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a benefit of the creator, just as if one, having been entrusted with wealth and power from a king, should tyrannize his benefactor, whom he will justly subdue and punish, if he should see him remaining in his tyranny until the end. 95 Concerning the law of God and the law of sin The divine is good and exceedingly good, and its will; for this is good, which God wills. And the law is the commandment that teaches this, so that, remaining in it, we may be in the light. The transgression of this commandment is sin. And this consists of the assault of the devil and our unforced and voluntary acceptance; and this is also called law. Therefore, the law of God, entering our mind, draws it to itself and pricks our conscience. And our conscience is also called the law of our mind. And the assault of the evil one, that is, the law of sin, entering the members of our flesh, attacks us through it. For once having voluntarily transgressed the law of God and accepted the assault of the evil one, we gave it entrance, having been sold by ourselves to sin. Whence our body is readily led to it. Therefore, the scent and perception of sin laid up in our body, that is, the desire and pleasure of the body, is also called the law in the members of our flesh. Therefore, the law of my mind, that is, the conscience, delights in the law of God, that is, the commandment, and wills it. But the law of sin, that is, the assault through the law in the members, that is, of the body's desire and inclination and movement and of the irrational part of the soul, wars against the law of my mind, that is, the conscience, and takes me captive, although I will and love the law of God and do not will sin, by provocation through the smoothness of pleasure and the desire of the body and of the irrational part of the soul, as I said, it leads astray and persuades me to serve sin; but "what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh" (for He took on flesh, but by no means sin) "He condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit." "For the Spirit helps us in our weakness" and gives power to the law of our mind against the law in our members. For "we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit itself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered," that is, it teaches us what we shall pray for. So that it is impossible to work out the commandments of God except through patience and prayer. 96 Against the Jews concerning the Sabbath The seventh day is called the Sabbath, and it signifies rest; for on it God rested from His works, as Scripture says. Wherefore also the number of the days, proceeding up to seven, is again recycled and begins from the first. This number is honored among the Jews, God having commanded that it be honored not in a random way, but with the heaviest penalties for its transgression. But He did not command this simply, but for certain reasons mystically understood by the spiritual and discerning. At least as I, the ignorant, understand it, that I may begin from the lower and cruder things; God, knowing the crudeness and love of the flesh and the complete inclination toward matter of the Israelite people, and at the same time their lack of discernment; first, that the slave and the beast of burden might rest, as it is written; since a "righteous man has regard for the life of his beast," and at the same time, that having leisure from distraction concerning matter, they might be gathered to God "in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs," and spending the whole seventh day in the study of the divine scriptures and resting in God. For when there was no law, no God-inspired scripture, the Sabbath was not dedicated to God. But when the God-inspired scripture was given through Moses, the Sabbath was dedicated to God, so that those who do not dedicate their whole life to God might pass the time on it in the study of this, those not with desire for the

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δημιουργοῦ εὐεργεσίαν ἐποίησεν, ὥσπερ ἄν, εἴ τις πλοῦτον καὶ ἀρχὴν παρὰ βασιλέως ἐγχειρισθεὶς τυραννήσει τὸν εὐεργέτην, ὃν ἀξίως χειρωσάμενος τιμωρήσεται, εἰ μέχρι τέλους τῇ τυραννίδι κατίδοι τοῦτον ἐναπομένοντα. 95 Περὶ νόμου θεοῦ καὶ νόμου ἁμαρτίασ Ἀγαθὸν τὸ θεῖον καὶ ὑπεράγαθον, καὶ τὸ τούτου θέλημα· τοῦτο γὰρ ἀγαθόν, ὅπερ ὁ θεὸς βούλεται. Νόμος δέ ἐστιν ἡ τοῦτο διδάσκουσα ἐντολή, ἵν' ἐν αὐτῷ μένοντες ἐν φωτὶ ὦμεν. Ἧς ἐντολῆς ἡ παράβασις ἁμαρτία ἐστίν. Αὕτη δὲ διὰ τῆς τοῦ διαβόλου προσβολῆς καὶ τῆς ἡμετέρας ἀβιάστου καὶ ἑκουσίου παραδοχῆς συνίσταται· λέγεται δὲ καὶ αὕτη νόμος. Ἐπιβαίνων οὖν ὁ τοῦ θεοῦ νόμος τῷ νῷ ἡμῶν ἐφέλκεται πρὸς ἑαυτὸν καὶ νύττει τὴν ἡμετέραν συνείδησιν. Λέγεται δὲ καὶ ἡ ἡμετέρα συνείδησις νόμος τοῦ νοὸς ἡμῶν. Καὶ ἡ προσβολὴ δὲ τοῦ πονηροῦ, τουτέστιν ὁ νό μος τῆς ἁμαρτίας, ἐπιβαίνων τοῖς μέλεσι τῆς σαρκὸς ἡμῶν δι' αὐτῆς ἡμῖν προσβάλλει. Ἅπαξ γὰρ παραβάντες ἑκουσίως τὸν νόμον τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ τὴν προσβολὴν τοῦ πονηροῦ παραδεξάμενοι ἐδώκαμεν αὐτῇ εἴσοδον, πραθέντες ὑφ' ἑαυτῶν τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ. Ὅθεν ἑτοίμως ἄγεται τὸ σῶμα ἡμῶν πρὸς αὐτήν. Λέγεται οὖν καὶ ἡ ἐναποκειμένη τῷ σώματι ἡμῶν ὀσμὴ καὶ αἴσθησις τῆς ἁμαρτίας ἤτοι ἐπιθυμία καὶ ἡδονὴ τοῦ σώματος νόμος ἐν τοῖς μέλεσι τῆς σαρκὸς ἡμῶν. Ὁ μὲν οὖν νόμος τοῦ νοός μου ἤτοι ἡ συνείδησις συνήδεται τῷ νόμῳ τοῦ θεοῦ ἤτοι τῇ ἐντολῇ καὶ ταύτην θέλει. Ὁ δὲ νόμος τῆς ἁμαρτίας ἤτοι ἡ προσβολὴ διὰ τοῦ νόμου τοῦ ἐν τοῖς μέλεσιν ἤτοι τῆς τοῦ σώματος ἐπιθυμίας καὶ ῥοπῆς καὶ κινήσεως καὶ τοῦ ἀλόγου μέρους τῆς ψυχῆς ἀντιστρατεύεται τῷ νόμῳ τοῦ νοός μου, τουτέστι τῇ συνειδήσει, καὶ αἰχμαλωτίζει με καὶ θέλοντα τὸν τοῦ θεοῦ νόμον καὶ ἀγαπῶντα καὶ μὴ θέλοντα τὴν ἁμαρτίαν κατὰ ἀνάκρασιν διὰ τοῦ λείου τῆς ἡδονῆς καὶ τῆς τοῦ σώματος ἐπιθυμίας καὶ τοῦ ἀλόγου μέρους τῆς ψυχῆς, ὡς ἔφην, πλανᾷ καὶ πείθει δουλεῦσαι τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ· ἀλλ' «ὁ θεὸς τὸ ἀδύνατον τοῦ νόμου, ἐν ᾧ ἠσθένει ὁ νόμος διὰ τῆς σαρκός, πέμψας τὸν υἱὸν αὐτοῦ ἐν ὁμοιώματι σαρκὸς ἁμαρτίας» (σάρκα μὲν γὰρ ἀνέλαβεν, ἁμαρτίαν δὲ οὐδαμῶς) «κατέκρινε τὴν ἁμαρτίαν ἐν τῇ σαρκί, ἵνα τὸ δικαίωμα τοῦ νόμου πληρωθῇ ἐν τοῖς μὴ κατὰ σάρκα περιπατοῦσιν, ἀλλὰ κατὰ πνεῦμα». «Τὸ γὰρ πνεῦμα συναντιλαμβάνεται τῇ ἀσθενείᾳ ἡμῶν» καὶ παρέχει δύναμιν τῷ νόμῳ τοῦ νοὸς ἡμῶν κατὰ τοῦ νόμου τοῦ ἐν τοῖς μέλεσιν ἡμῶν. Τὸ γὰρ «τί προσευξώμεθα, καθὸ δεῖ, οὐκ οἴδαμεν, ἀλλ' αὐτὸ τὸ πνεῦμα ἐντυγχάνει ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν στεναγμοῖς ἀλαλήτοις», τουτέστι διδάσκει ἡμᾶς, τί προσευξόμεθα. Ὥστε ἀδύνατον, εἰ μὴ δι' ὑπομονῆς καὶ προσευχῆς τὰς ἐντολὰς τοῦ θεοῦ κατεργάσασθαι. 96 Κατὰ Ἰουδαίων περὶ τοῦ σαββάτου Σάββατον ἡ ἑβδόμη ἡμέρα κέκληται, δηλοῖ δὲ τὴν κατάπαυσιν· ἐν αὐτῇ γὰρ κατέπαυσεν ὁ θεὸς ἀπὸ τῶν ἔργων αὐτοῦ, ὥς φησιν ἡ γραφή. ∆ιὸ καὶ μέχρις ἑπτὰ ὁ τῶν ἡμερῶν ἀριθμὸς προβαίνων πάλιν ἀνακυκλοῦται καὶ ἀπὸ τῆς πρώτης ἄρχεται. Οὗτος ὁ ἀριθμὸς τίμιος παρὰ Ἰουδαίοις τοῦ θεοῦ προστάξαντος τιμᾶσθαι αὐτὸν οὐχ ὡς ἔτυχεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ μετὰ βαρυτάτων τῶν ἐπὶ τῇ παραβάσει ἐπιτιμίων. Οὐχ ἁπλῶς δὲ τοῦτο προσέταξεν, ἀλλὰ διά τινας μυστικῶς τοῖς πνευματικοῖς τε καὶ διορατικοῖς κατανοουμένας αἰτίας. Ὡς ἐμὲ γοῦν γνῶναι τὸν ἀμαθῆ, ἵν' ἐκ τῶν κατωτέρων καὶ παχυτέρων ἄρξωμαι· Εἰδὼς ὁ θεὸς τὸ παχύ τε καὶ φιλόσαρκον καὶ πρὸς τὴν ὕλην ὅλως ἐπιρρεπὲς τοῦ Ἰσραηλίτου λαοῦ, ἅμα δὲ καὶ τὸ ἀδιάκριτον· πρῶτον μέν, ἵνα ὁ δοῦλος καὶ τὸ ὑποζύγιον ἀναπαύσηται, ὡς γέγραπται· ἐπειδὴ ἀνὴρ «δίκαιος οἰκτείρει ψυχὰς κτηνῶν αὐτοῦ», ἅμα δὲ ἵνα καὶ σχολὴν ἄγοντες ἐκ τοῦ περὶ τὴν ὕλην περισπασμοῦ πρὸς θεὸν συνάγωνται «ἐν ψαλμοῖς καὶ ὕμνοις καὶ ᾠδαῖς πνευματικαῖς» καὶ μελέτῃ τῶν θείων γραφῶν ἅπασαν τὴν ἑβδόμην ἀναλίσκοντες καὶ ἐν τῷ θεῷ καταπαύοντες. Ὅτε μὲν γὰρ οὐκ ἦν νόμος, οὐ γραφὴ θεόπνευστος, οὐδὲ τὸ σάββατον θεῷ ἀφιέρωτο. Ὅτε δὲ ἡ θεόπνευστος γραφὴ διὰ Μωσέως ἐδόθη, ἀφιερώθη τῷ θεῷ τὸ σάββατον, ὡς ἂν περὶ τὴν ταύτης μελέτην ἐν αὐτῷ ἀδολεσχήσωσιν οἱ μὴ πάντα τὸν βίον τῷ θεῷ ἀφιεροῦντες, οἱ μὴ πόθῳ τῷ