99

That wonderful and truly great hierophant, knowing that all earthly and bodily substance is distinguished by its qualities alone, in no way preferred one to another, knowing that all things are the offspring of one matter, which is never at rest nor has anything stable in its nature, but is always flowing and hastening to its own destruction. Therefore he did not choose what is pleasant in bodies, nor would he have preferred for its own sake what is agreeable to the senses; for this would be an affection of a soul that has fallen to the ground and to the pleasure of bodies. 4.15.9 At least countless men of effeminate bodies, otherwise passionate and licentious, using the elaborate preparations of various perfumes, bring upon their souls every foul and filthy stench, while on the contrary, the God-beloved, breathing virtue, bringing on the fragrance that arises from temperance and justice and all piety, which is far better than the perfumes from the earth, have held the odor of material bodies in no account. 4.15.10 Having therefore very well understood these things, the prophet took no primary care for perfumes or incense, but images of better and divine things, as was possible, through bodily things he delivered to those able to learn divine things only in this way and no other, 4.15.11 because this very thing has also been recorded by the divine oracle, which said: "See that you make all things according to the pattern shown you on the mountain." Therefore, performing symbols of other things, which he used to call types, he legislated the anointing with myrrh. 4.15.12 But the high and secret meaning declared in them, so to speak, had such a thought: the only good and the only truly fragrant and precious, and the cause of all life, and to all, along with being, has also given well-being, this one thing the Word among the Hebrews knew as the first cause of all things, namely the Most High and all-sovereign Creator God of all. 4.15.13 The divine Spirit, therefore, [speaking of] this one's all-powerful and all-good power, the provider of every good, of the highest and unbegotten divinity, comparing it with a fitting and appropriate example, calls it the oil of God; for which reason it calls him who partakes of it "Christ" and "anointed." 4.15.14 But by "oil" in these passages understand not pity nor the grief for those who fare ill, but what the fruit of the plant represents, that which is unmixed with any moist matter, an augmenter of light, a healer of pains, a remover of toils, that which makes cheerful those who are anointed, glistening like light with its rays, and making the appearance of those who use it clear and bright, as the divine Scripture says: "to make the face cheerful with oil." 4.15.15 Therefore the Word, comparing the supreme power of the all-ruling and all-sovereign God to this example, the first and only one anointed with this whole thing and having partaken of the divine and fatherly fragrance unshared by all, and the only begotten God the Word from him, and who by participation in the unbegotten and first and greater one who begot him was revealed as God from God, it called "Christ" and "Anointed." Wherefore also in the Psalms to this very one anointed by the Father, the saying proclaims thus: "Your throne, O God, is for ever and ever; a scepter of uprightness is the scepter of your kingdom. You have loved righteousness and hated iniquity; therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions." 4.15.16 But the nature of the oil is one, while that of the myrrh signifies a coming together of many things into it. In this way, therefore, the first and unbegotten power of the all-sovereign God, inasmuch as it is conceived as simple and uncompounded and unmixed with any other substance, has been compared to the simple term "oil"; but inasmuch as it happens to be comprehensive of many concepts at the same time, such as creative and royal, providential and judicial, philanthropic and saving, and as many other countless things as are contemplated by concept, the power that is comprehensive of many and good things has fittingly been likened again to myrrh, with which the true

99

θαυμάσιος ἐκεῖνος καὶ μέγας ὡς ἀληθῶς ἱεροφάντης πᾶσαν γεώδη καὶ σωματικὴν οὐσίαν ἐν μόναις εἰδὼς ταῖς ποιότησι διακεκριμένην, κατ' οὐδένα τρόπον ἑτέραν τῆς ἑτέρας προυτίμησεν, τὰ πάντα εἰδὼς μιᾶς ὄντα ἔκγονα ὕλης, οὔποτε ἑστώσης οὐδέ τι βέβαιον ἐν τῇ φύσει ἐχούσης, ἀεὶ δὲ ῥεούσης καὶ ἐπὶ τὴν οἰκείαν φθορὰν ἐπειγομένης. οὔκουν τὸ ἡδὺ τῶν σωμάτων εἵλετο, οὐδ' αὐτὸ καθ' αὑτὸ προύκρινεν ἂν τὸ ἀπὸ τῶν αἰσθήσεων προσηνές· χαμαὶ γὰρ καὶ ἐπὶ σωμάτων ἡδονὴν πεσούσης τοῦτ' ἂν εἴη τὸ πάθος ψυχῆς. 4.15.9 μυρίοι γοῦν τῶν τὰ σώματα τεθηλυμένων, ἐμπαθεῖς ἄλλως καὶ ἀκόλαστοι, μύρων ποικίλων περιεργίαις χρώμενοι, πάσης αἰσχρᾶς καὶ ῥυπώσης δυσωδίας τὰς ψυχὰς ἐπιφέρονται, ὡς ἔμπαλιν οἱ θεοφιλεῖς, ἀρετῆς ἐμπνέοντες, τὴν πολὺ κρείττονα τῶν ἀπὸ γῆς ἀρωμάτων τὴν ἀπὸ σωφροσύνης καὶ δικαιοσύνης καὶ πάσης εὐσεβείας ἀναδιδομένην εὐωδίαν ἐπαγόμενοι, τὴν τῶν ὑλικῶν σωμάτων ὀδμὴν ἐν οὐδενὶ τέθεινται λόγῳ. 4.15.10 ταῦτα οὖν εὖ μάλα διειληφὼς ὁ προφήτης μύρων μὲν ἢ καὶ θυμιαμάτων οὐδεμίαν προηγουμένην ἐποιεῖτο φροντίδα, κρειττόνων δὲ καὶ θείων εἰκόνας, ὡς ἐνῆν δυνατόν, διὰ σωμάτων τοῖς μόνως οὕτως καὶ οὐδ' ἄλλως τὰ θεῖα οἵοις τε μανθάνειν παρεδίδου, 4.15.11 ὅτι δὴ τοῦτ' αὐτὸ καὶ ὁ θεῖος ἀναγέγραπται εἰρηκὼς χρησμός, φήσας· «ὅρα ποιήσεις πάντα κατὰ τὸν τύπον τὸν δειχθέντα σοι ἐν τῷ ὄρει». σύμβολα τοιγαροῦν ἑτέρων, ἅπερ τύπους εἴωθεν ὀνομάζειν, ἐπιτελῶν, τὴν διὰ τοῦ μύρου χρῖσιν ἐνομοθέτει. 4.15.12 ὅ γε μὴν ὑψηλὸς καὶ ἐν ἀπορρήτοις δηλούμενος αὐτῶν λόγος, ὡς δυνατὸν εἰπεῖν, τοιαύτην εἶχεν διάνοιαν· τὸ μόνον ἀγαθὸν καὶ μόνον ὡς ἀληθῶς εὐῶδες καὶ τίμιον καὶ πάσης μὲν ζωῆς αἴτιον, πᾶσιν δὲ σὺν τῷ εἶναι καὶ τὸ εὖ εἶναι δεδωρημένον, ἓν τοῦθ' ὁ παρ' Ἑβραίοις λόγος ἠπίστατο πρῶτον τῶν ὅλων αἴτιον, αὐτὸν δὴ τὸν ὕψιστον καὶ παμβασιλέα τῶν ἁπάντων δημιουργὸν θεόν. 4.15.13 τούτου δὴ οὖν τὴν παναλκῆ καὶ πανάγαθον καὶ παντὸς καλοῦ χορηγόν, τῆς ἀνωτάτω καὶ ἀγενήτου θεότητος, δύναμιν τὸ θεῖον πνεῦμα, οἰκείῳ καὶ προσφυεῖ συμβαλὼν παραδείγματι, ἔλαιον θεοῦ προσαγορεύει· διόπερ χριστὸν καὶ ἠλειμμένον τὸν αὐτῆς μέτοχον ἀποκαλεῖ. 4.15.14 ἔλαιον δὲ μὴ τὸν οἶκτον ἐν τούτοις ἄκουε μηδὲ τὴν ἐπὶ τοῖς δυσπραγοῦσι λύπην, ἀλλ' ὃ ὁ καρπὸς τοῦ φυτοῦ παρίστησιν, τὸ πάσης ἀμιγὲς ὑγρᾶς ὕλης, φωτὸς αὐξητικόν, πόνων θεραπευτικόν, καμάτων ἀπαλλακτικόν, τὸ τῶν ἐπαλειψαμένων φαιδροποιόν, φωτὸς δίκην ἀποστίλβον ταῖς μαρμαρυγαῖς, διαυγῆ τε καὶ λαμπρὰν τῶν αὐτῷ χρωμένων ἀποτελοῦν τὴν ὄψιν, ὅ φησιν ἡ θεία γραφή· «τοῦ ἱλαρῦναι πρόσωπον ἐν ἐλαίῳ». 4.15.15 τούτῳ τοιγαροῦν ὁ λόγος τὴν ἀνωτάτω τοῦ πανηγεμόνος καὶ παμβασιλέως θεοῦ δύναμιν συμβαλὼν τῷ παραδείγματι, τὸν πρῶτον καὶ μόνον ὅλῳ τούτῳ χρισθέντα καὶ τῆς θεϊκῆς καὶ πᾶσιν ἀκοινωνήτου πατρικῆς εὐωδίας μετειληφότα, καὶ μόνον ἐξ αὐτοῦ γεννηθέντα θεὸν λόγον, μετοχῇ τε τοῦ γεννήσαντος ἀγεννήτου καὶ πρώτου καὶ μείζονος θεὸν ἐκ θεοῦ ἀποφανθέντα, χριστὸν καὶ ἠλειμμένον ἀπεκάλεσεν. διὸ καὶ ἐν ψαλμοῖς πρὸς αὐτὸν δὴ τοῦτον τὸν ὑπὸ τοῦ πατρὸς ἠλειμμένον ἀναφωνεῖ τὸ φάσκον ὧδε λόγιον· «ὁ θρόνος σου ὁ θεὸς εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τοῦ αἰῶνος, ῥάβδος εὐθύτητος ἡ ῥάβδος τῆς βασιλείας σου. ἠγάπησας δικαιοσύνην καὶ ἐμίσησας ἀδικίαν· διὰ τοῦτο ἔχρισέν σε ὁ θεὸς ὁ θεός σου ἔλαιον ἀγαλλιάσεως παρὰ τοὺς μετόχους σου.» 4.15.16 Ἀλλὰ γὰρ μία μὲν ἡ τοῦ ἐλαίου φύσις, ἡ δὲ τοῦ μύρου πολλῶν ἐπ' αὐτὸ σύνοδον σημαίνει. ταύτῃ τοι καὶ ἡ πρώτη καὶ ἀγένητος τοῦ παμβασιλέως θεοῦ δύναμις, καθ' ὃ μὲν ἁπλῆ τις καὶ ἀσύνθετος καὶ ἄλλης πάσης οὐσίας ἀμιγὴς ἐπινοεῖται, ἁπλῷ τῷ τοῦ ἐλαίου προσρήματι παραβέβληται· καθ' ὃ δὲ πλείστων ἐπινοιῶν ἐν ταυτῷ περιληπτικὴ τυγχάνει, οἷον ποιητικῆς καὶ βασιλικῆς, προνοητικῆς τε καὶ κριτικῆς, φιλανθρώπου τε καὶ σωτηρίου, ἄλλων τε ὅσων μυρίων ἐπινοίᾳ θεωρουμένων, εἰκότως μύρῳ πάλιν ἡ τῶν πολλῶν καὶ ἀγαθῶν περιληπτικὴ δύναμις ἀπείκασται, ᾧ κεχρῖσθαι τὸν ἀληθῆ