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from your vessels, and from the spring of your wells; by doing which, we will find her treasures to be within us.

2.41 (μα΄) Those who live brutishly for sense-perception alone, precariously (14__526> make the Word flesh for themselves; misusing God's creatures for the service of the passions; not understanding the principle of wisdom that is manifest in all things, so as to know and glorify God from His works; and to comprehend whence, and what, and for what purpose, and where we have come to be borne through the things that are seen; but passing through this age in darkness, they grope with both hands only for ignorance concerning God.

2.42 (μβ΄) Those who attend only to the letter of Holy Scripture, and bind the dignity of the soul to the bodily worship of the law, reprehensibly make the Word flesh for themselves; thinking that God is pleased by the sacrifices of irrational animals; for whom the body is of great concern, with its external purifications; but the beauty of the soul is neglected, being stained by the blemishes of the passions; for whose sake the whole power of visible things has been set forth, and every divine word and law has been issued.

2.43 (μγ΄) The holy Gospel says that the Lord is set for the fall and rising of many. Let us therefore consider, whether it is for a fall of those who contemplate the visible creation with the senses alone, and of those who follow only the letter of Holy Scripture; since they are unable to cross over to the new spirit of grace on account of their folly; but for a rising of those who spiritually contemplate and hear both the creatures of God and His words, and in fitting ways care only for the divine image according to the soul.

2.44 (μδ΄) The "Lord is set for the fall and rising of many in Israel," understood only in a praiseworthy manner, is understood as a fall of the passions and evil thoughts in each of the believers; but as a rising of the virtues and of every God-loving thought

1145 2.45 (με΄) He who thinks the (14__528> Lord is creator only of things in generation and corruption mistakes Him for a gardener, like Mary Magdalene. Therefore, for his benefit, the Master avoids the touch of such a one, not yet having been able to ascend to the Father through him, saying: Do not touch Me. For He knows that the one who approaches Him with such a lowly preconception is harmed.

2.46 (μστ΄) Those who, for fear of the Jews, were sitting in the upper room in Galilee with the doors shut; that is, those who, for fear of the spirits of wickedness, in the land of revelations, have stood securely on the height of divine contemplations, having closed their senses like doors, receive the Word of God arriving unknowingly, appearing to them without the operation of the senses; bestowing dispassion through His in-breathing; and granting authority over evil spirits, and showing the symbols of His mysteries.

2.47 (μζ΄) For those who seek the doctrine of God according to the flesh, the Lord does not ascend to the Father; but for those who seek Him according to the spirit through lofty contemplations, He ascends to the Father. Let us not, therefore, always hold below Him who for our sake came below through His love for mankind, but let us be above with Him toward the Father, leaving behind the earth and the things concerning the earth, lest He also say to us what was said to the Jews who remained uncorrected, "I am going where you cannot come." For without the Word, it is impossible to come to the Father of the Word.

2.48 (μη΄) The land of the Chaldeans is the passionate life; in which the idols of sins are fashioned and worshiped. And Mesopotamia is the way of life that wavers between opposites. And the land of promise is, of all

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ἀπό σῶν ἀγγείων, καί ἀπό σῶν φρεάτων πηγῆς· ὅπερ ποιοῦντες, εὑρήσομεν ἔνδον ἡμῶν ὄντας τούς αὐτῆς θησαυρούς.

2.41 (μα΄) Οἱ κτηνωδῶς πρός μόνην τήν αἴσθησιν ζῶντες, ἐπισφαλῶς (14__526> ἑαυτοῖς σάρκα ποιοῦσι τόν λόγον· εἰς ὑπηρεσίαν μέν παθῶν, τοῖς τοῦ Θεοῦ καταχρώμενοι κτίσμασι· τόν δέ τῆς σοφίας τῆς πᾶσιν ἐμφαινομένης, οὐ κατανοοῦντες λόγον, πρός τό γνῶναι καί δοξάσαι τόν Θεόν ἐκ τῶν αὐτοῦ ποιημάτων· καί συνιέναι πόθεν, καί τί, καί ἐπί τίνι, καί ποῦ φέρεσθαι διά τῶν ὁρωμένων γεγόναμεν· ἀλλ᾿ ἐν σκότει τόν αἰῶνα τοῦτον διαπορευόμενοι, μόνην τήν περί Θεόν ἀμφοῖν ταῖν χεροῖν ψηλαφῶσιν ἀγνωσίαν.

2.42 (μβ΄) Οἱ μόνῳ τῷ ῥητῷ τῆς ἁγίας Γραφῆς παρακαθήμενοι, καί τῇ σωματικῇ τοῦ νόμου λατρείᾳ δεσμοῦντες τῆς ψυχῆς τό ἀξίωμα, ψεκτῶς ποιοῦσιν ἑαυτοῖς σάρκα τόν λόγον· ἀλόγων ζώων θυσίαις εὐαρεστεῖσθαι νομίζοντες τόν Θεόν· οἷς πολύ τό σῶμα πεφρόντισται, τοῖς ἐκτός καθαρσίοις· τῆς δέ ψυχῆς παρημέληται τό κάλλος, ταῖς τῶν παθῶν κηλίσι στιζόμενον· ὑπέρ ἧς, ἡ πᾶσα τῶν ὁρωμένων προβέβληται δύναμις, καί πᾶς λόγος θεῖος καί νόμος ἐκδέδοται.

2.43 (μγ΄) Εἰς πτῶσιν καί ἀνάστασιν πολλῶν κεῖσθαι τόν Κύριον λέγει τό ἅγιον Εὐαγγέλιον. Οὐκοῦν σκοπήσωμεν, μήπως εἰς πτῶσιν μέν, τῶν τε πρός μόνην τήν αἴσθησιν τήν ὁρωμένην θεωρούντων κτίσιν, καί τῶν μόνῳ τῷ ῥητῷ στοιχούντων τῆς ἁγίας Γραφῆς· ὡς μή δυναμένων πρός τό καινόν πνεῦμα διαβῆναι τῆς χάριτος διά τήν ἄνοιαν· ἀνάστασιν δέ, τῶν πνευματικῶς τά τε κτίσματα τοῦ Θεοῦ καί τά ῥήματα θεωρούντων τε καί ἀκουόντων, καί τοῖς καθήκουσι τρόποις μόνης τῆς κατά ψυχήν θείας εἰκόνος ἐπιμελουμένων.

2.44 (μδ΄) Τό, κεῖσθαι τόν Κύριον εἰς πτῶσιν πολλῶν καί ἀνάστασιν ἐν τῷ Ἰσραήλ, ἐπαινετῶς μόνον νοούμενον, εἰς πτῶσιν μέν νοεῖται, τῶν ἐν ἑκάστῳ τῶν πιστευόντων τῶν παθῶν τε καί πονηρῶν λογισμῶν· ἀνάστασιν δέ, τῶν ἀρετῶν καί παντός θεοφιλοῦς λογισμοῦ

1145 2.45 (με΄) Ὁ μόνον τῶν ἐν γενέσει καί φθορᾷ δημιουργόν νομίζων τόν (14__528> Κύριον, εἰς κηπουρόν αὐτόν παραγνωρίζει, κατά τήν Μαγδαληνήν Μαρίαν. ∆ιό πρός ὠφέλειαν φεύγει τοῦ τοιούτου τήν ἀφήν ὁ ∆εσπότης, μήπω παρ᾿ αὐτῷ δυνηθείς ἀναβῆναι πρός τόν Πατέρα, λέγων· Μή μου ἅπτου. Γινώσκει γάρ βλάπτεσθαι, τόν μετά τοιαύτης αὐτῷ προσερχόμενον ταπεινοτέρας προλήψεως.

2.46 (μστ΄) Οἱ διά τόν φόβον τῶν Ἰουδαίων κατά τήν Γαλιλαίαν ἐν τῷ ὑπερῴῳ κλείσαντες τάς θύρας καθήμενοι· τουτέστι, οἱ διά τόν φόβον τῶν πνευμάτων τῆς πονηρίας, κατά τήν χώραν τῶν ἀποκαλύψεων, ἐν τῷ ὕψει τῶν θείων θεωρημάτων ἀσφαλῶς βεβηκότες, θυρῶν δίκην μύσαντες τάς αἰσθήσεις, παραγινόμενον ἀγνώστως δέχονται τόν τοῦ Θεοῦ Λόγον, ἄνευ τῆς κατ᾿ αἴσθησιν ἐνεργείας αὐτοῖς ἐπιφαινόμενον· ἀπάθειάν τε διά τῆς ἐμπνεύσεως δωρούμενον· καί τήν κατά πνευμάτων πονηρῶν ἐξουσίαν παρέχοντα, καί δεικνύοντα τῶν αὐτοῦ μυστηρίων τά σύμβολα.

2.47 (μζ΄) Τοῖς μὲν κατὰ σάρκα τὸν περὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ λόγον ἐρευνῶσιν, ὁ Κύριος οὐκ ἀναβαίνει πρὸς τὸν Πατέρα· τοῖς δὲ κατὰ πνεῦμα διὰ τῶν ὑψηλῶν θεωρημάτων ἐκζητοῦσιν αὐτὸν, ἀναβαίνει πρὸς τὸν Πατέρα. Μὴ τοίνυν διὰ παντὸς κρατῶμεν κάτω, τὸν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν κάτω διὰ φιλανθρωπίαν γενόμενον, ἀλλ' ἄνω πρὸς τὸν Πατέρα σὺν αὐτῷ γενώμεθα, τὴν γῆν ἀφέντες καὶ τὰ περὶ τὴν γῆν, ἵνα μὴ καὶ ἡμῖν εἴπῃ τὸ ρηθὲν τοῖς Ἰουδαίοις ἀδιορθώτοις μείνασιν, "ὑπάγω ὅπου ὑμεῖς οὐ δύνασθε ἐλθεῖν". Χωρὶς γὰρ τοῦ Λόγου, πρὸς τὸν Πατέρα τοῦ Λόγου γενέσθαι, ἀμήχανον.

2.48 (μη΄) Ἡ γῆ τῶν Χαλδαίων ἐστίν, ὁ ἐμπαθής βίος· ἐν ᾧ τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων δημιουργεῖται καί προσκυνεῖται τά εἴδωλα. Ἡ δέ Μέση τῶν ποταμῶν ἐστιν, ὁ ἐπαμφοτερίζων τοῖς ἐναντίοις τρόπος. Ἡ δέ γῆ τῆς ἐπαγγελίας ἐστίν, ἡ παντός