465

counsel; from which he greatly preferred being of the dust to being, and to becoming divine. And his city is sensation, or the visible world; in which, resting irrationally according to relation, he exchanged his dwelling for a sojourning; neither fearing God, nor indeed respecting the man who became the same for our sake; the one, on account of folly; the other, on account of contempt; the former not foreseeing the magnitude of the judgments; and the latter not being restrained, which for a time goodness, awaiting change, suspends, the torment; with which he willfully entangled himself, having improperly used the honor of free will given by the Creator for the accomplishment of his duties; and having judged the apparent good more desirable than the intelligible good, which was not lawful.

And the troubling widow, the rational soul, since indeed for the bearing of fruit of sacred and holy works it does not have the Word who sows good things according to nature. Being held only by this total affection and disposition toward it; but not waiting, because of the turning away and the self-willed inclination toward the things here.

And her adversary, I mean of the soul, the material movement and mind of the wretched flesh, through which the unclean demons strive to defile the beauty and to obscure the clarity of the divine image in us and of its dignity, whenever, falling into pleasure, they terribly inflict upon us the shames and passions of dishonor; on account of which death also was condemned upon nature, which did not choose from the beginning to delight in the life that truly is.

And the buffetings, the exhorting torments from the conscience with a certain prompting, by which, being proposed by the soul, the severity of reason is accustomed to be bent somehow gently, and being unyielding toward good things on account of a more chronic habit, not bearing the torment dwelling deep within, (1397) and as it were continuously torturing and troubling; until he should destroy the passions that destroy the soul, through self-control, and the voluntary mortification toward the members of the flesh. Then also to close kinship with the Word himself through piety, and that he might lead to the more perfect zeal concerning better things; by which things being naturally activated, comparing them to his own and paternal things, the God beyond substance and nature, our Lord Jesus Christ, Will not God, he says, bring about your vindication, through me having been made flesh, and bringing about the removal of what is removable of nature?

Thus then I have briefly gone through the things concerning this, insofar as the available measure of my intellect sufficed; even if others, having understood the passage differently; some have taken it to refer to Christ; but others, the opposite, to the Antichrist. But I am afraid to think or to say either; the one, as incomparable; for the vindication is not less than the Son's, and greater than the Father's; or through another, and entirely different, except for the Son. And how does he speak comparatively on the same thing, saying, "And will not God," he says, "bring about your vindication?" For it has no place; or it will be shown to be entirely different, and with nature not being able to do the same thing; and for this reason therefore not being put in the same class; but only figuring, as superior, that which surpasses. The other, as it is unheard of and impossible for the inventor and teacher of evil to do good; "For a corrupt tree," he says, "cannot bring forth good fruit;" and vindication is a good thing, and to duly put away the trouble of the one approaching; or for the Father perchance to be compared to this, which is not lawful, and the provider of all virtue and life from the Son, and that a Son only-begotten, and equal in nature and goodness. For good things are not naturally revealed through evil things, just as light is not through darkness, or life through death; and that which is, through that which is not at all. And I do not say these things for the rejection of those others; for I hold and cling, more than life, to the teaching of those who have spoken; but securing my own moderate view out of extreme caution. But it is not fitting for me to regulate the reading of "to buffet," on account of

465

συμβουλήν· ἐξ οὗ καί τό χοϊκός εἶναι, τοῦ εἶναι, καί τοῦ θεῖος γενέσθαι πάμπολυ προετίμησε. Πόλιν δέ εἶναι τούτου, τήν αἴσθησιν, ἤ τόν ὁρώμενον κόσμον· οἷς παραλόγως κατά σχέσιν ἐπαναπαυόμενος, τῆς κατοικίας τήν παροικίαν ἠλλάξατο· μήτε Θεόν φοβούμενος, μήτε μήν ἄνθρωπον τόν αὐτόν γεγενημένον δι᾿ ἡμᾶς ἐντρεπόμενος· τό μέν, διά τήν ἄνοιαν· τό δέ, διά τήν καταφρόνησιν· ἐκείνην τε μή προορωμένην τῶν κριμάτων τό μέγεθος· καί ταύτην οὐκ εἰργομένην, ἥν τέως ἡ χρηστότης προσμένουσα τήν μεταβολήν ἀναστέλλει, τήν βάσανον· αἷς ἑαυτόν αὐθαδῶς περιέπειρε, τῇ δεδομένῃ παρά τοῦ Κτίσαντος εἰς ἐξάνυσιν τῶν καθηκότων αὐτεξουσίῳ τιμῇ παρά τό δέον ἀποχρησάμενος· καί τοῦ νοουμένου τό φανέν ἀγαθόν κρίνας, ὅ μή θέμις ἦν, αἱρετώτερον.

Χήραν δέ διοχλοῦσαν, τήν λογικήν ψυχήν ἅτε δή πρός καρπογονίαν ἱερῶν καί ὁσίων ἔργων οὐκ ἔχουσαν τόν τά καλά κατά φύσιν σπείροντα λόγον. Μόνῃ τῇ πρός αὐτήν ὁλικῇ ταύτῃ στοργῇ καί διαθέσει κρατούμενον· ἀλλ᾿ οὐ προσμένοντα διά τήν ἀπόνευσιν, καί τήν αὐθαίρετον πρός τά τῆδε ῥοπήν.

Ἀντίδικον δέ ταύτης, φημί τῆς ψυχῆς, τό τῆς δυστήνου σαρκός ἔνυλον κίνημά τε καί φρόνημα, δι᾿ οὗ τῆς ἐν ἡμῖν θείας εἰκόνος καί τοῦ κατ᾿ αὐτήν ἀξιώματος, τό τε κάλλος καταμολύνειν σπουδάζουσι, καί τό διαυγές ἀμαυροῦν οἱ ἀκάθαρτοι δαίμονες, ὁπηνίκα, δι᾿ ἡδονῆς ὑποπίπτουσιν, ἐπεισφρήσωσι δεινῶς ἡμῖν τά τῆς ἀτιμίας αἴσχη καί πάθη· δι᾿ ἅ καί ὁ θάνατος κατεκρίθη τῆς φύσεως, οὐχ ἑλομένης τό ἀπαρχῆς τῆς ὄντως κατατρυφῆσαι ζωῆς.

Ὑπωπιασμούς δέ τούς ἐκ τῆς συνειδήσεως μεθ᾿ ὑποφωνήσεώς τινος παρακλητικούς αἰκισμούς, οἷς προτεινομένοις ἐκ τῆς ψυχῆς, ἡρέμα πως εἴωθεν κάμπτεσθαι τό αὐστηρόν τοῦ λογισμοῦ, καί πρός τά καλά διά τήν χρονιωτέραν ἕξιν ἀνύπεικτον, οὐ φέροντος ἐνδομυχοῦσαν, (1397) καί οἷον αἰκίζουσάν τε συνεχῶς καί διοχλοῦσαν τήν βάσανον· ἕως λυμῄνηται τά τήν ψυχήν λυμαινόμενα πάθη, δι᾿ ἐγκρατείας, καί τῆς πρός τά μέλη τῆς σαρκός ἑκουσίου νεκρώσεως. Εἶτα καί πρός ἀγχιστείαν αὐτοῦ τοῦ λόγου δι᾿ εὐσεβείας, καί τῆς περί τά κρείττω τελεωτέρας ἀγάγοι σπουδῆς· οἷς φυσικῶς ἐνεργουμένοις, τά οἰκεῖα καί πατρικά παραβάλλων, ὁ ὑπέρ οὐσίαν καί φύσιν Θεός Κύριος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦς Χριστός, Ὁ δέ Θεός μή ποιήσῃ, φησί, τήν ἐκδίκησιν ὑμῶν, δι᾿ ἐμοῦ σαρκωθέντος, καί τήν τοῦ καθαιρέτου τῆς φύσεως ποιουμένου καθαίρεσιν;

Οὕτω μέν οὖν τά περί τούτου διεξῆλθον ἐπιτόμως ἐγώ, καθ᾿ ὅσον τό ἐγχωροῦν τῆς διανοίας μέτρον ἐπήρκεσεν· εἰ καί ἄλλως ἄλλοι τόν τόπον κατανοήσαντες· οἱ μέν εἰς Χριστόν· οἱ δέ τοὔμπαλιν, εἰς τόν Ἀντίχριστον ἐξειλήφασι. ∆έος δέ μοι νοεῖν, ἤ λέγειν ἑκάτερα· τό μέν, ὡς ἀσύγκριτον· οὐ γάρ μείων μέν Υἱοῦ· μείζων δέ Πατρός, ἡ ἐκδίκησις· ἤ δι᾿ ἄλλου, καί ἄλλη τό σύνολον, πλήν τοῦ Υἱοῦ. Καί πῶς ἐπί τῆς αὐτῆς συγκριτικῶς φησι, τό, Ὁ δέ Θεός, φησίν, οὐ ποιήσει τήν ἐκδίκησιν ὑμῶν; Οὐ γάρ ἔχει χώραν· ἤ διάφορος πάντως δειχθήσεται, καί μετά τῆς φύσεως οὐ δυναμένης τό ἴσον δρᾷν· καί διά τοῦτο λοιπόν οὐ συντασσομένης· εἰκονιζούσης δέ μόνον, ὡς ὑπερκειμένην, τήν ὑπερέχουσαν. Τό δέ, ὡς ἀνέκδετον καί ἀμήχανον, τό καλόν ποιεῖν τόν κακίας εὑρετήν καί διδάσκαλον· Οὐ γάρ δύναται, φησί, δένδρον σαπρόν καρπούς καλούς ποιεῖν· καλόν δέ ἡ ἐκδίκησις, καί τό τήν ὄχλησιν ἀφοσιοῦσθαι δεόντως τοῦ προσπελάζοντος· ἤ τούτῳ παραβάλλεσθαι τυχόν, ὅ μή θέμις, τόν Πατέρα, καί πάσης ἀρετῆς καί ζωῆς χορηγόν ἐξ Υἱοῦ, καί ταῦτα μονογενοῦς, καί ἴσου τήν φύσιν καί τήν ἀγαθότητα. Οὐ γάρ τά καλά διά τῶν κακῶν μηνύεσθαι πέφυκεν, ὥσπερ οὐδέ διά σκότους τό φῶς, ἤ θανάτου ζωή· καί τοῦ μηδαμῶς ὄντος, τό ὄν. Καί οὐ λέγω ταῦτα πρός τήν ἐκείνων ἀθέτησιν· ἔχομαι γάρ καί ἀντέχομαι ζωῆς πλέον, τῆς τῶν φαμένων διδασκαλίας· ἀλλά τό οἰκεῖον μέτριον δι᾿ ἄκραν δειλίαν ἀσφαλιζόμενος. Τήν δέ ἀνάγνωσιν τοῦ ὑποπιάζειν κανονίζειν οὐ πρέπον ἐμοί, διά