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and not to be assigned; and courage from what is about things dreadful and not dreadful; but beauty and strength are non-theoretical 29.317 virtues, following those from theorems. For according to the symmetry and harmony of the soul's principles, some of the wise have understood beauty; but according to the effective power of what is suggested by the theoretical virtues, they have understood strength. Yet in order that beauty may be born in the soul, and a power effective of what is necessary, for this we need divine grace. As he has said above, therefore, *That life is in His will*; so now he exalts God through thanksgiving, saying, *In your will you have granted strength to my beauty*. For I was beautiful by nature, but weak because I was put to death by the transgression through the serpent's plot. Therefore, to my beauty, which I received from you from the first creation, you have added the power to practice what is necessary. Therefore, every soul is beautiful which is seen in the symmetry of its own powers; but true beauty, and most lovely, is visible only to one whose mind has been purified, that which concerns the divine and blessed nature. He who has gazed upon its splendors and graces partakes something of it, as from some dye, tinting his own face with a certain radiant brightness. Whence also Moses, by partaking of that beauty in speaking with God, his face was glorified. He, therefore, who is aware of his own virtue, utters this voice of thanksgiving: *Lord, in your will you have granted strength to my beauty*. And just as the non-theoretical virtues, both beauty and power, follow the theoretical virtues, so there are certain non-theoretical vices, both ugliness and weakness. For what is more unseasonable and more hideous than a soul full of passion? See for me the angry man, and the savagery in him. Behold the grieving man, and the lowly and fallen state of his soul within him. And who could bear to even look upon one who has fallen to lust or gluttony, or is terrified by fears? the disposition of the soul passing through to the extremities of the body; just as, therefore, the traces of the soul's beauty are manifest in the state of the holy one. Therefore, we must take thought for beauty, so that the Bridegroom, the Word, receiving us may say: *You are all beautiful, my love, and there is no flaw in you*. *But you turned your face away, and I was troubled*. For as long as, he says, the rays of your visitation shone upon me, I lived in a 29.320 stable and untroubled state; but when you turned your face away, the passionate and disturbed state of my soul was exposed. And God is said to turn His face away when, in times of trial, He leaves men exposed to temptations, so that the vigor of the one contending may be known. If, therefore, the peace that surpasses all understanding guards our hearts, we are able to escape the turmoil and confusion of the passions. Since, therefore, the turning away is contrary to the will of God, and turmoil is contrary to beauty and fairness and power; turmoil would be a shame and weakness of the soul, arising from alienation from God. Let us pray, therefore, that the face of God may always shine upon us, so that we may be in a holy state, and gentle, and in every way untroubled from our readiness for good things. *For I was prepared*, he says, *and was not troubled*. *To you, O Lord, I will cry, and to my God I will make supplication*. It has often been said concerning crying out to the Lord, that it is only for one who desires great and heavenly things to cry out. But if one were to ask God for small and earthly things, he uses a small and humble voice, not reaching the heights, nor coming to the ears of the Lord. *What profit is there in my blood, when I go down into corruption?* What, he says, have I cried? And about what have I prayed to you, my Lord and my God? What need, he says, have I of the well-being of the flesh and abundance of blood, when it is about to be handed over to the common dissolution of the body? *But I discipline my body, and*

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καὶ οὐκ ἀπονεμητέων· καὶ ἀνδρείαν ἐκ τοῦ περὶ δεινῶν καὶ οὐ δεινῶν· κάλλος δὲ καὶ ἰσχὺν ἀθεωρήτους εἶναι 29.317 ἀρετὰς, ἐπακολουθούσας ταῖς ἐκ θεωρημάτων. Κατὰ γὰρ τὴν συμμετρίαν καὶ ἁρμονίαν τῶν τῆς ψυχῆς θεωρημάτων, ἔνιοι τῶν σοφῶν νενοήκασι τὸ κάλλος· κατὰ δὲ τὸ ἀποτελεστικὸν τῶν ὑποβαλλομένων ἐκ τῶν θεωρητικῶν ἀρετῶν, τὴν ἰσχὺν νενοήκασι. Πλὴν ἵνα καὶ κάλλος ἐπιγένηται τῇ ψυχῇ, καὶ δύναμις τῶν δεόντων ἐπιτελεστικὴ, θείας εἰς τοῦτο χάριτος χρῄζομεν. Ὡς τοίνυν ἄνω εἴρηκεν, Ὅτι ζωὴ ἐν τῷ θελήματι αὐτοῦ· οὕτω νῦν ὑψοῖ τὸν Θεὸν διὰ τῆς εὐχαριστίας λέγων, ὅτι Ἐν τῷ θελήματί σου παρέσχου τῷ κάλλει μου δύναμιν. Καλὸς μὲν γὰρ ἤμην κατὰ τὴν φύσιν, ἀσθενὴς δὲ διὰ τὸ ἐξ ἐπι βουλῆς τοῦ ὄφεως νεκρωθῆναι τῷ παραπτώματι. Τῷ οὖν κάλλει μου, ὃ παρὰ σοῦ ἔλαβον ἐκ τῆς πρώ της κατασκευῆς, προσέθηκας δύναμιν τὴν τῶν δεόν των πρακτικήν. Καλὴ μὲν οὖν πᾶσα ψυχὴ ἡ ἐν συμμετρίᾳ τῶν οἰκείων δυνάμεων θεωρουμένη· κάλλος δὲ ἀληθινὸν, καὶ ἐρασμιώτατον, μόνῳ τῷ τὸν νοῦν κεκαθαρμένῳ θεωρητὸν, τὸ περὶ τὴν θείαν καὶ μακαρίαν φύσιν. Οὗ ὁ ἐνατενίσας ταῖς μαρμα ρυγαῖς καὶ ταῖς χάρισι, μεταλαμβάνει τι ἀπ' αὐτοῦ, ὥσπερ ἀπό τινος βαφῆς, αἵγλην τινὰ ἀνθηρὰν εἰς τὴν οἰκείαν ὄψιν ἀναχρωννύμενος. Ὅθεν καὶ Μωϋ σῆς, τῷ μετειληφέναι τοῦ κάλλους ἐκείνου ἐν τῷ ὁμιλεῖν Θεῷ, ἐδοξάσθη τὸ πρόσωπον. Ὁ οὖν αἰσθό μενος τῆς ἑαυτοῦ ἀρετῆς, τὴν εὐχαριστικὴν ταύτην ἀφίησι φωνήν· Κύριε, ἐν τῷ θελήματί σου παρ έσχου τῷ κάλλει μου δύναμιν. Ὥσπερ δὲ ταῖς θεωρητικαῖς ἀρεταῖς ἀθεώρητοι ἀκολουθοῦσι, τό τε κάλλος καὶ ἡ δύναμις, οὕτως εἰσί τινες κακίαι ἀθεώρητοι, ἥ τε αἰσχρότης καὶ ἡ ἀσθένεια. Τί γὰρ ἀωρότερον καὶ εἰδεχθέστερον ψυχῆς ἐμπαθοῦς; Ἴδε μοι τὸν θυμούμενον, καὶ τὴν ἐν αὐτῷ ἀγριότητα. Θέασαι τὸν λυπούμενον, καὶ τὸ ἐν αὐτῷ ταπεινὸν καὶ συμπεπτωκὸς τῆς ψυχῆς. Τὸν δὲ λαγνείαις ἢ γαστριμαργίαις ὑποπεπτωκότα, ἢ φόβοις ἐπτοημέ νον, τίς ἂν καὶ προσβλέψαι ἀνάσχοιτο; διαβαινούσης μέχρι τῶν περάτων τοῦ σώματος τῆς κατὰ ψυχὴν διαθέσεως· ὥσπερ οὖν καὶ τὰ ἴχνη τοῦ κάλλους τῆς ψυχῆς ἐν τῇ καταστάσει τοῦ ἁγίου διαφαίνεται. Προνοητέον τοίνυν τοῦ κάλλους ἡμῖν, ἵνα καὶ ὁ νυμ φίος Λόγος ἀποδεξάμενος ἡμᾶς εἴπῃ· Ὅλη καλὴ ἡ πλησίον μου, καὶ μῶμος οὐκ ἔστιν ἐν σοί. Ἀπέστρεψας δὲ τὸ πρόσωπόν σου, καὶ ἐγε νήθην τεταραγμένος. Ἕως μὲν ὅτε, φησὶν, αἱ ἀκτῖνες τῆς ἐπισκοπῆς σου ἐπέλαμπόν μοι, ἐν εὐ 29.320 σταθεῖ καταστάσει καὶ ἀταράχῳ διῆγον· ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἀπέστρεψάς σου τὸ πρόσωπον, τὸ ἐμπαθὲς καὶ τε θορυβημένον τῆς ψυχῆς ἀπηλέγχθη. Ἀποστρέφειν δὲ λέγεται τὸ ἑαυτοῦ πρόσωπον ὁ Θεὸς, ὅταν ἐν τοῖς τῶν περιστάσεων καιροῖς ἐκδότους ἀφίῃ τοῖς πειρασμοῖς, ἐπὶ τὸ γνωσθῆναι τὸ εὔτονον τοῦ ἀγω νιζομένου. Ἐὰν οὖν ἡ εἰρήνη ἡ ὑπερέχουσα πάντα νοῦν φρουρήσῃ τὰς καρδίας ἡμῶν, δυνάμεθα τὴν ταραχὴν καὶ τὴν σύγχυσιν τῶν παθῶν διαφυγεῖν. Ἐπεὶ οὖν ἀντίκειται τῷ μὲν θελήματι τοῦ Θεοῦ ἡ ἀποστροφὴ, τῷ δὲ κάλλει καὶ τῇ ὡραιότητι καὶ τῇ δυνάμει ἡ ταραχή· εἴη ἂν ἡ ταραχὴ αἶσχος καὶ ἀσθένεια ψυχῆς, ἐκ τῆς ἀπὸ Θεοῦ ἀλλοτριώσεως ἐγ γινομένη. Εὐχώμεθα οὖν ἀεὶ ἐπιλάμπειν ἡμῖν τὸ πρόσωπον τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἵνα ἐν καταστήματι ὦμεν ἱεροπρεπεῖ, καὶ πρᾶοι, καὶ παντὶ τρόπῳ ἀτάραχοι ἐκ τῆς πρὸς τὰ καλὰ ἑτοιμότητος. Ἡτοιμάσθην γὰρ, φησὶ, καὶ οὐκ ἐταράχθην. Πρὸς σὲ, Κύριε, κεκρά ξομαι, καὶ πρὸς τὸν Θεόν μου δεηθήσομαι. Πολ λάκις εἴρηται περὶ τοῦ κεκραγέναι πρὸς Κύριον, ὅτι μόνου τοῦ μεγάλα καὶ ἐπουράνια ἐπιθυμοῦντός ἐστι τὸ κράζειν. Εἰ δέ τις μικρὰ καὶ ἐπίγεια αἰτοίη τὸν Θεὸν, μικρᾷ καὶ ταπεινῇ κέχρηται τῇ φωνῇ, μὴ φθανούσῃ εἰς ὕψος, μηδὲ ἐρχομένῃ εἰς τὰς ἀκοὰς τοῦ Κυρίου. Τίς ὠφέλεια ἐν τῷ αἵματί μου, ἐν τῷ καταβαίνειν με εἰς διαφθοράν; Τί, φησὶν, ἐκέκραξα; καὶ περὶ τίνος ἐδεήθην πρὸς σὲ τὸν Κύ ριόν μου καὶ τὸν Θεόν μου; Τίς μοι χρεία, φησὶ, σαρκὸς εὐπαθείας καὶ αἵματος πλήθους, μέλλοντος ὅσον οὐδέπω παραδίδοσθαι τῇ κοινῇ διαλύσει τοῦ σώ ματος; Ἀλλ' ὑπωπιάζω μου τὸ σῶμα, καὶ