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he speaks of this flesh; for all the saints, while still in the flesh, pleased God. There is, therefore, a flesh, by being outside of which one pleases God: the material, passion-loving mind. And perhaps if someone, having become in spirit, leaves the flesh, he is not even disturbed when wrath is imminent. But he who still lays claim to this life is disturbed when something painful is expected and comes upon him. Often the composite is signified by one of the elements in the composition. When the saint says: "Why are you very sorrowful, O my soul, and why do you trouble me?"; then he makes the meaning about the more honorable part. When he says again that: "I pummel my body and make it a slave." -For he does not speak of it as separated from the soul, but since the body is subordinate, and the soul is the ruling part, the body, when it is subject to the soul, being ruled, and being ruled indeed with reason and with the law of God, is pummeled and made a slave. Since, therefore, I see wrath threatening—for your arrows have already wounded me—and I have perceived this, for this reason my flesh is also troubled. For this reason the saints did not fear a sudden death. has come to be in forgetfulness of wearing flesh. But when he considers this very thing, that he is bound in flesh and has received a flesh capable of being separated from the soul, he is disturbed by the prospect of death. "All flesh is grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass." Again he says that: "to you all flesh will come," that is, every human being. "All flesh will see the salvation of our God." All homonyms are distinguished from things having the same name by certain additions. If it is said in scripture: "who gives food to all flesh," we understand every living creature by nature. But if I say: "I will pour out from my Spirit on all flesh," I mean that which is by nature able to receive the gift of the Spirit. 4 There is no peace in my bones because of my sins. since I see my sins present. But not everyone conceives of their face, except the one who is repenting and wishes to flee 262 them. The one who sins and is ignorant of this very fact that he sins, does not see the face of his sins, does not see their shame. But he who understands what he does and sees that he accomplishes them in transgression of divine commandments, has the face of his sins appearing to him. But by "bones" he does not necessarily mean those of the body, unless according to the more base understanding, as was also said concerning "flesh." And it was said in the preceding passages: "all my bones will say: Lord, who is like you?" If the bones say: "Lord, who is like you," they have also received a concept of the Lord and of his form, so to speak, so as to know that no one is like him. But likeness and unlikeness to God reveals the knowledge of God and theology; so that he does not speak of the bones of the body, but of the strong and well-strung doctrines of the soul and of its powers; for then the perceptible bodies are held together by the bones; for it could not have sinews and veins and the other parts, if it did not have bones. therefore: "there is no peace in my bones"? -when the powers of the soul follow one another, they are at peace. When the spirited part is not in conflict with the rational part, the desiderative part with the mind, then there is peace. Again if someone has discordant doctrines—and many have such things; they posit something and bring forward another, which overturns the first thing they have posited. And almost all who have a confused mind suffer this. But the wise man, and especially the one wise in God, must have harmony in the powers of the inner man and in what is to be thought; for thus there is peace in his bones. 5 For my iniquities have gone over my head. He says this: my iniquities, which ought to be under my feet and trodden upon, have become above me, they rule my mind. For in many places "head" signifies the mind; as also in: "the eyes of the wise man are in his head," that is, in his mind. Indeed, the one who said this: "the eyes of the wise man," clarifies it saying in other places: "the wisdom of a man

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ταύτης τῆς σαρκὸς λέγει· πάντες γὰρ οἱ ἅγιοι ἔτι ἐν τῇ σαρκὶ ὄντες ἤρεσαν θεῷ. ἐστὶν τοίνυν σὰρξ ἧς ὁ ἐκτὸς γινόμενος ἀρέσκει θεῷ ἡ γνώμη ἡ ὑλικὴ ἡ φιλοπαθής. καὶ τάχα ἐάν τις ἐν πνεύματι γενόμενος ἀφῇ τὴν σάρκα, οὐδὲ ταράττεται ὀργῆς ἐπικειμένης. ὁ δὲ ἔτι ἀντιποιούμενος τοῦ ζῆν τούτου ταράττεται, ὅταν ἐπίπονόν τι προσδοκηθῇ καὶ ἐπέλθῃ. πολλάκις τὸ σύνθετον ἐξ ἑνὸς τῶν ἐν τῇ συνθέσει σημαίνεται. ὅταν λέγῃ ὁ ἅγιος· "ἱνατί περίλυπος εἶ, ἡ ψυχή μου, καὶ ἱνατί συνταράσσεις με"; τότε περὶ τοῦ τιμιωτέρου ποιεῖται τὴν σημασίαν. ὅταν λέγῃ πάλιν ὅτι· "ὑπωπιάζω μου τὸ σῶμα καὶ δουλαγωγῶ". -μὴ γὰρ ἀπηλλαγμένον τῆς ψυχῆς λέγει, ἀλλ' ἐπεὶ ὑποτάκτικόν ἐστιν τὸ σῶμα, ἀρχικὴ δὲ ἡ ψυχή, τὸ σῶμα ὅτε ὑπόκειται τῇ ψυχῇ ἀρχόμενον καὶ ἀρχόμενόν γε σὺν λόγῳ καὶ σὺν νόμῳ θεοῦ, ὑπωπιάζεται καὶ δουλαγωγεῖται. ἐπεὶ τοίνυν ὀργὴν ἐπικειμένην ὁρῶ-τὰ γὰρ βέλη σου ἤδη̣ ἔτρωσάν με-καὶ ᾐσθήθην τούτου, διὰ τοῦτο καὶ ἡ σάρξ μου τετ̣άρακ̣ται. διὰ τοῦτο οἱ ἅγιοι οὐ δεδίασιν θάνατον ἐπίτρ̣οχόν τ̣ινα. ἐν λήθῃ τοῦ σάρκα φορεῖν γέγονεν. ὅταν δὲ ἐπ' αὐτ̣ο`̣ τ̣οῦτο σκοπῇ, ὅτι σαρκὶ ἐνδέδεται καὶ δυνατὴν σάρκα διαιρεῖσθαι ἀπὸ τῆς ψυχῆς λαβών, ἐναντία θανάτου ταράττεται. "πᾶσα σὰρξ χόρτος, καὶ πᾶσα δόξα ἀνθρώπου ὡς ἄνθος χόρτου". πάλιν λέγει ὅτι· "πρὸς σὲ πᾶσα σὰρξ ἥξει", τουτέστιν πᾶς ἄνθρωπος. "ὄψεται πᾶσα σὰρξ τὸ σωτήριον τοῦ θεοῦ ἡμῶν". πάντα τὰ ὁμωνυμοῦντα ἐκ προσθηκῶν τινων διαιροῦνται ἀπὸ τῶν τὸ αὐτὸ ὄνομα ἐχόντων. ἐὰν λέγηται ἐν τῇ γραφ̣ῇ· "ὁ διδοὺς τροφὴν πάσῃ σαρκί", πᾶν ζῷον ἀκούομεν πεφυκός. ἐὰν δὲ λέγω· "ἐκχεῶ ἀπὸ τοῦ πνεύματός μου ἐπὶ πᾶσαν σάρκα", τὴν πεφυκυῖαν δόσιν πνεύματος δέχεσθαι λέγω. 4 οὐκ ἔστιν εἰρήνη τοῖς ὀστέοις μου ἀπὸ προσώπου τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν μου. ἐπεὶ ὁρῶ τὰς ἁμαρτίας μου παρούσας. οὐ πᾶς δὲ τοῦ προσώπου αὐτῶν ἔννοιαν λαμβάνει ἢ ὁ μ̣ετανοῶν καὶ φυγεῖν 262 αὐτὰς βουλόμ̣ενο̣ς. ὁ ἁμαρτάνων καὶ αὐτὸ τοῦτο ἀγνοῶν ὅτι ἁμαρτάνει, οὐχ ὁρᾷ τὸ πρόσωπον τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν ἑαυτοῦ, οὐχ ὁρᾷ αὐτῶν τὸ αἶσχος. ὁ δὲ ἐπιστάνων οἷς πράττει καὶ ὁρῶν ὅτι κατὰ παράβασιν θείων ἐντολῶν ἐπιτελεῖ αὐτά, ἐπιφαινό μενον ἔχει τῶν ἁμαρτιῶν τὸ πρόσωπον. ὀστέα δὲ οὐ τὰ τοῦ σώματος πάντως λέγει, εἰ μὴ κατὰ τὴν χαμαιζηλοτέραν διάνοιαν, ὡς καὶ περὶ σαρκὸς ἐλέχθη. καὶ εἴρηται ἐν τοῖς προλαβοῦσιν τό· "πάντα τὰ ὀστᾶ μου ἐροῦσιν· κύριε, τίς ὅμοιός σοι"; ε̣ι᾿̣ τὰ ὀστᾶ λέγουσιν· "κύριε, τίς ὅμοιός σοι", καὶ κυρίου ἔννοιαν ἐδέξαντο καὶ τῆς, ἵν' οὕτως εἴπω, μορφῆς αὐτοῦ, ὥστε εἰδέναι ὅτι οὐδεὶς ὅμοιος αὐτῷ ἐστιν. ἡ ὁμοιότης δὲ ἡ πρὸς θεὸν καὶ ἀνομοιότης ἐπίγνωσιν θεοῦ καὶ θεολογίαν φανεροῖ· ὥστε οὐ περὶ τῶν ὀστέων τοῦ σώματος λέγει, ἀλλὰ περὶ τῶν ἰσχυρῶν καὶ καὶ εὐτόνων δογμάτων τῆς ψυχῆς καὶ δυνάμεων αὐτῆς· τότε γὰρ τὰ αἰσθητὰ σώματα διακρατεῖται ὑπὸ τῶν ὀστέων· οὐκ ἠδύνατο γὰρ νεῦρα καὶ φλέβας ἔχειν καὶ τὰ ἄλλα, εἰ μὴ ὀστέα εἶχεν. ἐπερ · "οὐκ ἔστιν εἰρήνη τοῖς ὀστέοις μου"; -ὅταν αἱ δυνάμεις τῆς ψυχῆς ἀντακολουθοῦσιν, εἰρηνεύουσιν. ὅταν μὴ διαστασιάζῃ τὸ θυμικὸν πρὸς τὸ λογιστικόν, τὸ ἐπιθυμητικὸν πρὸς τὸν νοῦν, τότε εἰρήνη ἐστίν. πάλιν ἐὰν δόγματά τις ἔχῃ διάφωνα-οἱ πολλοὶ δὲ τοιαῦτα ἔχουσιν· τίθενταί τι καὶ ἐπιφέρουσιν ἄλλο, ὃ ἀνατρέπει τὃ πρῶτον τεθήκασιν. καὶ σχεδὸν ὅλοι οἱ συνκεχυμένην διάνοιαν ἔχοντες τοῦτο πάσχουσιν. δεῖ δὲ τὸν σοφὸν καὶ μάλιστα θεόσοφον συνφωνία̣ς̣ ἔχειν ἐν ταῖς δυνάμεσιν τοῦ ἔσω ἀνθρώπου καὶ ἐν τοῖς φρονητέοις· οὕτω γὰρ εἰρήνη ἔστιν ἐν τοῖς ὀστέοις αὐτοῦ. 5 ὅτι αἱ ἀνομίαι μου ὑπερῆραν τὴν κεφαλήν μου. τοῦτο λέγει· αἱ ἀνομίαι μου, αἳ ὀφείλουσιν ὑπὸ πόδας εἶναι καὶ πατεῖσθαι, ὑπὲρ ἐμὲ γέγοναν, τοῦ νοῦ μου κρατοῦσιν. ἐν πολλοῖς δὲ ἡ κεφαλὴ τὸν νοῦν σημαίνει· ὡς καὶ ἐν τῷ· "τοῦ σοφοῦ οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ ἐν κεφαλῇ αὐτοῦ", τουτέστιν ἐν τῷ νῷ. αὐτὸ γοῦν τοῦτο ὁ εἰρηκώς· "τοῦ σοφοῦ οἱ ὀφθαλμοί", εἰς ἕτερα λέγων σαφηνίζει· "σοφία ἀνθρώπου