Chapter XXVI.—How the Perfect Man Treats the Body and the Things of the World.

Those, then, who run down created existence and vilify the body are wrong; not considering that the frame of man was formed erect for the contemplation of heaven, and that the organization of the senses tends to knowledge; and that the members and parts are arranged for good, not for pleasure. Whence this abode becomes receptive of the soul which is most precious to God; and is dignified with the Holy Spirit through the sanctification of soul and body, perfected with the perfection of the Saviour. And the succession of the three virtues is found in the Gnostic, who morally, physically, and logically occupies himself with God. For wisdom is the knowledge of things divine and human; and righteousness is the concord of the parts of the soul; and holiness is the service of God. But if one were to say that he disparaged the flesh, and generation on account of it, by quoting Isaiah, who says, “All flesh is grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass: the grass is withered, and the flower has fallen; but the word of the Lord endureth for ever;”1105    Isa. xl. 6–8. let him hear the Spirit interpreting the matter in question by Jeremiah, “And I scattered them like dry sticks, that are made to fly by the wind into the desert. This is the lot and portion of your disobedience, saith the Lord. As thou hast forgotten Me, and hast trusted in lies, so will I discover thy hinder parts to thy face; and thy disgrace shall be seen, thy adultery, and thy neighing,” and so on.1106    Jer. xiii. 24–27. For “the flower of grass,” and “walking after the flesh,” and “being carnal,” according to the apostle, are those who are in their sins. The soul of man is confessedly the better part of man, and the body the inferior. But neither is the soul good by nature, nor, on the other hand, is the body bad by nature. Nor is that which is not good straightway bad. For there are things which occupy a middle place, and among them are things to be preferred, and things to be rejected. The constitution of man, then, which has its place among things of sense, was necessarily composed of things diverse, but not opposite—body and soul.

Always therefore the good actions, as better, attach to the better and ruling spirit; and voluptuous and sinful actions are attributed to the worse, the sinful one.

Now the soul of the wise man and Gnostic, as sojourning in the body, conducts itself towards it gravely and respectfully, not with inordinate affections, as about to leave the tabernacle if the time of departure summon. “I am a stranger in the earth, and a sojourner with you,” it is said.1107    Gen. xxiii. 4; Ps. xxxix. 12. And hence Basilides says, that he apprehends that the election are strangers to the world, being supramundane by nature. But this is not the case. For all things are of one God. And no one is a stranger to the world by nature, their essence being one, and God one. But the elect man dwells as a sojourner, knowing all things to be possessed and disposed of; and he makes use of the things which the Pythagoreans make out to be the threefold good things. The body, too, as one sent on a distant pilgrimage, uses inns and dwellings by the way, having care of the things of the world, of the places where he halts; but leaving his dwelling-place and property without excessive emotion; readily following him that leads him away from life; by no means and on no occasion turning back; giving thanks for his sojourn, and blessing [God] for his departure, embracing the mansion that is in heaven. “For we know, that, if the earthly house of our tabernacle be dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven: if so be that being clothed we shall not be found naked. For we walk by faith, not by sight,”1108    2 Cor. v. 1, 2, 3, 7. as the apostle says; “and we are willing rather to be absent from the body, and present with God.” The rather is in comparison. And comparison obtains in the case of things that fall under resemblance; as the more valiant man is more valiant among the valiant, and most valiant among cowards. Whence he adds, “Wherefore we strive, whether present or absent, to be accepted with Him,”1109    2 Cor. v. 9. that is, God, whose work and creation are all things, both the world and things supramundane. I admire Epicharmus, who clearly says:—

and the minstrel1110    Pindar, according to Theodoret. who sings:—

The soul is not then sent down from heaven to what is worse. For God works all things up to what is better. But the soul which has chosen the best life—the life that is from God and righteousness—exchanges earth for heaven. With reason therefore, Job, who had attained to knowledge, said, “Now I know that thou canst do all things; and nothing is impossible to Thee. For who tells me of what I know not, great and wonderful things with which I was unacquainted? And I felt myself vile, considering myself to be earth and ashes.”1111    Job xlii. 2, 3, 6. For he who, being in a state of ignorance, is sinful, “is earth and ashes;” while he who is in a state of knowledge, being assimilated as far as possible to God, is already spiritual, and so elect. And that Scripture calls the senseless and disobedient “earth,” will be made clear by Jeremiah the prophet, saying, in reference to Joachim and his brethren “Earth, earth, hear the word of the Lord; Write this man, as man excommunicated.”1112    Jer. xxii. 29, 30. And another prophet says again, “Hear, O heaven; and give ear, O earth,”1113    Isa. i. 2. calling understanding “ear,” and the soul of the Gnostic, that of the man who has applied himself to the contemplation of heaven and divine things, and in this way has become an Israelite, “heaven.” For again he calls him who has made ignorance and hardness of heart his choice, “earth.” And the expression “give ear” he derives from the “organs of hearing,” “the ears,” attributing carnal things to those who cleave to the things of sense. Such are they of whom Micah the prophet says, “Hear the word of the Lord, ye peoples who dwell with pangs.”1114    Mic. i. 2, where, however, the concluding words are not found. And Abraham said, “By no means. The Lord is He who judgeth the earth;”1115    Gen. xviii. 25. “since he that believeth not, is,” according to the utterance of the Saviour, “condemned already.”1116    John iii. 18. And there is written in the Kings1117    Where? the judgment and sentence of the Lord, which stands thus: “The Lord hears the righteous, but the wicked He saveth not, because they do not desire to know God.” For the Almighty will not accomplish what is absurd. What do the heresies say to this utterance, seeing Scripture proclaims the Almighty God to be good, and not the author of evil and wrong, if indeed ignorance arises from one not knowing? But God does nothing absurd. “For this God,” it is said, “is our God, and there is none to save besides Him.”1118    Isa. xlv. 21. “For there is no unrighteousness with God,”1119    Rom. ix. 14. according to the apostle. And clearly yet the prophet teaches the will of God, and the gnostic proficiency, in these words: “And now, Israel, what doth the Lord God require of thee, but to fear the Lord thy God, and walk in all His ways, and love Him, and serve Him alone?”1120    Deut. x. 12 He asks of thee, who hast the power of choosing salvation. What is it, then, that the Pythagoreans mean when they bid us “pray with the voice”? As seems to me, not that they thought the Divinity could not hear those who speak silently, but because they wished prayers to be right, which no one would be ashamed to make in the knowledge of many. We shall, however, treat of prayer in due course by and by. But we ought to have works that cry aloud, as becoming “those who walk in the day.”1121    Rom. xiii. 13. “Let thy works shine,”1122    Matt. v. 16. and behold a man and his works before his face. “For behold God and His works.”1123    Isa. lxii. 11. For the gnostic must, as far as is possible, imitate God. And the poets call the elect in their pages godlike and gods, and equal to the gods, and equal in sagacity to Zeus, and having counsels like the gods, and resembling the gods,—nibbling, as seems to me, at the expression, “in the image and likeness.”1124    Gen. i. 26.

Euripides accordingly says, “Golden wings are round my back, and I am shod with the winged sandals of the Sirens; and I shall go aloft into the wide ether, to hold convene with Zeus.”

But I shall pray the Spirit of Christ to wing me to my Jerusalem. For the Stoics say that heaven is properly a city, but places here on earth are not cities; for they are called so, but are not. For a city is an important thing, and the people a decorous body, and a multitude of men regulated by law as the church by the word—a city on earth impregnable—free from tyranny; a product of the divine will on earth as in heaven. Images of this city the poets create with their pen. For the Hyperboreans, and the Arimaspian cities, and the Elysian plains, are commonwealths of just men. And we know Plato’s city placed as a pattern in heaven.1125    [Elucidation IX.]

Οὔκουν εὐλόγως οἱ κατατρέχοντες τῆς πλάσεως καὶ κακίζοντες τὸ σῶμα, οὐ συνορῶντες τὴν κατασκευὴν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ὀρθὴν πρὸς τὴν οὐρανοῦ θέαν γενομένην καὶ τὴν τῶν αἰσθήσεων ὀργανοποιίαν πρὸς γνῶσιν συντείνουσαν τά τε μέλη καὶ μέρη πρὸς τὸ καλόν, οὐ πρὸς ἡδονὴν εὔθετα. ὅθεν ἐπιδεκτικὸν γίνεται τῆς τιμιωτάτης τῷ θεῷ ψυχῆς τὸ οἰκητήριον τοῦτο καὶ πνεύματος ἁγίου κατὰ τὸν τῆς ψυχῆς τε καὶ σώματος ἁγιασμὸν καταξιοῦται τῷ τοῦ σωτῆρος καταρτισμῷ τελειούμενον. καὶ δὴ ἡ ἀντακολουθία τῶν τριῶν ἀρετῶν περὶ τὸν ἄνθρωπον εὑρίσκεται τὸν γνωστικὸν ἠθικῶς τε καὶ φυσικῶς καὶ λογικῶς περὶ τὸ θεῖον πραγματευόμενον. σοφία μὲν γὰρ ἐπιστήμη τῶν θείων καὶ τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων, δικαιοσύνη δὲ συμφωνία τῶν τῆς ψυχῆς μερῶν, ὁσιότης δὲ θεραπεία τοῦ θεοῦ. εἰ δέ τις διαβάλλεσθαι τὴν σάρκα καὶ δι' αὐτῆς τὴν γένεσιν φάσκοι παραθεὶς Ἡσαΐαν λέγοντα πᾶσα σὰρξ χόρτος καὶ πᾶσα δόξα ἀνθρώπου ὡς ἄνθος χόρτου· ἐξηράνθη ὁ χόρτος καὶ τὸ ἄνθος ἐξέπεσεν· τὸ δὲ ῥῆμα κυρίου μένει εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα, ἀκουσάτω ἑρμηνεύοντος τὸ ζητούμενον διὰ Ἱερεμίου τοῦ πνεύματος· καὶ διέσπειρα αὐτοὺς ὡς φρύγανα πετώμενα ὑπὸ ἀνέμου εἰς ἔρημον. οὗτος ὁ κλῆρος καὶ μερὶς τοῦ ἀπειθεῖν ὑμᾶς, λέγει κύριος· ὡς ἐπελάθου μου καὶ ἤλπισας ἐπὶ ψεύδεσι, κἀγὼ ἀποκαλύψω τὰ ὀπίσω σου ἐπὶ πρόσωπόν σου, καὶ ὀφθήσεται ἡ ἀτιμία σου, μοιχεία σου καὶ χρεμετισμός σου καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. τοῦτο γὰρ τὸ ἄνθος τοῦ χόρτου, καὶ τὸ κατὰ σάρκα περιπατεῖν καὶ σαρκικοὺς εἶναι κατὰ τὸν ἀπόστολον, ἐν ἁμαρτίαις ὄντας. κρεῖττον μὲν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ὡμολόγηται ἡ ψυχή, ἧττον δὲ τὸ σῶμα. ἀλλ' οὔτε ἀγαθὸν ἡ ψυχὴ φύσει οὔτε αὖ κακὸν φύσει τὸ σῶμα, οὐδὲ μὴν ὃ μή ἐστιν ἀγαθόν, τοῦτο εὐθέως κακόν. εἰσὶ γὰρ οὖν καὶ μεσότητές τινες καὶ προηγμένα καὶ ἀποπροηγμένα ἐν τοῖς μέσοις. ἐχρῆν δὴ οὖν τὴν σύνθεσιν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἐν αἰσθητοῖς γενομένην ἐκ διαφόρων συνεστάναι, ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐξ ἐναντίων, σώματός τε καὶ ψυχῆς. ἀεὶ τοίνυν αἱ ἀγαθαὶ πράξεις ὡς ἀμείνους τῷ κρείττονι τῷ πνευματικῷ προσάπτονται, αἱ δὲ φιλήδονοι καὶ ἁμαρτητικαὶ τῷ ἥττονι τῷ ἁμαρτητικῷ περιτίθενται. αὐτίκα ἡ τοῦ σοφοῦ τε καὶ γνωστικοῦ ψυχή, οἷον ἐπιξενουμένη τῷ σώματι, σεμνῶς αὐτῷ καὶ τιμητικῶς προσφέρεται, οὐ προσπαθῶς, ὅσον οὐδέπω, ἐὰν ὁ καιρὸς τῆς ἀποδημίας καλῇ, ἀπολείπουσα τὸ σκῆνος. πάροικος, φησίν, ἐν τῇ γῇ καὶ παρεπίδημος ἐγώ εἰμι μεθ' ὑμῶν. καὶ ἐντεῦθεν ξένην τὴν ἐκλογὴν τοῦ κόσμου ὁ Βασιλείδης εἴληφε λέγειν, ὡς ἂν ὑπερκόσμιον φύσει οὖσαν. τὸ δ' οὐχ οὕτως ἔχει. ἑνὸς γὰρ τὰ πάντα θεοῦ, καὶ οὐκ ἄν τις εἴη φύσει τοῦ κόσμου ξένος, μιᾶς μὲν τῆς οὐσίας οὔσης, ἑνὸς δὲ τοῦ θεοῦ, ἀλλ' ὁ ἐκλεκτὸς ὡς ξένος πολιτεύεται, κτητά τε καὶ ἀπόκτητα εἰδὼς πάντα. Ὅσα δὲ τριττὰ εἶναι ἀγαθὰ οἱ Περιπατητικοὶ θέλουσι, χρῆται αὐτοῖς, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῷ σώματι, ὥς τις μακρὰν στελλόμενος ἀποδημίαν πανδοχείοις καὶ ταῖς παρ' ὁδὸν οἰκήσεσιν, ἐπιμελούμενος μὲν καὶ κοσμῶν τὸν τόπον ἔνθα καταλύει, ἀπολείπων δὲ τὴν οἴκησιν καὶ τὴν κτῆσιν καθάπερ καὶ τὴν χρῆσιν ἀπροσπαθῶς, προθύμως τῷ ἀπάγοντι τοῦ βίου συνεπόμενος, οὐδαμῶς ὀπίσω κατ' οὐδεμίαν ἀφορμὴν ἐπιστρεφόμενος, εὐχαριστήσας μὲν ἐπὶ τῇ παροικίᾳ, εὐλογῶν δὲ ἐπὶ τῇ ἐξόδῳ, τὴν μονὴν ἀσπαζόμενος τὴν ἐν οὐρανῷ. οἴδαμεν γὰρ ὅτι, ἐὰν ἡ ἐπίγειος ἡμῶν οἰκία τοῦ σκήνους καταλυθῇ, οἰκοδομὴν ἐκ θεοῦ ἔχομεν, οἰκίαν ἀχειροποίητον αἰώνιον ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς. καὶ γὰρ ἐν τούτῳ στενάζομεν, τὸ οἰκητήριον ἡμῶν τὸ ἐξ οὐρανοῦ ἐπενδύσασθαι ἐπιποθοῦντες, εἴ γε καὶ ἐνδυσάμενοι οὐ γυμνοὶ εὑρεθησόμεθα· διὰ πίστεως γὰρ περιπατοῦμεν, οὐ διὰ εἴδους, ὡς ὁ ἀπόστολός φησιν. εὐδοκοῦμεν δὲ μᾶλλον ἐκδημῆσαι ἐκ τοῦ σώματος καὶ ἐνδημῆσαι πρὸς τὸν θεόν. ἐν συγκρίσει δὲ τὸ μᾶλλον, ἡ δὲ σύγκρισις ἐπὶ τῶν καθ' ὁμοίωσιν ὑποπιπτόντων, ὡς ὁ ἀνδρειότερος ἀνδρείων ἀνδρειότερος, δειλῶν δὲ ἀνδρειότατος. ὅθεν ἐπήγαγεν διὸ φιλοτιμούμεθα, εἴτε ἐκδημοῦντες εἴτε ἐνδημοῦντες, εὐάρεστοι εἶναι αὐτῷ, τῷ ἑνὶ δηλονότι θεῷ, οὗ τὰ πάντα ἔργον τε καὶ κτίσις, ὅ τε κόσμος καὶ τὰ ὑπερκόσμια. ἄγαμαι τὸν Ἐπίχαρμον σαφῶς λέγοντα· εὐσεβὴς νόῳ πεφυκὼς οὐ πάθοις κ' οὐδὲν κακὸν κατθανών, ἄνω τὸ πνεῦμα διαμένει κατ' οὐρανόν· καὶ τὸν μελοποιὸν ᾄδοντα· ψυχαὶ δ' ἀσεβῶν ὑπουράνιοι γαίᾳ πωτῶνται ἐν ἄλγεσι φονίοις ὑπὸ ζεύγλαις ἀφύκτοις κακῶν, εὐσεβῶν δὲ ἐπουράνιοι νάουσι, μολπαῖς μάκαρα μέγαν ἀείδουσ' ἐν ὕμνοις· οὔκουν οὐρανόθεν καταπέμπεται δεῦρο ἐπὶ τὰ ἥττω ψυχή, ὁ θεὸς γὰρ ἐπὶ τὰ ἀμείνω πάντα ἐργάζεται, ἀλλ' ἡ τὸν ἄριστον ἑλομένη βίον ἐκ θεοῦ καὶ δικαιοσύνης γῆς οὐρανὸν ἀνταλλάσσεται. Εἰκότως οὖν γνώσεως ἐπήβολος ὁ Ἰὼβ γενόμενος νῦν οἶδα εἶπεν ὅτι πάντα δύνασαι, ἀδυνατεῖ δέ σοι οὐθέν. τίς γὰρ ἀπαγγέλλει μοι ἃ οὐκ ᾔδειν, μεγάλα καὶ θαυμαστὰ ἃ οὐκ ἠπιστάμην; ἐγὼ δὲ ἐφαύλισα ἐμαυτὸν ἡγησάμενος ἐμαυτὸν εἶναι γῆν καὶ σποδόν. ὁ γὰρ ἐν ἀγνοίᾳ ὢν ἁμαρτητικός τέ ἐστι καὶ γῆ καὶ σποδός, ὁ δ' ἐν γνώσει καθεστώς, ἐξομοιούμενος θεῷ εἰς ὅσον δύναται, ἤδη πνευματικὸς καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ἐκλεκτός. ὅτι δὲ τοὺς ἀνοήτους καὶ ἀπειθεῖς γῆν καλεῖ ἡ γραφή, σαφὲς ποιήσει Ἱερεμίας ὁ προφήτης κατὰ Ἰωακεὶμ καὶ τῶν ἀδελφῶν αὐτοῦ λέγων· γῆ γῆ, ἄκουε λόγον κυρίου· γράψον τὸν ἄνδρα τοῦτον ἐκκήρυκτον ἄνθρωπον. ἄλλος δ' αὖ προφήτης φησίν· ἄκουε, οὐρανέ, καὶ ἐνωτίζου, γῆ, τὴν σύνεσιν ἀκοὴν εἰπών, καὶ οὐρανὸν τὴν τοῦ γνωστικοῦ ψυχὴν τὴν οὐρανοῦ καὶ τῶν θείων θέαν ἐπανῃρημένου καὶ ταύτῃ Ἰσραηλίτην γεγονέναι· ἔμπαλιν γὰρ αὖ τὸν ἑλόμενον τὴν ἀμαθίαν καὶ τὴν σκληροκαρδίαν γῆν εἴρηκεν καὶ τὸ ἐνωτίζου ἀπὸ τῶν ὀργάνων τῆς ἀκοῆς τῶν ὤτων προσηγόρευσεν, τὰ σαρκικὰ τοῖς προσανέχουσι τοῖς αἰσθητοῖς ἀπονείμας. οὗτοί εἰσι περὶ ὧν Μιχαίας ὁ προφήτης λέγει· ἀκούσατε λαοὶ λόγον κυρίου οἱ συνοικοῦντες ὀδύναις. καὶ ὁ Ἀβραὰμ μηδαμῶς, εἶπεν, κύριε, ὁ κρίνων τὴν γῆν, ἐπεὶ ὁ ἀπιστήσας κατὰ τὴν σωτήριον φωνὴν ἤδη κέκριται. γέγραπται δὲ κἀν ταῖς Βασιλείαις ἡ κρίσις καὶ ἡ ἀπόφασις τοῦ κυρίου ὧδε ἔχουσα· δικαίων εἰσακούει ὁ θεός, ἀσεβεῖς δὲ οὐ σῴζει, παρὰ τὸ μὴ βούλεσθαι εἰδέναι αὐτοὺς τὸν θεόν· ἄτοπα γὰρ οὐ συντελέσει ὁ παντοκράτωρ. τί πρὸς ταύτην ἔτι φθέγγονται τὴν φωνὴν αἱ αἱρέσεις, ἀγαθὸν θεὸν τὸν παντοκράτορα κηρυττούσης τῆς γραφῆς καὶ ἀναίτιον κακίας τε καὶ ἀδικίας, εἴ γε ἡ μὲν ἄγνοια διὰ τὸ μὴ γινώσκειν φύεται, ὁ θεὸς δὲ οὐδὲν ἄτοπον ποιεῖ; οὗτος γάρ ἐστι, φησίν, ὁ θεὸς ἡμῶν καὶ οὐκ ἔστι πλὴν αὐτοῦ σῴζων· οὐδὲ γάρ ἐστιν ἀδικία παρὰ τῷ θεῷ κατὰ τὸν ἀπόστολον. σαφῶς δὲ ἔτι ὁ προφήτης τὴν βουλὴν τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ τὴν προκοπὴν τὴν γνωστικὴν διὰ τούτων διδάσκει· καὶ νῦν, Ἰσραήλ, τί κύριος ὁ θεός σου αἰτεῖται παρὰ σοῦ, ἀλλ' ἢ φοβεῖσθαι κύριον τὸν θεόν σου καὶ πορεύεσθαι ἐν πάσαις ταῖς ὁδοῖς αὐτοῦ καὶ ἀγαπᾶν αὐτὸν καὶ λατρεύειν αὐτῷ μόνῳ; [τοῦτο] αἰτεῖται παρὰ σοῦ, τοῦ τὴν ἐξουσίαν ἔχοντος ἑλέσθαι τὴν σωτηρίαν. Τί τοίνυν οἱ Πυθαγόρειοι βουλόμενοι μετὰ φωνῆς εὔχεσθαι κελεύουσιν; ἐμοὶ δοκεῖ οὐχ ὅτι τὸ θεῖον ᾤοντο μὴ δύνασθαι τῶν ἡσυχῇ φθεγγομένων ἐπαΐειν, ἀλλ' ὅτι δικαίας ἐβούλοντο εἶναι τὰς εὐχάς, ἃς οὐκ ἄν τις αἰδεσθείη ποιεῖσθαι πολλῶν συνειδότων. ἡμεῖς δὲ περὶ μὲν τῆς εὐχῆς κατὰ καιρὸν προϊόντος τοῦ λόγου διαληψόμεθα, τὰ δὲ ἔργα κεκραγότα ἔχειν ὀφείλομεν ὡς ἐν ἡμέρᾳ περιπατοῦντες. λαμψάτω γάρ σου τὰ ἔργα. καὶ ἰδοὺ ἄνθρωπος καὶ τὰ ἔργα αὐτοῦ πρὸ προσώπου αὐτοῦ. ἰδοὺ γὰρ ὁ θεὸς καὶ τὰ ἔργα αὐτοῦ. θεὸν χρὴ μιμεῖσθαι εἰς ὅσον δύναμις τῷ γνωστικῷ. ἐμοὶ δὲ καὶ οἱ ποιηταὶ τοὺς ἐκλεκτοὺς παρὰ σφίσι θεοειδέας προσαγορεύειν δοκοῦσι καὶ δίους καὶ ἀντιθέους καὶ ∆ιὶ μῆτιν ἀταλάντους καὶ θεοῖς ἐναλίγκια μήδε' ἔχοντας καὶ θεοεικέλους, τὸ κατ' εἰκόνα καὶ ὁμοίωσιν περιτρώγοντες. ὁ μὲν οὖν Εὐριπίδης χρύσεαι δή μοι πτέρυγες περὶ νώτῳ φησὶ καὶ τὰ Σειρήνων ἐρόεντα πέδιλα ἁρμόζεται, βάσομαί τ' ἐς αἰθέρα πουλὺν ἀερθεὶς Ζηνὶ προσμίξων. ἐγὼ δὲ ἂν εὐξαίμην τὸ πνεῦμα τοῦ Χριστοῦ πτερῶσαί με εἰς τὴν Ἱερουσαλὴμ τὴν ἐμήν· λέγουσι γὰρ καὶ οἱ Στωϊκοὶ τὸν μὲν οὐρανὸν κυρίως πόλιν, τὰ δὲ ἐπὶ γῆς ἐνταῦθα οὐκέτι πόλεις· λέγεσθαι μὲν γάρ, οὐκ εἶναι δέ· σπουδαῖον γὰρ ἡ πόλις καὶ ὁ δῆμος ἀστεῖόν τι σύστημα καὶ πλῆθος ἀνθρώπων ὑπὸ νόμου διοικούμενον, καθάπερ ἡ ἐκκλησία ὑπὸ λόγου, ἀπολιόρκητος ἀτυράννητος πόλις ἐπὶ γῆς, θέλημα θεῖον ἐπὶ γῆς ὡς ἐν οὐρανῷ. εἰκόνας τῆσδε τῆς πόλεως καὶ οἱ ποιηταὶ κτίζουσι γράφοντες· αἱ γὰρ Ὑπερβόρεοι καὶ Ἀριμάσπειοι πόλεις καὶ τὰ Ἠλύσια πεδία δικαίων πολιτεύματα· ἴσμεν δὲ καὶ τὴν Πλάτωνος πόλιν παράδειγμα ἐν οὐρανῷ κειμένην.