρίᾳ τῶν γεγονότων.

87. ANYONE who is making progress in the ascetical life (praktike) is reducing the passions, and anyone who is making progress in contemplation is reducing ignorance. There will one day be a complete destruction of the passions, but of ignorance there is in one sense an end, but in another sense there is no end, they say.

 πζ' Ὁ μὲν προκόπτων ἐν πρακτικῇ τὰ πάθη μειοῖ, ὁ δὲ ἐν θεωρίᾳ τὴν ἀγνωσίαν· καὶ τῶν μὲν παθῶν ἔσται τοτὲ καὶ φθορὰ παντελής, τῆς δὲ ἀγνωσίας τῆς μὲν εἶναι πέρας, τῆς δὲ μὴ εἶναί φασι.

88. THINGS which are good or bad depending on their use produce both virtues and vices; it is the task of prudence to use them one way or the other.

 πη' τὰ παρὰ τὴν χρῆσιν ἀγαθὰ καὶ κακὰ τῶν ἀρετῶν καὶ τῶν κακιῶν γίνεται ποιητικά· φρονήσεως δέ ἐστι λοιπὸν τὸ χρήσασθαι τούτοις πρὸς θάτερα.

[1] When it in the RATIONAL part that virtue comes into being it is called
[1a] prudence and
[1b] understanding and
[1c] wisdom;

ὅταν μὲν ἐν τῷ λογιστικῷ μέρει γένηται ἡ ἀρετή, καλεῖται
 φρόνησις καὶ
σύνεσις καὶ
σοφία.

[2] in the CONCUPISCIBLE part,
[2a] temperance and
[2b] charity and
[2c] self-control;

ὄταν δὲ ἐν τῷ ἐπιθυμητικῷ,
 σωφροσύνη καὶ
ἀγάπη καὶ
ἐγκράτεια.

[3] in the IRASCIBLE part,
[3a] courage and
[3b] patience.

ὅταν δὲ ἐν τῷ θυμικῷ,
ἀνδρεία καὶ
ὑπομονή·

[4] But in the WHOLE of the SOUL [it] is justice.

ἐν ὅλῇ δὲ τῇ ψυχῇ, δικαιοσύνη

[1A] Now the task of PRUDENCE is

[1A.1] to plan the attack against the opposing powers and

[1A.2] to defend the virtues,

[1A.3] to stand prepared against the vices,

[1A.4] and to administer neutral matters according to the [requirements of the] times.

τὸ στρατηγεῖν πρὸς τὰς ἀντικειμένας δυνάμεἱς,

καὶ τῶν μὲν ἀρετῶν ὑπερασπίζειν,

 πρὸς δὲ τὰς κακίας παρατάττεσθαι,

τὰ δὲ μέσα πρὸς τοὺς καιροὺς διοικεῖν·

[1B] [The task] of UNDERSTANDING: to direct harmoniously all things which help us toward our goal.

[1C] [The task] of WISDOM: contemplation of the logoi of corporeal and incorporeal beings.

[2A] The work of TEMPERANCE: to look serenely upon those affairs which provoke within us irrational phantasies.

σωφροσύνης δὲ ἔργον τὸ βλέπειν ἀπαθῶς τὰ πράγματα τὰ κινοῦντα ἐν ἡμῖν φαντασίας ἀλόγους·

[2B] of CHARITY: all the images of God, showing one another to be as nearly like the prototype as possible no matter how the demons ply their arts to defile them.

[2c] Of CONTINENCE: every pleasure of the palate with joy to decline.

[3A] Not to fear the enemies and

[3B] eagerly to endure afflictions belongs to COURAGE and PATIENCE.

[4] JUSTICE effects a certain symphony and harmony among the [different] parts of the soul.

δικαιοσύνης δὲ τὸ συμφωνίαν τινὰ καὶ ἁρμονίαν τῶν τῆς ψυχῆς μερῶν κατεργάζεσθαι.

90. THE fruit of sowing is sheaves, and the fruit of the virtues is knowledge And as tears accompany sowing, so joy accompanies reaping (Ps 125:6)

Ϛ´. Καρπὸς μὲν σπερμάτων τὰ δράγματα, ἀρετῶν δὲ ἡ γνῶσις· καὶ ὡς ἕπεται τοῖς σπέρμασι δάκρυα, οὕτω τοῖς δράγμασιν ἡ χαρά.