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the passion in us—and this is twofold, either softening the soul to gentleness, or hardening it to harshness—, and that according to reasoning, when it reasons things that are not sound or right; and reasoning is like a doorpost (that is, a lintel) upon both doorjambs, for it is a leader and superior by nature, but passion has an analogy to the doorjambs, being subject to reasoning, 9 just as the doorjambs are subject to the lintels. What are the passions that lead to gentleness? Gluttony and drunkenness and desire for sexual intercourse; what are the hard things of the soul? Anger and arrogance; of which Paul, making a refutation, said: "Not in reveling and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying, but put on our Lord Jesus Christ."
10 Therefore the anointing is like putting on clothing, when, being formed by the passion of Christ, we put on the holiness of Christ, neither being weakened into pleasures nor hardened into anger; and it is good to call wisdom—not carnal, but according to Christ—an anointing and a garment for our reasonings, so that we are put to death concerning the carnal mind, as if having died, but are adorned with the spiritual; for thus neither through irrational passions nor through foolish reasonings does sin come upon us, nor does death rule over us.
11 Such then is the mystery of the anointing; and after the anointing is the eating, bringing the divine body to dwell in us and mingling it for union; "They shall eat," 12 he says, "the flesh on this night, roasted with fire." This present age is the night; "The night is far spent," says Paul; the partaking of the holy body is through fire, that is, through fiery and fervent zeal. "Fervent," he says, "in spirit," and, "I came to cast fire on the earth," he says, "and what is my will if it is already kindled?"
13 And just as the fire is indicative of fervent zeal for the enjoyment of the flesh being partaken, so the unleavened bread is of simplicity and the bitter herbs of the ensuing afflictions; for "Unleavened bread," he says, "with bitter herbs shall they 14 eat it." The manner is simple and without malice, putting away that old and crafty thing, as if leaven, but having taken up the new and uncrafty, that it may be unleavened; "For our Passover," he says, "Christ has been sacrificed, so that we may celebrate not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth"; and the afflictions are bitter, "but also in tribulations," he says, "we glory, knowing that tribulation works patience, and patience, experience, and experience, hope, and hope does not put to shame. Through many tribulations we must enter into the kingdom," so that we accept tribulation in the manner of a seasoning because of the hope from it and the kingdom.
15 But the commandment forbids eating the flesh raw; but this would have no meaning for those who hear it physically, for why did God forbid what would never happen, for no one would eat it raw; but among us it provides a very great reason not to approach the partaking of the divine body idly; for it is rendered unpartakeable for those who handle it idly and do not lay claim to union with it through good works; "Faith," he says, "without works is dead," and for this reason tribulations are brought upon those who are disposed idly "for their profit," as Paul says, that they may partake of His holiness.
16 And the love of pleasure of the flesh produces idleness concerning spiritual works; wherefore the lawgiver, declaring this by another symbol, forbids eating it also "boiled in water"; for what is boiled is prepared for the pleasure of eating, but it is not possible to receive the divine food with pleasure; for spiritual power is not mingled with a carnal manner.
17 Do not, then, boil the holy flesh, he says, mixing it with seasonings, but let it be eaten "roasted with fire" only, which is intense zeal, without love of pleasure. The
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πάθος τὸ ἐν ἡμῖν-διττὸν δὲ τοῦτο, ἢ μαλακτικὸν τῆς ψυχῆς εἰς ἀπαλότητα, ἢ σκληροποιὸν εἰς τραχύτητα-, ἡ δὲ κατὰ τὸν λογισμόν, ὅτε μὴ ὑγιῆ μηδὲ ὀρθὰ λογίζοιτο· καί ἐστιν ὁ μὲν λογισμὸς οἱονεὶ φλιά (τουτέστιν ὑπέρθυρον) ἐπὶ τοῖς σταθμοῖς ἑκατέροις, ἡγεμονικὸς γὰρ καὶ ἀνώτερος τῇ φύσει, τὸ δὲ πάθος ἀνάλογον ἔχει τοῖς σταθμοῖς, ὑποκείμενον τῷ λογισμῷ, 9 καθάπερ οἱ σταθμοὶ τοῖς ὑπερθύροις ὑπόκεινται. Τίνα τὰ πρὸς ἀπαλότητα προσάγοντα πάθη; γαστριμαργία καὶ οἰνοφλυγία καὶ συνουσιῶν ἐπιθυμία· τίνα τὰ σκληρὰ τῆς ψυχῆς; ὀργαὶ καὶ αὐθάδειαι· ὧν ὁ Παῦλος τὴν ἀναίρεσιν ποιούμενος ἔλεγε· "Μὴ κώμοις καὶ μέθαις, μὴ κοίταις καὶ ἀσελγείαις, μὴ ἔριδι καὶ ζήλῳ, ἀλλ' ἐνδύσασθε τὸν κύριον ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦν Χριστόν".
10 Ὅμοιον τοίνυν ἡ χρῖσις τῇ ἐνδύσει, ὅτε τῷ Χριστοῦ πάθει μορφούμενοι τὴν ἁγιότητα περιβαλλόμεθα τὴν Χριστοῦ μήτε εἰς ἡδονὰς ἐκλυόμενοι μήτε εἰς θυμοὺς ἐκτραχυνόμενοι· καλὸν δὲ καὶ τοῖς λογισμοῖς εἰπεῖν χρῖσμα καὶ ἐπένδυμα σοφία ἡ μὴ σαρκικὴ ἀλλ' ἡ κατὰ Χριστόν, ὥστε νεκροῦσθαι μὲν ἡμᾶς περὶ τὸν σαρκικὸν νοῦν οἷον ἀποθανόντας, κοσμεῖσθαι δὲ τῷ πνευματικῷ· οὕτω γὰρ οὔτε διὰ τῶν ἀλόγων παθῶν οὔτε διὰ τῶν ἀφρόνων λογισμῶν ἐπίησιν ἡμῖν ἡ ἁμαρτία οὔτε καταδυναστεύει ἡμῖν ὁ θάνατος.
11 Τοιοῦτον μὲν δὴ τὸ τῆς χρίσεως μυστήριον· μετὰ δὲ τὴν χρῖσίν ἐστιν ἡ βρῶσις, εἰσοικίζουσα τὸ σῶμα τὸ θεῖον εἰς ἡμᾶς καὶ ἀναμιγνῦσα πρὸς ἕνωσιν· "Φάγονταί" 12 φησι "τὰ κρέα ταύτῃ τῇ νυκτὶ ὀπτὰ πυρί". Νὺξ ὁ παρὼν οὗτος αἰών· "Ἡ νὺξ προέκοψε" Παῦλός φησι· διὰ πυρὸς ἡ τοῦ ἁγίου μετάληψις σώματος, τουτέστι δι' ἐμπύρου καὶ ζεούσης σπουδῆς. "Τῷ πνεύματί" φησι "ζέοντες", καὶ "Πῦρ ἦλθον βαλεῖν ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν" λέγει "καὶ τί θέλω εἰ ἤδη ἀνήφθη";
13 Ὥσπερ δὲ τὸ πῦρ ἐμφανιστικὸν τῆς ζεούσης σπουδῆς εἰς τὴν ἀπόλαυσιν τῶν κρεῶν παραλαμβανομένων, οὕτως ἄζυμα τῆς ἁπλότητος καὶ αἱ πικρίδες τῶν ἐπακολουθουσῶν θλίψεων· "Ἄζυμα" γάρ φησι "ἐπὶ πικρίδων ἔδον 14 ται". Ἁπλοῦς ὁ τρόπος καὶ ἀκακοποιής, τὸ παλαιὸν ἐκεῖνο καὶ πανοῦργον ἀποτιθέμενος, ὡσπερεὶ ζύμην, τὸ δὲ νέον καὶ ἀπάνουργον ἀνειληφώς, ἵν' ἄζυμος ᾖ· "Τὸ πάσχα γὰρ ἡμῶν" φησιν "ἐτύθη Χριστός, ὥστε ἑορτάζωμεν μὴ ἐν ζύμῃ παλαιᾷ μηδὲ ἐν ζύμῃ κακίας καὶ πονηρίας, ἀλλ' ἐν ἀζύμοις εἰλικρινείας καὶ ἀληθείας"· πικρὸν δὲ αἱ θλίψεις, "ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν ταῖς θλίψεσί" φησι "καυχώμεθα, εἰδότες ὅτι ἡ θλίψις ὑπομονὴν κατεργάζεται, ἡ δὲ ὑπομονὴ δοκιμήν, ἡ δὲ δοκιμὴ ἐλπίδα, ἡ δὲ ἐλπὶς οὐ καταισχύνει. ∆ιὰ πολλῶν θλίψεων δεῖ ἡμᾶς εἰσελθεῖν εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν", ὥστε προσιέμεθα τὴν θλίψιν ἐν ἡδύσματος τρόπῳ διὰ τὴν ἐλπίδα τὴν ἐξ αὐτῆς καὶ τὴν βασιλείαν.
15 Ἀπαγορεύει δὲ τὸ πρόσταγμα μὴ ἐσθίειν ἀπὸ τῶν κρεῶν ὠμόν· τοῦτο δὲ τοῖς μὲν σωματικῶς ἀκούουσιν οὐδένα λόγον ἂν ἔχοι, δι' ὧν ἀπηγόρευσε θεὸς τὸ μὴ ἄν ποτε γενόμενον, οὐδεὶς γὰρ ὠμὸν ἂν φάγοι· παρά γε ἡμῖν καὶ μέγιστον παρέχεται λόγον τὸ μὴ ἀργῶς προσιέναι τῇ τοῦ θείου σώματος μεταλήψει· ἀμετάληπτον γὰρ καθίσταται τοῖς ἀργῶς αὐτὸ μεταχειριζομένοις καὶ μὴ δι' ἔργων ἀγαθῶν τῆς πρὸς αὐτὸ συγκράσεως ἀντιποιουμένοις· "Ἡ πίστις" φησὶ "χωρὶς ἔργων νεκρά ἐστι", καὶ διὰ τοῦτο τοῖς ἀργῶς διακειμένοις ἐπιφέρονται θλίψεις "πρὸς τὸ συμφέρον", ὡς ὁ Παῦλός φησι, ἵνα μεταλαμ βάνωσι τῆς ἁγιότητος αὐτοῦ.
16 Ἀργίαν δὲ ἐμποιεῖ περὶ τὰ πνευματικὰ ἔργα τὸ φιλήδονον τῆς σαρκός· διόπερ ἑτέρῳ συμβόλῳ τοῦτο δηλῶν ὁ νομοθέτης ἀπαγορεύει καὶ "ἑψημένον ὕδατι" φαγεῖν· πρὸς ἡδονὴν γὰρ τῆς βρώσεως τὸ ἑψόμενον παρασκευάζεται, μεθ' ἡδονῆς δὲ τὴν θείαν τροφὴν οὐκ ἔστιν ὑποδέξασθαι· οὐ γὰρ ἀναμίγνυται τρόπῳ σαρκικῷ δύναμις πνευματική.
17 Μὴ τοίνυν ἕψε τὸ κρέας τὸ ἅγιον, φησίν, ἀναμιγνύων ἡδύσμασιν αὐτό, ἀλλ' "ὀπτὰ πυρὶ" μόνον ἐσθιέσθω, ὅπερ ἡ σπουδὴ σύντονος ἀφιλήδονος. Τὸ