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to the law that it is good. 2. Do you see for now that the mind is not corrupted, but in its action preserves its own nobility? For even if it pursues wickedness, it pursues it while hating it, which would be the greatest praise for both the natural and the written law. For that the law is good, he says, is clear from the fact that I accuse myself, disobeying the law and hating what has been done; and yet if the law were the cause of sin, how could one who delights in it hate what is commanded by it to be done? For I agree with the law, he says, that it is good. But now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. For I know that in me, that is, in my flesh, dwells no good thing. Here those who slander the flesh attack, and alienate it from the creation of God. What then should we say? The very things we said previously when discussing the law, that, just as there he says the whole is of sin, so also here. For he did not say, that The flesh does it, but the contrary, that It is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. But if he says, that no good dwells in it, this is not yet an accusation against the flesh; for the fact that good does not dwell in it does not show it to be evil. We confess that the flesh is indeed inferior to the soul and of a lower rank, but not contrary nor warring nor evil, but as a lyre to a lyre-player, and as a ship to a pilot, so it is subject to the soul; which are not contrary to those who lead and use them, but are even very congruous, though not of equal honor with the artisan. Just as, then, one who says, that The skill is not in the lyre, nor in the ship, but in the pilot and the lyre-player, did not slander the instruments, but showed how great the distance is between them and the artisan of the art; so also Paul, in saying, that In my flesh dwells no good thing, did not slander the body, but showed the superiority of the soul. For this 60.510 is the one entrusted with the entire governance, and the lyre-playing; which is what Paul also shows here, establishing the authority of the soul. And dividing man into these two, soul and body, he says that the flesh is more irrational, and devoid of understanding, and is among the things that are led, but not among the things that lead; but the soul is wiser, and able to discern what should and should not be done, yet not sufficient to rule the horse as it wishes; which would be an accusation not only of the flesh, but also of the soul, since it knows what it ought to do, but does not carry out what it has decided. For to will is present with me, he says, but how to perform that which is good I find not. Here again, by saying, I find not, he does not mean ignorance, nor perplexity, but a certain vexation and plot of sin; which indeed he added to show more clearly; For the good that I would I do not: but the evil which I would not, that I do. Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwells in me. Have you seen how he absolved both the substance of the soul and the substance of the flesh from accusation, and transferred the whole blame to the evil action? For if it does not will the evil, the soul is acquitted, and if he himself does not do it, the body is also freed, and the whole belongs to the evil choice alone. For the substance of the soul and of the body and of choice are not the same, but the former are works of God, while the latter is a movement originating from ourselves, to whatever we may wish to lead it. For the will is innate and from God; but a will of such a kind is our own and of our mind. I find then a law, that, when I would do good, evil is present with me. What has been said is unclear; what then is meant? I praise the law, he says, according to my conscience, and I find it to be an advocate for me who wishes to do good, and intensifying my will; for just as I delight in it, so it also praises my mind. Do you see how he shows that the knowledge of things good and not so has been laid down in us from the beginning, and that the law of Moses praises it, and is praised by it? For neither did he say above, that I am taught by the law, but, I agree with the

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νόμῳ ὅτι καλός. βʹ. Ὁρᾷς τέως τὴν διάνοιαν οὐ διεφθαρμένην, ἀλλὰ ἐν τῇ πράξει τὴν οἰκείαν διατηροῦσαν εὐγένειαν; Εἰ γὰρ καὶ μετέρχεται τὴν κακίαν, ἀλλὰ μισοῦσα μετέρχεται, ὃ καὶ τοῦ φυσικοῦ νόμου καὶ τοῦ γραπτοῦ μέγιστον ἐγκώμιον ἂν εἴη. Ὅτι γὰρ καλὸς ὁ νόμος, φησὶ, δῆλον ἐξ ὧν ἐμαυτοῦ κατηγορῶ, παρακούων τοῦ νόμου καὶ μισῶν τὸ γεγενημένον· καίτοι εἰ ἁμαρτίας αἴτιος ἦν ὁ νόμος, πῶς αὐτῷ συνηδόμενος τὸ ὑπ' αὐτοῦ κελευόμενον γενέσθαι, ἐμίσει; Σύμφημι γὰρ τῷ νόμῳ, φησὶν, ὅτι καλός. Νυνὶ δὲ οὐκέτι ἐγὼ κατεργάζομαι αὐτὸ, ἀλλ' ἡ οἰκοῦσα ἐν ἐμοὶ ἁμαρτία. Οἶδα γὰρ, ὅτι οὐκ οἰκεῖ ἐν ἐμοὶ, τουτέστιν, ἐν τῇ σαρκί μου, ἀγαθόν. Ἐνταῦθα ἐπιτίθενται οἱ τὴν σάρκα διαβάλλοντες, καὶ τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ δημιουργίας ἀλλοτριοῦντες. Τί οὖν ἂν εἴποιμεν; Ἃ καὶ περὶ τοῦ νόμου πρώην διαλεγόμενοι εἰρήκαμεν, ὅτι, ὥσπερ ἐκεῖ τὸ πᾶν τῆς ἁμαρτίας εἶναί φησιν, οὕτω καὶ ἐνταῦθα. Οὐ γὰρ εἶπεν, ὅτι Ἡ σὰρξ αὐτὸ κατεργάζεται, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὐναντίον, ὅτι Οὐκέτι ἐγὼ κατεργάζομαι αὐτὸ, ἀλλ' ἡ οἰκοῦσα ἐν ἐμοὶ ἁμαρτία. Εἰ δὲ λέγει, ὅτι οὐκ οἰκεῖ ἐν αὐτῇ ἀγαθὸν, οὔπω τοῦτο ἔγκλημα τῆς σαρκός· οὐ γὰρ τὸ μὴ οἰκεῖν ἀγαθὸν ἐν αὐτῇ, πονηρὰν αὐτὴν δείκνυσιν οὖσαν. Ἡμεῖς δὲ ἐλάττονα μὲν ὁμολογοῦμεν εἶναι τῆς ψυχῆς τὴν σάρκα καὶ καταδεεστέραν, οὐ μὴν ἐναντίαν οὐδὲ μαχομένην οὐδὲ πονηρὰν, ἀλλ' ὡς κιθάραν κιθαριστῇ, καὶ ὡς ναῦν κυβερνήτῃ, οὕτως αὐτὴν ὑποκεῖσθαι τῇ ψυχῇ· ἅπερ οὐκ ἐναντία τοῖς ἄγουσι καὶ χρωμένοις ἐστὶν, ἀλλὰ καὶ σφόδρα συμβαίνοντα, οὐ μὴν ὁμότιμα τῷ τεχνίτῃ. Ὥσπερ οὖν ὁ λέγων, ὅτι Οὐκ ἐν τῇ κιθάρᾳ, οὐδ' ἐν τῇ νηῒ ἡ τέχνη, ἀλλ' ἐν τῷ κυβερνήτῃ καὶ τῷ κιθαρῳδῷ, οὐ τὰ ἔργα διέβαλεν, ἀλλὰ τὸ μέσον ὅσον πρὸς τὸν τεχνίτην τῆς τέχνης ἔδειξεν· οὕτω καὶ ὁ Παῦλος εἰπὼν, ὅτι Οὐκ οἰκεῖ ἐν τῇ σαρκί μου ἀγαθὸν, οὐ τὸ σῶμα διέβαλεν, ἀλλὰ τὸ ὑπερέχον τῆς ψυχῆς ἔδειξεν. Αὕτη 60.510 γάρ ἐστιν ἡ τὸ πᾶν ἐγκεχειρισμένη τῆς κυβερνήσεως, καὶ τῆς κιθαρῳδίας· ὅπερ καὶ Παῦλος ἐνταῦθα δείκνυσι, τὸ κῦρος τῆς ψυχῆς τιθέμενος. Καὶ εἰς δύο ταῦτα τὸν ἄνθρωπον διελὼν, ψυχὴν καὶ σῶμα, λέγει ὅτι ἀλογωτέρα μὲν ἡ σὰρξ, καὶ συνέσεως ἔρημος, καὶ τῶν ἀγομένων, ἀλλ' οὐ τῶν ἀγόντων· σοφωτέρα δὲ ἡ ψυχὴ, καὶ τὸ πρακτέον καὶ τὸ μὴ πρακτέον συνιδεῖν δυναμένη, οὐ μὴν ἀρκοῦσα πρὸς τὸ τὸν ἵππον ἄρχειν ὡς βούλεται· ὅπερ οὐ τῆς σαρκὸς μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῆς ψυχῆς γένοιτ' ἂν ἔγκλημα, εἰδυίας μὲν ἅπερ δεῖ πράττειν, οὐκέτι δὲ εἰς ἔργον ἐκφερούσης τὰ δόξαντα. Τὸ γὰρ θέλειν παράκειταί μοι, φησὶ, τὸ δὲ κατεργάζεσθαι τὸ καλὸν οὐχ εὑρίσκω. Ἐνταῦθα πάλιν εἰπὼν, Οὐχ εὑρίσκω, οὐκ ἄγνοιάν φησιν, οὐδὲ ἀπορίαν, ἀλλ' ἐπήρειάν τινα καὶ ἐπιβουλὴν τῆς ἁμαρτίας· ὅπερ οὖν καὶ σαφέστερον δεικνὺς ἐπήγαγεν· Οὐ γὰρ ὃ θέλω, ποιῶ ἀγαθὸν, ἀλλ' ὃ οὐ θέλω κακὸν, τοῦτο πράσσω. Εἰ δὲ ὃ ἐγὼ οὐ θέλω, τοῦτο ποιῶ, οὐκέτι ἐγὼ κατεργάζομαι αὐτὸ, ἀλλ' ἡ οἰκοῦσα ἐν ἐμοὶ ἁμαρτία. Εἶδες πῶς καὶ τὴν οὐσίαν τῆς ψυχῆς, καὶ τὴν οὐσίαν τῆς σαρκὸς ἀπαλλάξας ἐγκλήματος, τὸ πᾶν ἐπὶ τὴν πονηρὰν πρᾶξιν μετέστησεν; Εἰ γὰρ οὐ θέλει τὸ κακὸν, ἀπήλλακται ἡ ψυχὴ, καὶ εἰ αὐτὸς αὐτὸ μὴ κατεργάζεται, ἠλευθέρωται καὶ τὸ σῶμα, καὶ μόνης τῆς πονηρᾶς προαιρέσεώς ἐστι τὸ πᾶν. Οὐ γὰρ ταυτὸν ψυχῆς οὐσία καὶ σώματος καὶ προαιρέσεως, ἀλλὰ τὰ μέν ἐστιν ἔργα Θεοῦ, τὸ δὲ ἐξ ἡμῶν αὐτῶν γινομένη κίνησις, πρὸς ὅπερ ἂν αὐτὴν βουληθῶμεν ἀγαγεῖν. Ἡ μὲν γὰρ βούλησις, ἔμφυτον καὶ παρὰ Θεοῦ· ἡ δὲ τοιάδε βούλησις, ἡμέτερον καὶ τῆς γνώμης ἡμῶν. Εὑρίσκω ἄρα τὸν νόμον τῷ θέλοντι ἐμοὶ ποιεῖν τὸ καλὸν, ὅτι ἐμοὶ τὸ κακὸν παράκειται. Ἀσαφὲς τὸ εἰρημένον· τί οὖν ἐστι τὸ λεγόμενον; Ἐπαινῶ τὸν νόμον, φησὶ, κατὰ τὸ συνειδὸς, καὶ αὐτὸν δὲ εὑρίσκω ἐμοὶ τῷ βουλομένῳ τὸ καλὸν ποιεῖν συνήγορον, καὶ ἐπιτείνοντά μοι τὸ βούλημα· ὥσπερ γὰρ ἐγὼ αὐτῷ συνήδομαι, οὕτω καὶ αὐτὸς ἐπαινεῖ τὴν γνώμην τὴν ἐμήν. Ὁρᾷς πῶς δείκνυσι τὴν μὲν τῶν καλῶν καὶ τῶν μὴ τοιούτων γνῶσιν ἐξ ἀρχῆς ἡμῖν καταβεβλημένην, τὸν δὲ νόμον Μωϋσέως ἐπαινοῦντα αὐτὴν, καὶ ἐπαινούμενον παρ' αὐτῆς; Οὐδὲ γὰρ ἀνωτέρω εἶπεν, ὅτι ∆ιδάσκομαι παρὰ τοῦ νόμου, ἀλλὰ, Σύμφημι τῷ