101

hastening towards the departure from the body. For when the soul is engaged in the contemplation of divine things, gathering itself from its entanglement with the body, it is said to "go out." But when it is concerned with human affairs, either by necessity for the care of the body, or because it is unable to extend itself further toward higher things, it comes as it were from without to the things within, like into a certain house, or into a city, returning to its sympathy with the body. Since, therefore, the Prophet had to hear the words of God, for this reason it was said to him before all else, *Go out, you and your son*. Such also, in a way, is what was said to Abraham in Genesis in the first divine oracle: *Go out from your land, and from your kindred, and from your father's house*. For the most perfect departure is the ascent from all bodily things, which are called "land"; and the flight from the senses, which are named "kindred"; and the turning away from the blameworthy life, in which it was formerly accustomed to contrary practices, which is called "father's house." And a little later it is written concerning the same Abraham, that *God brought him outside*. For since He saw his eagerness to go out, He Himself led him by the hand to the perfection of the activity. For by himself he was not able to do it; for this reason, also at the first command, if he should go out, he receives the promise of enjoyment. But when God brought him out, He taught him to seek the things that are above, where Christ is. 7.195 And Moses, when he was outside human affairs, devoting his mind to the contemplation of the oracles, pitched his own tent far outside the camp. Therefore everyone who sought the Lord went out to the tent. So that he who has advanced further from human affairs will pitch his tent outside, so that his life, having been fixed and established, may remain unshaken. Therefore now also, as he is about to prophesy and to speak the things commanded by God, the Lord commands him to go out; and not only he himself, but also the remnant, Jashub, his son. And it is evident, as far as the word is concerned, that out of many, one son was left to him, whom the Word willed not to be left behind from the father's state, but to go out with the father, to those things to which God was calling him. But since Jashub is interpreted, "returning," Scripture shows to all of us who wish through repentance to go out from the passions of the flesh, that it is possible for those who are with the Prophet to accomplish the departure. And he is commanded to go up to the upper road, which is toward the pool of the fuller's field. This place is indeed, also according to the history, well-known; for it is written that the king of the Assyrians sent Rabshakeh from Lachish to Jerusalem with a great force, and he stood at the aqueduct of the upper pool, on the road of the fuller's field. But perhaps the word also has something instructive for moral training, that one must depart from things that are lowly and lie on the ground, and hasten toward the things above; where for those who have arrived, water for cleansing and a fuller's field, for the one who cleanses away the filth, will be found; which is useful for us in regard to the precept of Ecclesiastes, which says: *At all times let your garments be bright*. And He who gave the oracle to Moses also commands the one who is about to hear God to wash his garments: *Go down, testify to the people and sanctify them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their garments and be ready for the third day*. And he who has arrived there will also have his wedding garment ready, so that he is not bound hand and foot and cast from the bridal chamber into the outer darkness. Therefore I said (he says) to Ahaz: *Be careful to be quiet*. This is also useful for us, for keeping our own heart with all vigilance; For if a strong man keeps his own courtyard vigilantly, all his possessions are at peace, who is also quiet, shaking off the crowd and the disturbance and not fearing the

101

σπεύδοντες πρὸς τὴν ἀπὸ τοῦ σώματος ἔξοδον. Ὅτε μὲν γὰρ πρὸς τῇ θεωρίᾳ τῶν θείων γίνεται ἡ ψυχὴ, συλλέγουσα ἑαυτὴν ἀπὸ τῆς πρὸς τὸ σῶμα ἐπιπλοκῆς, ἐξιέναι λέγεται· ὅταν δὲ πρὸς τοῖς ἀνθρωπίνοις ἐστὶν, ἢ κατὰ τὸ ἀναγκαῖον τῆς τοῦ σώματος θεραπείας, ἢ διὰ τὸ μὴ δύνασθαι ἐπιπλέον ἐκτείνεσθαι πρὸς τὰ διαφέροντα, οἱονεὶ ἔξωθεν ἐπὶ τὰ ἔσω πάρεισιν, ὥσπερ εἰς οἰκίαν τινὰ, ἢ εἰς πόλιν, πρὸς τὴν ἐπὶ τὸ σῶμα συμπά θειαν ἐπιστρέφουσα. Ἐπεὶ οὖν ἔδει λόγων Θεοῦ ἀκοῦσαι τὸν Προφήτην, διὰ τοῦτο πρὸ πάντων αὐτῷ εἴρηται τὸ Ἔξελθε σὺ καὶ ὁ υἱός σου. Τοιοῦτον δέ πώς ἐστι καὶ τὸ ἐν Γενέσει κατὰ τὸν πρῶτον χρηματισμὸν εἰρημένον τῷ Ἀβραάμ· Ἔξελθε ἐκ τῆς γῆς σου, καὶ ἐκ τῆς συγγενείας σου, καὶ ἐκ τοῦ οἴκου τοῦ πατρός σου. Τελειοτάτη γὰρ ἔξοδος, ἡ ἀπὸ πάντων τῶν σωματικῶν ἀνάβασις, ἅτινα εἴρηται γῆ· καὶ ἡ ἀπὸ τῶν αἰσθητηρίων φυγὴ, ἅπερ ὠνόμασται συγγένεια· καὶ τὸ ἀποστραφῆναι τὸν ὑπαίτιον βίον, ἐν ᾧ ᾠκείωτο πρό τερον τοῖς ἐναντίοις ἐπιτηδεύμασιν, ἅπερ οἶκος εἴρηται τοῦ πατρός. Καὶ μετ' ὀλίγον δὲ περὶ τοῦ αὐτοῦ Ἀβραὰμ γέ γραπται· ὅτι Ἐξήγαγεν αὐτὸν ὁ Θεὸς ἔξω. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ εἶδεν αὐτοῦ τὴν πρὸς τὸ ἐξελθεῖν προθυμίαν, αὐτὸς αὐτὸν πρὸς τὸ τέλειον τῆς ἐνεργείας ἐχειραγώγησεν. Αὐτὸς γὰρ καθ' ἑαυτὸν οὐχ οἷός τε ἦν ποιῆσαι· διὰ τοῦτο, καὶ ἐπὶ μὲν τοῦ πρώτου προστάγματος, εἰ ἐξέλθοι ἔξω, ἐπαγγε λίαν λαμβάνει τῆς ἀπολαύσεως. Ὅτε δὲ ἐξήγαγεν αὐτὸν ὁ Θεὸς, ἐδίδασκεν αὐτὸν τὰ ἄνω ζητεῖν, οὗ ὁ Χριστός ἐστιν. 7.195 Καὶ Μωϋσῆς δὲ, ὅτε τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων ἔξω ἐγένετο, ἀποσχολάζων τῷ νῷ πρὸς τὴν θεωρίαν τῶν λογίων, ἔπηξεν ἔξω τῆς παρεμβολῆς μακρὰν τὴν ἑαυτοῦ σκηνήν. ∆ιὸ καὶ πᾶς ὁ ζητῶν τὸν Κύριον, ἐξεπορεύετο εἰς τὴν σκηνήν. Ὥστε ὁ ἐπὶ πλέον διαβεβηκὼς ἀπὸ τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων, ἔξω τὴν ἑαυτοῦ καταπήξει σκηνὴν, ἵνα παγεῖσα καὶ ἑδρασθεῖσα ἀσά λευτος αὐτοῦ ἡ ζωὴ διαμείνῃ. ∆ιὸ καὶ νῦν μέλλοντα προ φητεύειν καὶ λέγειν τὰ προστασσόμενα ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἐξελ θεῖν ὁ Κύριος ἐπιτάσσει· οὐ μόνον δὲ αὐτὸς, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὁ καταλειφθεὶς Ἰασοὺβ, ὁ υἱὸς αὐτοῦ. Ἐμφαίνεται δὲ, ὅσον ἐκ τοῦ λόγου, ὅτι ἐκ πολλῶν εἷς αὐτῷ περιελέλειπτο υἱὸς, ὃν καὶ αὐτὸν ἐβούλετο ὁ λόγος μὴ ἀπολείπεσθαι τῆς τοῦ πατρὸς ἕξεως, ἀλλὰ συνεξιέναι τῷ πατρὶ, ἐφ' ἃ προεκαλεῖτο αὐτὸν ὁ Θεός. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἑρμηνεύεται Ἰασοὺβ, ἐπιστρέφων, πᾶσιν ἡμῖν, τοῖς ἐκ μετανοίας βουλομένοις ἐξελθεῖν ἀπὸ τῶν παθῶν τῆς σαρκὸς, ἐνδείκνυται ἡ Γραφὴ, δύνασθαι μετὰ τοῦ Προφήτου γενομένοις, κατορθοῦν τὴν ἔξοδον. Κελεύεται δὲ ἀνελθεῖν ἐπὶ τὴν ἄνω ὁδὸν, τὴν οὖσαν πρὸς τὴν κολυμβήθραν τοῦ ἀγροῦ τοῦ γναφέως. Ἔστι μὲν οὖν, καὶ κατὰ τὴν ἱστορίαν, ἐπίσημος ὁ τόπος οὗτος· γέγραπται γὰρ, ὅτι ἀπέστειλε βασιλεὺς Ἀσσυρίων Ῥαψάκην ἐκ Λάχις εἰς Ἱερουσαλὴμ μετὰ δυνάμεως πολλῆς, καὶ ἔστη ἐν τῷ ὑδρα γωγῷ τῆς κολυμβήθρας τῆς ἄνω, ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ τοῦ ἀγροῦ τοῦ γναφέως. Τάχα δέ τι καὶ διδακτικὸν ἔχει πρὸς ἠθῶν παί δευσιν ὁ λόγος, ὅτι χρὴ ἀφίστασθαι τῶν ταπεινῶν καὶ χαμαὶ κειμένων, καὶ ἐπὶ τὰ ἄνω ἐπείγεσθαι· ὅπου γενομένοις ὕδωρ εἰς ἀποκάθαρσιν καὶ ἀγρὸς γναφέως, τοῦ τὸν ῥύπον ἀποκαθαίροντος, εὑρεθήσεται· ὃ χρησιμεύει ἡμῖν πρὸς τὸ τοῦ Ἐκκλησιαστοῦ παράγγελμα, λέγοντος· Ἐν παντὶ καιρῷ ἔστωσάν σου τὰ ἱμάτια λαμπρά. Κελεύει δὲ καὶ ὁ χρηματίζων τῷ Μωϋσεῖ, πλύνειν τὰ ἱμάτια τὸν μέλλοντα ἀκούειν τοῦ Θεοῦ· Καταβὰς διαμάρτυραι τῷ λαῷ καὶ ἅγνισον αὐτοὺς σήμερον καὶ αὔριον, καὶ πλυνάτωσαν τὰ ἱμάτια αὐτῶν καὶ ἔστωσαν ἕτοιμοι εἰς τὴν ἡμέραν τὴν τρίτην. Ὁ δὲ ἐκεῖ φθάσας, καὶ τὸ τοῦ γάμου ἔνδυμα ἕτοιμον ἕξει, πρὸς τὸ μὴ, δεθεὶς χεῖρας καὶ πόδας, ἀπὸ τοῦ νυμφῶνος εἰς τὸ σκότος ῥίπτεσθαι τὸ ἐξώτερον. Εἶπον οὖν (φησὶ) τῷ Ἀχάζ· Φύλαξαι τοῦ ἡσυχάσαι. Τοῦτο δὲ καὶ ἡμῖν χρήσιμόν ἐστι, πρὸς τὸ πάσῃ φυλακῇ τηρεῖν ἡμᾶς τὴν ἑαυτῶν καρδίαν· Ἐὰν γὰρ ἰσχυρὸς φυλάσσῃ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ αὐλὴν ἐγρηγόρως, ἐν εἰρήνῃ ἐστὶ πάντα τὰ ὑπάρχοντα αὐτοῦ, ὃς καὶ ἡσυχάζει, τὸν ὄχλον καὶ τὸν θόρυβον ἀποσειόμενος καὶ μὴ φοβού μενος τὸν