467

There ships pass through; that is, in the sea. Having said how much life the sea brings forth, and that neither are its creatures counted, nor is it itself measured, he also says how useful it is for human beings. For through the art of shipbuilding and the science of navigation we bring to one another what is needed, and we supply to others the fruit that grows among us, and we receive what is produced among them; so that the surplus is not useless, nor the lack unthought of. But on a higher level, he compares the Church to a ship, and human life to the sea, on account of the instability and constant motion of the affairs in it. And the innumerable race of creeping things he calls the diverse and, as it were, many-faced multitude of humans, with the difference being understood in the variety of their state. For the nature is the same for all, and the manner of generation is not different, but the mind is manifold, and the heart in us has many opinions. And one who knew this said: Just as faces are not similar to faces, so neither are the thoughts of men. And we say that the ships which also pass through this intelligible sea are, according to what is written, the holy Churches of our Savior, being in the world, but above the world, just as one may indeed see merchant ships, being in the water, but above the waters. The churches, therefore, as ships of the waters, swimming through the intelligible sea, receive the faithful, and carry them as to another land or country, the kingdom of heaven, and hope in Christ, and to the sanctification through the Spirit, and to virtue, the fatherland of the saints. For being sojourners and pilgrims on the earth, according to what is written, they do not have here an abiding city; but they press on toward that one whose architect and maker is God. Therefore, in the figure of the sea of this world understood by us, the Church will be understood as a boat or a ship, having the sanctified as sailors, who, by accepting the faith, always have Christ with them, spreading a gentle calm. Alternatively, he names as ships those who are tossed about through their bodies in the salty surge of this life. And the ships that are praised are those that cross the sea, but do not remain in it, nor are submerged by the waves. For those who are in the flesh, but do not war according to the flesh, trampling upon the surge of life, 23.1285 and being higher than it, do their work in many waters, descending in order to gain some of those who have been submerged. Furthermore, the melodist, gracefully signifying for us the distraction of this life, and the bitter outpouring and confusion of things in it, says, This is the sea; there are creeping things, whose number is not, small animals with great. For one must rightly compare to fish those who at times dart about here and there for no necessary benefit, collecting only those things that would show them to be carnal, and preparing them to endure vain toils. Therefore, like fish we swim through this wide and spacious sea, that is, the world; for each one's life is somehow different. This is the dragon, whom you have formed to play in it. All look to you, to give them their food in due season. When you give it to them, they will gather it; when you open your hand, all things will be filled with goodness. See if you can derive from this a universal dogma, that all created things are poor, lacking, and in need of the supply from God, by partaking of which they are empowered and strengthened, as if being brought to life through food. All look to you, to give them their food in due season. But in saying all things, the word has included at once the intelligible and holy powers, both the perceptible and those in mortal bodies. For thus the goodness shines forth more greatly, to both the worthy and the unworthy of that which is from him

467

Ἐκεῖ πλοῖα διαπορεύονται· Ἐν τῇ θαλάσσῃ δηλαδή. Εἰπὼν ὅσην ἡ θάλασσα ἐκτρέφει γονὴν, καὶ ὅτι οὔτε τὰ ζῶα ἀριθμεῖται, οὔτε αὐτὴ μετρεῖται, λέγει καὶ ὅσον αὐτῆς χρήσιμον εἰς ἀνθρώπους. ∆ιὰ ναυπηγικῆς γὰρ τέχνης καὶ κυβερνητικῆς ἐπιστήμης παρ' ἀλλήλων κομιζόμεθα τὰ ἐνδέοντα, καὶ τὸν παρ' ἡμῖν φυόμενον καρπὸν χορηγοῦμεν ἑτέροις, καὶ δεχόμεθα τὸ παρ' ἐκείνοις γινόμενον· ὥστε μὴ τὸ περιττεῦον εἶναι ἀνόνητον, μήτε τὸ ἐνδέον ἀνεπινόνητον. Ὑψηλότερον δὲ πλοίῳ παρεικάζει τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν, θαλάττῃ δὲ τὸν ἀνθρώπινον βίον, διὰ τὸ ἀστάθμητον καὶ ἀεικίνητον τῶν ἐν αὐτῷ πραγμάτων. Ἑρπετῶν δὲ τὸ γένος τὸ ἀναρίθμητον τὴν πολυειδῆ καὶ οἱονεὶ πολυπρόσωπον τῶν ἀνθρώπων λέγει πληθὺν, εἰς τὴν τῆς ἕξεως ποικιλίαν νοουμένης τῆς ἐξαλλαγῆς. Φύσις μὲν γὰρ πᾶσιν ἡ αὐτὴ, καὶ ὁ τῆς γενέσεως τρόπος οὐχ ἑτεροῖος, πολυσχιδὴς δὲ νοῦς, καὶ πολυγνώμων ἐν ἡμῖν καρδία. Καὶ τοῦτο εἰδώς τις ἔφασκεν· Ὥσπερ οὐχ ὅμοια πρόσωπα προσώποις, οὕτως οὐδὲ αἱ διάνοιαι τῶν ἀνθρώπων. Πλοῖα δὲ εἶναί φαμεν, ἃ καὶ ἐν τῇδε τῇ νοητῇ θαλάσσῃ διαπορεύεται, κατὰ τὸ γεγραμμένον, τὰς ἁγίας τοῦ Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν Ἐκκλησίας οὔσας μὲν ἐν κόσμῳ, πλὴν ἀνωτέρω τοῦ κόσμου, καθάπερ ἀμέλει καὶ τὰς ὁλκάδας ἐστὶν ὁρᾷν, οὔσας μὲν ἐν ὕδατι, πλὴν ὑδάτων ἀνωτέρας. Αἱ τοίνυν ὑδάτων πλοίων ἐκκλησίαι, τὴν νοητὴν διανηχόμεναι θάλασσαν, δέχονται μὲν τοὺς πιστεύοντας, ἀποκομίζουσι δὲ καθάπερ εἰς ἑτέραν τινὰ γῆν ἢ χώραν τὴν τῶν οὐρανῶν βασιλείαν, καὶ ἐλπίδα τὴν ἐν Χριστῷ καὶ εἰς ἁγιασμὸν τὸν διὰ τοῦ Πνεύματος, καὶ εἰς τὴν τῶν ἁγίων πατρίδα τὴν ἀρετήν. Πάροικοι γὰρ ὄντες καὶ παρεπίδημοι, κατὰ τὸ γεγραμμένον, ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, οὐκ ἔχουσιν ὧδε μένουσαν πόλιν· ἐπείγονται δὲ πρὸς ἐκείνην, ἧς τεχνίτης καὶ δημιουργὸς ὁ Θεός. Ἐν σχήματι οὖν θαλάσσης τοῦδε τοῦ καθ' ἡμᾶς νοουμένου κόσμου, σκάφος ἢ πλοῖον ἡ Ἐκκλησία νοηθήσεται, πλωτῆρας ἔχουσα τοὺς ἡγιασμένους, οἳ καὶ διὰ τοῦ καταδέξασθαι τὴν πίστιν συνόντα διὰ παντὸς ἔχουσι τὸν Χριστὸν εὐδίαν ἁπλοῦντα τὴν ἁπαλήν. Ἑτέρως δὲ πλοῖα ὀνομάζει τοὺς διὰ τῶν σωμάτων ἐν τῷ ἁλμυρῷ κλύδωνι τοῦ βίου τούτου σαλευομένους. Καὶ ἔστιν ἐπαινούμενα πλοῖα τὰ διαβαίνοντα τὴν θάλασσαν, ἀλλὰ μὴ ἐναπομένοντα αὐτῇ, μηδὲ καταβαπτιζόμενα τοῖς κύμασιν. Οἱ γὰρ ἐν σαρκὶ ὄντες, καὶ μὴ κατὰ σάρκα στρατευόμενοι, καταπατοῦντες τὸν κλύδωνα τοῦ βίου, 23.1285 καὶ ὑψηλότεροι αὐτοῦ ὄντες, ποιοῦσιν ἐργασίαν ἐν ὕδασι πολλοῖς, συγκαταβαίνοντες ἐπὶ τῷ κερδῆσαί τινας τῶν βεβυθισμένων. Ἔτι τὸν τῇδε τοῦ βίου περισπασμὸν, καὶ τὴν ἐν αὐτῷ τῶν πραγμάτων πικρὰν ἀνάχυσιν καὶ τὸν ἀναφυρμὸν, σημαίνων ἡμῖν ἀστείως ὁ μελῳδὸς, Αὕτη ἡ θάλασσα, φησὶν, ἐκεῖ ἑρπετὰ, ὧν οὐκ ἔστιν ἀριθμὸς, ζῶα μικρὰ μετὰ μεγάλων. Ἰχθύσι γὰρ παρεικαστέον εὖ μάλα τοὺς ἐπ' οὐδενὶ μὲν ἔσθ' ὅτε τῶν ἀναγκαίων εἰς ὄνησιν τῇδε κἀκεῖσε διᾴττοντας, καὶ μόνα συλλέγοντας τὰ ὅσαπερ ἂν ἀποφῆναι σαρκικοὺς, καὶ εἰκαίους ἀνατλῆναι παρασκευάζει πόνους. Οὐκοῦν ἰχθύων διανηχόμεθα δίκην τὴν πλατεῖαν ταύτην καὶ εὐρύχωρον θάλασσαν, τουτέστι τὸν κόσμον· διάφορος γάρ πως ὁ ἑκάστου βίος. ∆ράκων οὗτος, ὃν ἔπλασας ἐμπαίζειν αὐτῷ. Πάντα πρὸς σὲ προσδοκῶσι, δοῦναι τὴν τροφὴν αὐτοῖς εὔκαιρον. ∆όντος σου αὐτοῖς, συλλέξουσι· ἀνοίξαντος δέ σου τὴν χεῖρα, τὰ σύμπαντα πλησθήσονται χρηστότητος. Ὅρα εἰ δυνήσῃ καθολικὸν ἀπὸ τούτου ἐκλαβεῖν δόγμα, ὡς πάντων τῶν γενητῶν πενομένων, λειπομένων τε καὶ δεομένων τῆς παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ χορηγίας, ἧς μεταλαβόντα δυναμοῦται καὶ ἰσχύει, ὥσπερ διὰ τροφῆς ζωούμενα. Πάντα πρὸς σὲ προσδοκῶσιν, δοῦναι τὴν τροφὴν αὐτοῖς εὔκαιρον. Τὰ πάντα δὲ φήσας ὁ λόγος περιείληφεν ὁμοῦ τὰς νοητὰς καὶ ἁγίας δυνάμεις, τάς τε αἰσθητὰς καὶ τὰς ἐν θνητοῖς σώμασιν. Οὕτω γὰρ μᾶλλον μειζόνως ἡ ἀγαθότης διαλάμπει, τῷ καὶ ἀξίοις καὶ μὴ ἀξίοις τῆς παρ' αὐτοῦ