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has delightful sensible things, this one makes things puffed up. For this reason also the intelligible Nebuchadnezzar at the gate of Jerusalem, that is, in the soul, is received reigning in it, afflicting it as a subject; for Nebuchadnezzar is interpreted 'prophesying a judgment of affliction.'

QUESTION 17 What do the five sacrifices brought forward according to the law signify; the sheep, the

ox, the goat, the turtledove, and the pigeon? ANSWER According to one interpretation, the ram is taken as the governing part concerning the

rational, the bull concerning the spirited, the goat concerning the appetitive, the turtledove concerning temperance, and the pigeon concerning sanctification. But if it is necessary to seek out also the natural attributes of each animal and to apply the appropriate contemplation to each of them, those who have investigated such things say that the sheep offers three things to its owner: wool, milk, the lamb; and the pupil of its eye travels around with the sun and each day it excretes three hundred sixty-five pellets. But the rational sheep, man, if he has been eager to offer himself as a sacrifice to God his owner, ought to give, as wool, moral practice, and as milk, natural contemplation—for this is nourishing to the mind—and as a lamb, to beget the disciple through his own teaching in all things similar to himself and to present him perfect to God. But such a man also has the pupil of his eye traveling around with the sun, that is, his mind travels around with, that is, follows, the sun of righteousness, who bears our affairs through the providential 14Α_032 governance of beings; for both in afflictions and in prosperity, giving thanks, he follows the providence that guides all things well. And such a man casts off 365 pellets each day, that is, he casts off at all times the things subject to time and becoming as corruptible and superfluous.

Concerning the ox they say that it possesses a triangular heart, and a kidney of five lobes; and it has three stomachs, and by day it has eyes like light, but by night like fire, and for a third of the day and a third of the night, looking towards the east it breathes, blowing; and its right nostril smells of musk, and its blood is destructive of all tame animals except the dog. It is necessary, therefore, for us also, like an ox bearing the yoke of Christ and handling the plough of the word, to cut through stony hearts and to root out the thorns of the passions, and to widen the earth of the heart for the reception of the divine word; and to have a triangular heart, that is, to have the sound word concerning the Trinity in the heart, so that just as the heart naturally distributes life to the body, so also piety towards God constitutes the members of the soul; and to have a kidney of five lobes, that is, for the appetitive part not to be turned toward the passions, but through the five senses to contemplate creation for the sole desire and love of the creator; and to possess three stomachs: the stomach, first receiving the food and through the digestive power sending their pure part to each of the members, gives the remainder to the belly.

Thus, therefore, it is fitting for us also, being led by practical and natural and theological contemplation and assigning what is suitable to all the members of the soul, also to care for the lesser part, that is, the body; for this is the belly; and for a third of the day and a third of the night looking towards the east 14Α_034 to breathe, that is, looking at the threefold providence of God, preservative and converting and disciplinary, both in the night of temptations and in the day of prosperity

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αἰσθητὰ ἐπιτερπῶς ἔχει, οὗτος χαύωνας ποιεῖ. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο καὶ τὸν νοητὸν Ναβουχοδονόσορ ἐν τῇ πύλῃ Ἱερουσαλήμ, τουτέστιν ἐν τῇ ψυχῇ, δέχεται βασιλεύοντα ἐν αὐτῇ, ἐκθλίβων αὐτὴν ὡς ὑποχείριον· Ναβουχοδονόσορ γὰρ ἑρμηνεύεται 'προφητεύων κρίσιν θλίψεως.'

ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ 17 Τί δηλοῦσιν αἱ κατὰ τὸν νόμον προσαγόμεναι πέντε θυσίαι· τὸ πρόβατον, ὁ

βοῦς, ἡ αἴξ, ἡ τρυγὼν καὶ ἡ περιστερά; ΑΠΟΚΡΙΣΙΣ Κατὰ μὲν μίαν ἐπιβολὴν λαμβάνεται ὁ κριὸς μὲν ὡς ἡγεμονικὸν ἐπὶ τοῦ

λογιστικοῦ, ὁ δὲ ταῦρος ἐπὶ τοῦ θυμικοῦ, ἡ δὲ αἲξ ἐπὶ τοῦ ἐπιθυμητικοῦ, ἡ δὲ τρυγὼν ἐπὶ τῆς σωφροσύνης, ἡ περιστερὰ δὲ ἐπὶ τοῦ ἁγιασμοῦ. Εἰ δὲ δεῖ καὶ τὰ ἑκάστου ζῴου προσόντα φυσικῶς ζητῆσαι καὶ ἑκάστου αὐτῶν τὴν πρόσφορον ἐφαρμόσαι θεωρίαν, φασὶν οἱ τὰ τοιαῦτα ἐπεσκεμμένοι ὅτι τρία προσάγει τῷ κεκτημένῳ τὸ πρόβατον, τὸν μαλλόν, τὸ γάλα, τὸν ἀμνόν· ἡ δὲ κόρη τοῦ ὀφθαλμοῦ αὐτοῦ συμπεριπολεῖ τῷ ἡλίῳ καὶ ἑκάστης ἡμέρας ἀφοδεύει σπυράθους τριακοσίους ἑξηκοντα πέντε. Τὸ δὲ λογικὸν πρόβατον ὁ ἄνθρωπος, εἴπερ ἑαυτὸν θυσίαν προσφέρειν τῷ κεκτημένῳ Θεῷ ἐσπούδακεν, χρεωστεῖ διδόναι ὥσπερ μαλλὸν τὴν ἠθικὴν πρᾶξιν, ὡς δὲ γάλα τὴν φυσικὴν θεωρίαν θρεπτικὴ γὰρ αὐτὴ τοῦ νοῦ ὡς δὲ ἀμνὸν τὸν μαθητευόμενον ἀπογεννᾶν διὰ τῆς ἰδίας διδασκαλίας κατὰ πάντα ὅμοιον ἑαυτῷ καὶ τέλειον προσάγειν τῷ Θεῷ. Ἀλλὰ καὶ τὴν κόρην τοῦ ὀφθαλμοῦ ὁ τοιοῦτος ἔχει τῷ ἡλίῳ συμπεριπολοῦσαν, τουτέστιν τὸν νοῦν τῷ ἡλίῳ τῆς δικαιοσύνης διὰ τῆς προνοητικῆς 14Α_032 τῶν ὄντων διοικήσεως φέροντι τὰ ἡμέτερα συμπεριπολεῖ, τουτέστιν ἐπακολουθεῖ· ἔν τε γὰρ θλίψεσιν ἔν τε εὐημερίαις εὐχαριστῶν ἕπεται τῇ καλῶς ἀγούσῃ τὰ πάντα προνοίᾳ. Ἀποβάλλει δὲ ὁ τοιοῦτος ἑκάστης ἡμέρας σπυράθους τξε (365), τουτέστιν τὰ ὑπὸ χρόνον καὶ γένεσιν ὡς φθαρτὰ καὶ περισσὰ ἑκάστοτε ἀπορρίπτει.

Περὶ δὲ τοῦ βοός φασιν ὅτι τὴν καρδίαν τρίγωνον κέκτηται, τὸν δὲ νεφρὸν πεντάβολον· ἔχει δὲ καὶ τρεῖς στομάχους καὶ τὴν μὲν ἡμέραν φωτοειδεῖς ἔχει τοὺς ὀφθαλμούς, τῇ δὲ νυκτὶ πυροειδεῖς καὶ τρίτον τῆς ἡμέρας καὶ τρίτον τῆς νυκτὸς κατ᾽ ἀνατολὰς ὁρῶν πνέει φυσῶν· ὁ δὲ δεξιὸς αὐτοῦ ῥὶς εὐωδιάζει μόσχον, τὸ δὲ αἷμα αὐτοῦ ἀναιρετικόν ἐστιν πάντων τῶν ἡμέρων ζῴων χωρὶς τοῦ κυνός. ∆εῖ οὖν καὶ ἡμᾶς ὥσπερ βοῦν τὸν ζυγὸν φέροντας τοῦ Χριστοῦ καὶ τὸ ἄροτρον τοῦ λόγου μεταχειριζομένους, τὰς λιθίνας ἀνατέμνειν καρδίας καὶ τὰς μὲν ἀκάνθας τῶν παθῶν ἐκριζοῦν, πλατύνειν δὲ τὴν γῆν τῆς καρδίας πρὸς ὑποδοχὴν τοῦ θείου λόγου· ἔχειν δὲ καὶ τὴν καρδίαν τρίγωνον, τουτέστιν τὸν περὶ Τριάδος λόγον ὑγιῆ ἔχειν ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ, ἵνα ὥσπερ ἡ καρδία διαδίδωσι φυσικῶς τὴν ζωὴν τῷ σώματι, οὕτως καὶ ἡ εἰς Θεὸν εὐσέβεια τὰ μέλη τῆς ψυχῆς συνίστησιν· τὸν δὲ νεφρὸν ἔχειν πεντάβολον, τουτέστιν τὸ ἐπιθυμητικὸν μὴ πρὸς τὰ πάθη τετράφθαι, ἀλλὰ διὰ τῶν πέντε αἰσθήσεων τὴν κτίσιν κατοπτεύειν εἰς μόνην ἐπιθυμίαν καὶ ἀγάπην τοῦ κτίσαντος· τρεῖς δὲ καὶ στομάχους κεκτῆσθαι· ὁ στόμαχος πρῶτον τὰ σιτία δεχόμενος καὶ διὰ τῆς πεπτικῆς δυνάμεως τὸ εἰλικρινὲς αὐτῶν ἑκάστῳ τῶν μελῶν παραπέμψας, τὸ λοιπὸν τῇ κοιλίᾳ δίδωσιν.

Οὕτως οὖν καὶ ἡμᾶς προσῆκεν διὰ πρακτικῆς καὶ φυσικῆς καὶ θεολογικῆς θεωρίας ἀγομένους καὶ τὰ πρόσφορα πᾶσιν τοῖς μέλεσιν τῆς ψυχῆς ἀπονέμοντας, καὶ τοῦ ἥττονος προνοεῖσθαι μέρους, τουτέστιν τοῦ σώματος· τοῦτο γὰρ ἡ κοιλία· τρίτον δὲ τῆς ἡμέρας καὶ τρίτον τῆς νυκτὸς ἀφορῶντας πρὸς ἀνατολὰς 14Α_034 πνέειν, τουτέστιν τὴν τρισσὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ πρόνοιαν συντηρητικὴν καὶ ἐπιστρεπτικὴν καὶ παιδευτικὴν ἀφορῶντας, ἔν τε νυκτὶ πειρασμῶν ἔν τε ἡμέρᾳ εὐημερίας