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of the resurgence of the passions. For if, when we are often contemplating something in life with intense reasoning, both our sight and hearing remain inactive, and the whole soul is possessed by the thought, leaving the senses desolate, how much more, if the divine love should flourish 31.1352 in our soul, will we have no time for the thought of the passions. And if these should ever arise even a little, they will quickly be suppressed by the magnanimity of the soul. For what is better, tell me, to imitate the fruitful trees, which are themselves rich, and delight others with their good fruits, or to be like vegetables withered by heat and drought, and to be, according to the prophet, like half-boiled beet, unable even to serve its own needs (and this when they have from nature the self-sufficient power of their own care); but to practice philosophy by halves, with the soul alone, and not also with the body? For if we were established outside the body, it would be necessary to strive for the best things with the soul alone; but since man is twofold, the pursuit of virtue must also be twofold, being accomplished by the labors of the body and the exercises of the soul. And the labors of the body are not idleness, but work. However, we must also consider this, that we not, on the pretext of the body’s need, run aground in the service of pleasures. For if it were possible, while enduring constant want, to perform the appropriate works for the body, this would be best; but since very few bodies can avoid collapsing on such a regimen, it is necessary both to fast in measure, and to bring the most necessary aid to the body, with pleasure not leading the way in matters of food, but with reason precisely defining the need; just as a skilled physician dispassionately treats the sickness with the appropriate remedies. For when this disposition exists in the soul, the one who partakes of food will appear in no way second in philosophy to the one who does not partake; but by his purpose he has achieved not only continuous fasting but even lack of nourishment, and by his provision for the body he possesses the praiseworthy quality of the best stewardship. For the moderate discipline of the body and self-control does not know how to inflame the desires and make the passions untamable. For this belongs to gluttony and luxury. And these things, then, insofar as from the laws of nature and the testimonies of the divine Scripture, establish what is now set before us for consideration. But since it is necessary not only to strengthen what has been said with the precepts of words, but also to confirm the counsel with practical examples, I will now proceed to the very life of the Savior, which, having lived in the flesh, he has set as a model and program of virtue for all who wish to live piously; so that the rest, looking to those characteristics, might impress a like form upon their own 31.1353 lives, in no way distorting the archetype by a variation of the imitation. For that the Savior set his own life as an image of the best way of life for all who wish to obey him, hear him plainly teaching this: "For if anyone," he says, "serves me, let him follow me," indicating not the following according to the flesh (for that would be impossible for all, since the Lord is now known to be in heaven according to the body), but the exact imitation of his way of life as far as possible. How then did our Savior live, and how did he conduct his life? He committed no sin. For how could righteousness be defeated by sin? How could falsehood have overcome the truth? How could power be wrestled down by weakness? Or how could that which is not have prevailed over that which is? For God is ever-existing, and having no limit of existence, admitting no end; but sin never is, nor is it comprehended in its own substance; but in those who do it rather than in the things wrongly done, having its existence in the absence of the good, it is figured as a conceptual darkness in transgressions, being dissolved by the light of righteousness; for the

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διαναστά σεως τῶν παθῶν. Εἰ γὰρ, διανοουμένων ἡμῶν τι πολλάκις κατὰ τὸν βίον συντόνῳ λογισμῷ, καὶ ἡ ὄψις καὶ ἡ ἀκοὴ ἀνενέργητος ἔμεινε, καὶ ὅλη ἡ ψυχὴ τοῦ ἐνθυμήματος ἔχεται, καταλιποῦσα τὰς αἰσθήσεις ἐρήμους, πολλῷ μᾶλλον εἰ ὁ θεῖος ἔρως ἐνακμάζοι 31.1352 ἡμῶν τῇ ψυχῇ, οὐδὲ καιρὸν τῆς περὶ τὰ πάθη ἐννοίας ἕξομεν. Εἰ δέ που καὶ μικρὸν ταῦτα διανα σταίη, ταχέως τῇ τῆς ψυχῆς μεγαλονοίᾳ καταστα λήσεται. Τί γὰρ βέλτιον, εἰπέ μοι, μιμεῖσθαι τῶν δένδρων τὰ εὔκαρπα, ἃ καὶ αὐτὰ πλουτεῖ, καὶ ἑτέ ρους ταῖς εὐκαρπίαις εὐφραίνει, ἢ παρεοικέναι τῶν λαχάνων τοῖς ὑπὸ καύσωνος καὶ ἀνυδρίας μαραινο μένοις, καὶ εἶναι, κατὰ τὸν προφήτην, ὥσπερ σεύ τλιον ἡμίεφθον, οὐδὲ ταῖς οἰκείαις χρείαις ὑπηρετεῖ σθαι δυνάμενον (καὶ ταῦτα αὐτοτελῆ τὴν τῆς οἰκείας θεραπείας δύναμιν παρὰ τῆς φύσεως ἔχοντας)· ἐξ ἡμισείας δὲ τὴν φιλοσοφίαν ἐργάζεσθαι ψυχῇ μόνῃ, ἀλλ' οὐχὶ καὶ τῷ σώματι; Εἰ μὲν γὰρ ἔξω τοῦ σώ ματος καθειστήκειμεν, ἀναγκαῖον τῇ ψυχῇ μόνῃ σπουδάζειν τὰ βέλτιστα· ἐπεὶ δὲ διπλοῦς ὁ ἄνθρωπος, διπλοῦν εἶναι προσήκει καὶ τὸ τῆς ἀρετῆς σπούδασμα, πόνοις τε σώματος καὶ ψυχῆς ἀσκήμασι κατορθού μενον. Πόνοι δὲ σώματος οὐχ ἡ ἀργία, ἀλλὰ τὸ ἔρ γον ἐστί. ∆εῖ μέντοι καὶ τοῦτο σκοπεῖν, ὅπως ἂν μὴ προ φάσει τῆς τοῦ σώματος χρείας εἰς ὑπηρεσίαν τῶν ἡδονῶν ἐξοκείλωμεν. Εἰ μὲν γὰρ ἦν, ἐνδείᾳ διηνεκεῖ προσανέχοντας, τὰς καθηκούσας ἐκτελεῖν ἐργασίας τῷ σώματι, τοῦτο ἂν ἦν ἄριστον· ἐπεὶ δὲ λίαν ὀλίγων σωμάτων ἐστὶ τῇ τοιαύτῃ διαιτήσει μὴ κατα πίπτειν, δεῖ καὶ νηστεύειν ἔμμετρα, καὶ τὴν ἀναγ καιοτάτην ἐπικουρίαν εἰσφέρειν τῷ σώματι, μὴ τῆς ἡδονῆς ἡγουμένης περὶ τὰ βρώματα, ἀλλὰ τοῦ λογι σμοῦ τὴν χρείαν μετὰ ἀκριβείας ὁρίζοντος· καθάπερ τινὸς ἐπιστήμονος ἰατροῦ τοῖς καθήκουσιν ἀπροσπα θῶς τὴν ἀσθένειαν θεραπεύοντος. Ταύτης γὰρ τῆς διαθέσεως ἐν ψυχῇ γενομένης, οὐδὲν ὁ μετέχων τῆς τροφῆς τοῦ μὴ μετέχοντος δεύτερος εἰς φιλοσο φίαν φανεῖται· ἀλλὰ τῷ μὲν σκοπῷ τὴν διηνεκῆ οὐ νηστείαν μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀτροφίαν κατώρθωσε, τῇ δὲ περὶ τὸ σῶμα προμηθείᾳ τῆς ἀρίστης οἰκονομίας τὸ ἐπαινετὸν ἔχει. Οὐ γὰρ οἶδεν ἡ σύμμετρος ἀγωγὴ τοῦ σώματος καὶ ἐγκράτεια τὰς ἐπιθυμίας ἀναφλέ γειν, καὶ ἀδάμαστα τὰ πάθη ποιεῖν. Πλεονεξίας γὰρ καὶ τρυφῆς τοῦτό γε. Καὶ ταῦτα μὲν οὖν, ὅσον ἐκ τῶν τῆς φύσεως νόμων καὶ μαρτυριῶν τῆς θείας Γραφῆς, συστῆσαι τὸ νῦν εἰς διάσκεψιν ἡμῖν προ κείμενον. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ δεῖ μὴ μόνον ταῖς τῶν λόγων ὑποθήκαις κρατῦναι τὰ εἰρημένα, ἀλλὰ καὶ πρακτι κοῖς ὑποδείγμασι τὴν συμβουλὴν βεβαιώσασθαι, ἐπ' αὐτὴν ἤδη βαδιοῦμαι τοῦ Σωτῆρος τὴν πολι τείαν, ἣν κατὰ σάρκα πολιτευσάμενος πᾶσι τοῖς εὐ σεβῶς βιώσασθαι θέλουσι τύπον ἀρετῆς καὶ πρό γραμμα τέθεικεν· ὥστε τοὺς λοιποὺς, ὁρῶντας εἰς ἐκείνους τοὺς χαρακτῆρας, τὴν ὁμοίαν τοῖς ἑαυτῶν 31.1353 βίοις ἐναποτυποῦν ἰδέαν, οὐδαμοῦ τὸ ἀρχέτυπον τῇ παραλλαγῇ τῆς μιμήσεως διαστρέφοντας. Ὅτι γὰρ τὸν οἰκεῖον βίον ὁ Σωτὴρ εἰκόνα πολιτείας ἀρίστης πᾶσι τοῖς αὐτῷ πείθεσθαι θέλουσιν ἔθηκεν, ἄκουσον αὐτοῦ διαῤῥήδην τοῦτο διδάσκοντος· Ἐάν τις γὰρ, φησὶν, ἐμοὶ διακονῇ, ἐμοὶ ἀκολουθείτω, οὐ τὴν κατὰ σάρκα δηλῶν ἀκολούθησιν (ἦν γὰρ πᾶσιν ἄπο ρος, τοῦ Κυρίου τανῦν ἐν οὐρανοῖς εἶναι κατὰ τὸ σῶμα γινωσκομένου), ἀλλὰ τὴν ἀκριβῆ τῆς πολι τείας κατὰ τὸ ἐγχωροῦν μίμησιν. Πῶς οὖν ὁ Σωτὴρ ἡμῶν βεβίωκε, καὶ πῶς πε πολίτευται; Ἁμαρτίαν μὲν οὐκ ἐποίησε. Πῶς γὰρ ἂν ἡ δικαιοσύνη τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ ἡττήθη; πῶς δ' ἂν τὸ ψεῦδος τῆς ἀληθείας ἐκράτησεν; πῶς δὲ ἡ δύναμις ὑπὸ τῆς ἀσθενείας κατεπαλαίσθη; ἢ πῶς τὸ μὴ ὂν τοῦ ὄντος περιεγένετο; Ὁ μὲν γὰρ Θεὸς ἀεὶ ὢν, καὶ τῆς ὑπάρξεως ὅρον οὐκ ἔχων, πέρας οὐ προσιέμενος· ἡ δὲ ἁμαρτία ἔστι μὲν οὐδέποτε, οὐδὲ ἐν ἰδίᾳ ὑπο στάσει καταλαμβάνεται· ἐν δὲ τοῖς δρῶσιν αὐτὴν μᾶλλον ἢ ἐν τοῖς δρωμένοις κακῶς ἀπολείψει τοῦ καλοῦ τὴν ὕπαρξιν ἔχουσα, σκότος τυποῦται τοῖς ἀδικήμασι νοερὸν, τῷ δὲ φωτὶ τῆς δικαιοσύνης δια λυόμενον· τὸ γὰρ