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has the disease of pleasure, so that as much as possible one should settle one's life far from such a neighborhood, so that the disease might not find any passage against us, like a fire producing its evil flame through proximity. For Solomon teaches this in his Wisdom, saying not to touch a coal with a bare foot nor to place fire in one's bosom, as it is up to us to remain in a state of passionlessness as long as we are far from what kindles it. But if we should come to the point of touching this burning heat, the fire of desire will be in our bosom and thus will follow both the burning to the foot and the destruction to the bosom. 2.304 And in the Gospel the Lord with his own voice, so that we might be guarded from afar from such an evil, cut out, as if it were a root of passion, the desire that arises through seeing, teaching that he who has received the passion through sight gives a way for the disease against himself. For the evil passions, like a plague, once they have taken hold of the vital parts, are stopped only by death. 2.305 But, I think, there is no need to prolong the discourse, setting forth the whole life of Moses as a model of virtue for the readers. For to the one who stretches himself toward the higher life, what has been said would be no small provisions for true philosophy. But for the one who grows soft toward the struggles for virtue, even if many times more than what has been said were written, there would be no profit from the abundance. 2.306 However, lest the definition according to the preface be forgotten, in which our discourse insisted that the perfect life is of such a kind, of which no definition of perfection hinders progress, but the ever-increasing augmentation of life toward the better is the way for the soul to perfection, it would be well, having brought the discourse to the end of Moses' life, to show the definition of perfection that has been given to us to be sound. 2.307 For he who was being exalted through so many ascents throughout his whole life did not find it impossible to become again higher than himself, so that, I think, through it all his life might be seen above the clouds and aloft like an eagle, circling about the ether of the intelligible ascent. 2.308 He was born, when for a Hebrew to be born was considered a crime among the Egyptians. When the tyrant at that time was punishing the newborn by law, he becomes superior to the destructive law, being saved first by his parents, and after this by the very ones who had made the law. And those by whom his death had been eagerly sought by law, these provided every care not only for his life, but also for his reputable upbringing, leading the youth through all wisdom. 2.309 After this he becomes superior to human honor and higher than royal dignity, judging it to be stronger and more kingly to have the guard of virtue instead of bodyguards and royal adornment, and to be beautified by its adornment.

2.310 After this he saves his kinsman and strikes down the Egyptian with a blow, as we understand through investigative contemplation both the enemy of the soul and the friend. Then he makes stillness the teacher of the sublime lessons and thus is enlightened in his mind by the light that shone from the bush. And then he makes haste to share with his kinsmen the good things that had come to him from God. 2.311 In these things he made a twofold demonstration of his power, showing the defensive one against his adversaries in both various and successive plagues, and the beneficent one upon his kinsmen. He leads so great a people through the sea on foot, not having prepared for himself a fleet of ships, but having constructed faith for them for the passage, he makes the deep dry land for the Hebrews, and the dry land a sea for the Egyptians. 2.312 He sang the victory songs. He was led by the pillar. He was enlightened by the heavenly fire. He set for himself a table from the food from above. He was filled from the rock. He stretched out his hands for the destruction of the Amalekites. He ascends the mountain. He enters the darkness. He heard a trumpet. to the divine nature

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ἡδονῆς ἔχει νόσος, ὡς ὅτι μάλιστα πόρρω τοῦ τοιούτου γειτονήματος τὸν ἑαυτῶν ἀποικίζειν βίον, ὡς ἂν μή τινα πάροδον καθ' ἡμῶν λάβοι ἡ νόσος, οἷόν τι πῦρ διὰ τοῦ προσεγγισμοῦ τὴν πονηρὰν φλόγα κατεργαζόμενον. Τοῦτο γὰρ διδάσκει λέγων ἐν τῇ Σοφίᾳ Σολομὼν μὴ ἐπιψαύειν τοῦ ἄνθρακος γυμνῷ τῷ ποδὶ μηδὲ πῦρ τῷ κόλπῳ ἐναποτίθεσθαι, ὡς ἐφ' ἡμῖν ὂν ἐν ἀπαθείᾳ μένειν ἕως ἂν πόρρωθεν ὦμεν τοῦ ὑπεκκαίοντος. Εἰ δὲ κατὰ τοῦτο γενοίμεθα ὡς ἐπιψαῦσαι τῆς διακαοῦς ταύτης θερμότητος, ἐγκόλπιον τὸ πῦρ τῆς ἐπιθυμίας γενήσεται καὶ οὕτως ἐπακολουθήσει καὶ τῷ ποδὶ ἡ καῦσις καὶ ἡ διαφ θορὰ τῷ κόλπῳ. 2.304 Ἐν δὲ τῷ Εὐαγγελίῳ ὁ Κύριος τῇ ἰδίᾳ φωνῇ, ὡς ἂν πόρρωθεν φυλαχθείημεν τοῦ τοιούτου κακοῦ, καθάπερ τινὰ ῥίζαν τοῦ πάθους τὴν διὰ τοῦ ἰδεῖν ἐγγινομένην ἐπιθυμίαν ἐξέτεμε, διδάσκων ὅτι ὁ τῇ ὄψει τὸ πάθος παρα δεξάμενος ὁδὸν δίδωσι καθ' ἑαυτοῦ τῇ νόσῳ. Τὰ γὰρ πονηρὰ τῶν παθημάτων λοιμοῦ δίκην ἐπειδὰν ἅπαξ τῶν καιρίων κατακρατήσῃ, τῷ θανάτῳ παύεται μόνῳ. 2.305 Ἀλλ' οὐδέν, οἶμαι, χρὴ μηκύνειν τὸν λόγον, πάντα τοῦ Μωϋσέως τὸν βίον εἰς ἀρετῆς ὑπόδειγμα προτιθέντα τοῖς ἐντυγχάνουσι. Τῷ γὰρ πρὸς τὴν ὑψηλοτέραν ζωὴν ἑαυτὸν ἀνατείναντι, οὐ μικρὰ γένοιτ' ἂν πρὸς τὴν ἀληθῆ φιλοσοφίαν ἐφόδια τὰ εἰρημένα. Τῷ δὲ μαλακιζομένῳ πρὸς τοὺς ὑπὲρ τῆς ἀρετῆς ἱδρῶτας, κἂν πολλαπλάσια γραφῇ τῶν εἰρημένων, οὐδὲν ἂν ἐκ τοῦ πλήθους γένοιτο κέρδος. 2.306 Πλήν, ὡς ἂν μὴ τοῦ κατὰ τὸ προοίμιον διορισμοῦ λήθη γένοιτο, ἐν οἷς ἡμῖν ὁ λόγος διϊσχυρίζετο τοιοῦτον εἶναι τὸν τέλειον βίον, οὗ μηδεμία περιγραφὴ τελειότητος κωλύει τὴν πρόοδον, ἀλλ' ἡ πρὸς τὸ κρεῖττον ἀεὶ γινομένη τοῦ βίου ἐπαύξησις ὁδός ἐστι τῇ ψυχῇ πρὸς τελείωσιν, καλῶς ἂν ἔχοι, πρὸς τὸ πέρας τοῦ βίου Μωϋσέως ἀγαγόντας τὸν λόγον, ἀσφαλῆ δεῖξαι τὸν ἀποδοθέντα ἡμῖν ὅρον τῆς τελειότητος. 2.307 Ὁ γὰρ διὰ τοσούτων ἀναβάσεων παρὰ πάντα τὸν βίον ὑψούμενος οὐκ ἠπόρησε γενέσθαι πάλιν ἑαυτοῦ ὑψηλότερος, ὡς ἄν, οἶμαι, διὰ πάντων ἀετοῦ δίκην ὑπερνεφὴς αὐτοῦ θεωροῖτο ἡ ζωὴ καὶ μετέωρος, περὶ τὸν αἰθέρα τῆς νοητῆς ἀναβάσεως ἑλισσομένη. 2.308 Ἐτέχθη, ὅτε τὸ τεχθῆναι τὸν Ἑβραῖον παρὰ τοῖς Αἰγυπτίοις ἀδίκημα ἔδοξε. Τοῦ τυράννου τότε νόμῳ τὸν τεχθέντα κολάζοντος κρείττων γίνεται τοῦ φθοροποιοῦ νόμου, περισωθεὶς τὰ μὲν πρῶτα παρὰ τῶν γεννησαμένων, μετὰ ταῦτα δὲ παρ' αὐτῶν τῶν τεθεικότων τὸν νόμον. Καὶ οἷς ὁ θάνατος αὐτοῦ νόμῳ κατεσπουδάσθη, οὗτοι οὐ τῆς ζωῆς μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῆς εὐδοκίμου τροφῆς πᾶσαν εἰσηνέγκαντο πρόνοιαν, διὰ πάσης σοφίας ἀγαγόντες τὸν νέον. 2.309 Κρείττων μετὰ ταῦτα γίνεται τῆς ἀνθρωπίνης τιμῆς καὶ τῆς βασιλικῆς ἀξίας ὑπέρτερος, ἰσχυρότερον εἶναι καὶ βασιλικώ τερον κρίνας ἀντὶ τῶν δορυφόρων καὶ τοῦ βασιλικοῦ κόσμου τὴν τῆς ἀρετῆς φρουρὰν ἔχειν καὶ τῷ ταυτῆς κόσμῳ ἐγκαλλωπίζεσθαι.

2.310 Μετὰ τοῦτο περισῴζεται τὸν ὁμόφυλον καὶ καταβάλλει τῇ πληγῇ τὸν Αἰγύπτιον, νοούντων ἡμῶν διὰ τῆς ἐξεταστικῆς θεωρίας τόν τε ἐχθρὸν τῆς ψυχῆς καὶ τὸν φίλον. Εἶτα διδάσκαλον τῶν ὑψηλῶν μαθημάτων ποιεῖται τὴν ἡσυχίαν καὶ οὕτω φωτίζεται τὴν διάνοιαν τῷ φωτὶ τῷ ἐκ τῆς βάτου ἐκλάμψαντι. Καὶ τότε σπουδὴν ποιεῖται κοινωνῆσαι τοῖς ὁμοφύλοις τῶν θεόθεν αὐτῷ γεγενημένων καλῶν. 2.311 Ἐν τούτοις διπλῆν ἐποιήσατο τῆς δυνάμεως τὴν ἐπίδειξιν, τὴν μὲν ἀμυντικὴν κατὰ τῶν ἐναντίων ἐν πολυτρό ποις τε δείξας καὶ ἐπαλλήλοις ταῖς πληγαῖς, τὴν δὲ εὐεργε τικὴν ἐπὶ τῶν ὁμοφύλων. ∆ιάγει διὰ τοῦ πελάγους τὸν τοσοῦτον λαὸν ποδί, οὐ στόλον ἑαυτῷ νηῶν παρασκευάσας, ἀλλὰ τὴν πίστιν αὐτοῖς πρὸς τὸν διέκπλουν ναυπηγησάμενος, χέρσον ποιεῖ τοῖς Ἑβραίοις τὸν βυθόν, θάλασσαν δὲ τοῖς Αἰγυπτίοις τὴν χέρσον. 2.312 Ἦισε τὰ ἐπινίκια. Ὡδηγήθη τῷ στύλῳ. Ἐφωτίσθη τῷ οὐρανίῳ πυρί. Τράπεζαν ἐκ τῆς ἄνωθεν τροφῆς ἑαυτῷ παρεστήσατο. Τῆς πέτρας ἐνεφορήθη. Τὰς χεῖρας ἀνέτεινεν ἐπὶ τῇ τῶν Ἀμαληκιτῶν ἀπωλείᾳ. Προσβαίνει τῷ ὄρει. Ἐν γνόφῳ γίνεται. Σάλπιγγος ἤκουσε. Τῇ θείᾳ φύσει