32

let him suppose, so as to think that he achieves so great a matter by a small observance of the flesh—but since “everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin,” the turning aside to evil in every matter and pursuit somehow enslaves man and makes him a branded slave, inflicting on him bruises and brand-marks through the wounds of sin, so that it is fitting for the one who has taken hold of the great goal of virginity to be consistent with himself in all things and to display purity throughout his whole life. Thus also the art of fishing does, according to the Lord's parable, separating the good and edible fish from the bad and poisonous, so that, should any of the contrary sort fall in with them into the vessels, the enjoyment of the useful ones might not also be rendered useless. This is also the work of true moderation, selecting from all pursuits what is pure and beneficial, in every case rejecting what is useless and leaving it to the common and worldly life, tropologically named "sea" by the parable; just as the psalmist also names it, suggesting to us a lesson of confession in one of the psalms, calling this unstable, passionate, and turbulent life "waters reaching the soul and depths of the sea and a storm," in which every apostate thought, in the likeness of the Egyptians, "sinks like a stone into the deep," but whatever is dear to God and discerning of the truth, which is called Israel by the history, this alone passes through it as if it were dry land, nowhere touching the bitterness and saltiness of the waves of life. Thus typically, under the law as guide—and Moses was a type of the law—Israel crossed the sea unwet, and the Egyptian, crossing with him, was submerged, each according to his own accompanying disposition, the one passing through lightly, the other being dragged down to the deep. For virtue is something light and buoyant; for all who live according to it "fly like clouds," according to Isaiah, "and like doves with their young"; but sin is heavy, as one of the prophets says, sitting upon a talent of lead. But if such an interpretation of the history seems forced and awkward to anyone, and he does not accept that the miracle through the sea was written for our benefit, let him hear the apostle that "These things happened to them as a type, but they were written for our instruction."

19.t Chapter 19 The memory of Miriam the sister of Aaron as having begun this achievement.

19.1 And the prophetess Miriam also gives us reason to suppose such things, immediately after the sea, handling the dry and resonant tambourine and leading the chorus of women; for perhaps through the tambourine the account seems to hint at virginity, first achieved by Miriam, through whom I think Mary the Theotokos was also prefigured. For just as the tambourine gives forth a great sound, being separated from all moisture and having become completely dry, so also virginity becomes brilliant and renowned, receiving into itself none of the moisture of life in this world. If, then, the tambourine which Miriam handled is a dead body, and virginity is a deadening of the body, perhaps the idea that the prophetess was a virgin is not far from what is likely. But that these things are so is based on certain conjectures and suppositions, not from clear proof

32

οἰέσθω, ὥστε ἐν ὀλίγῳ παρατηρήματι σαρκὸς κατορθοῦν νομίζειν τὸ τοσοῦτον πρᾶγμα-ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ «πᾶς ὁ ποιῶν τὴν ἁμαρτίαν δοῦλος τῆς ἁμαρτίας ἐστίν», ἡ ἐν παντὶ πράγματι καὶ ἐπιτηδεύματι πρὸς κακίαν παρα τροπὴ δουλοῦταί πως τὸν ἄνθρωπον καὶ στιγματίαν ποιεῖ μώλωπας αὐτῷ καὶ ἐγκαύματα διὰ τῶν τῆς ἁμαρτίας πληγῶν ἐμποιοῦσα, ὥστε τὸν τοῦ μεγάλου σκοποῦ τοῦ κατὰ τὴν παρθενίαν ἁψάμενον ἐν πᾶσι προσήκειν ἑαυτῷ εἶναι ὅμοιον καὶ πάσῃ τῇ ζωῇ συνεμφαίνειν τὴν καθαρό τητα. Οὕτως καὶ ἡ ἁλιευτικὴ τέχνη ποιεῖ κατὰ τὴν τοῦ κυρίου παραβολήν, τοὺς χρηστοὺς καὶ ἐδωδίμους τῶν ἰχθύων ἀπὸ τῶν πονηρῶν τε καὶ δηλητηρίων διαχωρίζουσα, ὡς ἂν μή τινος τῶν ἐναντίων συνεισπεσόντος τοῖς ἀγγείοις, καὶ ἡ τῶν χρησίμων ἀπόλαυσις συναχρειωθῇ. Τοῦτο καὶ τῆς ἀληθινῆς σωφροσύνης ἔργον ἐστί, τὸ ἐκ πάντων τῶν ἐπι τηδευμάτων τὸ καθαρόν τε καὶ ὠφέλιμον ἐκλεγομένην ἐν παντὶ τὸ ἄχρηστον ἀποποιεῖσθαι καὶ ἐναφιέναι τοῦτο τῷ κοινῷ καὶ κοσμικῷ βίῳ, θαλάσσῃ τροπικῶς ὑπὸ τῆς παρα βολῆς ὠνομασμένῳ· καθὼς καὶ ὁ ψαλμῳδὸς ὀνομάζει, διδασκαλίαν ἐξομολογήσεως ἔν τινι τῶν ψαλμῶν ἡμῖν ὑφηγούμενος, τὸν ἄστατον τοῦτον καὶ ἐμπαθῆ καὶ ταρα χώδη βίον «ὕδατα ψυχῆς ἁπτόμενα καὶ βάθη θαλάσσης καὶ καταιγίδα» καλῶν, ἐν ᾗ πᾶσα μὲν ἀποστατικὴ διάνοια καθ' ὁμοιότητα τῶν Αἰγυπτίων «ὡς λίθος εἰς τὸν βυθὸν καταδύεται», ὅσον δὲ θεῷ φίλον καὶ διορατικὸν τῆς ἀλη θείας ἐστίν, ὅπερ Ἰσραὴλ ὑπὸ τῆς ἱστορίας ὠνόμασται, τοῦτο μόνον ὡς ξηρὰν αὐτὴν διεξέρχεται οὐδαμοῦ τῆς πικρίας καὶ τῆς ἅλμης τῶν βιωτικῶν κυμάτων συνεφαπτόμενον. Οὕτω τυπικῶς ὑπὸ καθηγεμόνι τῷ νόμῳ-τύπος δὲ ἦν ὁ Μωϋσῆς τοῦ νόμου-καὶ ὁ Ἰσραὴλ τὴν θάλασσαν διεπέρασεν ἄβρο χος, καὶ τούτῳ συνδιαπερῶν ὁ Αἰγύπτιος ὑποβρύχιος ἦν, ἑκάτερος ὑπὸ τῆς συμπαρούσης ἑαυτῷ διαθέσεως, ὁ μὲν κούφως διεξιών, ὁ δὲ εἰς βυθὸν καθελκόμενος. Κοῦφον μὲν γάρ τι καὶ ἀνωφερὲς πρᾶγμα ἡ ἀρετή· πάντες γὰρ οἱ κατ' αὐτὴν ζῶντες «ὡς νεφέλαι πέτονται» κατὰ τὸν Ἡσαΐαν «καὶ ὡς περιστεραὶ σὺν νεοσσοῖς»· βαρὺ δὲ ἡ ἁμαρτία, καθώς φησί τις τῶν προφητῶν, ἐπὶ τάλαντον μολύβδου καθεζομένη. Εἰ δέ τινι βεβιασμένη καὶ ἀπρόσκολ λος ἡ τοιαύτη τῆς ἱστορίας ἐκδοχὴ φαίνεται, καὶ οὐ δέχεται πρὸς ὠφέλειαν ἡμῶν τὴν διὰ τῆς θαλάσσης θαυματοποιίαν ἀναγεγράφθαι, ἀκουσάτω τοῦ ἀποστόλου ὅτι «Ἐκείνοις μὲν συνέβαινε τυπικῶς, ἐγράφη δὲ πρὸς νουθεσίαν ἡμῶν.»

19.t Κεφάλαιον ιθʹ Μνήμη Μαρίας τῆς ἀδελφῆς Ἀαρὼν ὡς ἀρξαμέ νης

τούτου τοῦ κατορθώματος. 19.1 Ἡμῖν δὲ δίδωσι τὰ τοιαῦτα ὑπονοεῖν καὶ ἡ προφῆτις Μαριὰμ

εὐθέως μετὰ τὴν θάλασσαν ξηρὸν καὶ εὔηχον μεταχειριζομένη τὸ τύμπανον καὶ τοῦ χοροῦ τῶν γυναικῶν προπομπεύουσα· τάχα γὰρ διὰ τοῦ τυμπάνου τὴν παρ θενίαν ἔοικεν ὁ λόγος αἰνίττεσθαι ὑπὸ τῆς Μαρίας πρώτης κατορθωθεῖσαν, δι' ἧς οἶμαι καὶ τὴν θεοτόκον προδιατυ ποῦσθαι Μαρίαν. Ὥσπερ γὰρ τὸ τύμπανον πολὺν τὸν ἦχον ἀφίησι, πάσης ἰκμάδος κεχωρισμένον καὶ ξηρὸν εἰς ἄκρον γενόμενον, οὕτω καὶ ἡ παρθενία λαμπρά τε καὶ περιβόητος γίνεται μηδὲν ἐν ἑαυτῇ τῆς ζωτικῆς ἰκμάδος κατὰ τὸν βίον τοῦτον προσδεχομένη. Εἰ οὖν νεκρὸν μὲν σῶμα τὸ τύμπανον, ὅπερ ἡ Μαριὰμ μετεχειρίζετο, νέκρωσις δὲ σώματος ἡ παρθενία ἐστί, τάχα οὐ πολὺ τοῦ εἰκότος τὸ παρθένον εἶναι τὴν προφῆτιν ἀπεσχοίνισται. Ἀλλὰ ταῦτα μὲν στοχασμοῖς τισι καὶ ὑπονοίαις, οὐκ ἐκ φανερᾶς ἀπο δείξεως οὕτως ἔχειν