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brought deadly venom to those scratched by the bite, but the great lawgiver, by the form of a serpent, rendered useless the power of the truly wild beasts. 2.273 But it would be time to uncover the riddle more clearly. One remedy for these evil passions is the purification of our souls that comes through the mystery of piety. The chief point of what is believed in the mystery is the contemplation of the Passion of the one who undertook the passion for our sake. The passion is the Cross, so that the one looking to it, as the word teaches, might not be harmed by the venom of desire. 2.274 But to look to the cross is this: to make one's whole life as dead and crucified to the world, immovable toward all sin, truly, as the prophet says, nailing one's own flesh with the fear of God. And the nail that holds the flesh would be self-control. 2.275 Since, therefore, the desire for improper things draws the deadly serpents from the earth (for every offspring of evil desire is a serpent), for this reason the law shows us beforehand that which appears on the wood. This is a likeness of a serpent and not a serpent, just as the great Paul says: in the likeness of sinful flesh. But the true serpent is sin, and the one who has deserted to sin assumes the nature of the serpent. 2.276 Therefore man is freed from sin through the one who took on the form of sin and became like us who were turned to the form of the serpent, through whom the death from the bites is prevented, but the beasts themselves are not destroyed. By beasts I mean desires. For among those who look to the cross, the evil death of sins is not effected, but the desire inherent in the flesh against the spirit has not utterly perished. 2.277 For indeed, even among the faithful, the bites of desire are often active. But the one who looks to him who was lifted up on the wood repels the passion, dispersing the venom with the fear of the commandment as with some medicine. That the serpent lifted up in the wilderness is a symbol of the mystery of the cross, the voice of the Lord clearly teaches in what he says: as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up. 2.278 Again sin proceeds on its own path according to a certain evil sequence, advancing in order as if by some evil chain. And the lawgiver, like a physician, extends the therapy along with the course of the evil. For since the bite of the serpents became ineffective for those looking to the likeness of the serpent (and you surely understand the riddle through what has been said), another method of sin is devised by the one who variously contrives such things against us, 2.279 which can be seen happening even now among many. For when some, through a more temperate life, have chastened the passion of desire, they push themselves into the priesthood with human efforts and self-appointed impulses, acting insolently toward the economy of God. To this evil sequence of sin he leads, who is accused of working evils upon men through the history.

2.280 For since the earth ceased travailing with serpents against those who desire, through faith in him who was lifted up on the wood, and they were persuaded to be stronger than the venomous bites, then, when the passion of desire had withdrawn, the disease of pride enters in its place. And judging it a lowly thing to keep for themselves the rank to which they were assigned, they push themselves into the dignity of the priesthood, having contentiously thrust aside those who had received this ministry from God, who, being swallowed by a chasm, disappeared, and as much of such a company as was above ground was consumed by lightning, the word teaching, I think, through the history, that the end of elevation through pride is the descent into what is under the ground. And perhaps someone, starting from these things, might not inappropriately define pride as an ascent downwards. 2.281 But if contrary to the opinion of the many

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θανατηφόρον ἐπῆγε τὸν ἰὸν τοῖς ἀμυχθεῖσι τῷ δήγματι, ὁ δὲ μέγας νομοθέτης ὄφεως εἴδει τὴν δύναμιν τῶν κατὰ ἀλήθειαν θηρίων ἠχρείωσε. 2.273 Καιρὸς δ' ἂν εἴη σαφέστερον ἐκκαλύψαι τὸ αἴνιγμα. Ἕν τι τῶν πονηρῶν τούτων παθημάτων ἐστὶν ἀλεξητήριον ἡ διὰ τοῦ μυστηρίου τῆς εὐσεβείας γινομένη τῶν ψυχῶν ἡμῶν κάθαρσις. Κεφάλαιον δὲ τῶν ἐν τῷ μυστηρίῳ πεπισ τευμένων ἡ εἰς τὸ Πάθος ἐστὶν ἐπίβλεψις τοῦ ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν ἀναδεξαμένου τὸ πάθος. Σταυρὸς δὲ τὸ πάθος ἐστίν, ὥστε τὸν πρὸς αὐτὸν βλέποντα, καθὼς ὑφηγεῖται ὁ λόγος, ὑπὸ τοῦ ἰοῦ τῆς ἐπιθυμίας μὴ βλάπτεσθαι. 2.274 Τὸ δὲ πρὸς τὸν σταυρὸν βλέπειν, τοῦτό ἐστι τὸ πάντα τὸν ἑαυτοῦ βίον ὡς νέκρον τῷ κόσμῳ καὶ ἐσταυρωμένον ποιῆσαι, πρὸς πᾶσαν ἁμαρτίαν ἀκίνητον, ὄντως, καθώς φησιν ὁ προφήτης, καθηλοῦντα τῷ θείῳ φόβῳ τὰς ἰδίας σάρκας. Ἧλος δ' ἂν εἴη σαρκῶν καθεκτικὸς ἡ ἐγκράτεια. 2.275 Ἐπεὶ οὖν ἡ τῶν ἀτόπων ἐπιθυμία τοὺς θανατηφόρους ὄφεις ἐκ τῆς γῆς ἐπισπᾶται (πᾶν γὰρ τῆς πονηρᾶς ἐπιθυμίας ἔγγονον ὄφις ἐστί), τούτου χάριν προδείκνυσιν ὁ νόμος ἡμῖν τὸ ἐπὶ τοῦ ξύλου φαινόμενον. Τοῦτο δέ ἐστιν ὁμοίωμα ὄφεως καὶ οὐχὶ ὄφις, καθὼς καὶ ὁ μέγας Παῦλός φησιν· ἐν ὁμοιώματι σαρκὸς ἁμαρτίας. Ὁ δὲ ἀληθὴς ὄφις ἡ ἁμαρτία ἐστὶ καὶ ὁ πρὸς τὴν ἁμαρτίαν αὐτομολήσας τὴν τοῦ ὄφεως ὑποδύεται φύσιν. 2.276 Ἐλευθεροῦται οὖν τῆς ἁμαρτίας ὁ ἄνθρωπος διὰ τοῦ ὑπελθόντος τὸ τῆς ἁμαρτίας εἶδος καὶ γενομένου καθ' ἡμᾶς τοὺς πρὸς τὸ εἶδος μεταστραφέντας τοῦ ὄφεως, δι' οὗ ὁ μὲν θάνατος ὁ ἐκ τῶν δηγμάτων κωλύεται, αὐτὰ δὲ τὰ θηρία οὐκ ἀφανίζεται. Θηρία δὲ λέγω τὰς ἐπιθυμίας. Τῶν γὰρ εἰς τὸν σταυρὸν βλεπόντων ὁ μὲν πονηρὸς τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν θάνατος οὐκ ἐνεργεῖται, ἡ δὲ ἐγκειμένη τῇ σαρκὶ κατὰ τοῦ πνεύματος ἐπιθυμία εἰς τὸ παντελὲς οὐκ ἀπόλωλε. 2.277 Καὶ γὰρ καὶ ἐν τοῖς πιστοῖς ἐνεργεῖται πολλάκις τῆς ἐπιθυμίας τὰ δήγματα. Ἀλλ' ὁ πρὸς τὸν ἐπὶ τοῦ ξύλου ὑψωθέντα βλέπων ἀπωθεῖται τὸ πάθος, οἷόν τινι φαρμάκῳ τῷ τῆς ἐντολῆς φόβῳ τὸν ἰὸν διαχέας. Τὸ δὲ σύμβολον εἶναι τοῦ κατὰ τὸν σταυρὸν μυστη ρίου τὸν ὑψωθέντα ὄφιν ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ φανερῶς διδάσκει ἡ τοῦ Κυρίου φωνὴ ἐν οἷς φησιν ὅτι· καθὼς Μωϋσῆς ὕψωσε τὴν ὄφιν ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ, οὕτως ὑψωθῆναι δεῖ τὸν Υἱὸν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου. 2.278 Πάλιν τῇ οἰκείᾳ ὁδῷ κατά τινα κακὴν ἀκολουθίαν ἡ ἁμαρτία προέρχεται, οἷον εἱρμῷ τινι πονηρῷ κατὰ τὸ ἀκόλου θον προϊοῦσα. Καὶ ὁ νομοθέτης καθάπερ τις ἰατρὸς τῇ τοῦ κακοῦ φορᾷ συμπαρατείνει τὴν θεραπείαν. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἄπρακτον ἐγένετο τὸ δῆγμα τῶν ὄφεων τοῖς εἰς τὸ ὁμοίωμα τοῦ ὄφεως βλέπουσι (νοεῖς δὲ πάντως διὰ τῶν εἰρημένων τὸ αἴνιγμα), ἄλλη μέθοδος ἁμαρτίας ἐπινοεῖται τῷ ποικίλως τὰ τοιαῦτα καθ' ἡμῶν σοφιστεύοντι, 2.279 ὃ δὴ καὶ νῦν ἐν πολλοῖς ἰδεῖν ἔστι γινόμενον. Ἐπειδὰν γάρ τινες διὰ σωφρο νεστέρου βίου τὸ τῆς ἐπιθυμίας πάθος κολάσωσιν, ἐπὶ τὴν ἱερωσύνην ἑαυτοὺς εἰσωθοῦσιν ἀνθρωπίναις σπούδαις καὶ αὐτοχειροτονήτοις ὁρμαῖς εἰς τὴν οἰκονομίαν τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐξυβρί ζοντες. Πρὸς ταύτην ἄγει τὴν κακὴν τῆς ἁμαρτίας ἀκολουθίαν ὁ διὰ τῆς ἱστορίας ἐνεργεῖν τὰ κακὰ τοῖς ἀνθρώποις κατηγο ρούμενος.

2.280 Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἐπαύσατο ἡ γῆ τοὺς ὄφεις κατὰ τῶν ἐπιθυμούντων ὠδίνουσα διὰ τῆς εἰς τὸν ὑψωθέντα ἐπὶ τοῦ ξύλου πίστεως καὶ κρείττους ἐπείσθησαν εἶναι τῶν ἰοβόλων δηγμάτων, τότε τοῦ κατ' ἐπιθυμίαν πάθους ὑπεξελ θόντος ἡ τῆς ὑπερηφανίας ἀντεισέρχεται νόσος. Καὶ ταπεινὸν εἶναι κρίνοντες τὸ φυλάσσειν ἐφ' ἑαυτῶν τὴν τάξιν ἐφ' ἧς ἐτάχθησαν, εἰσωθοῦσιν ἑαυτοὺς εἰς τὸ τῆς ἱερωσύνης ἀξίωμα, παρώσασθαι τοὺς παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ τὴν λειτουργίαν ταύτην λαχόντας φιλονεικήσαντες, οἳ χάσματι ὑποληφθέντες ἐξηφα νίσθησαν, τὸ δὲ ὅσον ὑπὲρ γῆς ἦν τοῦ τοιούτου συντάγματος κεραυνοῖς κατεπρήσθη, διδάσκοντος, οἶμαι, τοῦ λόγου διὰ τῆς ἱστορίας, ὅτι πέρας ἐστὶ τῆς καθ' ὑπερηφανίαν ἐπάρσεως ἡ εἰς τὸ ὑπόγειον κάθοδος. Καὶ τάχα τις διὰ τούτων ὁρμώμενος οὐκ ἀπεικότως ἄνοδον ἐπὶ τὸ κάτω τὴν ὑπερηφανίαν ὁρίσαιτο. 2.281 Εἰ δὲ πρὸς τὸ ἐναντίον τῇ τῶν πολλῶν ὑπολήψει