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CHAPTER 30.

Who has bound the waters in a garment? [exod. f. 105 b.] He deposited true knowledge in virtues; that is, who through his own conduct has given stability to the unstable condition of things? For in his own conduct he shut out all fluid life, since he committed no sin. And that by garment he means conduct, *He that is in the field*, he says, *let him not turn back to take his garment*, that is, his former conduct, he who is working the spiritual field. The leech had three daughters, etc. [exod. f. 109 a.] The leech is the devil, as he sucks out the blood of souls, that is, their vital power. And he has daughters and not sons; for there is nothing manly, but every pleasure is effeminate. Hades, which is wickedness, being a daughter of the devil, destroying souls and not receiving its fill. The love of a woman, godless teaching, not being filled with deceit. And earth filled with water, a sandy and barren soul, though always watered by the Scriptures, yet 64.736 improving in nothing. Upon all of which is the fire of punishments. An eye that mocks a father. [exod. f. 110 a.] The eye is the mind, which is the cause of acting rightly or of sinning. When, therefore, this mind, against the abyss—I mean the judgments of God—or disparages the Scriptures, it dishonors the heavenly Father, and the ancient knowledge given by him to the prophets and apostles. And such a one certain wicked powers cut out, serving for punishments, and bringing about partial purification, which he called ravens; but those that devour the whole are called eagles, because to them is entrusted the universal purification. There are three things which are too wonderful for me, etc. [exod. f. 110 b.] All these things are instructive of temperance. Such is the way of an adulterous woman; just as she conceals her fornication, so also here. For what reason, then, does he say this, that the matter is incomprehensible? Wanting very much to lead us to temperance; for it is necessary to show so much temperance as not even to entertain a wicked suspicion. If a servant reigns. [exod. f. 112 b] If a servant, he says, someone reigns. Or the people of the sons of Israel, having become a servant in the land of Egypt, and thus having reigned in its own land, grew wanton against Christ. And a fool when he is filled with food. For he ate and was filled, and the beloved one kicked. And a handmaid if she casts out her own mistress. That is, the earthly Jerusalem, having become the handmaid of all nations, cast out her own mistress, the holy flesh of the Lord, having become a slayer of the Lord. And a hateful woman if she gets a good husband. Who then is a hateful woman, but the Synagogue of the Jews, which did not love Christ God, her virginal husband? But always wandering about idols, committing fornication among them; for he says through the prophet: The senseless Judaea committed adultery with wood and stone, See, then, the goodness and compassion of Christ: *And I said*, he says, *after she had committed fornication: Return to me, says the Lord*. If a servant reigns; and yet he himself said that a servant will rule over foolish masters. But here he does not mean the wise servant, but simply a servant; since he does something beyond his worth through foolishness; and they are to blame, who appointed him; but he does not know, he says, how to use the authority. For if the matter makes those who were brought up freely insolent, much more so these; nothing is so suitable for authority as humility; a servant, Jeroboam, reigned, and see how many evils he did, which no one before him and up to him had done. 64.737 There are four things which are little on the earth, etc. [exod. f. 113 b.]

29

ΚΕΦΑΛ. Λʹ.

Τίς συνέστρεψεν ὕδωρ ἐν ἱματίῳ; [ξοδ. φ. 105 β.] Τὴν ἀληθῆ γνῶσιν ἐναπέθετο ταῖς ἀρεταῖς· ἤγουν, τίς διὰ τῆς ἑαυτοῦ πολιτείας τῇ τῶν πραγμάτων ἀστάτῳ καταστάσει δέδωκε στάσιν; Ἐν γὰρ τῇ πολιτείᾳ αὑτοῦ πᾶσαν τὴν ῥευστὴν ζωὴν ἀπέκλεισεν, ἐπεὶ ἁμαρτίαν οὐκ ἐποίησεν. Ὅτι δὲ ἱμάτιον λέγει τὴν πολιτείαν, Ὁ ἐν τῷ ἀγρῷ, φησὶ, μὴ ἐπιστρεψάτω ἆραι τὸ ἱμάτιον αὑτοῦ, ἤγουν τὴν προτέραν πολιτείαν, ὁ τὸν πνευματικὸν ἀγρὸν ἐργαζόμενος. Τῇ Βδέλλῃ τρεῖς θυγατέρες ἦσαν, κ. τ. λ. [ξοδ. φ. 109 α.] Βδέλλα ὁ διάβολος, ὡς τὸ τῶν ψυχῶν αἷμα, τουτέστι τὴν ζωτικὴν αὐτῶν δύναμιν, ἐκμύζων. Ἔχει δὲ θυγατέρας καὶ οὐχὶ υἱούς· οὐδὲν γὰρ ἀνδρεῖον, ἀλλὰ πασᾶν ἡδονὴν ἐκτεθηλυμμένην· ᾅδης, ἡ κακία, θυγάτηρ οὖσα τοῦ διαβόλου, ἀναιροῦσα ψυχὰς καὶ κόρον οὐ λαμβάνουσα. Γυναικὸς ἔρως, ἡ ἄθεος διδασκαλία, τῆς ἀπάτης μὴ πληρουμένη. Γῆ τε ἐμπιπλαμένη ὕδατος, ψυχὴ ψαμμώδης καὶ ἄγονος, ποτιζομένη μὲν ἀεὶ ταῖς Γραφαῖς, μηδὲν δὲ 64.736 βελτιουμένη. Ἐφ' αἷς πάσαις τὸ πῦρ ἐστι τῶν κολάσεων. Ὀφθαλμὸν καταγελῶντα τοῦ πατρός. [ξοδ. φ. 110 α.] Ὀφθαλμὸς ὁ νοῦς, ὃς αἴτιος τοῦ κατορθοῦν ἢ ἁμαρτάνειν. Ὅταν οὖν οὗτος κατὰ τῆς ἀβύσσου, τῶν τοῦ Θεοῦ λέγω κριμάτων, ἢ τὰς Γραφὰς διασύρῃ, τὸν οὐράνιον ἀτιμάζει Πατέρα, καὶ τὴν παρ' αὐτοῦ δοθεῖσαν ἀρχαίαν γνῶσιν τοῖς προφήταις καὶ ἀποστόλοις. Τὸν δὲ τοιοῦτον ἐκκόπτουσι πονηραί τινες δυνάμεις ταῖς κολάσεσιν ὑπηρετούμεναι, καὶ τὴν μερικὴν ἐπάγουσαι κάθαρσιν, ἃς κόρακας εἶπεν· οἱ δὲ ὅλον κατεσθίοντες, ἀετοὶ καλοῦνται, διὰ τὸ τὴν καθ' ὅλου κάθαρσιν πιστεύεσθαι. Τρία δὲ ἔστιν ἀδύνατά μοι νοῆσαι, κ. τ. λ. [ξοδ. φ. 110 β.] Ταῦτα πάντα σωφροσύνης παιδευτικά. Τοιαύτη ἡ ὁδὸς γυναικὸς μοιχαλίδος· ὥσπερ ἐκείνη τὴν πορνείαν κρύπτει, οὕτω καὶ ἐνταῦθα. Τίνος οὖν ἕνεκεν τοῦτό φησιν, ὅτι ἀκατάληπτον τὸ πρᾶγμα; Βουλόμενος ἡμᾶς εἰς σωφροσύνην ἀγαγεῖν πάνυ· δεῖ γὰρ τοσαύτην ἐπιδείκνυσθαι σωφροσύνην, ὡς μηδὲ πονηρὰν ὑποψίαν λαβεῖν. Ἐὰν οἰκέτης βασιλεύσῃ. [ξοδ. φ. 112 β] Ἐὰν οἰκέτης, φησὶ, βασιλεύσῃ τις. Ἢ ὁ λαὸς τῶν υἱῶν Ἰσραὴλ, οἰκέτης ἐν γῇ Αἰγύπτῳ γενόμενος, καὶ οὕτως βασιλεύσας ἐν τῇ ἰδίᾳ γῇ, κατεστρηνίασε τοῦ Χριστοῦ. Καὶ ἄφρων πλησθῇ σιτίων. Ἔφαγε γὰρ καὶ ἐνεπλήσθη, καὶ ἀπελάκτισεν ὁ ἠγαπημένος. Καὶ οἰκέτις ἐὰν ἐκβάλῃ τὴν ἑαυτῆς κυρίαν. Τουτέστιν ἡ ἐπίγειος Ἱερουσαλὴμ, παιδίσκη πάντων γεγενημένη ἐθνῶν, ἐξέβαλε τὴν ἑαυτῆς κυρίαν, τὴν ἁγίαν σάρκα Κυρίου, κυριοκτόνος γενομένη. Καὶ μισητὴ γυνὴ ἐὰν τύχῃ ἀνδρὸς ἀγαθοῦ. Τίς οὖν γυνὴ μισητὴ, ἀλλ' ἢ ἡ Συναγωγὴ τῶν Ἰουδαίων, ἡ μὴ ἀγαπήσασα τὸν Χριστὸν Θεὸν, τὸν παρθενικὸν ἄνδρα αὐτῆς; Ἀλλ' ἀεὶ ῥεμβομένη περὶ τὰ εἴδωλα πορνεύουσα ἐν αὐτοῖς· λέγει γὰρ διὰ τοῦ προφήτου· Ἐμοίχευσε τὸ ξύλον καὶ τὸν λίθον ἡ ἀσύνετος Ἰουδαία, Ὅρα οὖν ἀγαθοσύνην καὶ εὐσπλαγχνίαν Χριστοῦ· Καὶ εἶπα, φησὶ, μετὰ τὸ πορνεῦσαι αὐτήν· Ἐπίστρεψον πρός με, λέγει Κύριος. Ἐὰν οἰκέτης βασιλεύσῃ· καὶ μὴν αὐτὸς εἶπεν ὅτι οἰκέτης ἄρξει δεσποτῶν ἀφρόνων. Ἀλλ' ἐνταῦθα οὐχὶ τὸν συνετὸν οἰκέτην φησὶ, ἀλλ' ἁπλῶς οἰκέτην· ἐπειδὴ παρὰ τὴν ἀξίαν πράττει τινὰ ἀνοίᾳ· κἀκεῖνοί εἰσιν αἴτιοι, οἱ χειροτονήσαντες αὐτόν· ἀλλ' οὐκ οἶδε, φησὶ, ὅπως τῇ ἀρχῇ χρήσηται. Εἰ γὰρ τοὺς ἐλευθερίως τραφέντας ἐκτραχηλίζει τὸ πρᾶγμα, πολλῷ μᾶλλον τούτους· οὐδὲν οὕτως πρὸς ἀρχὴν ἐπιτήδειον, ὡς τὸ ταπεινοφρονεῖν· ἐβασίλευσεν οἰκέτης ὁ Ἱεροβοὰμ, καὶ ὅρα ὅσα κακὰ ἐποίησεν, ἃ οὐδεὶς τῶν πρὸ αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐπ' αὐτόν. 64.737 Τέσσαρα δὲ ἐλάχιστα ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, κ. τ. λ. [ξοδ. φ. 113 β.]