Letter 135: A festival — properly speaking — is one that is unstained by any shameful indulgence, but adorned instead with...

To the same. A similar letter. Even if lechery destroys and strips away the strength of both body and spirit, and makes the one it captures an easy target for mockery and laughter — as Samson teaches us, blinded for having drawn a voluntary captivity upon himself — and you do not guard your natural strength unharmed, but willingly become a slave of the passions, you both grieve God, who has nowhere to lay his head in your life, and you war against us who pray for your salvation, and you wrong yourself by refusing the medicines of health. To Nemesios. On the text, "Man being in honor did not understand." The phrase, "Man being in honor did not understand, he was compared to the senseless beasts and became like them" — sacred Scripture did not say this as a sweeping denunciation against human beings or a disparagement of the rational race, but rather with great restraint. For if we examine the matter precisely, the lover of shameful passions risks resembling not only the cattle but even the untamed wild beasts. Rather, he even surpasses them. And what is remarkable and paradoxical is this: each beast is enslaved to a single defect, but the one who seems to be a human being, having amassed all of them together, journeys further than their irrationality. And lest you think these are words of exaggeration, let us examine the facts impartially. For whenever someone frisks about like a bull, and kicks like a donkey, and neighs after women like a mare-mad stallion, and is gluttonous like a bear, and fattens his body like a mule, and bears grudges like a camel, and rages like a lion, and snatches like a wolf, and stings like a scorpion, and is treacherous like a serpent, and stores up the venom of wickedness like a viper, and gathers wealth — or rather sins — like a dung beetle rolling its ball — how will anyone be able to number this beast-minded creature among human beings, seeing in him not the marks of a tame nature, but beholding the stench of a Scylla and a Chimera and a Hydra, according to the myths of the outsiders? And if you should ask, what then must be done? I would say that the spiritual mirror must be handled constantly — I mean the divine Scriptures, in which is found both the history of good men and the saving laws established by God. For this mirror does not merely show the deformity, but also transforms it, if we are willing, into an inexpressible beauty. Let us not strip off the harlot's cosmetics and paints, but let us bring her forth adorned into the open, so that then her hideousness may be exposed. Let us therefore bring forward the state of office, and the lictors, and the herald's voice, and the obedience of the executioners, and the being gazed at by all; and let us test whether these seemingly splendid and desirable things are not only superfluous, not merely useless opinion, but actually harmful. For how does a person become better from these things, either in body or in soul? For this is what a human being is. Will he then be taller, or healthier, or swifter, or possess keener senses? No one would say so. Let us proceed then to the soul. Will he then become more temperate, or more equitable, or more intelligent from this display? Not at all — rather quite the opposite. For what happens to the body does not tend to happen to the soul as well; the body gains nothing for its own virtue, while the soul actually takes on vice. For folly, vainglory, madness, anger, and countless offenses are ground into it from this source. And if one rejoices and thinks highly of himself and is puffed up and exalts himself against all, this is the very pinnacle of vice — that he neither grieves nor perceives, but even rejoices as his diseases increase. For rejoicing is not in every case good. For the robber rejoices after the theft, and the plunderer after his greed, and the adulterer after defiling his neighbor's marriage, and the murderer after the slaughter. Let him therefore not say that he rejoices, but let him show that it is over something useful, and I will rejoice with him. Since, therefore, the one who is most free and most sovereign — more kingly even than kings themselves — is the one liberated from the passions, let us embrace virtue and free ourselves from that wicked slavery, considering neither office, nor wealth, nor any such thing worthy of admiration and contention, but only the liberation from the passions.

ΡΛΕ. – ΤΟ ΑΥΤΩ (30). "Ομοιον. Εἰ καὶ τὴν ἰσχὺν τοῦ σώματος, καὶ τὴν αὐτοῦ πνεύ ματος καθαιρεῖ καὶ ἀφαιρεῖται ἡ λαγνεία, καὶ εὐχε- ρῆ ποιεῖ πρὸς ἐμπαιγμὸν καὶ γέλωτα τὸν ἁλόντα, καθὼς διδάσκει Σαμψὼν ἐκτυφλούμενος, τὸ ἐπισπᾶσαι αἰχμαλωσίαν αὐθαίρετον, καὶ οὐ φυλάττεις τὴν φυσι- κὴν ρώμην ἀλώβητον, ἀλλ᾽ ἔργον παθῶν ἑκουσίως γινόμενος, καὶ τὸν Θεὸν λυπεῖς οὐκ ἔχοντα κλίναι τὴν κεφαλὴν ἐν τῷ βίῳ σου, καὶ ἡμῖν πολεμεῖς εὐχομέ νοις σωθῆναί σε, καὶ σαυτὸν ἀδικεῖς, τὰ ῥώσεως παρ αιτούμενος φάρμακα; ΡΛΕ΄. – ΝΕΜΕΣΙΩ. Εἰς τὸ, « ῎Ανθρωπος ἐν τιμῇ ὧν οὐ συνῆκε (29).» Τὸ, ῎Ανθρωπος ἐν τιμῇ ὧν οὐ συνῆκε, παρασυν- εβλήθη τοῖς κτήνεσι τοῖς ἀνοήτοις, καὶ ὡμοιώθη αὐτοῖς, οὐ καταφορικῶς κατὰ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἡ ἱερὰ Γραφὴ ῥη- τορεύουσα, καὶ τὸ λογικὸν διασύρουσα γένος, εἴρηκεν· ἀλλὰ καὶ πάνυ πεφεισμένως. Εἰ γὰρ τὴν ἀκρίβειαν ἐξετάσοιμεν, οὐ τοῖς κτήνεσι μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῖς ἀτιθάσσοις θηρίοις κινδυνεύει ἐοικέναι. Μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ ὑπερβάλλει ταῦτα, ὁ τῶν αἰσχρῶν παθῶν ἐραστής. Καὶ τὸ δὴ θαυμαστὸν καὶ παράδοξον τοῦτ᾽ ἔστιν, ὅτι ἕκαστον μὲν τῶν θηρίων ἑνὶ ἐλαττώματι δουλεύει· ὁ δὲ δοκῶν ἄνθρωπος εἶναι, πάνθ' ὁμοῦ συμφορήσας, ποῤῥωτέρω τῆς ἐκείνων ἀλογίας ὁδεύει. Καὶ ἵνα μὴ ὑπερβολῆς εἶναι νομίσῃς τὰ ῥήματα, αὐτὰ τὰ πρά- γματα ἀδεκάστως βασανίσωμεν. Ὅταν γάρ τις σκιρτᾷ μὲν ὡς ταῦρος, λακτίζῃ δὲ ὡς ὅνος, χρεμε- τίζῃ δὲ ἐπὶ γυναιξὶν, ὡς ἵππος θηλυμανὴς, καὶ γα- στριμαργῇ μὲν ὡς ἄρκτος, πιαίνῃ δὲ τὸ σῶμα ὡς ἡμίονος, μνησικακῇ δὲ ὡς κάμηλος, καὶ ὀργίζηται μὲν ὡς λέων, ἁρπάζῃ δὲ ὡς λύκος, πλήττῃ δὲ ὡς σκορπίος, καὶ ὕπουλος μὲν ὑπάρχῃ ὡς ὄφις, ἴὸν δὲ πονηρίας διατηρῇ ὡς ἔχις, χρήματα δὲ, μᾶλλον δὲ ἁμαρτήματα, συνάγῃ ὡς ὁ κάνθαρος τὴν κάνθα- ρον· πῶς δυνήσεταί τις μετὰ ἀνθρώπων τὸν θηριό- φρονα τοῦτον ἀριθμεῖν, οὐχ ὁρῶν ἐν αὐτῷ τῆς ἡμέρου φύσεως τοὺς χαρακτῆρας, ἀλλὰ Σκύλλης τινὸς καὶ Χιμαίρας καὶ Ὕδρας, κατὰ τοὺς ἔξωθεν μύθους, δυσ- ωδίαν θεώμενος ; Εἰ δὲ φαίης, Τί οὖν ποιητέον; φήσαιμι, ὅτι τὸ κάτοπτρον τὸ πνευματικὸν συνεχῶς μεταχειριστέον· φημὶ δὴ τὰς θείας Γραφὰς (30), ἐν αἷς καὶ τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἀνδρῶν ἐστιν ἡ ἱστορία, καὶ οἱ παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ τεθέντες σωτηριώδεις νόμοι. Τοῦτο γὰρ τὸ κάτοπτρον οὐ δείκνυσι τὴν ἀμορφίαν μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ μετατίθησιν, ἂν ἐθέλωμεν, εἰς κάλλος ἀμήχανον. deformitatem ostendit, verum etiam, si velimus, in mutat. ---CONTINUES--- μὴ περιέλωμεν τῆς πόρνης τὰ ἐπιτρίμματα καὶ τὰς ὑπογραφᾶς, ἀλλὰ κεκαλλωπισμένην αὐτὴν εἰς μέσον ἀγάγωμεν· ἵνα τότε αὐτῆς ἐλεγχθῇ τὸ εἰδεχθές. Οὐκοῦν προσάγωμεν τὸ σχῆμα, καὶ τοὺς ραβδού χους, καὶ τοῦ κήρυκος τὴν φωνὴν, καὶ τῶν δημίων τὴν ὑπακοὴν, καὶ τὸ ὑπὸ πάντων ἀποβλέπεσθαι· καὶ βασανίσωμεν, εἰ μὴ τὰ δοκοῦντα λαμπρὰ ταῦτα καὶ ποθεινὰ, οὐ μόνον περιττά, οὐδ᾽ ὑπόληψις ἀνόνητος, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐπιβλαβή. Τἱ γὰρ ἀπὸ τούτων ἐκεῖνος ἀμείνων γίνεται, ἢ τὸ σῶμα, ἢ τὴν ψυχήν; Τοῦτο γὰρ ἄνθρωπος (81). "Αρ' οὖν ὑψηλότερος, ἢ ὑγιεινότερος, ἢ ταχύτερος, ἢ τὰς αἰσθήσεις τρανοτέ- ρας κεκτήσεται; ᾿Αλλ' οὐκ ἄν τις φαίη. Ἴωμεν τοίνυν καὶ ἐπὶ τὴν ψυχήν. Αρ' οὖν σωφρονέστερος, ἢ ἐπιεικέστερος, ἢ συνετώτερος ἀπὸ ταύτης γενήσε- ται τῆς φαντασίας; Οὐ μὲν οὖν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τούναν- τίον ἅπαν. Οὐ γὰρ ὅπερ ἐπὶ τοῦ σώματος, τοῦτο καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς ψυχῆς συμβαίνειν εἴωθεν· ἐκεῖνο μὲν γὰρ οὐδὲν εἰς τὴν οἰκείαν προσείληφεν ἀρετὴν · αὐτὴν (82) δὲ καὶ κακίαν προσείληφεν. Καὶ γὰρ ἄνοιαν, καὶ κε- νοδοξίαν, καὶ ἀπόνοιαν, καὶ θυμὸν, καὶ μυρία ἐξαὐτῆς προστρίβεται πλημμελήματα. Εἰ δὲ χαίρει, καὶ μέγα φρονεῖ, καὶ φυσᾶται, καὶ κατὰ πάντων ἐπαίρεται, οὗτος μάλιστα τῆς κακίας ὁ κολοφών, ὅτι οὔτε ἀλγεῖ, οὔτε αἰσθάνεται, ἀλλὰ καὶ χαίρει τῶν νοσημάτων αὐξομένων αὐτῷ. Οὐδὲ γὰρ πάντη τὸ χαίρειν, καλόν. Ἐπεὶ καὶ ὁ λῃστὴς χαίρει μετὰ τὴν κλοπήν, καὶ ὁ ἅρπαξ μετὰ τὴν πλεονεξίαν, καὶ ὁ μοιχὸς μετὰ τὸ βορύξαι τὸν τοῦ πέλας γάμον, καὶ ὁ ἀνδροφόνος μετὰ τὴν σφαγήν. Μὴ τοίνυν τοῦτο λεγέτω, ὅτι χαίρει, ἀλλ᾽ εἰ ἐπὶ χρησίμῳ δεικνύτω, καὶ συγχαρή- σομαι. Ἐπεὶ τοίνυν μόνος ἐστὶν ἐλευθεριώτατος, καὶ ἀρχικώτατος (καὶ αὐτῶν γὰρ τῶν βασιλέων βασιλικώτερος), ὁ τῶν παθῶν ἀπηλλαγμένος, ἀσπα- σώμεθα τὴν ἀρετὴν, καὶ τῆς πονηρᾶς ἐκείνης δου- λείας ἀπαλλάξωμεν ἑαυτοὺς, μήτε ἀρχὴν, μήτε πλοῦτον, μήτε τι τοιοῦτον μακαριστὸν νομίζοντες καὶ περιμάχητον, ἀλλὰ τὸ τῶν παθῶν ἀπηλλάχθαι μόνον. PAΕ. - ΠΑΥΛΟ. Κατὰ τῶν λεγόντων, εἶναι γένεσιν, ήτοι είμαρ- μένην, ἢ τὴν λεγομένην τύχην. Εἰ πάντα, ὡς φὴς, ὦ σοφέ, καθ' εἰμαρμένην γίνεταί τε καὶ λέγεται, εἰπὲ πῶς νῦν δι' ἡμῶν ἑαυ- ΡΝΒ΄. – ΚΟΜΙΤΙ Εἰς οἰωνοὺς τρέπεσθαι τὰς ἀγαθὰς ἐλπίδας.