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Paul says. Writing about the ministry and the service for the saints, he says: "May God give you understanding in all things"; for he does not mean by 'understanding' the knowledge of comparable and incomparable things, but practical virtue; for who is so understanding as the one who has corrected and regulated his own character? And for those who speak and for those who hear? -the one who teaches soberly about sobriety himself possesses the virtue of sobriety, which those instructed by him also have; for this is why the right word teaches as a teacher, and especially the word of ethics, so that the hearers may become such as the one who speaks. 2 As a hart longs for the springs of water, so my soul longs for you, O God. This animal, the hart, is said to be a destroyer of snakes. And when it destroys the snakes, it becomes very thirsty from their venom and hastens to find a spring of water, both to quench its thirst and to see its reflection; for it is said that the snakes, when being torn apart by this animal, moving, fill the face of the hart with blood and other things, and it goes away to look at itself in a mirror, so that it might wash away the impurity that came upon it from the destruction of the snakes. And another thing is said about this animal: when, it says, it grows old and loses its hair, it eats a snake and is rejuvenated. The eating of snakes makes it young again. Of such snakes? -of all the venomous ones, of the whole species of snakes or even of the genus. And this too, when from old age it sheds its antlers, it hides somewhere, until its antlers grow again and become strong; for it is easily conspired against when it does not have antlers; for they are its weapons and means of defense. So when they pass through the thickets, their antlers get caught and thus are torn away; for this reason also such a proverb appears: "Woe to harts that have no antlers". And this proverb signifies that: Woe to the helpless man who does not have enough power to help himself. 297 So the other of the things signified is spoken of and shown here. By saying: "As a hart longs for the springs of water, so my soul longs for you, my God," he likened the longing for God to the longing of the hart for the springs; for God is also a spring, and his word is a spring: "you have forsaken the spring of wisdom". "For with you is the spring of life." And again: "They have forsaken me, a spring of living water," God says. And the Holy Spirit is a spring, if indeed all the gifts flow from it and have their beginning from it. Therefore, as the perceptible hart longs for the springs of water, so our soul, becoming a hart and a destroyer of harmful things, longs for you, O God. Those "having in readiness to avenge all disobedience," these are harts destroying the snakes of injustice. And those who received "authority to tread upon snakes and scorpions," are harts. And these harts also pursue the high places. Just as the springs of water, so also the high places; for "the high mountains are for the harts". And again the same: "who makes my feet like a hart's," so that being perfected they might pursue intelligible things. And since I have often said that intelligible things according to different conceptions seem to be different things, while being the same in substance, the springs of water which the spiritual hart seeks are also high mountains. Insofar as they are anagogically and given from on high, they are high places; but insofar as they give drink and produce rivers in those who drink, they are called springs. It remains to speak also morally of the snakes as pleasures; for pleasure is manifold. "being led" by "various pleasures and desires". He speaks about the wicked women whom the heretics take captive. These manifold harts therefore do not long to find God, they do not seek one desire. But one desire is the Savior and our Lord himself. And as he is called wisdom and truth and light and righteousness, so also

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Παῦλος λέγει. περὶ τῆς διακονίας γράφων καὶ τῆς λειτουργίας τῆς εἰς τοὺς ἁγίους λέγει· "δῳ´̣η σοι ὁ θεὸς σύνεσιν ἐν πᾶσιν"· μὴ γὰρ σύνεσιν λέγει τὴν ἐπιστήμην συνβλητῶν καὶ ἀσυνβλήτων, ἀλλὰ τὴν πρακτικὴν ἀρετήν· τίς γὰρ οὕτω συνετός ἐστιν ἢ ὡς ὁ κατορθώσας ἑαυτοῦ τὸ ἦθος καὶ ῥυθμίσας; ἐπερ · καὶ αὐτοι῀̣ς τοῖς λ̣έγουσιν καὶ τοῖς ἀκούουσιν; -ὁ σωφρόνως διδάσκων περὶ σωφροσύνης καὶ αὐτὸς σωφροσύνης ἔχει τὴν ἀρετη`̣ν ἣν καὶ οἱ παιδευόμενοι πρὸς αὐτοῦ· διὰ τοῦτο γὰρ παιδεύει ὁ ὀρθο`̣ς λόγος διδάσκαλος καὶ μάλιστα ὁ τῶν ἠθικῶν, ἵνα τοιοῦτοι γένωνται οἱ ἀκούοντες οἷός ἐστιν ὁ λέγων. 2 ὃν τρόπον ἐπιποθεῖ ἔλαφος ἐπὶ τὰς πηγὰς τῶν ὑδάτων, οὕτως ἐπιποθεῖ ἡ ψυχή μου πρὸς σέ, ὁ θεός. λέγεται τὸ ζῷον τ̣οῦτο η῾̣ ἔλαφος ἀναιρετικὴ εἶναι τῶν ὄφεων. καὶ ὅταν ἀνέλῃ τοὺς ὄφεις, ὑπὸ τοῦ ἰοῦ αὐτῶν ἔκδιψος γίνεται καὶ σπ̣εύδει εὑρεῖν πηγὴν̣ ὕδατος, ἵνα κ̣αὶ τὸ δίψος ἀκέσηται καὶ καθοπτρισθῇ· λέγεται γάρ, ὅτι οἱ ὄφεις σπαραττόμενοι ὑπὸ τοῦ ζῴου τούτου κινούμενοι τὸ πρόσωπον τῆς ἐλάφου ὥσπερ αἱμάτων καὶ τῶν̣ ἄλλων πληροῦσιν, και`̣ ἀπε´̣ρχε̣ται ἐσοπτρίσασθαι, ἵνα ἀποπλύνηται τὴν προσγεναμένην ἀκαθαρσίαν ἐκ τῆς ἀναιρε´̣σεως τῶν ὄφεων. λέγεται δὲ καὶ ἄλλο περὶ αὐτοῦ τοῦ ζῴου· ὅταν, φησίν, παλαιωθῇ καὶ ἀπο̣βάλῃ τὰς τρι´̣χ̣ας, ἐσθίει ὄφιν καὶ ἀνα νεοῦται. ἡ βρῶσις τῶν ὄφεων νέαν αὐτὴν αὖθις ποιεῖ. ἐπερ · τῶν τοιῶνδ̣ε ὄφεων; -τῶν ἰοβόλων πάντων τοῦ εἴδους ὅλου τῶν ὄφεων ἢ καὶ τοῦ γένους. καὶ τοῦτο δέ, ὅταν ἀπὸ γήρ̣ως ἀποβάλῃ τὰ κ̣έρατα, φωλεύει που, ἕως ἀνατείλῃ κέρατα αὐτὴ καὶ ἰσχυρὰ γένηται· εὐεπιβούλευτος γάρ ἐστ̣ιν κέρατα οὐκ ἐ´̣χουσα· ὅπλα γὰρ αὐτῆς ἐστιν καὶ ἀμυντήρια. ἐν τοῖς δρυμοῖς οὖν ὅταν διαβαίνωσιν, ὑπ̣ολαμβάνο̣νται τὰ κέρατα αὐτῶν καὶ οὕτως ἀποσπῶνται· διὸ καὶ παροιμία τοιαύτη φαίνεται· "ο̣ὐαὶ ἐλάφοις κέρατα οὐκ ἐχούσαις". ἡ παροιμία δὲ αὕτη αἰνίττεται ὅτι· οὐαὶ ἀνθρώπῳ τῷ ἀβοηθήτῳ τῷ μὴ ἔχοντι ἅλι̣ς̣ δύναμιν βοηθεῖν ἑαυτῷ. 297 τὸ ἕτερον οὖν τῶν σημαινομένων ἐνταῦθα λέγεται δείκνυται. διὰ τοῦ φάναι· "ὃν τρόπον ἐπιποθεῖ ἔλαφος ἐπὶ τὰς̣ πηγὰς τῶν ὑδάτων, οὕτως ἐπιποθεῖ ἡ ψυχή μου πρὸς σέ, ὁ θεός μου", ὡμοίωσεν τὸν πρὸς θεὸν πόθον τῷ πόθῳ τῆς ἐλάφου τῷ ἐπὶ τὰς πηγάς· πηγὴ γάρ ἐστιν καὶ ὁ θεός, καὶ ὁ λόγος αὐτοῦ πηγή ἐστιν· "ἐνκατελείψατε τὴν πηγὴν τῆς σοφίας". "ὅτι παρὰ σοὶ πηγὴ ζωῆς". καὶ πάλιν· "ἐμὲ ἐνκατέλιπον, πηγὴν ὕδατος ζῶντος", ὁ θεὸς λέγει. καὶ τὸ ἅγιον πνεῦμα πηγή ἐστιν, εἴ γε τὰ χαρίσματα πάντα ἀπ' αὐτοῦ ῥεῖ καὶ ἀπ' αὐτοῦ ἔχει τὴν ἀρχήν. ὃν τρόπον ο̣ὖν ἐπιποθεῖ ἡ αἰσθητὴ ἔλαφος ἐπὶ τὰς πηγὰς τῶν ὑδάτων, οὕτως ἡ η῾̣μετέρα ψυχὴ ἔλαφος γινομένη καὶ ἀναιρετικὴ τῶν βλαπτόντων πρὸς σὲ ἐπιποθεῖ, ὦ θεέ. οἱ "ἑτοίμως ἔχοντες ἐκδικῆσαι πᾶσαν παρακοήν", οὗτοι ἔλαφοί εἰσιν ἀναιροῦντες τοὺς ὄφεις τῆς ἀδικ̣ίας. καὶ οἱ λαβόντες "ἐξουσίαν πατεῖν ἐπάνω ὄφεων καὶ σκορπίων", ἔλαφοί εἰσιν. αὗται δὲ αἱ ἔλαφοι κα̣ὶ τὰ ὑψηλὰ μεταδιώκουσιν. ὥσπερ καὶ τὰς πηγὰς τῶν ὑδάτων, οὕτω καὶ τὰ ὑψηλά· "ὄρη" γὰρ "τὰ ὑψηλὰ ταῖς ἐλάφοις". καὶ πάλιν ὁ α̣ὐτός· "ὁ καταρτιζόμενος τοὺς πόδας μου ὡς ἐλάφου", ἵνα καταρτισθέντες̣ τὰ νοητὰ μεταδιώκουσιν. καὶ ἐπειδὴ πολλάκις εἶπον, ὅτι τὰ νοητὰ κατὰ ἄλλην καὶ ἄλλην ἐπ̣ίνοιαν ἕτερα καὶ ἕτερα δ̣οκ̣οῦσιν εἶναι οὐτῇ ὑποστάσει ὄντα τὰ αὐτά, αἱ πηγαὶ τῶν ὑδάτων ἃς ζητεῖ ἡ πνευματικὴ ἔλαφος, καὶ ὑψηλὰ ὄρη εἰσίν. ᾗ ἀναγομένως καὶ ὑψόθεν δέδονται, ὑψηλά εἰσιν, ᾗ δὲ ποτίζουσιν καὶ ποταμ̣οὺς γεννω῀̣σιν ἐν τοῖς πιοῦσιν, πηγαὶ λέγονται. λοιπὸν ῥητέον καὶ ἠθικῶς τοὺς ὄφ̣εις ἡδονάς· ποικίλ̣η γάρ ἐστιν ἡ ἡδ̣ονή. "ἀγόμεναι" δὲ "ἡδοναῖς ποικίλαις καὶ ἐπιθυμίαις". περὶ τῶν φαύλων λέγει γυναι̣κῶν ὧν αἰχμαλωτίζο̣υσιν οἱ ἑτερόδοξοι. αὗται οὖν αἱ ποικίλαι ἔλαφοι οὐκ ἐπιποθοῦσιν εὑρεῖν θεόν, οὐ μίαν ζητοῦσιν ἐπιθυμίαν. μία δὲ ἐπιθυμία ἐστὶν αὐτὸς ὁ σωτὴρ καὶ κύριος ἡμῶν. ὡς δὲ λέγεται σοφία καὶ ἀλήθεια καὶ φῶς καὶ δικαιοσύνη, οὕτω καὶ