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but has been allotted the union of opposites, of body and soul, the one being given to the soul as an instrument incidentally, the other being an intellectual substance existing according to a higher principle, and the one being irrational, the other rational, and again the one corruptible, the other incorruptible, and the one mortal, the other immortal, so that we bear a body akin to irrational beasts, but a soul akin to the rational and immortal nature; for this reason it is likely that this two-natured offspring, having partaken of a twofold nature, directs its life in a twofold and different manner, at one time enslaved to the nature of the body, at another embracing its own freedom in its diviner part; so as to be the same person both slave and free, having been allotted by God, for reasons which He Himself knows, such an intermixture of soul and body. 6.6.27 If, then, someone, using the name of fate, should subject the things according to nature, whether of the body or also of the soul, to the cause of necessity, he would miss the proper designation. For if fate were an unhindered necessity, but many things that naturally belong to the body and soul are hindered, and countless other external things are encountered contrary to nature, attending6.6.28 by some accident both soul and body, how could fate and nature be the same? For if they say that fate is unchangeable and that nothing can happen contrary to it—for it is an inexorable necessity—but many things, as I said, happen to both soul and body contrary to their nature, one would not correctly name them the same, 6.6.29 saying that fate and nature are the same thing. Therefore, of the things within us, some come about by reason and choice, which is in our power, such as the things according to the nature of the soul; others according to the nature of the body; and others are accidental to these, I mean to soul and body, but are accomplished according to the nature of other things; but neither what is in our power in the soul, nor what is according to nature in the body, nor indeed what is accidental from without6.6.30 could anyone justly deprive of its cause. For God Himself has been revealed as the creator of all things, both of what is in our power, and of what is according to nature, and of what is according to accident. For universally concerning all things one must listen to the inspired scripture, which declares, "He spoke, and they were made; He commanded, 6.6.31 and they were created." If then, when we wish for certain things, other things happen contrary to our intention, we must remind ourselves that this was that twofold and heterogeneous complexity within us, I mean of soul and body, on account of which the substance of the soul, being by nature intellectual and rational, in an infant body, which is natural, has itself, contrary to nature, taken the place of the irrational; and the mind, which is proper to wisdom, often acts foolishly by some accident, being turned aside6.6.32, say, in excessive illnesses of the body. And often old age, coming upon the body according to nature, has deprived the intellect of the achievements of its prime, dulling6.6.33 the rational faculty of the intellectual soul contrary to its nature. Again, tortures and pains and maimings befalling the body contrary to nature have overcome the voluntary power of the soul by accident, as it yields to the pains on account of its entanglement with the body; so that it is found that an inescapable bond has been cast as an obstacle to what is free in the soul, at one time 6.6.34 the nature of the body, at another by external accidents. But indeed the choice that is in our power has reached such a degree of virtue and strength as to dare in many things to oppose and contradict both the nature of the body and 6.6.35 external accidents. For the nature of the body calls a man to the impulse of sexual desire, but the soul, putting a bridle on the passion with sober reason, becomes superior to the nature of the body; and again, the one, compelling one to hunger and thirst and be cold and the like, calls to natural remedies and satisfactions, but choice, being persuaded by sober reasons and having voluntarily embraced certain ascetic exhortations, deceives the nature of the body 6.6.36 with fasts of many days and acts of endurance, having judged and chosen this by the virtue of reason. And again, the one according to nature delights in all pleasures and in the smoothness of

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δὲ ἐναντίων εἴληχε τὴν σύνοδον, σώματος καὶ ψυχῆς, τοῦ μὲν κατὰ συμβεβηκὸς ὀργάνου τῇ ψυχῇ δεδομένου, τῆς δὲ νοερᾶς οὐσίας κατὰ τὸν προηγούμενον ὑποστάσης λόγον, καὶ τοῦ μὲν ἀλόγου, τῆς δὲ λογικῆς τυγχανούσης, καὶ πάλιν τοῦ μὲν φθαρτοῦ, τῆς δὲ ἀφθάρτου, καὶ θατέρου θνητοῦ, θατέρας δὲ ἀθανάτου, ὥσθ' ἡμᾶς θηρσὶ μὲν ἀλόγοις ἀδελφὸν φέρειν τὸ σῶμα, ψυχὴν δὲ τῇ λογικῇ καὶ ἀθανάτῳ φύσει συγγενῆ· ταύτη τοι εἰκὸς τὸ διφυὲς τουτὶ βλάστημα, διττῆς ἅτε φύσεως κεκοινωνηκός, διττῷ καὶ διαφόρῳ τὸ ζῆν ἀπευθύνειν τρόπῳ, τοτὲ μὲν φύσει σώματος δουλεῦον, τοτὲ δὲ τῇ θειοτέρᾳ μοίρᾳ τὴν οἰκείαν ἀσπαζόμενον ἐλευθερίαν· ὡς καὶ δοῦλον εἶναι τὸν αὐτὸν καὶ ἐλεύθερον, τοιαύτην τινὰ παρὰ τοῦ θεοῦ, δι' οὓς οἶδε λόγους αὐτός, κεκληρωμένον ψυχῆς καὶ σώματος ἐπιμιξίαν. 6.6.27 εἰ δὴ οὖν τις τὰ κατὰ φύσιν ἤτοι τοῦ σώματος ἢ καὶ τῆς ψυχῆς, εἱμαρμένης ὀνόματι χρώμενος, ὑπ' αἰτίαν ἀνάγκης καταβάλλοι, διαμάρτοι ἂν τῆς οἰκείας προσηγορίας. εἰ γὰρ εἱμαρμένης ἀνάγκη τις ἦν ἀκώλυτος, πολλὰ δὲ τῶν τῷ σώματι καὶ τῇ ψυχῇ κατὰ φύσιν προσόντων παραποδίζεται μυρία τε ἔξωθεν ἄλλα συναντᾷ παρὰ φύσιν κατά τι συμβεβηκὸς καὶ ψυχῇ καὶ σώματι παρ6.6.28 επόμενα, πῶς ἂν εἴη ταὐτὸν εἱμαρμένη καὶ φύσις; εἰ γὰρ ἀπαράλλακτόν φασιν εἶναι τὴν εἱμαρμένην καὶ μὴ δύνασθαι τι παρὰ ταύτην γίνεσθαι ἀνάγκην γὰρ εἶναι ἀπαραίτητον, πολλὰ δέ, ὡς ἔφην, παρὰ τὰ κατὰ φύσιν καὶ ψυχῇ καὶ σώματι συμβαίνει, οὐκ ἂν ὀρθῶς τις ὀνομάζοι ταὐτὸν εἶναι 6.6.29 λέγων εἱμαρμένην καὶ φύσιν. γένοιτ' ἂν οὖν τῶν ὄντων ἐν ἡμῖν τὰ μὲν κατὰ λογισμὸν καὶ προαίρεσιν τὴν ἐφ' ἡμῖν γιγνόμενα, οἷα τὰ κατὰ φύσιν ψυχῆς, τὰ δὲ κατὰ φύσιν τοῦ σώματος, τὰ δὲ τούτοις μὲν συμβεβηκότα, ψυχῇ λέγω καὶ σώματι, ἑτέροις δὲ συντελούμενα κατὰ φύσιν· ἀλλ' οὔτε τῆς ψυχῆς τὸ ἐφ' ἡμῖν οὔτε τοῦ σώματος τὸ κατὰ φύσιν οὐδὲ μὴν τῶν ἔξω6.6.30 θεν τὸ κατὰ συμβεβηκὸς ἐνδίκως ἄν τις ἀποστεροίη τὸν αἴτιον. θεὸς γὰρ αὐτὸς ὁ τῶν ὅλων καὶ τῶν ἐφ' ἡμῖν καὶ τῶν κατὰ φύσιν καὶ τῶν κατὰ συμβεβηκὸς δημιουργὸς ὢν ἀποπέφανται. καθόλου γὰρ περὶ πάντων ἀκουστέον τῆς ἐνθέου γραφῆς, τὸ «αὐτὸς εἶπεν, καὶ ἐγενήθησαν· αὐτὸς ἐνετείλατο, 6.6.31 καὶ ἐκτίσθησαν» ἀποφηναμένης. εἰ δὴ οὖν βουλομένοις ποτέ τινα ἕτερα παρὰ τὴν ἡμετέραν γνώμην συμβαίνει, ὑπομνηστέον ἑαυτοὺς ὡς ἄρα τοῦτ' ἦν ἐκεῖνο τὸ διττὸν καὶ ἑτερογενὲς τῆς ἐν ἡμῖν συμπλοκῆς, λέγω δὴ ψυχῆς καὶ σώματος, παρ' ὃ καὶ ψυχῆς οὐσία, τὴν φύσιν οὖσα νοερὰ καὶ λογική, ἐν νηπιάζοντι κατὰ φύσιν σώματι παρὰ φύσιν αὐτὴ χώραν ἀλόγου μετείληφε· καὶ νοῦς ὁ φρονήσεως οἰκεῖος ἀφραίνει πολλάκις κατά τι συμβεβηκός, παρα6.6.32 τραπεὶς ἐν ὑπερβαλλούσαις φέρε σώματος ἀρρωστίαις. πολλάκις δὲ καὶ γῆρας ἐπελθὸν σώματι κατὰ φύσιν τῶν κατὰ τὴν ἀκμὴν κατορθωμάτων τὴν διάνοιαν ἐστέρησε, τῆς νοερᾶς ψυχῆς τὸ λογιστικὸν παρὰ φύσιν ἀμβλῦ6.6.33 ναν. αἰκίαι δ' αὖ πάλιν καὶ ἀλγηδόνες σώματι πηρώσεις τε ἐπισυμβᾶσαι παρὰ φύσιν τὸ αὐθεκούσιον τῆς ψυχῆς παρὰ τὸ συμβεβηκὸς ἐξενίκησαν, ἐνδούσης ταῖς ἀλγηδόσι διὰ τὴν πρὸς τὸ σῶμα συμπλοκήν· ὡς ἁλίσκεσθαι δεσμὸν ἄφυκτον ἐμποδὼν προβεβλῆσθαι τῷ κατὰ ψυχὴν ἐλευθέρῳ τοτὲ μὲν 6.6.34 τὴν τοῦ σώματος φύσιν, τοτὲ δὲ τὰ ἐκτὸς ἐπισυμβαίνοντα. ἦν δὲ ἄρα καὶ τὸ τῆς ἐφ' ἡμῖν προαιρέσεως εἰς τοσοῦτον ἧκον ἀρετῆς καὶ ἰσχύος ὡς ἀντιβαίνειν ἐπὶ πολλῶν τολμᾶν καὶ ἀντιλέγειν τῇ τε τοῦ σώματος φύσει καὶ 6.6.35 τοῖς ἔξωθεν ἐπισυμβαίνουσιν. ἡ μέν γε τοῦ σώματος φύσις ἐπὶ τὴν τῶν ἀφροδισίων ὁρμὴν τὸν ἄνδρα καλεῖ, ἡ δὲ ψυχὴ λόγῳ σώφρονι χαλινὸν ἐμβαλοῦσα τῷ πάθει κρείττων καθίσταται τῆς τοῦ σώματος φύσεως· καὶ πάλιν ἡ μὲν πεινῆν καὶ διψῆν καὶ ῥιγοῦν καὶ τὰ τοιαῦτα προσαναγκάζουσα ἐπὶ τὰς κατὰ φύσιν θεραπείας τε καὶ πληρώσεις παρακαλεῖ, ἡ δὲ προαίρεσις λόγοις σώφροσιν ἀναπεισθεῖσα καί τινας ἀσκητικὰς προτροπὰς αὐθεκουσίως ἀγαπήσασα, πολυημέροις ἀσιτίαις καὶ καρτερίαις παρακρούεται τὴν τοῦ σώματος 6.6.36 φύσιν, ἀρετῇ λογισμοῦ κρίνασα τοῦτο καὶ ἑλομένη. καὶ αὖ πάλιν ἡ μὲν κατὰ φύσιν πάσαις ἡδοναῖς χαίρει καὶ τῇ λείᾳ τῶν