Andrew Louth - Syriac Christian Church

146 DIFFICULTY 10
C
D
1197A
Trinity, but also the unity that the mind perceives in the Holy
Trinity. He has become potentially simple and undivided and
of a single form compared with that which is in essence simple
and undivided. And he imitates so far as is possible through
the habit of the virtues the goodness he thus possesses, and
has put aside the individuality of the naturally separated
powers because of the grace of the united God.
44
Exposition of the passionate part of the soul 121
For the passionate part of the soul is divided, they say, into
that which is obedient to reason and that which cannot be
persuaded by it. That which cannot be persuaded by it is
divided into the nourishing part, which some call the natural,
and the natural part, which some call the living part—neither
of these can be persuaded to be led by reason. It is called ‘not
obedient to reason’, since it is not naturally led by reason. For
to grow, and to be healthy, and to live is not within our
power. 122 That which is obedient to reason is divided into two:
the desiring and the incensive. They call it ‘obedient to
reason’, since it is natural in those who are serious 123 to be led
by and to submit oneself to reason. Again the desiring part is
divided into pleasure and grief. Desire that attains its object
works pleasure, desire that fails of its object works grief. And
again they say that desire can be divided in another way,
making four kinds together with itself: desire, pleasure, fear
and grief. And since everything that is is either good or evil,
and either present or to come, a good that is anticipated is
called desire, one that is present pleasure, and again an evil
anticipated is called fear, and one present called grief. And in
another way what is good can either be really so or simply be
thought to be so, and this gives pleasure and desire, and in the
case of evils grief and fear. And again they divide grief into four:
distress, depression, envy and mercy. And they say distress is
grief that causes speechlessness in those whom it affects,
because of the depths into which it drags down the rational
part; depression is grief that weighs down and causes
annoyance at unwanted circumstances; envy is grief at
another’s goods; mercy is grief at another’s evils. And they say
that all grief is in its own nature an evil. For even if one who is
serious grieves at another’s evils, in mercy, this is not his
primary intention and a matter of deliberate purpose, but
rather a reaction to circumstances. The contemplative endures