34

MAX. If it is not substance, it is quality; and quality will be found from quality; which is impossible. What then do they say gnomic will is?

PYR. The gnomic will is nothing other than what the blessed Cyril defined it as, that is, a mode of life.

MAX. The mode of life according to virtue, let us say, or vice, does it belong to us by choice, or not?

PYR. By choice, certainly. MAX. Do we then choose by willing and deliberating, or unwillingly and

without deliberation? PYR. Admittedly, by willing and deliberating. MAX. Therefore, the gnomic will is nothing other than a certain kind of will, which cleaves to something either

that is or is considered good. PYR. You have correctly explained the patristic definition. MAX. If the patristic definition has been correctly unfolded, then, first of all, it is not

possible to speak of a gnomic will. For how can a will proceed from a will? Then, by speaking of gnomic will in Christ, as the inquiry about it has shown, they teach that He is a mere man, who deliberates like 15Γ_142 us, is ignorant and in doubt, and has conflicting thoughts; since one deliberates about things that are doubtful, and not about what is certain. For we simply have a natural appetite for the naturally good; but experience of how it is good through searching and deliberation. And for this reason, gnomic will is properly spoken of in our case, being a mode of use, not a principle of nature; since nature has also changed countless times. But in the case of the Lord's humanity, which did not subsist merely as ours does, but divinely; for it was God 0309 who for our sake appeared in the flesh from us, gnomic will cannot be spoken of. For His very being, that is, to subsist divinely, also naturally had an affinity for the good, and an alienation from evil, just as Basil, the great eye of the Church, teaching in his commentary on the 44th psalm, said: "According to this you will also understand what was said about him by Isaiah, that, 'Before the child knows, or chooses evil, he shall choose the good.' Because before the child knows good or evil, he disobeys wickedness in order to choose the good. For 'before' indicates that not like us, having sought and deliberated, but subsisting divinely, in his very being, he possessed the good by nature."

PYR. What then? Are the virtues natural? MAX. Yes, natural. PYR. And if they are natural, why do they not exist equally in all who share the same nature? [MAX. They exist equally in all who share the same nature.] PYR. And whence is there such inequality among us? MAX. From not activating the things of nature equally. Since if we all equally, for which

we were also made, activated the things of nature, then one virtue would be shown in all, just as the nature is one, not admitting of more and less.

PYR. If natural things do not come to us from ascetic practice, but from creation, and virtue is natural, how do we acquire the virtues, being natural, by labor and ascetic practice?

15Γ_144 MAX. Ascetic practice, and the labors that follow it, were devised by the lovers of virtue only to separate from the soul the deceit mixed in through the senses; not to introduce the virtues newly from without; for they are implanted in us from creation, as has been said; whence, as soon as the deceit is completely distinguished, the soul at once displays the splendor of natural virtue. For he who is not foolish is prudent; and he who is not cowardly or rash, is courageous; and he who is not 0312 intemperate,

34

ΜΑΞ. Εἰ οὐσία οὐκ ἔστι, ποιότης ἐστί· καί εὑρεθήσεται ποιότης ἐκ ποιότητος· ὅπερ ἀδύνατον. Τί οὖν φασι τήν γνώμην;

ΠΥΡ. Ἡ γνώμη οὐδέ ἕτερόν ἐστιν, ἤ ὅπερ ὁ μακάριος αὐτήν ὡρίσατο Κύριλλος, ὅτι τρόπος ζωῆς.

ΜΑΞ. Ὁ τρόπος τῆς κατ᾿ ἀρετήν, φέρε εἰπεῖν, ἤ κακίαν ζωῆς, ἆρα ἐξ ἐπιλογῆς ἡμῖν πρόσεστιν, ἤ οὔ;

ΠΥΡ. Ἐξ ἐπιλογῆς, πάντως. ΜΑΞ. Θέλοντες οὖν καί βουλευόμενοι ἐπιλεγόμεθα, ἤ ἀθελήτως καί

ἀβουλεύτως; ΠΥΡ. Ὁμολογουμένως θέλοντες καί βουλευόμενοι. ΜΑΞ. Οὐκοῦν ἡ γνώμη οὐδέ ἕτερόν ἐστιν, ἤ ποιά θέλησις, σχετικῶς τινος ἤ

ὄντος ἤ νομιζομένου ἀγαθοῦ ἀντεχομένη. ΠΥΡ. Ὀρθῶς τήν τοῦ πατρικοῦ ὅρου ἐποιήσω ἐξήγησιν. ΜΑΞ. Εἰ ὀρθῶς ἡ τοῦ πατρικοῦ ὅρου ἐξάπλωσις γεγένηται, πρῶτον μέν οὐ

δυνατόν γνωμικόν λέγειν θέλημα. Πῶς γάρ ἐκ θελήματος θέλημα προελθεῖν ἐνδέχεται; Ἔπειτα δέ καί γνώμην λέγοντες ἐπί Χριστοῦ, ὡς ἡ περί αὐτῆς ἔδειξε ζήτησις, ψιλόν αὐτόν δογματίζουσιν ἄνθρωπον, βουλευτικῶς διατιθέμενον καθ᾿ 15Γ_142 ἡμᾶς, ἀγνοῦντά τε καί ἀμφιβάλλοντα, καί ἀντικείμενα ἔχοντα· εἴπερ τις περί τῶν ἀμφιβαλλομένων, καί οὐ περί τοῦ ἀναμφιβόλου βουλεύεται. Ἡμεῖς μέν γάρ ἁπλῶς φύσει καλοῦ φυσικῶς ἔχομεν τήν ὄρεξιν· τοῦ δέ πῶς καλοῦ πεῖραν διά ζητήσεως καί βουλῆς. Καί διά τοῦτο ἐφ᾿ ἡμῶν καί γνώμη προσφυῶς λέγεται, τρόπος οὖσα χρήσεως, οὐ λόγος φύσεως· ἐπεί καί ἀπειράκις μετέβαλεν ἡ φύσις. Ἐπί δέ τοῦ ἀνθρωπίνου τοῦ Κυρίου, οὐ ψιλῶς καθ᾿ ἡμᾶς ὑποστάντος, ἀλλά θεϊκῶς· Θεός γάρ ἦν 0309 ὁ δι᾿ ἡμᾶς ἐξ ἡμῶν σαρκί πεφηνώς, γνώμη λέγεσθαι οὐ δύναται. Αὐτό γάρ [αὐτῷ τῷ] τό εἶναι, ἤγουν, τό θεϊκῶς ὑποστῆναι, φυσικῶς καί τήν πρός τό καλόν εἶχεν οἰκείωσιν, καί τήν πρός τό κακόν ἀλλοτρίωσιν, καθώς καί ὁ μέγας τῆς Ἐκκλησίας ὀφθαλμός Βασίλειος ἐν τῇ ἑρμηνείᾳ τοῦ μδ' ψαλμοῦ διδάσκων, ἔφη· "Κατά τοῦτο δέ ἐκλήψῃ καί τό Ἡσαΐᾳ περί αὐτοῦ εἰρημένον, ὅτι Πρίν ἤ γνῶναι τό παιδίον, ἤ προελέσθαι πονηρά, ἐκλέξεται τό ἀγαθόν. ∆ιότι πρίν ἤ γνῶναι τό παιδίον ἀγαθόν ἤ κακόν, ἀπειθεῖ πονηρίᾳ τοῦ ἐκλέξασθαι τό ἀγαθόν. Τό γάρ, πρίν ἤ, δηλοῖ ὅτι οὐ καθ᾿ ἡμᾶς ζητήσας καί βουλευσάμενος, ἀλλά θεϊκῶς ὑποστάς, αὐτῷ εἶναι, τό ἐκ φύσεως εἶχεν ἀγαθόν."

ΠΥΡ. Τί οὖν; φυσικαί εἰσιν αἱ ἀρεταί; ΜΑΞ. Ναί, φυσικαί. ΠΥΡ. Καί εἰ φυσικαί, διά τί μή ἐπίσης πᾶσιν ἐνυπάρχουσι τοῖς ὁμοφυέσι; [ΜΑΞ. Πᾶσι τοῖς ὁμοφυέσιν ἐπίσης ἐνυπάρχουσι.] ΠΥΡ. Καί πόθεν ἐν ἡμῖν τοσαύτη ἀνισότης; ΜΑΞ. Ἐκ τοῦ μή ἐπίσης ἐνεργεῖν τά τῆς φύσεως. Ὡς εἴπερ πάντες ἴσως, ἐφ᾿ ᾧ

καί γεγόναμεν, ἐνηργοῦμεν τά φυσικά, μία ἄρα ἐδείκνυτο ἐν πᾶσιν, ὥσπερ ἡ φύσις, οὕτω καί ἀρετή, τό μᾶλλον καί ἦττον οὐκ ἐπιδεχομένη.

ΠΥΡ. Εἰ οὐκ ἐξ ἀσκήσεως ἡμῖν τά φυσικά πρόεισιν, ἀλλ᾿ ἐκ δημιουργίας, ἡ δέ ἀρετή φυσική, πῶς πόνῳ καί ἀσκήσει τάς ἀρετάς, φυσικάς οὔσας, κτώμεθα;

15Γ_144 ΜΑΞ. Ἡ ἄσκησις, καί οἱ ταύτῃ ἑπόμενοι πόνοι, πρός τό μόνον διαχωρίσαι τήν ἐμφυρεῖσαν δι᾿ αἰσθήσεως ἀπάτην τῇ ψυχῇ ἐπενοήθησαν τοῖς φιλαρέτοις· οὐ πρός τό ἔξωθεν προσφάτως ἐπεισαγαγεῖν τάς ἀρετάς· ἔκγειται γάρ ἡμῖν ἐκ δημιουργίας, ὡς εἴρηται· ὅθεν καί ἅμα τελείως διακριθῇ ἡ ἀπάτη, ἅμα καί τῆς κατά φύσιν ἀρετῆς τήν λαμπρότητα ἐνδείκνυται ἡ ψυχή. Ὁ γάρ μή ἄφρων, φρόνιμος· καί ὁ μή δειλός ἤ θρασύς, ἀνδρεῖος· καί ὁ μή 0312 ἀκόλαστος,