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A certain turning of the good character occurs towards the irrational image, with all of nature being re-stamped for this purpose, just as reason cultivates the beginnings of the passions, and increases them from a few into a multitude. For having lent its own cooperation to the passion, it has produced an abundant and lavish generation of evils. 193 Thus the love of pleasure had its beginning from the likeness to the irrational, but it was increased in human failings, begetting so many varieties of sins related to pleasure, as it is not possible to find in irrational creatures. Thus the uprising towards anger is indeed related to the impulse of irrational creatures, but it is increased by the alliance of reason. For from there come wrath, envy, falsehood, plotting, hypocrisy. All these things are of the evil cultivation of the mind. For if the passion were stripped of the alliance from reason, anger is left as something short-lived and powerless, like a bubble, at once coming into being and immediately perishing. Thus the gluttony of swine brought in greed, and the pride of the horse has become the beginning of arrogance; and all things one by one having their origin in beastly irrationality, through the evil use of the mind became vice, just as then also the opposite, if reason were to take control in turn of such movements, each of these is transformed into a form of virtue. For anger makes courage, and cowardice caution, and fear obedience, and hatred the turning away from vice, and the power of love the desire for that which is truly good. And the pride of character rises above the passions, and keeps the mind unenslaved by evil. And the great Apostle also praises such a kind of elevation, constantly exhorting to think on things above. And thus it is possible to find that every such movement, being raised up together with the loftiness of the mind, is conformed to the beauty according to the divine image. But since the inclination of sin is a certain heavy and downward-tending thing, the other becomes more prevalent; for the ruling part of the soul is rather dragged down by the weight of the irrational nature, than that the heavy and earthy part is lifted up by the height of the mind. For this reason the wretchedness concerning us often makes the divine gift to be ignored, plastering the passions of the flesh like a hideous mask on the beauty according to the image. Therefore those who look at such things are somehow excusable, and then not easily agreeing that the divine form is in these things. But through those who have lived rightly, it is possible to see the divine image in men. For if someone being impassioned and carnal causes man to be disbelieved as being adorned with divine beauty; he who is lofty in virtue and pure from defilements will surely confirm for you the better assumption regarding men. For it is better to show the argument, as it were, by an example: someone of those known for wickedness wiped away the beauty of his nature with the stain of evil, Jechonias perhaps, or if any other is remembered for evil; but in Moses and those like him the form of the image 196 was kept pure. In those, therefore, in whom the beauty was not obscured, in them the proof of what is said is clear, that man has become an imitation of God. But someone perhaps is ashamed, that for us life is sustained through food, in a way similar to the irrational creatures, and for this reason he considers man unworthy of the thought that he has been formed according to the image of God. But let him hope that an exemption from this function will be given to nature at some time, according to the life that is awaited. For the kingdom of God is not, as the Apostle says, eating and drinking; nor did the Lord declare that man will live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. But also, since the resurrection shows to us a life equal to the angels, and since there is no eating among the angels, this is sufficient proof that man will be released from such a function, he who is to live in the likeness of the angels.

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τροπή τις γίνεται τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ χαρακτῆρος πρὸς τὴν ἄλογον εἰκόνα, πάσης πρὸς τοῦτο μεταχαρασσομένης τῆς φύσεως, καθάπερ γεωργοῦντος τοῦ λογισμοῦ τὰς τῶν παθημάτων ἀρχὰς, καὶ δι' ὀλίγων εἰς πλῆθος ἐπαύξοντος. Τὴν γὰρ παρ' ἑαυτοῦ συνεργίαν χρήσας τῷ πάθει, πολύχουν καὶ ἀμφιλαφῆ τὴν τῶν ἀτόπων 193 γένεσιν ἀπειργάσατο. Οὕτως ἡ φιληδονία τὴν μὲν ἀρχὴν ἔσχεν ἐκ τῆς πρὸς τὸ ἄλογον ὁμοιώσεως, ἀλλ' ἐν τοῖς ἀνθρωπίνοις πλημμελήμασι προσηυξήθη, τοσαύτας διαφορὰς τῶν κατὰ τὴν ἡδονὴν ἁμαρτα νομένων γεννήσασα, ὅσας ἐν τοῖς ἀλόγοις οὐκ ἔστιν εὑρεῖν. Οὕτως ἡ πρὸς τὸν θυμὸν διανάστασις συγ γενὴς μέν ἐστι τῇ τῶν ἀλόγων ὁρμῇ, αὔξεται δὲ τῇ τῶν λογισμῶν συμμαχίᾳ. Ἐκεῖθεν γὰρ ἡ μῆνις, ὁ φθόνος, τὸ ψεῦδος, ἡ ἐπιβουλὴ, ἡ ὑπόκρισις. Ταῦτα πάντα τῆς πονηρᾶς τοῦ νοῦ γεωργίας ἐστίν. Εἰ γὰρ γυμνωθείη τῆς ἐκ τῶν λογισμῶν συμμαχίας τὸ πά θος, ὠκύμορός τις καὶ ἄτονος ὁ θυμὸς καταλείπεται, πομφόλυγος δίκην ὁμοῦ τε γινόμενος, καὶ εὐθὺς ἀπολ λύμενος Οὕτως ἡ τῶν συῶν λαιμαργία τὴν πλεονεξίαν εἰσήνεγκε, καὶ τὸ τοῦ ἵππου γαῦρον γέγονε τῆς ὑπερ ηφανίας ἀρχή· καὶ τὰ καθ' ἕκαστον πάντα τῆς κτηνώδους ἀλογίας ἀφορμηθέντα, διὰ τῆς πονηρᾶς τοῦ νοῦ χρήσεως κακία ἐγένετο, ὥσπερ οὖν καὶ τὸ ἔμπαλιν, εἴπερ ὁ λογισμὸς τῶν τοιούτων κινημάτων ἀντιμεταλάβοι τὸ κράτος, εἰς ἀρετῆς εἶδος ἕκαστον τούτων ἀντιμεθίσταται. Ποιεῖ γὰρ ὁ μὲν θυμὸς τὴν ἀνδρίαν, τὸ δὲ δειλὸν τὴν ἀσφάλειαν, καὶ ὁ φόβος τὴν εὐπείθειαν, τὸ μῖσος δὲ τὴν τῆς κακίας ἀποστροφὴν, ἡ δὲ ἀγαπητικὴ δύναμις τὴν πρὸς τὸ ἀληθῶς καλὸν ἐπιθυμίαν. Τὸ δὲ γαῦρον τοῦ ἤθους ὑπεραίρει τῶν παθημάτων, καὶ ἀδούλωτον ὑπὸ τοῦ κακοῦ διαφυ λάσσει τὸ φρόνημα. Ἐπαινεῖ δὲ τὸ τοιοῦτον τῆς ἐπάρσεως εἶδος καὶ ὁ μέγας Ἀπόστολος, συνεχῶς ἐγκελευόμενος τὰ ἄνω φρονεῖν. Καὶ οὕτως ἔστιν εὑ ρεῖν, ὅτι πᾶν τὸ τοιοῦτον κίνημα τῷ ὑψηλῷ τῆς διανοίας συνεπαιρόμενον, τῷ κατὰ τὴν θείαν εἰκόνα κάλλει συσχηματίζεται. Ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ βαρεῖά τίς ἐστι καὶ κατωφερὴς ἡ τῆς ἁμαρτίας ῥοπὴ, πλεῖον τὸ ἕτερον γίνεται· μᾶλλον γὰρ τῷ βάρει τῆς ἀλόγου φύσεως συγκατασπᾶται τὸ ἡγεμονικὸν τῆς ψυχῆς, ἥπερ τῷ ὕψει τῆς διανοίας τὸ βαρύ τε καὶ χοϊκὸν ἀνυψοῦται. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο πολλάκις ἀγνοεῖσθαι ποιεῖ τὸ θεῖον δῶρον ἡ περὶ ἡμᾶς ἀθλιότης, οἷον προσωπεῖον εἰδεχθὲς τῷ κατὰ τὴν εἰκόνα κάλλει τὰ πάθη τῆς σαρκὸς ἐπιπλάσσουσα. Οὐκοῦν συγγνωστοί πώς εἰσιν οἱ πρὸς τὰ τοιαῦτα βλέποντες, εἶτα τὴν θείαν μορφὴν ἐν τούτοις εἶναι οὐκ εὐχερῶς συντιθέμενοι. Ἀλλὰ διὰ τῶν κατωρθωκότων τὸν βίον, ἔξεστι τὴν θείαν ἐν τοῖς ἀνθρώποις εἰκόνα βλέπειν. Εἰ γὰρ ἐμπαθής τις καὶ σάρκινος ὢν ἀπιστεῖσθαι ποιεῖ τὸν ἄνθρωπον ὡς θείῳ κάλλει κεκοσμημένον· ὁ ὑψηλὸς πάντως τὴν ἀρετὴν καὶ καθαρεύων ἐκ μολυσμάτων βεβαιώσει σοι τὴν πρὸς τὸ κρεῖττον ἐπὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ὑπόληψιν. Οἷον κρεῖττον γὰρ ἐν ὑποδείγματι δεῖξαι τὸν λόγον· ἀπήλειψε τῷ τῆς πονηρίας μολύσματι τὸ τῆς φύσεως κάλλος τις τῶν ἐπὶ κακίᾳ γνωρίμων, Ἰεχονίας τυχὸν, ἢ εἴ τις ἕτερος ἐπὶ κακῷ μνημονεύεται· ἀλλ' ἐν Μωϋσῇ καὶ τοῖς κατ' ἐκεῖνον καθαρὰ διεφυλάχθη ἡ 196 τῆς εἰκόνος μορφή. Ἐν οἷς τοίνυν οὐκ ἠμαυρώθη τὸ κάλλος, ἐν τούτοις ἐναργὴς ἡ τῶν λεγομένων πίστις ἐστὶν, ὅτι ἄνθρωπος τοῦ Θεοῦ μίμημα γέγονεν. Ἀλλ' ἐπαισχύνεταί τις τυχὸν, τῷ διὰ βρώσεως ἡμῖν καθ' ὁμοιότητα τῶν ἀλόγων τὴν ζωὴν συνεστάναι, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ἀνάξιον ἡγεῖται τὸν ἄνθρωπον τοῦ κατ' εἰκόνα Θεοῦ πεπλάσθαι δοκεῖν. Ἀλλ' ἐλπιζέτω τῆς λειτουργείας ταύτης ἀτέλειαν δοθήσεσθαι τῇ φύσει ποτὲ, κατὰ τὴν προσδοκωμένην ζωήν. Οὐ γάρ ἐστι, καθώς φησιν ὁ Ἀπόστολος, ἡ βασιλεία τοῦ Θεοῦ βρῶσις καὶ πόσις· οὐδὲ ἐπ' ἄρτῳ μόνῳ ζήσεσθαι τὸν ἄνθρωπον ὁ Κύριος προηγόρευσεν, ἀλλ' ἐν παντὶ ῥήματι ἐκ πορευομένῳ διὰ στόματος Θεοῦ. Ἀλλὰ καὶ τῆς ἀνα στάσεως ἰσάγγελον ἡμῖν ὑποδεικνυούσης τὸν βίον, βρώσεως δὲ παρὰ τοῖς ἀγγέλοις οὐκ οὔσης, ἱκανὴ πίστις τοῦ ἀπαλλαγήσεσθαι τῆς τοιαύτης λειτουρ γίας τὸν ἄνθρωπον, τὸν καθ' ὁμοιότητα τῶν ἀγγέλων ζησόμενον.