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they signify the body. For the body is the beast of burden of the practical mind, forced to bear burdens violently in the ways of the virtues according to practice. But it is the child of the contemplative mind, as having been already reckoned with by theorems, and rationally ministering to the gnostic commands of the mind. 1153 For both, the Sabbath is the end of the good things worked in them according to both practice and contemplation, providing the fitting rest for each.

2.65 (ξε΄) He who accomplishes virtue with the appropriate knowledge has the body as a beast of burden, driving it with reason towards the activity of what is fitting; and as a child, the mode of virtue according to practice; that is, the very mode according to which virtue is naturally produced; as if bought with silver by discerning thoughts. And the Sabbath is the passionless and peaceful state of both soul and body according to virtue, that is, an unchangeable disposition.

2.66 (ξστ΄) The Word of God, for those who are still mostly concerned with the corporeal forms of virtue, becomes chaff and fodder; nourishing the passionate part of their soul for the service of the virtues; but for those who have been led up by the contemplation of the true understanding of divine things, it is bread nourishing the intellectual part of their soul toward godlike perfection. This is why we find the patriarchs provisioning themselves on the way, both with loaves for themselves, and fodder for their asses. And the Levite in Judges says to the elder who hosted him in Gibeah: We also have loaves, and chaff for our asses; and there is no lack of anything for your servants.

2.67 (ξζ΄) The Word of God is also called and is dew; and water and spring and river, as it is written; that is, according to the underlying (14__540> capacity of those who receive him, being and becoming these things. For to some he is dew, as extinguishing the external burning and activity of the passions that lie upon their body. To others whose depth is seared by the poison of wickedness, he is water; not only as destructive of the opposite through antipathy, but also as imparting a life-giving power for well-being. And a spring, for those who have the disposition of contemplation ever gushing forth, as a provider of wisdom. And a river, for those who pour forth pious and 1156 orthodox and salvific teaching like a flood, watering abundantly humans, and cattle and beasts and plants; so that humans may be deified, elevated by the meanings of what is said; and those made bestial by the passions, being humanized through the precise demonstration of the ways of virtue, may recover their natural rationality; and those made wild by wicked dispositions and evil deeds, being tamed through gentle and kind exhortation, may return to the gentleness of their nature; and those who, like plants, are insensible to good things, being softened by the deep penetration of the word, may receive perception for fruit-bearing, and the nourishing power, the quality of the word.

2.68 (ξη΄) The Word of God is a way, for those who run the stadium of virtue well according to the practical life, and vigorously; and who turn aside neither to the right through vainglory, nor to the left through an inclination toward the passions, directing their steps according to God; which Asa the king of Judah, not having kept to the end, is said in his old age to have suffered in his feet; as having grown weak in the race of the life according to God.

2.69 (ξθ΄) The Word of God is called a door, as leading into knowledge those who have well completed the whole way of the virtues according to the blameless course of practice; and as light, showing the brightly shining treasures of (14__542> wisdom. For he himself is both way and door and key and kingdom; way, as a guide; key, as opening to the worthy the divine things and being opened; door, as an usher; and kingdom, as being inherited, and becoming in all things by participation.

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σῶμα δηλοῦσι. Τοῦ γάρ πρακτικοῦ νοός ὑποζύγιόν ἐστι τό σῶμα, ἀχθοφορεῖν βίᾳ τοῖς τρόποις τῶν ἀρετῶν κατά τήν πρᾶξιν ἀναγκαζόμενον. Τοῦ δέ θεωρητικοῦ παῖς, ὡς ἤδη λογισθέν θεωρήμασι, καί λογικῶς ταῖς γνωστικαῖς ἐπιταγαῖς τοῦ νοός ὑπηρετούμενον. 1153 Ἀμφοτέροις δέ Σάββατόν ἐστι, τῶν αὐτοῖς ἐνεργουμένων κατά τε πρᾶξιν καί θεωρίαν καλῶν, τό πέρας, τήν πρόσφορον ἑκάστῳ παρέχον ἀνάπαυσιν.

2.65 (ξε΄) Ὁ τήν ἀρετήν μετά τῆς πρεπούσης γνώσεως ἐξανύων, ὑποζύγιον ἔχει τό σῶμα, λόγῳ ἐλαύνων πρός τήν τῶν καθηκόντων ἐνέργειαν· παῖδα δέ, τόν ἐπ᾿ ἀρετῇ κατά τήν πρᾶξιν τρόπον· ἤγουν αὐτόν τόν καθ᾿ ὅν ἡ ἀρετή πέφυκε γίνεσθαι τρόπον· ὥσπερ ἀργυρίῳ τοῖς διακριτικοῖς ὠνηθέντα λογισμοῖς. Σάββατον δέ, ἡ κατ᾿ ἀρετήν ἀπαθής καί εἰρηναία τῆς τε ψυχῆς καί τοῦ σώματος κατάστασις, ἤγουν ἀναλλοίωτος ἕξις.

2.66 (ξστ΄) Ὁ τοῦ Θεοῦ λόγος, τοῖς μέν ἔτι περί τά σωματικά τῆς ἀρετῆς εἴδη τό πλέον ἔχουσι τῆς φροντίδος, ἄχυρον γίνεται καί χόρτος· διατρέφων αὐτῶν τό παθητικόν τῆς ψυχῆς μέρος, πρός τήν τῶν ἀρετῶν ὑπηρεσίαν· τοῖς ἀνηγμένοις δέ τῇ θεωρίᾳ τῆς ἀληθοῦς τῶν θείων κατανοήσεως, ἔστιν ἄρτος διατρέφων αὐτῶν τῆς ψυχῆς τό νοερόν πρός θεοειδῆ τελειότητα. ∆ιό τούς πατριάρχας εὑρίσκομεν ἐπισιτιζομένους ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ, καί ἑαυτοῖς ἄρτους, καί τοῖς ὄνοις αὐτῶν χορτάσματα. Καί ὁ ἐν τοῖς Κριταῖς δέ Λευΐτης, τῷ ἐν Γαβαᾷ ξεναγήσαντι αὐτόν πρεσβύτῃ φησίν· Εἰσί καί ἡμῖν ἄρτοι, καί τοῖς ὄνοις ἡμῶν ἄχυρα· καί οὐκ ἔστιν ὑστέρημα τοῖς παισί σου, παντός τινος.

2.67 (ξζ΄) Ὁ τοῦ Θεοῦ Λόγος καί δρόσος λέγεται καί ἔστιν· καί ὕδωρ καί πηγή καί ποταμός, ὡς γέγραπται· κατά τήν ὑποκειμενικήν δηλονότι (14__540> τῶν δεχομένων δύναμιν, ταῦτα και ὤν καί γινόμενος. Τοῖς μέν γάρ ἐστι δρόσος, ὡς τῆς ἔξωθεν ἐπικειμένης αὐτοῖς περί τό σῶμα τῶν παθῶν πυρώσεώς τε καί ἐνεργείας, σβεστικός. Τοῖς δέ τό βάθος τῷ ἰῷ τῆς κακίας φρυσσομένοις ἐστίν ὕδωρ· οὐ μόνον ὡς δι᾿ ἀντιπαθείας τοῦ ἀντικειμένου φθαρτικός, ἀλλά καί ὡς μεταδοτικός ζωτικῆς πρός τό εὖ εἶναι δυνάμεως. Πηγή δέ, ἀεννάως ἔχουσιν ἀναβλύζουσαν τήν ἕξιν τῆς θεωρίας, ὡς σοφίας χορηγός. Ποταμός δέ, τοῖς τήν εὐσεβῆ καί 1156 ὀρθήν καί σωτήριον ποταμηδόν προχέουσι διδασκαλίαν ὡς ἀνθρώπους, καί κτήνη καί θηρία καί φυτά δαψιλῶς ποτίζων· ἵνα καί ἄνθρωποι θεωθῶσι, τοῖς τῶν λεγομένων ὑψωθέντες νοήμασι· καί οἱ κτηνωθέντες τοῖς πάθεσι, διά τῆς ἀκριβοῦς τῶν κατ᾿ ἀρετήν τρόπων ἀποδείξεως ἀνθρωπισθέντες, τήν φυσικήν ἐπαναλάβωσι λογιότητα· καί οἱ θηριωθέντες ταῖς πονηραῖς ἕξεσι καί κακοπραγίαις, διά τῆς προσηνοῦς τε καί εὐαφοῦς παραινέσεως τιθασσευθέντες, πρός τήν τῆς φύσεως ἐπανέλθωσιν ἡμερότητα· καί οἱ φυτῶν δίκην ἀναισθητοῦντες τῶν ἀγαθῶν, διά τῆς εἰς βάθος τοῦ λόγου διαβάσεως ἀπαλυθέντες, λάβωσιν αἴσθησιν πρός καρπογονίαν, καί δύναμιν τήν αὐτούς διατρέφουσαν, τοῦ λόγου ποιότητα.

2.68 (ξη΄) Ὁδός ἐστιν ὁ τοῦ Θεοῦ Λόγος, τοῖς καλῶς κατά τήν πρακτικήν,καί εὐτόνως τό τῆς ἀρετῆς τρέχουσι στάδιον· καί μήτε δεξιά διά κενοδοξίας, μήτε ἀριστερά διά τῆς πρός τά πάθη ῥοπῆς ἐκκλίνουσιν, εὐθύνων κατά Θεόν τά διαβήματα· ὅπερ εἰς τέλος μή φυλάξας Ἀσά ὁ βασιλεύες Ἰούδα, λέγεται περί τό γῆρας αὐτοῦ πεπονηκέναι τούς πόδας· ὡς περί τόν δρόμον τοῦ κατά Θεόν βίου ἀσθενήσας.

2.69 (ξθ΄) Θύρα λέγεται τοῦ Θεοῦ Λόγος, ὡς τούς καλῶς πᾶσαν διηνυκότας τήν ὁδόν τῶν ἀρετῶν κατά τόν ἄμεπτον δρόμον τῆς πράξεως, πρός γνῶσιν εἰσάγων· καί ὡς φῶς, δεικνύς τούς πολυφαεῖς τῆς (14__542> σοφίας θησαυρούς. Ὁ αὐτός γάρ καί ὁδός ἐστι καί θύρα καί κλείς καί βασιλεία· ὁδός μέν, ὡς ὁδηγός· κλείς δέ, ὡς ἀνοίγων τοῖς ἀξίοις τῶν θείων καί ἀνοιγόμενος· θύρα δέ, ὡς εἰσαγωγεύς· βασιλεία δέ, ὡς κληρονομούμενος, καί κατά μέθεξιν ἐν πᾶσι γινόμενος.