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De morbo et valetudine

From the discourse of Saint Athanasius, patriarch of Alexandria, on sickness and health, the beginning of which is: The letters of your reverence have been delivered to us. The discussion of human health is not simply indicated in the divine scriptures, but the thought concerning this happens to be twofold. For since human beings have their substance from two parts and, according to the most blessed apostle, we have a twofold meaning from both the inner and the outer man (for he says in the second epistle to the Corinthians: “Though our outward man is decaying, yet the inward man is being renewed,” and in the one to the Ephesians: “For this reason I bow my knees to the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth is named, that he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might through his Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith”), it is necessary for the thought concerning these things to be not simple, but twofold. And just as a man has bodily bread for nourishment with respect to the outer man, so also with respect to the inner man he has his own appropriate nourishment, about which Paul said: “nourished on the words of truth.” Which nourishment has its origin from the Lord saying: “I am the bread that came down from heaven and gives life to men.” And again, just as outwardly he has rivers and fountains and springs for drinking, so inwardly he has the Spirit, which is given to believers and “becomes a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” And for walking on the earth he has bodily feet, 6 but for the ascent to heaven he has the feet that Paul had, saying thus: “I run, not as uncertainly,” about which he also commanded us, so that we might have “these feet shod with the preparation of the gospel.” And indeed he has hands for bodily touch, but he also has them within, so as to touch the Word, such as the disciples had, saying: “That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, and our hands have handled, concerning the Word of life.” And since the Word is incorporeal, it is necessary that the hands that touch it also be incorporeal. And both of these are one man, who from the beginning was made thus by God from body and soul. And their natural constitution is one according to the grace of the one who made them, so that the end of the action of each is one and they have the same praise or blame in common. For even if they are separated by death, they will receive each other again, and having been joined together they are again one and henceforth remain indivisible. For when we have risen, death will no longer have dominion. And in general, so that I may not dwell on obvious things by setting out each particular, one must know that while the body is composed of members, the inner man is not composed of bodily members, but has its meaning according to the actions of the members. And feet are the soul's progress toward virtue, and hands are the precision of reasoning, and the eye is the discerning mind, and the tongue is the very distinction of thoughts. And indeed it is said to have a womb, so that the generative power of its thought may be shown, as it is written: “From fear of you we have conceived in the womb and have been in travail and have brought forth a spirit of salvation, which we have wrought upon the earth.” Thus it is also said to sleep and to be asleep then, when it does nothing. For toward that to which it is at rest, it also has its leisure. Toward this they also say it has its sleep. For when it rests from evil things, then it is said to it: “If you sleep, you will slumber sweetly, and you will not be afraid of encroaching terror.” And this is the grace of the Savior saying: “Sleep on now,” be afraid no longer. The

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De morbo et valetudine

Τοῦ ἁγίου Ἀθανασίου πατριάρχου Ἀλεξανδρείας ἐκ τοῦ περὶ νόσου καὶ ὑγιείας λόγου, οὗ ἡ ἀρχή· Τὰ γράμματα τῆς σῆς εὐλαβείας ἡμῖν ἀπεδόθη. Ὁ περὶ τῆς ὑγείας τῶν ἀνθρώπων λόγος οὐχ ἁπλῶς ἐν ταῖς θείαις γραφαῖς σημαίνεται, ἀλλὰ καὶ διπλῆ τις ἡ περὶ ταύτης διάνοια τυγχάνει οὖσα. τῶν γὰρ ἀνθρώπων ἐκ δύο τὴν ὑπόστασιν ἐχόντων καὶ κατὰ τὸν μακαριώτατον ἀπόστολον διπλῆν ἐχόντων ἡμῶν τὴν σημασίαν ἔκ τε τοῦ ἔσω καὶ τοῦ ἔξω ἀνθρώπου (λέγει γὰρ ἐν μὲν τῇ πρὸς Κορινθίους βʹ ἐπιστολῇ· «Εἰ καὶ ὁ ἔξω ἡμῶν ἄνθρωπος διαφθεί ρεται, ἀλλ' ὁ ἔσω ἀνακαινοῦται», ἐν δὲ τῇ πρὸς Ἐφεσίους· «Τούτου χάριν κάμπτω τὰ γόνατά μου πρὸς τὸν πατέρα, ἐξ οὗ πᾶσα πατριὰ ἐν οὐρανῷ καὶ ἐπὶ γῆς ὀνομάζεται, ἵνα δῷ ὑμῖν κατὰ τὸ πλοῦτος τῆς δόξης αὐτοῦ δυνάμει κραταιωθῆναι διὰ τοῦ πνεύματος αὐτοῦ εἰς τὸν ἔσω ἄνθρωπον, κατοικῆσαι τὸν Χριστὸν διὰ τῆς πίστεως ἐν ταῖς καρ δίαις ὑμῶν»), ἀνάγκη μὴ ἁπλῆν, ἀλλὰ διπλῆν εἶναι καὶ τὴν περὶ τούτων διάνοιαν. καὶ ὁποία περὶ τοῦ ἔξω τὸν σωματικὸν ἄρτον ἔχει πρὸς τροφὴν ὁ ἄνθρωπος, οὕτω καὶ κατὰ τὸν ἔνδον ἔχει τὸν κατάλ ληλον τὴν ἰδίαν, περὶ ἧς ὁ Παῦλος ἔλεγεν· «Ἐντρεφόμενοι τοῖς λόγοις τῆς ἀληθείας». ἥτις τροφὴ ἀρχὴν ἔχει παρὰ τοῦ κυρίου λέγοντος· «Ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ ἄρτος ὁ ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καταβὰς καὶ ζωὴν διδοὺς τοῖς ἀνθρώποις». πάλιν τε ὥσπερ ἔξωθεν πρὸς τὸ πίνειν ἔχει ποταμοὺς καὶ κρήνας καὶ πηγάς, οὕτως ἔνδοθεν ἔχει τὸ πνεῦμα, ὃ δίδοται τοῖς πιστεύουσιν καὶ «γίνεται πηγὴ ὕδατος ἁλλομένου εἰς ζωὴν αἰώνιον». καὶ εἰς μὲν τὸ περιπατεῖν ἐπὶ γῆς ἔχει τοὺς σωματικοὺς πόδας, 6 τῆς δὲ εἰς οὐρανοὺς χάριν ἀναβάσεως ἔχει τοὺς πόδας, οὓς ὁ Παῦλος εἶχεν λέγων οὕτως· «Τρέχω ὡς οὐκ ἀδήλως», περὶ ὧν καὶ ἡμῖν προσέταττεν, ὥστε «ὑποδεδεμένους ἔχειν» τούτους «τοὺς πόδας ἐν ἑτοιμασίᾳ τοῦ εὐαγγελίου». καὶ μὴν καὶ χεῖρας σωματικῆς ἕνεκεν ἁφῆς ἔχει, ἔχει δὲ ἔνδον, ὥστε καὶ τοῦ λόγου ἅπτεσθαι, οἵας εἶχον οἱ μαθηταὶ λέγοντες· «Ὃ ἦν ἀπ' ἀρχῆς, ὃ ἀκηκόαμεν, ὃ ἑωράκαμεν τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς ἡμῶν, καὶ αἱ χεῖρες ἡμῶν ἐψηλάφησαν περὶ τοῦ λόγου τῆς ζωῆς». λόγου δὲ ἀσωμάτου ὄντος, ἀνάγκη καὶ τὰς ἁπτομένας αὐτοῦ χεῖρας ἀσωμάτους εἶναι. Ἀμφότεροι δὲ οὗτοι εἷς εἰσιν ὁ ἐκ σώματος καὶ ψυχῆς ἐξ ἀρχῆς οὕτω παρὰ θεοῦ γενόμενος ἄνθρωπος. μία δὲ τούτων ἐστὶ κατὰ χάριν τοῦ πεποιηκότος ἡ φυσικὴ σύστασις, ὥστε καὶ τῆς ἑκατέρου πράξεως ἓν εἶναι τὸ τέλος καὶ κοινῇ τὸν αὐτὸν ἔπαινον ἢ τὸν ψόγον ἔχειν. καὶ γὰρ κἂν θανάτῳ διαιρεθῶσιν, πάλιν ἑαυτοὺς ἀπολήψονται, καὶ συν αφθέντες πάλιν εἰσὶν εἷς καὶ λοιπὸν ἀδιαιρέτως μένουσιν. ἀναστάντων γὰρ ἡμῶν θάνατος οὐκέτι κυριεύσει. καὶ ὅλως, ἵνα μὴ τὸ καθέκαστον ἐκτιθέμενος ἐν φανεροῖς ἐνδιατρίβω, εἰδέναι χρή, ὡς τὸ μὲν σῶμα ἐκ μελῶν συνέστηκεν, ὁ δὲ ἔνδον ἐκ σωματικῶν μὲν οὐ συνέστηκεν, κατὰ δὲ τὰς πράξεις τῶν μελῶν καὶ τὴν σημασίαν ἔχει. καὶ πόδες μέν εἰσιν ἡ εἰς ἀρετὴν τῆς ψυχῇς προκοπή, χεῖρες δὲ ἡ τῶν ἐπιλογισμῶν ἀκρί βεια, καὶ ὀφθαλμὸς μὲν ὁ διορατικὸς νοῦς, γλῶσσα δὲ αὐτὴ ἡ τῶν νοημάτων διάκρισις. καὶ μὴν καὶ γαστέρα λέγεται ἔχειν, ἵνα τὸ γεννη τικὸν τῆς διανοίας αὐτῆς δηλωθῇ, καθάπερ γέγραπται· «Ἀπὸ τοῦ φόβου σου ἐν γαστρὶ ἐλάβομεν καὶ ὠδινήσαμεν καὶ ἐτέκομεν πνεῦμα σωτηρίας, ὃ ἐποιήσαμεν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς». οὕτως καὶ κοιμᾶσθαι λέγεται καὶ τότε καθεύδειν, ὅτε μηδὲν ἐνεργεῖ. πρὸς ὃ γὰρ ἡσυχάζει, καὶ τὴν σχολὴν ἔχει. πρὸς τοῦτο καὶ τὸν ὕπνον αὐτὴν ἔχειν φασί. ὅτε γὰρ ἀπὸ τῶν φαύλων ἠρεμεῖ, τότε λέγεται αὐτῇ· «Ἐὰν καθεύδῃς, ἡδέως ὑπνώ σεις, καὶ οὐ φοβηθήσῃ πτόησιν ἐπερχομένην». τοῦ δὲ σωτῆρος ἡ χάρις αὕτη λέγοντος· «Καθεύδετε τὸ λοιπόν», μηκέτι φοβεῖσθε. ἡ