18

the soul is altered in the union. Since this has been demonstrated, therefore, that intelligible things are unalterable in substance, it necessarily follows that even when they are united they are not corrupted along with those things to which they are united. Therefore, the soul is united, and is united without confusion, to the body. For that it is united, sympathy shows; for the living being sympathizes with itself as a whole, as being one; but that it also remains unconfused is clear from the fact that the soul, being in a way separated from the body in sleep, and leaving it to lie as if dead, only causing it to steam with life, so that it might not perish completely, acts on its own in dreams, prophesying the future and approaching intelligible things. The same thing also happens when it considers any of the things that exist on its own. For then also it separates itself from the body as much as possible and becomes on its own, so that in this way it may apply itself to the things that are. For being incorporeal, it has passed through the whole as things that have been corrupted together, remaining incorruptible and unconfused and preserving its own oneness and in whatever it may be, turning those things according to its own life and not being turned by them. For as the sun by its presence changes the air into light, making it luminous, and the light is united to the air without confusion, being poured out together with it, in the same way also the soul, being united to the body, remains altogether unconfused, differing only in this respect, that the sun, being a body and circumscribed by place, is not everywhere where its light is also (just as fire is not; for it too remains in the wood or bound in a wick as in a place); but the soul, being incorporeal and not circumscribed by place, passes through the whole of both its own light and the body, and there is no part illuminated by it in which it is not wholly present. For it is not contained by the body, but it itself contains the body, nor is it in the body, as in a vessel or a wineskin, but rather the body is in it. For intelligible things, not being hindered by bodies but passing through every body and moving through and going out, cannot be contained by a physical place. For being intelligible, they are in intelligible places also, for either in themselves or in the intelligible things that are above them, as the soul is sometimes in itself, when it reasons, and sometimes in the intellect, when it understands. When, therefore, it is said to be in a body, it is not said to be in the body as in a place, but as in relation, and by being present, as it is said God is in us. For we say that the soul is bound by the body by its relation and inclination towards something and its disposition, as we say that the lover is bound by the beloved, not bodily nor locally, but according to relation. For being without magnitude and without bulk and without parts, it is superior to local circumscription according to parts. For that which has no part, by what kind of place can it be circumscribed? For place coexists with bulk. For place is the limit of the container by which it contains the contained. But if someone should say: 'Therefore my soul is in Alexandria and in Rome and everywhere?' he is unaware that he is again speaking of place. For 'in Alexandria' and in general 'in this' is a place. But it is not in a place at all, but in relation. For it has been shown that it cannot be comprehended by place. When, therefore, an intelligible thing comes into a relation with some place or a thing that is in a place, we say, rather improperly, that it is there, because of its activity there, taking the place instead of the relation and the activity. For when we ought to say 'it acts there,' we say 'it is there.' This argument would fit more purely and especially the union of the Word of God with man, according to which, having been united, He remained unconfused and uncircumscribed, not in the manner of the soul. For that, being of the multitude, seems also to suffer somehow through its affinity with the body, and at times to contain and to be contained; but the Word of God, being Himself in no way altered by the communion with the body and the soul, nor partaking of their weakness, but imparting to them of His own divinity, becomes one with them, remaining the one that He was even before the union; this is a newer way of mixture or union; and He is mixed and remains altogether unmixed and unconfused and incorruptible and unchangeable, not suffering together

18

ἀλλοιοῦται ἡ ψυχὴ ἐν τῇ ἑνώσει. δεδειγμένου τοίνυν τούτου, ὅτι τὰ νοητὰ ἀναλλοίωτα κατ' οὐσίαν ἐστίν, ἀναγκαίως παρακολουθεῖ τὸ καὶ ἑνούμενα αὐτὰ μὴ συνδιαφθείρεσθαι οἷς ἥνωται. καὶ ἥνωται τοίνυν καὶ ἀσυγχύτως ἥνωται τῷ σώματι ἡ ψυχή. ὅτι μὲν γὰρ ἥνωται ἡ συμπάθεια δείκνυσιν· συμπαθεῖ γὰρ ὅλον ἑαυτῷ τὸ ζῷον ὡς ἓν ὄν· ὅτι δὲ καὶ ἀσύγχυτος μένει δῆλον ἐκ τοῦ τὴν ψυχὴν τρόπον τινὰ χωριζομένην τοῦ σώματος ἐν τῷ ὕπνῳ καὶ ὥσπερ νεκρὸν αὐτὸ κεῖσθαι καταλιποῦσαν, μόνον δὲ ἐξατμίζουσαν αὐτὸ τῇ ζωῇ, ἵνα μὴ παντελῶς ἀπόληται, καθ' ἑαυτὴν ἐν τοῖς ὀνείροις ἐνεργεῖν θεσπίζουσαν τὸ μέλλον καὶ τοῖς νοητοῖς πλησιάζουσαν. τὸ αὐτὸ δὲ συμβαίνει καὶ ὅταν καθ' ἑαυτὴν ἐπισκέπτηταί τι τῶν ὄντων. καὶ τότε γὰρ ὡς οἷόν τε τοῦ σώματος ἑαυτὴν χωρίζει καὶ καθ' ἑαυτὴν γίνεται, ἵν' οὕτως ἐπιβάλλῃ τοῖς οὖσιν. ἀσώματος γὰρ οὖσα δι' ὅλου κεχώρηκεν ὡς τὰ συνεφθαρμένα, μένουσα ἀδιάφθορος καὶ ἀσύγχυτος καὶ τὸ καθ' ἑαυτὴν ἓν διασώζουσα καὶ ἐν οἷς ἂν γένηται τρέπουσα ἐκεῖνα κατὰ τὴν ἑαυτῆς ζωὴν καὶ μὴ τρεπομένη ὑπ' ἐκείνων. ὡς γὰρ ὁ ἥλιος τῇ παρουσίᾳ τὸν ἀέρα εἰς φῶς μεταβάλλει ποιῶν αὐτὸν φωτοειδῆ καὶ ἑνοῦται τῷ ἀέρι τὸ φῶς ἀσυγχύτως ἅμα αὐτῷ κεχυμένον, τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον καὶ ἡ ψυχὴ ἑνουμένη τῷ σώματι μένει πάντως ἀσύγχυτος, κατὰ τοῦτο μόνον διαλλάττουσα ὅτι ὁ μὲν ἥλιος σῶμα ὢν καὶ τόπῳ περιγραφόμενος οὐκ ἔστι πανταχοῦ ἔνθα καὶ τὸ φῶς αὐτοῦ (ὡς οὐδὲ τὸ πῦρ· μένει γὰρ καὶ αὐτὸ ἐν τοῖς ξύλοις ἢ ἐν θρυαλλίδι δεδεμένον ὡς ἐν τόπω)· ἡ δὲ ψυχὴ ἀσώματος οὖσα καὶ μὴ περιγραφομένη τόπῳ δι' ὅλου χωρεῖ καὶ τοῦ φωτὸς ἑαυτῆς καὶ τοῦ σώματος, καὶ οὐκ ἔστι μέρος φωτιζόμενον ὑπ' αὐτῆς ἐν ᾧ μὴ ὅλη πάρεστιν. οὐ γὰρ κρατεῖται ὑπὸ τοῦ σώματος, ἀλλ' αὐτὴ κρατεῖ τὸ σῶμα, οὐδὲ ἐν τῷ σώματι ἐστίν, ὡς ἐν ἀγγείῳ ἢ ἀσκῷ, ἀλλὰ μᾶλλον τὸ σῶμα ἐν αὐτῇ. μὴ κωλυόμενα γὰρ ὑπὸ τῶν σωμάτων τὰ νοητὰ ἀλλὰ διὰ παντὸς σώματος χωροῦντα καὶ διαφοιτῶντα καὶ διεξιόντα, οὐχ οἷά τέ ἐστιν ὑπὸ τόπου σωματικοῦ κατέχεσθαι. νοητὰ γὰρ ὄντα ἐν νοητοῖς καὶ τόποις ἐστιν, ἢ γὰρ ἐν ἑαυτοῖς ἢ ἐν τοῖς ὑπερκειμένοις νοητοῖς, ὡς ἡ ψυχὴ ποτὲ μὲν ἐν ἑαυτῇ ἐστιν, ὅταν λογίζηται, ποτὲ δὲ ἐν τῷ νῷ, ὅταν νοῇ. ἐπὰν οὖν ἐν σώματι λέγηται εἶναι, οὐχ ὡς ἐν τόπῳ τῷ σώματι λέγεται εἶναι, ἀλλ' ὡς ἐν σχέσει, καὶ τῷ παρεῖναι, ὡς λέγεται ὁ Θεὸς ἐν ἡμῖν. καὶ γὰρ τῇ σχέσει καὶ τῇ πρός τι ῥοπῇ καὶ διαθέσει δεδέσθαι φαμὲν ὑπὸ τοῦ σώματος τὴν ψυχήν, ὡς λέγομεν ὑπὸ τῆς ἐρωμένης δεδέσθαι τὸν ἐραστήν, οὐ σωματικῶς οὐδὲ τοπικῶς ἀλλὰ κατὰ σχέσιν. ἀμέγεθες γὰρ ὂν καὶ ἄογκον καὶ ἀμερές, τῆς κατὰ μέρος τοπικῆς περιγραφῆς κρεῖττόν ἐστιν. τὸ γὰρ μὴ ἔχον μέρος ποίῳ δύναται τόπῳ περιγράφεσθαι; ὄγκῳ γὰρ τόπος συνυφίσταται. τόπος γάρ ἐστι πέρας τοῦ περιέχοντος καθ' ὃ περιέχει τὸ περιεχόμενον. εἰ δέ τις λέγοι· οὐκοῦν καὶ ἐν Ἀλεξανδρείᾳ καὶ ἐν Ῥώμῃ ἐστὶ καὶ πανταχοῦ ἡ ἐμὴ ψυχή; λανθάνει ἑαυτὸν πάλιν τόπον λέγων. καὶ γὰρ τὸ ἐν Ἀλεξανδρείᾳ καὶ ὅλως τὸ ἐν τῷδε τόπος ἐστίν. ἐν τόπῳ δὲ ὅλως οὐκ ἔστιν ἀλλ' ἐν σχέσει. δέδεικται γὰρ μὴ δύνασθαι περιληφθῆναι τόπῳ. ὅταν οὖν ἐν σχέσει γένηται νοητὸν τόπου τινὸς ἢ πράγματος ἐν τόπῳ ὄντος, καταχρηστικώτερον λέγομεν ἐκεῖ αὐτὸ εἶναι, διὰ τὴν ἐνέργειαν αὐτοῦ τὴν ἐκεῖ, τὸν τόπον ἀντὶ τῆς σχέσεως καὶ τῆς ἐνεργείας λαμβάνοντες. δέον γὰρ λέγειν ἐκεῖ ἐνεργεῖ λέγομεν ἐκεῖ ἐστιν. ἁρμόσειε δ' ἂν οὗτος ὁ λόγος καθαρώτερον καὶ μάλιστα τῇ πρὸς τὸν ἄνθρωπον ἑνώσει τοῦ Θεοῦ λόγου, καθ' ἣν ἑνωθεὶς ἔμεινεν ἀσύγχυτος καὶ ἀπερίληπτος, οὐ κατὰ τὸν τῆς ψυχῆς τρόπον. ἐκείνη μὲν γὰρ τῶν πεπληθυσμένων οὖσα δοκεῖ καὶ συμπάσχειν πως δι' οἰκειότητα τῷ σώματι καὶ κρατεῖν ἔσθ' ὅτε καὶ κρατεῖσθαι· ὁ δὲ Θεὸς λόγος οὐδὲν αὐτὸς ἀπὸ τῆς κοινωνίας τῆς περὶ τὸ σῶμα καὶ τὴν ψυχὴν ἀλ λοιούμενος οὐδὲ μετέχων τῆς ἐκείνων ἀσθενείας μεταδιδοὺς δὲ αὐτοῖς τῆς ἑαυτοῦ θεότητος, γίνεται σὺν αὐτοῖς ἕν, μένων ἓν ὅπερ ἦν καὶ πρὸ τῆς ἑνώσεως· καινότερος οὗτος ὁ τρόπος τῆς κράσεως ἢ ἑνώσεως· καὶ κιρνᾶται καὶ μένει παντάπασιν ἄμικτος καὶ ἀσύγχυτος καὶ ἀδιάφθορος καὶ ἀμετάβλητος, οὐ συμπάσχων