,

1. The Lord's baptism, he says, is the complete mortification of our will toward the sensible world; but the cup, has become the denial of our very present life for the sake of truth.

2. He says truth is divine knowledge; and virtue, the struggles for its sake of those who desire the same things. Therefore, the one enduring labors of virtue for the sake of knowledge, is not vainglorious, knowing that truth is by nature incomprehensible through labors. For the first is not by nature circumscribed by the second. But the one who pursues knowledge on account of the struggles for it, is altogether vainglorious, as though thinking he has received the crowns before the sweat; not knowing that the labors are for the sake of the crowns, but the crowns are not for the sake of the labors. For by nature every method becomes unpracticed, when that for which it is naturally pursued has been accomplished, or seems to have been accomplished.

LA (31). CONCERNING "IF GOD DOES NOT DWELL IN TEMPLES MADE WITH HANDS". 31. QUESTION 31 If God does not dwell in temples made with hands, how did he dwell in the temple of the

Jews? Response. God, wisely taking care of those under His providence by analogy, previously through

the types, congenially leading toward the truth those administered through the senses, invisibly mingled himself in all the types given to the ancient people, effecting the ascent of those being instructed. Therefore, God dwelt in the temple of the Jews typologically but not truly, circumscribing by such a dwelling in the temple the ineffable counsel of the entire mystagogical instruction of those under (14B_214> providence. For only the pure mind is most suitable as a dwelling place for God; for which He allowed the typical temple to be built, wishing to draw up from matter the mind of the Jews, which had been coarsened much more than the insensible types, through exceedingly gross symbols, so that it might perceive what is unsuitable for the dwelling of God from that which is material and repugnant, and from this, to attain a complete awareness of the things naturally present to it. Not having discerned this, the Jew who knows only how to nourish the arrogance of piety out of pride was rightly deprived of the type and wickedly alienated himself from the truth.

SCHOLION 1. It is not, he says, fitting for a temple to be built to God from the matter of buildings and

a carnal soul. For these are grosser symbols and unsuitable for God; therefore a temple must be built to Him from elements suitable and fitting to His nature.

2. He who practices only the form of knowledge, which is bare reason; and he who practices the image of virtue, which is, the pursuit of bare character, is a Jew, he says, he too being puffed up by types of the truth.

LB (32). CONCERNING "IF PERHAPS THEY MIGHT GROPE FOR AND FIND GOD". 32. QUESTION 32 What is "if perhaps they might grope for and find God"? How does one find by groping

God? Response. He who views all the apparent corporeal worship of the law not according to sense perception

sees, but with approaches according to the mind having examined each (14B_216> of the visible symbols, being taught the hidden, God-perfecting reason in each, finds God in the reason, groping well through the power of the mind as in the refuse of the matter of the legal ordinances, if somewhere he might find the one hidden in the flesh of the law.

1. Τό τοῦ Κυρίου βάπτισμα, φησίν, ἐστίν ἡ παντελής πρός τόν αἰσθητόν κόσμον τῆς ἡμῶν προαιρέσεως νέκρωσις· τό δέ ποτήριον, καί αὐτῆς ἡμῶν τῆς παρούσης ζωῆς ὑπέρ ἀληθείας καθέστηκεν ἄρνησις.

2. Ἀλήθειαν μέν εἶναι λέγει τήν θείαν γνῶσιν· ἀρετήν δέ, τούς ὑπέρ αὐτῆς τῶν αὐτῶν ἐφιεμένων ἀγῶνας. Ὁ τοίνυν γνώσεως ἕνεκεν ἀρετῆς ὑπομένων πόνους, οὐ κενοδοξεῖ, γινώσκων ἀπερίληπτον εἶναι φύσει τοῖς πόνοις τήν ἀλήθειαν. Τοῖς δευτέροις γάρ οὐ περιγράφεται φύσει τό πρῶτον. Ὁ δέ τήν γνῶσιν διά τούς ὑπέρ αὐτῆς ἀγῶνας ἐπιτηδεύων, πάντως κενόδοξος, ὡς εἰληφέναι δοκῶν τούς στεφάνους πρό τῶν ἱδρώτων· οὐκ εἰδώς, ὅτι διά τούς στεφάνους οἱ πόνοι, ἀλλ᾿ οὐ διά τούς πόνους οἱ στέφανοι. Φύσει γάρ ἀμελέτητος πᾶσα καθέστηκε μέθοδος, τοῦ δι᾿ ὅ πέφυκεν ἐπιτηδεύεσθαι ἐξανυσθέντος, ἤ ἐξανυσθῆναι δόξαντος.

ΛΑ (31). ΠΕΡΙ ΤΟΥ "ΕΙ ΟΥΚ ΕΝ ΧΕΙΡΟΠΟΙΗΤΟΙΣ ΝΑΟΙΣ Ο ΘΕΟΣ ΚΑΤΟΙΚΕΙ". 31. ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ ΛΑ' Εἰ οὐκ ἐν χειροποιήτοις ναοῖς ὁ Θεὸς κατοικεῖ, πῶς κατῴκει ἐν τῷ ναῷ τῶν

Ἰουδαίων; Ἀπόκρισις. Ὁ τῆς ἀναλογίας σοφῶς τῶν προνοουμένων φροντίζων Θεός, πρότερον διὰ

τῶν τύπων συμφυῶς τοῖς δι᾽ αἰσθήσεως οἰκονομουμένοις πρὸς τὴν ἀλήθειαν ποδηγῶν, πᾶσιν ἑαυτὸν τοῖς δοθεῖσι τῷ παλαιῷ λαῷ τύποις ἀφανῶς ἐγκατέμιξεν, ἐνεργῶν τὴν τῶν παιδαγωγουμένων ἀνάβασιν. Ὤικει τοίνυν ἐν τῷ ναῷ τῶν Ἰουδαίων ὁ Θεὸς τυπικῶς ἀλλ᾽ οὐκ ἀληθῶς, περιγράφων τῇ τοιᾷδε κατὰ τὸν ναὸν οἰκήσει πάσης τῆς μυσταγωγουμένης τῶν (14Β_214> προνοουμένων παιδαγωγίας τὴν ἄρρητον βουλήν. Ἐπιτηδειότατος γὰρ πρὸς κατοικητήριον Θεοῦ μόνος ὁ καθαρὸς ὑπάρχει νοῦς· δι᾽ ὃν τὸν τυπικὸν οἰκοδομηθῆναι ναὸν συνεχώρησε, διὰ τῶν ἄγαν παχυτέρων συμβόλων τὸν πολὺ πλέον τῶν ἀναισθήτων τύπων παχυνθέντα νοῦν τῶν Ἰουδαίων ἀνασπάσαι τῆς ὕλης βουλόμενος, συνιδόντα τὸ πρὸς κατοίκησιν Θεοῦ ἀνεπιτήδειον ἐκ τοῦ προσύλου καὶ ἀπεμφαίνοντος, κἀκ τούτου τῆς τῶν προσόντων αὐτῷ φυσικῶς γενέσθαι διόλου συναισθήσεως. Ὅπερ μὴ διαγνοὺς ὁ μόνον τὸν κατ᾽ εὐσέβειαν τῦφον ἐξ ὑπερηφανίας διατρέφειν εἰδὼς Ἰουδαῖος καὶ τοῦ τύπου καλῶς ἐστερήθη καὶ τῆς ἀληθείας ἑαυτὸν κακῶς ἀπεξένωσεν.

ΣΧΟΛΙΟΝ 1. Οὐκ ἔστι, φησί, πρέπον οἰκοδομεῖσθαι ναὸν τῷ Θεῷ ἐκ δωματικῆς ὕλης καὶ

ψυχῆς σαρκικῆς. Ταῦτα γὰρ σύμβολα παχύτερά εἰσι καὶ ἀνεπιτήδεια τῷ Θεῷ· διὸ δεῖ οἰκοδομεῖσθαι Αὐτῷ ναὸν ἐξ ἐπιτηδείων καὶ πρεπόντων τῇ φύσει Αὐτοῦ στοιχείων.

2. Ὁ μόνην τῆς γνώσεως τήν μορφήν, ὅπερ ἐστίν ὁ ψιλός λόγος· καί ὁ τήν εἰκόνα τῆς ἀρετῆς, ὅπερ ἐστί, τό ψιλόν ἦθος ἐπιτηδεύων, Ἰουδαῖός ἐστι, φησί, καί αὐτός ἀληθείας τύποις φυσιούμενος.

ΛΒ (32). ΠΕΡΙ ΤΟΥ "ΕΙ ΑΡΑ ΨΗΛΑΦΗΣΑΙΕΝ ΚΑΙ ΕΥΡΟΙΕΝ ΘΕΟΝ". 32. ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ ΛΒ' Τί ἐστιν εἰ ἄρα ψηλαφήσαιεν καὶ εὕροιεν Θεόν; Πῶς τις ψηλαφῶν εὑρίσκει

Θεόν; Ἀπόκρισις. Ὁ πᾶσαν τὴν φαινομένην τοῦ νόμου σωματικὴν λατρείαν μὴ κατ᾽ αἴσθησιν

ὁρῶν, ἀλλὰ ταῖς κατὰ νοῦν ἐφόδοις ἕκαστον (14Β_216> τῶν ὁρωμένων συμβόλων διασκοπήσας, τὸν ἐν ἑκάστῳ κεκρυμμένον θεοτελῆ λόγον ἐκδιδασκόμενος, ἐν τῷ λόγῳ τὸν Θεὸν εὑρίσκει, καλῶς ψηλαφῶν διὰ τῆς νοερᾶς δυνάμεως ὡς ἐν φορυτῷ τῇ ὕλῃ τῶν νομικῶν διατάξεων εἴ που κεκρυμμένον εὕροι τῇ σαρκὶ τοῦ νόμου τὸν