III. Speculative chapters

The work “Speculative Chapters” is the third part of the trilogy of Evagrius of Pontus, which he dedicated to his friend Anatoly, a monk of the monastery of St. Melania and Rufina on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem. The treatise was written in Egypt, probably in 383-393, and consists of 6 “centurions”, but each “centurion” has only 90 chapters. According to researchers, the absence of 10 chapters in each “hundred” has a symbolic meaning: the number 540 symbolizes the spiritual knowledge of the entire totality of created things created by God in 6 days. Moreover, in this world our spiritual knowledge is imperfect and incomplete compared to the knowledge of the next age. Evagrius of Pontus deliberately omitted 10 chapters from each hundred, because The number 10 signifies completeness and completeness and symbolizes the perfect Divinity of Jesus Christ, whose name in Hebrew begins with the letter "yod", representing the number 10, and in the future age it will be the God-man Jesus who will fill the saints with perfect knowledge. Of the entire trilogy, “Speculative Chapters” is the most mysterious and difficult to understand treatise, a kind of guide for spiritual reflection, in which the author encourages the reader to independently search and reflect on the proposed topics (the Holy Trinity, angels, etc.). It is this treatise that contains the main Origenist positions of Evagrius of Pontus, condemned by the V Ecumenical Council. The author develops the doctrine of “spiritual feelings (sensations).” He says that the mind has five spiritual senses through which it “feels” the “stuff” corresponding to it. With his vision he sees intelligible things, with his hearing he perceives their “logoi” (“words”), with his sense of smell he feels their smell, alien to any deception, with his lips he feels their taste, and with his touch he ascertains the authenticity of their existence. The Greek original of this work has not been completely preserved; just over 70 fragments have survived to this day (of which 8 are partially preserved). The main part of these fragments, known as the work “Practical Chapters” (28 chapters) and attributed to St. Maximus the Confessor, presented in this publication. *The title of the work in Greek is Κεφάλαια ϒνωστικά, or Προϒνωστικὰ προβλήματα (“Speculative Questions”). *The title of the work in Latin is Kephalaia Gnostica. 1 (I, 39). [Originally] we were seeds of virtue, not [seeds of] vice. For it is not necessary that we, being capable of perceiving something, also have the power of it. For example, we are capable of not being, but we do not have the power of non-being, since powers are qualities, and non-being is not a quality. 2 (I, 53). Demons who fight wisely are called “birds”; disconcerting the furious beginning [of the soul] with “beasts”; those that excite the desired beginning [of it] are “cattle.” 3 (I, 78). The first renunciation [of the world] is the voluntary abandonment of worldly things for the sake of knowledge of God. 4 (I, 79). The second renunciation is the rejection of vice, which occurs thanks to the grace of God and the zeal of man. 5 (I, 80). The third renunciation is the separation [from oneself] of the ignorance of those [spiritual things] that appear to people in proportion to [their inner] state. 6 (I, 81). The glory and light of the mind is knowledge, the glory and light of life is dispassion. 7 (II, 6). The soul, with the [help] of God, successfully carrying out [spiritual] work and freed from the body, will find itself in those places of knowledge in which the wings of dispassion will rest. 8 (II, 10). Things that become accessible to us through the senses are pleasant, but their contemplation is much more pleasant. However, since the feeling, due to our weakness, does not reach knowledge, it seems preferable to knowledge that has not yet been acquired. 9 (II, 83). Just as the senses change, comprehending various qualities, so the mind also changes, perceiving many different contemplations. 10 (III, 59). If it is inherent in every vice to arise from the rational, desirable or violent [principles of the soul] and if these forces can be used either for good or for evil, then it is clear that vices are born in us as a result of the abuse of these parts [of the soul]. And if this is so, then nothing that God created is evil. 11 (IV, 31). Just as a star covered by another star is higher than the latter, so the more meek in the next age will be higher than the less meek. 12 (IV, 33). After death, the unmerciful will be received by unmerciful demons, and the most unmerciful will be received by even more inhuman demons. And if this is the case, then it is hidden from those who [violently] end their lives what demons will meet them after death. For they say that none of those whose death occurred according to the will of God gives themselves over to such demons. 13 (IV, 68). The body preserves the image of the house of the soul, and the senses are like windows, looking out through which the mind sees sensory [things]. 14 (IV, 70). Not everyone should say: “Bring my soul out of prison” (Ps. 141:8), but only to those who, due to the purity of the soul, can indulge in the contemplation of created things even without a body. 15 (V, 27). The violent principle [of the soul], brought into confusion, blinds the beholder, and the desirable principle, when it moves unreasonably, hides visible things. 16 (V, 41). He who carries within himself the intelligible world imprinted [within him] curbs every corruptible desire. He is ashamed of those things that he used to enjoy, and his mind reproaches him for his former insensitivity to [other] things. 17 (V, 42). The world created in thought seems difficult to discern during the day, since the feelings distract the mind and [we] are illuminated by sensory light; but at night one can see it clearly because it is imprinted during prayer. 18 (V, 45). The mind is called the head of the soul, and the virtues are like hair [on this head]. Having lost them, the Nazirite is separated from knowledge and, like a prisoner, is taken away by his enemies. 19 (V, 57). Just as now we comprehend sensible things through the senses, so later, having been purified, we cognize their logoi. Just as before we saw the things themselves, so, having become pure, we will be worthy of the contemplation of these logoi, after which, perhaps, we will achieve knowledge of the Holy Trinity. 20 (V, 90). [As for] things as they are by nature, they are either seen by the pure mind or clearly represented by the spiritual word. He who is deprived of both a pure mind and a spiritual word [usually] condemns the writer. 21 (VI, 21). Virtue is the best skill of a rational soul, thanks to which it becomes averse to vice. 22 (VI, 22). If sensible words represent things in the next age, then, of course, the wise men of this age will receive the Kingdom of Heaven. But if it is inherent in [only] pure thought to perceive [the spiritual essence of things], and the word corresponding to [this thought] is to designate it, then the sages [of this age] will find themselves far from the knowledge of God. 23 (VI, 25). When demons cannot set the thoughts in motion in a speculative person, then they take possession of his eyes, cool them and plunge them into heavy sleep; for all the bodies of demons are wet and like ice. 24 (VI, 51). If the rational principle is the most valuable of all parts of the soul, and it is qualitatively determined only by wisdom, then the latter is the first of the virtues. Our wise teacher also calls her the Spirit of adoption (Rom 8.15). 25 (VI, 52). Many passions are hidden in our souls and, being unnoticed, manifest themselves during severe temptations. Therefore, we must guard our hearts with all care (Proverbs 4.23), so that when the thing for which we [once] had a passion is revealed, we will not be caught by demons and do something vile before God. 26 (VI, 55). The mind then perceives intelligible things when it is no longer qualitatively determined by thoughts emanating from the passionate part of the soul. 27 (VI, 62). The rational soul is sterile, always learning, but never wanting to come to the knowledge of the truth. 28 (VI, 63). Just as those who, with already purified eyes, look [too] intently at the sun, and therefore tears well up in their eyes and rainbow circles darken their vision, so a pure mind, but confused by anger, is unable to indulge in contemplation, since things are, as it were, obscured by certain clouds enveloping them. You might be interested in: