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of justice, by the providential administration of things bringing about our affairs, wages war alongside; that is, he follows; for both in tribulations and in prosperity he gives thanks; for the providence that leads all things well. And such a one casts off 365 pellets each day; that is, he ever rejects the perishable and superfluous things that come into being under time.
And concerning the ox, they say that it possesses a triangular heart; and its kidney is a pentabolon; and it has three stomachs; and during the day, it has luminous eyes; but at night, fiery; and a third of the day and a third of the night, looking towards the east it breathes snorting. Its right nostril, smells sweetly of musk; and its blood, is destructive to all tame animals, except for the dog. Therefore, we too, like an ox bearing and handling the yoke of Christ, ought to cut up stony hearts; and to uproot the thorns of the passions; and to broaden the earth of the heart for the reception of the divine word. And to have a triangular heart, that is to have the sound doctrine of the Trinity in the heart; so that just as the heart naturally distributes life to the body, so also piety towards God constitutes the members of the soul. And to have a kidney like a pentabolon, that is that the desiring part should not be turned towards the passions, but through the 5 senses to contemplate creation for the sole desire and love of the Creator. And to possess three stomachs; the stomach first receiving the food, and through the digestive power sending on their pure part to each of the members, gives the remainder to the belly. Thus, therefore, it befits us, being led by practical and natural and theological contemplation, and assigning what is suitable to all the members of the soul, also to take thought for the lesser part; that is, the body; for this is the belly. And a third of the day and night to breathe looking towards the east, that is looking upon the threefold providence of God, preservative and converting and disciplinary, both in the night of temptations and in the day of prosperity, to give thanks; and to have eyes, at night fiery, and in the day luminous, that is, a contemplative power, in the day of virtues, receiving the rays of knowledge from the Sun of righteousness; and in the night of successive temptations brought on for the sake of virtue, (856) comprehending the reasons for the abandonments; and to have the right nostril fragrant. The right part of man is the soul; since we are twofold, of soul and body. Therefore he who through the virtues of the soul has drawn upon himself the grace of the Holy Spirit, becomes fragrant to others. And the blood of such a one is destructive to tame animals; that is, anger through perversion is destructive to the men who imitate him; but it is food for the demons who bark against us.
And the goat has such a nature, easily ascending the mountains, it walks on cliffs, and delights in musical melodies; and if its right horn is burned as incense in any place, it provides the illusion of an earthquake. And it excretes two hundred pellets each day. Therefore our soul too ought to leap boldly over the cliffs of temptations; and ascending the prophetic mountains, to hunt for the height of knowledge, and to delight in this; and not only to delight, but also through the reed-pipe, that is the practical word, teaching, to place pleasure in those who hear. And the right horn signifies that he who has brought the contemplative part of the soul to God through prayer, becoming fragrant to those who hear, shakes the habit of carnal passions within them. Such a one ever casts off the error concerning sensible things. For the senses being entwined with sensible things. . . . . .It is missing.
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δικαιοσύνης, διά τῆς προνοητικῆς τῶν ὄντων διοικήσεως φέροντι τά ἡμέτερα, συμπεριπολεῖ· τουτέστιν, ἐπακολουθεῖ· ἔν τε γάρ θλίψεσιν, ἔν τε εὐημερίαις εὐχαριστῶν· ἐπί τε τῇ καλῶς ἀγούσῃ τά πάντα προνοίᾳ. Ἀποβάλλει δέ ὁ τοιοῦτος ἑκάστης ἡμέρας σπυράθους τξε΄ · τουτέστι, τά ὑπό χρόνον γένεσιν φθαρτά καί περισσά ἑκάστοτε ἀποῤῥίπτει.
Περί δέ τοῦ βοός φασιν, ὅτι τήν καρδίαν τρίγωνον κέκτηται· τόν δέ νεφρόν πεντάβολον· ἔχει δέ καί τρεῖς στομάχους· καί τήν μέν ἡμέραν, φωτοειδεῖς ἔχει τούς ὀφθαλμούς· τῇ δέ νυκτί, πυροειδεῖς· καί τρίτον τῆς ἡμέρας καί τρίτον τῆς νυκτός κατ᾿ ἀνατολάς ὁρῶν πνέειν φυσῶν. Ὁ δεξιός αὐτοῦ ῥίς, εὐωδιάζει μόσχον· τό δέ αἷμα αὐτοῦ, ἀναιρετικόν ἐστι πάντων τῶν ἡμέρων ζώων, χωρίς τοῦ κυνός. ∆εῖ οὖν καί ἡμᾶς ὥσπερ βοῦν φέροντας, τόν ζυγόν τοῦ Χριστοῦ μεταχειριζομένους, τάς λιθίνας ἀνατέμνειν καρδίας· καί τάς μέν ἀκάνθας τῶν παθῶν ἐκριζοῦν· πλατύνειν δέ τήν γῆν τῆς καρδίας πρός ὑποδοχήν τοῦ θείου λόγου. Ἔχειν δέ καί τήν καρδίαν τρίγωνον, τουτέστι τόν περί Τριάδος λόγον ὑγιῆ ἔχειν ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ· ἵνα ὥσπερ ἡ καρδία διαδίδωσι φυσικῶς τήν ζωήν τῷ σώματι, οὕτως καί ἡ εἰς Θεόν εὐσέβεια, τά μέλη τῆς ψυχῆς συνίστησι. Τόν δέ νεφρόν ἔχειν πεντάβολον, τουτέστι τό ἐπιθυμητικόν μή πρός τά πάθη τετράφθαι, ἀλλά διά τῶν ε΄ αἰσθήσεων τήν κτίσιν κατοπτεύειν εἰς μόνην ἐπιθυμίαν καί ἀγάπην τοῦ Κτίσαντος. Τρεῖς δέ στομάχους κεκτῆσθαι· ὁ στόμαχος πρῶτον τά σιτία δεχόμενος, καί διά τῆς πεπτικῆς δυνάμεως τό εἰλικρινές αὐτῶν ἑκάστῳ τῶν μελῶν παραπέμψας, τό λοιπόν τῇ κοιλίᾳ δίδωσιν. Οὕτως οὖν ἡμᾶς προσήκει διά πρακτικῆς καί φυσικῆς καί θεολογικῆς θεωρίας ἀγομένους, καί τά πρόσφορα πᾶσι τοῖς μέλεσι τῆς ψυχῆς ἀπονέμοντας, καί τοῦ ἥττονος προνοεῖσθαι μέρους· τουτέστι, τοῦ σώματος· τοῦτο γάρ ἡ κοιλία. Τρίτον δέ τῆς ἡμέρας καί νυκτός ἀφορῶντας πρός ἀνατολάς πνέειν, τουτέστι τήν τρισσήν τοῦ Θεοῦ πρόνοιαν, συντηρητικήν καί ἐπιστρεπτικήν καί παιδευτικήν ἀφορῶντας, ἔν τε νυκτί τῶν πειρασμῶν, ἔν τε ἡμέρᾳ εὐημερίας, εὐχαριστεῖν· ἔχειν δέ τούς ὀφθαλμούς, ἐν μέν νυκτί πυροειδεῖς, ἐν δέ ἡμέρᾳ φωτοειδεῖς, τουτέστι, θεωρητικήν δύναμιν, ἐν μέν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῶν ἀρετῶν, τάς ἐκ τοῦ Ἡλίου τῆς δικαιοσύνης ἀκτῖνας τῆς γνώσεως ὑποδεχομένην· ἐν δέ τῇ νυκτί τῶν ὑπέρ ἀρετῆς ἐπαγομένων ἀλλεπαλλήλων πειρασμῶν, (856) τούς λόγους καταλαμβάνουσαν τῶν ἐγκαταλείψεων· ἔχειν δέ καί τόν δεξιόν ῥίνα εὐώδη. ∆εξιόν μέρος τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἐστίν ἡ ψυχή· ἐπειδή διπλοῖ ἐσμέν ἐκ ψυχῆς καί σώματος. Ὁ οὖν διά τάς τῆς ψυχῆς ἀρετάς, τήν χάριν τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος ἐπισπασάμενος, γίνεται τοῖς ἄλλοις εὐώδης. Τό δέ αἷμα τοῦ τοιούτου, ἀναιρετικόν ἐστι τῶν ἡμέρων ζώων· τουτέστιν, ὁ κατά παρατροπήν θυμός, ἀναιρετικός ἐστι τοῖς μιμουμένοις αὐτόν ἀνθρώποις· τροφή δέ τοῖς ὑλακτοῦσι καθ᾿ ἡμῶν δαίμοσιν.
Ἡ δέ αἴξ φύσιν ἔχει τοιαύτην, τά ὄρη εὐκόλως ἀναβαίνουσα, κρηνοβατεῖ, καί ἐπιτέρπεται τῶν μουσικῶν μελῶν· καί τό δεξιόν αὐτῆς κέρας ἐάν θυμιαθῇ ἐν οἱῳνδήποτε τόπῳ, σεισμοῦ φαντασίαν παρέχει. Ἀφοδεύει δέ ἑκάστης ἡμέρας σπυράθους διακοσίους. ∆εῖ οὖν καί τήν ἡμετέραν ψυχήν τούς κρημνούς τῶν πειρασμῶν εὐθαρσῶς διαπηδᾷν· καί τά προφητικά ὄρη ἀναβαίνουσαν, τό ὕψος τῆς γνώσεως θηρᾶσθαι, καί ἐπί ταύτῃ ἥδεσθαι· καί οὐ μόνον ἥδεσθαι, ἀλλά καί διά τοῦ δόνακος, τουτέστι τοῦ ἐμπράκτου λόγου, διδάσκοντα ἡδονήν ἐντιθέναι τοῖς ἀκούουσι. Τό δέ δεξιόν κέρας, σημαίνει ὅτι ὁ τό θεωρητικόν τῆς ψυχῆς διά τῆς προσευχῆς τῷ Θεῷ προσαγαγών, εὐώδης γινόμενος τοῖς ἀκούουσι, τήν ἐν αὐτοῖς ἕξιν τῶν σαρκικῶν παθῶν διασαλεύει. Ὁ τοιοῦτος ἑκάστοτε τήν περί τά αἰσθητά ἀποβάλλει πλάνην. Αἱ γάρ αἰσθήσεις τῶν αἰσθητῶν συμπλεκόμεναι. . . . . .Λείπει.