John of Damascus, Sacred parallels

will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven, neither in this age, nor in the one to come? Do you want to see another consort of this wickedness? look for me at Delilah. For she, having shaved Samson, the most courageous man, handed him over to the foreigners, her own husband, her own spouse, whom she cherished, whom she caressed, whom she flattered, whom she pretended to love more than herself; whom yesterday she loved, today she deceived; whom yesterday she cherished loving, today she buried deceiving. And yet was he not handsome? and who was more handsome than he at that time? so that he wore seven locks on his head, bearing the image of the sevenfold grace. Was he not courageous? so that he alone choked the fearsome lion on the road, and with one jawbone of a donkey laid low ten thousand foreigners. But he was also holy. For he was so holy that, when he was thirsty in a lack of water, he prayed, and from the dead jawbone held in his hand brought forth springs of water, and from there drew the remedy for his thirst. And him, so handsome, so courageous, his own wife handed over as an enemy to the foreigners. For this reason the prophet commands you: From her who lies with you, beware of confiding anything to her. Tell me, what beast would ever have contrived such things against its own male? What she-dragon wants to destroy 95.1329 her own mate? What lioness hands over her own mate to be slaughtered? Do you see that Wisdom aptly said, There is no head above the head of a serpent, and there is no wickedness above the wickedness of a woman. And once and for all, let him who has a wicked wife know that he has already received the wages of his iniquities; A wicked wife will be given as a portion to a lawless man, in return for his deeds. A flattering woman is unbearable, adorning her face like a meadow, variously causing her cheeks to blush; whitening her face with starch, and vine-blossom, and bean-flour, and white lead, and outlining her eyes with black; beautifying her neck, her hands, and her hair with golden ornaments, and perfuming her soft clothing with various fragrances. She is a deadly trap, leading the young man away through all the senses, the sight by her apparent beauty, and bewitching the hearing with softness. A woman is the evil beast of burden, the creeping worm, the housemate of Adam, the daughter of the lie, the prison of paradise, the expeller of Adam, the hostile destruction, the enmity of peace. God did not bestow the knowledge of good and evil upon the tree, nor did He hang the rational upon the irrational. For the plant is irrational, but man is rational. The tree did not have knowledge of good and evil. If the tree indeed had knowledge, and was rational, it would have been necessary, as Eve was going to take of the fruit, for the tree to say to the woman: What are you doing, woman? Do you want to taste of my fruit? Do not eat, so that you do not die. You wish to harvest me to your own destruction. You delight in my fruit, but death lies within. For do you not have things from which to eat? Why then do you not enjoy without danger, but desire destructively? Do you want me to call your husband, and tell him your deed, so that he may hate your intention? So that you may be delighted, he is destroyed; so that you may eat, he dies; so that you may converse with the serpent, he is estranged from God. But the tree said none of these things. Why? Because it did not partake of reason, but it bore a law. For just as a handwritten book does not speak by itself, but speaks through what is in it, so also the tree put forth the law instead of letters. What law? From every tree of knowing good and evil you shall not eat from it. For in whatever day you eat, you will die by death. What then of Moses? Let him say the following. And God said, it is not good for the man to be alone; let us make for him a helper corresponding to him. A helper, not a man-slayer; a helper, not a deceiver; a helper, not a plotter; a helper, not an adversary; a helper, not above him; corresponding to him, not against him. And God took the man, it says, whom he had formed 95.1332, and placed him in the paradise of delight.

ἀφεθήσεται τοῖς ἀνθρώποις, ἡ δὲ κατὰ τοῦ Πνεύματος βλασφημία οὐκ ἀφεθήσεται, οὔτε ἐν τῷ αἰῶνι τούτῳ, οὔτε ἐν τῷ μέλλοντι; Θέλεις ἰδεῖν καὶ ἄλλην τῆς πονηρίας ταύτης ὁμόζυγον; ἴδε μοι καὶ τὴν ∆αλιδάν. Καὶ γὰρ ἐκείνη τὸν Σαμψὼν τὸν ἀνδρειότατον ἄνδρα ξυρήσασα, τοῖς ἀλλοφύλοις παρέδωκε, τὸν ἴδιον ἄνδρα, τὸν ἴδιον σύνευνον, ὃν ἔθαλπεν, ὃν ἐθώπευεν, ὃν ἐκολάκευεν, ὃν ὑπὲρ ἑαυτὴν ἀγαπᾷν ὑπεκρίνατο· ὃν χθὲς ἠγάπα, σήμερον ἠπάτα· ὃν χθὲς ἔθαλπεν ἀγαπῶσα, σήμερον ἔθαπτεν ἀπατῶσα. Καὶ μὴν οὐκ ἦν ὡραῖος; καὶ τίς αὐτοῦ ὡραιότερος κατ' ἐκεῖνο καιροῦ; ὥστε ἑπτὰ βοστρύχους ἐπὶ κεφαλῆς ἔφερε, τῆς ἑπταφώτου χάριτος τὴν εἰκόνα βαστάζων. Μὴ οὐκ ἦν ἀνδρεῖος; ὥστε τὸν λέοντα φοβερὸν ὄντα ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ μόνος ἀπέπνιξεν, καὶ μιᾷ σιαγόνι ὄνου μυρίους ἀλλοφύλους κατέστρωσεν. Ἀλλὰ καὶ ἅγιος ἦν. Τοσοῦτον γὰρ ἦν ἅγιος, ὡς διψήσαντα αὐτὸν ἐν σπάνει ὕδατος εὔξασθαι, καὶ ἐκ τῆς κατεχομένης ἐν τῇ χειρὶ αὐτοῦ σιαγόνος νεκρᾶς ὕδατος πηγὰς ἐξενέγκαι, κἀκεῖθεν τὸ ἴαμα τῆς δίψης ἀρύσασθαι. Καὶ τὸν οὕτως ὡραῖον, τὸν οὕτως ἀνδρεῖον, ἡ ἰδία γυνὴ ὡς πολέμιον τοῖς ἀλλοφύλοις παρέδωκεν. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο παραγγέλλει σοι ὁ προφήτης· Ἀπὸ τῆς συγκοίτου σου φύλαξαι, τοῦ ἀναθέσθαι αὐτῇ τι. Εἰπέ μοι, ποῖον θηρίον κατὰ τοῦ ἰδίου ἄῤῥενος τοιαῦτα ἂν ἐμελέτησε πώποτε; Ποία δὲ δράκαινα τὸν ἴδιον ὁμόζυγον ἀπο 95.1329 λέσθαι θέλει; Ποία δὲ λέαινα τὸν ἴδιον ἄνδρα πρὸς σφαγὴν παραδίδωσιν; Ὁρᾷς ὅτι ἐπιτετευγμένως εἶπεν ἡ Σοφία τὸ, Οὐκ ἔστι κεφαλὴ ὑπὲρ κεφαλὴν ὄφεως, καὶ οὐκ ἔστι κακία ὑπὲρ κακίαν γυναικός. Καὶ ἅπαξ ἁπλῶς, ὁ ἔχων γυναῖκα πονηρὰν, γινωσκέτω, ὅτι ἤδη τοὺς μισθοὺς τῶν ἀνομιῶν αὐτοῦ ἐκομίσατο· Γυνὴ πονηρὰ ἀνόμῳ μερὶς δοθήσεται, ἀντὶ τῶν ἔργων αὐτοῦ. Ἀφόρητός ἐστι γυνὴ κολακευομένη, τὴν ὄψιν ὥσπερ λειμῶνα διανθίζουσα, ποικίλως φύει τὰς παρειὰς ἐρυθραίνουσα· ἀμύλῳ τε, οἰνανθίῳ, φαβατίῳ, καὶ ψιμμυθίῳ τὸ πρόσωπον λευκαίνουσα, καὶ μέλανι τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς ὑπογράφουσα· χρυσοῖς δὲ κόσμοις τὸν τράχηλον αὐτῆς, τὰς χεῖρας, καὶ τὰς τρίχας καλλωπίζουσα, καὶ τὴν μαλακὴν αὐτῆς ἐσθῆτα μυρίσμασι διαφόροις καπνίζουσα. Ἔστι δὲ παγὶς θανατηφόρος, διὰ πασῶν τῶν αἰσθήσεων ἀπάγουσα τὸν νέον, τὴν μὲν ὄψιν ἐκ τοῦ φαινομένου καλλωπισμοῦ, τὴν δὲ ἀκοὴν ταῖς μαλακίαις μαγεύουσα. Γυνὴ τὸ ὑποζύγιον τὸ κακὸν, ὁ σκώληξ ὁ συρόμενος, ὁ ἔνοικος τοῦ Ἀδὰμ, τοῦ ψεύδους ἡ θυγάτηρ, ἡ φυλακὴ τοῦ παραδείσου, τοῦ Ἀδὰμ ἡ ἐκβλητρία, ὁ πολέμιος ὄλεθρος, ἡ ἔχθρα τῆς εἰρήνης. Οὐ τῷ ξύλῳ ὁ Θεὸς ἐχαρίσατο τὴν γνῶσιν καλοῦ καὶ πονηροῦ, οὔτε κατεκρέμασε τὸ λογικὸν τοῦ ἀλόγου. Τὸ γὰρ φυτὸν ἄλογον, ὁ δὲ ἄνθρωπος λογικός. Οὐκ ἦν τὸ ξύλον καλοῦ καὶ πονηροῦ ἔχον γνῶσιν. Εἰ δὲ τὸ ξύλον εἶχε γνῶσιν πάντως, καὶ λογικὸν ὑπῆρχεν, ἔδει, τῆς Εὔας ἀπιούσης λαβεῖν τοῦ καρποῦ, εἰπεῖν τὸ δένδρον πρὸς τὴν γυναῖκα· Τί ποιεῖς, γυνή; θέλεις ἐκ τοῦ καρποῦ μου γεύσασθαι; μὴ φάγῃς, ἵνα μὴ ἀποθάνῃς. Κατὰ σεαυτῆς βούλει με τρυγῆσαι. Τέρπῃ μου τῷ καρπῷ, ἀλλὰ θάνατος ἔγκειται. Μὴ γὰρ οὐκ ἔχεις ἐξ ὧν φάγῃς; Τί οὖν οὐκ ἀπολαύεις ἀκινδύνως, ἀλλ' ἐπιθυμεῖς ὀλεθρίως; θέλεις, καλέσω τὸν ἄνδρα σου, καὶ εἴπω τὴν πρᾶξίν σου, ἵνα μισήσῃ τὴν γνώμην σου; Ἵνα σὺ τερφθῇς, ἐκεῖνος ἀφανίζεται· ἵνα σὺ φάγῃς, ἐκεῖνος ἀποθνήσκει· ἵνα σὺ τῷ ὄφει προσομιλήσῃς, ἐκεῖνος τοῦ Θεοῦ ἀλλοτριοῦται. Ἀλλ' οὐδὲν τούτων εἶπε τὸ δένδρον. ∆ιὰ τί; ὅτι οὐ μετεῖχε λόγου, ἀλλὰ νόμον ἐβάσταζεν. Ὥσπερ γὰρ βιβλίον ὁλόγραφον οὐ φθέγγεται δι' αὑτοῦ, λαλεῖ δὲ διὰ τῶν ἐν αὐτῷ, οὕτω καὶ τὸ δένδρον ἀντὶ γραμμάτων τὸν νόμον προεβάλλετο. Ποῖον νόμον; Ἀπὸ παντὸς ξύλου τοῦ γινώσκειν καλὸν καὶ πονηρὸν οὐ φάγεσθε ἀπ' αὐτοῦ. Ἧ δ' ἂν ἡμέρᾳ φάγητε, θανάτῳ ἀποθανεῖσθε. Τί οὖν ὁ Μωϋσῆς; λεγέτω τὰ ἀκόλουθα. Καὶ εἶπεν ὁ Θεὸς, οὐ καλὸν εἶναι τὸν ἄνθρωπον μόνον· ποιήσωμεν αὐτῷ βοηθὸν κατ' αὐτόν. Βοηθὸν, οὐκ ἀνδροκτόνον· βοηθὸν, οὐ πλάνον· βοηθὸν, οὐκ ἐπίβουλον· βοηθὸν, οὐκ ἀντίδικον· βοηθὸν, οὐχ ὑπὲρ αὐτόν· κατ' αὐτὸν, οὐ κατ' αὐτοῦ. Καὶ ἔλαβεν ὁ Θεὸς τὸν ἄνθρωπον, φησὶν, ὃν ἔπλα 95.1332 σε, καὶ ἔθετο αὐτὸν ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ τῆς τρυφῆς.