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to behold judgments. Great is the mind which, through the Angels and the Powers and all the glory concerning the super-cosmic things, conceives of the King of glory and Lord of Powers. However, the one who blesses and exalts himself would more rightly be called a conceited wise man and vain-minded, rather than great in mind. But since it is customary for Scripture to follow the opinion of the many in its naming, it has spoken of a great mind, not testifying to its greatness by nature, but naming it by what it is called from conceit. For this reason, the Lord, punishing pride and humbling his high-mindedness, is said to bring [punishment] upon the great mind of the Assyrians. And refuting the weak supposition, he says he will bring punishment upon the height of the glory of his eyes. For some have defined "glory," which is a word of many meanings, according to one of its significations, as a weak supposition. 10.239 But the great and prudent mind can be taken in the sense of the crafty. As *The serpent was more prudent than all the beasts on the earth*; and *the steward of unrighteousness acted prudently*; and *The sons of this age are more prudent than the sons of light, in their generation.* But the Apostle interpreted for us the meaning of "prudent" in the Epistle to the Corinthians, saying: *But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness...* For he showed that history attributes a blameworthy prudence to the serpent, from its changing prudence into craftiness. So then, "great mind" also, not according to anything praiseworthy, as those who precisely define the meanings among the Greeks have ordered it, saying that the mind is compressed prudence, but falsely named. Either because he marveled at himself, or because he was so addressed by flatterers, he has now been so named by Scripture. But this great mind, since he knows that *the eyes of the wise man* (of the truly wise man, at least) *are in his head*, glories in his eyes, as one not looking down, nor at earthly things, but busying himself with lofty things, and making his dwelling above. Such are the wise men among the Greeks, who have their lives wallowing in the most shameful passions of the flesh, but discourse on the nature of heaven and the stars and ethereal things and the phenomena of the air, placing a certain glory of their own upon their eyes. 10.240 For he said: *By my strength I will do it, and by the wisdom of my understanding I will remove the boundaries of nations, and I will plunder their strength.* *And I will shake inhabited cities, and I will seize the whole inhabited world in my hand like a nest, and I will take it up like abandoned eggs.* *And there is none who shall escape me or contradict me.* Now he clearly explains why he called him a great mind and why he threatens to bring punishments upon the height of the glory of his eyes: the boast of his words, which he uses against those who are inferior, threatening them with every kind of destruction with all bitterness, saying that his own power is invincible and unopposable. For he boasted as if he were master of what he wishes and would in every way accomplish things according to his purpose. Since I have great cavalry and infantry power and no one to oppose me, and since the wisdom in military strategy that I possess is unapproachable and my understanding is irreproachable, for this reason (he says) *I will remove the boundaries of nations and I will plunder their strength.* For having compelled all the nations to submit to my kingdom, I make one boundary for all, my own dominion. For now each is separated from the other by its own boundaries; therefore, having removed their boundaries, I will compel all things to come under the one scepter of my kingdom. *And I will plunder their strength.* Plunder is the name for the distribution among the victors of the things of the captured enemy, when the victors divide among themselves by lot either captive bodies, or some of the cattle, or any other things of life. And each one, being deemed worthy of the plunder from the spoils according to his existing superiority, thus partakes of the things from the

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κρίματα θεωρεῖν. Μέγας ὁ νοῦς, ὁ διὰ τῶν Ἀγγέλων καὶ τῶν ∆υνάμεων καὶ πάσης τῆς περὶ τὰ ὑπερκόσμια δόξης, τὸν βασιλέα τῆς δό ξης καὶ Κύριον τῶν ∆υνάμεων ἐννοῶν. Ὁ μέντοι ἑαυτὸν μακαρίζων καὶ ὑπεραίρων, οἰησίσοφός τις καὶ ματαιόφρων μᾶλλον δικαίως, ἢ μέγας, κατὰ νοῦν ὀνομάζοιτο. Πλὴν ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ σύνηθες τῇ Γραφῇ τῇ τῶν πολλῶν οἰήσει πρὸς τὰς ὀνομασίας ἀκολουθεῖν, μέγαν εἴρηκε νοῦν, οὐ τὸ τῇ φύσει μεγαλεῖον προσμαρτυρῶν, ἀλλὰ τὸ ἐκ τῆς οἰήσεως ἐπιφημισθὲν αὐτῷ ὀνομάζων. ∆ιὰ τοῦτο κολάζων ὑπερηφανίαν ὁ Κύριος, καὶ ταπεινῶν αὐτοῦ τὴν ὑψηλοφροσύνην, ἐπάγειν λέγεται ἐπὶ τὸν νοῦν τὸν μέγαν τῶν Ἀσσυρίων. Τὴν δὲ ἀσθενῆ ὑπόληψιν ἐξελέγχων, ἐπὶ τὸ ὕψος φησὶ τῆς δόξης τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν αὐτοῦ ἐπάξειν τὴν κόλασιν. Καὶ γὰρ τὴν δόξαν, πολύσημον οὖσαν φωνὴν, κατὰ ἓν τῶν σημαινομένων ὡρίσαντό τινες, ἀσθενῆ ὑπόληψιν. 10.239 ∆ύναται δὲ ὁ νοῦς ὁ μέγας καὶ ὁ φρόνιμος, ὁ ἀντὶ τοῦ πανούργου λαμβανόμενος. Ὡς Ὁ ὄφις φρονιμώτερος τῶν θηρίων τῶν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς· καὶ ὁ οἰκονόμος τῆς ἀδικίας φρονίμως ἐποίησε· καὶ Οἱ υἱοὶ τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου φρονι μώτεροι ὑπὲρ τοὺς υἱοὺς τοῦ φωτὸς, εἰς τὴν γενεὰν αὐτῶν. Ἡρμήνευσε δὲ ἡμῖν ὁ Ἀπόστολος τοῦ φρονίμου τὴν ἔννοιαν, ἐν τῇ πρὸς Κορινθίους, εἰπών· Φοβοῦμαι δὲ, μήπως ὡς ὁ ὄφις ἐξηπάτησεν Εὔαν ἐν τῇ πανουργίᾳ αὐτοῦ ... Ἔδειξε γὰρ, ὅτι ἡ ἱστορία τὴν ψεκτὴν φρονιμότητα τῷ ὄφει προσμαρ τυρεῖ, ἐκ τοῦ αὐτὸν εἰς πανουργίαν μεταβάλλειν τὸ φρόνι μον. Οὕτως οὖν καὶ νοῦς μέγας, οὐ κατά τινος ἐπαινετοῦ, ὡς οἱ τὰ παρ' Ἕλλησι σημαινόμενα ἀκριβοῦντες ἔταξαν, λέγοντες τὸν νοῦν εἶναι φρόνησιν συνεστραμμένην, ἀλλὰ ψευ δωνύμως. Ἢ αὐτὸς ἑαυτὸν ἐκθαυμάζων, ἢ παρὰ τῶν κο λάκων οὕτω προσαγορευόμενος, ὠνόμασται νῦν παρὰ τῆς Γραφῆς. Οὗτος δὲ ὁ νοῦς ὁ μέγας, ἐπειδὴ οἶδεν, ὅτι τοῦ σοφοῦ (τοῦ γε ἀληθινῶς σοφοῦ) οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ ἐπὶ τῆς κεφαλῆς αὐτοῦ, δοξάζει τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς αὐτοῦ, ὡς οὐ κάτω βλέπων, οὐδὲ τὰ γήϊνα, ἀλλὰ τὰ μετέωρα πολυπραγμονῶν, καὶ τὴν ἄνω διατριβὴν ποιούμενος. Ὁποῖοί εἰσιν οἱ παρὰ τοῖς Ἕλλησι σοφοί, τὸν μὲν βίον ἔχοντες τοῖς αἰσχίστοις τῆς σαρκὸς πάθεσιν ἐγκαλινδούμενον, τὰ δὲ περὶ οὐρανοῦ καὶ ἀστέρων καὶ τῶν αἰθερίων καὶ τῶν περὶ τὸν ἀέρα συμπτωμάτων φυσιο λογοῦντες, δόξαν τινὰ ἑαυτῶν τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς περιτιθέασιν. 10.240 Εἶπε γάρ· Ἐν τῇ ἰσχύϊ ποιήσω καὶ τῇ σοφίᾳ τῆς συνέσεως ἀφελῶ ὅρια ἐθνῶν, καὶ τὴν ἰσχὺν αὐτῶν προνο μεύσω. Καὶ σείσω πόλεις κατοικουμένας καὶ τὴν οἰκου μένην ὅλην καταλήψομαι τῇ χειρὶ, ὡς νοσσιὰν, ἢ ὡς κατα λελειμμένα ὠὰ ἀρῶ. Καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν, ὃς διαφεύξεταί με, ἢ ἀντείπῃ μοι. Νῦν ἑρμηνεύει σαφῶς, διὰ τί μέγαν νοῦν εἴρηκεν αὐτὸν καὶ διὰ τί ἐπὶ τὸ ὕψος τῆς δόξης τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν αὐτοῦ ἀπειλεῖ τὰς κολάσεις ἐπαγαγεῖν, τὸν κόμπον αὐτοῦ τῶν ῥημάτων, ᾧ κέχρηται κατὰ τῶν ὑποδεεστέρων, μετὰ πάσης πικρίας αὐτοῖς ἀπειλῶν πᾶν εἶδος ἀφανισμοῦ, ἄμαχον ἑαυ τοῦ καὶ ἀνανταγώνιστον λέγων εἶναι τὴν δύναμιν. Ὡς γὰρ κύριος τυγχάνων ὧν βούλεται καὶ πάντως ἐπιτελέσων τὰ κατὰ πρόθεσιν, οὕτως ἐκόμπαζεν. Ἐπειδὴ πολλή μοί ἐστιν ἱππικὴ καὶ πεζικὴ δύναμις καὶ οὐδεὶς ὁ ἀνταίρων, καὶ ἐπειδὴ ἀπρόσιτος ἡ ἐν τοῖς στρατηγικοῖς σοφία μοι πάρ εστι καὶ ἡ σύνεσις ἀνεπίληπτος, διὰ τοῦτο (φησὶν) Ἀφελῶ ὅρια ἐθνῶν καὶ τὴν ἰσχὺν αὐτῶν προνομεύσω. Πάντα γὰρ τὰ ἔθνη τῇ ἐμαυτοῦ ὑποκύπτειν βασιλείᾳ συναναγκάσας, ἕνα τῶν πάντων ποιοῦμαι ὅρον, τὴν ἐμὴν ἐπικράτειαν. Νῦν γὰρ ἕκαστον ἰδίοις ὁροθεσίοις ἀπὸ τοῦ ἑτέρου διώρισται· ἀφελὼν οὖν αὐτῶν τὰ ὅρια, ὑπὸ ἓν σκῆπτρον τῆς ἐμῆς βασιλείας γενέσθαι τὰ πάντα συναναγκάσω. Καὶ τὴν ἰσχὺν αὐτῶν προνομεύσω. Προνομὴ λέγεται ἡ ἐν τοῖς πολεμίοις τῶν ἑαλωκότων εἰς τοὺς κρατοῦντας διανομὴ, ὅταν ἢ αἰχμάλωτα σώματα, ἤ τινα τῶν βοσκημάτων, ἢ ἄλλα τινὰ τῶν κατὰ τὸν βίον, οἱ κρατοῦντες ἐν ἀλλήλοις διαλαγ χάνουσι. Καὶ ἕκαστος κατὰ τὴν προσοῦσαν αὐτῷ ὑπεροχὴν τῆς ἐκ τῶν λαφύρων προνομῆς ἀξιούμενος, οὕτω μετέχει τῶν ἐκ τοῦ