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16

of the blessing of a nourishing father, or again, through arrogance seeking something greater than our power from those still inhabiting our mountain of contemplation, we may be wounded like Israel, concerning whom the law says that some, acting presumptuously, went up to the mountain, and the Amorite who dwelt on that mountain came out and wounded them.

I suppose, therefore, that wishing to show the difference of the 1353 temperament of the human body in the forefather 14Ε_070 Adam before the transgression from that now observed in us and prevailing, the teacher says these things, as then, that is, man was not torn apart by qualities contrary and destructive to one another in the temperament of the body, but remaining the same without flux and effusion, and being free from the continuous alteration in either of these according to the predominance of qualities, since indeed he did not lack immortality by grace, and did not have the corruption that now scourges him with its stings, but clearly had another temperament of body suitable to him, held together by unconflicting and simple qualities. In accordance with which the first man was naked, not as being without flesh and without a body, but as not having the grosser temperament that makes the flesh mortal and resistant. According to this great teacher, he lived artlessly, not dissipating the natural well-being once essentially given to him, and was in no need of covering, both because of his unified impassibility he felt no shame and because he was not subject to cold and heat, on account of which things the custom of covering with houses and garments was especially devised by men.

RIZ (117). ANOTHER CONTEMPLATION ON THE SAME SUBJECT

Another contemplation on the same subject. Or whether perhaps also from the things now observed concerning man, the things then concerning

him the teacher demonstrates by the removal of the things that are now about him. For now man is moved, either by irrational fantasies of passions out of delusion through love of pleasure, or by principles of crafts out of circumstance through need, or by natural principles from the law of nature through learning, none of which, it is likely, drew man by necessity in the beginning, 14Ε_072 since he was made above all things. For so it was fitting for him to be from the beginning, in no way distracted by anything, whether under him, or around him, or in accord with him, and in need of only one thing for perfection, unrestrained movement towards Him who is above him, I mean God, with all his power of love. For being impassible by grace, he did not admit the delusion of fantasies of passion through pleasure; and being without need, he was free from the circumstantial necessity concerning crafts due to need; and being wise, he was established above the contemplation of nature on account of his knowledge. Therefore, the first man had nothing set before him between God and himself for perception, and hindering the kinship that would come to be through his voluntary movement toward God in love, and for this reason he was called "naked in simplicity" by the teacher, as being above all investigation according to nature, and by "the artless life," as being pure from every life in need of crafts, and "without any covering and veil," since he was free from passionate entanglement of the senses with sensible things, into which he was rightly brought afterward, having fallen into want, 1356 and having voluntarily chosen to become empty of all things rather than to be full, having become lower than those things above which he had naturally been made.

16

τρεφομένου πατρός εὐλογίας, ἤ πάλιν δι᾿ ὑψηλοφροσύνην τι μεῖζον τῆς δυνάμεως ἡμῶν ἐπιζητοῦντες ἐκ τῶν οἰκούντων ἔτι τό ὄρος ἡμῶν τῆς θεωρίας, τρωθῶμεν κατά τόν Ἰσραήλ, περί ὧν ὁ νόμος φησίν ὅτι παραβιασάμενοί τινες ἀνέβησαν εἰς τό ὄρος, καί ἐξῆλθεν ὁ Ἀμοῤῥαῖος ὁ οἰκῶν ἐν τῷ ὄρει ἐκείνῳ καί ἐτίτρωσκεν αὐτούς.

Ὑπονοῶ τοίνυν ὅτι τήν διαφοράν τῆς 1353 πρό τοῦ παραπτώματος κράσεως τοῦ ἀνθρωπίνου σώματος ἐν τῷ προπάτορι 14Ε_070 Ἀδάμ πρός τήν νῦν θεωρουμένην ἐν ἡμῖν καί κρατοῦσαν ἐνδείξασθαι βουλόμενος ταῦτά φησιν ὁ διδάσκαλος, ὡς τότε δηλαδή τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἐναντίαις καί φθαρτικαῖς ἀλλήλων κατά τήν κρᾶσιν τοῦ σώματος μή διελκομένου ποιότησιν, ἀλλ᾿ ὡσαύτως ἔχοντος δίχα ῥοῆς καί ἀποῤῥοῆς, καί τῆς ἐφ᾿ ἐκάτερα τούτων κατά τήν ποιοτήτων ἐπικράτειαν συνεχοῦς ἀλλοιώσεως ἐλευθέρου τυγχάνοντος, οἷα δή τῆς κατά χάριν ἀθανασίας οὐκ ἀμοιροῦντος, καί τήν νῦν μαστιγοῦσαν αὐτόν τοῖς ἑαυτῆς κέντροις φθοράν οὐκ ἔχοντος, ἀλλ᾿ ἑτέραν δηλονότι πρέπουσαν αὐτῷ κρᾶσιν τοῦ σώματος, ἀμάχοις καί ἁπλαῖς ποιότησι συνεχομένην. Καθ᾿ ἥν γυμνός ἦν ὁ πρῶτος ἄνθρωπος, οὐχ ὡς ἄσαρκος καί ἀσώματος, ἀλλ᾿ ὡς τήν παχυτέραν τήν σάρκα ποιοῦσαν καί θνητήν καί ἀντίτυπον κρᾶσιν οὐκ ἔχων. Κατά τοῦτον τόν μέγαν διδάσκαλον ἀτέχνως τε ἔζη μή διαπνεόμενος τήν ἅπαξ οὐσιωδῶς δοθεῖσαν αὐτῷ φυσικήν εὐεξίαν, καί περιβολῆς ὑπῆρχεν ἀπροσδεής, διά τε τήν ἑνοῦσαν ἀπάθειαν αἰσχύνην μή ὑφορώμενος καί τό μή κρυμοῖς καί θάλπεσιν αὐτόν ὑποκεῖσθαι, δι᾿ ἅ μάλιστα τῆς τε τῶν οἴκων καί τῶν ἐσθημάτων περιβολῆς ὁ τρόπος τοῖς ἀνθρώποις ἐπινενόηται.

ΡΙΖ (117). ΑΛΛΗ ΠΕΡΙ ΑΥΤΟΥ ΘΕΩΡΙΑ

Ἄλλη περί αὐτοῦ θεωρία. Ἤ μήποτε καί ἐκ τῶν νῦν περί τόν ἄνθρωπον θεωρουμένων τά τότε περί

αὐτόν ὄντα τῇ περιαιρέσει τῶν νῦν περί αὐτόν ὄντων παραδείκνυσιν ὁ διδάσκαλος. Κινεῖται γάρ νῦν ὁ ἄνθρωπος, ἤ περί φαντασίας ἀλόγους παθῶν ἐξ ἀπάτης διά φιληδονίαν, ἤ περί λόγους τεχνῶν ἐκ περιστάσεως διά τήν χρείαν, ἤ περί φυσικούς λόγους ἐκ τοῦ νόμου τῆς φύσεως διά μάθησιν, ὧν οὐδέν κατ᾿ ἀρχήν εἰκότως ἀξ ἀνάγκης εἵλκε τόν ἄνθρωπον, 14Ε_072 ὑπεράνω πάντων γενόμενον. Οὕτω γάρ ἔπρεπεν εἶναι τόν ἀπ᾿ ἀρχῆς, μηδενί τό σύνολον περισπώμενον, τῶν ὑπ᾿ αὐτόν, ἤ περί αὐτόν, ἤ κατ᾿ αὐτόν, καί πρός τελείωσιν ἑνός μόνου προσδεόμενον, τῆς πρός τόν ὑπέρ αὐτόν, φημί δέ τόν Θεόν, καθ᾿ ὅλην τήν ἀγαπητικήν δύναμιν ἀσχέτου κινήσεως. Ἀπαθής γάρ χάριτι ὤν ἀπάτην παθῶν φαντασίας δι᾿ ἡδονῆς οὐ προσίετο· καί ἀπροσδεής ὑπάρχων τῆς περί τέχνας περιστατικῆς ἀνάγκης διά τήν χρείαν ἐλεύθερος ἦν· καί σοφός ὤν τῆς περί τήν φύσιν θεωρίας ὑπεράνω καθειστήκει διά τήν γνῶσιν. Οὐδέν οὖν εἶχεν ὁ πρῶτος ἄνθρωπος μεταξύ Θεοῦ καί αὐτοῦ προβεβλημένον πρός εἴδησιν, καί κωλύον αὐτοῦ τήν δι᾿ ἀγάπης αὐθαίρετον κατά τήν πρός Θεόν κίνησιν γενησομένην συγγένειαν, καί διά τοῦτο "γυμνός τῇ ἁπλότητι" προσηγορεύθη τῷ διδασκάλῳ, ὡς ὑπεράνω πάσης τῆς κατά φύσιν ὑπάρχων ζητήσεως, καί "ζωῇ τῇ ἀτέχνῳ», ὡς πάσης τεχνῶν ἐνδεοῦς καθαρεύων ζωῆς, καί "δίχα παντός ἐπικαλύμματος καί προβλήματος», οἷα τῆς πρός τά αἰσθητά τῶν αἰσθήσεων ἐμπαθοῦς συμπλοκῆς τυγχάνων ἐλεύθερος, εἴς ὑπήχθη δικαίως ὕστερον, ἐλλείψας τήν ἔλλειψιν, 1356 καί τοῦ πλήρης εἶναι τό κενός πάντων γενέσθαι αὐθαιρέτως ἑλόμενος, κάτω γενόμενος ὧν ὑπεράνω φυσικῶς ὑπῆρχε γεγενημένος.