139

let us worship Him and fall down before Him, and let us not stop at this point, but until He also says to us: "You are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world."

But how does one come to be not of the world? If he crucifies himself to the world and the world to himself, just as Paul also says: "The world has been crucified to me, and I to the world." And how, he says, do these words harmonize with those words? The words, he says, are different, but the power of both is one and the same. For just as one who is outside the house does not see those shut up inside, so also one crucified to the world, that is, deadened, has no sensation (357) for the things in the world. And just as again a dead body has no sensation of any kind, neither for the living nor for the dead bodies lying with it, so also one who has come to be outside the world in the Divine Spirit and is with God cannot have sensation for the world or for the things of the world.

In this way, therefore, brothers, both a death before death and a resurrection of souls before the resurrection of bodies happens in deed and in power and in experience and in truth. For when the mortal mind is obliterated by the immortal mind and when deadness is driven out by life, the soul then, as though risen from the dead, admittedly sees itself, just as those who have risen from sleep see themselves, and recognizes God who raised it, whom it perceives and to whom it gives thanks, it worships and glorifies His infinite goodness. But the body has no inspiration or movement or thought of any kind for its own desires, but becomes entirely dead and breathless in these things.

There are times when a person often forgets even, so to speak, the things according to nature, because the soul is always dwelling intellectually in the things beyond nature. And rightly so; for, he says, "Walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh." For the flesh, as has been said, becoming dead through the visitation of the Spirit, will leave us henceforth untroubled and you will live unhindered, because "the law is not laid down for the just," according to the divine apostle, as for one who is clearly living above the law. "For where," he says, "(358) the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom," freedom from the slavery of the law, certainly. For the law is a guide and a tutor and a leader and a teacher of righteousness in that it says: "You shall do this and that," and again, "You shall not do this and that," but grace and truth are not so, but how? "And you shall do and say all things according to the grace given to you and speaking in you," as it is written: "And they shall all be taught by God," not learning what is good through letters and inscriptions but being taught this in the Holy Spirit, nor in word alone but being initiated mystically into divine things in the light of the word and in the word of light. "For then," he says, "you shall be teachers both for yourselves and for your neighbors, and not only that, but also the light of the world and the salt of the earth."

Those therefore before grace, being under the law, were also sitting under its shadow; but those who came to be after grace and in the day, have been freed from the shadow, that is, the slavery of the law, having clearly become above it, as though lifted up to a height by a kind of ladder, the evangelical way of life, and living together with the Lawgiver, being themselves lawgivers rather than keepers of the law.

Is there then one who has ears to hear, so that he might be able to hear the power of the things spoken by the Spirit? Is there now also one who has the mind of Christ, so that he may understand well and in a manner worthy of God the things written by this one? (359) Will someone now also be found having Christ speaking in him, so that he may be well able

139

προσκυνήσωμεν αὐτῷ καί προσπέσωμεν, καί μηδέ μέχρι τουτου στῶμεν, ἀλλ᾿ ἕως οὗ κἀκεῖνος πρός ἡμᾶς εἴπῃ· "Ὑμεῖς οὐκ ἐστέ ἐκ τοῦ κόσμου, ἀλλ᾿ ἐγώ ἐξελεξάμην ὑμᾶς ἐκ τοῦ κόσμου".

Πῶς δέ τις ἔρχεται εἰς τό μή εἶναι ἐκ τοῦ κόσμου; Ἐάν ἑαυτόν σταυρώσῃ τῷ κόσμῳ καί τόν κόσμον ἑαυτῷ, καθώς καί ὁ Παῦλός φησιν· "Ἐμοί κόσμος ἐσταύρωται κἀγώ τῷ κόσμῳ". Καί τί ταῦτα, φησί, πρός ἐκεῖνα συνᾴδει τά ῥήματα; Τά μέν ῥήματα, φησίν, ἄλλα, ἡ δέ δύναμις τῶν ἀμφοτέρων μία καί ἡ αὐτή. Ὥσπερ γάρ ὁ ἔξω τῆς οἰκίας ὤν, τούς ἔνδοθεν ἐγκεκλεισμένους οὐ καθορᾷ, οὕτως οὐδέ ὁ ἐσταυρωμένος τῷ κόσμῳ ἤτοι νενεκρωμένος αἴσθησίν τινα (357) πρός τά ἐν κόσμῳ πράγματα κέκτηται. Καί ὥσπερ πάλιν τό νεκρόν σῶμα οὔτε πρός τά ζῶντα οὔτε πρός τά σύν αὐτῷ νεκρά κείμενα σώματα τήν οἱανοῦν αἴσθησιν ἔχει, οὕτως οὐδέ ὁ ἔξω τοῦ κόσμου ἐν Πνεύματι Θείῳ γεγονώς καί σύν Θεῷ ὤν δύναται πρός τόν κόσμον αἴσθησιν ἔχειν ἤ πρός τά τοῦ κόσμου πράγματα.

Οὕτω τοιγαροῦν, ἀδελφοί, καί πρό θανάτου θάνατος καί πρό τῆς ἀναστάσεως τῶν σωμάτων ψυχῶν ἀνάστασις γίνεται ἔργῳ καί δυνάμει καί πείρᾳ καί ἀληθείᾳ. Τοῦ θνητοῦ γάρ φρονήματος ὑπό τοῦ ἀθανάτου νοός ἐξαφανιζομένου καί τῆς νεκρότητος ὑπό τῆς ζωῆς διωκομένης ἡ ψυχή τότε, ὡς ἐκ νεκρῶν ἀναστᾶσα, ἑαυτήν ὁμολογουμένως ὁρᾷ, καθάπερ οἱ ἐξ ὕπνου ἀναστάντες ἑαυτούς βλέπουσι, καί τόν αὐτήν ἀναστήσαντα ἐπιγινώσκει Θεόν, ὅν κατανοοῦσα καί ᾧ εὐχαριστοῦσα, προσκυνεῖ καί δοξολογεῖ τήν ἄπειρον αὐτοῦ ἀγαθότητα. Τό δέ σῶμα οὐκ ἔχει πρός τάς ἰδίας ἐπιθυμίας τήν οἱανοῦν ἔμπνευσιν ἤ κίνησιν ἤ ἐνθύμησιν, ἀλλά νεκρόν ὅλον καί ἄπνουν ἐν τούτοις γίνεται.

Ἔστιν ὅτε καί αὐτῶν εἰπεῖν πολλάκις τῶν κατά φύσιν ὁ ἄνθρωπος ἐπιλανθάνεται τηνικαῦτα διά τό ἐν τοῖς ὑπέρ φύσιν ἀεί ἐνδιατρίβειν νοερῶς τήν ψυχήν. Καί εἰκότως· "Πνεύματι γάρ, φησί, περιπατεῖτε καί ἐπιθυμίαν σαρκός οὐ μή τελέσητε". Νεκρά γάρ ἡ σάρξ, ὥσπερ εἴρηται, διά τῆς ἐπιφοιτήσεως γινομένη τοῦ Πνεύματος, ἀνενοχλήτους ἡμᾶς τοῦ λοιποῦ ἐάσει καί ἀνεμποδίστως βιώσετε, ἐπειδή "νόμος τῷ δικαίῳ οὐ κεῖται", κατά τόν θεῖον ἀπόστολον, ὡς ὑπέρ νόμον δηλονότι πολιτευομένῳ. "Ὅπου γάρ, φησί, (358) Πνεῦμα Κυρίου, ἐκεῖ ἐλευθερία", ἐλευθερία ἐκ τῆς τοῦ νόμου πάντως δουλείας. Ὁ γάρ νόμος ὁδηγός καί παιδαγωγός καί χειραγωγός καί διδάσκαλος δικαιοσύνης ἐστίν ἐν τῷ λέγειν· "Ποιήσεις τό καί το" καί αὖθις· "Τό καί τό οὐ ποιήσεις", ἡ δέ χάρις καί ἡ ἀλήθεια οὐχ οὕτως, ἀλλά πῶς; "Καί ποιήσεις πάντα καί εἴπῃς κατά τήν δοθεῖσάν σοι χάριν καί λαλοῦσαν ἐν σοί" καθά γέγραπται" "Καί ἔσονται πάντες διδακτοί Θεοῦ", οὐ διά γραμμάτων καί χαραγμάτων τό καλόν ἐμανθάνοντες ἀλλ᾿ ἐν Ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι τοῦτο ἐκδιδασκόμενοι, οὐδέ ἐν λόγῳ μόνῳ ἀλλ᾿ ἐν φωτί λόγου καί ἐν λόγῳ φωτός μυστικῶς τά θεῖα μυούμενοι. "Τηνικαῦτα γάρ καί ἑαυτοῖς καί τοῖς πλησίον, φησί, διδάσκαλοι ἔσεσθε, οὐ μήν ἀλλά καί φῶς τοῦ κόσμου καί ἅλας τῆς γῆς".

Οἱ οὖν πρό τῆς χάριτος ὡς ὑπό νόμον ὄντες, καί ὑπό τήν αὐτοῦ σκιάν ὑπῆρχον καθήμενοι· οἱ δέ μετά τήν χάριν καί ἡμέραν γενόμενοι, τῆς σκιᾶς ἤτοι τῆς δουλείας τοῦ νόμου ἠλευθερώθησαν, ὑπεράνω δηλονότι γεγονότες αὐτοῦ, ὡς διά κλίμακός τινος, τῆς εὐαγγελικῆς πολιτείας, εἰς ὕψος ἀρθέντες καί τῷ νομοθέτῃ συμβιοτεύοντες, νομοθέται καί αὐτοί μᾶλλον ὄντες ἤ νόμου φύλακες.

Ἆρά γε ἐστίν ὅς ἔχει ὦτα ἀκούειν, ἵνα δυνηθῇ τῶν ὑπό τοῦ Πνεύματος λεγομένων ἐνωτισθῆναι τήν δύναμιν; Ἆρα καί νῦν ἐστιν ὁ νοῦν κεκτημένος Χριστοῦ, ἵνα νοήσῃ καλῶς καί θεοπρεπῶς τά ὑπό τούτου γραφόμενα; (359) Ἆρα καί νῦν εὑρεθήσεταί τις ἔχων λαλοῦντα ἐν αὐτῷ τόν Χριστόν, ἵνα καλῶς ἰσχύσῃ