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24

it rises again; but if we beget another, it is no longer from the one who took away and destroyed the former; you then are in travail with another. For to be carnally minded, he says, is enmity against God. If we mind nothing carnal, 62.41 another will not be born, but that peace will remain. For consider how great an evil it is, after God has accomplished so much that we might be reconciled, and has achieved it, for us to return to enmity again. For this, no longer a laver, but Gehenna awaits, no longer remission, but an examination. The mind of the flesh is luxury, wastefulness; the mind of the flesh is covetousness and all sin. Why is it called the mind of the flesh? and yet it would have done nothing without the soul. He does not say this to slander the flesh, since also when he says, The natural man, he does not say this to slander the soul, but that neither body nor soul by itself is sufficient, not enjoying the impulse from above, to do anything noble and great. For this reason he calls those things "of the soul" which the soul works by itself; and he calls those things "of the flesh" which the body by itself; not because these things are natural, but because not enjoying protection from thence, they perish. Since even the eyes are good, but without light they work countless evils; but this is of their weakness, not of their nature. For if evils were natural, we would never have used them for a good purpose; for there is no natural evil. What then are carnal thoughts? Sins. For when this, being lifted up, gets the better of the charioteer, it gives birth to countless dreadful things. For the virtue of the flesh is to be subject to the soul, but its vice is to rule the soul. Just as, then, a horse is beautiful and swift-footed, but this is not shown without a charioteer; so also the flesh will then be beautiful, when we have cut off its leapings. But neither is a charioteer shown to be so without knowledge; for he himself also works things more dreadful than those without knowledge. So it is necessary to be on guard from all sides; the spirit, this being in charge, makes the charioteer stronger; this beautifies both the soul and the body. For just as the soul, while dwelling in it, shows it to be beautiful, but when it has deserted it of its own energy and departed, like some painter confounding the colors, great ugliness ensues, as each of the parts hastens to corruption and dissolution; so also when the spirit leaves both the body and the soul desolate, the ugliness becomes worse and greater. Do not, then, because the body is less than the soul, revile it. For neither can I bear to revile the soul, because it has no strength without the spirit. And if something must be said, the soul is worthy of greater accusation. For the body would do nothing 62.42 dreadful without the soul, but the soul many things without the body; for even when this is wasting away, and not leaping, that one works many things; just as those sorcerers, magicians, envious people, poisoners, especially waste it away. Besides, luxury is not a necessity of the body, but of the inattention of the soul; for nourishment, not luxury, is a necessity of the body. For if I wish to apply a strong bridle, I have curbed the horse; but the body cannot restrain the soul in its own evils. For what reason, then, does he call it the mind of the flesh? Because it becomes wholly of the flesh. For when it has gained control, then it has sinned, when it has taken away the mind and the rule of the soul. Therefore the virtue of the body is in this, in yielding to the soul, since by itself it is neither good nor bad. For what could the body do by itself? So the body is good by its connection, good because of its subjection, since by itself it is neither good nor bad, but is suited both for this and for that, having an inclination to both. The body desires, but not fornication nor adultery, but intercourse; the body desires, not luxury, but food, not drunkenness, but drink. For that drunkenness is not a desire of the body, see how: it can no longer endure, when you exceed the measure, when you overcome the limits of the body; since all other things are of the soul, as when it is brought down to carnal things, when it becomes gross. For though the body is good, it is far less so than the soul. Just as, therefore,

24

ἀνίσταται· ἂν δὲ ἑτέραν τέκωμεν, οὐκέτι παρὰ τὸν τὴν προτέραν ἀνελόντα καὶ ἀπολέσαντα· σὺ δὴ ὠδίνεις ἑτέραν. Τὸ γὰρ φρόνημα τῆς σαρκὸς, φησὶν, ἔχθρα εἰς Θεόν. Ἂν μηδὲν φρονῶμεν σαρ 62.41 κικὸν, οὐ τεχθήσεται ἑτέρα, ἀλλὰ μενεῖ ἡ εἰρήνη ἐκείνη. Ἐννόησον γὰρ ὅσον ἐστὶ κακὸν, τοσαῦτα τοῦ Θεοῦ πραγματευσαμένου, ἵνα καταλλαγῶμεν, καὶ ἀνύσαντος, πάλιν ἡμᾶς εἰς ἔχθραν ἐπανελθεῖν. Ταύτην οὐκέτι λουτρὸν, ἀλλ' ἡ γέεννα μένει, οὐκέτι ἄφεσις, ἀλλ' ἐξέτασις. Φρόνημα τῆς σαρκὸς, τρυφὴ, σπατάλη· φρόνημα τῆς σαρκὸς, πλεονεξία καὶ πᾶσα ἁμαρτία. ∆ιὰ τί φρόνημα σαρκὸς εἴρηται; καίτοι γε οὐδὲν ἄνευ ψυχῆς εἰργάσατο ἄν. Οὐ διαβάλλων τὴν σάρκα λέγει, ἐπεὶ καὶ ὅταν λέγῃ, Ψυχικὸς ἄνθρωπος, οὐ διαβάλλων τὴν ψυχὴν τοῦτό φησιν, ἀλλ' ὅτι οὐκ ἀρκεῖ οὔτε σῶμα, οὔτε ψυχὴ καθ' ἑαυτὴν, μὴ τῆς ἄνωθεν ῥοπῆς ἀπολαύουσα, ποιῆσαί τι γενναῖον καὶ μέγα. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ψυχικὰ ἐκεῖνα καλεῖ, ἃ καθ' ἑαυτὴν ἡ ψυχὴ ἐργάζεται· καὶ σαρκικὰ ἐκεῖνα καλεῖ, ἃ καθ' ἑαυτὸ τὸ σῶμα· οὐκ ἐπειδὴ ταῦτα φυσικὰ, ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ μὴ ἀπολαύσαντα προστασίας τῆς ἐκεῖθεν, ἀπόλλυται. Ἐπεὶ καὶ οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ καλοὶ, ἀλλ' ἄνευ φωτὸς μυρία ἐργάζονται κακά· τοῦτο δὲ τῆς ἀσθενείας αὐτῶν ἐστιν, οὐ τῆς φύσεως. Εἰ δὲ φυσικὰ ἦν τὰ κακὰ, οὐκ ἂν αὐτοῖς ποτε εἰς δέον ἐχρησάμεθα· οὐδὲν γάρ ἐστι φυσικὸν κακόν. Τί οὖν ἐστι σαρκικὰ φρονήματα; Αἱ ἁμαρτίαι. Ὅταν γὰρ αὕτη κρατήσῃ τοῦ ἡνιόχου μετεωρισθεῖσα, μυρία τίκτει δεινά. Ἀρετὴ γὰρ σαρκὸς τὸ ὑποτετάχθαι τῇ ψυχῇ, κακία δὲ τὸ ἄρχειν ψυχῆς. Ὥσπερ οὖν ὁ ἵππος καλὸς μὲν καὶ εὐσκελὴς, ἀλλ' οὐκ ἄνευ ἡνιόχου τοῦτο δείκνυται· οὕτω καὶ ἡ σὰρξ τότε ἔσται καλὴ, ὅταν αὐτῆς τὰ σκιρτήματα περικόψωμεν. Ἀλλ' οὐδὲ ἡνίοχος δείκνυται ἄνευ ἐπιστήμης· καὶ γὰρ καὶ αὐτὸς ἐκείνων δεινότερα ἄνευ ἐπιστήμης ἐργάζεται. Ὥστε πανταχόθεν ἐφεστάναι χρή· τὸ πνεῦμα, τοῦτο ἐφεστὸς, τὸν ἡνίοχον ἰσχυρότερον ποιεῖ· τοῦτο καὶ τὴν ψυχὴν καὶ τὸ σῶμα καλλωπίζει. Καθάπερ γὰρ ἡ ψυχὴ ἐνοῦσα μὲν αὐτῷ, καλὸν αὐτὸ δείκνυσιν, ὅταν δὲ αὐτὸ ἐρημώσῃ τῆς οἰκείας ἐνεργείας καὶ ἀποστῇ, καθάπερ ζωγράφου τινὸς τὰ χρώματα συγχέοντος, εἰδέχθεια γίνεται πολλὴ, πρὸς τὴν φθορὰν ἐπειγομένου τῶν μερῶν ἑκάστου καὶ τὴν ἀνάλυσιν· οὕτω καὶ τὸ πνεῦμα ὅταν ἔρημον καταλίπῃ καὶ τὸ σῶμα καὶ τὴν ψυχὴν, χείρων γίνεται καὶ μείζων ἡ εἰδέχθεια. Μὴ τοίνυν, ἐπειδὴ τῆς ψυχῆς ἔλαττον τὸ σῶμα, κάκιζε τοῦτο. Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἐγὼ τὴν ψυχὴν κακίζειν ἀνέχομαι, ἐπειδὴ τοῦ πνεύματος οὐδὲν ἰσχύει χωρίς. Εἰ δὲ χρή τι εἰπεῖν, μείζονός ἐστι κατηγορίας ἀξία ἡ ψυχή. Τὸ μὲν γὰρ σῶμα οὐδὲν ἄνευ τῆς ψυχῆς ἐργάσαιτο ἂν 62.42 δεινὸν, ἡ δὲ ψυχὴ πολλὰ χωρὶς τοῦ σώματος· καὶ γὰρ καὶ τηκομένου τούτου, καὶ οὐ σκιρτῶντος, πολλὰ ἐργάζεται ἐκείνη· καθάπερ οἱ γόητες ἐκεῖνοι, οἱ μάγοι, οἱ φθονοῦντες, οἱ φαρμακοὶ, μάλιστα τήκουσιν αὐτό. Ἄλλως δὲ οὐδὲ ἡ τρυφὴ τῆς τοῦ σώματος ἀνάγκης ἐστὶν, ἀλλὰ τῆς ἀπροσεξίας τῆς ψυχῆς· ἡ γὰρ τροφὴ, οὐχὶ ἡ τρυφὴ, τῆς τοῦ σώματος ἀνάγκης. Ἐὰν γὰρ θελήσω σφοδρὸν καθεῖναι χαλινὸν, ἐπεστόμισα τὸν ἵππον· τὸ δὲ σῶμα τὴν ψυχὴν καταστέλλειν οὐ δύναται ἐν τοῖς αὐτῆς κακοῖς. Τίνος οὖν ἕνεκεν φρόνημα αὐτὸ σαρκὸς καλεῖ; Ὅτι τῆς σαρκὸς ὅλον γίνεται. Ὅταν γὰρ αὕτη κρατήσῃ, τότε ἥμαρτεν, ὅταν ἀφέληται τὸν νοῦν καὶ τὴν ἀρχὴν τῆς ψυχῆς. Οὐκοῦν ἐν τούτῳ ἡ ἀρετὴ τοῦ σώματος, ἐν τῷ εἴκειν τῇ ψυχῇ, ἐπεὶ καθ' ἑαυτὴν οὔτε καλὴ οὔτε κακή. Τί γὰρ ἂν ἐργάσαιτο τὸ σῶμα καθ' ἑαυτό; Ὥστε τῇ συναφείᾳ καλὸν τὸ σῶμα, καλὸν διὰ τὴν ὑποταγὴν, ἐπεὶ καθ' ἑαυτὸ οὔτε καλὸν, οὔτε κακὸν, καὶ πρὸς τοῦτο δὲ, καὶ πρὸς ἐκεῖνο ἐπιτήδειον, εἰς ἑκάτερα τὴν ῥοπὴν ἔχον. Τὸ σῶμα ἐπιθυμεῖ, ἀλλ' οὐ πορνείας οὐδὲ μοιχείας, ἀλλὰ μίξεως· τὸ σῶμα ἐπιθυμεῖ, οὐ τρυφῆς, ἀλλὰ τροφῆς, οὐ μέθης, ἀλλὰ ποτοῦ. Ὅτι γὰρ οὐχ ἡ μέθη τοῦ σώματός ἐστιν ἐπιθυμία, σκόπει πῶς· οὐκ ἀντέχει λοιπὸν, ὅταν ὑπερβῇς τὸ μέτρον, ὅταν τὰ ὅρια νικήσῃς τὰ τοῦ σώματος· ἐπεὶ τὰ ἄλλα πάντα τῆς ψυχῆς ἐστιν, οἷον ὅταν εἰς σαρκικὰ καταφέρηται, ὅταν παχεῖα γένηται. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ καλὸν τὸ σῶμα, ἀλλὰ σφόδρα ἧττον τῆς ψυχῆς. Ὥσπερ οὖν