On Virginity 8–11

Gregory of Nyssa · On Virginity · ca. 370–371 · place unknown · 4 passages

Greek text: PG 46.English: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), public domain (CC0). Compare: Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 2, vol. 5 (1893), "On Virginity".

Chapter 8

8PG 46:353a–357a

Ὅτι οὐδὲ ὁ γάμος τῶν κατεγνωσμένων ἐστίν. ι Μηδεὶς δὲ διὰ τούτων ἡμᾶςʼἀθετεῖν οἰέσθω τὴν οἰκονομίαν τοῦ γάμουο οὐ γὰρ ἀγνοοῦμεν ὅτι καὶ οὗτος τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ εὐλογίας οὐκ ἠλλοτρίωταιο ἀλλʼ ἐπειδὴ τούτου μὲν αὐτάρκης συνήγορος καὶ ἡ κοινὴ τῶν ἀνθρώπων φύσις ἐστὶν, αὐτόματον τὴν πρὸς τὰ τοὲαὖτα ῥοπὴν ἐντιθεῖσα πᾶσι τοῖς διὰ γάμου προϊοῦσιν εἰς γέννησιν · ἀντιβαίνει δέ πως ή παρθενία τῇ φύσει περιττὸν ἂν εἴη περὶ γάμου προτροπὴν καὶ παραίνεσιν φιλοπόνως συγγράφειν, τὴν δυσανταγώνιστον εἰ μὴ »τάχα διὰ τοὺς. τὰ δόγματα τῆς Ἐκκλησίας παραχαράτσονταςτῶν τοιούτων χρεία λόγων ἂν εἴη ·, οὓς κεκαυτηριασμένους τὴν ἰδίαν συνείδησιν ὁ Ἀπό- Β- . ο στολος ὀνομάζει θʼ καὶ ’καλῶς ὀνομάζω ’ότι καταλιπόντες τὴν όδηγίαν τοῦ ἁγίου Πνεύματος, διά τῆς τῶν δαιμόνων διδασκαλίας οὐλάς τινας καὶ ἐκκαύματα ταῖς καρδίαις αὐτῶνθέγχοιράσσονσι, τά τοῦ Θεοῦ κτίσματα βδελυσσόμενοι ὼς μιάσματα, καὶ εἰς κακὸν φέροντα, καὶ κακῶν αἴτια, καὶ τά τοιαῦτα προσαγορεύοντες. Ἀλλὰ τί μοι τοὺς ἔξω κρίνειγςνησῖν δ”Απόᾳτθλοςῖ ἔξω γάρ εἰσιν ὡς ἀληθῶς ἐκεῖνοι τῆς τοῦ λόγου τῶν μυστηρίων αὐλῆς, οὐκ ἐν τῇ σκέπῃ τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἀλλʼ ἐν τῇ μάνδρᾳ τοῦ Πονηροῦ αὐλιζόμενοι οἰ ἐζωγρημένοι εἰς τὸ ἐκείνου θέλημα, κατά τὴν τοῦ ’Ἀποστόλουί ἐρωνὴν, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο μὴ συνιέντες, ὄτι πάσης ἀρετῆς ἐν μεσότητι θεωρουμένης, ἡ ἐπὶ τὰ παρακείμενα παρατροπὴ κακία ἐστίν ο ὑφέσεως γὰρ καὶ ἐπιτάσεως πανταχοῦ τις τὸ μέσον ἐπιλαβὼν,,τὴν ἀρετὴν ἐκ τῆς καθ κίας διέκρινε. Σαφέστερος δʼ ἃν ἡμῖν ό λόγος γένοιτο ἐπʼ αὐτῶν τῶν πραγμάτων δεικνύμενος · Δειλία καὶ θράσος δύο κακίαι κατά τὸ ἐναντίον νοούμεναι, ἡ μὲν κατά ἔλλειψιν, ἧ δέ κατὰ πλεονασμὺν πεποιθήσεως, μέσην περιέχουσιν αὐτῶν τὴν ἀνδρείαν. Πάλιν -ὁ εύσεβὴς οὔτε ἄθεος, οὔτε δεισιδαίμων ἐστίν ἴσον γάρ ἐπʼ ἀμφοῖν τδ ἀσέβημα, καὶ τὸ μηδένα Θεὸν, καὶ τὸ πολλοὺς εἰναι οἴεσθαι. Βούλει καλ διʼ ἐτέρων ἐπιγνῶναι τδ δόγμα; '0 φυγὼν τὸ φειδωλὸς εἷναι καὶ ἄσωτος, ἐν τῇ τῶν ἐναντίων παθῶν ἀναχωρήσει τὴν ἐλευθερίαν τῷ ἧθει κατώρθωσε · τοιοῦτον γάρ τι ἡ ἐλευθερία ἐστὶν, τὸ μήτε πρὸς τὰς ἀμέτρους καὶ ἀνωφελεῖς δαπάνας εἰκῆ διαχεῖσθαι, μήτε πρὸς τὰ ἀναγκαῖα μικρολόγως ἔχειν. Οὕτω καὶ ἐπὶτῶν λοιπῶν πάντων, ἴνα μὴ τοῖς καθέκαστον ἐπεξίωμεν, τὴν μεσότητα τῶν ἐναντίων ἀρετὴν ό λόγος ἐγνώρισεν. Οὐκοῦν καὶ ἡ σωφροσύνη μεσότης ἐστὶν,·κα“ι φανεράςέχει τὰς _ ἐκάτερα πρὸς κακίαν παρατροπὰς. '0 ’μὲν γὰρ ἐλλείπων κατά τὸν τῆς ψυχῆς τόνον, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο εὐκαταγώνιστος τῷ τῆς ἡδονῆς πάθει γινόμενος, καὶ μηδὲ προσεγγίσας τῇ ὁδῷτοῦ κατʼ ἀρετὴν βίου καὶ σώφρονος, εἰς πάθη τῆς ἀτιμίας κατώλισθεν ο ὁδὲ παρελθὼν τῆς σωφροσύνης τὸ βάσιμον, καὶ ὑπερπεσὼν τοῦ μέσου τῆςάρετῆς, οἷον κρημνῷ τινι τῇ διδασκαλίᾳ τῶν δαιμόνων ἐγκατηνέχθη, καυτηριάζων, καθώς φηζ σιν όἋπόστολος, τὴν ἰδίαν συνείδησιν. Ἐν ᾧγὰρ Ξδελυκτὸν εἶναι τὸν γάμον ὁρίζεται, ἑαυτὸν στίζει τοῖς τοῦ γάμου ὀνειδισμοῖς σ εί γὰρ τὺ δένδρον κακὸν ιαθώς φησί που τὸ Εύαγγέλιον, καὶ ὁ καρπὸς πάν rm; τοῦ δένδρου ἄξιος. Ei δὴ τοῦ φυτοῦ τοῦ κατά τὸν ξάμον βλάστημα καὶ καρπός ἐστιν 6 ἄνθρωπος, τά τοῦ γάμου ὀνείδη πάντως τοῦ προφέροντος γίνεται. Ἀλλʼ ἐκεῖνοι μὲν στιγματίαι τὴν συνείδησιν καὶ ιαταμεμωλωπισμένοι τῇ ἀτοπίᾳ τοῦ δόγματος διὰ τῶν τοιούτων ἐλέγχονται. Ἡμεῖς δὲ ταῦτα καὶ περὶ τοῦ γάμου γινώσκομεν, ὡς δεῖ προηγουμένην μὲν εἶναι τὴν περὶτὰ θεῖα σπουδήν τε καὶ ἐπιμέλειαν, τῆς δὲ τοῦ γάμου λειτουργίας μὴ ὑπερορᾷν τὸν awφρόνως τε καὶ μεμετρημένως κεχρῆσθαι δυνάμενον ο οἶος ἦν 6 πατριάρχης Ἰσαάκ, ὃς οὐκ ὲν ἀκμῇ τῆς ἡλικίας, ἵνα μὴ πάθους ἔργον 6 γάμος γένηται, ἀλλʼ ἤδη τῆς νεότητος ὕπαναλωθείσης αὐτῷ δέχεται τὴν τῆς Ῥεβέκκας συνοίκησιν, τῆς διά τὴν ἐπὶ τῷ σπέρο ματι τοῦ Θεοῦ εὐλογίαν · καὶ μέχρι μιᾶς ὠδῖνος ὐπη ρετησας τῷ γάμῳ, πάλιν τῶν ἀοράτων ὅλος ἦν, μύσας τά σωματικά αἰσθητήρια ' τοῦτο γὰρ ὴ ἱστορία δοκεῖ σημαίνειν, τὴν βαρύτητα τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν τοῦ πατριάρχου διηγουμένη. Ἀλλά ταῦτα μὲν ἐχέτω, ὅπως ἂν ἔχειν δοκῇ τοῖς τά τοιαῦτα καθορᾷν ἐπιστήμοσιν. Ἥμεῖς δὲ πρὸς τὰ συνεχῆ τοῦ λόγου προΐωμεν. Τί οὖν ἦν τὺ λεγόμενον; Ὅτι ἂν ἐξῇ, μήτε τῆς θειοτέρας ἐπιθυμίας ἀφίστασθαι, μήτε ἀποφεύγειν τὸν γάμον. Οὐδείς ἐστι λόγος 6 ἀθετῶν τὴν οίκονε μίαν τῆς φύσεως, -καὶ ὡς βδελυκτδν διαβάλλων τδ τίμιον. Καθάπερ γὰρ ἐπὶ τοῦ προρῤηθέντος ἡμῖν του κατὰ τὸ ὕδωρ καὶ τὴν πηγὴν ὑποδείγματος, ὅταν ἐπί τι χωρίον διοχετεύων 6 γεωργὸς τὸ ὕδωρ ἐφέλκεται, γένηται δέ τις καὶ διά μέσου χρεία βραχείας ἀπυρῤοῆς, τοσοῦτον μόνον δώσει παραρρυῆναι, ὅσον τῇ ὲπιζητούσῃ χρείᾳ σύμμετρον γενόμενον, πάλιν εὐκόλως συναναμιχθῆναι τῷ ὅλῳ· εί δὲ ἀπείρως καὶ εὐταμιεύτως ἀνοίξειε τῷ ὕδατι τὴν ἀπόρροιαν, κινδυνεύσει τῆς εὐθείας ἀφέμενον ἅπαν ἐκχαραδρωθῆ· ναι κατά τὸ πλάγιον· τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον, ἐττειξὴ Χρεία τῷ βίῳ καὶ τῆς ἐξ ἀλλήλων διαδοχῆς, εί μέν τις οὕτω χρήσαιτο τῷ γινομένῳ, ὡς προηγουμένων τῶν πνευματικῶν, φειδωλῇ καὶ ὑπεσταλμένῃ κεχρῆσθαι τῇ περὶ τά τοιαῦτα ἐπιθυμίᾳ, διά τὴν τοῦ καιῖ ροῦ συστολὴν, οὗτος 6 σώφρων ἂν εἴη γεωργὸς,ικαξᾴ τὸ παράγγελμα τοῦ Ἀποστὸλου, οὐκ ἀεὶ περὶ τὰς ἀποδόσεις τῶν ψυχρῶν ἐκείνων ὀφλημάτων μικρολο γούμενος, ἀλλὰ τὴν ὲκ συμφώνου καθαρότητα τῇ σχολῇ τῶν προσευχῶν ἀφορίζων, 6 δεδοικὼς μὴ διᾷ τῆς τοιαύτης προσπαθείας ὅλος γένηται σάρξ κῗξ αἷμα, ἐν οἷς ού καταμένει τοῦ Θεοῦ τὸ Πνεῦμαο:0 δὲ ἀσθενῶς διακείμενος, ὡς μὴ δύνασθαι πρὸς την τῆς φύσεως φορὰν ἀνδρικῶς στῆναι, κρείττων ἂν ειη πὸρῤω τῶν τοιούτων ἑαυτὸν μᾶλλον ἀνέχων ν ἦ ξίί ἀγῶνα κατιὼν μείζονα τῆς δυνάμεως. Κίνδυνος γαρ οὺ μικρὸς παρακρουσθέντα τὸν τοιοῦτον ὲν τῇ πείρα τῆς ἡδονῆς, μηδὲν ἕτερον ἀγαθὸν οἰηθῆναι, ἢ τὺ διὰ σαρκὸς μετὰ προσπαθείας τινὸς λαμβανόμενον, καὶ ἀποστρέψαντα παντελῶς τὸν ἑαυτοῦ νοῦν ἀπὸ τῆς τῶν ἀσωμάτων ἀγαθῶν ἐπιθυμίας, ὅλον σαρκικὸν γενέσθαι, τὺ ὲν τούτοις ἡδὺ διαπαντὸς τρόπου θηρεύοντα· ὡς φιλήδονον εἶναι μᾶλλον αὺτδνῆ φιλό- Βεον. Ἐπειδὴ τοίνυν διὰ τὸ τῆς φύσεως ἀσθενὲς, οὺ παντός ἐστι τῆς εἰς τὰ τοιαῦτα συμμετρίας ἐπιτυγχάνειν, ὲπικίνδυνον δὲ τὸ ἔξω τοῦ μέτρου παρενεχθὲν-τα είς ἰλὺν βυθοῦ, κατὰ τον Ψαλμῳδὺν, ἐμπαγῆναι· Λυσιτελὲς ἂν εἴη, καθὼς ὑςςηγεῖται ό λόγος, ἀπείρατον τῶν τοιούτων διαβιῶναι· ὡς ἃν μὴ τῇ προφάσει τῶν συγκεχωρημένων εἴσοδον λάβοι κατὶι τῆς ψυχῆς τὰ πάθη.

Hoti oude ho gamos tōn kategnōsmenōn estin. i Mēdeis de dia toutōn hēmasʼathetein oiesthō tēn oikonomian tou gamouo ou gar agnooumen hoti kai houtos tēs tou Theou eulogias ouk ēllotriōtaio allʼ epeidē toutou men autarkēs synēgoros kai hē koinē tōn anthrōpōn physis estin, automaton tēn pros ta toeauta rhopēn entitheisa pasi tois dia gamou proïousin eis gennēsin ; antibainei de pōs ē parthenia tę̄ physei peritton an eiē peri gamou protropēn kai parainesin philoponōs syngraphein, tēn dysantagōniston ei mē »tacha dia tous. ta dogmata tēs Ekklēsias paracharatsontastōn toioutōn chreia logōn an eiē ;, hous kekautēriasmenous tēn idian syneidēsin ho Apo- B- . o stolos onomazei thʼ kai ’kalōs onomazō ’oti katalipontes tēn odēgian tou hagiou Pneumatos, dia tēs tōn daimonōn didaskalias oulas tinas kai ekkaumata tais kardiais autōnthenchoirassonsi, ta tou Theou ktismata bdelyssomenoi ōs miasmata, kai eis kakon pheronta, kai kakōn aitia, kai ta toiauta prosagoreuontes. Alla ti moi tous exō krineigsnēsin d”Apoątthlosi exō gar eisin hōs alēthōs ekeinoi tēs tou logou tōn mystēriōn aulēs, ouk en tę̄ skepę̄ tou Theou, allʼ en tę̄ mandrą tou Ponērou aulizomenoi oi ezōgrēmenoi eis to ekeinou thelēma, kata tēn tou ’Apostoloui erōnēn, kai dia touto mē synientes, oti pasēs aretēs en mesotēti theōroumenēs, hē epi ta parakeimena paratropē kakia estin o hypheseōs gar kai epitaseōs pantachou tis to meson epilabōn,,tēn aretēn ek tēs kath kias diekrine. Saphesteros dʼ han hēmin o logos genoito epʼ autōn tōn pragmatōn deiknymenos ; Deilia kai thrasos dyo kakiai kata to enantion nooumenai, hē men kata elleipsin, hē de kata pleonasmyn pepoithēseōs, mesēn periechousin autōn tēn andreian. Palin -ho eusebēs oute atheos, oute deisidaimōn estin ison gar epʼ amphoin td asebēma, kai to mēdena Theon, kai to pollous einai oiesthai. Boulei kal diʼ eterōn epignōnai td dogma? '0 phygōn to pheidōlos heinai kai asōtos, en tę̄ tōn enantiōn pathōn anachōrēsei tēn eleutherian tǭ hēthei katōrthōse ; toiouton gar ti hē eleutheria estin, to mēte pros tas ametrous kai anōpheleis dapanas eikē diacheisthai, mēte pros ta anankaia mikrologōs echein. Houtō kai epitōn loipōn pantōn, ina mē tois kathekaston epexiōmen, tēn mesotēta tōn enantiōn aretēn o logos egnōrisen. Oukoun kai hē sōphrosynē mesotēs estin,;ka“i phanerasechei tas _ ekatera pros kakian paratropas. '0 ’men gar elleipōn kata ton tēs psychēs tonon, kai dia touto eukatagōnistos tǭ tēs hēdonēs pathei ginomenos, kai mēde prosengisas tę̄ hodǭtou katʼ aretēn biou kai sōphronos, eis pathē tēs atimias katōlisthen o hode parelthōn tēs sōphrosynēs to basimon, kai hyperpesōn tou mesou tēsaretēs, hoion krēmnǭ tini tę̄ didaskalią tōn daimonōn enkatēnechthē, kautēriazōn, kathōs phēz sin hoApostolos, tēn idian syneidēsin. En hǭgar Xdelykton einai ton gamon horizetai, heauton stizei tois tou gamou oneidismois s ei gar ty dendron kakon iathōs phēsi pou to Euangelion, kai ho karpos pan rm? tou dendrou axios. Ei dē tou phytou tou kata ton xamon blastēma kai karpos estin 6 anthrōpos, ta tou gamou oneidē pantōs tou propherontos ginetai. Allʼ ekeinoi men stigmatiai tēn syneidēsin kai iatamemōlōpismenoi tę̄ atopią tou dogmatos dia tōn toioutōn elenchontai. Hēmeis de tauta kai peri tou gamou ginōskomen, hōs dei proēgoumenēn men einai tēn perita theia spoudēn te kai epimeleian, tēs de tou gamou leitourgias mē hyperorąn ton awphronōs te kai memetrēmenōs kechrēsthai dynamenon o oios ēn 6 patriarchēs Isaak, hos ouk en akmę̄ tēs hēlikias, hina mē pathous ergon 6 gamos genētai, allʼ ēdē tēs neotētos hypanalōtheisēs autǭ dechetai tēn tēs Rhebekkas synoikēsin, tēs dia tēn epi tǭ spero mati tou Theou eulogian ; kai mechri mias ōdinos ypē retēsas tǭ gamǭ, palin tōn aoratōn holos ēn, mysas ta sōmatika aisthētēria ' touto gar ē historia dokei sēmainein, tēn barytēta tōn ophthalmōn tou patriarchou diēgoumenē. Alla tauta men echetō, hopōs an echein dokę̄ tois ta toiauta kathorąn epistēmosin. Hēmeis de pros ta synechē tou logou proïōmen. Ti oun ēn ty legomenon? Hoti an exę̄, mēte tēs theioteras epithymias aphistasthai, mēte apopheugein ton gamon. Oudeis esti logos 6 athetōn tēn oikone mian tēs physeōs, -kai hōs bdelyktdn diaballōn td timion. Kathaper gar epi tou prorrēthentos hēmin tou kata to hydōr kai tēn pēgēn hypodeigmatos, hotan epi ti chōrion diocheteuōn 6 geōrgos to hydōr ephelketai, genētai de tis kai dia mesou chreia bracheias apyrroēs, tosouton monon dōsei pararryēnai, hoson tę̄ epizētousę̄ chreią symmetron genomenon, palin eukolōs synanamichthēnai tǭ holǭ; ei de apeirōs kai eutamieutōs anoixeie tǭ hydati tēn aporroian, kindyneusei tēs eutheias aphemenon hapan ekcharadrōthē; nai kata to plagion; ton auton tropon, etteixē Chreia tǭ biǭ kai tēs ex allēlōn diadochēs, ei men tis houtō chrēsaito tǭ ginomenǭ, hōs proēgoumenōn tōn pneumatikōn, pheidōlę̄ kai hypestalmenę̄ kechrēsthai tę̄ peri ta toiauta epithymią, dia tēn tou kaii rou systolēn, houtos 6 sōphrōn an eiē geōrgos,ikaxą to parangelma tou Apostolou, ouk aei peri tas apodoseis tōn psychrōn ekeinōn ophlēmatōn mikrolo goumenos, alla tēn ek symphōnou katharotēta tę̄ scholę̄ tōn proseuchōn aphorizōn, 6 dedoikōs mē dią tēs toiautēs prospatheias holos genētai sarx kïx haima, en hois ou katamenei tou Theou to Pneumao:0 de asthenōs diakeimenos, hōs mē dynasthai pros tēn tēs physeōs phoran andrikōs stēnai, kreittōn an eiē porrō tōn toioutōn heauton mallon anechōn n ē xii agōna katiōn meizona tēs dynameōs. Kindynos gar ou mikros parakrousthenta ton toiouton en tę̄ peira tēs hēdonēs, mēden heteron agathon oiēthēnai, ē ty dia sarkos meta prospatheias tinos lambanomenon, kai apostrepsanta pantelōs ton heautou noun apo tēs tōn asōmatōn agathōn epithymias, holon sarkikon genesthai, ty en toutois hēdy diapantos tropou thēreuonta; hōs philēdonon einai mallon autdnē philo- Beon. Epeidē toinyn dia to tēs physeōs asthenes, ou pantos esti tēs eis ta toiauta symmetrias epitynchanein, epikindynon de to exō tou metrou parenechthen-ta eis ilyn bythou, kata ton Psalmǭdyn, empagēnai; Lysiteles an eiē, kathōs hyssēgeitai o logos, apeiraton tōn toioutōn diabiōnai; hōs han mē tę̄ prophasei tōn synkechōrēmenōn eisodon laboi katii tēs psychēs ta pathē.

That marriage too is not among the things condemned. Let no one think from this that we reject the institution of marriage; for we are not ignorant that this too is not estranged from God’s blessing. But since the common nature of human beings is a sufficient advocate for it, implanting of itself the inclination toward such things in all who come into being through marriage, while virginity in a way goes against nature, it would be superfluous to compose with great labour an exhortation and encouragement to marriage, … the hard-to-resist …; unless perhaps such words are needed because of those who counterfeit the doctrines of the Church, whom the Apostle calls “seared in their own conscience.” And I name them well, because, having left the guidance of the Holy Spirit, through the teaching of demons they stamp certain scars and burns on their hearts, loathing God’s creatures as defilements, calling them things that lead to evil and causes of evils, and the like. “But what have I to do with judging those outside?” says the Apostle. For they are truly outside the court of the word of the mysteries, lodging not under the shelter of God but in the fold of the Evil One, “held captive to do his will,” in the Apostle’s words; and for this reason they do not understand that, since every virtue is seen in a mean, the deviation toward what lies on either side of it is vice. For whoever has grasped the mean everywhere between deficiency and excess has distinguished virtue from vice. The point would become clearer to us if shown in the facts themselves. Cowardice and rashness, two vices conceived as opposites, the one by deficiency of confidence, the other by excess, have courage as the mean between them. Again, the godly man is neither an atheist nor superstitious; for the impiety is equal in both, thinking that there is no God and that there are many. Do you want to recognize the doctrine through other examples too? One who has avoided being stingy and being prodigal has achieved liberality of character by withdrawing from the opposite passions; for liberality is something of this kind, neither to pour out money at random on immoderate and useless expenses nor to be petty about necessary ones. So too in all the rest, not to go through them one by one, reason has recognized the mean between opposites as virtue. Self-control too, then, is a mean, and has evident deviations into vice on either side. For one who falls short in the tension of the soul, and so becomes easily overcome by the passion of pleasure, not even approaching the road of the virtuous and self-controlled life, has slid into dishonourable passions; while one who has passed beyond the footing of self-control and overshot the mean of virtue has been carried down, as over a cliff, into the teaching of demons, searing his own conscience, as the Apostle says. For in declaring marriage abominable, he brands himself with the reproaches he casts on marriage. For if the tree is bad, as the Gospel says somewhere, the fruit too is certainly worthy of the tree. If, then, man is the shoot and fruit of the plant of marriage, the reproaches against marriage certainly fall on the one who utters them. But those people, branded in their conscience and bruised by the absurdity of their doctrine, are refuted by such arguments. We, on the other hand, know this about marriage too: that zeal and care for divine things should come first, but that one who is able to use the service of marriage with self-control and moderation should not despise it. Such was the patriarch Isaac, who took Rebekah to live with him not in the prime of his age, so that the marriage might not be the work of passion, but when his youth was already spent, because of God’s blessing on his seed; and having served marriage as far as one childbirth, he was again wholly given to things invisible, having closed his bodily senses; for this is what the history seems to signify when it relates the heaviness of the patriarch’s eyes. But let these things be as they seem to those skilled in seeing such matters; we must go on with the course of our discourse. What, then, was being said? That where it is possible neither to depart from the more divine desire nor to flee marriage, there is no argument that rejects the ordering of nature or slanders what is honourable as abominable. For as in the example we gave earlier of the water and the spring, when the farmer is channelling the water and drawing it to some field, and there is need on the way for a small outflow, he will let only so much run off as is proportionate to the need that calls for it, so that it can easily rejoin the whole again; but if he opens an outlet for the water without skill and without economy, it will risk leaving the straight course and all running off to the side in a ravine: in the same way, since life also has need of succession from one another, if one uses what happens in such a way that, the spiritual things coming first, he uses the desire for such things sparingly and with restraint because the time is short, he would be the self-controlled farmer, according to the Apostle’s precept, not always being petty about paying those cold debts, but setting apart purity by agreement for leisure for prayer, fearing lest through such attachment he become wholly flesh and blood, in which the Spirit of God does not remain. But one who is weakly disposed, so as to be unable to stand firm manfully against the current of nature, would do better to keep himself far from such things rather than go down into a contest greater than his strength. For there is no small danger that such a person, deceived in the experience of pleasure, may think nothing else good but what is received through the flesh with a certain attachment, and, turning his mind wholly away from the desire for incorporeal goods, become wholly fleshly, hunting in every way the pleasure in these things, so as to be a lover of pleasure rather than a lover of God. Since, then, because of the weakness of nature, it is not for everyone to attain due measure in such things, and it is dangerous for one who has been carried beyond the measure to stick fast in the mire of the deep, as the Psalmist says, it would be profitable, as the discourse advises, to pass life without experience of such things, so that the passions may not gain entrance against the soul under the pretext of what is permitted.

Textual problem in this passage: see the notes.

1 Tim 4:2 (quotation, high confidence) · 1 Tim 4:1 (allusion, high confidence) · 1 Tim 4:3 (allusion, high confidence) · 1 Cor 5:12 (quotation, high confidence) · 2 Tim 2:26 (quotation, high confidence) · Matt 7:17 (allusion, high confidence) · Gen 24:67 (allusion, high confidence) · Gen 25:20 (allusion, medium confidence) · Gen 27:1 (allusion, high confidence) · 1 Cor 7:5 (allusion, high confidence) · 1 Cor 7:29 (allusion, medium confidence) · Gen 6:3 (allusion, medium confidence) · 1 Cor 15:50 (allusion, medium confidence) · 2 Tim 3:4 (quotation, high confidence) · Ps 69:2 (68:3 LXX) (allusion, high confidence)

Notes and citation

Summary: Marriage is blessed by God and those who condemn it as unclean are heretics; virtue lies in the mean, and one who can use marriage with moderation, like Isaac, should not despise it, but for the weak virginity is the safer course.

The opening sentence is the chapter’s heading as printed in the edition. A few words are lost in the scan after “an exhortation and encouragement to marriage” (marked …); the surviving word describes something “hard to resist,” perhaps pleasure. Gregory rejects those (such as the Encratites) who condemned marriage as unclean; he defends marriage while preferring virginity, and his description of Isaac’s marriage (one conception, then turning to things invisible, read from Isaac’s dim eyes) is his own allegorical reading. Translated exactly as written. References: 1 Tim 4:1–3; 1 Cor 5:12; 2 Tim 2:26; Matt 7:17–18 and 12:33; Gen 24:67 and 25:20–21, 26; Gen 27:1; 1 Cor 7:5, 29; Gen 6:3; 1 Cor 15:50; 2 Tim 3:4; Ps 69:2 (68:3 LXX). The doctrine that virtue is a mean between extremes is Aristotle’s (Nicomachean Ethics 2.6).

Notes on the original text

Digital text corrected (OCR misread of the heading): ‘On οὐδὲ δ γάμος → Ὅτι οὐδὲ ὁ γάμος.

Extrabiblical texts: Aristotle, Eth. nic. 2.6 (Aristotle (works); echo)

Topics: Marriage, Heresy, Ethics

Cite (SBL): Gregory of Nyssa, Virg. 8 (PG 46:353a–357a; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nyssa-virginitate/8/#p-8). (abbreviation not yet checked)

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Translation: Translated by Claude from the Greek of Migne's Patrologia Graeca (scan OCR, corrections logged; lines lost in the scan marked …), then compared section by section with the public-domain English of NPNF² 5 (Moore and Wilson, 1893); differences checked against the Greek.

Chapter 9

9PG 46:357b–360c

Ὅτι δυσμετάθετον ἐπὶ παντὸς ἠ συνήθεια. ’Δμαχον γάρ ἐστιν ἐπὶ παντὸς ἡ συνήθεια, πολλὴν ἔχουσα δύναμιν πρὸς ἑαυτὴν ἑλκύσαι καὶ ἐπισπάσασθαι τὴν ψυχὴν, καί τινα καλοῦ παρασχεῖν φαντασίαν, ἐν ᾧ -ἄν τις σχέσιν καὶ προσπὰθειαν διὰ τοῦ προσεθισμοῦ τινα κτήσηται· καὶ οὐδὲν οὕτω τῇ φύσει φευκτόν ἐστιν, ὠς ὲν συνηθείᾳ γενόμενον μὴ καὶ σπουδῆς ἄξιον καὶ αἱρετὸν νομισθῆναι. Ἀπόδειξις ’τοῦ λόγου ό ἀνθρώπινος βίος, ἐν τοσούτων ὄντων ἐθνῶν, οὐ τὰ αὐτὰ πᾶσι σπουδάζεται, ἄλλα δὲ παρʼ Δ ἑτέροις ἐστὶ καλά τε καὶ τίμια, τῆς παρʼ ἑκάστου συνηθείας τὴν περί τι σπουδήν τε καὶ ἐπιθυμίαν ποιούσης. Καὶ οὐ μόνον κατὰ τὰ ἔθνη τὴν τοιαύτην παραλλαγὴν ἔστιν ἰδεῖν, τῶν αὐτῶν ἐπιτηδευμάτων παρά τισι μὲν θαυμαζομένων, διαβαλλομένων δὲ παρʼ ἑτέροις· ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ αὐτοῦ ἔθνους καὶ τῆς αὐτῆς πόλεως καὶ γένους, ἐν οἷς πολλὴν ἔστι διαφορὰν ιόεῖν ὲκ τῆς συνηθείας ἑκάστοις ἐγγινομένην. οὕτως ἐκ μιᾶς ὠδῖνος ἀδελφοὶ προελθόντες εἰς γένεσιν τοῖς ἐπιτηδεύμασι τῷ βίῳ πλεῖστον ἀπʼ ἁλλήλων ἐσχίσθησαν · καὶ οὔπω τοῦτο θαυμαστόν · ἐπεὶ καὶ ό καθέκαστον ἄνθρωπος οὑ τὴν αὐτὴν ὡς ἐπὶ τὸ πολὺ περὶ τοῦ αὐτοῦ πράγματος κρίσιν ἔχει, ἀλλʼ ὡς ἂν περὶ ἕκαστον ἀπὸ τῆς συνηθείας διατεθῇ. Καὶ ἵνα μὴ τὰ πόρρω τοῦ πράγματος λέγωμεν, πολλοὺς ἡμῖν ἐγνωρίσαμεν ἐραστὰς μάλιστα τῆς σωφροσύνης εὑθῦς παρὰ τὴν πρώτην ἡλικίαν φανέντας, ἀρχὴν δὲ ῥυπαροῦ βίου ποιησαμένους τὴν δοκοῦσαν ἑννομόν τε καὶ συγκεχωρημένην τῶν ἡδονῶν μετουσίαν. Ἐπεὶ γὰρ ἅπαξ τὴν τοιαύτην παρεδέξαντο πεῖραν, κατὰ τὸ ῥηθὲν ἡμῖν ἐπὶ τοῦ ῥείθρου ὑπόδειγμα, ὅλον πρὸς ταῦτα τδ ἐπιθυμητικὸν μεταστρέψαντες, καὶ τὴν ὁρμὴν ἀπὺ τῶν θειοτέρων πρὸς τὰ ταπεινὰ καὶ ὑλώδη μετοχετεύσαντες, πολλὴν ὲν ἑαυτοῖς τὴν εὐρυχωρίαν τοῖς πάθεσιν ἤνοιξαν· ὡς παντελῶς τῆς ἐπὶ τὸ ἄνω φορᾶς λῆξαι καὶ ἀποξηρανθῆναι τὴν ἐπιθυμίαν, ὃλην πρὸς τὰ πάθη μταρῤυεῖσαν. Διὰ τοῦτο λυσιτελὲς εἶναι νομίζομεν τοῖς ἀσθενεστέροις εἰς τὴν παρθενίαν ὓς εις ἀσφαλές τι φρούριον καταφεύγειν, καὶ μὴ τρδς τὴν ἀκολουθίαν κατιόντας τοῦ βίου, προσκαλεῖσθαι καθʼ ἑαυτῶν πειρασμοὺς, καὶ τοῖς ἀντιστραπενομένοις τῷ νόμῳ τοῦ νοὸς ή μῶν διὰ τῶν τῆς σαρκδς παθημάτων συμπλέκεσθαι, καὶ κινδυνεύειν οὗ περὶʼγῆςʼ ὅρων, ἢ χρημάτων ἀποβολῆς, ἢ ἀλλον τινὸς τῶν κατὰ τὴν ζωὴν ταῦτην σπουδαζομένων, ’ἀλλὰ περὶ τῆς προηγουμένης ἐλπίδος. Οὐκ ἐστι γάρ τὸν εἰς τὸν κόσμον τοῦτον ἀποστρέφοντα τὴν διάνοιαν καὶ τὴν ἐνθάδε μέριμναν ἀναλαβόντα, καὶ είς ἀνθρωπί- “’νην ἀρέσκειαν ἀσχολοῦντα ἑαυτοῦ τὴν καρδίαν, πληρωτὴν ’γενέσθαι τῆς πρῶτης καὶ μεγάλης ἐντολῆς τοῦ Κυρίου, ἥ φησιν ἐξ ὅλης καρδίας καὶδυνάμεως τὺν Θεὸν ἀγαπᾷν. Πῶς γάρ ἀγαπήσει τις eé ὃλτξς καρδίας καὶ δυνάμεως τὸν Θεὸν, ὅταν καταμερίσῃ τὴν καρ- Βίαν ἑαυτοῦ πρὸς Θεὸν καὶ κόσμον, καὶ-κλέπτων τρόπον τινὰ τὴν ἐκείνῳ μόνῳ χρεωστουμένην ἀγάπην, ὶνθρωπίνοις αὐτὴν πάθεσι προσαναλίσκῃς ό γὰρ ίγαμος μεριμνᾷ τὸ. τοῦ Κυρίου, ό δὲ γαμήσας μεριμνᾷ τά τοῦ κόσμου. El δὲ ἐπίπονος ή πρὸς τὰς ήδονὰς μάχη δοκεῖ, θαρρείτω πᾶς · οὐδὲ γάρ πρὸς τοῦτο μικρά ή συνήθεια καὶ τοῖς δυσκολωτάτοις εἶναι δοκοῦσιν, ἡδονήν τινα διὰ τῆς ἐπιμονῆς ἐνεργάσασθαι· καὶ ήδονὴν τὴν καλλίστην καὶ καθαρωτάτην, ἧς ἄξιόν ἐστιʼ τόν γε νοῦν ἔχοντα περιέχεσθαι μᾶλλον, ἢ τῇ περὶ τὰ ταπεινά μικροπρεπείᾳ, τῶν μεγάλων κατʼ ἀλήθειαν καὶπάντα νοῦν ὑπερεχόντων ἀλλοτριοῦ-

Hoti dysmetatheton epi pantos ē synētheia. ’Dmachon gar estin epi pantos hē synētheia, pollēn echousa dynamin pros heautēn helkysai kai epispasasthai tēn psychēn, kai tina kalou paraschein phantasian, en hǭ -an tis schesin kai prospatheian dia tou prosethismou tina ktēsētai; kai ouden houtō tę̄ physei pheukton estin, ōs en synētheią genomenon mē kai spoudēs axion kai haireton nomisthēnai. Apodeixis ’tou logou o anthrōpinos bios, en tosoutōn ontōn ethnōn, ou ta auta pasi spoudazetai, alla de parʼ D heterois esti kala te kai timia, tēs parʼ hekastou synētheias tēn peri ti spoudēn te kai epithymian poiousēs. Kai ou monon kata ta ethnē tēn toiautēn parallagēn estin idein, tōn autōn epitēdeumatōn para tisi men thaumazomenōn, diaballomenōn de parʼ heterois; alla kai epi tou autou ethnous kai tēs autēs poleōs kai genous, en hois pollēn esti diaphoran ioein ek tēs synētheias hekastois enginomenēn. houtōs ek mias ōdinos adelphoi proelthontes eis genesin tois epitēdeumasi tǭ biǭ pleiston apʼ hallēlōn eschisthēsan ; kai oupō touto thaumaston ; epei kai o kathekaston anthrōpos hou tēn autēn hōs epi to poly peri tou autou pragmatos krisin echei, allʼ hōs an peri hekaston apo tēs synētheias diatethę̄. Kai hina mē ta porrō tou pragmatos legōmen, pollous hēmin egnōrisamen erastas malista tēs sōphrosynēs heuthys para tēn prōtēn hēlikian phanentas, archēn de rhyparou biou poiēsamenous tēn dokousan hennomon te kai synkechōrēmenēn tōn hēdonōn metousian. Epei gar hapax tēn toiautēn paredexanto peiran, kata to rhēthen hēmin epi tou rheithrou hypodeigma, holon pros tauta td epithymētikon metastrepsantes, kai tēn hormēn apy tōn theioterōn pros ta tapeina kai hylōdē metocheteusantes, pollēn en heautois tēn eurychōrian tois pathesin ēnoixan; hōs pantelōs tēs epi to anō phoras lēxai kai apoxēranthēnai tēn epithymian, holēn pros ta pathē mtarryeisan. Dia touto lysiteles einai nomizomen tois asthenesterois eis tēn parthenian hys eis asphales ti phrourion katapheugein, kai mē trds tēn akolouthian kationtas tou biou, proskaleisthai kathʼ heautōn peirasmous, kai tois antistrapenomenois tǭ nomǭ tou noos ē mōn dia tōn tēs sarkds pathēmatōn symplekesthai, kai kindyneuein hou periʼgēsʼ horōn, ē chrēmatōn apobolēs, ē allon tinos tōn kata tēn zōēn tautēn spoudazomenōn, ’alla peri tēs proēgoumenēs elpidos. Ouk esti gar ton eis ton kosmon touton apostrephonta tēn dianoian kai tēn enthade merimnan analabonta, kai eis anthrōpi- “’nēn areskeian ascholounta heautou tēn kardian, plērōtēn ’genesthai tēs prōtēs kai megalēs entolēs tou Kyriou, hē phēsin ex holēs kardias kaidynameōs tyn Theon agapąn. Pōs gar agapēsei tis ee holtxs kardias kai dynameōs ton Theon, hotan katamerisę̄ tēn kar- Bian heautou pros Theon kai kosmon, kai-kleptōn tropon tina tēn ekeinǭ monǭ chreōstoumenēn agapēn, inthrōpinois autēn pathesi prosanaliskę̄s o gar igamos merimną to. tou Kyriou, o de gamēsas merimną ta tou kosmou. El de epiponos ē pros tas ēdonas machē dokei, tharreitō pas ; oude gar pros touto mikra ē synētheia kai tois dyskolōtatois einai dokousin, hēdonēn tina dia tēs epimonēs energasasthai; kai ēdonēn tēn kallistēn kai katharōtatēn, hēs axion estiʼ ton ge noun echonta periechesthai mallon, ē tę̄ peri ta tapeina mikroprepeią, tōn megalōn katʼ alētheian kaipanta noun hyperechontōn allotriou-

That habit is hard to change in everything. For habit is invincible in everything, having great power to draw and attract the soul to itself and to present an appearance of good in whatever one has acquired attachment and fondness for by becoming accustomed to it; and nothing is so repugnant to nature that, once it has become a habit, it is not thought worthy of zeal and choice. Proof of the point is human life: among so many nations the same things are not pursued by all, but different things are good and honourable among different peoples, the custom of each producing zeal and desire for something. And one can see such variation not only among nations, the same practices being admired by some and condemned by others, but also within the same nation and the same city and family, among whom one can see a great difference arising from the habits of each. So brothers who came into being from one birth have been divided very widely from each other in the practices of their lives. And this is not yet surprising, since the individual man too mostly does not have the same judgment about the same thing, but as he has been disposed toward each by habit. And not to speak of things far from the matter, we have known many who appeared at their first youth to be great lovers of self-control, but who made the participation in pleasures that seems lawful and permitted the beginning of a filthy life. For once they had accepted such experience, according to the example of the stream we gave, they turned their whole desire toward these things and diverted their impulse from more divine things to lowly and material ones, and so opened a wide space in themselves for the passions, so that the desire ceased altogether from its upward course and dried up, having flowed wholly into the passions. For this reason we think it profitable for the weaker to flee to virginity as to a safe fortress, and not, by going down into the sequence of life, to call temptations against themselves and become entangled, through the passions of the flesh, with what wars against the law of our mind, and run a risk not about boundaries of land or loss of money or anything else pursued in this life, but about the chief hope. For one who turns his mind toward this world and takes up the care of things here, and occupies his heart with pleasing people, cannot fulfil the first and great commandment of the Lord, which says to love God with all one’s heart and strength. For how will anyone love God with all his heart and strength when he divides his heart between God and the world, and, in a way stealing the love owed to him alone, spends it on human passions? “For the unmarried man cares for the things of the Lord, but the married man cares for the things of the world.” And if the battle against pleasures seems laborious, let everyone take heart; for in this too habit has no small power to produce, by persistence, a certain pleasure even in things that seem most difficult; and a pleasure the finest and purest, which one who has understanding ought rather to cling to than to the meanness concerned with lowly things, estranging himself from the things that are truly great and surpass every mind …

Rom 7:23 (allusion, high confidence) · Mark 12:30 (allusion, high confidence) · Deut 6:5 (allusion, medium confidence) · 1 Cor 7:32 (quotation, high confidence) · 1 Cor 7:33 (quotation, high confidence) · Phil 4:7 (echo, medium confidence)

Notes and citation

Summary: Habit is powerful: many who began chaste were drawn by permitted pleasures into a filthy life, so the weak should take refuge in virginity, which keeps the heart undivided for the love of God; habit can also make the struggle sweet.

The opening sentence is the chapter’s heading as printed in the edition. The chapter breaks off mid-word in the scan (marked …). References: Rom 7:23; Mark 12:30 (Deut 6:5); 1 Cor 7:32–33; Phil 4:7 (“surpass every mind”).

Topics: Marriage, Ethics

Cite (SBL): Gregory of Nyssa, Virg. 9 (PG 46:357b–360c; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nyssa-virginitate/8/#p-9). (abbreviation not yet checked)

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Chapter 10

10PG 46:360c–364a

Τί Δτὸʼ ἀληθῶς ἐπιθυμητόν.. σ · Ὅση γάρ ἐστιν ή ζημία ὲν ἀποπτώσει γενέσθαι τῆς τοῦ δντως καλοῦ κτήσεως, τίς ἂν παραστήσειε λόγοςς ποίᾳ δʼ ἀν τις χρήσαιτο διανοίας ὑπερβολῇ ς πῶςʼἀιῖὲνδείξαιτο καὶ εἰς ὑπογραφὴν ἀγάγοι τὸ καί λόγῳ ἄρρητον καὶ νοήματι ἁκατάληπτον; Εἰ μὲν γάρ τις ἐπὶ τοσοῦτον τὸ τῆς καρδίας ὄμμα κεκάθαρται, ὡς δυνηθῆναί πως ἰδεῖν τὸ ὲν τοῖς μακαρισμοῖς ὑπὸ τοῦ Κυρίου ἐπηγγελμένον, πάσης καταγνώσεται ἀνθρωπίνης φωνῆς, ὡς οὐδεμίαν ἐχούσης δύναμιν είς τὴν τοῦ νοηθέντος παράστασιν · εί δέ τις ἔτι τοῖς . ὑλικοῖς ἐγκαθήμενος πάθεσι, καθάπερ ὑπὸ λήμης τινὸς τῆς ὲμπαθοῦς διαθέσεως τὸ διορατικὸν τῆς ψυχῆς ἐπιπεπλασται, ματαία κα) τούτῳ πᾶσα λόγων ίσχύςʼ ἐπὶ γὰρ τῶν ἀναισθήτως ἐχόντων, ὲν τῷ ὁμοίῳ καθέστηκε τό τε ἐλαττοῦν διὰ τοῦ λόγου καὶ τὸ ὑπεραίρειν τά θαύματα ’ ὡς καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς ήλιακῆς ἀκτῖνος, ’τῷ μὴ τεθεαμένῳ τὸ φῶς ἀπὸ πρώτης γε· νέσεως ἀργὴ καὶ ἀνόνητος γίνεται ή διὰ τῶν λόγων τοῦ φωτὸς ἑρμηνεία · οὐ γάρ ἐστι δυνατὸν τὴν τῆς ’ἀκτῖνος λαμπηδόνα διʼ ἀκοῆς ὲναυγάσαί. Οὕτω καὶ ὲπὶ τοῦ ἀληθινοῦ καὶ νοητοῦ φωτὸς,’ ἰδίων ὀφθαλμῶν “ ἑκάστῳ χρεία, ἵνα τὸ κάλλος ὲκεῖνο θεάσηται, ὅπερ ὁ μὲν ἰδὼν κατά τινα θείαν δωρεάν τε καὶ ἐπίπνοιαν ἅνερμήνευτον ὲν τῷ ἀπορρήτῳ si“; συνειδήσεως ἔχει τὴν ἔκπληξιν · ὁ δὲ μὴ τεθεαμένος, οὐδὲ γνώσεται τὴν ζημίαν ὧν ἀπεστέρηται. Πῶς γάρ ἄν τις αύτῷ διαπεφευγὸς αὑτὸν ἀγαθὸν παραστήσειες πῶς δʼ ἄν τις ὑπʼ ὄψιν ἀγάγοι τὺ ἄφραστον; ’ἰδίας φωνὰς σημαντικὰς ἐκείνου τοῦ κάλλους ού μεμαθήκαμεν · ὑπόδειγμα τοῦ ζητουμένου ὲν τοῖς οὖσιν οὑκ ἔστιν οὐδένʼ ιιι συγκρίσεως γε μὴν αὐτὸ δηλωθῆναι ἀμήχανον. Τίς γάρ ὀλίγῳ σπινθῆρι προσεικάζει τὸν ﬁlim, ἢ ῥανίδα βραχεῖαν πρὸ( τὴν τῶν ἀβύσσων ἀπειρίαν ἀνθίστησιν; Ὃν γὰρ ἔχει λόγον πρὸς τὰς ἀβύσσους ὴ ὀλίγη σταγὼν, ἢ πρὸς τὴν μεγάλην ἀκτῖνα τοῦ ἡλίου τὸ μικρὸν σπινθηράκιον· οὕτω διάκειται καὶ πάντα τά παρὰ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ὡς καλὰ, θαυμαζόμενα πρὸς ἐκεῖνο τὸ κάλλος, ὃ περὶ τὸ πρῶὲ τον ἀγαθὸν καὶ τὸ ἐπέκεινα παντὸς ἀγαθοῆ θεωρεῖται. Τίς οὖν ἐπίνοια τὸ μέγεθος τῆς ζημίας τῷ παθύντι τὴν ζημίαν ταύτην ὲνδείξεται; Καλῶς μοι δοκεί ὁ μέγας Δαὸὶδ τὴν ἀμηχανίαν ἐνδεδεῖχθαι ταύ την · δς ἐπειδὴ ποτε δυνάμει τοῦ Πνεύματος ὑψωθεὶς τὴν διάνοιαν, καὶ οἷον ὲκὸάς αὐτὸς ἑαυτὸν, εἶδεν ἐκεῖνο τὺ ἀμήχανον καὶ ἀπερινόητον κάλλος ἐν τῇ μακαρίᾳ ἐκστάσει (εἶδε δὲ πάντως ὡς ἀνθρώπῳ γε δυνατὸν ἰδεῖν, ἔξω τῶν τῆς σαρκὸς προκαλυμμάτων γενόμενος, καὶ εἰσελθὼν διὰ μόνης διανοίας εἰς τὴν τῶν ἀσωμάτων καὶ νοητῶν θεωρίαν) ἐπειδή τι καὶ εἰπεῖν ἄξιον τοῦ ὀφθέντος ὲπεπόθησεν, ἐκείνην ἐξ· εβόησε τὴν φωνην, ἢν πάντες ᾄδουσιν, ὅτι Πᾶς ἇνθρωπος Ψεύστης τοῦτο δέ ἐστιν, ὥς γε ὁ ἐμὸς λόο γος, ὅτι πᾶς ἄνθρωπος φωνῇ· ἐπιτρέπων τὴν τοῦ ἁφράστου φωτὸς ἑρμηνείαν, ὅντως ψεύστης ἐστίν οὐχὶ τῷ μισεῖν αὐτὴν, ἀλλὰ τῷ ἀσθενεῖν περὶ τὴν τοῦ νοηθέντος παράστασιν. Τὸ μὲν γὰρ αἰσθητὸν κάλλος, ὅσον κάτω πε ρὶ τὸν ἡμέτερον, ἀναστρέφεται βίον, εἴτε ὲν ἀψύχοις ὕλαις, εἴτε καὶ ἐν σώμασιν ἐμψύχοις διά τινος εύχροίας ἐμφανταζόμενον, αὐτάρκης ἡμῶν ἡ κατὰ τὴν αἴσθησιν δύναμις καὶ θαυμάσαι, καὶ ἀποδέξασθαι, καὶ γνώριμον ἑτέρῳ ποιῆσαι, διὰ τῆς τῶν λόγων γραφῆς ὥσπερ ἐν εἰκόνι τινὶ τῷ λόγῳ τοῦ τοιούτου κάλλους ἐγγραφομένου ο οὗ δὲ τὸ ἀρχέτυπον κάλλος διαφεύγει τὴν κατανόησιν, πῶς ἂν ὁ λόγος ὑπʼ ὄψιν ἀγάγοι, οὐδεμίαν μηχανὴν ἐξευρίσκων ὑπογραφῆς, οὐ χροιὰν ἔχων εἰπεῖν, ού σχῆμα, ού μέγεθος, οὐ μορφῆς εὐμοιρίαν, ούδὲ τινα ὅλως φλυαρίαν τοιαύτην; Τὸ γὰρ ἀειδὲς πάντη, καὶ ἀσχημάτιστον, καὶ πηλικότητος πάσης ἀλλότριον, καὶ πάντων ὅσα περὶ σῶμα καὶ αἴσθησιν θεωρεῖται, πόρρωθεν ἱδρύμενον, πῶς ἄν τις διά τῶν μόνῃ τῇ αἰσθήσει καταλαμβανομένων γνωρίσειεν; Ού μὴν διά τοῦτό γε ἀπογνωστὼν ἡμῖν τῆς ἐπιθυμίας ταύτης, ὅτι ὑψηλοτέρα φαίνεται τῆς καταλήψεως ο ἀλλʼ ὅσῳ μέγα τὸ ζητούμενον ὁ λόγος ἀπέδειξεν, τοσούτῳ μᾶλλον ὑψοῦσθαι χρὴ τὴν διάνοιαν καὶ συνεπαίρεσθαι τῷ μεγέθει τοῦ ζητουμένου, μὴ παντελῶς ἔξω γενέσθαι τῆς τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ μετουσίας · κίνδυνος γὰρ οὐ μικρὸς, μὴ τῷ ἰ λίαν ὑψηλῷ τε καὶ ἀρρήτῳ, παντάπασι τῆς περὶ αύτοῦ ἐννοίας άπολισθήσωμεν, μηδενὶ γνωρίμῳ τὴν ’ κατανόησιν αὐτῶν ἐπερείδοντες. Δεῖ τοίνυν τῆς ἀσθενείας ἕνεκεν ταύτης διὰ τῶν τῇ αἰσθήσει γνωρίμων χειραγωγεῖν πρὸς τὸ ἀόρατον τὴν διάνοιαν. Ἠ δὲ ἐπίνοια γένοιτο ἂν ἡμῖν τοιαύτη

Ti Dtoʼ alēthōs epithymēton.. s ; Hosē gar estin ē zēmia en apoptōsei genesthai tēs tou dntōs kalou ktēseōs, tis an parastēseie logoss poią dʼ an tis chrēsaito dianoias hyperbolę̄ s pōsʼaiiendeixaito kai eis hypographēn agagoi to kai logǭ arrēton kai noēmati hakatalēpton? Ei men gar tis epi tosouton to tēs kardias omma kekathartai, hōs dynēthēnai pōs idein to en tois makarismois hypo tou Kyriou epēngelmenon, pasēs katagnōsetai anthrōpinēs phōnēs, hōs oudemian echousēs dynamin eis tēn tou noēthentos parastasin ; ei de tis eti tois . hylikois enkathēmenos pathesi, kathaper hypo lēmēs tinos tēs empathous diatheseōs to dioratikon tēs psychēs epipeplastai, mataia ka) toutǭ pasa logōn ischysʼ epi gar tōn anaisthētōs echontōn, en tǭ homoiǭ kathestēke to te elattoun dia tou logou kai to hyperairein ta thaumata ’ hōs kai epi tēs ēliakēs aktinos, ’tǭ mē tetheamenǭ to phōs apo prōtēs ge; neseōs argē kai anonētos ginetai ē dia tōn logōn tou phōtos hermēneia ; ou gar esti dynaton tēn tēs ’aktinos lampēdona diʼ akoēs enaugasai. Houtō kai epi tou alēthinou kai noētou phōtos,’ idiōn ophthalmōn “ hekastǭ chreia, hina to kallos ekeino theasētai, hoper ho men idōn kata tina theian dōrean te kai epipnoian hanermēneuton en tǭ aporrētǭ si“? syneidēseōs echei tēn ekplēxin ; ho de mē tetheamenos, oude gnōsetai tēn zēmian hōn apesterētai. Pōs gar an tis autǭ diapepheugos hauton agathon parastēseies pōs dʼ an tis hypʼ opsin agagoi ty aphraston? ’idias phōnas sēmantikas ekeinou tou kallous ou memathēkamen ; hypodeigma tou zētoumenou en tois ousin houk estin oudenʼ iii synkriseōs ge mēn auto dēlōthēnai amēchanon. Tis gar oligǭ spinthēri proseikazei ton ﬁlim, ē rhanida bracheian pro( tēn tōn abyssōn apeirian anthistēsin? Hon gar echei logon pros tas abyssous ē oligē stagōn, ē pros tēn megalēn aktina tou hēliou to mikron spinthērakion; houtō diakeitai kai panta ta para tōn anthrōpōn hōs kala, thaumazomena pros ekeino to kallos, ho peri to prōe ton agathon kai to epekeina pantos agathoē theōreitai. Tis oun epinoia to megethos tēs zēmias tǭ pathynti tēn zēmian tautēn endeixetai? Kalōs moi dokei ho megas Daoid tēn amēchanian endedeichthai tau tēn ; ds epeidē pote dynamei tou Pneumatos hypsōtheis tēn dianoian, kai hoion ekoas autos heauton, eiden ekeino ty amēchanon kai aperinoēton kallos en tę̄ makarią ekstasei (eide de pantōs hōs anthrōpǭ ge dynaton idein, exō tōn tēs sarkos prokalymmatōn genomenos, kai eiselthōn dia monēs dianoias eis tēn tōn asōmatōn kai noētōn theōrian) epeidē ti kai eipein axion tou ophthentos epepothēsen, ekeinēn ex; eboēse tēn phōnēn, ēn pantes ądousin, hoti Pas hanthrōpos Pseustēs touto de estin, hōs ge ho emos loo gos, hoti pas anthrōpos phōnę̄; epitrepōn tēn tou haphrastou phōtos hermēneian, hontōs pseustēs estin ouchi tǭ misein autēn, alla tǭ asthenein peri tēn tou noēthentos parastasin. To men gar aisthēton kallos, hoson katō pe ri ton hēmeteron, anastrephetai bion, eite en apsychois hylais, eite kai en sōmasin empsychois dia tinos euchroias emphantazomenon, autarkēs hēmōn hē kata tēn aisthēsin dynamis kai thaumasai, kai apodexasthai, kai gnōrimon heterǭ poiēsai, dia tēs tōn logōn graphēs hōsper en eikoni tini tǭ logǭ tou toioutou kallous engraphomenou o hou de to archetypon kallos diapheugei tēn katanoēsin, pōs an ho logos hypʼ opsin agagoi, oudemian mēchanēn exeuriskōn hypographēs, ou chroian echōn eipein, ou schēma, ou megethos, ou morphēs eumoirian, oude tina holōs phlyarian toiautēn? To gar aeides pantē, kai aschēmatiston, kai pēlikotētos pasēs allotrion, kai pantōn hosa peri sōma kai aisthēsin theōreitai, porrōthen hidrymenon, pōs an tis dia tōn monę̄ tę̄ aisthēsei katalambanomenōn gnōriseien? Ou mēn dia touto ge apognōstōn hēmin tēs epithymias tautēs, hoti hypsēlotera phainetai tēs katalēpseōs o allʼ hosǭ mega to zētoumenon ho logos apedeixen, tosoutǭ mallon hypsousthai chrē tēn dianoian kai synepairesthai tǭ megethei tou zētoumenou, mē pantelōs exō genesthai tēs tou agathou metousias ; kindynos gar ou mikros, mē tǭ i lian hypsēlǭ te kai arrētǭ, pantapasi tēs peri autou ennoias apolisthēsōmen, mēdeni gnōrimǭ tēn ’ katanoēsin autōn epereidontes. Dei toinyn tēs astheneias heneken tautēs dia tōn tę̄ aisthēsei gnōrimōn cheiragōgein pros to aoraton tēn dianoian. Ē de epinoia genoito an hēmin toiautē

What is truly desirable. For what word could present how great the loss is of falling away from the possession of the truly beautiful? What excess of understanding could one use? How could one show and bring into a sketch what is unspeakable in word and incomprehensible in thought? For if someone has had the eye of his heart so far purified as to be able in some way to see what was promised by the Lord in the Beatitudes, he will condemn all human speech as having no power to present what he has perceived. But if someone still sits among material passions, and the discerning faculty of his soul has been plastered over, as with some rheum, by his passionate disposition, all power of words is vain for him too. For with those who lack perception, belittling wonders by words and exalting them stand on the same footing; as with the sun’s ray, to one who has not seen light from his very birth, the explanation of light by words is idle and useless, for it is not possible to make the brilliance of the ray shine through the hearing. So too with the true and intelligible light, each needs eyes of his own to behold that beauty. One who has seen it by some divine gift and inspiration holds the amazement inexpressible in the secret of his consciousness; one who has not seen it will not even know the loss of what he has been deprived of. For how could anyone present to him a good that has escaped him? How could one bring the inexpressible before his eyes? We have not learned words proper to signify that beauty; there is no example of what is sought among existing things; and it is impossible for it to be shown by comparison. For who compares the sun to a small spark, or sets a little drop against the boundlessness of the deeps? For what a small drop is to the deeps, or the little spark to the great ray of the sun, such are all the things admired by human beings as beautiful in relation to that beauty which is seen about the first good and what is beyond every good. What device, then, will show the greatness of the loss to the one who has suffered it? The great David seems to me to have shown this impossibility well. When he was once lifted in mind by the power of the Spirit and, as it were, went out of himself, he saw that impossible and incomprehensible beauty in his blessed ecstasy (he saw it, of course, as far as a human being can see, having come outside the veils of the flesh and entered by thought alone into the contemplation of incorporeal and intelligible things); and since he longed to say something worthy of what he had seen, he cried out that saying which all sing: “Every man is a liar.” This means, at least in my account, that every man who entrusts the expression of the ineffable light to speech is truly a liar, not because he hates the truth, but because of his weakness in presenting what has been perceived. For as to sensible beauty, all that turns about our life here below, whether it appears in lifeless materials or in living bodies through some beauty of colour, our power of sense is sufficient to admire it, receive it, and make it known to another, such beauty being painted in words as in a picture. But where the archetypal beauty escapes understanding, how could speech bring it before the eyes, finding no means of sketching it, having no colour, no shape, no size, no comeliness of form to speak of, nor any such trifle at all? For how could anyone make known through things grasped by sense alone what is altogether without form, without shape, foreign to all magnitude, and established far from all that is seen in body and sense? Yet we must not for this reason despair of this desire because it appears higher than comprehension; rather, the greater the discourse has shown the object of our search to be, the more must the mind be raised and lifted up along with the greatness of what is sought, so as not to fall entirely outside participation in the good. For there is no small danger that, because of its great loftiness and ineffability, we may slip altogether from any thought of it, resting our understanding on nothing known. Because of this weakness, then, we must lead the mind by the hand to the invisible through things known to sense. The device would be something like this …

Matt 5:8 (allusion, high confidence) · Ps 116:11 (115:2 LXX) (quotation, high confidence) · 2 Cor 12:2 (echo, low confidence)

Notes and citation

Summary: The true Good, the archetypal beauty, cannot be described in words; only a purified heart sees it, as David did in ecstasy, yet we must not despair but be led toward it through things known to the senses.

The opening sentence is the chapter’s heading as printed in the edition. The chapter ends mid-sentence in the staged text (marked …); the illustration that follows is in the next section. References: Matt 5:8; Ps 116:11 (115:2 LXX, “every man is a liar”), which Gregory reads as David’s cry after an ecstatic vision.

Cite (SBL): Gregory of Nyssa, Virg. 10 (PG 46:360c–364a; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nyssa-virginitate/8/#p-10). (abbreviation not yet checked)

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Chapter 11

11PG 46:364a–369b

Πῶς ἄν τις ἐν περινοίᾳ γένοιτο τοῦ ὅντως καλοῦ. Ὥσπερ τοίνυν οί μὲν ἐπιπολαιότερον δίχα διανοίας τὰ πράγματα βλέποντες, ἐπειδὰν εἴδωσιν ἄνθρωπον ἢ ὅπερ ἂν τύχῃ τῶν φαινομένων, πλέον οὐδὲν τοῦ ὀρωμένου. περιεργάζονταιο ἀρκεῖ γὰρ αὐτοῖς θεασαμένοις τὸν ὄγκον τοῦ σώματος, ὅλον νομίσαι τὸν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου λόγον κατειληφέναι· ὀ δὲ διορατικδς τὴν ψὊχὴν, καὶ πεπαιδευμένος μὴ μόνοις ὀφθαλμοῖς ἐπι τρέπει[ν] τὴν τῶν ὄντων ἐπίσκεψιν, οὗ μέχρι τῶν φαινομένων στήσεται, οὐδὲ τὸ μὴ βλεπόμενον έν τοῖς ’ μὴ οὖσι λογίζεται, ἀλλὰ καὶ ψυχῆς φύσιν περινοεῖ, καὶ τὰς τῷ σώματι ἐμφυομένας ποιότητας, καὶκοινῇ καὶ καθʼ ἑαυτὰς ἑπισκέπτεταιο ἰδίᾳ τε γὰρ αὐτῶν ἑκάστην χωρίζει τῷ λόγῳ, καὶ πάλιν τήν κοινὴν αύτῶν συνδρομήν τε καὶ σύμπνοιαν περὶ τὴν τοῦ ύποκειμένου σύστασιν Θεωρεῖ· οὕτως οὖν καὶ ὲν τῇ τοῦ καλοῦ ζητήσει, ὁ μὲν ἀτελὴς τὴν διάνοιαν, ἐπειδὰν ῐδῃ τι πρᾶγμα ᾧ κάλλους τινὸς περικέχυται (pavo τασία, αὐτὸ ἐκεῖνο καλὸν εἶναι τῇ ἑαυτοῦ φύσει οίήσεται, ὅπερ ἂν τὴν αἴσθησιν αὐτοῦ διʼ ἡδονῆς ἐπισπάο σηται, καὶ οὐδὲν ὑπὲρ τοῦτο πλέον πε ριεργάζεται. '0 δὲ κεκαθαρμένος τὸν τῆς ψυχῆς ὀφθαλμὸν, καὶ δυνατὸς τὰ τοιαῦτα βλέπειν, χαίρειν ἐάσας τὴν ὕλην τήν ὑποβεβλημένην τῇ τοῦ καλοῦ ἰδέᾳ, οἷον ὑποβάθρᾳ τινὶ τῷ ὁρωμένῳ χρήσεται, πρὸς τὴν τοῦ νοητοῦ κάλλους θεωρίαν, οὗ κατὰ μετουσίαν τὰ ἄλλα καλὰ γίνεταί τε καὶ ὀνομάζεται. Δοκεῖ δέ μοι χαλεπὸν εἶναι, τῶν πλείστων τῇ τοιαύτῃ παχύτητι τῆς διανοίας συ· ζώντων, τὸ διατεμόντας τῷ λόγῳ καὶ χωρίσαντας τὴν ὕλην ἀπὸ τοῦ ὲπιθεωρουμένου-κὰλλούς, αὐτὴν ἐφ ἑαυτῆς τοῦ καλοῦ τὴν φύσιν κατανοῆσαι. Καὶ εί τις ἀκριβῶς ἐθέλοι τὴν αἰτίαν σκοπεῖν τῶν πεπλανημένων καὶ μοχθηρῶν ὑπολήψεων, οὐκ ἄν μοι δοκεῖ ἄλλην εὑρεῖν, ἢ τὸ μὴ ἀκριβῶς ἡμῶν γεγυμνάσθαι τὰ τῆς Ψυχῆς αἰσθητήρια πρὸς τὴν τοῦ καλοῦ καὶ μὴ τοιού· του διάκρισιν. Διὰ τοῦτο ἀποστάντες oi ἄνθρωποι τῆς περὶ τὸ ὅντως ἀγαθὸν σπουδῆς, οἱ μὲν είς ἔρωτα σαρκῶν κατωλίσθησαν, ol δὲ ἐπὶ τὴν ἄψυχον τῶν χρημάτων ὓλην ταῖς ἐπιθυμίαις ἔρεψαν· ἄλλοι ὲν τιμαῖς καὶ δόξαις καὶ δυναστείαις τὸ καλὸν ὡρίσαντσ εἰσὶ δέ τινες οἳ περὶ τέχνας καὶ ἐπιστήμας ἐπτοήθη· σαν· οἱ δὲ ἀνδραποδωδέστεροι τούτων, λαιμὸν καὶ γαστέρα τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ ποιοῦνται κριτήρια. 0i δὲ ἁπηστάντες τῶν ύλικῶν νοημάτων, καὶ τῶν περὶ τὰ φαι· νόμενα προσπαθειῶν, ἀνεζήτουν τὴν ἁπλῆν τε te" ᾶϋλον καὶ ἀσχημάτιστον τοῦ καλοῦ φύσιν, οὐκ περὶ τὴν αἰρεσιν τῶν ὲπιθυμητῶν ἐπλανήθησαν, οὐδʼ ἂν τοσοῦτον ὑπὸ τῆς τοιαύτης ἀπάτης παρηνέχοηῗςιγο ὡς μηδὲ τὺ πρόσκαιρον τῆς ὲν τούτοις ἡδονῆς θλέ· ποντας, πρὸς τὴν ὑπεροψίαν τῶν τοιούτων ὁδηγη- Οὐκοῦν αὕτη ἂν γένοιτο ἡμῖν ὁδὸς είς τὴν τοῦ καλοῦ εὕρεσιν ἄγουσα, τὸ πάντα τὰ ἄλλα, ὅσα τὰς ἐπιθυμίας τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἐφέλκεται, καλά εἶναι νομιζὸο μενα, καὶ διά τοῦτο σπουδῆς τινος καὶ ἀποδοχῆς ἀξιούμενα, ταῦτα ὑπερβαίνοντας ὡς ταπεινά τε καὶ πρόσκαιρα, μηδενὶ τούτων προσαναλίσκειν τὴν ὲπιθυμητικὴν ήμῶν δύναμιν, μήτε μὴν ἀργὴν καὶ ἀκίνητον ὲν ἑαυτοῖς κατακλείσαντας ἔχειν, ἀλλʼ ἐκκαθά· ραντας αὐτὴν ἀπὸ τῆς τῶν ταπεινῶν προσπαθείας, ἐκεῖ ἀνάγειν, ὅπου οὑκ ἐφικνεῖται ή αἴσθησις· ὡς μήτε οὐρανοῦ [ἀνθρώπου] κάλλος Θαυμάσαι, μήτε φωστῆρος αὑγάς, μήτε ἄλλο τι τῶν φαινομένων καλῶν· ἀλλὰ διὰ τοῦ πᾶσι τούτοις ἐπιθεωρουμένου κάλλους χειραγωγεῖσθαι ’πρὸς τὴν ἐκείνου τοῦ κάλλους ἐπιθυ μίαν, ἧς καὶ οἱ οὐρανοὶ διηγοῦνται τὴν δόξαν, καὶ στερέωμα, καὶ πᾶσα ἡ κτίσις ἀναγγέλλει τὴν γνῶσιν. Οὕτω γὰρ ἀνιοῦσα ή ψυχή, καὶ πᾶν τὸ καταλαμβανόμενον ὡς μικρότερον τοῦ ζητουμένου καταλιμπάνουσα, γένοιτο ἂν ὲν περινοίᾳ τῆς μεγαλοπρεπείας ἐκείνης, τῆς ὑπεράνω τῶν οὐρανῶν ἐπηρμένης. Ἀλλὰ πῶς ἄν τις τῶν ὑψηλῶν ὲφίκριτο, περὶ τά ταπεινά τὴν σπουδὴν ἔχων; πῶς δʼ ἄν τις πρὸς τὸν οὐρανὸν ἀναπτείη, μὴ πτερωθεὶς τῷ οὐρανίῳ πτερῷ, καὶ ἀνωφερὴς καὶ μετέωρος διὰ τῆς ὑψηλῆς πολιτείας γενόμενος; Τίς δὲ οὕτως ἔξω τῶν εὑαγγελικῶν μυστηρίων ἐστὶν, ὡς ἀγνοεῖν ὅτι ἓν ὄχημα τῇ ἀνθρωπίνῃ ψυχῇ τῆς ἐπὶ τοὺς οὐρανοὺς πορείας ἐστὶ, τὸ τῷ εἴδει τῆς καταπτάσης περιστερᾶς ἑαυτὸν ὁμοιῶσαι, ἦς τὰς πτέρυγας γενέσθαι αὑτῴ καὶ Δαβὶδ ὁ προφήτης ὲπόθησεν; Οὕτω γὰρ ὲν αἰνίγματι τὴν τοῦ Πνεὺματος δύναμιν τῇ Γραφῇ σύνηθες ὀνομάζειν· εῐτε διότι χολῆς ἐστιν ἄμοιρον τοῦτο τὸ ὖρνεον, ἢ ὄτι δυσωδίας ἐχθρὸν, καθώς φασιν οἱ τά τοιαῦτα παρατηρήσαντες. Οὑκοῦν ὁ πάσης πικρίας καὶ σαρκικῆς δυσωδίας ἑαυτδν ἀποστήσας, καὶ πάντων τῶν ταπεινῶν τε καὶ χαμαιζήλων ὑπεραρθεὶς, μᾶλλον δὲ παντὸς τοῦ κόσμου γεγονὼς ὑψηλότερος ὲν τῷ προειρημένῳ πτερῷ, ἐκεῖ· νος εὑρήσει τὸν μόνον ἐπιθυμίας ἀξιον, καὶ γενήσεται καὶ αὐτὸς καλὸς, τῷ καλῴ προσπελάσας καὶ ὲν αὐτῷ γεγονὼς, λαμπρός τε καὶ φωτοειδὴς ἐν τῇ μετουσίᾳ τοῦ ἀληθινοῦ φωτὸς καταστήσεται. Ὥσπερ γὰρ ὲν νυκτὶ τὰς ἀθρόας τοῦ ἀέρος ἐκλάμψεις, οὓς τινες διᾴττοντας καλοῦσιν ἀστέρας, οὐδὲν ἄλλο φασιν ol ταῦτα φιλοσοφήσαντες, ἢ ἀέρα εῖναι ὑπὸ βίας πνευμάτων τινῶν εἰς τὸν αἰθέριον τόπον ὑπερχεόμενον· λέγουσι γὰρ τὸν πυροειδῆ τοῦτον ὁλκὸν, ὲκφλογωθὲντος ἐν τῷ αἰθέρι τοῦ πνεύματος, τῷ οὑρανῷ ἐγχαράσσεσθαι· ὥσπερ οὖν ὁ ἐπίγειος οὗτος ἀὴρ ἀνωσθεὶς ὑπο τῆς βίας τοῦ πνεύματος. φωτοειδὴς γίνεται, τῷ καθαρῷ“τοῦ αἰθέρος ὲναλλοιούμενοςο ταύτῃ τε δὴ καὶ ὁ νοῦς ὁ ἀνθρώπινος, καταλιπὼν τὸν θολερὸν τοῦ- ;ον καὶ ἰλυώδη βίον, ἐπειδὰν καθαρὸς γενόμενος ἐν τῇ δυνάμει τοῦ πνεύματος, φωτοειδὴς γένηται καὶ ἐμμιχθείη τῇ ἀληθινῇ καὶ ὑψηλῇ καθαρότητι, διαφαίνεταί πως καὶ αὐτὸς ἐν ἐκείνῃ, καὶ ἀκτίνων ἐμπῖπλαται, καὶ φῶς γίνεται, κατὰ τὴν τοῦ Κυρίου ὑπό. σχεσιν, ὃς τοὺς δικαίους λάμψειν καθʼ ὁμοιότητα τοῦ ἡλίου κατεπηγγείλατο. Τοῦτο καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς ὁρῶμεν γινόμενον ἐπὶ κατόπτρου, ἦ ὓδατοςν ἧ ἄλλου τινὸς τῶν ἀποστίλβειν διὰ λειότητα δυναμέανων. Ὅταν γάρ τι τούτων δέξηται τὴν τοῦ ἡλίου ἀκτῖνα, καὶ ἀλλην ἀφʼ ἑαυτῶν ἀκτῖνα ποιεῖ· οὐκ ἂν ποιήσαντα, εἰ ῥύπῳ τινὶ τὸ καθαρόν τε καὶ στιλπνὸν τῆς ἐπιφανείας ἀχρειωθείη. Εἴτε οὖνἡμεῖς ἀνω γενοίμεθα, καταλιπόντες τὸ περίγειον σκότος, ἐκεῖ φωτοειδεῖς γενησόμεθα, τῷ ἀληθινῷ φωτὶ τοῦ Κριστοῧ ἐμπελάσαντεςʼ εἴτε τὸ φῶς τὸ ἀληθινὸν τὸ καὶ ἐν τῇ σκοτία λάμπον καὶ μέχρις ἡμῶν καταβαίη, ’ καὶ ἡμεῖς φῶς ἐσόμεθα, καθώς φησί που τοῖς μαθηταῖς ό Κύριος Et μή τις κακίας ῥύπος τῇ καρδίᾳ προσπεπλασμένος τὴν χάριν τοῦ ἡμετέρου φωτὸς ἁμαυρώσειε. Τάχα τοίνυν ἡμᾶς ἠρέμα διὰ τῶν ὑποδειγμάτων ό λόγος προσήγαγε τῇ ἐπινοίᾳ τῆς πρὸς τὺ κρεῖττον ἡμῶν ἀλλοιώσεως· καὶ ἐδείχθη μὴ δυνατὸν ἑτέρως εἶναι ωναφθῆναι τὴν ψυχὴν τῷ ἀφθάρτῳ Θεῷ, μὴ καὶ αὐτὴν ὡς οἷόν τε καθαρὰν γενομένην διὰ τῆς ἀφθαρσίας· ὡς ἂν διὰ τοῦ ὁμοίου καταλάᾶῃ τὸ ὅμοιον, οἱονεὶ κάτοπτρον τῇ καθαρότητι τοῦ Θεοῦ ἑαυτὴν ὕποθεῖσανο ὥστε κατά μετοχὴν καὶ ἐμφάνειαν τοῦ πρωτοτΰπου κάλλους καὶ τὸ ἐν αὐτῇ μορφωθῆναι. El δέ τις τοιοῦτός ἐστιν, οἷος ήδη πάντα καταλιπεῖν τὰ ἁνθρώπινα, εἴτε σώματα, εἴτε χρήματα, εἴτε τὰ ἐν ἐπιστήμαις ἢ τέχναις ἐπιτηδεύματα, ἢ καὶ ὅσα ἐν ἔθεσι καὶ νόμοις δεξιά θεωρεῖται (περὶ τά τοιαῦτα γὰρή πλάνη τῆς τοῦ καλοῦ κατανοήσεως, ἐν οἷςή αἴσθησις κριτήριον γίνεται), ό τοιοῦτος πρὸς ἐκεῖνο μόνον ἐρωτικῶς τε καὶ ἐπιθυμητικῶς ἔξει, ὅ οὐχ ἐτέρωθεν ἔχει τὸ καλόν εἶναι, οὐδὲ ποτὲ, ἢ πρός τι τοιοῦτόν ἐστιν · ἀλλὰ ἐξ ἑαυτοῦ καὶ διʼ ἑαυτοῦ καλὴν, καὶ ἐν ἐαυτῷ τοιοῦτον καλὸν ὃν, καὶ οὐδὲ ποτέ καλὸν γενόμενον, ἢ ποτέ οὐκ ἐσόμενον, ἀλλὰ πάντοτε ὡσαύτως ἔχον, προσθήκης τε καὶ αὐξήσεως ὑπεράνω, καὶ ἀνεπίδεκτον πάσης τροπῆς τε καὶ ἀλλοιώσεως. Τῷ τοίνυν πάσας ἑαυτοῦ τὰς τῆς ψυχῆς δυνάμεις ἐκ παν· τὸς εἴδους κακίας ἀποκαθάραντι, τολμῶ καὶ λέγω, ὅτι ἐμφανὲς γίνεται τὺ μόνον τῇ φύσει καλὸν, ὅπερ ἐστὶ τὸ παντὸς καλοῦ τε καὶ ἀγαθοῦ αἴτιον. Καθάπερ γὰρ ὀφθαλμῷ τὴν λήμην ἁπορυψαμένῳ τὰ ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ τηλαυγῶς καθορᾶταιο οὕτως καὶ τῇ ψυχῇ διὰ ’τῆς ἀφθαρσίας παραγίνεται· ἡ δύναμις τῆς τοῦ φωτὸς ἐκείνου κατανοήσεως, καὶ ἡ ἀληθινὴ πάρθενίω καὶ ἡ περὶ τὴν ἀφθαρσίαν σπουδὴ εἰς τοῦτον τὸν σκοπὸν καταλήγει, τὸ διʼ αὐτῆς δυνηθῆναι τὸν Θεὸν ἰδεῖν. Ὅτι γὰρ τὸ κυρίως καὶ πρώτως καὶ μόνως καλὸν τε καὶ ἀγαθὸν καὶ καθαρὸν ὁ τῶν ὅλων ἐστὶ Θεὸς, οὐδεὶς οὓτω τυφλὸς τὴν διάνοιαν, ὡς μὴ ἀφʼ ἑαυτοῦ συνιδεῖν. Ἀλλά τοῦτο μὲν ἴσως οὐδεὶς ἀγνοεῖ· ἐπιζητεῖν δὲ εἰκός τινας, εί δυνατόν ἐστιν οἷόν τινα μέθοδον καὶ ἀγωγὴν τὴν πρὸς τοῦτο χειραγωγοῦσαν ἡμᾶς ἐξευρεῖν. Msa-ni. μὲν οὖν αἱ θεῖαι Βίβλοι τῆς τοιαύτης εἰσὶν ὑφηγήσεως· πολλοὶ δὲ τῶν ἁγίων καθάπερ τινά λύχνον τὸ) ἑαυτῶν βίον τοῖς κατά Θεὸν πορευομένοις προφαίνουσιν. ’Λλλά τὰς μὲν ἐκ τῆς θεοπνεύστου Γ ραφῆς είς τὸν προκείμενον σκοπὸν ὑποθήκας ἔξεστιν ἑκάστῳ πλουσίως ἐξ ἀμφοτέρων τῶν Διαθηκῶν ἀναλέξασθαι· πολλὰ μὲν γὰρ ἐν προφήταις καὶ νόμῳ, πολλά δὲ ἐν εύαγγελικαίς τε καὶ ἀποπολικαῖς παραδόσεσι πάρεστιν ἀφθόνως λαβεῖν. Ὄσά δʼ ἂν καὶ ἡμεῖς ύπονοήσαιμεν, ταῖς θείαις ἀκολουθοῦντες φωναῖς, ταῦτʼ ἐστίν.

Pōs an tis en perinoią genoito tou hontōs kalou. Hōsper toinyn oi men epipolaioteron dicha dianoias ta pragmata blepontes, epeidan eidōsin anthrōpon ē hoper an tychę̄ tōn phainomenōn, pleon ouden tou orōmenou. periergazontaio arkei gar autois theasamenois ton onkon tou sōmatos, holon nomisai ton tou anthrōpou logon kateilēphenai; o de dioratikds tēn psOchēn, kai pepaideumenos mē monois ophthalmois epi trepei[n] tēn tōn ontōn episkepsin, hou mechri tōn phainomenōn stēsetai, oude to mē blepomenon en tois ’ mē ousi logizetai, alla kai psychēs physin perinoei, kai tas tǭ sōmati emphyomenas poiotētas, kaikoinę̄ kai kathʼ heautas hepiskeptetaio idią te gar autōn hekastēn chōrizei tǭ logǭ, kai palin tēn koinēn autōn syndromēn te kai sympnoian peri tēn tou ypokeimenou systasin Theōrei; houtōs oun kai en tę̄ tou kalou zētēsei, ho men atelēs tēn dianoian, epeidan idę̄ ti pragma hǭ kallous tinos perikechytai (pavo tasia, auto ekeino kalon einai tę̄ heautou physei oiēsetai, hoper an tēn aisthēsin autou diʼ hēdonēs epispao sētai, kai ouden hyper touto pleon pe riergazetai. '0 de kekatharmenos ton tēs psychēs ophthalmon, kai dynatos ta toiauta blepein, chairein easas tēn hylēn tēn hypobeblēmenēn tę̄ tou kalou ideą, hoion hypobathrą tini tǭ horōmenǭ chrēsetai, pros tēn tou noētou kallous theōrian, hou kata metousian ta alla kala ginetai te kai onomazetai. Dokei de moi chalepon einai, tōn pleistōn tę̄ toiautę̄ pachytēti tēs dianoias sy; zōntōn, to diatemontas tǭ logǭ kai chōrisantas tēn hylēn apo tou epitheōroumenou-kallous, autēn eph heautēs tou kalou tēn physin katanoēsai. Kai ei tis akribōs etheloi tēn aitian skopein tōn peplanēmenōn kai mochthērōn hypolēpseōn, ouk an moi dokei allēn heurein, ē to mē akribōs hēmōn gegymnasthai ta tēs Psychēs aisthētēria pros tēn tou kalou kai mē toiou; tou diakrisin. Dia touto apostantes oi anthrōpoi tēs peri to hontōs agathon spoudēs, hoi men eis erōta sarkōn katōlisthēsan, ol de epi tēn apsychon tōn chrēmatōn hylēn tais epithymiais erepsan; alloi en timais kai doxais kai dynasteiais to kalon hōrisants eisi de tines hoi peri technas kai epistēmas eptoēthē; san; hoi de andrapodōdesteroi toutōn, laimon kai gastera tou agathou poiountai kritēria. 0i de hapēstantes tōn ylikōn noēmatōn, kai tōn peri ta phai; nomena prospatheiōn, anezētoun tēn haplēn te te" aÿlon kai aschēmatiston tou kalou physin, ouk peri tēn airesin tōn epithymētōn eplanēthēsan, oudʼ an tosouton hypo tēs toiautēs apatēs parēnechoēïsigo hōs mēde ty proskairon tēs en toutois hēdonēs thle; pontas, pros tēn hyperopsian tōn toioutōn hodēgē- Oukoun hautē an genoito hēmin hodos eis tēn tou kalou heuresin agousa, to panta ta alla, hosa tas epithymias tōn anthrōpōn ephelketai, kala einai nomizoo mena, kai dia touto spoudēs tinos kai apodochēs axioumena, tauta hyperbainontas hōs tapeina te kai proskaira, mēdeni toutōn prosanaliskein tēn epithymētikēn ēmōn dynamin, mēte mēn argēn kai akinēton en heautois katakleisantas echein, allʼ ekkatha; rantas autēn apo tēs tōn tapeinōn prospatheias, ekei anagein, hopou houk ephikneitai ē aisthēsis; hōs mēte ouranou [anthrōpou] kallos Thaumasai, mēte phōstēros haugas, mēte allo ti tōn phainomenōn kalōn; alla dia tou pasi toutois epitheōroumenou kallous cheiragōgeisthai ’pros tēn ekeinou tou kallous epithy mian, hēs kai hoi ouranoi diēgountai tēn doxan, kai stereōma, kai pasa hē ktisis anangellei tēn gnōsin. Houtō gar aniousa ē psychē, kai pan to katalambanomenon hōs mikroteron tou zētoumenou katalimpanousa, genoito an en perinoią tēs megaloprepeias ekeinēs, tēs hyperanō tōn ouranōn epērmenēs. Alla pōs an tis tōn hypsēlōn ephikrito, peri ta tapeina tēn spoudēn echōn? pōs dʼ an tis pros ton ouranon anapteiē, mē pterōtheis tǭ ouraniǭ pterǭ, kai anōpherēs kai meteōros dia tēs hypsēlēs politeias genomenos? Tis de houtōs exō tōn heuangelikōn mystēriōn estin, hōs agnoein hoti hen ochēma tę̄ anthrōpinę̄ psychę̄ tēs epi tous ouranous poreias esti, to tǭ eidei tēs kataptasēs peristeras heauton homoiōsai, ēs tas pterygas genesthai hautǭ kai Dabid ho prophētēs epothēsen? Houtō gar en ainigmati tēn tou Pneumatos dynamin tę̄ Graphę̄ synēthes onomazein; eite dioti cholēs estin amoiron touto to yrneon, ē oti dysōdias echthron, kathōs phasin hoi ta toiauta paratērēsantes. Houkoun ho pasēs pikrias kai sarkikēs dysōdias heautdn apostēsas, kai pantōn tōn tapeinōn te kai chamaizēlōn hyperartheis, mallon de pantos tou kosmou gegonōs hypsēloteros en tǭ proeirēmenǭ pterǭ, ekei; nos heurēsei ton monon epithymias axion, kai genēsetai kai autos kalos, tǭ kalǭ prospelasas kai en autǭ gegonōs, lampros te kai phōtoeidēs en tę̄ metousią tou alēthinou phōtos katastēsetai. Hōsper gar en nykti tas athroas tou aeros eklampseis, hous tines diąttontas kalousin asteras, ouden allo phasin ol tauta philosophēsantes, ē aera einai hypo bias pneumatōn tinōn eis ton aitherion topon hypercheomenon; legousi gar ton pyroeidē touton holkon, ekphlogōthentos en tǭ aitheri tou pneumatos, tǭ houranǭ encharassesthai; hōsper oun ho epigeios houtos aēr anōstheis hypo tēs bias tou pneumatos. phōtoeidēs ginetai, tǭ katharǭ“tou aitheros enalloioumenoso tautę̄ te dē kai ho nous ho anthrōpinos, katalipōn ton tholeron tou- ?on kai ilyōdē bion, epeidan katharos genomenos en tę̄ dynamei tou pneumatos, phōtoeidēs genētai kai emmichtheiē tę̄ alēthinę̄ kai hypsēlę̄ katharotēti, diaphainetai pōs kai autos en ekeinę̄, kai aktinōn empiplatai, kai phōs ginetai, kata tēn tou Kyriou hypo. schesin, hos tous dikaious lampsein kathʼ homoiotēta tou hēliou katepēngeilato. Touto kai epi tēs gēs horōmen ginomenon epi katoptrou, ē hydatosn hē allou tinos tōn apostilbein dia leiotēta dynameanōn. Hotan gar ti toutōn dexētai tēn tou hēliou aktina, kai allēn aphʼ heautōn aktina poiei; ouk an poiēsanta, ei rhypǭ tini to katharon te kai stilpnon tēs epiphaneias achreiōtheiē. Eite ounēmeis anō genoimetha, katalipontes to perigeion skotos, ekei phōtoeideis genēsometha, tǭ alēthinǭ phōti tou Kristoÿ empelasantesʼ eite to phōs to alēthinon to kai en tę̄ skotia lampon kai mechris hēmōn katabaiē, ’ kai hēmeis phōs esometha, kathōs phēsi pou tois mathētais o Kyrios Et mē tis kakias rhypos tę̄ kardią prospeplasmenos tēn charin tou hēmeterou phōtos hamaurōseie. Tacha toinyn hēmas ērema dia tōn hypodeigmatōn o logos prosēgage tę̄ epinoią tēs pros ty kreitton hēmōn alloiōseōs; kai edeichthē mē dynaton heterōs einai ōnaphthēnai tēn psychēn tǭ aphthartǭ Theǭ, mē kai autēn hōs hoion te katharan genomenēn dia tēs aphtharsias; hōs an dia tou homoiou katalaaę̄ to homoion, hoionei katoptron tę̄ katharotēti tou Theou heautēn hypotheisano hōste kata metochēn kai emphaneian tou prōtotÿpou kallous kai to en autę̄ morphōthēnai. El de tis toioutos estin, hoios ēdē panta katalipein ta hanthrōpina, eite sōmata, eite chrēmata, eite ta en epistēmais ē technais epitēdeumata, ē kai hosa en ethesi kai nomois dexia theōreitai (peri ta toiauta garē planē tēs tou kalou katanoēseōs, en hoisē aisthēsis kritērion ginetai), o toioutos pros ekeino monon erōtikōs te kai epithymētikōs exei, ho ouch eterōthen echei to kalon einai, oude pote, ē pros ti toiouton estin ; alla ex heautou kai diʼ heautou kalēn, kai en eautǭ toiouton kalon hon, kai oude pote kalon genomenon, ē pote ouk esomenon, alla pantote hōsautōs echon, prosthēkēs te kai auxēseōs hyperanō, kai anepidekton pasēs tropēs te kai alloiōseōs. Tǭ toinyn pasas heautou tas tēs psychēs dynameis ek pan; tos eidous kakias apokatharanti, tolmō kai legō, hoti emphanes ginetai ty monon tę̄ physei kalon, hoper esti to pantos kalou te kai agathou aition. Kathaper gar ophthalmǭ tēn lēmēn haporypsamenǭ ta en tǭ ouranǭ tēlaugōs kathorataio houtōs kai tę̄ psychę̄ dia ’tēs aphtharsias paraginetai; hē dynamis tēs tou phōtos ekeinou katanoēseōs, kai hē alēthinē partheniō kai hē peri tēn aphtharsian spoudē eis touton ton skopon katalēgei, to diʼ autēs dynēthēnai ton Theon idein. Hoti gar to kyriōs kai prōtōs kai monōs kalon te kai agathon kai katharon ho tōn holōn esti Theos, oudeis houtō typhlos tēn dianoian, hōs mē aphʼ heautou synidein. Alla touto men isōs oudeis agnoei; epizētein de eikos tinas, ei dynaton estin hoion tina methodon kai agōgēn tēn pros touto cheiragōgousan hēmas exeurein. Msa-ni. men oun hai theiai Bibloi tēs toiautēs eisin hyphēgēseōs; polloi de tōn hagiōn kathaper tina lychnon to) heautōn bion tois kata Theon poreuomenois prophainousin. ’Llla tas men ek tēs theopneustou G raphēs eis ton prokeimenon skopon hypothēkas exestin hekastǭ plousiōs ex amphoterōn tōn Diathēkōn analexasthai; polla men gar en prophētais kai nomǭ, polla de en euangelikais te kai apopolikais paradosesi parestin aphthonōs labein. Osa dʼ an kai hēmeis yponoēsaimen, tais theiais akolouthountes phōnais, tautʼ estin.

How one might come to comprehend the truly beautiful. As those who look at things more superficially, without thought, when they see a man or anything else that appears, busy themselves with nothing beyond what is seen (for it is enough for them, having seen the bulk of the body, to think they have grasped the whole account of man), while one who is discerning in soul and trained not to entrust the examination of things to the eyes alone does not stop at what appears, nor count what is not seen among things that do not exist, but considers also the nature of the soul and examines the qualities that grow in the body both together and by themselves, separating each of them by reason individually and again contemplating their common concurrence and harmony in the constitution of the subject; so too in the search for the beautiful, one imperfect in mind, when he sees something over which an appearance of beauty is spread, will think that this very thing is beautiful in its own nature, whatever draws his senses through pleasure, and he busies himself with nothing beyond it. But one who has purified the eye of the soul and is able to see such things, bidding farewell to the matter that underlies the form of beauty, will use what he sees as a kind of base for the contemplation of the intelligible beauty, by participation in which the other beautiful things come to be and are so named. But it seems to me difficult, since most people live with such coarseness of mind, to divide and separate by reason the matter from the beauty seen in it and to understand the nature of the beautiful by itself. And if anyone wished to examine exactly the cause of mistaken and wicked suppositions, I do not think he would find any other than that the senses of our soul have not been exactly trained to distinguish the beautiful from what is not such. For this reason people, having departed from zeal for the truly good, some have slid into the love of flesh, some have inclined their desires toward the lifeless matter of money; others have defined the beautiful in honours and glories and powers; there are some who have been infatuated with arts and sciences; and the more slavish of these make the gullet and the belly the criterion of the good. But those who had withdrawn from material thoughts and from attachments to things that appear, and sought the simple, immaterial, and formless nature of the beautiful, would not have gone astray in the choice of what is desirable, nor have been carried so far by such deceit as not even to be led, by seeing the temporary character of the pleasure in these things, to disdain them. This, then, would be the road leading us to the discovery of the beautiful: to pass over as lowly and temporary all the other things that draw human desires, thought to be beautiful and therefore deemed worthy of some zeal and acceptance; to spend our power of desire on none of them, nor yet to keep it shut up in ourselves idle and motionless, but, having purified it from attachment to lowly things, to lead it up where sense does not reach; so as to admire neither the beauty of heaven nor the rays of the luminary nor any other of the beautiful things that appear, but through the beauty seen in all these to be led by the hand to the desire of that beauty whose glory the heavens tell, and the firmament and the whole creation proclaim the knowledge. For so the soul, rising and leaving behind everything it grasps as less than what it seeks, would come to comprehend that magnificence which is exalted above the heavens. But how could anyone reach the heights while his zeal is about lowly things? How could anyone fly up to heaven without being winged with the heavenly wing and becoming upward-tending and lofty through a lofty way of life? Who is so outside the mysteries of the Gospel as not to know that there is one vehicle for the human soul on its journey to heaven: to make itself like the form of the dove that descended, whose wings David the prophet too longed to have? For so Scripture is accustomed to name the power of the Spirit in a riddle, whether because this bird has no gall or because it is an enemy of foul smells, as those who observe such things say. One who has removed himself from all bitterness and fleshly foulness, then, and has been lifted above all lowly and earthbound things, or rather has become higher than the whole world on the wing just mentioned, will find the only one worthy of desire, and will himself become beautiful by drawing near to the beautiful and coming to be in it, and will be made bright and luminous by participation in the true light. For as they say of the sudden flashes in the air at night, which some call shooting stars, those who have philosophized about these things say they are nothing else than air pushed by the force of certain winds into the region of the ether (for they say that this fiery trail, the air being set ablaze in the ether, is drawn across the heaven); as, then, this earthly air, pushed up by the force of the wind, becomes luminous, being changed by the purity of the ether, so too the human mind, leaving this muddy and slimy life, when it has become pure in the power of the Spirit, becomes luminous and is mixed with the true and lofty purity, and in a way shines through in it, is filled with rays, and becomes light, according to the promise of the Lord, who promised that the righteous would shine like the sun. We see this happening on earth too with a mirror or water or anything else that can shine back because of its smoothness. For when any of these receives the sun’s ray, it makes another ray from itself; which it would not do if the purity and brightness of its surface had been spoiled by some dirt. Whether, then, we go up, leaving the earthly darkness, we shall become luminous there, drawing near to the true light of Christ; or whether the true light, which also shines in the darkness, comes down even to us, we too shall be light, as the Lord says somewhere to his disciples, unless some dirt of vice plastered on the heart dims the grace of our light. Perhaps, then, the discourse has gently brought us by these examples to the thought of our change for the better; and it has been shown that the soul cannot otherwise be joined to the incorruptible God unless it too has become as pure as possible through incorruption, so that like may grasp like, the soul placing itself like a mirror under the purity of God, so that by participation and reflection of the prototypal beauty its own form too may be shaped. And if someone is such as already to have left behind all human things, whether bodies or money or the pursuits of sciences or arts, or whatever is thought right in customs and laws (for it is about such things that the error in understanding the beautiful arises, sense being made the judge in them), such a one will be lovingly and desirously disposed only toward that which has its beauty from nowhere else, nor at some time, nor in some relation, but is beautiful from itself and through itself and in itself, never having become beautiful nor ever going to cease being so, but always the same, above addition and increase, and admitting no change or alteration. To one, then, who has purified all the powers of his soul from every form of vice, I dare say that what alone is beautiful by nature becomes manifest, which is the cause of every beautiful and good thing. For as heavenly things are clearly seen by an eye that has wiped away its rheum, so the power of understanding that light comes to the soul through incorruption; and true virginity and zeal for incorruption end in this aim, to be able through it to see God. For that the God of all is properly, primarily, and solely beautiful and good and pure, no one is so blind in mind as not to see by himself. But perhaps no one is ignorant of this; but some may reasonably ask whether it is possible to find some method and training that leads us by the hand to it. The divine Books are full of such guidance; and many of the saints, like a lamp, show their own lives to those who walk according to God. Each may gather richly the counsels toward the aim before us from the inspired Scripture out of both Testaments; for many are found in the prophets and the law, and many in the evangelical and apostolic traditions. What we ourselves may suppose, following the divine words, is this.

Ps 19:1 (18:2 LXX) (allusion, high confidence) · Matt 3:16 (allusion, high confidence) · Ps 55:6 (54:7 LXX) (allusion, high confidence) · Matt 13:43 (allusion, high confidence) · John 1:5 (allusion, high confidence) · John 1:9 (allusion, medium confidence) · Matt 5:14 (allusion, high confidence) · Matt 5:8 (allusion, high confidence)

Notes and citation

Summary: To find the true Beauty one must look past material beauties to the formless, unchanging Good; the soul, purified and winged like the dove of the Spirit, becomes light and, like a clean mirror, reflects God, whom true virginity aims to see.

The opening sentence is the chapter’s heading as printed in the edition. The edition prints a bracketed word ([ἀνθρώπου], “of man”) after “the beauty of heaven”; it is left out. The last word before “This, then” is cut off in the scan; the sense is clear. The account of beauty “from itself, through itself, never having become beautiful nor going to cease” echoes Plato, Symposium 211a–b. References: Ps 19:1 (18:2 LXX); Matt 3:16; Ps 55:6 (54:7 LXX); Matt 13:43; John 1:5, 9; Matt 5:14; Matt 5:8. The shooting-star theory follows ancient natural philosophy.

Extrabiblical texts: Plato, Symp. 211a (Plato (works); echo)

Cite (SBL): Gregory of Nyssa, Virg. 11 (PG 46:364a–369b; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nyssa-virginitate/8/#p-11). (abbreviation not yet checked)

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