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On the Trinity 3

39.773.40 CHAPTER 1. The soul, being in itself impassible in the intelligible realm, has as a cause of its sometimes suffering its being with a body, and its own choice, that is, the desire for knowledge. For the body, holding it shut up within itself, as in a blind fortress, through material passions tears it away from communion 39.776 with God, and brings it down to the earth and to earthly cares, I think; and thus it attempts to master that which is by nature superior, and superior by as much as the immortal is to the mortal. But the desire of its own choice, or again of knowledge, draws it to wanting to know something, and it proceeds to this, but not having a right guide for its journey, or having engaged in the evil company of men, it wanders and is at a loss, and finally, having anchored upon whatever opinion it chances upon, it ignorantly adopts it; and so indeed it has become most pitiable and wretched, having hunted after malevolence under the suspicion and guise of good knowledge. For that all men by nature desire to know, this is made clear, as Aristotle says, also by the desire for the senses, which directs us to itself beyond what is necessary. For we sometimes desire to see, or to do, even if it is not at all necessary, but even harmful, that which is seen or done. But that these things have been said so plainly, those who thought fit to speak thus from the divine Scriptures make clear: James of glorious memory: "This wisdom is not that which comes down from above, but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic." And he adds: "But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere." And further, he addresses as double-minded those men who are of the herd, and who do not have a pure knowledge and a stable choice of soul, saying the following: "Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you; cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded." But he also speaks to those who have a zeal of soul that hates evil, and who are victorious in virtue, from whom not one of the honorable things escapes, so as to restrain the licentiousness of men who are not such, and to impart to others also the good things which they themselves possess, in these very words: "Brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from the error of his way will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins." 39.777 And no less also Peter, teaching whence a soul that is impassible sometimes becomes full of passions, and turning to the remembrance of our departure from life, wrote: "Abstain from the desires of the flesh, which wage war against the soul." And Solomon the son of David says: "As the faces of men are not alike, so also the hearts of men are not like other hearts." And there come to my mind also things from the great champion Paul, which he has stated in such a manner: "But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him;" and again: "But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is judged by no one." But as I was saying, this choice and the body are by nature often apt to drag the soul down to the passions; but sometimes it also contributes—I mean to the soul itself—no few good things: the body, the knowledge of sensible things and its other service; and its choice, the blessedness from good counsel and right opinion; just as again the soul, when it lives well with the body, and has mastery, and is turned towards God, and is filled with His thoughts, gives more and nobler things. For it strives to render the earthly part as if impassible, adorning it with sweat, and endurance, and with all the toils of virtue, and governing it, and through the

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De trinitate 3

39.773.40 ΚΕΦ. Αʹ.Ψυχὴ καθ' αὑτὴν ἐν τῷ νοητῷ ἀπαθὴς ὑπάρχουσα, τοῦ παθαίνεσθαί ποτε αἰτίαν ἔχει τὸ σώματι συνεῖναι, καὶ τὴν ἰδίαν αὐτῆς προαίρεσιν, ἤτουν τῆς γνώσεως τὴν ἔφεσιν. Τὸ μὲν γὰρ σῶμα ἐναποκεκλεισμένην ἔχον αὐτὴν ἐν ἑαυτῷ, ὡς ἐν τυφλῷ φρουρίῳ, διὰ τῶν ὑλικῶν παθῶν ἀποῤῥηγνύει τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ ὁμι 39.776 λίας, καὶ καταφέρει πρὸς γῆν καὶ τὰ γῆς, οἶμαι, φροντίσματα· καὶ οὕτω κατακρατεῖν ἐπιχειρεῖ τῆς φύσει κρείττονος, καὶ τοσούτῳ κρείττονος, ὅσον τὸ ἀθάνατον τοῦ θνητοῦ. Ἡ δέ γε τῆς ἰδίας αὐτῆς προαιρέσεως, ἢ γνώσεως πάλιν ἐπιθυμία, ἕλκει μὲν εἰς τὸ θέλειν εἰδέναι τι αὐτὴν, καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦτο πορεύεται, μὴ ἔχουσα δὲ ὀρθὸν τῆς πορείας ἀγωγὸν, ἢ κακῶν χρησαμένη ὁμιλίαις ἀνθρώπων, πλανᾶται καὶ ἀπορεῖ, καὶ τέλος, ἐφ' ἣν τύχοι προσορμήσασα δόξαν, ἀμαθῶς ταύτην ἀνείλετο· καὶ οὕτω δὴ γέγονεν οἰκτίστη τε καὶ ἀθλία, ἐν γνώσεως ἀγαθῆς ὑποψίᾳ καὶ δόξῃ θηρασαμένη κακόνοιαν. Ὅτι γὰρ πάντες ἄνθρωποι κατὰ φύσιν τοῦ γινώσκειν ὀρεγόμεθα, δηλοῖ τοῦτο, ὥς φησιν Ἀριστοτέλης, καὶ ἡ τῶν αἰσθήσεων ἐπιθυμία, πέρα τῆς χρείας ἡμᾶς ἐφ' ἑαυτὴν παραπέμπουσα. Ὁρᾷν γοῦν, ἢ ποιεῖν ἔσθ' ὅτε ἐπιθυμοῦμεν, κἂν μὴ πάνυ ἀναγκαῖον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐπιβλαβὲς τὸ ὁρώμενον, ἢ πραττόμενον ᾖ. Ὅτι δὲ ταῦτα οὕτως ἄντικρυς εἴρηται, τῶν θείων Γραφείων διασαφοῦσιν οἱ ἀξιώσαντες εἰπεῖν τοιῶσδε· Ἰάκωβος ὁ τῆς εὐκλεοῦς μνήμης· «Οὐκ ἔστιν ἡ σοφία αὕτη ἄνωθεν κατερχομένη, ἀλλ' ἐπίγειος, ψυχικὴ, δαιμονιώδης.» Ἐπιφέρει τε· «Ἡ γὰρ ἄνωθεν σοφία, πρῶτον μὲν ἁγνή ἐστιν, εἰρηνικὴ, ἐπιεικὴς, εὐπειθὴς, μεστὴ ἐλέους καὶ καρπῶν ἔργων ἀγαθῶν, ἀδιάκριτος, ἀνυπόκριτος.» Καὶ ἔτι διψύχους προσαγορεύει τοὺς ἀγελαίους, καὶ οὐ καθαρὰν γνῶσιν καὶ σταθερὰν ψυχῆς προαίρεσιν ἔχοντας τῶν ἀνθρώπων, φάσκων τοιάδε· «Ἐγγίσατε τῷ Θεῷ, καὶ ἐγγιεῖ ὑμῖν· καθαρίσατε χεῖρας, ἁμαρτωλοὶ, καὶ ἁγνίσατε καρδίας, δίψυχοι.» Ἀλλὰ καὶ πρὸς τοὺς μισοπόνηρον ζῆλον ψυχῆς ἔχοντας, καὶ νικηφόρους ὄντας ἀρετῆς, οὓς οὐ διαφεύγει τῶν τιμίων οὐδὲ ἓν, διαλέγεται, ὥστε εἵργειν τῶν μὴ τοιούτων ἀνθρώπων τὸ ἀκόλαστον, καὶ μεταδιδόναι καὶ ἄλλοις, ὧν αὐτοὶ ἔχουσιν ἀγαθῶν, ῥήμασιν αὐτοῖς· «Ἀδελφοὶ, ἐάν τις παρ' ὑμῖν πλανηθῇ ἀπὸ τῆς ἀληθείας, καὶ ἐπιστρέψῃ τις αὐτὸν, γινωσκέτω, ὅτι ὁ ἐπιστρέψας ἁμαρτωλὸν ἐκ πλάνης ὁδοῦ αὐτοῦ, σώσει ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ ἐκ θανάτου, καὶ καλύψει πλῆθος ἁμαρτιῶν.» 39.777 Οὐδὲν δὲ ἧττον καὶ Πέτρος διδάσκων, πόθεν ἀπαθὴς τυγχάνουσα ψυχὴ, παθῶν ἀνάπλεώς ποτε γίνεται, ἐπιστρέφων δὲ εἰς τὸ μνημονεύειν τῆς ἀποβιώσεως ἡμῶν, ἔγραφεν· «Ἀπέχεσθε ἀπὸ τῶν σαρκικῶν ἐπιθυμιῶν, αἵτινες στρατεύονται κατὰ τῆς ψυχῆς.» Καὶ Σολομὼν δὲ ὁ τοῦ ∆αυΐδ φησιν· «Ὥσπερ οὐχ ὅμοια πρόσωπα ἀνθρώπων, οὕτως οὐδὲ αἱ καρδίαι τῶν ἀνθρώπων ταῖς καρδίαις ὅμοιαι.» Ὕπεισι δέ με καὶ ἐκ τῶν τοῦ μεγάλου ἀθληφόρου Παύλου, ἅπερ τοιῷδε τρόπῳ ἀνείρηκεν· «Ψυχικὸς δὲ ἄνθρωπος οὐ δέχεται τὰ τοῦ Πνεύματος τοῦ Θεοῦ· μωρία γὰρ αὐτῷ ἐστιν·» καὶ πάλιν· «Ὁ δὲ πνευματικὸς ἀνακρίνει μὲν πάντας, αὐτὸς δὲ ὑπ' οὐδενὸς ἀνακρίνεται.» Ἀλλ' ὅπερ μὲν ἔλεγον, ἡ προαίρεσις αὕτη καὶ τὸ σῶμα πολλάκις καθέλκειν ἐπὶ τὰ πάθη πέφυκε τὴν ψυχήν· ποτὲ δὲ καὶ συνεισφέρει, αὐτῇ φημι τῇ ψυχῇ, ἀγαθὰ οὐκ ὀλίγα· τὸ μὲν σῶμα, τὴν τῶν αἰσθητῶν γνῶσιν καὶ τὴν ἄλλην ὑπηρεσίαν· ἡ δὲ προαίρεσις αὐτῆς, τὴν ἀπὸ τῆς εὐβουλίας καὶ ὀρθοδοξίας μακαριότητα· ὥσπερ πάλιν ἡ ψυχὴ, ὅταν εὖ ζῇ μετὰ σώματος, καὶ κατακρατῇ, καὶ πρὸς Θεὸν ἐπιστρέφηται, καὶ τῶν αὐτοῦ πληροῦται νοήσεων, πλείονα καὶ σεμνότερα δίδωσιν. Τὸ μὲν γὰρ γήινον, ἀπαθὲς οἷον ἀποφαίνειν σπουδάζει, κοσμοῦσα αὐτὸ ἱδρῶτι, καὶ καρτερίᾳ, καὶ πᾶσιν τοῖς ἐξ ἀρετῆς πόνοις, καὶ διακυβερνῶσα, καὶ διὰ τῆς