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you breathed the soul into me; and if it is necessary to prove the whole way of nature by its beginning, I first enjoyed creation, then thus you placed in me the life-giving power of the soul. I also enjoyed the life in paradise with it; together we passed the time of gestation in the womb. Together, when the birth pangs were loosed, we came forth into this life, and we enjoyed 83.732 this light, and we drew in the need of the air; together we journeyed through life. It never worked any good things by itself, but using me, the flesh, as a co-worker, it gathered the wealth of virtue. I, receiving the wastings from fasting and vigils and sleeping on the ground, and from all other hardship, gathered for it the wealth from these things. I supplied the tears when it prayed; I offered my heart to it for the ministry of the spirit when it was eager to groan. Through my tongue it continually hymned you; using my lips as instruments, it offered its petitions to you; stretching out my hands to heaven, it reaped the fruits of your love for mankind; being carried on my feet, it ran to your sacred shrines. I provided it with ears for the reception of your oracles; using my eyes, seeing the sun and moon, and the chorus of the stars, and heaven, and earth, and sea, and all the visible creation, it was guided to the contemplation of you, and from the greatness and from the beauty of the things seen, it imagined you, the Creator. Through my eyes, it plundered the treasure hidden in the Scriptures. Using my fingers as instruments, it engraved your divine teachings in letters, and has left behind an immortal memory of them. Through my hands, it raised up houses of prayer throughout the whole world. Using me as a co-worker, it fulfilled the laws of love; through my hands, it washed the feet of the saints; through my hands it assisted the afflicted, it deemed weary bodies worthy of healing. Therefore, Master, do not separate me from the yokefellow yoked to me from above, nor break up a union that did not simply happen by chance, but was allotted from above by your creation; but give one crown to those who have run one race; for this is characteristic of your fairness; this befits your just decree. The body, which struggled well together with the soul, might say these things, if it could partake of a voice. But neither will the body say these things, nor that soul that has lived in transgression. For the judge does not need such a supplication; but just as he directs wisely, so he judges justly; and restoring the bodies to the souls, so he distributes to all according to their worth. For how is it not absurd that a hero who has won a victory in battle, being honored with an image by his countrymen, is either painted, or molded, or carved with that equipment with which he routed the enemy, whether the material of the image be stone, or bronze, or wood; and if he won using bows, to be depicted with the bows themselves; but if with a spear, and a helmet, and a shield, again with this 83.733 equipment; but for the soul, having contended with the body and overcome the unseen enemies, and having obtained the Creator of all as its painter, to stand naked, stripped of its panoply? And not only is it possible to see a general so honored, but also an athlete, and a boxer, and a runner, and an actor of tragedy, and a charioteer. For each of these obtain their pose in the images with the form in which they conquered. And one stands with his stilts, and the theatrical costume, wearing the mask of some Oenomaus or Creon, as if saying to all that with these things I acted, and with these things I have won. Another runs naked, showing the type of contest; another seems to wrestle, or even

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τὴν ψυχὴν ἐνεφύσησας· εἰ δὲ δεῖ τῇ ἀρχῇ πᾶσαν τῆς φύσεως τὴν ὁδὸν τεκμη ριῶσαι, πρότερον ἐγὼ τῆς δημιουργίας ἀπήλαυσα, εἶθ' οὕτως τὴν ζωτικήν μοι τῆς ψυχῆς ἐνέθηκας δύ ναμιν. Ἀπήλαυσα καὶ τῆς ἐν παραδείσῳ διαίτης μετ' αὐτῆς ἐγώ· κοινῇ τὸν τῆς κυήσεως ἐν τῇ μήτρᾳ συνδιηγάγομεν χρόνον. Κοινῇ τῶν ὠδίνων λυθέντων εἰς τόνδε τὸν βίον ἐξεληλύθαμεν, καὶ τοῦδε τοῦ φωτὸς 83.732 ἀπηλαύσαμεν, καὶ τοῦ ἀέρος τὴν χρείαν ἐσπάσαμεν· κοινῇ τὸν βίον ὡδεύσαμεν. Οὐδὲν αὐτὴ καθ' αὑτὴν τῶν ἀγαθῶν εἰργάσατο πώποτε, ἀλλ' ἐμοὶ τῇ σαρκὶ συνεργῷ κεχρημένη, τὸν τῆς ἀρετῆς συνήγαγε πλοῦτον. Ἐγὼ τὰς ἀπὸ νηστείας ἀγρυπνίας τε καὶ χαμευνίας, καὶ τῆς ἄλλης ἁπάσης κακουχίας τηκε δόνας δεχομένη, τὸν ἐντεῦθεν αὐτῇ συνήθροισα πλοῦ τον. Ἐγὼ δάκρυον ἐχορήγουν προσευχομένῃ· ἐγὼ τὴν καρδίαν αὐτῇ πρὸς ὑπουργίαν πνεύματος παρ ειχόμην στένειν ἐπειγομένῃ. ∆ιὰ τῆς ἐμῆς γλώττης ὑμνοῦσά σε διετέλεσε· τοῖς ἐμοῖς χείλεσιν ὀργάνοις κεχρημένη, σοὶ τὰς αἰτήσεις προσ έφερε· τὰς ἐμὰς χεῖρας εἰς οὐρανὸν ἐκτείνουσα, τῆς σῆς φιλανθρωπίας ἐδρέπετο τοὺς καρπούς· ἐπὶ τῶν ἐμῶν φερομένη ποδῶν, ἔτρεχε πρὸς τοὺς ἱερούς σου σηκούς. Ἐγὼ παρεῖχον αὐτῇ τὰς ἀκοὰς, εἰς τὴν τῶν σῶν λογίων ὑποδοχήν· τοῖς ἐμοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς κεχρημένη, ἥλιον ὁρῶσα καὶ σελήνην, καὶ τὸν τῶν ἀστέρων χορὸν, καὶ οὐρανὸν, καὶ γῆν, καὶ θά λασσαν, καὶ πᾶσαν τὴν ὁρωμένην κτίσιν, πρὸς τὴν σὴν θεωρίαν ἐποδηγεῖτο, καὶ ἐκ τοῦ μεγέθους καὶ ἐκ τοῦ κάλλους τῶν ὁρωμένων, σὲ τὸν ∆ημιουρ γὸν ἐφαντάζετο. ∆ιὰ τῶν ἐμῶν ὀφθαλμῶν, τὸν ἐν τοῖς Γράμμασι κεκρυμμένον ἐλῄστευσε θησαυ ρόν. Τοῖς ἐμοῖς δακτύλοις ὀργάνοις κεχρημένη, τὰς θείας σου διδασκαλίας γράμμασιν ἐνεχάραξε, καὶ ἀθάνατον τὴν τούτων καταλέλοιπε μνήμην. ∆ιὰ τῶν ἐμῶν χειρῶν, τοὺς κατὰ πᾶσαν τὴν οἰκουμένην εὐκ τηρίους οἴκους ἀνέστησεν. Ἐμοὶ συνεργῷ κεχρη μένη, τοὺς τῆς ἀγάπης ἐπλήρωσε νόμους· διὰ τῶν ἐμῶν χειρῶν, τῶν ἁγίων τοὺς πόδας ἔνιψε· διὰ τῶν ἐμῶν χειρῶν θλιβομένοις ἐπήρκεσε, τὰ πεπονη κότα σώματα θεραπείας ἠξίωσε. Μὴ τοίνυν με, ∆έσποτα, χωρίσῃς ὁμόζυγος ἄνωθεν συζευχθείσης μοι, μηδὲ διαζεύξῃς συζυγίαν, οὐχ ἁπλῶς οὕτως ἐκ τοῦ συμβάντος γεγενημένην, ἄνωθεν δὲ ὑπὸ τῆς σῆς κληρωθεῖσαν δημιουργίας· ἀλλ' ἕνα στέφανον τοῖς ἕνα δρόμον δεδραμηκόσιν ἀπόδος· τοῦτο γὰρ τῆς σῆς ἰσότητος ἴδιον· τοῦτο πρέπει τῇ δικαίᾳ σου ψήφῳ. Ταῦτα ἂν εἴποι καὶ τὸ σῶμα, τὸ καλῶς τῇ ψυχῇ συναγωνισάμενον, εἴ τινος μεταλάβοι φωνῆς. Ἀλλ' οὔτε τὸ σῶμα ταῦτα ἐρεῖ, οὔτε ἐκείνη ἡ παρα νομίᾳ συνεζηκυῖα ψυχή. Οὐ δεῖται γὰρ ἱκετείας τοιαύτης ὁ κριτής· ἀλλ' ὥσπερ ἰθύνει σοφῶς, οὕτω δικάζει δικαίως· καὶ τὰ σώματα ταῖς ψυχαῖς ἀποδι δοὺς, οὕτως ἀπονέμει τὰ πρὸς ἀξίαν ἁπάσαις. Πῶς γὰρ οὐκ ἄτοπον, ἀριστέα μὲν ἐν παρατάξει νίκην νενικηκότα τινὰ, εἰκόνι παρὰ τῶν ὁμοφύλων τιμώ μενον, μετὰ τῆς σκευῆς ἐκείνης, ᾗ χρώμενος τοὺς πολεμίους ἐτρέψατο, ἢ γράφεσθαι, ἢ πλάττεσθαι, ἢ διαγλύφεσθαι, εἴτε λίθος, εἴτε χαλκὸς εἴη, εἴτε σανὶς, τῆς εἰκόνος ἡ ὕλη· καὶ εἰ μὲν τόξοις κεχρημένος ἐνίκησε, μετὰ τῶν τόξων αὐτῶν ἐκτυποῦσθαι· εἰ δὲ αἰχμῇ, καὶ κράνει, καὶ ἀσπίδι, μετὰ ταύτης αὖ πά 83.733 λιν τῆς σκευῆς· τὴν δὲ ψυχὴν μετὰ τοῦ σώματος ἀγωνισαμένην, καὶ τῶν ἀοράτων πολεμίων περιγε νομένην, καὶ ζωγράφου τυχοῦσαν τοῦ τῶν ὅλων ∆η μιουργοῦ, γυμνὴν στῆναι, τῆς πανοπλίας ἐστερημέ νην; Οὐ μόνον δὲ στρατηγὸν ἔστιν ἰδεῖν οὕτω τιμώ μενον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀθλητὴν, καὶ πύκτην, καὶ δρομέα, καὶ τραγῳδίας ὑποκριτὴν, καὶ ἁρμάτων ἡνίοχον. Τούτων γὰρ ἕκαστος μεθ' οὗ ἐνίκησε σχήματος, τὴν στάσιν ἐν ταῖς εἰκόσι λαγχάνουσι. Καὶ ὁ μὲν, ἕστηκε μετὰ τῶν ἀκριβάντων, καὶ τῆς στρατηγικῆς στολῆς, Οἰνομάου τινὸς, ἢ Κρέοντος προσωπεῖον ἔχων, μο νονουχὶ λέγων πρὸς ἅπαντας, ὅτι μετὰ τούτων ὑπ εκρινάμην, καὶ μετὰ τούτων νενίκηκα. Ὁ δὲ γυμνὸς τρέχει, διδάσκων τοῦ ἀγῶνος τὸ εἶδος· ὁ δὲ παλαίειν δοκεῖ, ἢ καὶ