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but having purified their mind, they look upon the world of visible things, but they understand the hypostases and essences of intelligible things. For visible things require gazing; for this reason, *They look upon*. But intelligible things need a discursive reason; wherefore it is said, *They understand*. Except that first one must look upon the works of the Lord, and then proceed to understand them. Such was he who said of himself: *For he has given me an unerring knowledge of the things that are, to know the constitution of the world and the activity of the elements, the beginning and end and middle of times, the alterations of the solstices, and changes of seasons, the cycles of years and the positions of stars, the natures of living things and the tempers of wild beasts, the violence of spirits and the reasonings of men, the diversities of plants and the virtues of roots.* 5.165 *Therefore my people have gone into captivity, because they do not know the Lord; and a multitude of them have become dead through famine of bread and thirst for water.* Historically, it is possible to obtain the explanation of these things in the times of the last siege of the Jews, some of whom were led away into captivity, and others perished by famine and thirst. And the cause for which they suffered these things is clear: that they did not recognize the Lord when he came among them. So that the exhortation from the text may also be applied to us. We say these things, that those who pursue strong drink and drink wine with forbidden music, and occupy their eyes with unseemly spectacles, but do not endure to look upon the works of the Lord, because they are lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, become captives and subject to their adversaries. But also a multitude of the dead arose among them through famine and lack of water. For those who do not receive the nourishment that falls to their souls, become dead in their trespasses; and those who are not nurtured by the water of rest, nor seek to drink from that water, concerning which the Lord says to the Samaritan woman, that *Whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty*, these become dead. For hear, that a multitude of the dead arose, not only through famine, but also through thirst for water; since they were drinking from that water, of which the Samaritan woman also drank; for *whoever drinks* (he says) *from that water, will thirst again*; but they did not drink from the water welling up to eternal life. This is an exhortation to knowledge. For if they become captives for not knowing the Lord, we must desire the gift of knowledge. Perhaps the true death comes not through famine of bread, nor through thirst for this sensible water, but through a famine of hearing the word of the Lord in the souls of the disobedient. *For man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.* For this reason, *The Lord will not let the souls of the righteous starve*; and, *I have been young (and now am old), and I have not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread.* And, *The sons of the bridechamber, as long as the bridegroom is with them, cannot fast.* But where there is famine and thirst, there also is death. Therefore, that we may not starve, let us seek the heavenly bread; and that we may not be parched with thirst, let us seek the water concerning which the Lord said, that *If anyone drinks of the water that I will give him, he will never be thirsty.* 5.166 *And Hades enlarged his soul and opened his mouth, that he might not cease. And her glorious and great and rich and pestilent men, and he who exults in her, will descend. And man will be humbled and the husband will be dishonored, and the lofty eyes will be humbled.* So that the word might set before us the vastness of those who are perishing, it said that Hades widens his mouth. Just as in the case of animals, those which greedily seize their food from great want and widen their mouth as it is stretched by the food, so (it says) Hades is said to make his own mouth more spacious. Perhaps the word shows us that the place of Hades is a certain common region in the innermost part of the earth, shaded from all sides and without light; and a certain opening leading down to the hollow places, through which the descent is for those towards

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δὲ ἀποκαθηράμενοι τὸν νοῦν, ἐμβλέπουσι μὲν τῷ κόσμῳ τῶν ὁρατῶν, κατανοοῦσι δὲ τὰς τῶν νοητῶν ὑποστάσεις καὶ οὐσίας. Τὰ μὲν γὰρ ὁρατὰ ἐνατενίσεως δεῖται· διὰ τοῦτο Ἐμβλέπουσι. Τὰ δὲ νοητὰ χρῄζει λόγου διεξοδικοῦ· διὸ εἴρηται Κατανοοῦσι. Πλὴν ὅτι πρῶτον δεῖ ἐμβλέψαι τοῖς ἔργοις Κυρίου, καὶ τότε εἰς τὸ κατανοῆσαι αὐτὰ προελθεῖν. Ὁποῖος ἦν ὁ περὶ ἑαυτοῦ λέγων· Αὐτὸς γάρ μοι ἔδωκε τῶν ὄντων γνῶσιν ἀψευδῆ, εἰδέναι σύστασιν κόσμου καὶ ἐνέργειαν στοιχείων, ἀρχὴν καὶ τέλος καὶ μεσότητα χρόνων, τροπῶν ἀλλαγὰς, καὶ με ταβολὰς καιρῶν, ἐνιαυτῶν κύκλους καὶ ἀστέρων θέσεις, φύσεις ζώων καὶ θυμοὺς θηρίων, πνευμάτων βίας καὶ δια λογισμοὺς ἀνθρώπων, διαφορὰς φυτῶν καὶ δυνάμεις ῥιζῶν. 5.165 Τοίνυν αἰχμάλωτος ὁ λαός μου ἐγενήθη, διὰ τὸ μὴ εἰδέναι αὐτοὺς τὸν Κύριον· καὶ πλῆθος ἐγενήθη νεκρῶν διὰ λιμὸν ἄρτου καὶ δίψος ὕδατος. Ταῦτα καθ' ἱστορίαν δυνατὸν τυχεῖν τῆς ἐξηγήσεως ἐπὶ τῶν καιρῶν τῆς ἐσχάτης πολιορκίας τῶν Ἰουδαίων, τῶν μὲν εἰς αἰχμαλωσίαν ἀπαχθέντων, τῶν δὲ ἐν λιμῷ καὶ δίψει διαφθα ρέντων. Καὶ ἡ αἰτία σαφὴς, δι' ἣν ταῦτα πεπόνθασιν· ὅτι ἐπιδημήσαντα αὐτοῖς τὸν Κύριον οὐκ ἐπέγνωσαν. Ὥστε δὲ καὶ ἡμῖν οἰκειωθῆναι τὴν ἐκ τῆς λέξεως παραίνεσιν. Ἐκεῖνα λέγομεν, ὅτι οἱ διώκοντες τὸ μέθυσμα καὶ μετὰ τῆς ἀπηγο ρευμένης μουσικῆς τὸν οἶνον πίνοντες, καὶ θεάμασι μὲν ἀτό ποις τὰς ὄψεις ἐνασχολοῦντες, τοῖς δὲ ἔργοις Κυρίου ἐμβλέ πειν μὴ ἀνεχόμενοι, διὰ τὸ φιλήδονοι εἶναι μᾶλλον ἢ φιλόθεοι, αἰχμάλωτοι γίνονται καὶ ὑποχείριοι τοῖς ὑπεναντίοις. Ἀλλὰ καὶ πλῆθος ἐν αὐτοῖς νεκρῶν ἐγενήθη διὰ λιμὸν καὶ ὕδατος ἀπορίαν. Οἱ γὰρ τὴν ἐπιβάλλουσαν ταῖς ψυχαῖς τροφὴν μὴ προσιέμενοι, νεκροὶ γίνονται τοῖς παραπτώμασι· καὶ οἱ ἐπὶ ὕδατος ἀναπαύσεως μὴ ἐκτρεφόμενοι, μηδὲ ζητοῦντες πιεῖν ἐξ ἐκείνου τοῦ ὕδατος, περὶ οὗ φησι πρὸς τὴν Σαμαρεῖτιν ὁ Κύριος, ὅτι Ὃς ἂν πίῃ ἐκ τοῦ ὕδατος οὗ ἐγὼ δώσω αὐτῷ, οὐ μὴ διψήσῃ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα, οὗτοι γίνονται νεκροί. Ἄκουε γὰρ, ὅτι πλῆθος νεκρῶν ἐγενήθη, οὐ διὰ λιμὸν μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ διὰ δίψαν ὕδατος· ἐπειδὴ ἀπ' ἐκείνου ἔπινον τοῦ ὕδατος, οὗ καὶ ἡ Σαμαρεῖτις· ὃς γὰρ ἂν πίῃ (φησὶν) ἐκ τοῦ ὕδατος ἐκείνου, διψήσει πάλιν· οὐκ ἔπιον δὲ ἐκ τοῦ ὕδατος τοῦ ἁλλομένου εἰς ζωὴν αἰώνιον. Προτρεπτικὸν δὲ τοῦτο ἐπὶ τὴν γνῶσιν. Εἰ γὰρ διὰ τὸ μὴ εἰδέναι τὸν Κύριον αἰχμά λωτοι γίνονται, ζηλωτέον ἡμῖν τὸ τῆς γνώσεως χάρισμα. Τάχα δὲ ἡ ἀληθὴς νέκρωσις οὐ διὰ λιμὸν ἄρτου, οὐδὲ διὰ δίψαν ὕδατος τούτου τοῦ αἰσθητοῦ, ἀλλὰ διὰ λιμὸν τοῦ ἀκοῦσαι λόγον Κυρίου ταῖς ψυχαῖς τῶν ἀνηκόων ἐγγί νεται. Οὐ γὰρ ἐπ' ἄρτῳ μόνῳ ζήσεται ἄνθρωπος, ἀλλὰ ἐπὶ παντὶ ῥήματι ἐκπορευομένῳ διὰ στόματος Θεοῦ. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο Οὐ λιμοκτονήσει Κύριος ψυχὰς δικαίων· καὶ Νεώτερος ἐγενόμην (καὶ γὰρ ἐγήρασα) καὶ οὐκ εἶδον δίκαιον ἐγκατα λελειμμένον, οὐδὲ τὸ σπέρμα αὐτοῦ ζητοῦν ἄρτους. Καὶ Οἱ υἱοὶ τοῦ νυμφῶνος, ὅσον μετ' αὐτῶν ἐστιν ὁ νυμφίος, οὐ δύνανται νηστεύειν. Ὅπου δὲ λιμὸς καὶ δίψα, ἐκεῖ καὶ ἡ νεκρότης. Ἵνα οὖν μὴ λιμοκτονηθῶμεν, ζητήσωμεν τὸν ἄρτον τὸν ἐπουράνιον· μηδὲ τῷ δίψει καταφρυγῶμεν, ζητήσω μεν τὸ ὕδωρ, περὶ οὗ εἶπεν ὁ Κύριος, ὅτι Ἐάν τις πίῃ ἐκ τοῦ ὕδατος, οὗ ἐγὼ δώσω αὐτῷ, οὐ μὴ διψήσῃ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα. 5.166 Καὶ ἐπλάτυνεν ὁ ᾅδης τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ καὶ διή νοιξε τὸ στόμα αὐτοῦ, τοῦ μὴ διαλιπεῖν. Καὶ καταβήσονται οἱ ἔνδοξοι καὶ οἱ μεγάλοι καὶ οἱ πλούσιοι καὶ οἱ λοιμοὶ αὐτῆς καὶ ὁ ἀγαλλιώμενος ἐν αὐτῇ. Καὶ ταπεινωθήσεται ἄνθρωπος καὶ ἀτιμασθήσεται ἀνὴρ, καὶ οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ οἱ μετέωροι ταπεινωθήσονται. Ἵνα τὸ ἁδρὸν τῶν ἀπολλυμένων ὁ λόγος ἡμῖν παραστήσῃ, πλατύνειν ἔφη τὸν ᾅδην τὸ στόμα αὐτοῦ. Ὥσπερ ἐπὶ τῶν ζώων, ὅσα λάβρως ὑπὸ πολλῆς ἐνδείας τὴν τροφὴν διαρπάζει καὶ πλατύνει τὸ στόμα περιτεινόμενον τῇ τροφῇ, οὕτω (φησὶ) καὶ ὁ ᾅδης τὸ ἑαυτοῦ στόμα εὐρυχωρότερον ποιεῖν εἴρηται. Τάχα δὲ ἡμῖν ὁ λόγος ἐνδείκνυται, κοινόν τινα τόπον ἐν τῷ ἐσωτάτῳ τῆς γῆς, ἐπίσκιον πανταχόθεν καὶ ἀλαμπῆ, τὸ τοῦ ᾅδου χωρίον εἶναι· στόμιον δέ τι ἐπὶ τὰ κοῖλα καθῆκον, δι' οὗ τὴν κάθοδον εἶναι ταῖς πρὸς