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of these. In which when one conquers, he accepts them even if they are gloomy, even if they are unpleasant. The dust was said to be the more corporeal substance. Therefore, "our soul," of those saying these things, "was humbled to the dust". "We are clothed with "the body of humiliation," but we were not humbled by it. As if someone, for instance, receives fetters from some tyrant, he seems to have been humbled, but was not humbled; for he has the same stature, he has the same pride. For this reason we are poor and afflicted, because our soul, humbled to the dust, does not for the present have its own stature manifest and "our belly has clung to the earth." But they do not say this in truth about themselves, but about their own members, about their own people. But it is possible for the belly to be humbled to the earth in two ways: when someone minds earthly things and seeks what is below, he does not beget heavenly offspring, he does not beget godly thoughts, but all things human; and the soul saying these things becomes a mother. "because our belly has clung to the earth." But according to a second sense, the belly that is fed with the heavenly bread, that receives the heavenly food, has clung to heaven. But as many as eat the flesh of the dragon and are carried to the same food as the serpent, which is earth, have their belly clinging to the earth. And just as it is said of perceptible things: "Foods for the stomach, and the stomach for foods; but God will destroy both it and them," so also the stomach and belly of the soul, when it is not nourished by heavenly things, when it does not conceive from its divine bridegroom, has its belly clinging to the earth. 27 Arise, O Lord, help us and redeem us for your name's sake. 326 We need help, lest the afflictions, remaining for a long time, harm our soul, which is changeable. And then, so that they might not seem to speak trusting in their own righteousness, he says: "Arise, O Lord, help us and redeem us for your name's sake." We are called by your name. For this reason we have come into these troubles, because we are yours, and for the sake of helping others you have sent us into this affliction.

1 To the end, for those who shall be changed; for the sons of Korah, for understanding; a song

for the beloved. Alteration is a kind of motion and change in quality. Not every motion and change is an alteration. For it is possible to be changed according to generation. I mean, for example, the egg becoming a bird and the grain of wheat an ear of corn. This motion and change is according to generation. And there is another that occurs according to corruption: when the body of a man is corrupted and dissolves into ichor and worms and the like, it is not said to have been altered, but to have been corrupted. And there is also another motion and change according to growth, when an addition of the pre-existing quantity occurs: for when I am hastened from a lesser to a greater size, I am said to have grown, but to have diminished when the quantity is contracted and becomes less. Alteration, therefore, is a motion in quality, such as from sickness to health and from health to sickness, from ignorance to knowledge and the reverse, from unbelief to faith. Therefore, "To the end, for those who shall be changed." We have often discussed matters concerning the end, that it is what is after all things, the ultimate object of desire. It is, then, "To the end, for those who shall be changed." When the alteration has such an intensity that it is no longer possible for it to be intensified further, at the end of things, when "God becomes all in all," it is no longer possible for the quality to be extended. All knowledge and all virtue is a quality. It is possible, then, to begin in virtue and to advance in it, and it is always possible to add to what already exists. But when someone possesses virtue so completely that nothing is lacking to him, he has been altered to the end. Similarly also in the case of knowledge and wisdom the

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τούτων. ἐν οἷς̣ νικᾷ δε´̣ τ̣ις, ἀναδέχεται κἂν σκυθρωπὰ ᾖν, κἂν ἀηδῆ. ἐλέχθη ὁ χοῦς ὅτι ἡ σωματικωτέρα̣ οὐσι´̣α ἐστίν. "ἐταπεινώθη" οὖν "ἡ ψυχὴ ἡμῶν" τῶν ταῦτα λεγόντων "εἰς τὸν χοῦν". "τὸ σῶμα τῆς ταπεινώσεως" περικείμεθα, ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐταπεινώθημεν ὑπ' αὐτοῦ. ὡς ἐάν τις, φέρε, πέδας λάβῃ παρὰ τυράννου τινός, δοκεῖ τεταπεινῶσθαι, ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐταπεινώθη· ἔχει γὰρ τὸ αὐτὸ α᾿̣νάστημα, ἔχει τὸ αὐτὸ γαῦρος. διὰ τοῦτο πτωχοί ἐσμεν καὶ θλιβόμεθα, ὅτι ἡ ψυχὴ ἡμῶν τὸ ἴδιον̣ ἀν̣άστημα τέως φανερὸν οὐκ ἔχει ταπεινωθεῖσα εἰς τὸν χοῦν καὶ "ἡ γαστὴρ ἡμῶν τῇ γῇ ἐκολλήθη". οὐ κατὰ ἀλήθειαν δὲ τοῦτο περὶ αὐτῶν λέγουσιν, ἀλλὰ περὶ τῶν μελῶν ἑαυτῶν, περὶ τοῦ λαοῦ ἑαυτῶν. διττῶς δὲ ἔστιν ταπεινωθῆναι τὴν γαστέρ̣α εἰς τὴν γῆν· ὅταν τις τὰ ἐπίγεια φρονῇ καὶ τὰ κάτω ζητῇ, οὐ γεννᾷ οὐράνια γεννήματα, οὐ γεννᾷ λογισμοὺς θεοσεβεῖς, ἀλλὰ ἀνθρώπινα πάντα· καὶ γίνεται μήτηρ ἡ ταῦτα λέγουσα ψυχή. "ὅτι ἐκολλήθη εἰς γῆν ἡ γαστὴρ ἡμῶν". κατὰ δὲ δεύτερον λόγον ἡ τρεφομένη τῷ ἄρτῳ τῷ οὐρανίῳ, ἡ λαμβάνουσα τὴν οὐράνιον τροφὴν γαστὴρ τῷ οὐρανῷ ἐκολλήθη. ὅσοι δὲ τὰς σάρκας του῀̣ δράκοντος ἐσθίουσιν καὶ τὴν αὐτὴν φέρονται τῷ ὄφει τροφὴν γῆν οὖσαν, κολληθεῖσαν ἔχουσιν τὴν γαστέρα τῇ γῇ. καὶ ὥσπερ ἐπὶ τῶν αἰσθητ̣ω῀̣ν λέγεται· "τὰ βρώματα τῇ κοιλίᾳ, καὶ ἡ κοιλία τοῖς βρώμασιν· ὁ δὲ θεὸς καὶ ταύτην καὶ ταῦτα καταργήσει̣", οὕτω καὶ ἡ κοιλία καὶ γαστὴρ τῆς ψυχῆς ὅταν μὴ οὐράνια τραφῇ, ὅταν μὴ συνλάβῃ ἀπὸ τοῦ θείου ἑαυτῆς νυμφίου, τῇ γῇ κεκολλημένην ἔχει τὴν γαστέρα. 27 ἀνάστα, κύριε, βοήθησον ἡμῖν καὶ λύτρωσαι ἡμᾶς ἕνεκεν τοῦ ὀνόματός σου. 326 βοηθείας δεόμεθα, μὴ τὰ θλιβηρὰ ἐπὶ πολὺ παραμένοντα βλάψῃ ἡμῶν τὴν ψυχὴν τρεπτὴν οὖσαν. καὶ εἶτα, ἵνα μὴ δόξωσιν ἰδίᾳ δικαιοσύνῃ πεποιθότες λέγειν, λέγει· "ἀνάστα, κύριε, βοήθησον ἡμῖν καὶ λύτρωσαι ἡμᾶς ἕνεκεν τοῦ ὀνόματός σου". σοῦ χρηματίζομεν. διὰ τοῦτο ἐν τούτοις τοῖς ἀνιαροῖς γεγόναμεν, ὅτι σοῦ ἐσμεν, καὶ βοηθείας ἕνεκεν ἄλλων ἔπεμψας ἡμᾶς εἰς ταύτην τὴν κακοπραγίαν.

1 Εἰς τὸ τέλος, ὑπὲρ τῶν ἀλλοιωθησομένων· τοῖς υἱοῖς Κόρε εἰς σύνεσιν· ᾠδὴ

ὑπὲρ τοῦ ἀγαπητοῦ. ἡ ἀλλοίωσις κίνησις καὶ μεταβολή τι´̣ς̣ ἐστιν κατὰ ποιότητα. οὐ πᾶσα κίνησις καὶ μεταβολὴ ἀλλοίωσίς ἐστιν. ἔστιν γὰρ κατὰ γένεσιν μεταβληθῆναι. λέγω γοῦν τὸ ᾠὸν γίνεσθαι ὄρνεον καὶ τὸν κόκκον τοῦ σίτου στάχ̣υν. αὕτη ἡ κίνησις καὶ ἡ μεταβολὴ κατὰ γένεσίν ἐστιν. ἔστιν δὲ ἄλλη κατὰ φθορὰν γινομένη· ὁ´̣ταν φθαρῇ τὸ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου σῶμα καὶ ἀναλυθῇ εἰς ἰχῶρας καὶ σκώληκας καὶ τὰ παραπλήσια, οὐ λέγεται ἠλλοιω῀̣σθαι, ἀλλ' ἐφθάρθαι. καὶ ἔστιν καὶ ἄλλη κίνησις καὶ μεταβολὴ κατὰ αὔξησιν, ὅταν προσθήκην τοῦ προλαβόντος ποσοῦ γίνηται· ὅταν γὰρ ἐξ ἐλάττονος εἰς μεῖζον μέγεθος ἐπειχθῶ, λέγομαι ηὐξῆσθαι, με̣μειῶσθαι δὲ ὅταν συνσταλῇ τὸ ποσὸν καὶ ἐλάττω γένηται. ἡ ἀλλοίωσις οὖν κίνησίς ἐστιν κ̣ατὰ ποιότητα, οἷον ἐκ νόσου εἰς ὑγίειαν καὶ ἐξ ὑγείας εἰς νόσον, ἐξ ἀγνοίας εἰς ἐπιστήμην καὶ ἔνπαλιν, ἐξ ἀπιστίας εἰς πίστιν. "εἰς τὸ τέλος" οὖν, "ὑπὲρ τῶν ἀλλοιωθησομένων". τὰ περὶ τέλους πολλάκις διεξεληλύθαμεν, ὅτι τὸ μετὰ πάντα ἐστίν, τὸ ἔσχατον ὀρεκ̣τόν. ἐστὶν τοίνυν "εἰς τὸ τέλος, ὑπὲρ τῶν ἀλλοιωθησομένων". ὅταν ἡ ἀλλοίωσις ἐπίτασιν τοσαύτ̣ην σχῇ ὥστε μηκέτι δυνατὸν εἶναι περαιτέρω αὐτὴν ἐπιταθῆναι, ἐν τῷ τέλει τῶν πραγμ̣άτ̣ων, ὅτε "ὁ θεὸς πάντα ἐν πᾶσιν" γίνεται, οὐκέτι οἷόν τε ἐπεκταθῆναι τὴν ποιότητα̣. πᾶσα ἐπιστήμη καὶ πᾶσα ἀρετὴ ποιότης ἐστίν. ἔστιν οὖν ἄρξασθαι ἀρετῆς καὶ προκόπτειν ἐν ταύτῃ, καὶ ἀεὶ δυνατόν ἐστιν προσλαμβάνειν τῇ ἤδη ὑπαρξάσῃ. ὅταν δὲ τελείως τις τὴν ἀρετὴν ἔχῃ ὡς μηδὲν ἐνλείπειν αὐτῷ, εἰς τὸ τέλος ἠλλοιώθη. ὁμοίως καὶ ἐπὶ ἐπιστήμης καὶ σοφίας τὸ