,

revealing, as is proper, the meaning of what is written to be more honorable. For I said before that the word of divine Scripture remains forever uncircumscribed, circumscribing all (14B_368> who speak, but is itself in no way circumscribed by those who speak, so that even if I said something according to my ability, and this boldly, I have not encompassed the entire power of what is written, which is infinitely removed from my own power.

SCHOLIA 1. That just as God in essence has not fallen under knowledge, so neither is the

word of His comprehended by knowledge that is according to us. 2. Those who have bound their mind to the letter alone in a Jewish manner, he says, according to

this age await the promises of the incorruptible goods, being ignorant of the goods that are according to the nature of the soul.

3. The one who has put on the image of the heavenly man, he says, hastens to follow the Spirit through all of Holy Scripture; in which, through virtue and knowledge, the preservation of the soul exists; but the one who bears the image of the earthly man, attends only to the letter; in which the worship of the body according to the senses consists, creating the passions.

4. Practice begets virtue, he says, as Ahaz begot Hezekiah.

5. Contemplation, he says, begets knowledge, as Amos begot Isaiah.

6. The one who knows with practice, he says, and who practices with knowledge, is a throne and

a footstool of God. A throne, on the one hand, on account of knowledge; a footstool, on the other hand, on account of practice. 7. The camp of the king of Assur is the gathering of evil thoughts,

in which the one who moves the natural appetites toward pleasure is mighty; the warrior is the one who stirs up the irascible part for the guarding of pleasures; the ruler, the one who provokes the senses by the appearances of visible things; the general (14B_370> is the one who gives form to the passions, and is inventive of the materials and modes of their activity.

8. That without a sensible object, he says, a passion is not formed. For if there is no woman, there is no fornication; and if there are no foods, there will be no gluttony; and if there is no gold, there will be no passion of avarice. Therefore, of every impassioned movement of the natural powers within us, the sensible is the principle, that is, the demon who through it provokes the soul to sin.

9. Practice, he says, the activity; but eradication destroys even the very thought of evil.

10. For just as the north, he says, does not have the sun passing through it; so neither does the evil habit, which the devil inhabits, admit the illumination of knowledge.

NA (51). CONCERNING "AND MANY BROUGHT GIFTS TO THE LORD AND PRESENTS TO THE

KING". 51. QUESTION 51 And many brought gifts to the Lord in Jerusalem and presents to Hezekiah

king of Judah, and he was exalted in the eyes of all the nations. What are the gifts, and what are the presents? And why gifts to God, but presents to the king? And what does it mean to be exalted in the eyes of all the nations?

Response. God, having brought into being all of visible nature, did not leave it according to

sense alone to be moved, but sowed in each of the species that complete it both spiritual principles of wisdom and graceful modes of conduct, so that not only through the silent creatures might the creator of the creatures be proclaimed with a great voice, being signified by the principles of what has come into being, but also that man, being instructed by the natural (14B_372> laws and modes of visible things, might easily find the way of righteousness that leads to Him.

τιμιώτερον ἐκφαίνων, ὡς δεῖ, τῶν γεγραμμένων τὸν νοῦν. Προέφην γὰρ ὅτι μένει διαπαντὸς ἀπερίγραφος ὁ τῆς θείας Γραφῆς λόγος, πάντας μὲν περιγράφων (14Β_368> τοὺς λέγοντας, αὐτὸς δὲ τοῖς λέγουσιν οὐδαμῶς περιγραφόμενος, ὥστε κἂν εἶπόν τι κατὰ δύναμιν, καὶ τοῦτο τολμηρῶς, ἀλλ᾽ οὐ περιέλαβον πᾶσαν τῶν γεγραμμένων τὴν δύναμιν, ἀπείρως τῆς ἐμῆς ἀνῳκισμένην δυνάμεως.

ΣΧΟΛΙΑ 1. Ὅτι καθάπερ ὁ Θεός κατ᾿ οὐσίαν οὐχ ὑποπέπτωκε γνώσει, οὕτως οὔτε ὁ

λόγος αὐτοῦ γνώσει τῇ καθ᾿ ἡμᾶς περιλαμβάνεται. 2. Οἱ μόνῳ τῷ γράμματι προσδήσαντες ἰουδαϊκῶς τήν διάνοιαν, φησί, κατά

τόν αἰῶνα τοῦτον ἐκδέχονται τάς ἐπαγγελίας τῶν ἀκηράτων ἀγαθῶν, ἀγνοοῦντες τά κατά φύσιν τῆς ψυχῆς ἀγαθά.

3. Ὁ τήν εἰκόνα φορέσας τοῦ ἐπουρανίου, φησίν, τῷ Πνεύματι διά πάντων ἕπεσθαι σπεύδει τῆς ἁγίας Γραφῆς· ἐν ᾧ δι᾿ ἀρετῆς καί γνώσεως ἡ τῆς ψυχῆς ὑπάρχει συντήρησις· ὁ δέ τήν εἰκόνα φέρων τοῦ χοϊκοῦ, τό γράμμα μόνον περιέπει· ἐν ᾧ ἡ κατ᾿ αἴσθησιν πρός σῶμα λατρεία συνέστηκεν, τά πάθη δημιουργοῦσα.

4. Ἡ πρᾶξις γεννᾷ τήν ἀρετήν, φησίν, ὡς Ἄχας τόν Ἐζεκίαν. 5. Ἡ θεωρία, φησί, γεννᾷ τήν γνῶσιν, ὡς Ἀμώς τόν Ἡσαΐαν. 6. Ὁ μετά πράξεως γινώσκων, φησίν, καί μετά γνώσεως πράττων, θρόνος καί

ὑποπόδιόν ἐστι τοῦ Θεοῦ. Θρόνος μέν, διά τήν γνῶσιν· ὑποπόδιον δέ, διά τήν πρᾶξιν. 7. Παρεμβολή βασιλέως Ἀσσούρ, ἐστίν ἡ συναγωγή τῶν πονηρῶν λογισμῶν,

ἐν ᾗ δυνατός ἐστιν, ὁ πρός ἡδονήν τάς φυσικάς ὀρέξεις κινῶν· πολεμιστής δέ ἐστιν ὁ τὸ θυμικόν εἰς τήν τῶν ἡδονῶν φυλακήν διεγείρων· ἄρχων δέ, ὁ ταῖς ἐπιφανείαις τῶν ὁρατῶν τάς αἰσθήσεις διερεθίζων· στρατηγός (14Β_370> δέ, ὁ εἰδοποιός τῶν παθῶν, καί τῶν ὕλων καί τρόπων τῆς αὐτῶν ἐνεργείας ἐπινοητικός.

8. Ὅτι χωρίς αἰσθητοῦ πράγματος, φησίν, οὐ συνίσταται πάθος. Μή γάρ οὔσης γυναικός, οὐκ ἔστι πορνεία· καί βρωμάτων οὐκ ὄντων, οὐκ ἔσται γαστριμαργία· καί χρυσίου μή ὄντος, φιλαργυρίας οὐκ ἔσται πάθος. Οὐκοῦν πάσης ἐμπαθοῦς κινήσεως τῶν ἐν ἡμῖν φυσικῶν δυνάμεων, ἄρχει τό αἰσθητόν, ἤγουν ὁ δι᾿ αὐτοῦ τήν ψυχήν διερεθίζων πρός ἁμαρτίαν δαίμων.

9. Ἡ τρίψις, φησίν, τήν ἐνέργειαν· ἡ ἔκτριψις δέ, καί αὐτήν ἀφανίζει τῆς κακίας τήν ἐνθύμησιν.

10. Ὡς γάρ ὁ βοῤῥᾶς, φησίν, ἥλιον οὐκ ἔχει διοδεύοντα· οὕτως οὔτε ἡ κακή ἕξις, ἥν οἰκεῖ ὁ διάβολος, γνώσεως φωτισμόν ἐπιδέχεται.

ΝΑ (51). ΠΕΡΙ ΤΟΥ "ΚΑΙ ΠΟΛΛΟΙ ΕΦΕΡΟΝ ∆ΩΡΑ ΤΩ ΚΥΡΙΩ ΚΑΙ ∆ΟΜΑΤΑ ΤΩ

ΒΑΣΙΛΕΙ". 51. ΕΡΩΤΗΣΙΣ ΝΑ' Καὶ πολλοὶ ἔφερον δῶρα τῷ Κυρίῳ εἰς Ἱερουσαλὴμ καὶ δόματα τῷ Ἐζεκίᾳ

βασιλεῖ Ἰούδα, καὶ ὑπερήρθη κατ᾽ ὀφθαλμοὺς πάντων τῶν ἐθνῶν. Τί τὰ δῶρα, καὶ τί τὰ δόματα; καὶ διὰ τί τῷ μὲν Θεῷ δῶρα, τῷ δὲ βασιλεῖ δόματα; καὶ τί τὸ ὑπεραρθῆναι κατ᾽ ὀφθαλμοὺς πάντων τῶν ἐθνῶν;

Ἀπόκρισις. Τὴν ὁρωμένην ἅπασαν φύσιν ὁ Θεὸς ὑποστήσας, οὐκ ἀφῆκεν αὐτὴν κατὰ

μόνην κινεῖσθαι τὴν αἴσθησιν, ἀλλ᾽ ἐγκατέσπειρεν ἑκάστῳ τῶν αὐτὴν συμπληρούντων εἰδῶν καὶ σοφίας λόγους πνευματικοὺς καὶ ἀγωγῆς ἀστείας τρόπους, ὥστε μὴ μόνον διὰ τῶν σιγώντων κτισμάτων μεγαλοφώνως κηρύττεσθαι τὸν ποιητὴν τῶν κτισμάτων τοῖς τῶν γεγονότων μηνυόμενον λόγοις, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸν ἄνθρωπον, τοῖς κατὰ φύσιν τῶν ὁρωμένων (14Β_372> θεσμοῖς τε καὶ τρόποις παιδαγωγούμενον, εὐμαρῶς τὴν πρὸς αὐτὸν ἄγουσαν ὁδὸν τῆς δικαιοσύνης εὑρεῖν.