Letter 56: Purity opens the vision of God, and meekness matters more than spectacular works.

You have comforted us sufficiently, sober-minded friend. By your consolation you quenched grief and left no room for tears. We should not grieve over those who have fallen asleep, because we do not sorrow like the rest, who have no hope. Otherwise, why do we say to God, "Bring my soul out of prison, that I may give thanks to your name," as though the body prevents us from offering pure praise to God? The senses incline toward bodily things, but the mind looks toward spiritual things, in which our God rests. For this reason, when the mind is a beginner, it detests bodily things and longs to converse with God alone. Just as it is impossible for what is bodiless to draw near through bodily things, so it is impossible to see the bodiless One without a bodiless mind. It is not simply the mind that sees God, but the pure mind: "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." Notice that he blesses not purity itself, but the vision. Purity is freedom from passion in a rational soul; the vision of God is true knowledge of the one essence of the worshipful Trinity, seen by those who have completed their conduct here and purified the soul through the commandments. One of the commandments, and the first, is love. With love the mind clearly sees the first love, God himself. Through our love we see God's love for us, as it is written in the psalm, "He will teach the meek his ways." Moses was meek beyond all human beings, and the Holy Spirit rightly said, "He made known his ways to Moses." Entrust this meekness to your brothers: turn slowly toward anger. No vice makes the mind become a demon as anger does, through the wrath that disturbs it. It is written in the psalm, "Their anger is like the likeness of a serpent, like an asp." Do not think a demon is anything other than a human being disturbed by anger and driven out of right perception. The bodies of demons have color and shape, but they escape our perception because their mixture is unlike the bodies that fall under our senses. When they want to appear to someone, they usually imitate every form of our body, but they do not reveal their own body. So let none of the brothers become like a snake, and do not accept self-control from which meekness is far away. A person who abstains from food and drink while disgraceful anger burns within him is like a ship in the middle of the sea driven by the demon of wrath. Tell me: why, when Scripture chose to praise Moses, did it leave aside all the wonders and mention only meekness? It did not say that Moses disciplined Egypt with twelve plagues and led a burdened people out of it. It did not say that Moses was the first to receive the law from God and accepted knowledge of the ages that had come to be. It did not say that he split the Red Sea with a rod and brought water from a rock for a thirsty people. Instead it said that he stood alone before God in the desert when God wanted to destroy Israel, and asked to be blotted out with the children of his people. He placed compassion and injustice before God, saying, "Forgive them; but if not, blot me out of your book that you have written." The meek man said this, and God chose rather to forgive the sinners than to wrong Moses. Scripture passed over the glorious feeding with manna and quails, Moses' fast beyond human nature, and the tabernacle that allegorically represented the ages that have come and those still to come. It praised only this: that Moses was meek beyond all human beings. What a great wonder, that all the wisdom of Moses was circumscribed in two signs; even his praise and the name Moses consist of two signs. David too, remembering the virtue of meekness, says, "Remember, Lord, David and all his meekness." He passed over the fact that his knees grew weak from fasting, that his flesh was changed for lack of oil, and that he kept vigil and became like a lone sparrow on a roof. Let us also acquire this meekness from the one who said, "Learn from me, for I am meek and humble in heart," so that he may teach us his ways and give us rest in the kingdom of heaven.

Greek retroversion from Syriac transmission (Frankenberg 1912, TAN/TEI CC BY 4.0): ικανως ημας παρακεκληχας ω σωφρον και δια παραμυθιας το πενθος κατεσβεκας και δακρυσι τοπον ου δεδωκας· ου γαρ προσηκει πενθειν περι των κοιμωμενων, οτι ου λυπουμεθα καθως και οι λοιποι οι μη εχοντες ελπιδα· ει δε μη πως λεγομεν τωι θεωι εξαγαγε εκ φυλακης την ψυχην μου του εξομολογησασθαι τωι ονοματι σου ως του σωματος κωλυοντος δοξολογιαν καθαραν θεωι αναπεμψαι· τα γαρ αισθητηρια επι τα σωματικα ρεπει ο δε νους εις τα πνευματικα βλεπει οις ο θεος ημων επαναπαυεται. τοιγαρουν αρχαριος ο νους βδελυσσεται εν τοις σωματικοις επιποθων μονωι τωι θεωι διαλεγεσθαι· ωσπερ γαρ απορον εστι ασωματον τοις σωματικοις πλησιαζειν ουτως αδυνατον ανευ νοος ασωματου τον ασωματον οραν· ουχ ο νους τον θεον οραι αλλ' ο καθαρος νους, μακαριοι γαρ οι καθαροι τηι καρδιαι οτι αυτοι τον θεον οψονται. βλεπε οτι ου την καθαροτητα μακαριζει αλλα την οψιν, οτι καθαροτης εστιν απαθεια λογικης ψυχης, οψις δε θεου αληθινη επιγνωσις της μιας ουσιας της προσκυνητης τριαδος ην ορωσιν οι ενθαδε τας αναστροφας επιτελεσαντες τε και δι' εντολων την ψυχην καθαρισαντες. μια δε των εντολων και αρχικη εστιν η αγαπη μεθ' ης ο νους καθοραι την πρωτην αγαπην, τον δη θεον. δια γαρ της ημων αγαπης την θεου προς ημας αγαπην ορωμεν ως γεγραπται εν τωι ψαλμωι διδαξει πραεις οδους αυτου . πραυς δε ην Μωυσης παρα παντας ανθρωπους και καλως ειπε το αγιον πνευμα εγνωρισεν τας οδους αυτου τωι Μωυσηι . ταυτην την πραυτητα εγχειρισον τοις αδελφοις σου βραδεως προς τον θυμον μεταστρεφειν οτι ουδεμια κακια ως ο θυμος τον νουν δαιμονα γενεσθαι ποιει δια της οργης του ταρασσοντος· γεγραπται γαρ εν ψαλμωι θυμος αυτοις κατα την ομοιωσιν του οφεως ωσει ασπιδος και μη οιου οτι τι αλλο εστι δαιμων η ανθφωπος οργηι διατεταραγμενος, της δε αισθησεως εξελθων, οτι τα των δαιμονων σωματα χρωμα εχει και σχημα την δε ημων αισθησιν αποφευγει επει η κρασις αυτων ανομοια της των υπο την ημετεραν αισθησιν κειμενων σωματων. οταν δε θελωσι φανηναι τινι μαλλον πασαις ταις μορφαις του ημων σωματος ομοιουνται, το δε αυτων σωμα ου δηλουσιν. μη ουν τις των αδελφων οφει ομοιουσθω και μη αποδεχου εγκρατειαν ης η πραυτης μακραν· ος γαρ αν της μεν εδωδης τεκαι του ποτου απεχηται εντος δε αυτου θυμος ασχημων εξηπται ομοιος εστι νηι εν μεσωι της θαλασσης υπο του της οργης δαιμονος αγομενηι. ειπε μοι δια τι ελομενη η γραφη τον Μωυση επαινεσαι αφεισα παντα τα θαυματα την πραυτητα μονην εμνημονευσεν; οτι ουκ ειπεν οτι Μωυσης εν δωδεκα πληγαις την Αιγυπτον επαιδευσε και εξηγαγεν αυτης λαον βαρυν και ουκ ειπεν οτι Μωυσης πρωτος νομον παρα θεου ελαβεν και γνωσιν των αιωνων των γεγομενων εδεξατο, ουδε οτι ραβδωι την ερυθραν θαλασσαν εσχισεν και εκ πετρας υδωρ εξηγαγε τωι διψουντι λαωι αλλα ειπεν οτι μονος ειστηκει εμπροσθεν θεου εν τηι ερημωι τον Ισραηλ αφανισαι θελοντος και εδειτο εξαλειφθηναι μετα των υιων του λαου αυτου· φιλανθρωπιαν και αδικιαν εθηκεν εμπροσθεν θεου λεγων αφες αυτοις ει δε μη εξαλειψον με εκ της βιβλου σου ης εγραψας . ταυτα ειπεν ο πραυς ο δε θεος μαλλον ειλετο αφειναι τοις ημαρτηκοσιν η αδικειν εις Μωυσην. παρηκεν η γραφη τον ενδοξον σιτισμον του μαννα και ορνιθας των ορτυγομητρων και την νηστειαν Μωυση της ανθρωπινης φυσεως υψηλοτεραν και το σκηνωμα αλληγορικως τυπουν τους αιωνας τους τε γενομενους και τους εσομενους και τουτο μονον επηινεσεν οτι Μωυσης δη πραυς παρα παντας τους ανθρωπους . ω του μεγαλου θαυματος οτι πασαν την σοφιαν Μωυση δυσι σημειοις περιεγραψε και γαρ ο επαινος αυτου και το ονομα Μωυση δυο σημειων εστι. και Δαυιδ μνημονευων την πραυτητος αρετην λεγει μνησθητι κυριε του Δαυιδ και πασης της πραυτητος αυτου παρεσιωπησε το οτι τα γονατα αυτου ησθενησαν απο νηστειας και η σαρξ αυτου ηλλοιωθη δι’ ελαιον και το οτι ηγρυπνησε και εγενηθη ωσει στρουθιον μοναζον επι δωματι και ειπεν μνησθητι κτλ . κτωμεθα και ημεις ταυτην την πραυτητα του ειποντος μαθετε απ' εμου οτι πραυς ειμι και ταπεινος τηι καρδιαι ινα διδαξηι ημας οδους αυτου και αναπαυσηι εν βασιλειαι του ουρανου Syriac transmission available in the linked TAN/TEI source. The complete corpus is Syriac-transmitted; Greek survives only fragmentarily, so this display text is a retroversion witness.