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at times of joyful weddings, or banquets, with flutes and lyres and dances, has been necessarily examined by us, so that, having learned the accusation from the divine word against such practices, out of fear of the impending terrors, you might at least for the future change the wicked habit of your life for the better. But it is also possible, by examining the meaning of the sayings according to another interpretation, to find something else that benefits our souls. 5.159 Woe (he says) to those who rise early in the morning and pursue strong drink. That is, those who, as soon as the darkness of ignorance was dispelled for them through the introduction to the knowledge of God, when the sun of righteousness had risen for them (having become godly instead of formerly lawless and impious, and being enrolled in the Church of God), are so overcome by the passions of the flesh that they are driven out of their senses and are overthrown equally with those who are darkened by drunkenness. Therefore the Word declares such people wretched, those who after the teaching of God give themselves over to the drunkenness of passions. For he knows those who are often drunk even without wine, the one who says: Woe to those who are drunk without wine. For just as wine, flowing in in excess of need or of the drinker's capacity, is apt to bring darkness to the reason, so also the passions of desire, or grief, or anger, taking control of the reason, make those possessed by them senseless. Wretched, therefore, and thrice-wretched are those who not only at the beginning of life are immersed in drunkenness, but also remain so until late, that is, those who escort themselves with passions until the setting of life. In one way, then, the illumination from the knowledge of God that comes into our hearts is called morning; and in another, that in which we begin the life of reason, when our reason is complete. For in either case the former life is darkness and night, either because reason is not yet perfected, and the soul is immersed in irrationality, or because of alienation from God, the mind being covered with deep darkness. 5.160 Woe, then, to those who rise in the morning, that is, those who have just put off the folly of youth and, instead of vigorously wrestling down the passions through the power of reason, are overthrown by them and pursue the passions as a kind of drunkenness. For most wretched are they who, at the beginning and end of life, do not cease from such drunkenness. There are many differences among the drunk; for some cease from their drunkenness immediately after dawn, others stop after proceeding a little way, and others extend it for a longer time. It is good, therefore, upon rising, to seek to live soberly and priest-like, so that we may become worthy of entrance into the holy places, not drinking wine and strong drink. For it is written: And the Lord spoke to Aaron, saying: You shall not drink wine and strong drink, you and your sons with you, when you go into the tent of testimony. But since it is difficult in human nature to achieve sinlessness, the second voyage (he says) is to rise from drunkenness immediately after the morning. But for those who linger over wine and seek where drinking parties are held, the mind is too busy with this investigation to be able to look upon the works of the Lord, nor to understand the works of his hands. But the lyre and psaltery intensify their drunkenness, the inventions of Jubal, who was descended from the genealogy of Cain. For Lamech (it says) took for himself two wives: the name of the one was Adah, and the name of the second, Zillah. And Adah bore Jabal. He was the father of those who dwell in tents and have livestock. And his brother's name was Jubal; he was the one who introduced the psaltery and lyre. Laban was familiar with such a lyre and music, with which he wished to send Jacob away. For if you had told me, I would have sent you away with joy and with music of timbrels and lyre. But the patriarch fled, as it was an obstacle to looking upon the works of the Lord and understanding the works of his hands. 5.161 But also of Nebuchadnezzar at the dedication of the image, of the trumpet and

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καιροῖς εὐφρο σύνης γάμων, ἢ ἑστιάσεων, αὐλοῖς καὶ κιθάραις, καὶ χοροῖς, ἀναγκαίως ἡμῖν ἐξήτασται, ἵνα τὴν ἐκ τοῦ θείου λόγου διαβολὴν πρὸς τὰς τοιαύτας ἐπιτηδεύσεις καταμαθόντες, φόβῳ τῶν ἐπηρτημένων δεινῶν, πρὸς γοῦν τὸ ἐφεξῆς τὴν πονηρὰν τοῦ βίου ὑμῶν συνήθειαν εἰς τὸ βέλτιον μεταβά λητε. Ἔστι δὲ καὶ τὴν διάνοιαν τῶν ῥητῶν καθ' ἑτέραν ἐκδοχὴν βασανίσαντας, εὑρεῖν τι καὶ ἕτερον ὠφελοῦν ἡμῶν τὰς ψυχάς. 5.159 Οὐαὶ (φησὶν) οἱ ἐγειρόμενοι τὸ πρωῒ καὶ τὸ σίκερα διώκοντες. Τουτέστιν οἱ ἅμα τῷ λυθῆναι αὐτοῖς τὸν ἐκ τῆς ἀγνοίας σκότον διὰ τῆς εἰς θεογνωσίαν εἰσαγωγῆς, ἀνατείλαντος αὐτοῖς τοῦ ἡλίου τῆς δικαιοσύνης (ἀντὶ τῶν προτέρων ἀνόμων καὶ ἀσεβῶν θεοσεβεῖς χρηματίσαντες καὶ ἐγκαταλεγέντες Ἐκκλησίᾳ Θεοῦ) οὕτως ὑπὸ τῶν παθῶν τῆς σαρκὸς κατα κρατούμενοι, ὥστε ἐξίστασθαι τῶν λογισμῶν καὶ ἀνατρέπεσ θαι ἐξίσου τοῖς ὑπὸ μέθης ἐσκοτισμένοις. Τοὺς οὖν τοιού τους ὁ λόγος ταλανίζει, τοὺς μετὰ τὴν τοῦ θεοῦ διδασκα λίαν ἐπιδιδόντας ἑαυτοὺς μέθῃ παθῶν, Οἶδε γὰρ μεθύοντας καὶ χωρὶς οἴνου πολλάκις, ὁ λέγων· Οὐαὶ οἱ μεθύοντες ἄνευ οἴνου. Ὥσπερ γὰρ ὁ οἶνος πλείων τῆς χρείας, ἢ τῆς δυνά μεως τοῦ πίνοντος εἰσρυεὶς, σκότωσιν ἐπάγειν τῷ λογισμῷ πέφυκεν, οὕτω καὶ πάθη ἐπιθυμίας, ἢ λύπης, ἢ θυμοῦ, κατακρατήσαντα τοῦ λογισμοῦ, ἔκφρονας ποιεῖ τοὺς ὑ π' αὐτῶν κατεχομένους. Ἄθλιοι οὖν καὶ τρισάθλιοι οἱ μὴ μό νον ἀρχομένου τοῦ βίου τῇ μέθῃ βεβαπτισμένοι, ἀλλὰ καὶ μένοντες τὸ ὀψέ, τουτέστιν οἱ μέχρι τῶν δυσμῶν τῆς ζωῆς πάθεσιν ἑαυτοὺς παραπέμποντες. Καθ' ἕνα μὲν οὖν τρόπον ὁ ἐκ τῆς ἐπιγνώσεως τοῦ Θεοῦ φωτισμὸς ἐγγινόμενος ταῖς καρδίαις πρωΐα λέγεται· καθ' ἕτερον δὲ, καθ' ὃν ἀρχόμεθα τῆς λογικῆς ζωῆς, συμπληρωθέντος τοῦ λόγου. Καθ' ἑκά τερον γὰρ σκοτία καὶ νὺξ ὁ πρότερον βίος, ἤτοι τοῦ λόγου μήπω τετελειωμένου, καὶ τῆς ψυχῆς ἐν ἀλογίᾳ βεβαπτι σμένης· ἢ διὰ τὴν ἀπὸ Θεοῦ ἀλλοτρίωσιν, σκότῳ βαθεῖ τῆς διανοίας κεκαλυμμένης. 5.160 Οὐαὶ οὖν οἱ ἐγειρόμενοι τὸ πρωῒ, τουτέστιν οἱ ἄρτι τὴν ἐκ τῆς νεότητος ἄνοιαν ἀποθέμενοι καὶ, ἀντὶ τοῦ διὰ τῆς τοῦ λόγου δυνάμεως εὐτόνως καταπα λαίειν τὰ πάθη, ἀνατρεπόμενοι παρ' αὐτῶν καὶ οἷόν τινα μέθην τὰ πάθη μεταδιώκοντες. Ταλανώτατοι μὲν γὰρ οἱ, ἀρχομένου τοῦ βίου καὶ λήγοντος, τῆς τοιαύτης μέθης μὴ ἀπολήγοντες. ∆ιαφοραὶ δὲ πολλαὶ τῶν μεθυόντων· οἱ μὲν γὰρ εὐθὺς μετὰ τὸν ὄρθρον τῆς μέθης ἐπαύσαντο, οἱ δὲ ἐπὶ μικρὸν προελ θόντες ἔληξαν, οἱ δὲ ἐπὶ πλεῖον παρέτειναν. Καλὸν μὲν οὖν τὸ ἅμα τῷ ἐγερθῆναι, ζητῆσαι τὸ νηφαλίως ζῆσαι καὶ ἱερατικῶς, ἵνα ἄξιοι γενώμεθα τῆς εἰς τὰ ἅγια εἰσόδου, οἶνον καὶ σίκερα μὴ πίνοντες. Γέγραπται γάρ· Καὶ ἐλάλησε Κύριος τῷ Ἀαρών, λέγων· Οἶνον καὶ σίκερα οὐ μὴ πίεσθε, σὺ, καὶ οἱ υἱοί σου μετὰ σοῦ, ἡνίκα ἂν εἰσπορεύησθε εἰς τὴν σκηνὴν τοῦ μαρτυρίου. Ἐπεὶ δὲ δύσκολον ἐν ἀνθρώπου φύσει κατορθωθῆναι τὸ ἀναμάρτητον, δεύτερος (φησὶ) πλοῦς εὐθὺς μετὰ τὴν πρωΐαν ἀναστῆναι ἀπὸ τῆς μέθης. Τῶν δὲ χρονιζόντων ἐν οἴνοις καὶ τῶν ζητούντων ποῦ πότοι γίνονται, ἄσχολός ἐστιν ἡ διάνοια περὶ τὴν τούτων ἔρευναν, ὥστε μὴ δύνασθαι ἐμβλέπειν τοῖς ἔργοις Κυρίου, μηδὲ κατανοεῖν τὰ ἔργα τῶν χειρῶν αὐτοῦ. Ἀλλὰ κιθάρα καὶ ψαλτήριον τὴν μέθην αὐτοῖς συνεπιτείνει, τὰ εὑρήματα τοῦ Ἰουβὰλ, τοῦ ἐκ τῆς γενεαλογίας Κάϊν καθήκοντος. Ἔλαβε γὰρ ἑαυτῷ (φησὶ) Λάμεχ δύο γυναῖκας· ὄνομα τῇ μιᾷ, Ἀδδὰ, καὶ ὄνομα τῇ δευτέρᾳ, Σελλά. Καὶ ἔτεκεν Ἀδδὰ τὸν Ἰωβήλ. Οὗτος ἦν πατὴρ οἰκούντων ἐν σκηναῖς κτηνοτρό φων. Καὶ ὄνομα τῷ ἀδελφῷ αὐτοῦ Ἰουβάλ· οὗτος ἦν ὁ καταδείξας ψαλτήριον καὶ κιθάραν. Τοιαύτης ἦν κιθάρας καὶ μουσικῆς ὁ Λάβαν οἰκεῖος, μεθ' ἧς ἐβούλετο παρα πέμπειν τὸν Ἰακώβ. Εἰ γὰρ ἀνήγγειλάς μοι, ἐξαπέστειλα ἄν σε μετὰ εὐφροσύνης καὶ μετὰ μουσικῶν τυμπάνων καὶ κιθάρας. Ἀλλ' ἀπεδίδρασκεν ὁ πατριάρχης, ὡς ἐμπόδιον οὖσαν πρὸς τὸ ἐμβλέπειν τοῖς ἔργοις Κυρίου καὶ κατανοεῖν τὰ ἔργα τῶν χειρῶν αὐτοῦ. 5.161 Ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῦ Ναβουχοδονόσορ ἐπὶ τοῦ ἐγκαινι σμοῦ τῆς εἰκόνος, σάλπιγγος καὶ