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50

he thought it not robbery to be equal with God. This he does here also. For when the examples set before us are great, he is vehement with zeal and with desire. What then does he say, urging us to unity? One body and one Spirit, even as you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism. And what is, One body? The faithful everywhere in the world, both those who are, and who have been, and who will be. Again, also those who were well-pleasing before the coming of Christ, are one body. How? Because they also knew Christ. How is this clear? Abraham our father, he says, rejoiced to see my day, and he saw it, and was glad; and again, If you believed, he says, Moses, you would believe me; for he wrote of me, and so did the prophets. But they would not have written about one of whom they were ignorant of what they were saying; but knowing him, they also worshipped him. So that they too are one body. A body is not separate from a spirit, since it would not then be a body. Thus also it is our custom to speak of things that are united and have much coherence: It is one body. Thus also we take the body in the sense of unity under one head. But if there is one head and one body, the body is composed of honorable and dishonorable members. Yet neither does the greater rise up against the most insignificant, nor is the latter envied by the former. And yet all do not contribute the same function, but according to the principle of necessity. And because all things have come to be of necessity, and for different uses, all are of equal honor. But some are more important, and others less so; for example, the head is more important than the whole body, having all the senses in itself, and the governing principle of the soul; and without a head it is not possible to live; but with feet cut off many have lived for a long time. So that it is not only in position that this is better than those, but also in its very function and its rank. Why do I say this? There are many in the Church, there are those who are raised up on high, like the head, contemplating heavenly things, like the eyes in the head, standing far from the earth, having nothing in common with it; but others hold the rank of feet, treading the earth, yet of healthy feet. For it is not an accusation against feet to tread the earth, but to run to evil; 62.76 For their feet, he says, run to evil. Therefore, he says, let not these think great things against the feet, nor let those envy these; since the proper beauty of each is destroyed, and its complete usefulness is hindered; and reasonably so; for he who plots against his neighbor, has plotted first against himself. So if the feet are unwilling to carry the head somewhere on a necessary errand, they have also harmed themselves through their inactivity and laziness; and if the head is unwilling to take any thought for the feet, it is the first to receive the injury. But those things, for a good reason, do not rise up against one another; for they are so ordered by nature; but how is it possible for a man not to rise up against a man? For neither does any of the angels rise up; since neither do they against the archangels; nor again can the irrational animals think anything greater than me; but where nature is of equal honor and the gift is one, and this one has received nothing more than that one, how can he not rise up? And yet for these reasons you ought not to rise up against your neighbor. For if all things are common, and one has nothing more than another, whence this arrogance? We partake of the same nature, of soul and body alike, we breathe the same air, we use the same foods; whence this insurrection? And yet, the ability through virtue to overcome the bodiless powers is sufficient to lead to arrogance; or rather, this would not be arrogance. For I rightly have a high opinion of myself against the demon, and a very high one. And see how Paul also had a high opinion of himself against the demon. For when the demon was saying great and wonderful things about him, he silenced him, not enduring him even when he was flattering. For when that maidservant who had the spirit of Python said, These men are servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to you the way of salvation, he rebuked him sharply and silenced his shameless tongue. And again elsewhere he writes, saying: God will crush

50

ἁρπαγμὸν ἡγήσατο τὸ εἶναι ἴσα Θεῷ. Τοῦτο καὶ ἐνταῦθα ποιεῖ. Ὅταν γὰρ ᾖ τὰ ὑποδείγματα τὰ προκείμενα μεγάλα, σφοδρός ἐστι ζήλῳ καὶ τῷ πόθῳ. Τί οὖν φησιν, εἰς ἑνότητα προτρέπων ἡμᾶς; Ἓν σῶμα καὶ ἓν πνεῦμα, καθὼς καὶ ἐκλήθητε ἐν μιᾷ ἐλπίδι τῆς κλήσεως ὑμῶν· εἷς Κύριος, μία πίστις, ἓν βάπτισμα. Τί δέ ἐστιν, Ἓν σῶμα; Οἱ πανταχοῦ τῆς οἰκουμένης πιστοὶ καὶ ὄντες καὶ γενόμενοι καὶ ἐσόμενοι. Πάλιν καὶ οἱ πρὸ τῆς τοῦ Χριστοῦ παρουσίας εὐηρεστηκότες, ἓν σῶμά εἰσι. Πῶς; Ὅτι κἀκεῖνοι τὸν Χριστὸν ᾔδεσαν. Πόθεν δῆλον; Ἀβραὰμ ὁ πατὴρ ἡμῶν, φησὶν, ἠγαλλιάσατο, ἵνα ἴδῃ τὴν ἡμέραν τὴν ἐμὴν, καὶ εἶδε, καὶ ἐχάρη· καὶ πάλιν, Εἰ ἐπιστεύσατε, φησὶ, Μωϋσῇ, ἐπιστεύσατε ἂν ἐμοί· περὶ γὰρ ἐμοῦ ἐκεῖνος ἔγραψε, καὶ οἱ προφῆται. Οὐκ ἂν δὲ ἔγραψαν περὶ οὗ ἠγνόουν ἃ ἔλεγον· εἰδότες δὲ αὐτὸν, καὶ προσεκύνουν. Ὥστε κἀκεῖνοι ἓν σῶμα. Οὐ διέστηκε σῶμα πνεύματος, ἐπεὶ οὐκ ἂν εἴη σῶμα. Οὕτω καὶ ἡμῖν ἔθος ἐπὶ τῶν ἡνωμένων καὶ πολλὴν τὴν ἀκολουθίαν ἐχόντων λέγειν· Ἓν σῶμά ἐστιν. Οὕτω καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς ἑνώσεως τὸ σῶμα λαμβάνομεν μιᾷ κεφαλῇ. Εἰ δὲ μία κεφαλὴ καὶ ἓν σῶμα, τὸ σῶμα ἐξ ἐντίμων καὶ ἀτίμων σύγκειται μελῶν. Πλὴν ἀλλ' οὔτε τοῦ φαυλοτάτου τὸ μεῖζον κατεξανίσταται, οὔτε τοῦτο ἐκείνῳ διαφθονεῖται. Καίτοι γε οὐ τὴν αὐτὴν συντέλειαν τὰ πάντα εἰσφέρει, ἀλλὰ κατὰ τὸν τῆς ἀνάγκης λόγον. Καὶ ὅτι πάντα ἀναγκαίως γεγένηται, καὶ εἰς χρείας διαφόρους, πάντα ὁμότιμα. Ἔστι δὲ τὰ μὲν κυριώτατα, τὰ δὲ ἧττον· οἷον, ἡ κεφαλὴ παντὸς τοῦ σώματός ἐστι κυριωτέρα, τάς τε αἰσθήσεις πάσας ἐν ἑαυτῇ ἔχουσα, καὶ τὸ τῆς ψυχῆς ἡγεμονικόν· καὶ κεφαλῆς ἄνευ ζῆσαι οὐκ ἔνι· ποδῶν δὲ ἐκκοπέντων πολλοὶ πολὺν χρόνον ἐβίωσαν. Ὥστε οὐ τῇ θέσει μόνον αὕτη βελτίων ἐκείνων, ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτῇ τῇ ἐνεργείᾳ καὶ τῇ τάξει. Τί δὴ τοῦτο λέγω; Εἰσὶν ἐν τῇ Ἐκκλησίᾳ πολλοὶ, εἰσὶν εἰς ὕψος ἀνωρθωμένοι, καθάπερ ἡ κεφαλὴ, τὰ οὐράνια περισκοποῦντες, καθάπερ οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ οἱ ἐν τῇ κεφαλῇ, πολὺ τῆς γῆς ἀφεστηκότες, οὐδὲν ἔχοντες κοινὸν πρὸς αὐτήν· ἄλλοι δὲ ποδῶν τάξιν ἐπέχουσι, τὴν γῆν πατοῦντες, ποδῶν μέντοι ὑγιεινῶν. Οὐ γὰρ τὸ τὴν 62.76 γῆν πατεῖν ἔγκλημα ποδῶν, ἀλλὰ τὸ εἰς πονηρίαν τρέχειν· Οἱ πόδες γὰρ αὐτῶν, φησὶν, εἰς πονηρίαν τρέχουσι. Μήτε δὴ οὖν οὗτοι, φησὶ, μέγα φρονείτωσαν κατὰ τῶν ποδῶν, μηδὲ ἐκεῖνοι τούτοις βασκαινέτωσαν· ἐπεὶ τὸ οἰκεῖον ἑκάστου κάλλος ἀνῄρηται, καὶ ἡ χρεία ἡ αὐτοτελὴς ἐμπεπόδισται· καὶ εἰκότως· ὁ γὰρ τῷ πλησίον ἐπιβουλεύων, ἑαυτῷ πρῶτον ἐπεβούλευσεν. Ἄν τε οὖν οἱ πόδες μὴ βουληθῶσι κομίσαι που τὴν κεφαλὴν εἰς ἔξοδον ἀναγκαίαν, καὶ ἑαυτοῖς ἐλυμήναντο διὰ τῆς ἀκινησίας καὶ τοῦ ὄκνου· ἄν τε ἡ κεφαλὴ μηδεμίαν βουληθῇ τῶν ποδῶν ποιήσασθαι τὴν πρόνοιαν, αὕτη πρώτη τὴν βλάβην ἐδέξατο. Ἀλλ' ἐκεῖνα μὲν εἰκότως ἀλλήλων οὐ κατεξανίσταται· φυσικῶς γὰρ οὕτω τέτακται· ἄνθρωπον δὲ πῶς δυνατὸν ἀνθρώπου μὴ κατεξαναστῆναι; Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἀγγέλων τις κατεξανίσταται· ἐπειδὴ οὔτε ἐκεῖνοι τῶν ἀρχαγγέλων· οὐδὲ ἐμοῦ πάλιν τὰ ἄλογα μεῖζόν τι φρονῆσαι δύναται· ἔνθα δὲ ὁμότιμος ἡ φύσις καὶ μία ἡ δωρεὰ, καὶ οὐδὲν οὗτος ἐκείνου πλέον ἔσχηκε, πῶς οὐ μὴ κατεξαναστῇ; Καὶ μὴν διὰ ταῦτα κατεξαναστῆναι οὐκ ὀφείλεις κατὰ τοῦ πλησίον. Εἰ γὰρ πάντα κοινὰ, καὶ οὐδὲν ἕτερος ἑτέρου πλέον ἔχει, πόθεν ἡ ἀπόνοια; Φύσεως μετέχομεν τῆς αὐτῆς, ψυχῆς καὶ σώματος ὁμοίως, τὸν αὐτὸν ἀναπνέομεν ἀέρα, ταῖς αὐταῖς κεχρήμεθα τροφαῖς· πόθεν ἡ ἐξανάστασις; Καὶ μὴν τὸ δύνασθαι διὰ τὴν ἀρετὴν τῶν ἀσωμάτων περιγίνεσθαι δυνάμεων ἱκανὸν εἰς ἀλαζονείαν ἀγαγεῖν· μᾶλλον δὲ οὐκ ἂν εἴη τοῦτο ἀλαζονεία. Ἐγὼ γὰρ εἰκότως κατὰ τοῦ δαίμονος μέγα φρονῶ, καὶ σφόδρα μέγα. Καὶ ὅρα καὶ Παῦλος πῶς μέγα ἐφρόνει κατὰ τοῦ δαίμονος. Ὅτε γὰρ μεγάλα περὶ αὐτοῦ ἔλεγε καὶ θαυμαστὰ ὁ δαίμων, ἐπεστόμισεν αὐτὸν, οὐδὲ κολακεύοντος ἀνασχόμενος. Λεγούσης γὰρ ἐκείνης τῆς παιδίσκης τῆς τὸ πνεῦμα τοῦ πύθωνος ἐχούσης, Οὗτοι οἱ ἄνθρωποι δοῦλοι τοῦ Θεοῦ τοῦ ὑψίστου εἰσὶν, οἵτινες καταγγέλλουσιν ὑμῖν ὁδὸν σωτηρίας, ἐπιτιμήσας σφοδρῶς ἐπεστόμισεν αὐτοῦ τὴν ἀναίσχυντον γλῶσσαν. Καὶ πάλιν ἀλλαχοῦ γράφει λέγων· Συντρίψει ὁ Θεὸς τὸν