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I will be filled with the stench of my own flesh and its filth, what is the benefit to me, tell me, you with their splendid feasts, and wisely, if you have wisdom, according to the Wise one, answer. Truly nothing, even if you keep silence, being choked by the word. For if today I am enlightened, but tomorrow I am darkened, or today I rejoice, but tomorrow I am cast into sorrow, or even if on this day I enjoy health, but on the next I am stricken with sickness, what is my gain? Tell me. And what is the enjoyment from the things I have mentioned? “These are not the feasts I have chosen, says the Lord. For who, He says, has required these things from your hands?” Not in this way has Christ legislated for us to celebrate. But (368) how? Listen attentively. But first I will set before you the objections of those who are opposed to the word, saying thus: “What then?” he says. “Shall we not light wax candles and lamps? Shall we not offer myrrh and incense? Shall we not summon a singing people, nor gather acquaintances and friends and rulers? Is this what you say? Is this what you command?” he says. This is not what I say, far from it, but I both advise and consent for you to do these things most lavishly. However, I want you to know the manner and I now set before you the very mystery of the feast of the faithful. What is this? That which the things done by you typically declare to you. For the signifying torches show you the intelligible light. For just as the temple, this most beautiful house, is illuminated by many torches, so also the house of your soul, more precious than this temple, ought to be intellectually enlightened and illuminated, all the spiritual virtues being kindled and shining in you, clearly through the divine fire, so that not even any place in it be left devoid of light; and the multitude of lamps burning by the visible fire sketches out for you the luminous thoughts, so that, just as these, each one of them may shine and no dark thought be left behind in the house of your soul, but that all of them, through and through, ever burning with the fire of the Spirit, may shine, so that your wreath-like chain of discerning thoughts may not be broken. And the poured-out myrrhs and the compounds of incense show you the intelligible myrrh, which also teach you that you must possess this richly within yourself. For that which is sprinkled from without will be for the spiritual ones an image of the dew coming down upon the mountains of Zion and as that which comes down upon the beard of Aaron and upon the hem of his garment; but that which gushes forth (369) from within and as water cooling the spirit will be a fountain flowing with waters of eternal life for him who is activated by the divine Spirit, being both kindled and sent up as a smoke of fragrance which both shines brightly and at the same time makes the senses smell a spiritual fragrance, on the one hand being as a light and seen by the pure in heart, on the other hand as a tree of life and crucifying anew the desires of the flesh, that which makes all things fragrant and always gladdens only the faithful with a spiritual gladness. But these things do not consist only in what has been said, but these things also have another emphasis of spiritual teaching. For if God has so adorned and glorified inanimate things with fragrance, much more will He adorn you, should you wish it, with the forms of the virtues and glorify you with the fragrance of the Holy Spirit, you whom He also created in His own image and likeness. For these myrrhs compounded by human hands and making your senses fragrant with the fragrance of the myrrh represent and, as it were, wisely intimate your own creation. For just as the hands of perfumers shape the myrrhs compounded from different sorts and make one form out of many, so also the hands of God have fashioned you, wisely compounded and fitted together with the intelligible members of the intelligible myrrh, that is, with the gifts of the life-giving and all-working Spirit, and you ought to give off the fragrance of the

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τῆς ἐμαυτοῦ σαρκός καί τοῦ ῥύπου ταύτης δωσωδίας πλησθήσομαι, τί μοι τό ὄφελος, εἰπέ μοι, ὁ λαμπραῖς αὐτῶν ἑορταῖς, καί συνετῶς, εἴ ἐστί σοι σύνεσις, κατά τόν Σοφόν, ἀποκρίθητι. Ὄντως οὐδέν, κἄν ἄγῃς σιωπήν, ὑπό τοῦ λόγου ἀγχόμενος. Εἰ γάρ σήμερον φωτισθήσομαι, αὔριον δέ σκοτισθήσομαι, ἤ σήμερον εὐφρανθήσομαι, τῇ λύπῃ δέ βληθήσομαι αὔριον, ἤ καί ταύτῃ μέν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ ὑγιείας ἀπολαύσαιμι, τῇ ἐπιούσῃ δέ βληθήσομαι νόσῳ, τί μοι τό κέρδος; Εἰπέ. Τίς δέ ἡ ἐκ τῶν εἰρημένων ἀπόλαυσις; «Οὐ ταύτας τάς ἑορτάς ἐξελεξάμην, λέγει Κύριος. Τίς γάρ, φησί, ταῦτα ἐκ τῶν χειρῶν ὑμῶν ἐξεζήτησεν;» Οὐχ οὕτως ἑορτάζειν ἡμᾶς Χριστός νενομοθέτηκεν. Ἀλλά (368) πῶς; Ἄκουε νουνεχῶς. Πρῶτον δέ τάς ἀντιθέσεις σοι τῶν ἀντιδιατιθεμένων τῷ λόγῳ προθήσω λεγόντων οὕτω «Τί δέ;» φησίν. «Οὐκ ἀνάψομεν κηρούς τε καί λύχνους; Οὐ μύρα προσενέγκωμεν καί θυμίαμα; Οὐ προσκαλεσόμεθα ᾄδοντα λαόν, οὐδέ γνωστούς καί φίλους καί ἄρχοντας συναθροίσομεν; Ταῦτα λέγεις; Οὕτω προστάσσεις;» φησίν. Οὐ τοῦτο λεγω, μή γένοιτο ἀλλά καί λίαν δαψιλῶς σοι ταῦτα ποιεῖν καί συμβουλεύω καί συναινῶ. Πλήν ἀλλά τόν τρόπον εἰδέναι σε βούλομαι καί ἤδη ὑποτιθῶ σοι καί αὐτό τό τῆς ἑορτῆς τῶν πιστῶν τό μυστήριον. Ποῖον δή τοῦτο; Ὅπερ αὐτά σοι δηλοῦσι τυπικῶς τά γινόμενα παρά σοῦ. Τό γάρ νοητόν σοι φῶς, αἱ λαμπάδες ὑποσημαίνουσαι δεικνύουσιν. Καθάπερ γάρ ὁ ναός, οὗτος ὁ περικαλλής οἶκος, ὑπό τῶν πολλῶν καταλάμπεται λαμπάδων, οὕτω καί ὁ οἶκος τῆς σῆς ψυχῆς, ὁ τοῦδε τοῦ ναοῦ τιμιώτερος, νοητῶς ὀφείλει φωτίζεσθαι καί καταλάμπεσθαι, καιομένων καί φαινόντων ἐν σοί τῶν πνευματικῶν πασῶν ἀρετῶν δηλονότι διά τοῦ θείου πυρός, ὡς μηδέ τόπον τινά ἐν αὐτῷ ἀπολειφθῆναι φωτός ἄμοιρον τούς δέ φωτοειδεῖς λογισμούς, τό πλῆθος ὑπογράφει σοι τῶν καιομένων λύχνων ὑπό τοῦ ὁρωμένου πυρός, ἵνα, καθώσπερ οὗτοι, λάμπῃ ὁ καθείς αὐτῶν καί μή λογισμός ἐναπολειφθῇ σκοτεινός ἐν τῇ οἰκίᾳ σου τῆς ψυχῆς, ἀλλά δι᾿ ὅλου ἅπαντες ἀεί τῷ πυρί τοῦ Πνεύματος καιόμενοι λάμπωσιν, ὡς ἄν μή διακόπτηταί σου ὁ τῆς διακρίσεως τῶν λογισμῶν στεφανοειδής ὁρμαθός. Τό δέ νοητόν σοι μύρον, τά ἐκχυνόμενα δεικνύει τῶν μύρων καί τά σύνθετα τῶν θυμιαμάτων, ἅ καί χρῆναί σε διδάσκουσι κεκτῆσθαι τοῦτο πολυτελῶς ἐν σεαυτῷ. Τό μέν γάρ ἔξωθεν ῥαντιζόμενον ἔσται τοῖς πνευματικοῖς εἰς εἰκόνα τῆς κατερχομένης δρόσου ἐπί τά ὄρη Σιών καί ὡς τό καταβαῖνον ἐπί τόν πώγωνα Ἀαρών καί ἐπί τήν ᾤαν τοῦ ἐνδύματος αὐτοῦ τό δέ βλύζον (369) ἔνδοθεν καί ὡς ὕδωρ καταψῦχον τό πνεῦμα ἔσται εἰς πηγήν νάουσαν ὕδατα ζωῆς αἰωνίου τῷ ὑπό θείου Πνεύματος ἐνεργουμένῳ, ἀναπτόμενόν τε καί εἰς καπνόν εὐωδίας ἀναπεμπόμενον ὅ καί φαίνει λαμπρῶς καί μυρίζει ὁμοῦ τάς αἰσθήσεις εὐωδίαν πνευματικήν, τοῦτο μέν ὡς φῶς ὄν καί τοῖς καθαροῖς τήν καρδίαν ὁρώμενον, τοῦτο δέ ὡς ξύλον ζωῆς καί ἀνασταυροῦν τά θελήματα τῆς σαρκός, τό εὐωδιάζον τά σύμπαντα καί μόνους τούς πιστούς ἀεί εὐφραῖνον εὐφροσύνην πνευματικήν. Ἀλλά γάρ οὐκ ἐν τοῖς εἰρημένοις μόνον ἵσταται ταῦτα, ἀλλ᾿ ἔχουσι ταῦτα καί ἑτέραν ἔμφασιν διδασκαλίας πνευματικῆς. Εἰ γάρ τά ἄψυχα οὕτω Θεός τῇ εὐωδίᾳ ἐκόσμησε καί ἐδόξασε, πολλῷ μᾶλλον σέ βουλόμενον κατακοσμήσει ταῖς ἰδέαις τῶν ἀρετῶν καί τῇ εὐωδίᾳ τοῦ Πνεύματος τοῦ Ἁγίου δοξάσει, ὅν καί κατ᾿ εἰκόνα ἑαυτοῦ ἔκτισε καί ὁμοίωσιν. Ταῦτα γάρ τά ὑπό τῶν χειρῶν τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων συντεθέντα μύρα καί τῇ εὐωδίᾳ τοῦ μύρου εὐωδιάζοντά σου τάς αἰσθήσεις τήν σήν πλάσιν ἀναζωγραφοῦσι καί οἷον σοφῶς ὑπεμφαίνουσι. Καθάπερ γάρ τά ὑπό διαφόρων εἰδῶν συντιθέμενα μύρα χεῖρες πλάττουσι μυρεψῶν καί ἕν ἐκ πολλῶν εἶδος ἀποτελοῦσιν, οὕτω καί σέ χεῖρες Θεοῦ ἔπλασαν, συντεθέντα σοφῶς καί συναρμολογηθέντα τοῖς νοητοῖς μέλεσι τοῦ μύρου τοῦ νοητοῦ, εἴτ᾿ οὖν τοῖς χαρίσμασι τοῦ ζωοποιοῦ καί παντουργοῦ Πνεύματος καί μυρίζειν σε χρή τήν