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participation, for which human nature has an appetitive impulse, we have need of much knowledge, so that we may discern in such foods what is nourishing and what is poisonous, lest that which seems to be taken by the soul as food, should work death and destruction for us instead of life. Perhaps it is not untimely, through another of the inquiries concerning the Gospel, to articulate the thought concerning this. He who in all things shared our nature without sin, 44.1237 and partook with us in the same sufferings, did not judge hunger to be a sin, nor did He reject from His own experience the suffering associated with it, but He accepted the appetitive impulse of nature which arises for food. For after remaining without food for forty days, He afterward was hungry; for He gave nature opportunity to do its work when He willed. But the inventor of temptations, when he knew that the suffering of hunger had arisen in Him also, advised Him to satisfy His appetite with stones; and this is, to divert the desire from natural food to things outside of nature. For, he says, "Command that these stones become bread." For what wrong has agriculture done? For what reason were seeds abhorred, that the food from them should be dishonored? And why is the wisdom of the Creator condemned, as if not properly nourishing mankind through seeds? For if stone now appears more suitable for food, then the wisdom of God has failed in the necessary providence for human life. "Command that these stones become bread." These things he says even now to those who are tempted by their own appetite, and by saying so, for the most part he persuades those who look to him to make their bread from stones. For when the appetite goes beyond the necessary limits of need, what else is it but the counsel of the devil, who then rejects food from seeds, and calls forth the appetite to things outside of nature? They eat from stones, who set before themselves the bread of greed; who from injustices prepare for themselves tables worth many talents and overflowing; whose preparation of dinners is a kind of procession contrived for astonishment, falling outside the necessities of life. For what does the inedible substance of silver have in common with the need of nature, set forth in a weight that is heavy and hard to carry? What is the suffering of hunger? Is it not a desire for what is lacking? For when our strength has been dissipated, what is wanting is replenished again by a suitable addition. For it is bread, or some other edible thing, that nature desires. If then someone were to bring gold instead of bread to his mouth, does he cure the lack? When, therefore, someone seeks inedible substances before edible things, he is plainly occupied with stones, with nature seeking one thing, while he is engaged in another. Nature says, through the suffering of hunger, almost uttering a voice, that there is now a need for food, because it is necessary to reintroduce to the body the strength that was dissipated. But you do not listen to nature; for you do not give what it seeks. But you take care that the burden of silver on your table might be great, and you seek out smiths for the material; and you curiously examine the story of the figures engraved on the materials, so that through the art, the passions and the characters might be precisely introduced into the carvings; so as to recognize the anger of the soldier, when his sword is raised for the slaughter, and the pain of the wounded man, when, doubled over at the fatal blow, he seems through his posture to be groaning; and the rush of the hunter, and the ferocity of the beast; and whatever else 44.1240 the vain artfully contrive through such curiosity on their table wares. Nature asked to drink, but you prepare tripods worth many talents, and basins and mixing-bowls, and amphorae, and countless other things, having nothing in common with the need that is sought. Do you not clearly hear, through what you are doing, the one who counsels you to look to the stone? And what might one recount of the rest of this stony food, the shameful spectacles? the passionate hearings, through which they make a way for themselves to the

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μετου σίαν, ἐφ' ἃ ἡ ἀνθρωπίνη φύσις τὴν ὀρεκτικὴν ὁρμὴν ἔχει, πολλῆς ἡμῖν χρεία τῆς ἐπιστήμης, ὥστε ἡμῖν διακρίνειν ἐν τοῖς τοιούτοις ἐδωδίμοις τὸ τρόφιμόν τε καὶ δηλητήριον, ὡς ἂν μὴ τὸ δοκοῦν ὑπὸ τῆς ψυχῆς ἐν τροφῆς μέρει παραλαμβάνεσθαι, θάνατον ἡμῖν καὶ διαφθορὰν ἀντὶ τῆς ζωῆς ἐνεργήσειεν. Οὐκ ἄκαι ρον δὲ ἴσως, διά τινος ἑτέρου τῶν κατὰ τὸ Εὐαγγέ λιον ζητουμένων, τὴν περὶ τούτου διαρθρῶσαι διά νοιαν. Ὁ κατὰ πάντα κοινωνήσας ἡμῖν χωρὶς ἁμαρ 44.1237 τίας, καὶ συμμετασχὼν ἡμῖν τῶν αὐτῶν παθημάτων, τὴν πεῖναν οὐκ ἔκρινεν ἁμαρτίαν, οὐδὲ ἀπώσατο τῆς ἑαυτοῦ πείρας τὸ κατ' αὐτὴν πάθος, ἀλλ' ἐδέξατο τὴν ὀρεκτικὴν ὁρμὴν τῆς φύσεως τὴν ἐπὶ τῇ τροφῇ γι νομένην. Ἀπόσιτος γὰρ τεσσαράκοντα ἡμερῶν δια μείνας, ὕστερον ἐπείνασεν· ἔδωκε γὰρ ὅτε ἐβούλετο τῇ φύσει καιρὸν τὰ ἑαυτῆς ἐνεργῆσαι. Ἀλλ' ὁ τῶν πειρασμῶν εὑρετὴς, ὅτε ἔγνω τὸ κατὰ πεῖναν πάθος καὶ ἐν ἐκείνῳ γενόμενον, συνεβούλευσε λίθοις τὴν ὄρεξιν δεξιώσασθαι· τοῦτο δέ ἐστι, τὸ παρατρέψαι τὴν ἐπιθυμίαν ἐκ τῆς κατὰ φύσιν τροφῆς ἐπὶ τὰ ἔξω τῆς φύσεως. Εἰπὲ γὰρ, φησὶν, ἵνα οἱ λίθοι οὗτοι ἄρτοι γένωνται. Τί γὰρ ἠδίκησεν ἡ γεωργία; Τίνος δὲ χάριν ἐβδελύχθη τὰ σπέρματα, ὡς τὴν ἀπὸ τού των ἀτιμασθῆναι τροφήν; Τί δὲ καταγινώσκεται ἡ τοῦ ∆ημιουργοῦ σοφία, ὡς οὐ δεόντως διὰ τῶν σπερ μάτων τὸ ἀνθρώπινον τρέφουσα; Εἰ γὰρ ὁ λίθος εἰς τροφὴν οἰκειότερος νῦν ἀναφαίνεται· ἄρα τῆς δεού σης περὶ τὴν ἀνθρωπίνην ζωὴν προμηθείας ἡ τοῦ Θεοῦ σοφία διήμαρτεν. Εἰπὲ ἵνα οἱ λίθοι οὗτοι ἄρτοι γένωνται. Ταῦτα λέγει μέχρι τοῦ νῦν τοῖς ὑπὸ τῆς ἰδίας πειραζομένοις ὀρέξεως, καὶ λέγων, ὡς ἐπιτο πολὺ πείθει ἐπὶ λίθων σιτοποιεῖσθαι τοὺς πρὸς αὐτὸν βλέποντας. Ὅταν γὰρ ἐκβαίνῃ τοὺς ἀναγκαίους ὅρους τῆς χρείας ἡ ὄρεξις, τί ἄλλο καὶ οὐχὶ διαβόλου ἐστὶ συμβουλὴ, τοῦ τότε τὴν ἐκ σπερμάτων παραγραφο μένου τροφὴν, καὶ ἐπὶ τὰ ἔξω τῆς φύσεως προκα λουμένου τὴν ὄρεξιν; Ἐκ λίθων ἐσθίουσιν, οἱ τὸν τῆς πλεονεξίας ἄρτον παρατιθέμενοι· οἱ τὰς πολυταλάν τους καὶ φλεγμαινούσας τραπέζας ἑαυτοῖς ἐξ ἀδικιῶν ἑτοιμάζοντες· ὧν ἡ παρασκευὴ τῶν δείπνων, πομπή τίς ἐστι μεμηχανημένη πρὸς ἔκπληξιν, ἔξω τῶν ἀναγκαίων τῇ ζωῇ παραπίπτουσα. Τί γὰρ κοινὸν ἔχει πρὸς τὴν τῆς φύσεως χρείαν ἡ ἄβρωτος ὕλη τοῦ ἀργύρου, ἐν βαρεῖ τε καὶ δυσβαστάκτῳ προτιθεμένη τῷ σταθμῷ; Τί ἐστι τὸ τῆς πείνης πάθος; Οὐχὶ τοῦ ἐνδέοντος ἔφεσις; ∆ιαπνευσθείσης γὰρ τῆς δυνάμεως, πάλιν ἀναπληροῦται τὸ λεῖπον τῇ καταλλήλῳ προσ θήκῃ. Ἄρτος γάρ ἐστιν, ἢ ἄλλο τι τῶν ἐδωδίμων, οὗ ἡ φύσις ἐφίεται. Εἰ οὖν τις προσαγάγοι χρυσίον ἀντὶ ἄρτου τῷ στόματι, ἆρα θεραπεύει τὴν ἔνδειαν; Ὅταν οὖν τὰς ἀβρώτους τις ὕλας πρὸ τῶν ἐδωδίμων ἐπιζητῇ, ἐν λίθοις ἄντικρυς ἔχει τὴν ἀσχολίαν, ἄλλο ζητούσης τῆς φύσεως, ἐν ἄλλῳ καταγινόμενος. Λέγει ἡ φύσις, διὰ τοῦ κατὰ τὴν πεῖναν πάθους μονονουχὶ φωνὴν ἀφιεῖσα, τὸ ἐν χρείᾳ νῦν εἶναι βρώσεως· διὰ τὸ δεῖν ἀντεισαγαγεῖν πάλιν τῷ σώματι τὸ διαπνευσθὲν τῆς δυνάμεως· σὺ δὲ οὐκ ἀκούεις τῆς φύσεως· οὐ γὰρ ὃ ζητεῖ δίδως· ἀλλ' ὅπως ἂν πολύ σοι γένοιτο τοῦ ἀργύρου τὸ ἄχθος ἐπὶ τῆς τραπέζης φροντίζεις, καὶ τοὺς χαλκευτὰς τῆς ὕλης ἀναζητεῖς· καὶ τὴν ἱστορίαν τῶν ἐγγλυφομένων ταῖς ὕλαις εἰδώλων πε ριεργάζῃ, ὅπως ἂν δι' ἀκριβείας τοῖς γλύμμασι τὰ πάθη τε καὶ τὰ ἤθη διὰ τῆς τέχνης εἰσενεχθείη· ὡς ἐπιγνῶναί τε τὸν θυμὸν τοῦ ὁπλίτου, ὅταν τὸ ξίφος πρὸς τὴν σφαγὴν ἀνατείνηται, καὶ τὴν ἀλγηδόνα τοῦ τραυματίου, ὅταν πρὸς τὴν καιρίαν συνεσταλμένος οἰμώζειν δόξῃ διὰ τοῦ σχήματος· καὶ τὴν ὁρμὴν τοῦ θηρεύοντος, καὶ τοῦ θηρίου τὴν ἀγριότητα· καὶ ὅσα 44.1240 ἄλλα διὰ τῆς τοιαύτης περιεργίας ἐν ταῖς ἐπιτραπε ζίοις ὕλαις φιλοτεχνοῦσιν οἱ μάταιοι. Πιεῖν ἡ φύσις ἐζήτησεν, σὺ δὲ τοὺς πολυταλάντους τρίποδας εὐτρε πίζεις, πλυνούς τε καὶ κρατῆρας, καὶ ἀμφορέας, καὶ ἄλλα μυρία, μηδὲν ἔχοντα πρὸς τὴν ἐπιζητουμένην χρείαν κοινόν. Ἆρα οὐχὶ φανερῶς ἀκούεις δι' ὧν ποιεῖς τοῦ πρὸς τὸν λίθον σοι συμβουλεύοντος βλέπειν; Τί δ' ἄν τις τὰ λοιπὰ τῆς λιθώδους ταύτης διεξίοι τροφῆς, τὰ αἰσχρὰ θεάματα; τὰ ἐμπαθῆ ἀκροάματα, δι' ὧν ὁδοποιοῦσιν ἑαυτοῖς τὴν τῶν