,

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sense becomes the generator (14Γ_150> of grief for the soul, which is tormented by the frequent scourges of conscience, and it becomes the manifest maker of pleasure according to sense, which is fattened by the devices of ways that cater to the flesh; but if, cutting through the surface appearance of things seen that strikes the sense, he should contemplate the spiritual principles of beings, pure of their outward forms, he has worked the pleasure of the soul, which is overcome by nothing perceived by the senses, and has established the grief of the sense, which is deprived of all sensible things according to nature; for where reason leads sense in the contemplation of visible things, the flesh is deprived of all pleasure according to nature, not having the sense released and freed from rational bonds for the service of its own pleasures.

Therefore, as I was saying, since pleasure according to sense establishes the grief of the soul, that is, toil—for both are the same thing for each other—, while pleasure according to the soul is by nature wont to produce grief of the sense, that is, toil, it is fitting that he who yearns for the life in hope of our God and Savior Jesus Christ, through the resurrection of the dead, unto an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and unfading, kept in heaven, should have according to the soul exultation and inexpressible joy, continually brightened by the hope of future goods, but according to the flesh and sense, grief, that is, the toils that come upon it from various trials and the pains associated with them. For pleasure and toil accompany every virtue: toil of the flesh, deprived of its pleasing and softer sensation, and pleasure of the soul, delighting in the pure principles in the spirit of every sensible thing.

It is necessary, therefore, for the mind in the present life—for this (14Γ_152> is what I understand by the now—grieving according to the flesh on account of the many toils of the trials brought to it for the sake of virtue, always to rejoice and be pleased according to the soul on account of the hope of eternal goods, even if it has the sense worn down by toil; for the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed in us, says the divine apostle.

Thus, therefore, to speak my mind, a man can rejoice in that in which he grieves. For, while grieving in virtue according to the flesh on account of his toils, he rejoices in that same virtue according to the soul, as he beholds as present the comeliness of the things to come, for the sake of which, according to the great David, by the voluntary dying of the flesh he dies every day who is always being renewed according to the birth of the soul in the spirit, as one who has both saving pleasure and beneficial grief. For by grief we do not mean the irrational kind that torments the soul of the many over the privation of passions or material things, as they make their impulses unnaturally toward what they should not, and their aversions from what they should not, but the rational kind, approved by those wise in divine things, which indicates a present evil. For they say that grief is a present evil, established according to the soul whenever pleasure according to sense overcomes rational discernment, and existing according to sense whenever the course of the soul according to virtue is completed without hindrance, bringing to the sense as much toil as it creates pleasure and joy for the soul being brought to God through the kindred illumination of virtue and knowledge.

SCHOLIA 1. He means the grief according to the soul. (14Γ_154> 2. The pain according to sense he now called grief. 3. He says that the grief according to the soul is the end of the pleasure according to sense; for from

this is established the grief of the soul; just as, therefore, the end of pleasure according to the soul is grief according to the flesh; for gladness of the soul becomes grief of the flesh.

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αἴσθησιν τῆς μὲν κατὰ ψυχὴν λύπης γεννήτωρ (14Γ_150> καθίσταται, συχναῖς ταῖς κατὰ συνείδησιν μάστιξιν αἰκιζομένην, τῆς δὲ κατ᾽ αἴσθησιν ἡδονῆς ἀρίδηλος γίνεται ποιητής, ταῖς ἐπινοίαις τῶν περιποιητικῶν τῆς σαρκὸς τρόπων λιπαινομένης, εἰ δέ, τὴν πρὸς αἴσθησιν ἅμα τῇ προσβολῇ τῶν ὁρωμένων διατεμὼν ἐπιφάνειαν, τοὺς πνευματικοὺς τῶν ὄντων καθαροὺς τῶν ἐπ᾽ αὐτοῖς σχημάτων θεάσηται λόγους, τὴν μὲν τῆς ψυχῆς ἡδονὴν κατειργάσατο, μηδενὶ τῶν αἰσθήσει θεωρουμένων κρατουμένης, τὴν δὲ τῆς αἰσθήσεως συνεστήσατο λύπην, πάντων κατὰ φύσιν τῶν αἰσθητῶν ἐστερημένης· ἔνθα γὰρ ὁ λόγος προκαθηγεῖται τῆς αἰσθήσεως κατὰ τὴν τῶν ὁρατῶν θεωρίαν, πάσης ἐστέρηται τῆς κατὰ φύσιν ἡ σὰρξ ἡδονῆς, οὐκ ἔχουσα τὴν αἴσθησιν ἄφετον καὶ τῶν λογικῶν ἀπολελυμένην δεσμῶν εἰς ὑπηρεσίαν τῶν κατ᾽ αὐτὴν ἡδονῶν.

Οὐκοῦν, ὡς ἔφην, ἐπειδὴ τὴν μὲν τῆς ψυχῆς λύπην, ἤγουν τὸν πόνονταὐτὸν γὰρ ἀλλήλοις ἀμφότερα, ἡ κατ᾽ αἴσθησιν ἡδονὴ συνίστησιν, τὴν δὲ τῆς αἰσθήσεως λύπην, ἤγουν τὸν πόνον, ἡ κατὰ ψυχὴν ποιεῖν ἡδονὴ πέφυκεν, εἰκότως ὁ τῆς κατ᾽ ἐλπίδα ζωῆς, τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ δι᾽ ἀναστάσεως νεκρῶν εἰς κληρονομίαν ἄφθαρτον καὶ ἀμίαντον καὶ ἀμάραντον, τετηρημένην ἐν οὐρανοῖς, ἐφιέμενος κατὰ μὲν τὴν ψυχὴν ἀγαλλίασιν ἔχει καὶ χαρὰν ἀνεκλάλητον, διηνεκῶς τῇ τῶν μελλόντων ἀγαθῶν ἐλπίδι γανυμένην, κατὰ δὲ τὴν σάρκα καὶ τὴν αἴσθησιν λύπην, ἤγουν τοὺς ἐκ τῶν ποικίλων πειρασμῶν ἐπιγινομένους αὐτῇ πόνους καὶ τὰς ἐπ᾽ αὐτοῖς ὀδύνας. Πάσῃ γὰρ ἀρετῇ ἡδονὴ καὶ πόνος παρέπεται· πόνος μὲν σαρκός, ἐστερημένης τῆς προσηνοῦς καὶ λειοτέρας αἰσθήσεως, ἡδονὴ δὲ ψυχῆς, παντὸς αἰσθητοῦ καθαροῖς ἐντρυφώσης τοῖς ἐν πνεύματι λόγοις.

∆έον οὖν ἐστι τὸν νοῦν κατὰ τὴν παροῦσαν ζωήν τοῦτο (14Γ_152> γάρ μοι νοεῖται τὸ νῦνκατὰ σάρκα λυπούμενον διὰ τοὺς πολλοὺς πόνους τῶν ὑπὲρ ἀρετῆς αὐτῷ προσαγομένων πειρασμῶν ἀεὶ χαίρειν κατὰ ψυχὴν καὶ ἥδεσθαι διὰ τὴν ἐλπίδα τῶν αἰωνίων ἀγαθῶν, κἂν ἔχῃ καταπονουμένην τὴν αἴσθησιν· οὐ γὰρ ἄξια τὰ παθήματα τοῦ νῦν καιροῦ πρὸς τὴν μέλλουσαν δόξαν εἰς ἡμᾶς ἀποκαλύπτεσθαι, φησὶν ὁ θεῖος ἀπόστολος.

Οὕτως οὖν, κατ᾽ ἐμὲ φάναι, δύναται χαίρειν ἄνθρωπος ἐν ᾧ λυπεῖται. Τῇ γὰρ ἀρετῇ κατὰ σάρκα μὲν διὰ τοὺς πόνους λυπούμενος ἐν αὐτῇ χαίρει τῇ ἀρετῇ κατὰ ψυχήν, ὡς παροῦσαν θεώμενος τὴν τῶν μελλόντων εὐπρέπειαν, ὑπὲρ ἧς, κατὰ τὸν μέγαν ∆αβίδ, τῇ κατὰ γνώμην ἀπογενέσει τῆς σαρκὸς καθ᾽ ἑκάστην ἀποθνῄσκει τὴν ἡμέραν ὁ κατὰ τὴν τῆς ψυχῆς ἐν πνεύματι γένεσιν ἀεὶ καινιζόμενος, ἅτε δὴ καὶ τὴν ἡδονὴν ἔχων σωτήριον καὶ τὴν λύπην ὠφέλιμον. Λύπην γάρ φαμεν οὐ τὴν παράλογον καὶ τῶν πολλῶν ἐπὶ στερήσει παθῶν ἢ πραγμάτων ὑλικῶν τὴν ψυχὴν βασανίζουσαν, ὡς τὰς ὁρμὰς παρὰ φύσιν ἐφ᾽ ἃ μὴ δεῖ, καὶ τὰς ἀποφυγὰς ἀφ᾽ ὧν μὴ δεῖ, ποιουμένων, ἀλλὰ τὴν λελογισμένην καὶ τοῖς τὰ θεῖα σοφοῖς ἐγκριθεῖσαν καὶ τὸ παρὸν κακὸν ὑποσημαίνουσαν. Παρὸν γὰρ κακόν φασιν εἶναι τὴν λύπην, συνισταμένην μὲν κατὰ ψυχήν, ὅταν ἡ κατ᾽ αἴσθησιν ἡδονὴ τῆς λογικῆς κρατῇ διακρίσεως, ὑφισταμένην δὲ κατ᾽ αἴσθησιν, ὅταν τῆς ψυχῆς κατ᾽ ἀρετὴν ἀκωλύτως ὁ δρόμος ἀνύηται, τοσοῦτον ἐπάγων τῇ αἰσθήσει τοὺς πόνους, ὅσον ἡδονὴν ἐμποιεῖ καὶ χαρὰν τῇ ψυχῇ τῷ Θεῷ προσαγομένῃ διὰ τῆς συγγενοῦς κατ᾽ ἀρετήν τε καὶ γνῶσιν ἐλλάμψεως.

ΣΧΟΛΙΑ 1. Τήν κατά ψυχήν λύπην φησί. (14Γ_154> 2. Τήν κατ᾿ αἴσθησιν ὀδύνην, λύπην νῦν προσηγόρευσε. 3. Τήν κατά ψυχήν λύπην τέλος εἶναί φησι τῆς κατ᾿ αἴσθησιν ἡδονῆς· ἐκ γάρ

ταύτης συνίσταται λύπη ψυχῆς· ὥσπερ οὖν καί τῆς κατά ψυχήν ἡδονῆς τέλος ἐστίν ἡ κατά σάρκα λύπη· ψυχῆς γάρ εὐφροσύνη, σαρκός γίνεται λύπη.