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when the field is gardened, the plowing ox must starve, and all the beasts of burden of the surrounding land. And if it were a man wronging a man, we would not cease using the law courts. But to a very great river that does not obey laws, what then should one apply? Therefore you must pray, most excellent one, to the one who is able in the twinkling of an eye to check the danger of travelers.

366. BASIL TO URBICIUS THE MONK CONCERNING CONTINENCE

366.1 You do well setting straight boundaries for us, that not only continence

we may see, but also its fruit. Its fruit, then, is participation in God. For not to be corrupted is to partake of God, just as to be corrupted is participation in life. For continence is denial of the body and confession to God. It departs from all that is mortal, as if having the Spirit of God as its body, and causes one to be mingled with God, having neither jealousy nor envy. For one who loves a body is filled with envy toward another; but he who has not received into his heart the disease of corruption is strong henceforth against every trial, though dead in the body, yet living in incorruptibility. And to me, as I understand it perfectly, continence seems to be God, because He desires nothing, but has all things in Himself, and longs for nothing, nor has passion concerning the eyes or concerning the ears, but being without need is wholly complete. Desire is a disease of the soul, but continence is health. One must not see continence in regard to one form only, such as for the sake of sexual matters, but also in regard to the other things that the soul wrongly desires, not being content with what is necessary; envy arises because of gold and countless wrongdoings because of other desires. And not being drunk is continence, and not bursting from being overfilled. And to have mastery of the body is continence, and to have dominion over wicked thoughts. How many times has a thought, being neither good nor true, disturbed a soul and divided the heart to care for many things in vain? Continence completely sets free, at the same time healing and being a power; for it does not teach self-control, but provides it. Continence is a grace of God. Jesus appeared as continence, becoming light upon both land and sea. For neither the earth nor the seas supported him, but just as he walked on the sea, so he did not weigh down the land. For if to die comes from being corruptible, and not to die comes from not having corruption, Jesus was working divinity, not mortality. He ate and drank in a peculiar way, not giving back the food; so great a power was continence in him that the food was not corrupted in him, since he himself did not have corruption. If there is even a little continence in us, we are superior to all. For we have heard that angels, having become incontinent, were dragged down from heaven through desire. For they were captured, they did not descend; for what was this disease doing there, unless some such eye was there? For this reason I said: If we have a little continence and do not love this life, but the ages above, we will be found there where we send up our mind. For this seems to be the eye that is able to see the unseen things. For it is said: Mind sees and mind hears. These things, seeming few to you, I have written as many, because each word is a thought, and I know that when you have read them you will perceive it.

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κεπομένης τῆς ἀρούρας ἀνάγκη λιμώττειν τὸν ἀροτῆρα βοῦν καὶ πάντα τὰ ὑποζύγια τῆς περικύκλῳ γῆς. Καὶ εἰ μὲν ἦν ἄνθρωπος ἄνθρωπον ἀδικῶν, οὐκ ἂν ἐπαυσάμεθα τοῖς δικαστηρίοις χρώμενοι. Τὸν δὲ νόμοις μὴ πειθόμενον μέγιστον ποταμὸν τί ἂν ἄρα δέοι τις ἐφαρμόσασθαι; Σοὶ οὖν εὔχεσθαι δεῖ, κράτιστε, τῷ ἐν μιᾷ καιροῦ ῥοπῇ ἀναστεῖλαι δυναμένῳ τὸν τῶν ὁδοιπόρων κίνδυνον.

366.τ ΒΑΣΙΛΕΙΟΣ ΠΡΟΣ ΟΥΡΒΙΚΙΟΝ ΜΟΝΑΖΟΝΤΑ ΠΕΡΙ ΕΓΚΡΑΤΕΙΑΣ

366.1 Καλῶς ποιεῖς ὅρους ἡμῖν εὐθεῖς ὁρίζων, ἵνα μὴ μόνον ἐγκράτειαν

ἴδωμεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸν καρπὸν αὐτῆς. Ἔστιν οὖν ὁ καρπὸς αὐτῆς Θεοῦ μετουσία. Τὸ γὰρ μὴ φθείρεσθαι Θεοῦ μετέχειν ἐστίν, ὥσπερ τὸ φθείρεσθαι βίου μετουσία. Ἐγκράτεια γάρ ἐστιν σώματος ἄρνησις καὶ ὁμολογία πρὸς Θεόν. Ἀποβαίνει τοῦ θνητοῦ παντός, ὥσπερ σῶμα ἔχουσα τοῦ Θεοῦ τὸ Πνεῦμα, καὶ Θεῷ μίσγεσθαι ποιεῖ οὔτε ζῆλον ἔχουσα οὔτε φθόνον. Ὁ γὰρ ἐρῶν σώματος ἑτέρῳ διαφθονεῖται· ὁ δὲ μὴ κομισάμενος εἰς καρδίαν τῆς φθορᾶς τὴν νόσον ἔρρωται λοιπὸν πόνῳ παντί, καίπερ ἀποθανὼν μὲν τῷ σώματι, ζῶν δὲ τῇ ἀφθαρσίᾳ. Καί μοι τελείως καταμανθάνοντι ἐγκράτεια δοκεῖ ὁ Θεὸς εἶναι, ὅτι μηδενὸς ἐπιθυμεῖ, ἀλλὰ πάντα ἔχει ἐν ἑαυτῷ, καὶ οὐδενὸς ὀρέγεται οὐδὲ ἔχει πάθος περὶ τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς οὐδὲ περὶ τὰ ὦτα, ἀλλὰ ἀνενδεὴς ὢν πλήρης δι' ὅλου ἐστίν. Ἐπιθυμία νόσος ἐστὶ ψυχῆς, ὑγεία δὲ ἐγκράτεια. Οὐ μόνον δὲ περὶ ἓν εἶδος τὴν ἐγκράτειαν δεῖ ὁρᾶν οἷον ἕνεκεν ἀφροδισίων, ἀλλὰ καὶ περὶ τὰ ἄλλα ὅσα ἐπιθυμεῖ ἡ ψυχὴ κακῶς οὐκ ἀρκουμένη τοῖς ἀναγκαίοις· γίνεται φθόνος διὰ χρυσίον καὶ ἀδικήματα μυρία δι' ἑτέρας ἐπιθυμίας. Καὶ τὸ μὴ μεθύειν ἐγκράτειά ἐστιν καὶ τὸ μὴ διαρρήγνυσθαι ὑπερεμπιμπλάμενον. Καὶ τὸ κρατεῖν τοῦ σώματος ἐγκράτειά ἐστιν καὶ τὸ κυριεύειν λογισμῶν πονηρῶν. Ποσάκις ἐτάραξεν ψυχὴν ἔννοια οὐκ ἀγαθὴ οὖσα οὔτε ἀληθὴς καὶ καρδίαν ἐμέρισεν εἰς πολλὰ φροντίζειν κενῶς; Πάντως ἐλευθεροῖ ἡ ἐγκράτεια ἅμα θεραπεύουσα καὶ δύναμις οὖσα· οὐ γὰρ διδάσκει σωφροσύνην, ἀλλὰ παρέχει. Χάρις ἐστὶν Θεοῦ ἐγκράτεια. Ἰησοῦς ἐγκράτεια ἐφάνη καὶ γῇ καὶ θαλάσσῃ κοῦφος γενόμενος. Οὔτε γὰρ γῆ ἐβάστασεν αὐτὸν οὔτε πελάγη, ἀλλ' ὥσπερ ἐπάτησεν θάλασσαν, οὕτως οὐκ ἐβάρησεν τὴν γῆν. Εἰ γὰρ ἐκ τοῦ φθείρεσθαι τὸ ἀποθανεῖν, ἐκ δὲ τοῦ φθορὰν μὴ ἔχειν τὸ μὴ ἀποθανεῖν, θεότητα ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἰργάζετο, οὐ θνητότητα. Ἤσθιεν καὶ ἔπινεν ἰδίως οὐκ ἀποδιδοὺς τὰ βρώματα· τοσαύτη ἐν αὐτῷ ἡ ἐγκράτεια δύναμις ἦν ὥστε μὴ φθαρῆναι τὴν τροφὴν ἐν αὐτῷ, ἐπεὶ τὸ φθείρεσθαι αὐτὸς οὐκ εἶχεν. Ὀλίγον τι ἐν ἡμῖν ἐὰν ᾖ ἐγκράτεια, ἀνώτεροι ἁπάντων ἐσμέν. Καὶ γὰρ ἀγγέλους ἠκούσαμεν ἀκρατεῖς γενομένους κατασπασθέντας οὐρανοῦ δι' ἐπιθυμίαν. Ἑάλωσαν γάρ, οὐχὶ κατέβησαν· τί γὰρ ἔπραττεν ἐκεῖ αὕτη ἡ νόσος, εἰ μή τις ἐκεῖ τοιοῦτος ὀφθαλμὸς ἦν; ∆ιὰ τοῦτο ἔφην· Ὀλίγον ἐγκράτειαν ἐὰν ἔχωμεν καὶ τοῦ βίου μὴ ἐρασθῶμεν, ἀλλ' αἰώνων τῶν ἀνωτέρων, ἐκεῖ εὑρεθησόμεθα ὅπου ἀναπέμπομεν τὸν νοῦν. ∆οκεῖ γὰρ ὀφθαλμὸν εἶναι τοῦτον τὸν τὰ ἀφανῆ ἰδεῖν δυνάμενον. Καὶ γὰρ λέγεται· Νοῦς ὁρᾷ καὶ νοῦς ἀκούει. Ταῦτά σοι ὀλίγα δοκοῦντα πολλὰ γέγραφα, ὅτι ἑκάστη λέξις νοῦς ἐστιν, καὶ οἶδα ὅτι ἀναγνοὺς αἰσθηθήσῃ.