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a Word shaping flesh made by virtues. He shall partake of the thighs who has the word set over the passionate part of the soul, and completely excises its wanton motion; and of the knees, he who compassionately according to providence bows down to those who are prostrate and weak in faith, and who imitates the condescension of the Word to us. And in addition to these, let him partake of the shins and feet, who has the foundations of the soul unshaken and unmoved upon faith and virtue and knowledge, and according to purpose presses on toward the prize of the high calling, 14Ε_090 and who with the Word leaps over and bounds across the mountains of ignorance and the hills of wickedness.

But who will be able to enumerate all the contrivances of our Savior God for our sake, according to which he has made himself edible and partakable for each in proportion? For in addition to all these, the Lord has locks of hair, and nostrils, and lips, and a neck, and shoulders, and fingers, and as many things of our frame as are said of him tropologically. Of which they partake fittingly and usefully who transform themselves into the spiritual meaning signified for and through each member. Thus the Lamb of God is eaten, according to this holy and great teacher, and is given up to spiritual digestion, transforming to himself in spirit those who partake, leading and transferring each of them into the place of the member spiritually eaten by him according to the position of the bodily harmony, so that lovingly the Word in all things becomes the substance for reality, the only one beyond nature and reason.

RKB (122). ..». PUTTING TO DEATH THE MEMBERS THAT ARE UPON THE EARTH, AND THE GIRDLE OF JOHN

IMITATING..». From the same discourse, on: «Putting to death the members that are upon the earth, and the

girdle of John imitating, the desert-dweller and forerunner and great herald of the truth».

He who imitates the girdle of John is he who by the power of the word the generative

part of the soul through knowledge practically girds, and keeps it unspilled towards matter. And a desert-dweller is he who has acquired a disposition pure of passions. 14Ε_092 And a forerunner is he who through genuine repentance foretells the righteousness that follows it, and through manifest virtue the knowledge that is to come upon them. And a great herald of the truth is he who by his own life confirms the word of teaching spoken by him.

RKG (123). ..». ...IS SENT... WITHOUT COPPER AND WITHOUT STAFF AND WITH A SINGLE TUNIC, AND FURTHER

TO BE BAREFOOT..». 1368 From the same discourse, on: «And if any disciple for the Gospel

is sent, philosophically and without superfluities; whom it is necessary, in addition to being without copper and without staff and with a single tunic, to be also barefoot, that the feet of those who preach peace might appear beautiful».

The Gospel is the higher word concerning the kingdom of God; and the kingdom

of God is the state pure of all matter and all the fantasies related to it. A disciple, therefore, sent for the Gospel is fittingly he who by his ways shows complete alienation from this world by being without copper and without staff and with a single tunic, both avarice and anger or the desire for power

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Λόγον ταῖς ἀρεταῖς διαμορφῶν σάρκα γενόμενον. Μηρῶν δέ μεταλήψεται ὁ τόν λόγον ἐπικείμενον ἔχων τῷ τῆς ψυχῆς παθητικῷ μέρει, καί παντελῶς ἐκτέμνων αὐτῆς τήν πρόσυλον κίνησιν· γονάτων δέ, ὁ πρός τούς κειμένους καί ἀσθενοῦντας τῇ πίστει συμπαθῶς κατά πρόνοιαν ἐπικλινόμενος, καί τήν πρός ἡμᾶς τοῦ Λόγου μιμούμενος συγκατάβασιν. Κνημῶν δέ καί ποδῶν μεταλαμβανέτω πρός τούτοις, ὁ ἐπί τῆς πίστεως καί τῆς ἀρετῆς καί τῆς γνώσεως ἀσαλεύτους ἔχων τῆς ψυχῆς τάς βάσεις καί ἀκλονήτους, καί κατά σκοπόν πρός τό βραβεῖον τῆς ἄνω κλήσεως 14Ε_090 ἐπειγόμενος, καί τῆς ἀγνοίας τά ὄρη καί τούς βουνούς τῆς κακίας ὑπερπηδῶν μετά τοῦ Λόγου καί διαλλόμενος.

Ἀλλά τίς δυνήσεται πάσας τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν Θεοῦ τάς δι᾿ ἡμᾶς ἐπινοίας ἐξαριθμῆσαι καθ᾿ ἅς ἐδώδιμον ἑαυτόν καί μεταληπτόν ἀναλόγως ἑκάστῳ πεποίηκεν. Ἔτι γάρ ἔχει πρός τούτοις πᾶσιν ὁ Κύριος βοστρύχους, καί ῥῖνας, καί χείλη, τράχηλόν τε, καί ὤμους, καί δακτύλους, καί ὅσα τῆς ἡμετέρας κατασκευῆς ἐπ᾿ αὐτοῦ λέγεται τροπολογικῶς. Ὧν προσφυῶς τε καί εὐχρήστως μεταλαμβάνουσιν οἱ πρός ἕκαστον καί δι᾿ ἑκάστου μέλους σημαινόμενον πνευματικόν μεταποιούμενοι λόγον. Οὕτως ὁ ἀμνός τοῦ Θεοῦ βιβρώσκεται, κατά τόν ἅγιον τοῦτον καί μέγαν διδάσκαλον, καί εἰς πέψιν πνευματικήν ἀναδίδοται, μεταποιῶν πρός ἑαυτόν τῷ πνεύματι τούς μεταλαμβάνοντας, ἕκαστον αὐτῶν εἰς τόν τοῦ βρωθέντος ὑπ᾿ αὐτοῦ πνευματικῶς μέλους τόπον κατά τήν θέσιν τῆς σωματικῆς ἁρμονίας ἐνάγων τε καί μετατιθέμενος, ὥστε φιλανθρώπως τόν ἐν τοῖς ὅλοις λόγον τοῖς πράγμασιν οὐσίαν γίνεσθαι τόν μόνον ὑπέρ φύσιν καί λόγον.

ΡΚΒ (122). ..». ΝΕΚΡΩΣΑΣ ΤΑ ΜΕΛΗ ΤΑ ΕΠΙ ΤΗΣ ΓΗΣ, ΚΑΙ ΤΗΝ ΖΩΝΗΝ ΙΩΑΝΝΟΥ

ΜΙΜΟΥΜΕΝΟΣ..». Ἐκ τοῦ αὐτοῦ λόγου, εἰς τό· «Νεκρώσας τά μέλη τά ἐπί τῆς γῆς, καί τήν

ζώνην Ἰωάννου μιμούμενος, τοῦ ἐρημικοῦ καί προδρόμου καί μεγάλου τῆς ἀληθείας κήρυκος».

Ὁ τήν Ἰωάννου ζώνην μιμούμενός ἐστιν ὁ τῇ δυνάμει τοῦ λόγου τό γόνιμον

τῆς ψυχῆς διά γνώσεως πρακτικῶς ἐπισφίγγων, καί ἀδιάχυτον αὐτό πρός τήν ὕλην διαφυλάττων. Ἐρημικός δέ ἐστιν ὁ παθῶν καθαρεύουσαν τήν ἕξιν κτησάμενος. 14Ε_092 Πρόδρομος δέ ὁ διά τῆς γνησίας μετανοίας τήν ἐπακολουθοῦσαν αὐτῇ δικαιοσύνην, καί διά τῆς φαινομένης ἀρετῆς τήν ἐπιδημεῖν αὐτῶν μέλλουσαν γνῶσιν προμηνύων. Μέγας δέ τῆς ἀληθείας κῆρύξ ἐστιν ὁ τῷ οἰκείῳ βίῳ τόν ὑπ᾿ αὐτοῦ λαλούμενον τῆς διδασκαλίας λόγον πιστούμενος.

ΡΚΓ (123). ..». ...ΠΕΜΠΕΤΑΙ... ΑΧΑΛΚΩ ΚΑΙ ΑΡΑΒ∆Ω ΚΑΙ ΜΟΝΟΧΙΤΩΝΙ, ΕΤΙ ΚΑΙ

ΓΥΜΝΟΠΟ∆ΕΙΝ..». 1368 Ἐκ τοῦ αὐτοῦ λόγου, εἰς τό· «Καί εἴ τις μαθητής ἐπί τό Εὐαγγέλιον

πέμπεται, φιλοσόφως καί ἀπερίττως· ὅν δεῖ πρός τῷ ἀχάλκῳ καί ἀράβδῳ καί μονοχίτωνι, ἔτι καί γυμνοποδεῖν, ἵνα φανῶσιν οἱ πόδες ὡραῖοι τῶν εὐαγγελιζομένων εἰρήνην».

Εὐαγγέλιόν ἐστιν ὁ περί τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ βασιλείας ὑψηλότερος λόγος· βασιλεία

δέ ἐστι Θεοῦ ἡ πάσης ὕλης καί πασῶν τῶν κατ᾿ αὐτήν φαντασιῶν καθαρεύουσα λῆξις. Μαθητής οὖν ἐπί τό Εὐαγγέλιον πεμπόμενος εἰκότως ἐστίν ὁ τοῖς τρόποις παντελῶς τήν πρός τόν κόσμον τοῦτον ἐπιδεικνύμενος ἀλλοτρίωσιν τῷ τε ἀχάλκῳ καί ἀράβδῳ καί μονοχίτωνι, τήν τε φιλαργυρίαν καί τόν θυμόν ἤ τήν ἐπι δυναστεία