SR
The Praktikos/Book 1 · Πρακτικός
Chapter 73Evagr.1.73

Κεφ. ΟΓ'

The Synergy of Wisdom and Judgment

Practical judgment serves as the necessary foundation for spiritual struggle, ultimately clearing the path for the attainment of wisdom.

Rest goes hand in hand with wisdom, while labor is tied to practical judgment. Wisdom can't be gained without a struggle, and that struggle can't be carried through successfully without practical judgment. Practical judgment is entrusted with resisting the anger of demons; it compels the powers of the soul to act according to their nature and prepares the way for wisdom.

Read the original Latin

Ἀνάπαυσις μὲν τῇ σοφίᾳ, κόπος δὲ τῂ φρονήσει συνέζευκται· οὐκ 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.

The Praktikos companion

A daily portion of stillness

Chosen Portion delivers one short contemplative reading and a guided moment of silence each day — the ascent, one step at a time.

Chosen Portion is the paced doorway into this collection: it portions the dense mystical treatises into one daily reading plus guided silence, exactly as the 14-day plan teaches.

  • Daily bite-sized excerpts from the contemplative classics, never a wall of text
  • A built-in timed stillness practice that grows from 2 minutes to 10
  • Gentle progression through the tradition — the app remembers where you are on the ascent
Chosen Portion — Daily Prayer (free iOS app)