IX. (printed 'ΙΧ 1.' with §1)
What was said must be proved from the divine Scriptures in this way. The pray-er must lift holy hands by forgiving each who wronged him — expunging anger's passion from the soul and being angry at none. Again, lest the mind be clouded by other reasonings, one must forget all outside prayer in the hour one prays — and how is such a one not most blessed? — as Paul teaches in First Timothy, saying: I desire then that men pray in every place, lifting holy hands without anger and disputes. Besides, the wife praying must especially have the restrained and modest, soul and body — above all when she prays revering God, exiling every unchaste and womanly reminder from the ruling part, adorned not with braids and gold or pearls or costly clothing, but as befits a woman professing godliness (I wonder if one would hesitate to call blessed, from this condition alone, her who so presented herself to pray) — as Paul taught in the same epistle, saying: Women likewise in modest dress, with shame and self-control adorning themselves, not with braids and gold or pearls or costly clothing, but, as befits women professing godliness, with good works.
The prophet David too says the saint praying has many other things — and these must be seasonably set beside: that what most profits may become evident, even if alone it aids(?) — what disposition and preparation for praying of one who dedicated himself to God. He says: To You I lifted my eyes, who dwell in heaven; and To You I lifted my soul, O God. For eyes of the mind, lifted from dwelling on earthly things and being filled with impressions from the more material, and raised so high as even to peer beyond creatures, coming to conceive God alone and converse solemnly and befittingly with the Hearer — how have they not already greatly profited, with unveiled face mirroring the Lord's glory, being transformed into the same image from glory to glory? Partaking then of some diviner intelligible effluence — declared by The light of Your face was signed upon us, Lord. And the soul lifted, following the Spirit, separated from body — not only following the Spirit but becoming in it — declared by To You I lifted my soul: how, already laying aside being soul, does it not become spiritual?
If forgetfulness of wrongs is a greatest feat — with the prophet Jeremiah summing the whole Law in it, saying: Not these things did I command your fathers when they went out of Egypt, but this I commanded: let each not remember his neighbor's evil in his heart — coming from forgetfulness of wrongs to prayer, we keep the Savior's command, saying: Whenever you stand praying, forgive whatever you hold against anyone. Evidently, standing thus to pray, we already possess the best.
Greek (GCS)
§1. Κατασκευαστέον δὲ ἀπὸ τῶν θείων γραφῶν τὰ εἰρημένα τοῦτον τὸν τρόπον. ἐπαίρειν δεῖ ὁσίας χεῖρας τὸν εὐχόμενον διὰ τοῦ ἀφιέναι ἑκάστῳ τῶν εἰς αὐτὸν πεπλημμεληχότων, τὸ τῆς ὀργῆς πάθος ἐξαφανίσαντα ἀπὸ τῆς ψυχῆς καὶ μηδενὶ θυμούμενον. πάλιν τε δεῖ ὑπὲρ τοῦ μὴ ἐπιθολοῦσθαι τὸν νοῦν ὑπὸ ἑτέρων λογισμῶν πάντων ἐπιλελῆσθαι τῶν ἔξω τῆς εὐχῆς κατὰ τὸν καιρόν, ἐν ᾧ τις εὔχεται, (τοιοῦτον δὲ εἶναι πῶς οὐχ ἔστι μακαριώτατον;) ὡς διδάσχει Παῦλος ἐν τῇ προτέρᾳ πρὸς Τιμόθεον λέγων· βούλομαι οὖν προσεύχεσθαι τοὺς ἄνδρας ἐν παντὶ τόπῳ, ἐπαίροντας ὁσίους χεῖρας χωρὶς ὀργῆς καὶ διαλογισμῶν. ἀλλὰ πρὸς τούτοις τὴν γυναῖκα χρὴ ἔχειν μάλιστα εὐχομένην τὸ κατεσταλμένον καὶ τὸ κόσμιον ψυχῇ καὶ σώματι, πάντων μᾶλλον ἐξαιρέτως καὶ ὅτε εὔχεται αἰδουμένην τὸν θεὸν καὶ πᾶσαν ἀχόλαστον καὶ γυναικείαν ὑπόμνησιν ἐξορίσασαν ἀπὸ τοῦ ἡγεμονικοῦ καὶ κεκοσμημένην οὐκ ἐν πλέγμασι καὶ χρυσῷ ἢ μαργαρίταις ἢ ἱματισμῷ πολυτελεῖ ἀλλ᾽ οἷς πρέπον ἐστὶ κεκοσμῆσθαι γυναῖκα θεοσέβειαν ἐπαγγελλομένην (θαυμάζω δὲ εἰ διστάξαι τις ἂν μακαρίαν ἐκ μόνης τῆς τοιαύτης καταστάσεως ἀποφήνασθαι τὴν εἰς τὸ εὔχεσθαι τοιαύτην ἑαυτὴν παραστήσασαν), ὡς ἐδίδαξεν ἐν τῇ αὐτῇ ἐπιστολῇ ὁ Παῦλος λέγων· γυναῖκας ὡσαύτως ἐν καταστολῇ κοσμίῳ, μετὰ αἰδοῦς καὶ σωφροσύνης κοσμεῖν ἑαυτάς, μὴ ἐν πλέγμασι καὶ χρυσῷ ἢ μαργαρίταις ἢ ἱματισμῷ πολυτελεῖ ἀλλὰ, ὃ πρέπει γυναιξὶν ἐπαγγελλομέναις θεοσέβειαν, δι᾽ ἔργων ἀγαθῶν. §2. καὶ ὁ προφήτης δὲ Δαυὶδ πολλὰ μὲν καὶ ἄλλα φησὶν ἔχειν εὐχόμενον τὸν ἅγιον· καὶ ταῦτα δὲ οὐχ ἀκαίρως παραθετέον. ἵνα φανερὰ ἡμῖν γένηται τὰ μέγιστα ὠφελοῦσα, κἂν μόνη βοηθῇ(?), ἣ σχέσις καὶ εἰς τὸ εὔχεσθαι παρασκευὴ τοῦ ἀνατεθεικότος ἑαυτὸν τῷ θεῷ. φησὶν οὖν· πρὸς σὲ ἦρα τοὺς ὀφθαλμούς μου, τὸν κατοικοῦντα ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ· καὶ πρὸς σὲ ἦρα τὴν ψυχήν μου, ὁ θεός. ἐπαιρόμενοι γὰρ οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ τοῦ διανοητικοῦ ἀπὸ τοῦ προσδιατρίβειν τοῖς γηΐνοις καὶ πληροῦσθαι φαντασίας τῆς ἀπὸ τῶν ὑλικωτέρων καὶ ἐπὶ τοσοῦτον ὑψούμενοι, ὥστε καὶ ὑπερκύπτειν τὰ γεννητὰ καὶ πρὸς μόνῳ τῷ ἐννοεῖν τὸν θεὸν κἀκείνῳ σεμνῶς καὶ πρεπόντως τῷ ἀκούοντι ὁμιλεῖν γίνεσθαι, πῶς οὐχὶ τὰ μέγιστα ἤδη ὠνήσαντο αὐτοὺς τοὺς ὀφθαλμούς, ἀνακεκαλυμμένῳ προσώπῳ τὴν δόξαν κυρίου κατοπτριζομένους καὶ τὴν αὐτὴν εἰκόνα μεταμορφουμένους ἀπὸ δόξης εἰς δόξαν; ἀποῤῥοῆς γὰρ νοητοῦ τινὸς θειοτέρου μεταλαμβάνουσι τότε, ὅπερ δηλοῦται ἐκ τοῦ· ἐσημειώθη ἐφ᾽ ἡμᾶς τὸ φῶς τοῦ προσώπου σου, κύριε. καὶ ἡ ψυχὴ δὲ ἐπαιρομένη καὶ τῷ πνεύματι ἑπομένη τοῦ τε σώματος χωριζομένη καὶ οὐ μόνον ἑπομένη τῷ πνεύματι ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν αὐτῷ γινομένη. ὅπερ δηλοῦται ἐκ τοῦ· πρὸς σὲ ἦρα τὴν ψυχήν μου, πῶς οὐχὶ ἤδη ἀποτιθεμένη τὸ εἶναι ψυχὴ πνευματικὴ γίνεται; §3. εἰ δὲ μέγιστόν ἐστι κατόρθωμα ἀμνησικακία(?) κατὰ τὸν προφήτην Ἱερεμίαν, πάντα ἀνακεφαλαιοῦσθαι τὸν νόμον ἐν αὐτῷ λέγοντα· οὐ ταῦτα ἐνετειλάμην τοῖς πατράσιν ὑμῶν ἐκπορευομένων αὐτῶν ἐκ τῆς Αἰγύπτου, ἀλλὰ τοῦτο ἐνετειλάμην· ἕκαστος τῷ πλησίον ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ μὴ μνησικακείτω. ἀπὸ μνησικακίας δὲ ἥκοντες ἐπὶ τὸ εὔχεσθαι τὴν τοῦ σωτῆρος φυλάσσομεν ἐντολήν, λέγοντος· ὅταν στήκητε προσευχόμενοι, ἀφίετε εἴ τι ἔχετε κατά τινος. δῆλον ὅτι τοιοῦτοι ἱστάμενοι πρὸς τὸ εὔξασθαι τὰ κάλλιστα ἤδη κεκτήμεθα.