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let us not cast our mind to the ground. Having spoken about the mind, that which thinks lofty things and is not led away with the lowly, he consequently, in the same kind of hidden meaning, also discusses bodies. For the day of the Lord is not fearful to inanimate ships, but to those who are tossed about by their bodies in the salty surge of this life. For just as ships, weighed down by cargo, are difficult to manage and prone to shipwreck, so also bodies, as many as have been burdened into much flesh by great and abundant luxury, swimming upon the depth of destruction because of love of pleasure, are called ships of the sea. There are, however, also praiseworthy ships, those serving them that go down to the sea to do business in many waters, and about which it is said in the psalm of doxology that "There go the ships." For the ships that cross the sea, but do not remain in it, nor are submerged by the waves, are praised; and those living in the flesh, but not warring according to the flesh, treading down the surge of life and being higher than it, do business in many waters. As many as go down with life for the purpose of gaining some of those who are submerged. For this reason they saw the works of the Lord, receiving as a reward for their labor the understanding of the works of the Lord and of the wonders in the deep. And upon every sight of beautiful ships. Let those who are concerned with the adornment of the body hear, and those who have curiously busied themselves with the sight of these things. For the sight of ships is not harmful, but the contemplation for the sake of lust of the body. Therefore the day of the Lord will be upon every sight of beautiful ships, because he who has looked at a woman to lust after her has committed adultery in his heart; and the woman who adorns herself to stir up the desires of the licentious toward herself, has already committed adultery in her heart. 2.94 And every man will be brought low. From these things the Word showed that all the preceding things were said about men in a riddle and veiled manner. For after the insolent and proud, and after the high and lofty, after every cedar of Lebanon, after every oak tree of Bashan, after every high tower, after every high wall, after every sight of beautiful ships, then he says: Every man will be brought low, that is, every form of evils among men will fall. And we men were brought into this world as into a common school, and we were commanded, having received a mind and having eyes for understanding, to read God, as it were, from certain letters of the economy and administration of the universe, so that those wishing to be occupied with the search for the truth, from the starting points they have received, being sufficiently prepared, might be deemed worthy of the face-to-face vision of the things well sought, or having been carried far from the truth, they might be put to shame by the truth itself for their falsehood; because, "Knowing God, they did not glorify him as God, or give thanks." For the mind of the Saints not only sees, but also hears creation narrating the things concerning the glory of God; for "the heavens (he says) declare the glory of God"; but those who understand nothing more than the visible things, "became futile and worshipped and served the creature rather than the Creator." 2.95 And the Lord alone will be exalted in that day. 2.95 When light has appeared, darkness vanishes; and when health is present, the troubles of disease have ceased; and when truth has been demonstrated, the nature of falsehood is refuted. And when the truly high is made known, how high and lofty it is above every mind, and all true contemplation is grasped, the formerly high and lofty things will seem easily despised. Therefore, to God alone what is truly high and great will be testified by every rational nature, with those hitherto deceived laying aside their false opinions on each matter. 2.96 And they will hide all the man-made things, having brought them into the caves, and into the clefts of the rocks, and into the holes

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μὴ χαμαὶ τὸν νοῦν καταβάλωμεν. Εἰπὼν περὶ τοῦ νοῦ, τοῦ τὰ ὑψηλὰ φρονοῦντος καὶ μὴ τοῖς ταπεινοῖς συναπαγομένου, ἀκολού θως ἐν τῷ αὐτῷ εἴδει τῆς ἐπικρύψεως καὶ περὶ σωμάτων διαλέγεται. Οὐ γὰρ φοβερὰ τοῖς ἀψύχοις πλοίοις ἡ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμέρα, ἀλλὰ τοῖς διὰ τῶν σωμάτων ἐν τῷ ἁλμυρῷ κλύδωνι τοῦ βίου τούτου σαλευομένοις. Ὥσπερ γὰρ τὰ πλοῖα, καταβαρυνόμενα τῷ φόρτῳ, δυσάγωγά ἐστι καὶ εὔ κολα πρὸς ναυάγιον, οὕτω καὶ τὰ σώματα, ὅσα πολλῇ καὶ δαψιλεῖ τῇ τρυφῇ εἰς πολυσαρκίαν καταπεφόρτισται, διὰ φιληδονίαν τῷ βυθῷ τῆς ἀπωλείας ἐπινηχόμενα, πλοῖα θαλάσσης λέγεται. Ἔστι μέντοι καὶ ἐπαινούμενα πλοῖα, τὰ ὑπηρετοῦντα τοῖς καταβαίνουσιν εἰς τὴν θάλασσαν ἐπὶ τῷ ποιῆσαι ἐργασίαν ἐν ὕδασι πολλοῖς, καὶ περὶ ὧν ἐν τῷ ψαλμῷ τῆς δοξολογίας εἴρη ται ὅτι Ἐκεῖ πλοῖα διαπορεύονται. Τὰ γὰρ διαβαίνοντα τὴν θάλασσαν πλοῖα, ἀλλὰ μὴ ἐναπομένοντα αὐτῇ, μηδὲ καταβαπ τιζόμενα τοῖς κύμασιν, ἐπαινεῖται· καὶ οἱ ἐν σαρκὶ δὲ ζῶν τες, καὶ μὴ κατὰ σάρκα στρατευόμενοι, καταπατοῦντες τὸν κλύδωνα τοῦ βίου καὶ ὑψηλότεροι αὐτοῦ ὄντες, ποιοῦσιν ἐργασίαν ἐν ὕδασι πολλοῖς. Ὅσοι συγκαταβαίνουσι τῷ βίῳ ἐπὶ τῷ κερδῆσαί τινας τῶν βεβυθισμένων. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο εἴδοσαν τὰ ἔργα Κυρίου, μισθὸν τῆς ἐργασίας τὴν σύνεσιν τῶν ἔργων Κυρίου καὶ τῶν ἐν τῷ βυθῷ θαυμασίων λαμβάνοντες. Καὶ ἐπὶ πᾶσαν θέαν πλοίων κάλλους. Ἀκουέτωσαν οἱ περὶ τὸν καλλωπισμὸν τοῦ σώματος ἔχοντες, καὶ οἱ περὶ τὴν τούτων θέαν περιέργως ἐσχολακότες. Οὐ γὰρ ἡ τῶν πλοίων θέα βλαβερά, ἀλλ' ἡ πρὸς ἐπιθυμίαν τοῦ σώματος κατανόησις. Ἔσται οὖν ἡ ἡμέρα Κυρίου ἐπὶ πᾶσαν θέαν πλοίων κάλλους, διότι ὁ ἐμβλέψας γυναικὶ πρὸς τὸ ἐπιθυ μῆσαι, ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ αὐτοῦ ἐμοίχευσε· καὶ ἡ καλλωπιζομένη γυνὴ πρὸς τὸ τὰς ἐπιθυμίας ἐφ' ἑαυτὴν τῶν ἀκολάστων κινῆσαι, ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ αὐτῆς ἤδη μεμοίχευται. 2.94 Καὶ ταπεινωθήσεται πᾶς ἄνθρωπος. Ἐκ τούτων ἔδειξεν ὁ λόγος, ὅτι τὰ προάγοντα πάντα ἐν αἰνίγματι καὶ περικεκαλυμμένως περὶ ἀνθρώπων εἴρητο. Μετὰ γὰρ τὸν ὑβριστὴν καὶ ὑπερήφανον καὶ μετὰ τὸν ὑψη λὸν καὶ μετέωρον, μετὰ πᾶσαν κέδρον τοῦ Λιβάνου, μετὰ πᾶν δένδρον βαλάνου Βασὰν, μετὰ πάντα πύργον ὑψηλὸν, μετὰ πᾶν τεῖχος ὑψηλὸν, μετὰ πᾶσαν θέαν πλοίων κάλλους, τότε φησί· Ταπεινωθήσεται πᾶς ἄνθρωπος, τουτέστι πᾶσα ἰδέα τῶν ἐν ἀνθρώποις κακῶν καταπεσεῖται. Εἰσήχθημεν δὲ ὥσπερ εἰς κοινὸν διδασκαλεῖον, τὸν κό σμον τοῦτον, οἱ ἄνθρωποι, καὶ ἐκελεύσθημεν, νοῦν τε λα βόντες καὶ ὀφθαλμοὺς εἰς κατανόησιν ἔχοντες, οἷον ἀπὸ γραμμάτων τινῶν τῶν κατὰ τὴν οἰκονομίαν καὶ διοίκησιν τοῦ παντὸς τὸν Θεὸν ἀναγνῶναι, ἵνα οἱ θέλοντες περὶ τὴν τῆς ἀληθείας ζήτησιν καταγίνεσθαι, ἐξ ὧν εἰλήφασιν ἀφορμῶν, ἱκανῶς παρασκευσάμενοι καὶ τῆς πρόσωπον πρὸς πρόσωπον θέας τῶν καλῶς ζητηθέντων ἀξιωθῶσιν, ἢ παρὰ πολὺ τῆς ἀληθείας παρενεχθέντες, ἐπ' αὐτῆς τῆς ἀληθείας ἐπὶ τῷ ψεύδει καταισχυνθῶσιν· ὅτι, Γνόντες τὸν Θεὸν, οὐχ ὡς Θεὸν ἐδόξασαν, ἢ ηὐχαρίστησαν. Τῶν μὲν γὰρ Ἁγίων ὁ νοῦς οὐχ ὁρᾷ μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀκούει τῆς κτίσεως τὰ περὶ δόξης Θεοῦ διηγουμένης· Οἱ οὐρανοὶ γὰρ (φησὶ) διηγοῦνται δόξαν Θεοῦ· οἱ δὲ τῶν φαινομένων πλέον μηδὲν συνιέντες, Ἐματαιώθησαν καὶ ἐσεβάσθησαν καὶ ἐλάτρευσαν τῇ κτίσει παρὰ τὸν Κτίσαντα. 2.95 Καὶ ὑψωθήσεται Κύριος μόνος ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ἐκείνῃ. 2.95 Φωτὸς ἀναφανέντος, ἀφανίζεται σκότος· καὶ ὑγείας παρού σης, τὰ ὀχληρὰ τῆς νόσου πέπαυται· καὶ ἀληθείας ἀπο δειχθείσης, τοῦ ψεύδους ἡ φύσις ἐλέγχεται. Καὶ τοῦ ἀληθινῶς ὑψηλοῦ γνωρισθέντος, ὅσον ἐστὶν ὑπὲρ πάντα νοῦν ὑψηλὸν καὶ μετέωρον, καὶ πάσης τῆς ἀληθινῆς θεωρίας κατα ληφθείσης, τὰ πρότερον ὑψηλὰ καὶ μετέωρα εὐκαταφρόνητα δόξει. Μόνῳ οὖν Θεῷ τὸ ἀληθινῶς ὑψηλὸν καὶ μέγα παρὰ πάσης λογικῆς φύσεως μαρτυρηθήσεται, τῶν τέως ἠπατη μένων τὰς ἐπὶ τοῖς καθ' ἕκαστον ψευδοδοξίας ἀποθεμένων. 2.96 Καὶ τὰ χειροποίητα πάντα κατακρύψουσιν, εἰσενέγ καντες εἰς τὰ σπήλαια, καὶ εἰς τὰς σχισμὰς τῶν πετρῶν, καὶ εἰς τὰς τρώγλας