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he shows, saying that the clothes worn at home are transparent due to their extreme fineness. For what is costly for display has as its purpose pleasing men; but to wear transparent things at home by oneself, even when no one is watching, shows every excess of misuse of the things permitted for our use, so as to imitate the garments of the Laconian women, who, during their dancing, declining to be openly naked as indecent, put on linen garments of excessive fineness, through which they show what they ought to hide from the eyes of men. And fine linen and hyacinthine cloths, and fine linen woven together with gold and hyacinth. And now even imitations of the priestly vestments, in their indecent life, through an excess of luxury, mocking the holy things, the daughters of Sion wear fine linen and hyacinthine cloths, such as they, wearing as symbols of the elements from which all things are composed, entered into the holy places by themselves, propitiating God on behalf of the world. For fine linen is for the earth, and hyacinth for the air, and purple for the water, and scarlet for the fire. But they, not content with the adornment from these, also wove gold with them, for greater variety and costliness. And reclining summer-wraps. The *theristron* seems to be a summer garment, so as to seem to cover but not to be heavy in the heat; just as we have learned in Genesis that Rebekah, when meeting Isaac, put on the *theristron*. But what the Word now denounces are called *theristra*, things cast upon couches when reclining, through an excess of luxury. And yet the others have not even published "Katákklita" (reclining); for this reason it has also been obelized, as signifying no meaning. 3.130 And instead of a sweet smell, there will be dust; and instead of a girdle, you shall gird yourself with a rope; and instead of the golden ornament of the head, you will have baldness for your works. Part of luxury is also sweetness in smells, when they medicate the air with certain fumigated drugs and contrive a sweet breath for themselves. Therefore, to those who are dissolute in pleasure and contrive a sweet smell for their sense of smell, dust will be given in return by the one who threatens. For dust is fine earth, mixed with the air, causing a certain difficulty in breathing and much unpleasantness through obstruction. For the soul delights in ointments and incenses, but in spiritual ointments, such as he who said: We are the sweet fragrance of Christ; and Thanks be to God, who manifests the fragrance of His knowledge in every place. Such a smell his father Isaac perceived coming from Jacob: Behold, the smell of my son is as the smell of a full field, which the Lord has blessed. And the maidens in the Song, perceiving the heavenly fragrance of the Word, said: We will run after the smell of your ointments. And the high-priestly anointing was a fine and pleasant ointment, worthy to be compared to the fellowship of brethren. Such ointment needs a craftsman, who has received the art of ointment-making from God, to make a holy anointing oil, which shall not be poured on human flesh. However, when the sweetness of smell is practiced for licentiousness, the passage of sensation is obstructed by dust, by the Lord who provides these things for them as a benefit. And perhaps because in the temple were the sweetenings of the smell, both the ointment of anointing and the incense of composition (but the temple was cast down and is now in dust, overthrown and lying low), instead of the former sweet smell (according to the legal worship) there is now dust, because of the souls that walked with a high and unsubmissive neck, to whom it was also said: Behold, your house is left to you desolate. Yet it is possible for them (if they are willing to shake off the dust) to be filled with the fragrance of Christ according to the exhortation of him who says: Shake off your dust and arise, O Jerusalem, and put on the glory of your arm. 3.131 And instead of a girdle, you shall gird yourself with a rope. One girds the loins in

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φαίνει, τὰ ἐπιβλήματα τὰ κατ' οἶκον διαφανῆ λέγων εἶναι τῇ ὑπερβολῇ τῆς λεπτότητος. Τὸ γὰρ πρὸς ἐπίδειξιν δαπα νηρὸν, ἔχει σκοπὸν τὴν ἀνθρωπαρεσκείαν· τὸ δὲ καὶ μη δενὸς ὁρῶντος ἐφ' ἑαυτοῦ διάγοντα κατὰ τὴν οἰκίαν δια φανῆ περιβάλλεσθαι, πᾶσαν ὑπερβολὴν παραχρήσεως τῶν πρὸς χρῆσιν συγκεχωρημένων ἡμῖν ἐπιδείκνυται, ὥστε μι μεῖσθαι τὰ τῶν Λακαινῶν ἐπιβλήματα, αἳ κατὰ τὴν ὄρ χησιν τὸ φανερῶς γυμνοῦσθαι ὡς ἄσεμνον παραιτούμεναι, ὑπερβάλλουσαν λεπτότητι λινῆν ἐσθῆτα περιβαλλόμεναι, δι' αὐτῆς φαίνουσιν ἃ κρύπτειν ἔδει τὰς τῶν ἀῤῥένων ὄψεις. Καὶ τὰ βύσσινα καὶ τὰ ὑακίνθινα καὶ τὴν βύσσον σὺν χρυσῷ καὶ ὑακίνθῳ συγκαθυφασμένα. Ἤδη δὲ καὶ τῆς ἱερα τικῆς ἐσθῆτος μιμήματα, ἐν τῇ ἀσέμνῳ αὐτῶν ζωῇ δι' ὑπερ βολὴν τρυφῆς ἐμπαροινοῦσαι τοῖς ἁγίοις, αἱ θυγατέρες τῆς Σιὼν περιφέρουσι βύσσινα καὶ ὑακίνθινα, ὁποῖα ἐκεῖνοι σύμ βολα τῶν στοιχείων περιβαλλόμενοι, ἐξ ὧν τὰ πάντα συνέ στηκεν, εἰσῄεσαν εἰς τὰ ἅγια δι' ἑαυτῶν, ὑπὲρ τοῦ κόσμου τὸν Θεὸν ἱλεούμενοι. Βύσσος μὲν γὰρ ἀντὶ τῆς γῆς, ἡ δὲ ὑάκινθος ἀντὶ τοῦ ἀέρος, καὶ πορφύρα ἀντὶ τοῦ ὕδα τος, καὶ τὸ κόκκινον ἀντὶ τοῦ πυρός. Αἱ δὲ οὐκ ἐξαρ κούμεναι τῷ ἐξ αὐτῶν κόσμῳ, καὶ χρυσὸν αὐτοῖς συγκα θύφαινον, ὑπὲρ ποικιλίας καὶ πολυτελείας πλείονος. Καὶ θέριστρα κατάκλιτα. Ἔοικε τὸ θέριστρον ἐπίβλημα εἶ ναι θερινόν, ὡς καὶ περιβάλλειν δοκεῖν καὶ μὴ βαρύνειν ἐν τῷ καύσωνι· ὡς καὶ ἐν τῇ Γενέσει μεμαθήκαμεν τὴν Ῥεβέκκαν ἐν τῇ συναντήσει τοῦ Ἰσαὰκ περιβαλλομένην τὸ θέριστρον. Ἃ δὲ νῦν διαβάλλει ὁ λόγος, θέριστρα λέγεται, τὰ ἐν τῷ κατακλίνεσθαι δι' ὑπερβολὴν τρυφῆς ταῖς κλίναις ἐπιβαλλόμενα. Καίτοι τὸ Κατάκλιτα οὐδὲ ἐκδεδώκασιν οἱ λοιποί· διὸ καὶ ὠβέλισται, ὡς οὐδένα νοῦν ἐμφαῖνον. 3.130 Καὶ ἔσται ἀντὶ ὀσμῆς ἡδείας, κονιορτός· καὶ ἀντὶ ζώνης, σχοινίῳ ζώσῃ· καὶ ἀντὶ τοῦ κόσμου τῆς κεφαλῆς τοῦ χρυσίου, φαλάκρωμα ἕξεις διὰ τὰ ἔργα σου. Μέρος τρυφῆς ἐστι καὶ τὸ ἐν ταῖς ὀσμαῖς ἡδὺ, φαρμάκοις τισὶν ἐκθυμιωμένοις καταφαρμακευόντων τὸν ἀέρα καὶ ἡδεῖαν ἑαυτοῖς μηχανωμένων ἀναπνοήν. Ταῖς οὖν διακεχυμέναις ὑφ' ἡδονῆς καὶ ὀσμὴν ἡδεῖαν μηχανωμέναις τῇ ὀσφρήσει, κονιορτὸς ἀντιδοθήσεται ὑπὸ τοῦ ἀπειλοῦντος. Λεπτὴ δέ ἐστι γῆ ἡ κόνις, ἀναπεποιημένη πρὸς τὸν ἀέρα, δυσκολίαν τινὰ περὶ τὴν ἀναπνοὴν καὶ ἀηδίαν πολλὴν ἐμποιοῦσα διὰ τὴν ἔμφραξιν. Μύροις μὲν γὰρ καὶ θυμιάμασιν ἐπιτέρπεται ἡ ψυχὴ, ἀλλὰ μύροις τοῖς πνευματικοῖς, ὁποῖος ἦν ὁ λέ γων· Χριστοῦ εὐωδία ἐσμέν· καὶ Χάρις τῷ Θεῷ, τῷ τὴν ὀσμὴν τῆς γνώσεως αὐτοῦ φανεροῦντι ἐν παντὶ τόπῳ. Τοιαύ της ἀντελαμβάνετο ὀσμῆς ἀποπνεούσης τοῦ Ἰακὼβ, ὁ πατὴρ Ἰσαάκ· Ἰδοὺ ὀσμὴ τοῦ υἱοῦ μου, ὡς ὀσμὴ ἀγροῦ πλήρους, ὃν εὐλόγησε Κύριος. Καὶ αἱ ἐν τῷ Ἄσματι δὲ νεάνιδες, αἰσθόμεναι τῆς οὐρανίου εὐωδίας τοῦ Λόγου, ἔλεγον· Εἰς ὀσμὴν μύρων σου δραμοῦμεν. Καὶ τὸ ἀρχιερατικὸν δὲ χρί σμα μύρον ἦν καλὸν καὶ τερπνὸν, ἀδελφῶν συναφείᾳ παρ εικάζεσθαι ἄξιον. Τὸ τοιοῦτον μύρον τεχνίτου δεῖται, ἀπὸ Θεοῦ λαβόντος τὴν μυρεψικὴν τέχνην, εἰς τὸ ποιῆσαι χρίσμα ἅγιον, ὃ οὐκ ἀναβήσεται εἰς σάρκα ἀνθρώπου. Ὅταν μέντοι πρὸς ἀκολασίαν τὸ ἡδὺ τῆς ὀσμῆς ἐπιτηδεύη ται, ἐμφράσσεται ὑπὸ τοῦ κονιορτοῦ ὁ πόρος τῆς αἰσθήσεως, εὐεργετοῦντος τοῦ ταῦτα αὐτοῖς οἰκονομοῦντος Κυρίου. Τάχα δὲ ἐπεὶ ἐν τῷ ναῷ ἦν τὰ ἡδύσματα τῆς ὀσμῆς, τό τε μύρον τῆς χρίσεως καὶ τὸ θυμίαμα τῆς συνθέσεως (κατεῤῥίφη δὲ ὁ ναὸς καὶ ἔστι νῦν ἐν κονίᾳ, ἀνατραπεὶς καὶ κάτω κείμενος) ἀντὶ τῆς ποτε ὀσμῆς τῆς ἡδείας (κατὰ τὴν νομικὴν λατρείαν) νῦν κονιορτός ἐστι, διὰ τὰς πορευθείσας ὑψηλῷ καὶ ἀνυπο τάκτῳ τραχήλῳ ψυχάς, οἷς καὶ εἴρηται· Ἰδοὺ ἀφίεται ὑμῖν ὁ οἶκος ὑμῶν ἔρημος. Ἔξεστι μέντοι αὐταῖς (ἐὰν βούλωνται ἐκτιναξαμέναις τὸν χοῦν) ἀναπλησθῆναι τῆς εὐωδίας Χριστοῦ κατὰ τὴν παραίνεσιν τοῦ λέγοντος· Ἐκτί ναξαι τὸν χοῦν σου καὶ ἀνάστηθι, Ἰερουσαλὴμ, καὶ ἔνδυσαι τὴν δόξαν τοῦ βραχίονός σου. 3.131 Καὶ ἀντὶ ζώνης, σχοινίῳ ζώσῃ. Ζώννυται μὲν τὴν ὀσφὺν ἐν