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being a kind of worm-like animal; and it is very smooth to the touch, which, for those who drink water greedily, secretly enters by its smoothness; then, having entwined itself inside to one of the parts, it is not detached before, until by the draining of the blood it has killed the person; for it is a blood-drinker, and from this it is nourished and grows. To this now he compared the devil. who, being unable to overcome men by force; for he uses especially three means of attack against them, pleasuring, charming, deceiving, and for this reason, little by little, secretly destroying them; for first he leads them into the ways of false opinion toward destruction, which indeed he also calls Hades, showing the greatness of sin by the end of its punishment; then enveloping them with the sensuality of licentiousness, which indeed he also calls love of women. In addition to these, by love of money, that is, greed, which indeed he also said was earth not being filled with water; for such sandy earth is insatiable.

These, therefore, are the passions, which have been devised by the evil one for the destruction of men, which he so loves and cherishes, as if they were his own daughters. And the fourth he calls the practice and habit of these things; for not even he who has held a false opinion once, or fornicated, or desired more, has immediately fallen under the passions, but he who by habit has finally been overcome even in his perception; for you would find such people buried in false opinions, never getting their fill, but always intensifying their passions, so as even to urge others on to these things. Just as, therefore, both water and fire, by the supply of suitable things, does not cease, nor does it say, "It is enough," but rather becomes more intense; and the water by the inflow of water does not stop, but increases; which you also, he says, O child, knowing, abstain from these, lest you be secretly, little by little, like a very smooth leech, stripped of your life by pleasure. Verses 19, 20. The tracks of a flying eagle, the soul of the wise man, which, being wise, is unable to know from itself the flights of the intelligible eagle; concerning which it is written: The great eagle, and long in its wingspan and full of claws, not having a trace of the presence of the devil, even if it flew before me from where I do not know; for when the evil one turned away from me, I did not know, because I had no desire for him. Such is the way of an adulteress, the adulterated teaching. Verse 22. The people from the gentiles, being a slave of sin and of the devil formerly; thus: By a foolish nation I will provoke you to anger; and, a fool is filled with the foods of life; and, a hateful woman, that is, a harlot; for the Church from the gentiles was a harlot, going after strange gods; and a maidservant drive out her own mistress, the Church of the gentiles the Synagogue, being the mistress; for of this one the law and the prophets are in need. -A slave of the intellectual investigation is the literal one, which the Jews for their part preferred as a mistress; but the gentiles, transferring the literal to the spiritual, cast out the one who was like a mistress among them, the physical observance of the law. Verse 25. The gentiles, he says, for whom there is no strength, and they store up for themselves through good works the eternal 39.1644 life. And the rock-badgers; a species of fish, that is, the hares called gadflies, the formerly weak gentiles, having fled for refuge to Christ; for a rock is a refuge for the rock-badgers, who have made their homes in rocks. And so you, he says, even if you are a weak creature, take hold of the rock of the true faith, and direct your life toward it.

Relying on deeds he enters into the kingdom. Therefore you also, he says, do not disbelieve in the kingdom of the heavens because of the weakness of your faith, but believing the promise concerning it, pursue the commandments that produce it. Christ the Lion; for all rational beings are beasts in relation to him; for Moses says: "But I am without reason (7)." The natural energy is said to pass through without hindrance. Verse 31. He who was offered for sins, and who walks on high, has the flock following him. "For when I am lifted up," he says, "I will draw all men to myself." The rooster of the teacher

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σκωληκοειδὲς οὖσα τι ζῶον· λειοτάτη δέ ἐστι τῇ ἁφῇ, ἥτις τοῖς χανδὸν τοῦ ὕδατος μεταλαμβάνουσι, λεληθότως ὑπεισέρχεται τῇ λειότητι· εἶτα περιπλακεῖσα ἔνδον τινὶ τῶν μορίων, οὐ πρότερον ἀποῤῥήγνυται, ἕως ἂν τῇ ἐκπόσει τοῦ αἵματος ἀποκτείνῃ τὸν ἄνθρωπον· αἱμοπότης γάρ ἐστι, καὶ ἐντεῦθεν τρέφεται καὶ αὔξεται. Ταύτῃ νῦν εἴκασε τὸν διάβολον. ὅστις βίᾳ τῶν ἀνθρώπων κρατεῖν οὐ δυνάμενος· τρισὶ γὰρ κέχρηται μάλιστα κατ' αὐτῶν ὁρμητηρίοις, ἥδων, θέλγων ἀπατῶν, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο κατὰ μικρὸν λεληθότως αὐτοὺς ἀναιρῶν· πρῶτον μὲν γὰρ αὐτοὺς ταῖς τῆς ψευδοδοξίας ὁδοῖς ἐνάγει πρὸς ἀπώλειαν, ὅπερ δὴ καὶ ᾅδην καλεῖ, τῷ τέλει τῆς δίκης δεικνὺς τῆς ἁμαρτίας τὸ μέγεθος· ἔπειτα περιβάλλων τῇ τῆς ἀκολασίας ἡδυπαθείᾳ, ὃ δὴ καὶ ἔρωτα καλεῖ γυναικῶν. Ἐπὶ τούτοις φιλαργυρίᾳ, ἤτοι πλεονεξίᾳ, ὅπερ δὴ καὶ γῆν οὐκ ἐμπιπλαμένην ὕδατος ἔφη· τοιαύτη γὰρ ἡ ψαμμώδης ἄπληστος.

Ταῦτα τοίνυν εἰσὶ τὰ πάθη, ἅτινα ἐξεύρηται τῷ πονηρῷ πρὸς τὴν τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἀπώλειαν, ἅπερ οὕτως φιλεῖ καὶ στέργει, ὡς ἂν θυγατέρας ἰδίας. Τὸ τέταρτον δὲ καλεῖ τὴν τούτων τριβὴν καὶ συνήθειαν· οὐδὲ γὰρ ὁ πρὸς ἅπαξ ψευδοδοξήσας, ἢ πορνεύσας, ἢ ἐπιθυμήσας τοῦ πλείονος, εὐθὺς ὑπέπεσε τοῖς παθήμασιν, ἀλλ' ὁ τῇ συνηθείᾳ λοιπὸν καὶ τὴν αἴσθησιν ἡττηθείς· τοιούτους γὰρ ἂν εὕροις τοὺς ταῖς ψευδοδοξίαις ἐντεθαμμένους, οὐδέποτε κόρον λαμβάνοντας, ἀλλ' ἀεὶ προεπιτείνοντας τὰ πάθη, ὡς καὶ ἑτέρους ἐπὶ ταῦτα προτρέπεσθαι. Ὥσπερ οὖν καὶ ὕδωρ καὶ πῦρ τῇ χορηγίᾳ τῶν προσφόρων οὐ παύεται, οὐδὲ λέγει, Ἀρκεῖ, ἀλλὰ μᾶλλον ἐπαῦον γίνεται· τό τε ὕδωρ τῇ ἐπιῤῥοῇ τοῦ ὕδατος οὐ λήγει, ἀλλ' αὔξεται· ἃ καὶ σὺ, φησὶν, ὦ παῖ, γινώσκων, ἀπέχου τούτων, ἵνα μὴ λάθῃς κατὰ βραχὺ, καθάπερ βδέλλῃ λειοτάτῃ, τῇ ἡδονῇ τὰν βίον ἀποσυλώμενος. Στ. ιθʹ, κʹ. Ἴχνη ἀετοῦ πετομένου, ἡ τοῦ σοφοῦ ψυχὴ, ἣ, σοφὸς οὖσα, ἀδυνάτως ἔχει πρὸς τὸ γνῶναι ἀφ' ἑαυτῆς τὰ τοῦ νοητοῦ ἀετοῦ πετάσματα· περὶ οὗ γέγραπται· Ἀετὸς ὁ μέγας καὶ ὁ μακρὸς τῇ ἐκτάσει καὶ πλήρης ὀνύχων, οὐκ ἔχων ἴχνος τῆς παρουσίας τοῦ διαβόλου, εἰ καὶ προέπτη μοι πόθεν οὐκ οἶδα· ἐκκλίνοντος γὰρ ἀπ' ἐμοῦ τοῦ πονηροῦ, οὐκ ἐγίνωσκον, τῷ μὴ ἔχειν με πρὸς αὐτὸν πόθον. Τοιαύτη ὁδὸς μοιχαλίδος, ἡ νενοθευμένη διδασκαλία. Στ. κβʹ. Ὁ ἐξ ἐθνῶν λαὸς, δοῦλος ὢν τῆς ἁμαρτίας καὶ τοῦ διαβόλου τὸ πρότερον· οὕτως· Ἐπ' ἔθνει ἀσυνέτῳ παροργιῶ ὑμᾶς· καὶ, Ἄφρων πλησθῇ σιτίων τῶν τῆς ζωῆς· καὶ, Μισητὴ γυνὴ, ὅ ἐστι πόρνη· πόρνη γὰρ ἦν ἡ ἐξ ἐθνῶν Ἐκκλησία, ὀπίσω θεῶν ἀλλοτρίων πορευομένη· καὶ οἰκέτις ἐκβάλῃ τὴν ἑαυτῆς κυρίαν, ἡ τῶν ἐθνῶν Ἐκκλησία τὴν Συναγωγὴν οὖσαν κυρίαν· ταύτης γὰρ ὁ νόμος καὶ οἱ προφῆται δέονται. -Τῆς διανοητικῆς ἐπισκέψεως δούλη ἡ κατὰ τὸ γράμμα, ἣν Ἰουδαῖοι μὲν ὡς δέσποιναν προετίμων· τὰ δὲ ἔθνη μεταλαμβάνοντα τὸ ῥητὸν εἰς τὸ πνευματικὸν, τὴν ὡς δέσποιναν παρ' ἐκείνοις ἐξέβαλον, τὴν σωματικὴν τοῦ νόμου παρατήρησιν. Στ. κεʹ. Τὰ ἔθνη φησὶν, οἷς οὐκ ἔστιν ἰσχὺς, καὶ θησαυρίζουσιν ἑαυτοῖς δι' ἔργων ἀγαθῶν τὴν αἰώνιον 39.1644 ζωήν. Καὶ οἱ χοιρογρύλλιοι· εἶδος ἰχθύος, ἤτοι οἱ λαγωοὶ οἱ καλούμενοι οἴστροι, τὰ πρώην ἀσθενῆ ἔθνη, καταφυγόντα πρὸς τὸν Χριστόν· πέτρα γὰρ καταφυγὴ τοῖς χοιρογρυλλίοις, οἳ ἐποιήσαντο ἐν πέτραις. Καὶ σὺ οὖν, φησὶ, κἂν ἀσθενὲς ᾖς ζῶον, ἐπιλαβοῦ τῆς πέτρας τῆς ἀληθοῦς πίστεως, καὶ πρὸς αὐτὴν τὸν βίον ἀπεύθυνε.

Πράξεσιν ἐρειδόμενος εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν εἰσέρχεται. Οὐκοῦν καὶ σὺ, φησὶ, μὴ διὰ τὸ ἀσθενὲς τῆς πίστεως ἀπιστήσῃς τῇ τῶν οὐρανῶν βασιλείᾳ, ἀλλὰ πιστεύων τῇ περὶ αὐτῆς ὑποσχέσει, τὰ ταύτης ποιητικὰ μετέρχου προστάγματα. Λέων Χριστός· πάντα γὰρ τὰ λογικὰ πρὸς αὐτὸν κτήνη εἰσί· Μωϋσῆς γάρ φησιν· "Ἐγὼ δὲ ἄλογός (7) εἰμι." Τὸ τὴν φυσικὴν ἐνέργειαν, ἀνεμποδίστως διαβαίνειν λέγεται. Στ. λαʹ. Ὁ ὑπὲρ ἁμαρτιῶν προσενεχθεὶς, καὶ ἐν ὕψει βαίνων, ἔχει ἐφεπομένην αὐτῷ τὴν ἀγέλην. "Ὅταν γὰρ ὑψωθῶ, φησὶ, πάντας ἑλκύσω πρὸς ἐμαυτόν." Ὁ ἀλεκτριὼν διδασκάλου