On the Life of Moses 337–353
Greek text: PG 44.English: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), public domain (CC0).
Chapter 337
337PG 44:337a–337c
’ὀδῖ DE νιτΑ τε καὶ φυσικὴ φιλοσοφία γένοιτο ἄν ποτε τῷ ὑψηλο· πόρῳ βίῳ σύζυγός τε καὶ φίλη καῖ κοινωνὸς τῆς ζωῆς μόνον εἰ τὰ ἐκ ταύτης κυήματα μηδὲν ἐπάγοιτο τοῦ ἀλλοφύλου μιάσματος. Τούτου γάρ μὴ περιτμηθέντος καὶ περιαιρεθέντος, ὥστε πᾶν ἐπιβλαβὲς καὶ ἀκά- Ἔστι γάρ τι τῆς φιλοσόφου γονῆς ἐν μαθήμασι σαρκῶδές τε καὶ ἀκρόβυστον, οὗ περιαιρεθέντος, τῆς Ἰσραηλιτικῆς εὐγενείας ἐστὶ τὸ λειπόμενον, οἷον, ἀθάνατον εἶναι τὴν ψυχὴν, καὶὴ ἔξωθεν φιλοσοφία φησίν. Οὗτος ό εὐσεβής ἐστι τόκος. Ἀλλά μεταβαίνειν ἀπὸ σωμάτων εἰς σώματα, καὶ ἐκ λογικῆς φύσεως εἰς ἄλογον αὐτὴν μεταφύεσθαι · τοῦτο ἡ σαρκώδης τε καὶ ἀλλόφυλός ἐστιν ἀκροβυστία. Καὶ ἄλλα τοιαῦτα πολλά. Θεὸν εἷναί φησιν, ἀλλά καὶ ὑλικὸν αὐτὸν οῐεται ν δημιουργὸν αὑτὸν ὁμολογεῖ, ἀλλά ὕλης πρὸς δημιουργίαν δεόμενονο ἀγαθόν τε καὶ δυνατδν εἶναι δίδωσιν, ἀλλά παραχωρεῖν ἐν τοῖς πολλοῖς τῇ ἀνάγκῃ τῆς εἱμαρμένης, καὶ τί ἀν τις τὰ καθʼ ἕκαστον διηγοῖτο, ὅπως τά καλά τῶν δογμάτων, παρά τῇ ἔξω φιλοσοφίᾳ ταῖς ἀτόποις προσθήκαις καταμολύνεται, ὧν περιαιρεθέντων ῖλεως ήμῖν ό τοῦ Θεοῦ ἄγγελος γίνεται, ὡς γνησίῳ τόκῳ τῶν τοιούτωνο δογμάτων ἐπαγαλλόμενος. Ἀλλʼ ἐπανιτέον πρὸς τὴν ἀκολουθίαν τοῦ λόγου, ὼς ἂν καὶ ήμῖν ἀπαντήσειέ ποτε, πλησίον γενομένοις τῶν Αἰγυπτίων ἀγώνων. ἡ ἀδελφικὴ συμμαχία· μεμυήμεθα γὰρ, ὡς κατʼ ἀρχὰς μὲν τοῦ κατʼ ἀρετὴν βίου, συντυχία γίνεται τῷ Μωῦο σεῖ, πολεμική τε καὶ πμτιώδης, Ἐβραῖον καταπονοῦντος τοῦ Αἰγυπτίου ο καί πάλιν Ἐβραίου πρὸς τόν ὁμόφυλον στασιάζοντος. Εἰ δὲ πρὸς τὸ μεῖζον τῶν τῆς ψυχῆς κατορθωμάτων, διά τε τῆς μακρᾶς ἐπιμελείας, καὶ διά τῆς ἐν τῷ ὕψει γενομένης φωταγωγίας ἐπαρθέντι, φίλιός τε καὶ εἰρηνικὴ γίνεται ή συντυχία, θεόθεν τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ πρὸς τὴν ἀπάντησιν αὐτοῦ παρορμηθέντας. Εἰ γὰρ πρὸς τὴν τροπικωτέραν μεταληφθείη θεωρίαν τὸ καθʼ ἱστορίαν γεγενημένονʼ οὐδὲν ἡμῖν ἄχρηστον πρὸς τὸν ἡμέτερον εὑρεθείη σκοπόν. Τῷ ὄντι γὰρ τοῖς ἐν ἀρετῇ κατορθοῦσι καί ἡ παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ δοθεῖσα τῇ φύσει ἡμῶν συμμαχία συνίσταται,,ἥ προγενεστέρα μέν ἐστι κατὰ τὴν πρώτην γένεσιν, τότε δὲ φαίνεται καὶ γνωρίζεται, ὅταν ἰκανῶς-τῷ ὑψηλοτέρῳ βίῳ διὰ προσοχῆς τε καὶ ἐπιμελείας αὐτοὺς οἰκειώσαντες, πρὸς τοὺς ἰσχυροτέρους τῶν ἄθλων ἀπώυὼμεθα. Ὠς δʼ ἂν μὴ διʼ αἰνίγματος ἡμῖν τά αἰνίγματα διαλύοιτο, γυμνότερον ἐκθήσομαι τὴν περὶ τούτου διάνοιαν. Λόγος τίς ἐστιν ἐκ πατρικῆς παραδόσεως τὸ πιστὸν ἔχων, ὃς φησι, πε- . σούσης ήμῶν εἰς ἁμαρτίαν τῆς φύσεως, μὴ παριδεῖν τὸν,Θεὸν τὴν πτῶσιν ήμῶν ἀπρονόητον· ἀλλʼ ἄγγελόν τινα τῶν τὴν ἀσώματον εἰληχότων φύσιν, παρακαθιστᾷν εἰς συμμαχίαν τῇ ἑκάστου ζωῇ, ἐκ δὲ τοῦ ἐναντίου, τὸν φθορέα τῆς φύσεως ἀντιμηχανᾶσθαι τὸ ἴσον διὰ πονηροῦ τινος καί κακοποιοῦ
’odi DE nitA te kai physikē philosophia genoito an pote tǭ hypsēlo; porǭ biǭ syzygos te kai philē kai koinōnos tēs zōēs monon ei ta ek tautēs kyēmata mēden epagoito tou allophylou miasmatos. Toutou gar mē peritmēthentos kai periairethentos, hōste pan epiblabes kai aka- Esti gar ti tēs philosophou gonēs en mathēmasi sarkōdes te kai akrobyston, hou periairethentos, tēs Israēlitikēs eugeneias esti to leipomenon, hoion, athanaton einai tēn psychēn, kaiē exōthen philosophia phēsin. Houtos o eusebēs esti tokos. Alla metabainein apo sōmatōn eis sōmata, kai ek logikēs physeōs eis alogon autēn metaphyesthai ; touto hē sarkōdēs te kai allophylos estin akrobystia. Kai alla toiauta polla. Theon heinai phēsin, alla kai hylikon auton oietai n dēmiourgon hauton homologei, alla hylēs pros dēmiourgian deomenono agathon te kai dynatdn einai didōsin, alla parachōrein en tois pollois tę̄ anankę̄ tēs heimarmenēs, kai ti an tis ta kathʼ hekaston diēgoito, hopōs ta kala tōn dogmatōn, para tę̄ exō philosophią tais atopois prosthēkais katamolynetai, hōn periairethentōn ileōs ēmin o tou Theou angelos ginetai, hōs gnēsiǭ tokǭ tōn toioutōno dogmatōn epagallomenos. Allʼ epaniteon pros tēn akolouthian tou logou, ōs an kai ēmin apantēseie pote, plēsion genomenois tōn Aigyptiōn agōnōn. hē adelphikē symmachia; memyēmetha gar, hōs katʼ archas men tou katʼ aretēn biou, syntychia ginetai tǭ Mōyo sei, polemikē te kai pmtiōdēs, Ebraion kataponountos tou Aigyptiou o kai palin Ebraiou pros ton homophylon stasiazontos. Ei de pros to meizon tōn tēs psychēs katorthōmatōn, dia te tēs makras epimeleias, kai dia tēs en tǭ hypsei genomenēs phōtagōgias eparthenti, philios te kai eirēnikē ginetai ē syntychia, theothen tou adelphou pros tēn apantēsin autou parormēthentas. Ei gar pros tēn tropikōteran metalēphtheiē theōrian to kathʼ historian gegenēmenonʼ ouden hēmin achrēston pros ton hēmeteron heuretheiē skopon. Tǭ onti gar tois en aretę̄ katorthousi kai hē para tou Theou dotheisa tę̄ physei hēmōn symmachia synistatai,,hē progenestera men esti kata tēn prōtēn genesin, tote de phainetai kai gnōrizetai, hotan ikanōs-tǭ hypsēloterǭ biǭ dia prosochēs te kai epimeleias autous oikeiōsantes, pros tous ischyroterous tōn athlōn apōyōmetha. Ōs dʼ an mē diʼ ainigmatos hēmin ta ainigmata dialyoito, gymnoteron ekthēsomai tēn peri toutou dianoian. Logos tis estin ek patrikēs paradoseōs to piston echōn, hos phēsi, pe- . sousēs ēmōn eis hamartian tēs physeōs, mē paridein ton,Theon tēn ptōsin ēmōn apronoēton; allʼ angelon tina tōn tēn asōmaton eilēchotōn physin, parakathistąn eis symmachian tę̄ hekastou zōę̄, ek de tou enantiou, ton phthorea tēs physeōs antimēchanasthai to ison dia ponērou tinos kai kakopoiou
and natural philosophy might sometimes become a spouse, friend, and companion of life to the loftier way of life — provided only that its offspring bring with them nothing of the foreign defilement. For unless this is circumcised and removed, so that everything harmful and unclean … For there is in the offspring of philosophy, in its teachings, something fleshly and uncircumcised; when it is removed, what remains belongs to the nobility of Israel. For example, outside philosophy too says that the soul is immortal: this is the godly offspring. But that the soul passes from bodies to bodies and is changed from a rational nature into an irrational one — this is the fleshly and foreign foreskin. And there are many other such things. It says there is a God, but thinks him material; it confesses him as creator, but as needing matter for creating; it grants that he is good and powerful, but holds that in many things he yields to the necessity of fate. And why should one go through each point, how the good doctrines are defiled in outside philosophy by absurd additions? When these are removed, the angel of God becomes gracious to us, rejoicing as in the genuine offspring of such doctrines. But we must return to the sequence of our discourse, so that brotherly help may meet us too when we draw near to the Egyptian contests. We remember that at the beginning of his life of virtue Moses had an encounter that was warlike and hostile, when an Egyptian was oppressing a Hebrew, and again when a Hebrew was quarrelling with his kinsman. But when he had been raised to the greater achievements of the soul, through long diligence and through the illumination received on the height, the encounter becomes friendly and peaceful, his brother being moved by God to come to meet him. For if what happened in the history is transferred to a more figurative contemplation, nothing in it will be found useless for our purpose. In truth, the help given by God to our nature stands with those who succeed in virtue. It is older, dating from our first birth, but it appears and becomes known when, having made ourselves sufficiently at home in the loftier life by attention and diligence, we strip for the stronger contests. So that the riddles may not be solved for us by more riddles, I will set out the meaning more plainly. There is an account, trustworthy because it comes from the tradition of the fathers, which says that when our nature fell into sin, God did not overlook our fall without providing for it, but set beside each one’s life, as a helper, an angel from among those who have received a bodiless nature; and on the opposite side the corrupter of nature devised the same, through an evil and malignant
Textual problem in this passage: see the notes.
Exod 4:24–27 (allusion, high confidence) · Exod 2:11–13 (allusion, high confidence)
Notes and citation
Summary: Pagan philosophy may be a spouse to the life of virtue once its errors (transmigration, a material God, eternal matter, fate) are “circumcised”; Aaron’s coming to meet Moses figures the guardian angel given to each person, who is opposed by an evil demon.
- Zipporah and the circumcision: Exod 4:24–26. The meeting with Aaron: Exod 4:27.
- After “harmful and unclean” some lines are lost in the scan (marked …).
- The doctrine of a guardian angel and an opposing demon for each person is presented as “from the tradition of the fathers” (compare Herm. Mand. 6.2).
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (OCR debris for φύσιν): (ptio σιν → φύσιν.
Extrabiblical texts: Herm. Mand. 6.2 (Shepherd of Hermas: Mandates; echo)
Cite (SBL): Gregory of Nyssa, Vit. Mos. 337 (PG 44:337a–337c; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nyssa-vita-moysis/337/#p-337). (abbreviation not yet checked)
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Translation: Translated by Claude from the Migne PG 44 scan text (cited by Migne column); no public-domain English or FOTC volume exists, so it was re-read against the Greek.
Chapter 339
339PG 44:340a–340d
ςαίμονος, τῇ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ζωῇ λυμαινόμενον. Ἑν μέσῳ δὲ δντα τῶν δύο τὸν ἄνθρωπον, τὸν ἐκατέρου τῶν παρεπομένων σκοπὸν ὑπεναντίως πρὸς τὸν ἔτει ρον ἔχοντα, διʼ ἐαυτοῦ ποιεῖν κατά τοῦ ἀλλον ἐπικρατέστερον. Προδεικνύοντος τοῖς λογισμοῖς τοῦ μὲν ἀγαθοῦ τὰ τῆς ἀρετῆς ἀγαθά, ὅσα διʼ ἐλπίδος τοὶς κατορθοῦσιν ὁρᾶται ° τοῦ δέ ἐτέρου, τὰς ὑλώδεις ήδονάς, ἀφʼ ὧν ἐλπὶς μὲν ἀγαθῶν οὐδεμία, τὸ δὲ παρὸν, καὶ μετεχόμενον, καὶ ὁρώμενον, τάς αἰσθήσεις τῶν ἀνοητοτέρων ἀνδραποδίζεται. Εἴπερ οῦν ἀλλοτριωθείη τῶν ἐπὶ κακῷ δελεαζόντων, πρὸς τὸ κρεῖττον τοῖς λογισμοῖς ἐπιτρέψας, καὶ οἱονεὶ κατά νώτου τὴν κακίαν ἐποίησεν ο ἀντιπρόσωπον τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ψυχὴν, οἷόν τι κάτοπτρον, πρὸς τὴν ἐλπίδα τῶν ἀγαθῶν στήσας, ὼς τῆς προδεικνυμένης αὐτῷ θεόθεν ἀρετῆς τάς είκόνας τε καὶ τάς ἐμφάσεις τῷ καθαρῷ τῆς ίδίας ψυχῆς ἐντυπώσασθαι · τότε αὑτῷ ἡ τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ συμμαχία συναντᾷ καὶ συνίσταται. Ἀδελφὸς γάρ τρόπον τινὰ κατά τὸ λογικόν τε καὶ νοερὸν τῆς ψυχῆς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου, δ ἄγγελος, ὁ τότε (καθὼς εἴρηται) φαινόμενός τε καὶ παριστάμενος, ὅταν τῷ Φαραὼ προσεγγίζωμεν. Μηδεὶς δὲ διόλου τὴν τῆς ἱστορίας εκθεσιν παρατεθεῖσθαι τῷ εἱρμῷ τῆς τοιαύτης τοῦ νοῦ θεωρίας νομίζων, εἴ πού τι τῶν γεγραμμένων ἔξω ταύτης τῆς διανοίας εὑρίσκοιτο, διʼ ἐκείνου καὶ τὸ πᾶν ἀθετείτω · ἀλλʼ ἀεὶ μεμνήσθω τοῦ σκοποῦ τῶν λόγων, πρὸς ὃν βλέποντες ταῦτα διεξερχόμεθα, εὐθὺς ἐν προοιμίοις ἐπειπόντες, τῶν εὐδοκίμων ἀνδρῶν τοὺς βίους εἰς ἀρετῆς ὑπόδειγμα τοῖς ἐφεξῆς προκεῖσθαι. Ἐπεὶ οῦν διʼ αὑτῆς τῶν πραγμάτων τῆς ὕλης ἐλθεῖν τοὺς ζηλοῦντας τὰ ἐκείνων, οὑχ οἶόν τε ο (πῶς γάρ ἂν εὑρεθείη πάλιν ὁ ἐκ μετοικεσίας ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ λαὸς πληθυνόμενος; ἢ πάλιν καταδουλούμενος τύραννος, ὁ πρὸς τὴν ἄρρενα γονὴν δυσμενῶς ἔχων, τὸ δὲ μαλακώτερόν τε καὶ ἀσθενέστερον είς πλῆθος αῦξων, καὶ τάλλα πάντα, ὃσα περιέχει ό λόγος;) ἐπεὶ οῦν ἀδύνατον ἀπεδείχθη διʼ αὑτῶν τῶν πραγμά- , των τὰ τῶν μακαρίων μιμήσασθαι θαύματα, μετα.ληπτέον ἂν εἴη, πρός τινα ἠθικὴν διδασκαλίαν, ἐκ τῆς ὑλικῆς ἀκολουθίας τὰ ἐνδεχόμενα · διʼ ὧν ἄν τις γένοιτο τοῖς πρὸς ἀρετὴν ἐσπουδακόσι πρὸς τοιοῦτον βίον συνεργία. Et δέ τι τῶν ἐν τῇ ἱστορίᾳ γεγονότων, ἔξω τοῦ εἱρμοῦ τῆς ἀνειμένης διανοίας, ἡ τῶν πραγμάτων ἀνάγκη πεσεῖν ἐβιάσατο · ὑπρὸἀντας τοῦτο, ὡς πρὸς τὸν ἡμέτερον σκοπὸν ἀλυσιτελὲς καὶ ἀνο όνητον, μὴ διακόπτειν ἐν οἷς ἔξεστι τῆς ἀρετῆς τὴν ὑφήγησιν. Ταῦτα δέ φημι πε ρί τῶν κατά τὸν Ἀαρὼν νοηθέντων, τὸ ἀντιπίπτον ἐκ τοῦ ἀκολούθου θεραπεύων. Ἐρεῖ γάρ τις, τὸ μέν συγγενῶς ἔχειν πρὸς τὴν ψυχὴν ἐν τῷ νοητῷ τε καὶ ἀσωμάτῳ τὸν ἄγγελον, καὶ τὸ προγενέστερον τῆς ἡμετέ ρας κατασκευῆς εἶναι, καὶ τὸ συνίστασθαι τοῖς πρὸς τοὺς ἀντιπάλους συμο πλεκομένοις, μὴ ἀμφιῦάλλειν· μὴ μέν τοι καλῶς ἔχειν, εἱς ἐκείνου τύπον, τὸν Ἀαρὼν νοεῖν, τὸν τῆς εἰδωλολατρείας τοῖς Ἰσραηλίταις καθηγησάμενον. Πρὸς ὃν ἐροῦμεν, τὸν εἱρμὸν ὑπερβάντες, ταῦτὰ τε. ἀ εἰρήκαμεν, ὅτιτὸ ἔξω τοῦ σκοποῦ μὴ λόγοις ἀνατρεπὲτω τὴν ἐν τοῖς λοιποῖς ἁρμονίαν, καὶ, ὅτι
saimonos, tę̄ tou anthrōpou zōę̄ lymainomenon. Hen mesǭ de dnta tōn dyo ton anthrōpon, ton ekaterou tōn parepomenōn skopon hypenantiōs pros ton etei ron echonta, diʼ eautou poiein kata tou allon epikratesteron. Prodeiknyontos tois logismois tou men agathou ta tēs aretēs agatha, hosa diʼ elpidos tois katorthousin horatai ° tou de eterou, tas hylōdeis ēdonas, aphʼ hōn elpis men agathōn oudemia, to de paron, kai metechomenon, kai horōmenon, tas aisthēseis tōn anoētoterōn andrapodizetai. Eiper oun allotriōtheiē tōn epi kakǭ deleazontōn, pros to kreitton tois logismois epitrepsas, kai hoionei kata nōtou tēn kakian epoiēsen o antiprosōpon tēn heautou psychēn, hoion ti katoptron, pros tēn elpida tōn agathōn stēsas, ōs tēs prodeiknymenēs autǭ theothen aretēs tas eikonas te kai tas emphaseis tǭ katharǭ tēs idias psychēs entypōsasthai ; tote hautǭ hē tou adelphou symmachia synantą kai synistatai. Adelphos gar tropon tina kata to logikon te kai noeron tēs psychēs tou anthrōpou, d angelos, ho tote (kathōs eirētai) phainomenos te kai paristamenos, hotan tǭ Pharaō prosengizōmen. Mēdeis de diolou tēn tēs historias ekthesin paratetheisthai tǭ heirmǭ tēs toiautēs tou nou theōrias nomizōn, ei pou ti tōn gegrammenōn exō tautēs tēs dianoias heuriskoito, diʼ ekeinou kai to pan atheteitō ; allʼ aei memnēsthō tou skopou tōn logōn, pros hon blepontes tauta diexerchometha, euthys en prooimiois epeipontes, tōn eudokimōn andrōn tous bious eis aretēs hypodeigma tois ephexēs prokeisthai. Epei oun diʼ hautēs tōn pragmatōn tēs hylēs elthein tous zēlountas ta ekeinōn, houch oion te o (pōs gar an heuretheiē palin ho ek metoikesias en Aigyptǭ laos plēthynomenos? ē palin katadouloumenos tyrannos, ho pros tēn arrena gonēn dysmenōs echōn, to de malakōteron te kai asthenesteron eis plēthos auxōn, kai talla panta, hosa periechei o logos?) epei oun adynaton apedeichthē diʼ hautōn tōn pragma- , tōn ta tōn makariōn mimēsasthai thaumata, meta.lēpteon an eiē, pros tina ēthikēn didaskalian, ek tēs hylikēs akolouthias ta endechomena ; diʼ hōn an tis genoito tois pros aretēn espoudakosi pros toiouton bion synergia. Et de ti tōn en tę̄ historią gegonotōn, exō tou heirmou tēs aneimenēs dianoias, hē tōn pragmatōn anankē pesein ebiasato ; hyproantas touto, hōs pros ton hēmeteron skopon alysiteles kai ano onēton, mē diakoptein en hois exesti tēs aretēs tēn hyphēgēsin. Tauta de phēmi pe ri tōn kata ton Aarōn noēthentōn, to antipipton ek tou akolouthou therapeuōn. Erei gar tis, to men syngenōs echein pros tēn psychēn en tǭ noētǭ te kai asōmatǭ ton angelon, kai to progenesteron tēs hēmete ras kataskeuēs einai, kai to synistasthai tois pros tous antipalous symo plekomenois, mē amphiyallein; mē men toi kalōs echein, heis ekeinou typon, ton Aarōn noein, ton tēs eidōlolatreias tois Israēlitais kathēgēsamenon. Pros hon eroumen, ton heirmon hyperbantes, tauta te. a eirēkamen, hotito exō tou skopou mē logois anatrepetō tēn en tois loipois harmonian, kai, hoti
demon, who ruins human life. The human being stands between the two, each of his attendants having an aim opposed to the other’s, and it is by himself that he makes one prevail over the other. The good one shows the reasonings beforehand the goods of virtue, which those who succeed see by hope; the other shows material pleasures, from which there is no hope of good, but whose present enjoyment and sight enslave the senses of the more foolish. If, then, he becomes a stranger to what lures him to evil, turns his reasonings toward the better, and, as it were, puts vice behind his back, setting his own soul like a mirror face to face with the hope of good things, so as to imprint on the purity of his own soul the images and reflections of the virtue shown him by God, then the help of his brother meets him and stands with him. For the angel is in a way a brother to the rational and intellectual part of the human soul — the angel who then (as has been said) appears and stands by us when we approach Pharaoh. Let no one suppose that the narrative of the history has been set out throughout in exact line with the sequence of such an intellectual contemplation, and then, if somewhere something written is found outside this sense, reject the whole because of it. Let him always remember the aim of our discourse, with which in view we are going through these things: we said at the very beginning that the lives of renowned men are set before those who come after as an example of virtue. Since it is not possible for those who emulate them to reach their deeds in the very material of the events (for how could a people be found again multiplying in Egypt after a migration? or again an enslaving tyrant hostile to male offspring who makes the softer and weaker increase in number, and all the other things the account contains?), since, then, it has been shown impossible to imitate the wonders of the blessed in the events themselves, what is possible must be transferred from the material sequence to some moral teaching, by which those eager for virtue may be helped toward such a life. And if the necessity of events forced something that happened in the history to fall outside the sequence of the elevated sense, we should pass over it as useless and unprofitable for our purpose, and not break off the guidance in virtue where it is possible. I say this about what was understood regarding Aaron, healing in advance the objection that follows. For someone will say that he does not doubt that the angel is akin to the soul in being intelligible and bodiless, that he is older than our formation, and that he stands with those who grapple with adversaries; but that it is not right to understand Aaron as a type of him, since Aaron led the Israelites in idolatry. To him we shall say, passing over the sequence, what we have already said — that what lies outside our aim should not overturn the harmony in the rest — and that
Notes and citation
Summary: Each person chooses between the guardian angel and the demon; when he turns to the good, the angel, his “brother,” meets him. Gregory explains his method: not every detail of the history must fit the spiritual sense, as the objection about Aaron shows.
- A statement of Gregory’s method: the history (ἱστορία) is followed for its moral and spiritual sense, and details that do not fit are passed over.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (OCR debris (Latin letters) for καὶ; OCR debris for ψυχῆς): ut συνίσταται → καὶ συνίσταται; (puχῆς → ψυχῆς.
Cite (SBL): Gregory of Nyssa, Vit. Mos. 339 (PG 44:340a–340d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nyssa-vita-moysis/337/#p-339). (abbreviation not yet checked)
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Translation: Translated by Claude from the Migne PG 44 scan text (cited by Migne column); no public-domain English or FOTC volume exists, so it was re-read against the Greek.
Chapter 341
341PG 44:341a–341d
ὁμώνυμόν τι χρῆμα καὶ τό τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ καὶ τὸ τοῦ ἁγγέλου ἐστὶν, ἴσως ἐφʼ ἐκατέρῳ τῶν ἀντικειμένων ταῖς σημασίαις ὲφαρμοζόμενον. Οὐ γάρ δὴ τοῦ Θεοῦ μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῦ Σατανᾶ ἄγγελος ὀνομάζεται· καὶ οὐ τὸν χρηστὸν μόνον, ἀλλά καὶ τὸν πονηρὸν, αδελφὸν καλοῦμεν. Οὑτω γάρ φησιν ήΓραφὴ, ἐπὶ μὲν τῶν χρηστοτέρων· ’Δδελφοὶ ἐν ἀνάγκαις χρήσιμοι ἔστωσαν ἐπὶ δὲ τῶν ἐναντίων, ὅτι Πᾶς ἀδελφὸς πτέρνῃ πτερνιεί. Ταῦτα δὲ τῇ ἀκολουθίᾳ παραθέντες τοῦ λόγου, καὶ τὴν ἀκρισεστέραν περὶ αὐτῶν θεωρίαν είς τὸν [διον ὑπερθέμενοι τόπον, νῦν τῶν προκειμένων ἁψώμεθα. '0 τοίνυν ἐαυτόν τε τῷ ἐπιφανέντι φωτὶ δυναμὼσας, καὶ τὸν τοιοῦτον ἀδελφὸν σύμμακόν τε καὶ παραστάτην κτησάμενος, θαρσῶν τῷ λαῷ τοὺς ὑπὲρ τῆς ἀληθείας προσάγει λόγους, καὶ τῆς πατρικῆς εὐγενείας ὑπομιμνήσκει, καὶ ὅπως ἂν ἐξω Β γένοιντο τῆς παρὰ τὸν πηλὸν καὶ τὴν πλίνθον ταλαιπωρίας, δίδωσι γνώμην. Τί οὖν ἡμᾶς διὰ τούτων παιδεύει ή ἱστορία; τὸ μηδὲ ωτατολμᾷν τῆς ἐν τῷ λαῷ φωνῆς, τὸν μὴ διὰ τῆς τοιαύτης ἀγωγῆς πρὸς τὴν τῶν πολλῶν ὁμιλίαν τὸν λόγον παρασκευάσαντα. Ὁρᾷς γὰρ, ὡς νέος ῶν ἔτι, πρὶν είς τοσοῦτον αὐξηθῆναι τῇ ἀρετῇ, ἐπὶ δύο τινῶν ἀνθρώπων οὑκ ἀξιόπιστος ἐνομίσθη σύμβουλος εἰρήνης γενέσθαι τοῖς στασιάζουσι · νῦν δὲ τοσαύταις μυριάσι κατὰ ταύτὸν διαλέγεται, μονονουχὶ βοὼσης σοι τοῦτο τῆς ἱστορίας, μὴ ἐπιτολμᾷν ἐν διδασκαλίᾳ τῇ συμβουλῇ τῶν ἀκουόντων, εἰ μὴ διὰ τοιαύτης καὶ. τοσαύτης ἐπιμελείας ή περὶ τούτου κατορθωθείη σοι δύναμις. Ἀλλά γενομένων τῶν χρηστοτέρων λόγων, καὶ τῆς ἐλευθερίας ὑποδειχθείσης, καὶ τῶν ἀκουόντων πρὸς τὴν . ἐπιθυμίαν ταύτην ἐπιρρωσθέντων, παροξύνεται ὁ πολέμιος. καὶ ἐπιτείνει τὴν ἀλγηδόνα τοῖς ὑπηκόοις τοῦ λόγου. Οὑδὲ τοῦτο ἔξω τῶν νῦν γινομένων ἐστί. Πολλοὶ γὰρ τῶν παραδεξαμένων τὸν ὲλευθε ρωτὴν τῆς τυραννίδος λόγον, xui. προστιθέμενοι τῷ κηρύγματι, μέχρι τοῦ νῦν ταῖς τῶν πειρασμῶν προβολαῖς ὑπὸ τοῦ ἀντικειμένου ὲπηρεάζονται · ἐξ ὧν πολλοὶ μὲν δοκιμώτεροι καὶ βεβαιότεροι περὶ τὴν πίστιν καθίστανται, τῇ προβολῇ τῶν λυπούντων στομούμενον.. Τῶν δὲ ἀσθενεστέρων τινὲς καὶ ἐπκλάζουσι τοῖς τοιούτοις συμπτώμασιν, ἄντικρυς ἐκεῖνα φθεγγόμενοι, τὸ λυσιτελεῖν αὐτοῖς μᾶλλον ἀνηκόοις μεῖναι τοῦ τῆς ἐλευθερίας κηρύγματος, ἢ τοῖς τοιούτοις, διὰ τήν αἰτίαν ταύτην, συνενεχθῆναι. ’Ὀ δὴ καὶ τότε συνέβαινεν, ὑπὸ μικροψυχίας τῶν Ἰσραηλιτῶν ἐν αἰτίαις ποιουμένων τοὺς τὴν ἀπαλλαγὴν αὐτοῖς τῆς δουλείας ἀπαγγείλαντας. Ἀλλʼ οὐδὲν μᾶλλον ἀνήσει ὁλόγος πρὸς τδ καλὸν ἐφελκόμενος, κᾶν παιδικῶς ἀποδειλιάσῃ πρὸς τὰς τῶν πειρασμῶν ἀηθίας ὁ νήπιος ἐτι καὶ ἀτελὴς τὴν διάνοιαν. Τῷ μὲν γὰρ βλαπτικῷ καὶ φθοροποιῷ δαίμονι τοῦτο κατὰ τῶν ἀν- Θρώπων ἐσπουδάζετο, τὸ μὴ είς τὸν οὐρανὸν βλέπειν τὸ ὑποχείριον, ἀλλά τὸ είς γῆν κύπτειν, καὶ ἐν ἐαυο τῷ τὸν πηλὸν πλινθεύειν. ’Ὁ τι γὰρ ἂν τῆς ὑλικῆς ἀπολαύσεως, ἐκ γῆς ἐστι πάντως ἣ ὓδατος, παντί
homōnymon ti chrēma kai to tou adelphou kai to tou hangelou estin, isōs ephʼ ekaterǭ tōn antikeimenōn tais sēmasiais epharmozomenon. Ou gar dē tou Theou monon, alla kai tou Satana angelos onomazetai; kai ou ton chrēston monon, alla kai ton ponēron, adelphon kaloumen. Houtō gar phēsin ēGraphē, epi men tōn chrēstoterōn; ’Ddelphoi en anankais chrēsimoi estōsan epi de tōn enantiōn, hoti Pas adelphos pternę̄ pterniei. Tauta de tę̄ akolouthią parathentes tou logou, kai tēn akrisesteran peri autōn theōrian eis ton [dion hyperthemenoi topon, nyn tōn prokeimenōn hapsōmetha. '0 toinyn eauton te tǭ epiphanenti phōti dynamōsas, kai ton toiouton adelphon symmakon te kai parastatēn ktēsamenos, tharsōn tǭ laǭ tous hyper tēs alētheias prosagei logous, kai tēs patrikēs eugeneias hypomimnēskei, kai hopōs an exō B genointo tēs para ton pēlon kai tēn plinthon talaipōrias, didōsi gnōmēn. Ti oun hēmas dia toutōn paideuei ē historia? to mēde ōtatolmąn tēs en tǭ laǭ phōnēs, ton mē dia tēs toiautēs agōgēs pros tēn tōn pollōn homilian ton logon paraskeuasanta. Horąs gar, hōs neos ōn eti, prin eis tosouton auxēthēnai tę̄ aretę̄, epi dyo tinōn anthrōpōn houk axiopistos enomisthē symboulos eirēnēs genesthai tois stasiazousi ; nyn de tosautais myriasi kata tauton dialegetai, mononouchi boōsēs soi touto tēs historias, mē epitolmąn en didaskalią tę̄ symboulę̄ tōn akouontōn, ei mē dia toiautēs kai. tosautēs epimeleias ē peri toutou katorthōtheiē soi dynamis. Alla genomenōn tōn chrēstoterōn logōn, kai tēs eleutherias hypodeichtheisēs, kai tōn akouontōn pros tēn . epithymian tautēn epirrōsthentōn, paroxynetai ho polemios. kai epiteinei tēn algēdona tois hypēkoois tou logou. Houde touto exō tōn nyn ginomenōn esti. Polloi gar tōn paradexamenōn ton eleuthe rōtēn tēs tyrannidos logon, xui. prostithemenoi tǭ kērygmati, mechri tou nyn tais tōn peirasmōn probolais hypo tou antikeimenou epēreazontai ; ex hōn polloi men dokimōteroi kai bebaioteroi peri tēn pistin kathistantai, tę̄ probolę̄ tōn lypountōn stomoumenon.. Tōn de asthenesterōn tines kai epklazousi tois toioutois symptōmasin, antikrys ekeina phthengomenoi, to lysitelein autois mallon anēkoois meinai tou tēs eleutherias kērygmatos, ē tois toioutois, dia tēn aitian tautēn, synenechthēnai. ’O dē kai tote synebainen, hypo mikropsychias tōn Israēlitōn en aitiais poioumenōn tous tēn apallagēn autois tēs douleias apangeilantas. Allʼ ouden mallon anēsei hologos pros td kalon ephelkomenos, kan paidikōs apodeiliasę̄ pros tas tōn peirasmōn aēthias ho nēpios eti kai atelēs tēn dianoian. Tǭ men gar blaptikǭ kai phthoropoiǭ daimoni touto kata tōn an- Thrōpōn espoudazeto, to mē eis ton ouranon blepein to hypocheirion, alla to eis gēn kyptein, kai en eauo tǭ ton pēlon plintheuein. ’Ho ti gar an tēs hylikēs apolauseōs, ek gēs esti pantōs hē hydatos, panti
“brother” and “angel” are equivocal terms, perhaps applying to either of opposite meanings. For not only God’s angel but also Satan’s is so named, and we call not only the good man but also the wicked one a brother. So Scripture says of the better, “Let brothers be useful in times of need,” and of the opposite, “Every brother will trip with the heel.” Having set these things beside the sequence of our discourse, and deferred a more exact contemplation of them to their proper place, let us now take up what lies before us. The one who has strengthened himself by the light that appeared, and has gained such a brother as ally and helper, confidently brings to the people the words on behalf of the truth, reminds them of their ancestral nobility, and gives counsel how they may get free of the misery of clay and brick. What does the history teach us by this? That one who has not prepared his speech by such training for addressing the many should not venture to speak among the people. You see how, while he was still young, before he had grown so far in virtue, he was not thought a trustworthy counsellor of peace by two men who were quarrelling; but now he speaks to so many tens of thousands at once. The history all but cries out to you not to venture to counsel hearers in teaching unless you have achieved the ability for it by such and so much diligence. But when the better words had been spoken, freedom shown, and the hearers strengthened in this desire, the enemy is provoked and increases the pain of those who obey the word. This too is not foreign to what happens now. For many of those who have received the word that frees from tyranny and have joined themselves to the preaching are still harassed by the adversary with the assaults of temptations. Many of them become more approved and firmer in the faith, tempered by the assault of afflictions; but some of the weaker even give way under such misfortunes, saying plainly that it would have been better for them to remain without hearing the preaching of freedom than to meet with such things because of it. This happened then too, when the Israelites in their faint-heartedness blamed those who announced deliverance from slavery to them. But the Word will not at all slacken in drawing them toward the good, even if one who is still an infant and immature in mind cowers childishly at the unaccustomed temptations. For the harmful and destructive demon was eager for this against human beings: that his subjects should not look to heaven but stoop to the earth and make bricks out of clay within themselves. For whatever belongs to material enjoyment certainly comes from earth or water, as is plain to all,
Prov 17:17 (quotation, high confidence) · Jer 9:4 (9:3 LXX) (quotation, high confidence) · 2 Cor 12:7 (allusion, low confidence) · Exod 4:29–31 (allusion, high confidence) · Exod 5:1–21 (allusion, high confidence) · Exod 6:9 (allusion, medium confidence)
Notes and citation
Summary: Since “brother” and “angel” can be used in good and bad senses, the difficulty about Aaron is eased; Moses’ address to the people teaches that one must be trained before teaching, and Pharaoh’s harsher oppression shows how the devil assails new believers.
- “Let brothers be useful in times of need”: Prov 17:17 (LXX). “Every brother will trip with the heel”: Jer 9:4 (LXX 9:3). Satan’s angel: compare 2 Cor 12:7; Matt 25:41.
- Exod 4:29–31; 5:1–21; 6:9.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (OCR debris (Latin letters) for Οὐ; OCR debris (Latin letters) for καὶ): Uti γάρ → Οὐ γάρ; ἄγγελος ὀνομάζεται ο uti ού → ἄγγελος ὀνομάζεται· καὶ οὐ.
Cite (SBL): Gregory of Nyssa, Vit. Mos. 341 (PG 44:341a–341d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nyssa-vita-moysis/337/#p-341). (abbreviation not yet checked)
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Translation: Translated by Claude from the Migne PG 44 scan text (cited by Migne column); no public-domain English or FOTC volume exists, so it was re-read against the Greek.
Chapter 343
343PG 44:344a–344d
’νυοί-νδ που δῆλον · ἦν τέ τι τῶν περὶ γαστέρα καὶ θοίνην σπουδαζομένων, ἦν τε καὶ ὅσα περὶ τὸν πλοῦτον ὁρᾶται. Ἡ δὲ τῶν στοιχείων τούτων μίξις πηλὸς γίνεται καὶ ὀνομάζεται σ οὗ πληροῦντες ἑαυτοὺς οξ πρὸς τὰς πηλώδεις ἡδονὰς κεχηνότες, οὐδέποτε τὴν δεκτικὴν τῶνἡδονῶν εὐρυχωρίαν πλήρη φυλάσσουσιν· ἀλλὰ τὺάεὶ πλη ρού μενον γίνεται πάλιν κενὸν τῷ ἐπιρρέοντι. Οὕτω γάρ 6 πλινθουργῶν ἄλλοτε ἀλλην βλέπων διάθεσιν, εὐκόλως ἂν νοήσαι τὸ αἴνιγμα. Ὃ γὰρ πληρώσας ἑαυτοῦ τὴν ἐπιθυμίαν ἔν τινι ὧν ἐσπούδασεν, εί πρὸς ἔτερόν τι τῇ ἐπιθυμίᾳ ῥέψειε, κενὸς πρὸς ἐκεῖνο πάλιν εὑρίσκεται· κᾶν γένηται τούτῳ πλήρης, τῷ ἑτέρῳ πάλιν κενός τε καὶ εὐρύν χωρος γίνεται. Καὶ τοῦτο οὐ παύεται διά παντὸς ὲν ἡμῖν ἐνεργούμενον, ἕως ἄν τις ὑπεξέλθοι τοῦ ὑλώδους βίου. Ἦ δὲ καλάμη, καὶ τὸ ἐκ ταύτης ἄχυρον, 6 καταμιγνύειν τῇ πλίνθῳ καταναγκάξεται ὁ τοῖς τυραννικοῖς ὑπακούων προστάγμασι ο παρά τε τοῦ θείου Εὐαγγελίου, καὶ παρά τῆς ὑψηλῆς τοῦ ’Δποστολου φωνῆς, ἀμφοτέρων ὁμοίιος πυρὸς ὓλην, τό τε ἄχυρον καὶ τὴν καλάμην ἑρμηνευσάντων. Ὅταν τοίνυν τις τῶν ὲν ἀρετῇ προεχόντων, ἀποσπᾷν ἐθέλῃ τοὺς τῇ ἀπάτῃ δεδουλωμένους εἰς βίον ἐμφιλόσοφόν τε καὶ ἐλεύθερον · οἶδεν ὁ ταῖς ποικίλαις, καθώς φησιν 6 Ἀπόστολος, μεθοδείαις κατά τῶν ψυχῶν ἡμῶν σοφιστεύων, άντιπαραγαγεῖν τῷ θείῳ νόμῳ τά τῆς ἀπά- V της σοφίσματα. Ταῦτα δὲ λέγω, πρὸς τοὺς Δίγυπτίους δράκοντας βλέπων τῷ λόγῳ, τοῦτʼ ἐστι, πρὸς τὰς ποικίλας τῆς ἀπάτης κακίας, ὧν τὸν ἀφανισμὸν ἢτοῦ Μωσέως ῥάβδος ἐργάζεται, περὶ ἧς μετρίως ἧδη τά εἰκότα προτεθειὶῳηται Οὗτος τοίνυν, 6 τὴν ἄμαχον εκείνην κεκτημένος τῆς ἀρετῆς ῥάβδον, τὴν εάς σεσοφισμένας ὲξαφανίζουσαν ῥάβδους, ὁδῷ τινι καὶ ἀκολουθίᾳ πρὸς τὰ μείζω πρόεισι τῶν θαυμάτων. Ἦ δὲ θαυματοποιία οὐ τῷ σκοπῷ τῆς ἐκπλήξεως τῶν ἐντυγχανόντων γίνεται, ἀλλά πρὸς τὸ χρήσιμον τῶν σωζομένων βλέπει. Τοῖς γὰρ αὐτοῖς τῆς ἀρετῆς θαύμασι καθαιρεῖται μὲν τὸ πολέμιον, αὔξεται δὲ τὸ ὁμόφυλον. Πρῶτον δὲ γενικώτατον τῶν ἐπὶ μέρους θαυμάτων, τὸν κατά τὴν ἀγωγὴν καταμάθωμεν σκοπόν ' εἷθʼ οὕτως δυνατὸν ἂν γένοιτο ἡμῖν, καὶ τοῖς καθʼ ἕκαστον ἐφαρμόσαι τὸ νόημα. Ἠ γάρ διδασκαλία τῆς ἀληθείας πρὸς τὰς δ.αθέσεις τῶν δεχομένων τὸν λόγον συμμεταβάλλεται. Ἐπίσης γάρ πᾶσι τοῦ λόγου τὸ κακὸν ἢ τὸ καλὸν προδεικνύντος, 6 μὲν εὐπειθῶς πρὸς τὸ δεικνύμενον ἔχων ὲν φωτὶ τὴν διάνοιαν ἔχει ο τῷ δὲ ἀντιτύπως διακειμένῳ, καὶ μὴ καταδεχομένῳ πρὸς τὴν ἀκτῖνα τῆς ἀληθείας τὴν »ψυχὴν διαβλέψαι, παραμένει τῆς ἀγνοίας ὁ ζόφος. Εί δὴ τὸ καθόλου νοηθὲν ἡμῖν ὲν τοῖς τοιούτοις ψεῦδος οὐκ ἐστιν οὐδʼ ἂν τὰ καθʼ ἕκαστον πάντως ἑτέρως ἔχοι, τῆς ἐπὶ μέρους ἐξετάσεως συναποδειχθείσης τῷ λόγῳ. Οὐκοῦν οὐδὲν θαυμαστὸν, ἀπαθῆ τὸν Ἐὃραῖον μένειν τῶν Αἰγυπτίων κακῶν, ὲν μέσοις τοῖς ἀλλοφύλοις ἀναστρεφόμενον, ἐπεὶ καὶ νῦν τὸ ἴςον ἔστι γινόμενον ίδεῖν. Τῶν γὰρ ὲν ταῖς πολυανθρωπούσαις
’nyoi-nd pou dēlon ; ēn te ti tōn peri gastera kai thoinēn spoudazomenōn, ēn te kai hosa peri ton plouton horatai. Hē de tōn stoicheiōn toutōn mixis pēlos ginetai kai onomazetai s hou plērountes heautous ox pros tas pēlōdeis hēdonas kechēnotes, oudepote tēn dektikēn tōnēdonōn eurychōrian plērē phylassousin; alla tyaei plē rou menon ginetai palin kenon tǭ epirreonti. Houtō gar 6 plinthourgōn allote allēn blepōn diathesin, eukolōs an noēsai to ainigma. Ho gar plērōsas heautou tēn epithymian en tini hōn espoudasen, ei pros eteron ti tę̄ epithymią rhepseie, kenos pros ekeino palin heurisketai; kan genētai toutǭ plērēs, tǭ heterǭ palin kenos te kai euryn chōros ginetai. Kai touto ou pauetai dia pantos en hēmin energoumenon, heōs an tis hypexelthoi tou hylōdous biou. Ē de kalamē, kai to ek tautēs achyron, 6 katamignyein tę̄ plinthǭ katanankaxetai ho tois tyrannikois hypakouōn prostagmasi o para te tou theiou Euangeliou, kai para tēs hypsēlēs tou ’Dpostolou phōnēs, amphoterōn homoiios pyros hylēn, to te achyron kai tēn kalamēn hermēneusantōn. Hotan toinyn tis tōn en aretę̄ proechontōn, apospąn ethelę̄ tous tę̄ apatę̄ dedoulōmenous eis bion emphilosophon te kai eleutheron ; oiden ho tais poikilais, kathōs phēsin 6 Apostolos, methodeiais kata tōn psychōn hēmōn sophisteuōn, antiparagagein tǭ theiǭ nomǭ ta tēs apa- V tēs sophismata. Tauta de legō, pros tous Digyptious drakontas blepōn tǭ logǭ, toutʼ esti, pros tas poikilas tēs apatēs kakias, hōn ton aphanismon ētou Mōseōs rhabdos ergazetai, peri hēs metriōs hēdē ta eikota protetheiiǭētai Houtos toinyn, 6 tēn amachon ekeinēn kektēmenos tēs aretēs rhabdon, tēn eas sesophismenas exaphanizousan rhabdous, hodǭ tini kai akolouthią pros ta meizō proeisi tōn thaumatōn. Ē de thaumatopoiia ou tǭ skopǭ tēs ekplēxeōs tōn entynchanontōn ginetai, alla pros to chrēsimon tōn sōzomenōn blepei. Tois gar autois tēs aretēs thaumasi kathaireitai men to polemion, auxetai de to homophylon. Prōton de genikōtaton tōn epi merous thaumatōn, ton kata tēn agōgēn katamathōmen skopon ' heithʼ houtōs dynaton an genoito hēmin, kai tois kathʼ hekaston epharmosai to noēma. Ē gar didaskalia tēs alētheias pros tas d.atheseis tōn dechomenōn ton logon symmetaballetai. Episēs gar pasi tou logou to kakon ē to kalon prodeiknyntos, 6 men eupeithōs pros to deiknymenon echōn en phōti tēn dianoian echei o tǭ de antitypōs diakeimenǭ, kai mē katadechomenǭ pros tēn aktina tēs alētheias tēn »psychēn diablepsai, paramenei tēs agnoias ho zophos. Ei dē to katholou noēthen hēmin en tois toioutois pseudos ouk estin oudʼ an ta kathʼ hekaston pantōs heterōs echoi, tēs epi merous exetaseōs synapodeichtheisēs tǭ logǭ. Oukoun ouden thaumaston, apathē ton Heoraion menein tōn Aigyptiōn kakōn, en mesois tois allophylois anastrephomenon, epei kai nyn to ison esti ginomenon idein. Tōn gar en tais polyanthrōpousais
whether it is something pursued for the belly and the banquet, or whatever is seen in wealth. The mixture of these elements becomes, and is called, clay. Those who gape after clayey pleasures fill themselves with it, yet never keep their capacity for pleasures full: what is always being filled becomes empty again for what flows in. So anyone who looks at the brickmaker, putting now one mould and now another, would easily understand the riddle. For whoever has filled his desire with one of the things he pursued, if he inclines in desire toward something else, finds himself empty again for that; and if he becomes full of this, he becomes empty and capacious again for another. This never stops working in us continually, until one gets out of the material life. The stubble, and the straw that comes from it, which whoever obeys the tyrant’s commands is compelled to mix into the brick, are interpreted alike by the divine Gospel and by the lofty voice of the Apostle as fuel for fire. When, then, someone eminent in virtue wishes to draw those enslaved by deception into a life of philosophy and freedom, the one who plays the sophist against our souls with various wiles, as the Apostle says, knows how to set the sophistries of deception against the divine law. I say this with the Egyptian serpents in view, that is, the various wickednesses of deception, whose destruction Moses’ staff accomplishes; about it we have already set out, in moderation, what was fitting. This man, then, who possesses that invincible staff of virtue that makes the sophistical rods vanish, advances along a road and in due order to the greater wonders. The working of wonders does not aim at astonishing those who come upon them; it looks to the benefit of those being saved. For by the same wonders of virtue what is hostile is destroyed and what is kindred increases. Let us first learn the most general aim of the conduct shown in the particular wonders; then it will be possible for us to fit the meaning to each one. For the teaching of the truth changes with the dispositions of those who receive the word. The word shows the evil or the good to all equally; the one who is readily obedient to what is shown has his mind in light, while for the one who is resistant and will not let his soul look up toward the ray of truth, the gloom of ignorance remains. If what we understand in general on such matters is not false, the particulars too will certainly not be otherwise, since the detailed examination is demonstrated together with the general account. So it is nothing to wonder at that the Hebrew remains untouched by the Egyptians’ evils while living among the foreigners, since even now one can see the same thing happening. For of those in populous
Exod 5:7–18 (allusion, high confidence) · Matt 3:12 (allusion, high confidence) · 1 Cor 3:12 (allusion, high confidence) · Eph 6:11 (allusion, high confidence) · Exod 7:12 (allusion, high confidence) · Exod 10:21–23 (allusion, medium confidence)
Notes and citation
Summary: Making bricks of clay figures the endless filling and emptying of material desire; straw and stubble are fuel for fire; the plagues show that the same word of truth brings light to the obedient and darkness to the resistant.
- Exod 5:7–18 (bricks and straw). Straw and stubble as fuel for fire: Matt 3:12; 1 Cor 3:12. “Various wiles”: Eph 6:11. The rods devoured: Exod 7:12. The darkness on Egypt but light for Israel: Exod 10:21–23, interpreted on the next pages.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (OCR debris (Latin letters) for ἑτέρως): étépw; → ἑτέρως.
Cite (SBL): Gregory of Nyssa, Vit. Mos. 343 (PG 44:344a–344d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nyssa-vita-moysis/337/#p-343). (abbreviation not yet checked)
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Translation: Translated by Claude from the Migne PG 44 scan text (cited by Migne column); no public-domain English or FOTC volume exists, so it was re-read against the Greek.
Chapter 345
345PG 44:345a–345b
πόλεσι πρὸς τὰς ἐναντίας δόξας διεστηκότων1 τοῖς μὲν πότιμόν τε καὶ διειδές ἐστι τὸ νᾶμα τῆς πίστεως, 6 διὰ τῆς θείας διδασκαλίας ἀρύονταιο τοῖς δὲ διὰ τῆς πονηρᾶς ὑπολήψεως Αἱγυπτιάζουσι, διαφθορᾶς αἷμα τὸ ὓδωρ γίνεται. Καὶ πολλάκις ἐπιχειρεῖ 6 παρασοφισμδς τῆς ἀπάτης καὶ τὸ τῶν Ἐβραίων ποτὸν, τῷ μολυσμῷ τοῦ ψεύδους αἷμα ποιῆσαι, τοῦτʼ ἐστι, τὸν ἡμέτερον λόγον, καὶ ἡμῖν δεῖξαι, μὴ τοιοῦτον ὄντα, οἷός ἐστιν· ἀλλʼ οὐκ ἀχρειώσειε καθά).ου τὸ ποτὸν, κᾶν ὲκ τοῦ προχείρου διʼ ἀπάτης περιφοινίξῃ τὸ εἶδος. Πίνει γὰρ 6 Ἐβραῖος τὸ ἀληθινὸν ὕδωρ, κᾶν παρά τῶν ἐναντίων πιθανῶς διαδάλληται, οὐδὲν πρὸς τὸ εἶδος τῆς ἀπάτης ἐπιστρεφόμενος. Οὕτω καὶ τὸ βατράχων γένος τὸ εἰδεχθὲς καὶ πολύφωνον, ἀμφίβιος μὲν ὴ ζωὴ, ὲρπυστικὸν δὲ τὸ πήδημα ( ἀηδὴς δὲ ού μόνον ὴ ὄψις, ἀλλᾶ καὶ τοῦ χρωτὸςή δυσωδία) ὃ τοῖς οἴκοις καὶ ταῖς κλίναις καί τοῖς ταμείοις τῶν Αἰγυπτίων εἰσέρπει, τῆς δὲ τῶν Ἐβραίων ζωῆς οὐκ ἐφάπτεται. ’Δληθῶς γὰρ ἄντικρυς βατράχων γένη εἰσὶ, τά φθοροποιά τῆς κακίας γεννήματα, ἐκ τῆς ρυπαρᾶς καρδίας τῶν ἀνθρώπων, οἷον ἐκ τινος βορὸόρου ζωογονούμενα. Οὗτοι οἱ βάτραχοι οἰχοῦσι μὲν τάς οἰκίας τῶν Αἰγυπτιαζόντων, κατά τὴν τοῦ βίου προαίρεσιν δείκνυνται δὲ καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν τραπεζῶν, καὶ τῶν κλινῶν οὐκ ἀπέχονται, καὶ εἰς τὰ ταμεῖα τῶν ἀποθέτων εἰσδύνουσιν. Ὅταν γὰρ ίδῃς τὸν ῥυπαρόν τε,καὶ ἀκόλαστον βίον, ἀληθῶς ἐκ πηλοῦ τε καὶ βορβόρου τικτόμενον, καὶ τῇ πρὸς τὺ ἄλογον μιμήσει κατὰ τὸ εἶδος τῆς ζωῆς ὲν οὐθετέρα φύσει ἀκριὸῶς μένοντα ν καὶ ἄνθρωπον μὲν κατὰ τὴν φύσιν ὄντα, κτῆνος δὲ διὰ πάθος γινόμενον, καὶ διά τοῦτο ἀμφίβιον ἐκεῖνο καί ἐπαμφοτερίζον τὸ τῆς ζωῆς εἶδος ὲπιδεικνύοντα εὑρήσεις καὶ ἐπὶ τούτου τά τῆς τοιαύ της νόσου γνωρίσματα, οὐκ ἐπὶ τῆς κλίνης μόνον, ἀλλά καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς τραπέζης, καὶ ὲν τοῖς ταμείοις, καὶ κατά πᾶσαν τὴν οἴκησιν. Ἑπισημαίνεται γάρ διὰ πάντων 6 τοιοῦτος τὴν ἀσωτίαν, ὥστε πάντας ῥαδίως ἐπιγνῶναι διά τῶν κατά τὸν οἰκον σπουδαζομένων τδν βίον τοῦ τε ἀκολάστου κάλʼτοῦ καθαρεύοντος. Ὅταν ὲν τούτῳ μὲν ἐπὶ τῶν τείχους κονιαμάτων δείκνυται παρᾶ τῆς τέχνης διὰ εἰδώλων τινῶν τά τῆς ὲμπαθοῦς ἡδονῆς ὑπεκκαύματα · διʼ ὧν ὑπομιμνήσκεται τῆς νόσου ή φύσις, διὰ τῶν ὄψεων ἐκ τῆς ἀτιμίας τῶν θαυμάτων ἐπὶ τὴν ψυχὴν ὲπεισχεομένου τοῦ πάθουςο ἐπὶ δὲ τοῦ σωφρονοῦντος,φυλακὴν πᾶσαν καλ προμήθειαν, τοῦ καὶτὸν ὀφθαλμὸν καθαρεύειν τῶν ἔμπαοῶν θεαμάτων. Καλή τράπεζα δὲ ὡσαύτως καθαρὰ μὲν ὴ τοῦ σωφρονοῦντος, εὑρίσκεται δὲ βατραχώδης καὶ πολύσαρκος τοῦ πρὸς τὸν βορβορώδη βίον ἰλυσπωμένου. Κᾶν τά ταμεϊαδιερευνήσῃς, τοῦτʼ ἔστι, τάκρυπτά τοῦ βίου αὐτοῦ καὶ ἀπόρρητα· πολὺ μᾶλλον ἐν ἐκείνοις σωρείαν βατράχων ὲν τοῖς ἀκολάστοις κατανοήσεις. Εἰ δὲ ταῦταῆ τῆς ἀρετῆς ῥάβδος ποιεῖν κατά τῶν Αἰγυπτίων ὑπὸ τῆς ἱστορίας λέγεται, μὴ ξενισθῶμεν περὶ τὸν λόγονʼ καὶ γάρ ἐσκληρύνθαι παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ τὸν τύραννον, ἡ ἱστορία φησί. Πῶς οὖν ἂν εἴη κατάκριτος, τῇ ἀνωθεν ἀνάγκῃ σκληρῶς τε καὶ ἀντιτύπως διαθέμενοςς καί που τὸ ἴσον φησὶν 6 θεῖος Ἀ πόστολος, δτι καθόσον οὐκ ἐδοκίμασαν τὸν Θεὸν ἔχειν ἐν
polesi pros tas enantias doxas diestēkotōn1 tois men potimon te kai dieides esti to nama tēs pisteōs, 6 dia tēs theias didaskalias aryontaio tois de dia tēs ponēras hypolēpseōs Haigyptiazousi, diaphthoras haima to hydōr ginetai. Kai pollakis epicheirei 6 parasophismds tēs apatēs kai to tōn Ebraiōn poton, tǭ molysmǭ tou pseudous haima poiēsai, toutʼ esti, ton hēmeteron logon, kai hēmin deixai, mē toiouton onta, hoios estin; allʼ ouk achreiōseie katha).ou to poton, kan ek tou procheirou diʼ apatēs periphoinixę̄ to eidos. Pinei gar 6 Ebraios to alēthinon hydōr, kan para tōn enantiōn pithanōs diadallētai, ouden pros to eidos tēs apatēs epistrephomenos. Houtō kai to batrachōn genos to eidechthes kai polyphōnon, amphibios men ē zōē, erpystikon de to pēdēma ( aēdēs de ou monon ē opsis, alla kai tou chrōtosē dysōdia) ho tois oikois kai tais klinais kai tois tameiois tōn Aigyptiōn eiserpei, tēs de tōn Ebraiōn zōēs ouk ephaptetai. ’Dlēthōs gar antikrys batrachōn genē eisi, ta phthoropoia tēs kakias gennēmata, ek tēs ryparas kardias tōn anthrōpōn, hoion ek tinos boroorou zōogonoumena. Houtoi hoi batrachoi oichousi men tas oikias tōn Aigyptiazontōn, kata tēn tou biou proairesin deiknyntai de kai epi tōn trapezōn, kai tōn klinōn ouk apechontai, kai eis ta tameia tōn apothetōn eisdynousin. Hotan gar idę̄s ton rhyparon te,kai akolaston bion, alēthōs ek pēlou te kai borborou tiktomenon, kai tę̄ pros ty alogon mimēsei kata to eidos tēs zōēs en outhetera physei akrioōs menonta n kai anthrōpon men kata tēn physin onta, ktēnos de dia pathos ginomenon, kai dia touto amphibion ekeino kai epamphoterizon to tēs zōēs eidos epideiknyonta heurēseis kai epi toutou ta tēs toiau tēs nosou gnōrismata, ouk epi tēs klinēs monon, alla kai epi tēs trapezēs, kai en tois tameiois, kai kata pasan tēn oikēsin. Hepisēmainetai gar dia pantōn 6 toioutos tēn asōtian, hōste pantas rhadiōs epignōnai dia tōn kata ton oikon spoudazomenōn tdn bion tou te akolastou kalʼtou kathareuontos. Hotan en toutǭ men epi tōn teichous koniamatōn deiknytai para tēs technēs dia eidōlōn tinōn ta tēs empathous hēdonēs hypekkaumata ; diʼ hōn hypomimnēsketai tēs nosou ē physis, dia tōn opseōn ek tēs atimias tōn thaumatōn epi tēn psychēn epeischeomenou tou pathouso epi de tou sōphronountos,phylakēn pasan kal promētheian, tou kaiton ophthalmon kathareuein tōn empaoōn theamatōn. Kalē trapeza de hōsautōs kathara men ē tou sōphronountos, heurisketai de batrachōdēs kai polysarkos tou pros ton borborōdē bion ilyspōmenou. Kan ta tameïadiereunēsę̄s, toutʼ esti, takrypta tou biou autou kai aporrēta; poly mallon en ekeinois sōreian batrachōn en tois akolastois katanoēseis. Ei de tautaē tēs aretēs rhabdos poiein kata tōn Aigyptiōn hypo tēs historias legetai, mē xenisthōmen peri ton logonʼ kai gar esklērynthai para tou Theou ton tyrannon, hē historia phēsi. Pōs oun an eiē katakritos, tę̄ anōthen anankę̄ sklērōs te kai antitypōs diathemenoss kai pou to ison phēsin 6 theios A postolos, dti kathoson ouk edokimasan ton Theon echein en
cities divided between opposing opinions, for some the stream of faith that they draw through the divine teaching is drinkable and clear, while for those who play the Egyptian through a wicked conception the water becomes the blood of corruption. Often the sophistry of deception tries to turn even the drink of the Hebrews — that is, our teaching — into blood by the defilement of falsehood, and to show it to us as something other than it is. But it could not make the drink wholly useless, even if by deceit it reddens its surface appearance. For the Hebrew drinks the true water, even when it is plausibly slandered by opponents, paying no attention to the appearance the deception gives it. So too the race of frogs — ugly and noisy, amphibious in its life, creeping in its leap, unpleasant not only to look at but in the stench of its skin — creeps into the houses, beds, and storerooms of the Egyptians, but does not touch the life of the Hebrews. For truly the destructive offspring of vice are plainly races of frogs, brought to life out of the filthy heart of human beings as out of some mire. These frogs live in the houses of those who play the Egyptian in their choice of life; they appear even on the tables, they do not keep away from the beds, and they slip into the storerooms. When you see the filthy and licentious life, truly born of clay and mire, which by imitating the irrational keeps in its form of life to neither nature exactly — a human being by nature, but becoming a beast through passion, and so displaying that amphibious and double form of life — you will find the marks of this disease on such a person not only on the bed but on the table, in the storerooms, and throughout the house. For such a person stamps his profligacy on everything, so that all can easily recognize, from what is cultivated in the house, the life of the licentious and that of the pure. In the one house, the plaster of the walls displays by art, in certain pictures, the kindlings of passionate pleasure; through them nature is reminded of its disease, as the passion pours into the soul through the eyes from the shamefulness of what is seen. With the self-controlled there is every guard and precaution that the eye too be kept clean of passionate sights. Likewise the table of the self-controlled is pure, while that of one who wallows in the miry life is found froggy and heavy with flesh. And if you search his storerooms, that is, the hidden and secret parts of his life, you will see a heap of frogs far greater still among the licentious. If the history says that the staff of virtue does these things against the Egyptians, let us not be surprised at the account; for the history says too that the tyrant was hardened by God. How then could he be condemned, if he was disposed to hardness and resistance by a necessity from above? And the divine Apostle says the like somewhere: that since they did not see fit to have God in
Exod 7:17–24 (allusion, high confidence) · Exod 8:1–14 (allusion, high confidence) · Exod 4:21 (allusion, high confidence) · Rom 1:28 (quotation, high confidence)
Notes and citation
Summary: The plagues of blood and frogs figure the corruption of faith by false teaching and the filthy “amphibious” life of the licentious, which shows itself in house, table, and secret life; the hardening of Pharaoh raises the question of God’s part in evil.
- Exod 7:17–8:15; 4:21 (hardening). “Since they did not see fit …”: Rom 1:28, combined with 1:26, continued on the next page.
- “Play the Egyptian” (Αἰγυπτιάζειν): Gregory’s coinage for living by the values the Egyptians stand for.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (OCR debris (Latin letters) for ταμεῖα): τά tapeta → τὰ ταμεῖα.
Topics: Heresy
Cite (SBL): Gregory of Nyssa, Vit. Mos. 345 (PG 44:345a–345b; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nyssa-vita-moysis/337/#p-345). (abbreviation not yet checked)
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Translation: Translated by Claude from the Migne PG 44 scan text (cited by Migne column); no public-domain English or FOTC volume exists, so it was re-read against the Greek.
Chapter 347
347PG 44:348a–348d
ἐπιγνώσει, παρέδωκεν αὐτοὺς ό Θεὸς εἰς πάθη ἀτιμίας, ι περὶτῶν ἀρρενοφθορούντων λέγων, καὶ περὶ τῶν ὲν τοῖς ἀτίμοις τε κα) ἀρρήτοις τῆς ἀσωτίας τρόποις ἀσχημονούντων. Ἀλλʼ εί καὶ οὕτω λέγεται παρὰ τῆς θείας Γραφῆς τὰ εἰρημένω οὔτε τῷ πάθει τῆς ἀτιμίας ὁ Θεὸς ἔκδοτον δίδωσι τὸν πρὸς τοῦτο φερόμενον, οὔτε Φαραὼ θείᾳ βουλήσει σκληρύνεται, οὔτε ό βατραχώδης βίος ὑπὸ τῆς ἀρετῆς πλάσσεται. Α, Εἰ γὰρ βουλητὸν ἦν τῇ θείᾳ φύσει, πάντως ἂν ἐπὶ πάντων κατὰ τὸ ἶσον ἡ τοιαύτη προαίρεσις ἴσχυσεν, ὡς μηδεμιᾶς ἀρετῆς καὶ κακίας παρὰ τὸν βίον διαφορὰν θεωρεῖσθαι. ’Δλλων δὲ ἄλλως μετεχόντων τοῦ βίου, καὶ τῶν μὲν διʼ ἀρετῆς κατορθουμένων, τῶν δὲ είς κακίαν ἀπορρεόντων· οὐκ ἄν τις εὐλόγως ὕπερκειμέναις τισὶν ἀνάγκαις, ταῖς κατὰ τὸ θεῖον βούλημα συνισταμέναις, τὰς διαφορὰς τῶν βίων λογίσαιτο, ὦν ἡ προαίρεσις ἐφʼ ἑκάστου τὸ κράτος ἔχει. Τίς οὖν παραδίδοται τῷ πάθει τῆς ἀτιμίας, σαφῶς ἐστι παρά τοῦ ’Δποστόλου μαθεῖνʼ ὁ μὴ δοκιμάσας τὸν Θεὸν ἔχειν ὲν ἐπιγνώσει, ὃν οὐκ ἀμυνόμενος 6 Θεὸς διὰ τὸ μὴ ἐπιγνωσθῆναι Θεὸν εἶναι παρʼ αὐτοῦ, παραδίδωσι τῷ πάθει. Ἀλλὰ δὴ τὸ μὴ ἐπιγνῶναι τὸν Θεὸν, αἴτιον αὐτῷ γίνεται τοῦ είς τὸν ἐμπαθῆ καὶ ἄτιμον βίον κατασυρῆναι. Ὥσπερ γὰρ εί τινος εἰπόντος, ὃτι μὴ ὀφθεὶς ὁ ἥλιος τὸν δεῖνα τῷ βόθρῳ ὲνέρο ριψεν, οὐ τοῦτο λογιζόμεθα, ὅτι ὀργῇ χρώμενος ὁ φωστὴρ τὸν μὴ βουληθέντα πρὸς αὑτὸν ἰδεῖν, ἐπὶ τὸν βόθρον ἀπώσατο, ἀλλʼ οὕτως ἂν τὸ ῥηθὲν νοηθείη κατὰ τὸ εὔλογον, ὅτι τὸ μὴ μετέχειν τοῦ φωτὸς, σῖτιον τῷ μὴ βλέποντι τῆς είς τὸν βόθρον ἐστὶ καταο πτώσεωςο οὓτως εὐαγὲς ἂν εἴη,καὶ τὸ τοῦ Ἀποστάλου νοεῖν, τὸ τοὺς μὴ ὲπιγνόντας τὸν Θεὸν τοῖς τῆς ἀτιμίας ἐκδίδοσθαι πάθεσι, καὶ τὸ ἔσκληρύνθαι παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ τὸν Αίγύπτιον τύραννον οὐχ ὡς τὴν ἀντιτυπίαν ὲν τῇ ψυχῇ τοῦ Φαραὼ τῆς θείας βουλήσεως ἐντιθείσης, ἀλλʼ ὡς τῆς προαιρέσεως διὰ τῆς πρὸς τὴν κακίαν προσκλίσεως τὸν ὲκμαλὰσσοντα τὴν ἀντιτυπίαν λόγον οὺ δεχομένης. Οὕτω καὶὴ τῆς ἀρετῆς ῥάβδος ὲν τοῖς Αἰγυπτίοις φανεῖσα, τὸν μὲν Ἐβραίον καθαρὸν τῆς βατραχώδους ζωῆς ἀπεργάζεται* τὸν δὲ Αἰγύπτιον βίον πλήρη τῆς τοιαύτης δείκνυσι νόσου. Ἀλλʼ ἔσθʼ ὅτε τοῦ Μωσέως καὶ ὑπὲρ τούτων τὰς χεῖρας ἐκτείναντος, ἁφανισμὸς τῶν βατράχων γίνεται. Ὃ δὴ καὶ νῦν ἐστι γνῶναι γινόμενον. Οἱ γὰρ τὴν ἔκτασιν τῶν χειρῶν τοῦ νομοθέτου κατανοήσαντες ( συνήσεις δὲ πάντως, ὅτι σοὶ λέγει τὸ αῐνιγμαʼ ὥστε νοῆται διὰ μὲν τοῦ νομοθέτου τὸν ἀληθινὸν νομοθέτην, διὰ δὲ τῆς τῶν χειρῶν ἐκτάσεως, τὸν ἐπὶ τοῦ σταυροῦ τὰς χεῖρας ἐκτείναντα), οί τοίνυν πρῶ ὀλίγον τοῖς ῥυπαροῖς τούτοις καὶ βατραχώδεσι λογισμοῖς συζῶντες, εί πρὸς τὸν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν τὰς χεῖρας. ’ἐκτείναντα ἶὸοιεψ ἀπαλλάσσονται τῆς πονηρᾶς αὐτῶν συνοικήσεως,νεκρωθέντος τοῦ πάθους καὶ ἁποζὲσαντος. ’Δλη θῶς γὰρ τοῖς ἀπηλλαγμένοις τῆς τοιαύτης νόσου,
epignōsei, paredōken autous o Theos eis pathē atimias, i peritōn arrenophthorountōn legōn, kai peri tōn en tois atimois te ka) arrētois tēs asōtias tropois aschēmonountōn. Allʼ ei kai houtō legetai para tēs theias Graphēs ta eirēmenō oute tǭ pathei tēs atimias ho Theos ekdoton didōsi ton pros touto pheromenon, oute Pharaō theią boulēsei sklērynetai, oute o batrachōdēs bios hypo tēs aretēs plassetai. A, Ei gar boulēton ēn tę̄ theią physei, pantōs an epi pantōn kata to ison hē toiautē proairesis ischysen, hōs mēdemias aretēs kai kakias para ton bion diaphoran theōreisthai. ’Dllōn de allōs metechontōn tou biou, kai tōn men diʼ aretēs katorthoumenōn, tōn de eis kakian aporreontōn; ouk an tis eulogōs hyperkeimenais tisin anankais, tais kata to theion boulēma synistamenais, tas diaphoras tōn biōn logisaito, ōn hē proairesis ephʼ hekastou to kratos echei. Tis oun paradidotai tǭ pathei tēs atimias, saphōs esti para tou ’Dpostolou matheinʼ ho mē dokimasas ton Theon echein en epignōsei, hon ouk amynomenos 6 Theos dia to mē epignōsthēnai Theon einai parʼ autou, paradidōsi tǭ pathei. Alla dē to mē epignōnai ton Theon, aition autǭ ginetai tou eis ton empathē kai atimon bion katasyrēnai. Hōsper gar ei tinos eipontos, hoti mē ophtheis ho hēlios ton deina tǭ bothrǭ enero ripsen, ou touto logizometha, hoti orgę̄ chrōmenos ho phōstēr ton mē boulēthenta pros hauton idein, epi ton bothron apōsato, allʼ houtōs an to rhēthen noētheiē kata to eulogon, hoti to mē metechein tou phōtos, sition tǭ mē bleponti tēs eis ton bothron esti katao ptōseōso houtōs euages an eiē,kai to tou Apostalou noein, to tous mē epignontas ton Theon tois tēs atimias ekdidosthai pathesi, kai to esklērynthai para tou Theou ton Aigyption tyrannon ouch hōs tēn antitypian en tę̄ psychę̄ tou Pharaō tēs theias boulēseōs entitheisēs, allʼ hōs tēs proaireseōs dia tēs pros tēn kakian proskliseōs ton ekmalassonta tēn antitypian logon ou dechomenēs. Houtō kaiē tēs aretēs rhabdos en tois Aigyptiois phaneisa, ton men Ebraion katharon tēs batrachōdous zōēs apergazetai* ton de Aigyption bion plērē tēs toiautēs deiknysi nosou. Allʼ esthʼ hote tou Mōseōs kai hyper toutōn tas cheiras ekteinantos, haphanismos tōn batrachōn ginetai. Ho dē kai nyn esti gnōnai ginomenon. Hoi gar tēn ektasin tōn cheirōn tou nomothetou katanoēsantes ( synēseis de pantōs, hoti soi legei to ainigmaʼ hōste noētai dia men tou nomothetou ton alēthinon nomothetēn, dia de tēs tōn cheirōn ektaseōs, ton epi tou staurou tas cheiras ekteinanta), oi toinyn prō oligon tois rhyparois toutois kai batrachōdesi logismois syzōntes, ei pros ton hyper hēmōn tas cheiras. ’ekteinanta iooieps apallassontai tēs ponēras autōn synoikēseōs,nekrōthentos tou pathous kai hapozesantos. ’Dlē thōs gar tois apēllagmenois tēs toiautēs nosou,
knowledge, “God gave them up to dishonourable passions,” speaking of men who corrupt males and of those who disgrace themselves in dishonourable and unspeakable kinds of profligacy. But even if what has been said is said in this way by divine Scripture, God does not hand over to the passion of dishonour one who is carried toward it, nor is Pharaoh hardened by the divine will, nor is the froggy life formed by virtue. For if it were willed by the divine nature, such a choice would certainly prevail equally in all, so that no difference of virtue and vice would be seen in life. But since different people live their lives differently, some succeeding through virtue and others sliding into vice, no one could reasonably attribute the differences of lives to necessities imposed from above by the divine will, when in each case it is choice that has the power. Who, then, is handed over to the passion of dishonour can be learned clearly from the Apostle: one who did not see fit to have God in knowledge. God hands him over to the passion not as taking revenge on him for not acknowledging him as God; rather, not knowing God becomes for him the cause of being dragged down into the passionate and dishonourable life. Suppose someone said that the sun, by not being seen, threw so-and-so into the pit. We would not reckon that the luminary in anger pushed into the pit the one who would not look toward it; the saying would reasonably be understood to mean that not sharing in light is the cause of the fall into the pit for the one who does not see. In the same way it would be pious to understand the Apostle’s word too, that those who did not acknowledge God are given up to dishonourable passions, and that the Egyptian tyrant was hardened by God — not as though the divine will had put the resistance into Pharaoh’s soul, but because his choice, through its inclination toward vice, did not receive the word that softens resistance. So too the staff of virtue, appearing among the Egyptians, makes the Hebrew clean of the froggy life and shows the Egyptian life to be full of such a disease. But sometimes, when Moses stretches out his hands for them as well, the frogs are destroyed. One can see this happening now too. For those who have understood the stretching out of the lawgiver’s hands — and you will surely understand that the riddle speaks to you: by the lawgiver understand the true lawgiver, and by the stretching out of the hands, the one who stretched out his hands on the cross — those, then, who a little before lived with these filthy and froggy thoughts, if they look to the one who stretched out his hands for us, are freed from their evil cohabitation, the passion being put to death and left to rot. For truly, for those freed from such a disease,
Rom 1:26–28 (quotation, high confidence) · Exod 8:12–14 (allusion, high confidence) · Exod 9:12 (allusion, medium confidence)
Notes and citation
Summary: God does not cause vice: being “given up” to passion or “hardened” means that whoever refuses to know God falls by his own choice, as one who will not look at the sun falls into a pit; the frogs die when Moses stretches out his hands, a figure of Christ on the cross.
- “God gave them up …”: Rom 1:26, 28 (Paul speaks of same-sex acts, Rom 1:26–27; translated as written). Exod 8:12–14 (the frogs die and the land stinks).
- Gregory’s defence of free choice against the reading that God causes vice; his interpretation of the hardening of Pharaoh is translated as written.
Topics: Ethics
Cite (SBL): Gregory of Nyssa, Vit. Mos. 347 (PG 44:348a–348d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nyssa-vita-moysis/337/#p-347). (abbreviation not yet checked)
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Translation: Translated by Claude from the Migne PG 44 scan text (cited by Migne column); no public-domain English or FOTC volume exists, so it was re-read against the Greek.
Chapter 349
349PG 44:349a–349d
μετά τὴν νέκρωσιν τῶν ἑρπυστικῶν κινημάτων, … τις καὶ δυσώδης ὴ τῶν προβεβιωμένων γίνεται μνήμη, διʼ αἰσχύνης τὴν ψυχὴν ἀηδίζουσα, καθώς ρησιν ό Ἀπόστολος πρὸς τοὺς ἐκ τῆς τοῦ κακοῦ μεταβολῆς τὴν ἀρετὴν μετιόνταςʼ ὅτι Τίνα οὖν καρπον εἴχετε τότε, ἐφʼ οἷς νῦν ἐπαισχύνεσθε ; Κατὰ τὴν νον. ἐπὶ δὲ τῶν Ἐβραίων τῷ ἡλίῳ καταλαμπόμενον. Διόὖ μάλιστα βεβαιοῦται τῆς ἀποδοθείσηςδιανοίας ὁ λόγοςʼ ὅτι οὑκ ἀνωθέν τις ἀναγκαστικὴ δύναμις τὸν μὲν ἐν ζόφῳ. τὸν δὲ ὲν φωτὶ γενέσθαι παρασκευάζει, ἀλλʼ οἴκοθεν ἔχομεν ἐν τῇ ἑαυτῶν φύσει τε καὶ προαιρέσει τὰς τοῦ φωτός τε καὶ σκότους αίτίας oi. ἄνθρωποι, πρὸς ὅπερ ἀν ἐθέλωμεν τούτων, γινόμενοι. Καὶ γάρ, κατὰ τὴν ἱστορίαν, οὐ διά τινος τείχους ἢ ὅρους ἐπιπροσθοῦντος τάς δψεις, καὶ τὰς ἀκτῖνας ἀποσκευάζοντος, oi μὲν Ἑβραῖοι τοῦ φωτὸς κατετρύφων- οἱ δὲ ἀναισθήτως εἶχον τῆς χάριτος ’ οὕτω πᾶσι κατά τὸ ῐσον τοῦ φωτεινοῦ βίου κατʼ ἐξουσίαν προκειμένουο οἱ μὲν ἐν σκότει ὁιαπορεύονται, διὰ τῶν πονηρῶν ἐπιτηδευμάτων πρὸς τὸν τῆς κακίας ζόφον συνελαυνόμενον oi δὲ τῷ φωτὶ τῆς ἀρετῆς ἐλλαμπρύνονται. Εί δὲ μετά τὴν τριήμερον ἐν σκότῳ κα·κοπάθειαν γίνεται καὶ τοῖς Αἰγυπτίοις ἡ τοῦ φωτὸς μετουσία ’ τάχα τις ἀπὸ τούτων ὁρμώμενος, πρὸς τὴν ἀπὸ κακίας πρὸς ἀρετὴν διʼ ἐπιγνώσεως τοῦ σταυρωθέντος καὶ μετανοίας μετάστασιν τῶν πρὶν κατὰ τὸν βίον Αἱγυπτιαζόντων ἀγάγοι τὸ νόημα. Τὸ γὰρ ψηλαφητὺν ἐκεῖνο σκότος, καθώς φησιν ηʼ ἱστοfit; ἀγνοίας ν ἁμαρτίας 1 σκότύς πολ λὴν ἓν τε τῷ ῥήματι καὶ τῷ νοήματι τὴν συγγένειαν ἔχει. Λύεται δὲ τούτων ἑκάτερον, τοῦ Μωσέως (κα- η θὼς ἐν τῷ πρὸ τούτου νενόηται) ὑπὲρ τῶν ἐν σκότει τὰς χεῖρας ὲκτείναντος. Ὡσαύτως καὶ ἡ καμιναία κόνις ἐκείνη, ἡ τὰς όδυνηράς φλυκταίνας τοῖς Λίγυπτίοις ἐπάγουσα, κατά λόγον ἂν νοηθείη, διὰ τοῦ κατά τὺ ὄνομα τῆς καμίνου αἰνίγματος, ἡ διὰ τοῦ πυρὸς κατά τὴν γέενναν ἀπειληθεῖσα κόλασις, ἢ μόνον ἅπτεται τῶν Δίγυπτιαζόντων κατά τὸν βίον, τοῦτʼ ἐστιν καθὼς πολλάκις εἴπαμεν, τῶν κακῶς ζώντων καὶ τὴν ἔκτασιν τῶν χειρῶν·τοῦ Χριστοῦ μὴ προσκυνούντων. Εἰ δέ τις ἀληθῶς Ἰσραηλίτης ἐστὶ, καὶ τοῦ Ἀβραὰμ υἱὸς, καὶ πρὸς ἐκεῖνον τῷ βίῳ βλέπει, ὡς δεῖξαι τῇ προαιρέσει τὴν πρὸς τοὺς ἐκλεκτοὺς ἀγχιστείαν τοῦ γένους· οὗτος φυλάσσεται ἀπὸ τῆς καμιναίας ἐκείνης ὀδύνης. Γένοιτο δʼ ἂν κάκείνοις ποτὲ ὴ ἀποδοθεῖσα τῆς ἐκτάσεως τῶν χειρῶν τοῦ Μωσέως ἑρμηνεία, θεραπεία τῆς ὀδύνης, καὶ ἀπαλλαγὴ τῶν κολάσεων. Τοὺς δὲ λεπτοὺς σκνίπας ἐκείνους, οἳ τοῖς ἀφανέσι Ι δήγμασι τοὺς Αἰγυπτίους ἀλγύνουσν τήν τε κυνόμυιαν ὀδυνηρῶς διὰ τοῦ δήγματος ἐμφυομένην τοῖς … τήν τε ὑπὸ τῶν ἀκρίδων καταφθειρομὲνην γεωπσνίαν· καὶ τοὺς ἄνωθεν πρηστῆρας τοῖς τῆς χα- Υυπτία προαίρεσις, ἐπάγει δὲ ἡ ἀδέκαστος τοῦ Θεοῦ δίκη. Ἑπακολουθέντες νοήσωμεν ὅτι παρά Θεοῦ γίνεται τὰ λυπηρά τοῖς τῶν τοιούτων ἀξίοις ’ ἀλλʼ ὅτι ἕκαστος ἐαυτῷ τῶν πληγῶν γίνεται δημιουργὸς, διὰ τῆς οἱ·
meta tēn nekrōsin tōn herpystikōn kinēmatōn, … tis kai dysōdēs ē tōn probebiōmenōn ginetai mnēmē, diʼ aischynēs tēn psychēn aēdizousa, kathōs rēsin o Apostolos pros tous ek tēs tou kakou metabolēs tēn aretēn metiontasʼ hoti Tina oun karpon eichete tote, ephʼ hois nyn epaischynesthe ? Kata tēn non. epi de tōn Ebraiōn tǭ hēliǭ katalampomenon. Diou malista bebaioutai tēs apodotheisēsdianoias ho logosʼ hoti houk anōthen tis anankastikē dynamis ton men en zophǭ. ton de en phōti genesthai paraskeuazei, allʼ oikothen echomen en tę̄ heautōn physei te kai proairesei tas tou phōtos te kai skotous aitias oi. anthrōpoi, pros hoper an ethelōmen toutōn, ginomenoi. Kai gar, kata tēn historian, ou dia tinos teichous ē horous epiprosthountos tas dpseis, kai tas aktinas aposkeuazontos, oi men Hebraioi tou phōtos katetryphōn- hoi de anaisthētōs eichon tēs charitos ’ houtō pasi kata to ison tou phōteinou biou katʼ exousian prokeimenouo hoi men en skotei hoiaporeuontai, dia tōn ponērōn epitēdeumatōn pros ton tēs kakias zophon synelaunomenon oi de tǭ phōti tēs aretēs ellamprynontai. Ei de meta tēn triēmeron en skotǭ ka;kopatheian ginetai kai tois Aigyptiois hē tou phōtos metousia ’ tacha tis apo toutōn hormōmenos, pros tēn apo kakias pros aretēn diʼ epignōseōs tou staurōthentos kai metanoias metastasin tōn prin kata ton bion Haigyptiazontōn agagoi to noēma. To gar psēlaphētyn ekeino skotos, kathōs phēsin ēʼ histofit? agnoias n hamartias 1 skotys pol lēn hen te tǭ rhēmati kai tǭ noēmati tēn syngeneian echei. Lyetai de toutōn hekateron, tou Mōseōs (ka- ē thōs en tǭ pro toutou nenoētai) hyper tōn en skotei tas cheiras ekteinantos. Hōsautōs kai hē kaminaia konis ekeinē, hē tas odynēras phlyktainas tois Ligyptiois epagousa, kata logon an noētheiē, dia tou kata ty onoma tēs kaminou ainigmatos, hē dia tou pyros kata tēn geennan apeilētheisa kolasis, ē monon haptetai tōn Digyptiazontōn kata ton bion, toutʼ estin kathōs pollakis eipamen, tōn kakōs zōntōn kai tēn ektasin tōn cheirōn;tou Christou mē proskynountōn. Ei de tis alēthōs Israēlitēs esti, kai tou Abraam huios, kai pros ekeinon tǭ biǭ blepei, hōs deixai tę̄ proairesei tēn pros tous eklektous anchisteian tou genous; houtos phylassetai apo tēs kaminaias ekeinēs odynēs. Genoito dʼ an kakeinois pote ē apodotheisa tēs ektaseōs tōn cheirōn tou Mōseōs hermēneia, therapeia tēs odynēs, kai apallagē tōn kolaseōn. Tous de leptous sknipas ekeinous, hoi tois aphanesi I dēgmasi tous Aigyptious algynousn tēn te kynomuian odynērōs dia tou dēgmatos emphyomenēn tois … tēn te hypo tōn akridōn kataphtheiromenēn geōpsnian; kai tous anōthen prēstēras tois tēs cha- Yyptia proairesis, epagei de hē adekastos tou Theou dikē. Hepakolouthentes noēsōmen hoti para Theou ginetai ta lypēra tois tōn toioutōn axiois ’ allʼ hoti hekastos eautǭ tōn plēgōn ginetai dēmiourgos, dia tēs hoi;
after the death of the creeping motions, the memory of the former life becomes something … and foul-smelling, disgusting the soul with shame, as the Apostle says to those who turn from evil and pursue virtue: “What fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed?” … while among the Hebrews it was lit by the sun. By this especially the account of the meaning we gave is confirmed: it is not some compelling power from above that causes one person to be in darkness and another in light. We human beings have the causes of light and darkness within ourselves, in our own nature and choice, becoming whichever of these we wish. For according to the history, it was not because some wall or mountain blocked the sight and kept off the rays that the Hebrews delighted in the light while the others had no perception of that grace. So, while the life of light is set before all equally for them to choose, some walk in darkness, driven into the gloom of vice by wicked pursuits, while others are made bright by the light of virtue. And if after three days of suffering in darkness the Egyptians too come to share in the light, perhaps someone might take this as a starting point and apply the meaning to the change from vice to virtue, through knowledge of the Crucified and repentance, of those who formerly played the Egyptian in their life. For that darkness that could be felt, as the history says, … of ignorance and sin … has much kinship both in the word and in the meaning. Each of these is dissolved when Moses (as was understood above) stretches out his hands for those in darkness. Likewise that soot of the furnace, which brought painful boils upon the Egyptians, might reasonably be understood — through the riddle in the name “furnace” — as the punishment by fire threatened in Gehenna, which touches only those who play the Egyptian in their life, that is, as we have often said, those who live wickedly and do not venerate the outstretched hands of Christ. But if someone is truly an Israelite and a son of Abraham, and looks to him in his life so as to show by his choice his kinship with the elect, he is guarded from the pain of that furnace. And the interpretation we gave of the stretching out of Moses’ hands might at some time become for them too a healing of the pain and a release from punishments. As for those tiny gnats that pain the Egyptians with invisible bites, the dog-fly that clings painfully by its bite to …, the farming ruined by the locusts, and the whirlwinds of hail from above … the Egyptian choice, while God’s impartial justice brings them on. Following on, let us understand [not] that painful things come from God upon those who deserve them, but that each person becomes the maker of his own plagues, preparing the store of painful things by his own
Textual problem in this passage: see the notes.
Rom 6:21 (quotation, high confidence) · Exod 10:21–23 (allusion, high confidence) · Exod 9:8–11 (allusion, high confidence) · Exod 8:16–32 (allusion, high confidence) · Exod 10:12–15 (allusion, high confidence)
Notes and citation
Summary: The plague of darkness shows that light and darkness come from our own choice, not from compulsion; the Egyptians’ return to light after three days figures repentance through knowledge of the Crucified; the boils from the furnace figure Gehenna, from which Christ’s outstretched hands can heal; the remaining plagues are caused by each person’s own choice.
- “What fruit did you have then …?”: Rom 6:21. The darkness: Exod 10:21–23. The boils: Exod 9:8–11. Gnats, flies, hail, locusts: Exod 8:16–32; 9:22–26; 10:12–15.
- Several lines are lost in the scan (marked …): after the quotation of Rom 6:21 (the start of the plague of darkness, which was thick for the Egyptians), at “darkness … of ignorance and sin,” and in the list of plagues; one word after “foul-smelling” is unreadable (OCR debris). The bracketed “[not]” supplies the sense required by the following “but.”
- Gregory’s hope that the punishment of the furnace may be followed by healing and release (compare his teaching on restoration, ἀποκατάστασις, elsewhere) is translated as written.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (OCR debris (Latin letters) for καὶ; OCR debris (Latin letters) for ἅπτεται; OCR debris (Latin letters); word unreadable): ἀτοmi; → …; xci. → καὶ; ἀπτεut → ἅπτεται; edimur → ….
Topics: Eschatology
Cite (SBL): Gregory of Nyssa, Vit. Mos. 349 (PG 44:349a–349d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nyssa-vita-moysis/337/#p-349). (abbreviation not yet checked)
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Translation: Translated by Claude from the Migne PG 44 scan text (cited by Migne column); no public-domain English or FOTC volume exists, so it was re-read against the Greek.
Chapter 351
351PG 44:352a–352d
κείας προαιρέσεως τὴν τῶν ἀλγεινῶν παρασκευὴν ἑτοιμάζων, καθώς φησιν ὁ Ἀπόστολος πρὸς τὸν τοιούτον λέγων, ὅτι ι Κατὰ τὴν σκληρότητά σου καὶ ἁμεο τανόητον καρδίαν θησαυρίζεις σεαυτῷ ὀργὴν ὲν ἡμέρᾳ ὀργῆς καὶ ἀποκαλύψεως καὶ δικαιοκρισίας τοῦ Θεοῦ, ὃς ἀποδώσει ἑκάστῳ κατὰ τὰ ἔργα αὐτοῦ. ι Ὠσπερ γὰρ διὰ τῆς ἀτακτοτέρας διαίτης φθοροποιός τις χυμὸς καὶ χολώδης ὲν τοῖς σπλάγχνοις συνίσταται · δν ό ίατρὸς διὰ τῆς τέχνης είς ἔμετον ἐφελκυσάμενος, οὐκ ἂν ὲν αἰτίᾳ γένοιτο τοῦ αὐτὸς ἐμποιῆσαι τῷ σώματι τὸν νοσώδη χυμὸν, ἀλλʼ εποίησε μὲν ἡ τῆς τροφῆς ἀταξία, εἰς δὲ τὸ ἐμφανὲς ἤγαγεν ἠ ἰατρικὴ ἐπιtot": έέοῦ. γίνεσθαί λέγηται τοῖς. μοχθηροῖς ὴ άλγεινὴ ἀνταπόδοο σις, above": είῆ νοεῖν, ἓξ ἡμῶν αύτῶνιτὰς ἀρχᾶς καλ.- τὰς αἰτίας τὰγιτοιαύταῗλαμβάνειν πάθη. ἰῷιγὰρ ἀναμαρτήτως βεβιωκότι ού σκότος ἐστὶν, οὐ σκώληξ, ού γέενναι, ούιπῦρ, ούκ ἄλλο τίτῶν φόβερῶν ὀιζvacavi: δὴ καὶ ήΥίστοιρία φησὶ, τοῖς Ἑβραίοις ’μὴʼ-εῖναι τὰςἈίγυπτίας πληγάς.Ἐί οὖν ἐν τῶ αὐτῷ, τῷ μὲν είς tuath, τῶνδὲ ούκ ἐστι, Ἀλλὰ πρὸς τὸ ἑξῆς τοῦ λόγου προΐωμεν, τοσοῦτο-θ -----·-· --ι-ντ -ν ’νιν ’νʼ ἰνιν- ἰγνσυε-*ὀ ’νννννν παιδευθέντες διὰ τῶν ὲξητασμένων, ὅτι Μωσῆς τε ἐκεῖνος, ό κατʼ ἐκείνου διὰ τῆς ἀρετῆς ἑαυτὸν ἐπαίρων, ἐπειδὰν διά τε τῆς χρονίας Ιαίτροίιέιχῆς τοῦ όρθίζυ τξ καὶ ὑψηλοῦ βίου,ζινῖιλίδδιεὶ τῖίς aegrimo-. ιίένης φωταγωγίας δύναμωθῇ τὴν ἀμυχὴν. ζημίαν ι--ννιν γ-σ--ι-υιύη *νʼ*ι-*ινπιι "l' Y'L'l" virm" ἡγεῖται τὸ μὴ καὶ τοῖς δμογενέσι πρὸς τὸν ἐλεύθερόν καθηγήσασθαι βίονῖ ιςξι πρὸς αὐτ-ους γενόμενος, τῇ παραθέσει τῶν χειρόνων παθῶν σφοδροτέραν αὐτοῖς τῆς ἐλευθερίας τὴν ἐπιθυμίαν ἐντίθησι · καὶ μέλλων ἐξαιρεῖσθαι τοῦ κακοῦ τὺ ὁμόφυλον, θάνατον ἐπάγει παντὶ πρωτοτόκῳ Αἰγυπτίῳ. Τοῦτο διʼ ὧν ἐποίησεν ἡμῖν νομοθετῶν, τὸ δεῖν τὴν πρώτην τοῦ κακοῦ γένεσιν ὲξαφανίζειν· μὴ γὰρ ἄλλως εἶναι δυνατὸν διαφυγεῖν τδν Αίγύπτιον βίον. Καί μοι δοκεῖ καλῶς ἔχειν, τὴν διάνοιαν ταύτην μὴ παραδραμεῖν ἀθεώρητον. Et γάρ τις μόνον είς τὴν ἱστορίαν βλέποι, πῶς ἡ θεοπρεπῆς ἔννοια τοῖς γεγενῆσθαι λεγομένοις διασωθήσεται; Ἀδικεῖ ὁ Αἰγύπτιος, καὶ ἀντʼ ἐκείνου κολάζεται τὸ ἀρτιγενὲς αὐτοῦ νήπιον, ᾧδιὰ τὸ τῆς ἡλικίας ἀτελὲς οὐδεμία τίς ἐστι καλοῦ τε καὶ μὴ τοιούτου διάκρισις· ἔξω cuii κατὰ κακίαν πάθους ἡ ζωὴ αὐτοῦ. Οὐ γὰρ χωρεῖ τὸ πάθος ἡ νηπιότης, δεξιᾶς ἢ ἀριστερᾶς διαφορὰν οὐκ ἐπίσταται, πρὸς μόνην ἀναβλέπει τὴν θηλὴν, μίαν τοῦ λυποῦντος ση· μαντικὴν αἴσθησιν ἔχει τὸ δάκρυον, καὶ εί τύχοι τι· νὸς, οὗ ἡ φύσις ἐφίεται, μειδιάματι τὴν ἡδονὴν ἐπε. .., -,, ν,.,, -- --.ν,ην-,τ ---- πήμανε. Τοῦτο τῆς πατρικῆς κακίας ἐκτίνει τὴν δίκην. Ποῦ τὸ δίκαιον; ποῦ τὸ εὐσεβές; ποῦ τὸ ὅσιον; m5 Πῶς ἀντινομοθετεῖ ή ἱστορία τῷ λόγως υύκοῦν οὔκ -πν -τ- “·’“ι”“”-’· -ι υ-νιυ- "r' "Pr, “'"W‘" ν ὐλογὼτερον ἂν εἴη, πρὸς τὴν ἀναγωγὴν τοῦ νοήματος ""0" "I'" ’ ’1 "1'" "l' “'“lwl'l' ’ν- ’νʼ-111 ρῶντας, εἰ καί τι γέγονε τυπικῶς, δόγμα διὰ τῶν γε·
keias proaireseōs tēn tōn algeinōn paraskeuēn hetoimazōn, kathōs phēsin ho Apostolos pros ton toiouton legōn, hoti i Kata tēn sklērotēta sou kai hameo tanoēton kardian thēsaurizeis seautǭ orgēn en hēmerą orgēs kai apokalypseōs kai dikaiokrisias tou Theou, hos apodōsei hekastǭ kata ta erga autou. i Ōsper gar dia tēs ataktoteras diaitēs phthoropoios tis chymos kai cholōdēs en tois splanchnois synistatai ; dn o iatros dia tēs technēs eis emeton ephelkysamenos, ouk an en aitią genoito tou autos empoiēsai tǭ sōmati ton nosōdē chymon, allʼ epoiēse men hē tēs trophēs ataxia, eis de to emphanes ēgagen ē iatrikē epitot": eeou. ginesthai legētai tois. mochthērois ē algeinē antapodoo sis, above": eiē noein, hex hēmōn autōnitas archas kal.- tas aitias tagitoiautaïlambanein pathē. iǭigar anamartētōs bebiōkoti ou skotos estin, ou skōlēx, ou geennai, ouipyr, ouk allo titōn phoberōn oizvacavi: dē kai ēUistoiria phēsi, tois Hebraiois ’mēʼ-einai tasAigyptias plēgas.Ei oun en tō autǭ, tǭ men eis tuath, tōnde ouk esti, Alla pros to hexēs tou logou proïōmen, tosouto-th -----;-; --i-nt -n ’nin ’nʼ inin- ignsye-*o ’nnnnnn paideuthentes dia tōn exētasmenōn, hoti Mōsēs te ekeinos, o katʼ ekeinou dia tēs aretēs heauton epairōn, epeidan dia te tēs chronias Iaitroiieichēs tou orthizy tx kai hypsēlou biou,ziniiliddiei tiis aegrimo-. iienēs phōtagōgias dynamōthę̄ tēn amychēn. zēmian i--nnin g-s--i-uiyē *nʼ*i-*inpii "l' Y'L'l" virm" hēgeitai to mē kai tois dmogenesi pros ton eleutheron kathēgēsasthai bioni isxi pros aut-ous genomenos, tę̄ parathesei tōn cheironōn pathōn sphodroteran autois tēs eleutherias tēn epithymian entithēsi ; kai mellōn exaireisthai tou kakou ty homophylon, thanaton epagei panti prōtotokǭ Aigyptiǭ. Touto diʼ hōn epoiēsen hēmin nomothetōn, to dein tēn prōtēn tou kakou genesin exaphanizein; mē gar allōs einai dynaton diaphygein tdn Aigyption bion. Kai moi dokei kalōs echein, tēn dianoian tautēn mē paradramein atheōrēton. Et gar tis monon eis tēn historian blepoi, pōs hē theoprepēs ennoia tois gegenēsthai legomenois diasōthēsetai? Adikei ho Aigyptios, kai antʼ ekeinou kolazetai to artigenes autou nēpion, hǭdia to tēs hēlikias ateles oudemia tis esti kalou te kai mē toioutou diakrisis; exō cuii kata kakian pathous hē zōē autou. Ou gar chōrei to pathos hē nēpiotēs, dexias ē aristeras diaphoran ouk epistatai, pros monēn anablepei tēn thēlēn, mian tou lypountos sē; mantikēn aisthēsin echei to dakryon, kai ei tychoi ti; nos, hou hē physis ephietai, meidiamati tēn hēdonēn epe. .., -,, n,.,, -- --.n,ēn-,t ---- pēmane. Touto tēs patrikēs kakias ektinei tēn dikēn. Pou to dikaion? pou to eusebes? pou to hosion? m5 Pōs antinomothetei ē historia tǭ logōs yykoun ouk -pn -t- “;’“i”“”-’; -i y-niy- "r' "Pr, “'"W‘" n ylogōteron an eiē, pros tēn anagōgēn tou noēmatos ""0" "I'" ’ ’1 "1'" "l' “'“lwl'l' ’n- ’nʼ-111 rōntas, ei kai ti gegone typikōs, dogma dia tōn ge;
choice, as the Apostle says, addressing such a person: “By your hardness and impenitent heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath and of the revelation of the righteous judgment of God, who will repay each one according to his works.” For through an undisciplined diet some destructive and bilious humour forms in the bowels; the physician who by his art draws it out in vomiting would not be blamed for having himself put the diseased humour into the body; the disorder of the eating produced it, and the physician’s skill brought it into the open. So, even if it is said that the painful requital comes upon the wicked from God, it would be reasonable to understand that such sufferings take their beginnings and causes from ourselves. For one who has lived without sin there is no darkness, no worm, no Gehenna, no fire, nor any other of the fearful things … as the history also says, the Egyptian plagues did not come upon the Hebrews. If, then, in the same place there is … for some and not for others … But let us go on to what follows in our discourse, having been taught this much by what we have examined: that Moses — and whoever raises himself by virtue after his example — when he has been strengthened in soul through long … of the upright and lofty life and through the illumination … from above, reckons it a loss not to lead his kinsmen too into the free life. Coming to them, he puts into them a stronger desire for freedom by the experience of worse sufferings; and, intending to rescue his kinsmen from evil, he brings death on every firstborn of Egypt. By what he did he lays down a law for us: that we must destroy the first birth of evil, for it is not possible to escape the Egyptian life in any other way. And it seems right to me not to pass over this meaning without contemplating it. For if one looks only to the history, how will the notion befitting God be preserved in what is said to have happened? The Egyptian does wrong, and in his place his newborn infant is punished, who because of the immaturity of his age has no discernment at all of good and not good. His life is outside the passion of vice. For infancy has no room for passion; it does not know the difference between right hand and left; it looks up only to the breast; its tears are its one means of signalling pain, and if it gets something its nature desires, it signals its pleasure with a smile. … This one pays the penalty for his father’s wickedness! Where is the justice? Where the piety? Where the holiness? … How the history would legislate against reason! … it would be more reasonable … for those who look to the anagogical sense, even if something happened in figure, to believe that the lawgiver sets out a doctrine through what happened.
Textual problem in this passage: see the notes.
Rom 2:5–6 (quotation, high confidence) · Mark 9:48 (allusion, low confidence) · Exod 11:4–6 (allusion, high confidence) · Exod 12:29–30 (allusion, high confidence) · Jonah 4:11 (allusion, low confidence)
Notes and citation
Summary: Each person stores up his own punishment, as a bad diet produces the humour the physician purges; the death of the Egyptian firstborn cannot be read only as history, since punishing infants for their fathers’ sins would be unjust, so it must teach a doctrine.
- “By your hardness …”: Rom 2:5–6. “Worm … fire”: compare Mark 9:48; Isa 66:24. The death of the firstborn: Exod 11:4–6; 12:29–30. Infants not knowing right hand from left: Jonah 4:11.
- This page of the scan is badly damaged: several lines are lost or unreadable (marked …), including a phrase after “the same place” and parts of the closing argument; the sense of the conclusion (the narrative must be read for its doctrine) is clear from the next page.
- Gregory’s statement that the literal killing of infants would not be befitting God is translated as written; he goes on to read it as the destruction of the first beginnings of evil.
Topics: Eschatology
Cite (SBL): Gregory of Nyssa, Vit. Mos. 351 (PG 44:352a–352d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nyssa-vita-moysis/337/#p-351). (abbreviation not yet checked)
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Translation: Translated by Claude from the Migne PG 44 scan text (cited by Migne column); no public-domain English or FOTC volume exists, so it was re-read against the Greek.
Chapter 353
353PG 44:353a–353d
νομένων πιστεύειν τὸν νομοθέτην ἐκτίθεσθαι. Τὸ δὲ Α δόγμα τοιοῦτόν ἐστι · τὸ δεῖν πρὸς τὴν κακίαν τινὰ διʼ ἀρετῆς συμπλεκόμενον, τὰς πρώτας τῶν κακῶν ἀρχὰς είς ἀφανισμὸν ἔχειν. Τῇ γάρ ἀναιρέσει τῆς ἀρχῆς καὶ to μετʼ ἐκείνην συναφανίξεται, καθὼς διδάσκει διὰ τοῦ Εὐαγγελίου ὁ Κύριος, μονονουχὶ διαρρήδην βοῶν ἀναιρεῖν τῶν Αἰγυπτίων κακῶν τὰ πρωτότοκα, διʼ ὧν κελεύει τὴν ἐπιθυμίαν ἀνελόντας, καὶ τὴν ὀργὴν, μηκέτι δεδοικέναι, μήτε τῆς μοι· χείας τὸ μίασμα, μήτε τοῦ φόνου τὸ ἀγος. Οὐ γὰρ ἀν ἐφʼ ἑαυτοῦ συσταίη τούτων ἑκάτερον, εἰ μὴ φόνον μὲν ἡ ὀργὴ. μοιχείαν δὲ ἠ ἐπιθυμία τελεσφορη- «ςειεν. Ἐπεὶ οὖν ό εἰς κακίαν τεκνογονῶν, πρὸ τῆς μοιχείας τίκτει τὴν ἐπιθυμίαν, καὶ τὴν ὀργὴν πρὸ τοῦ φόνου· ὁ ἀνελὼν τὸν πρωτότοκον, συνανεῖλε Β πάντως καὶ τὴν ἀκολουθοῦσαν τῷ πρωτοτόκῳ γονὴν, ὥσπερ καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ ὄφεως ό τὴν κεφαλὴν πλήξας, ὅλον συναπενέκρωσε τὸν κατόπιν ὁλκὸν ὃν ἐφέλκεται. Τοῦτο δὲ οὐκ ἂν γένοιτο, μὴ προχεθέντος ή μῶν ταῖς εἰσόδοις ἐκείνου τοῦ αἵματος, ὂ τὸν όλοθρευτὴν ἀποστρέφει. Καὶ εί χρὴ τὴν ἀποδοθεῖσαν διάνοιαν ἀκριβέστερον ὲν τοῖς είρημένοις κατανοῆσαι ο τοῦτο διʼ ἑκατέρων δίδωσιν ἡ ἱστορία νοεῖν, ἐκ τε τοῦ ἀνευ λείν τὰ πρωτότοκα, καὶ ἕκ τοῦ διʼ αἵματος καταο σφαλισθῆναι τὴν εἴσοδον. Ἐκεῖ τε γάρή πρώτη ὁρμὴ τοῦ κακοῦ ἀφανίζεται, καὶ ἐνταῦθα ἡ πρώτη τῆς κακίας εἴσοδος καθʼ ἡμῶν διὰ τοῦ ἀληθινοῦ ἀμνοῦ ἐπιστρέφεται. Ού γὰρ ἐντὸς γενόμενον τὸν ὀλοθρευτὴί διʼ ἐπινοίας ἐκβάλλομεν, ἀλλʼ ὅπως ἂν τὴν ἀρχὴν ἡμῖν παρεισδύσῃ, φυλακὴν διά τοῦ c νόμου ποιούμεθα. Φυλακὴ δέ ὲστι καὶ ἀσφάλεια τὸ τῷ αἵματι τοῦ ἀμνοῦ τήν τε φλιάν καὶτοὺς σταθμοὺς τῆς είσόδου κατασημήνασθαι υ ταῦτα περὶ ψυχῆς ἡμῖν φυσιολογοῦντος διʼ αἰνιγμάτων τοῦ λόγου, ams, ἔξωθεν παίδευσις ὲφαντόισθη, διαιροῦσα τὴν ψυχὴν εἰς τὸ λογιστικὸν καὶ ἐπιθυμητικὸν καὶ θυμοειδές. Τούτοις δὲ καὶ τὴν ἐπιθυμίαν ύωβεβηκέναι φασὶν, ἑκατέρωθεν τὸ διανοητικὺν τῆς ψυχῆς ὑπερείδουσαψ τὸν δὲ λογισμὸν ἀμφοτέροις ὲπεζευγμένον, συνέχειν τε αὐτοὺς, καὶ ὑπὸ ἐκείνων ἀνέχεσθαι* πρὸς μὲν ἀνδρείαν τῷ θυμῷ στομούμενον, πρὸς δὲ τὴν τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ μετουσίαν διʼ ἐπιθυμίας ὑψούμενον. Ἕως ἂν οῦν η ψυχὴ τῷ σχήματι τούτῳ κατησφαλισμένη τύχῃ, καθάπερ τισὶ γόμφοις τοῖς κατʼ ἀρετὴν ἰοήμασι τόν-βέβαιον εʼχουσα, ἐν- πασῃ ’διʼ ἀλλήλων γίνεται τῇ πρὸς τὸ καλὸν συνεργία · παρέχοντος ἤδη διʼ ἑαυτοῦ τοῖς ὑποβεβηκόσι τοῦ λογισμοῦ τὴν ἀσφά· λειαν, καὶ ἐν τῷ μέρει παρʼ ἐκείνων τὴν ἴσην χάριν ἀναλαμβάνοντος. El δὲ ἀναστραφείη τὸ σχῆμα, καὶ τὶ ἂνω γένοιτο κάτω, ὥστε κατὰ τὸ πατούμενον μέρος τον λογισμὸν πεσόντα ἄνω ἑαυτοῦ ποιῆσαι τὴν ἐπιθυμητικήν τε καὶ θυμιῖλδη διάθεσιν· τότε ό ὀλοθρεύων εἱς τὰ ἐντὸς παραδύεται, μηδεμιᾶς τῆς ὲκ τοῦ αἵματος ἀντιπαθείας ἀντιβαινούσης αὐτῷ πρὸς τὶν εἴσοδον, τουτέστι, τοῖς οῦτω διακειμένοις τῆς εἰς Χριστὸν πίστεως συμμαχούσης. Τῷ γὰρ αἵματι πρῶτον ὲπαλείςεειν κελεύει τὴν ἄνω φλιάν, εἴθʼ οὕτως ἐπιθιγγάνειν τῶν σταθμῶν ἑκατέρωθεν. Πῶς ἂν οὖν τις ἐπαλεέψειε τὸ ἀνω πρῶτον, τὸ μὴ εὑριῖκ-Ζμενον
nomenōn pisteuein ton nomothetēn ektithesthai. To de A dogma toiouton esti ; to dein pros tēn kakian tina diʼ aretēs symplekomenon, tas prōtas tōn kakōn archas eis aphanismon echein. Tę̄ gar anairesei tēs archēs kai to metʼ ekeinēn synaphanixetai, kathōs didaskei dia tou Euangeliou ho Kyrios, mononouchi diarrēdēn boōn anairein tōn Aigyptiōn kakōn ta prōtotoka, diʼ hōn keleuei tēn epithymian anelontas, kai tēn orgēn, mēketi dedoikenai, mēte tēs moi; cheias to miasma, mēte tou phonou to agos. Ou gar an ephʼ heautou systaiē toutōn hekateron, ei mē phonon men hē orgē. moicheian de ē epithymia telesphorē- «seien. Epei oun o eis kakian teknogonōn, pro tēs moicheias tiktei tēn epithymian, kai tēn orgēn pro tou phonou; ho anelōn ton prōtotokon, synaneile B pantōs kai tēn akolouthousan tǭ prōtotokǭ gonēn, hōsper kai epi tou opheōs o tēn kephalēn plēxas, holon synapenekrōse ton katopin holkon hon ephelketai. Touto de ouk an genoito, mē prochethentos ē mōn tais eisodois ekeinou tou haimatos, o ton olothreutēn apostrephei. Kai ei chrē tēn apodotheisan dianoian akribesteron en tois eirēmenois katanoēsai o touto diʼ hekaterōn didōsin hē historia noein, ek te tou aneu lein ta prōtotoka, kai hek tou diʼ haimatos katao sphalisthēnai tēn eisodon. Ekei te garē prōtē hormē tou kakou aphanizetai, kai entautha hē prōtē tēs kakias eisodos kathʼ hēmōn dia tou alēthinou amnou epistrephetai. Ou gar entos genomenon ton olothreutēi diʼ epinoias ekballomen, allʼ hopōs an tēn archēn hēmin pareisdysę̄, phylakēn dia tou c nomou poioumetha. Phylakē de esti kai asphaleia to tǭ haimati tou amnou tēn te phlian kaitous stathmous tēs eisodou katasēmēnasthai y tauta peri psychēs hēmin physiologountos diʼ ainigmatōn tou logou, ams, exōthen paideusis ephantoisthē, diairousa tēn psychēn eis to logistikon kai epithymētikon kai thymoeides. Toutois de kai tēn epithymian yōbebēkenai phasin, hekaterōthen to dianoētikyn tēs psychēs hypereidousaps ton de logismon amphoterois epezeugmenon, synechein te autous, kai hypo ekeinōn anechesthai* pros men andreian tǭ thymǭ stomoumenon, pros de tēn tou agathou metousian diʼ epithymias hypsoumenon. Heōs an oun ē psychē tǭ schēmati toutǭ katēsphalismenē tychę̄, kathaper tisi gomphois tois katʼ aretēn ioēmasi ton-bebaion eʼchousa, en- pasę̄ ’diʼ allēlōn ginetai tę̄ pros to kalon synergia ; parechontos ēdē diʼ heautou tois hypobebēkosi tou logismou tēn aspha; leian, kai en tǭ merei parʼ ekeinōn tēn isēn charin analambanontos. El de anastrapheiē to schēma, kai ti anō genoito katō, hōste kata to patoumenon meros ton logismon pesonta anō heautou poiēsai tēn epithymētikēn te kai thymiildē diathesin; tote o olothreuōn heis ta entos paradyetai, mēdemias tēs ek tou haimatos antipatheias antibainousēs autǭ pros tin eisodon, toutesti, tois outō diakeimenois tēs eis Christon pisteōs symmachousēs. Tǭ gar haimati prōton epaleiseein keleuei tēn anō phlian, eithʼ houtōs epithinganein tōn stathmōn hekaterōthen. Pōs an oun tis epaleepseie to anō prōton, to mē heuriik-Zmenon
The doctrine is this: whoever grapples with vice through virtue must destroy the first beginnings of evils. For when the beginning is destroyed, what follows it is destroyed along with it. So the Lord teaches in the Gospel, all but crying out explicitly that we must destroy the firstborn of the Egyptian evils, when he commands us to destroy desire and anger and so no longer fear either the defilement of adultery or the guilt of murder. For neither of these would come about by itself, unless anger brought murder to completion and desire adultery. Since, then, one who begets for vice gives birth to desire before adultery and to anger before murder, whoever destroys the firstborn certainly destroys along with it the brood that follows the firstborn — just as with a snake, whoever strikes the head kills together with it the whole trailing coil it drags behind. This would not happen unless that blood which turns away the destroyer had been poured on our doorways. If we must understand the meaning given more exactly in what is said, the history gives us to understand it through both: through the killing of the firstborn and through the securing of the doorway with blood. In the one the first impulse of evil is destroyed; in the other the first entry of vice against us is turned back by the true Lamb. For we do not cleverly drive out the destroyer once he is inside; we keep guard by the law that he may not slip in to begin with. The guard and security is to mark the lintel and the doorposts of the entrance with the blood of the lamb. In these riddles the Word gives us an account of the nature of the soul, which outside learning too conceived, dividing the soul into the rational, the desiring, and the spirited parts. These, they say, are set beneath and support the intellectual part of the soul on either side, while reason, joined to both, holds them together and is held up by them: it is steeled for courage by spirit and raised up by desire to share in the good. As long as the soul is secured in this shape, having its stability through virtuous thoughts as through bolts, there is mutual cooperation of all its parts toward the good: reason gives security to those placed beneath it and in turn receives the same favour from them. But if the shape is reversed and the top becomes the bottom, so that reason falls to the trodden part and sets the desiring and spirited disposition above itself, then the destroyer slips inside, with no opposition from the blood to resist his entry — that is, faith in Christ does not fight on the side of those so disposed. For he commands that the upper lintel be smeared with the blood first, and then that the doorposts on either side be touched. How, then, could anyone smear the top first, if it is not found
Matt 5:21–28 (allusion, high confidence) · Exod 12:7 (allusion, high confidence) · Exod 12:22–23 (allusion, high confidence) · 1 Cor 5:7 (allusion, medium confidence)
Notes and citation
Summary: The death of the firstborn teaches us to kill the first beginnings of evil, desire and anger, as Christ taught; the blood on lintel and doorposts figures the soul rightly ordered, reason above desire and spirit, guarded by faith in Christ.
- Desire and anger as the roots of adultery and murder: Matt 5:21–28. The blood on the doorway: Exod 12:7, 22–23. “The true Lamb”: compare John 1:29; 1 Cor 5:7.
- The threefold division of the soul (rational, spirited, desiring) is Plato’s (Republic 4; Phaedrus 246a–254e). A few letters of OCR debris stand before “outside learning” in the scan.
Topics: Ethics
Cite (SBL): Gregory of Nyssa, Vit. Mos. 353 (PG 44:353a–353d; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nyssa-vita-moysis/337/#p-353). (abbreviation not yet checked)
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Translation: Translated by Claude from the Migne PG 44 scan text (cited by Migne column); no public-domain English or FOTC volume exists, so it was re-read against the Greek.