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as a plectrum; the man sleeps and I am awake. 2.225 Behold, it is the Lord who makes the hearts of men ecstatic and gives a heart to men.” Who, then, of those who follow and receive with understanding the word of edification and take care of their own life will not condemn such a counterfeit hypothesis and the word that boasts to be numbered among the prophets, not being able to say the same things as the prophets? For neither did the Holy Spirit speak in him. For to say, “I fly upon and strike and I am awake and the Lord makes hearts ecstatic,” these are the words of one in ecstasy and not of one who is in control, but showing a different character from the character of the Holy Spirit who has spoken in the prophets. But if they wish to weave falsehood with the truth and to make foolish the mind of those who are careful for accuracy, they also heap up for themselves words by which they counterfeit their own error, 2.226 saying that certain things are similar, in order that they may present * from the fact that the holy scripture said, “God cast an ecstasy upon Adam and he slept,” but this would no longer be similar to that. For God was not about to form a body here too, from which he brought into ecstasy, in order that he might bring on similar things through an excess of love for mankind. For he brought upon Adam the ecstasy of sleep, not an ecstasy of the mind. But ecstasy has its manner in many different ways. Ecstasy is spoken of through an excess of wonder, and madness is called ecstasy because of being put out of one's present state. But that ecstasy of sleep was spoken of in another way, according to natural operation, especially because it was brought most deeply upon the holy Adam, who was also formed by the hand of God. 5. For truly it is possible to see how justly the divine scripture has called this an ecstasy. For when a man sleeps, all the senses are displaced, having been turned to rest, so that, for example, the sense of sight, though present, does not see; for the eye is closed and the moving spirit in the man, or rather the soul, is at rest. Though there is a bad smell in the house or even a good smell, although the sense of smell is present, it does not perceive it; for such a sense has been displaced, having turned to rest. When there are bitter juices in the mouth or salty or sweet, the sense of taste does not perceive them, for since it lies in an ecstasy of rest, not operating, which it did when awake. Hearing is present, but the sense of hearing is inactive in its perception. And often when some are speaking in the house, unless the man is somewhat awakened, he does not hear what is said by some because the operation has ceased for the time. When certain creatures pass over our 2.227 body we do not perceive their touch upon our body, unless the creatures press on us heavily, as the entire organ, through the rest of sleep, has been displaced from its operation. For the organ, being of an earthly nature and related to the soul, because what is useful to us has thus come to be from God, a time is given to it which displaces it from the clearest sensation into a state of rest; but the soul itself has not been displaced from its ruling faculty nor from its thought. For often it imagines and sees itself as if awake and walks and works and travels by sea and makes public speeches, and in more and greater things than these beholding itself through dreams; not, however, according to the foolish and ecstatic man who is in ecstasy, who, being awake in body and soul, handles terrible things and often treats himself and his neighbors terribly; for he is ignorant of what he utters and does, since such a one has come to be in an ecstasy of folly. 6. And all these things are because of “the Lord cast an ecstasy upon Adam and he slept”

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ὡσεὶ πλῆκτρον· ὁ ἄνθρωπος κοιμᾶται κἀγὼ γρηγορῶ. 2.225 ἰδού, κύριός ἐστιν ὁ ἐξιστάνων καρδίας ἀνθρώπων καὶ διδοὺς καρδίαν ἀνθρώποις». τίς τοίνυν τῶν παρακολουθούντων καὶ μετὰ συνέσεως δεχομένων τὸν τῆς ὠφελείας λόγον καὶ τῆς ἑαυτῶν ζωῆς ἐπιμελομένων οὐ καταγνώσεται τῆς τοιαύτης παραπεποιημένης ὑποθέσεως καὶ τοῦ λόγου τοῦ αὐχοῦντος ἑαυτὸν ἐν προφήταις καταλέγεσθαι, μὴ δυναμένου τὰ ὅμοια λέγειν προφήταις; οὔτε γὰρ πνεῦμα ἅγιον ἐλάλησεν ἐν αὐτῷ. τὸ γὰρ εἰπεῖν «ἐφίπταμαι καὶ πλήσσω καὶ γρηγορῶ καὶ ἐξιστᾷ κύριος καρδίας», ἐκστατικοῦ ῥήματα ὑπάρχει ταῦτα καὶ οὐχὶ παρακολουθοῦντος, ἀλλὰ ἄλλον χαρακτῆρα ὑποδεικνύντος παρὰ τὸν χαρακτῆρα τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος τοῦ ἐν προφήταις λελαληκότος. Εἰ δὲ θελήσουσι παραπλέκειν τῇ ἀληθείᾳ τὸ ψεῦδος καὶ ἀνοητεῖν τὸν νοῦν τῶν τῆς ἀκριβείας ἐπιμελομένων, ἑαυτοῖς τε ἐπισωρεύουσι λόγους, δι' ὧν παραποιητεύονται τὴν ἑαυτῶν πλάνην, 2.226 ὅμοιά τινα εἶναι λέγοντες, ἵνα δὴ παραστήσωσιν * ἀπὸ τοῦ τὴν ἁγίαν γραφὴν εἰρηκέναι «ἐπέβαλεν ὁ θεὸς ἔκστασιν ἐπὶ τὸν Ἀδὰμ καὶ ὕπνωσε», ἀλλὰ οὐκέτι ὅμοιον τοῦτο εἴη ἐκείνῳ. οὐ γὰρ καὶ ἐνταῦθα σῶμα ἔμελλε πλάσσειν ὁ θεός, ἀφ' οὗ εἰς ἔκστασιν ἔφερεν, ἵνα τὰ ὅμοια ἐπενέγκῃ δι' ὑπερβολὴν τῆς φιλανθρωπίας. τῷ γὰρ Ἀδὰμ ἐπήνεγκε τὴν ἔκστασιν τοῦ ὕπνου, οὐκ ἔκστασιν φρενῶν. ἔκστασις δὲ κατὰ διαφορὰς πολλὰς ἔχει τὸν τρόπον. ἔκστασις δι' ὑπερβολὴν θαύματος λέγεται καὶ ἔκστασις λέγεται ἡ μανία διὰ τὸ ἐκστῆναι τοῦ προκειμένου. ἐκείνη δὲ ἡ τοῦ ὕπνου ἔκστασις κατ' ἄλλον τρόπον ἐρρέθη, κατὰ τὴν φυσικὴν ἐνέργειαν, μάλιστα διὰ τὸ βαθυτάτως αὐτὴν ἐπενηνέχθαι τῷ ἁγίῳ Ἀδὰμ καὶ ἐν χειρὶ θεοῦ πεπλασμένῳ. 5. Καὶ γὰρ ἀληθῶς ἔστιν ἰδεῖν ὡς δικαίως ἔκστασιν ταύτην ἡ θεία γραφὴ κέκληκεν. ἐν τῷ γὰρ ὑπνοῦν τὸν ἄνθρωπον μεθίστανται πᾶσαι αἱ αἰσθήσεις, εἰς ἀνάπαυσιν τραπεῖσαι, ὡς οἷον εἰπεῖν παροῦσα ἡ διορατικὴ οὐχ ὁρᾷ· ἀποκέκλεισται γὰρ τὸ ὄμμα καὶ ἡσυχάζει τὸ κινοῦν ἐν τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ πνεῦμα εἴτ' οὖν ἡ ψυχή. δυσοδμίας οὔσης ἐν οἴκῳ ἢ καὶ εὐοδμίας, καίτοι γε παρούσης τῆς ὀσφραντικῆς αἰσθήσεως, οὐκ ἀντιλαμβάνεται· ἐξέστη γὰρ ἡ τοιαύτη αἴσθησις εἰς ἀνάπαυσιν τραπεῖσα. πικρῶν ὄντων χυμῶν ἐν τῷ στόματι ἢ ἁλμυρῶν ἢ γλυκέων τὸ γευστικὸν οὐκ αἰσθάνεται, ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἐν ἐκστάσει τῆς ἀναπαύσεως κεῖται μὴ ἐνεργοῦν, ὅπερ ἐν τῷ ὕπαρ ὄντι ἐνήργει. ἀκοὴ πάρεστιν, ἀλλὰ ἀργεῖ τὸ ἀκουστικὸν κατὰ τὴν αἴσθησιν. καὶ πολλάκις τινῶν λαλούντων ἐν οἴκῳ, εἰ μή τι διυπνισθῇ ὁ ἄνθρωπος, οὐκ ἐπακούει τῶν παρά τινων ῥηθέντων διὰ τὸ ἀποστῆναι τὴν ἐνέργειαν πρὸς τὴν ὥραν. τινῶν κνωδάλων διερχομένων διὰ τοῦ ἡμετέρου 2.227 σώματος οὐκ αἰσθανόμεθα τῆς αὐτῶν περὶ τὸ σῶμα ἡμῶν ἁφῆς, εἰ μή τι βαρέως ἡμῖν ἐπιθῶνται τὰ κνώδαλα, ὡς τοῦ παντὸς ὀργάνου διὰ τὴν ἀνάπαυσιν τοῦ ὕπνου ἐκστάντος ἀπὸ τῆς ἐνεργείας. τὸ μὲν γὰρ ὄργανον, φύσεως ὂν γηίνης καὶ περὶ τὴν ψυχὴν ἔχον, διὰ τὸ οὕτως ἐκ θεοῦ τὸ χρήσιμον ἡμῖν γεγενῆσθαι ἀποδίδοται αὐτῷ καιρὸς μεθιστῶν αὐτὸ ἀπὸ τῆς ἐναργεστάτης αἰσθήσεως εἰς κατάστασιν ἀναπαύσεως· αὐτὴ δὲ ἡ ψυχὴ οὐκ ἐξέστη τοῦ ἡγεμονικοῦ οὐδὲ τοῦ φρονήματος. πολλάκις γὰρ φαντάζεται καὶ ὁρᾷ ἑαυτὴν ὡς ἐν ἐγρηγόρσει καὶ περιπατεῖ καὶ ἐργάζεται καὶ ποντοπορεῖ καὶ δημηγορεῖ, καὶ ἐν πλείοσι καὶ ἐν μείζοσι τούτων δι' ὀνειράτων ἑαυτὴν θεωμένη· οὐ μὴν κατὰ τὸν ἀφραίνοντα καὶ ἐν ἐκστάσει γινόμενον ἐκστατικὸν ἄνθρωπον, τὸν τῷ σώματι καὶ τῇ ψυχῇ ἐγρηγορότα τὰ δεινὰ μεταχειριζόμενον καὶ πολλάκις ἑαυτῷ δεινῶς χρώμενον καὶ τοῖς πέλας· ἀγνοεῖ γὰρ ἃ φθέγγεται καὶ πράττει, ἐπειδήπερ ἐν ἐκστάσει γέγονεν ἀφροσύνης ὁ τοιοῦτος. 6. Ταῦτα δὲ πάντα διὰ τό «ἐπέβαλε κύριος ἔκστασιν ἐπὶ τὸν Ἀδὰμ καὶ ὕπνωσεν»