Origen on John



PSALM 77, HOMILY 4 (pdf 390) p.325	Homilia II in Psalmum LXXVI. Τοῦ αὐτοῦ οϛ´ ‹ψαλμοῦ› ὁμιλία β´ ἐσχεδιασμένη Εἰς τὸν οζʹ ψαλμόν ὁμιλία δʹ


THE merciful man is a great and honorable person,” (Prv 20.6) []* and it is possible to find many signs and tokens of the greatness of the human soul, but perhaps better than these—I speak of those found in a human being—are those produced by God through the human being. For God, making a great provision for him, also opens heaven to him and gives him heavenly nourishment.	1. Μέγα ἄνθρωπος καὶ τίμιον ἀνὴρ ἐλεήμων ^a καὶ τοῦ μεγέθους τῆς ἀνθρωπίνης ψυχῆς πολλὰ μὲν ἔστι σημεῖα εὑρεῖν καὶ σύμβολα· τάχα δὲ τούτων μείζονα, λέγω δὲ τῶν ἐν αὐτῷ τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ εὑρισκομένων, τὰ ἀπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ διὰ τὸν ἄνθρωπον γινόμενα. Μεγάλην γὰρ αὐτῷ πρόνοιαν ποιούμενος ὁ θεὸς καὶ οὐρανὸν αὐτῷ ἀνοίγει καὶ τροφὴν ⁵ αὐτῷ δίδωσιν οὐράνιον.
And he leads him, as he himself becomes a light to those who travel and guides them on roads that human nature, by itself, does not apprehend. On the one hand, all Scripture—including the Psalms that are being read—as “god-inspired and helpful,” (2Tm 3.16) teaches the one who can hear it the extent of greatness possible for the human soul and the extent of the forethought God takes for it.	Καὶ χειραγωγεῖ αὐτὸν αὐτὸς γινόμενος τοῖς ὁδεύουσι φῶς καὶ ἄγων ἐπὶ ὁδούς, ἃς καθ’ αὑτὴν ‹ἡ› ἀνθρωπίνη φύσις οὐκ ἐπίσταται. Πᾶσα μὲν οὖν γραφὴ ὡς θεόπνευστος καὶ ὠφέλιμος c – καὶ οἱ ψαλμοὶ ‹οἳ› ἀνεγινώσκοντο – διδάσκει ^[249r] τὸν ἀκούειν αὐτῆς δυνάμενον ὁποῖόν ἐστι τὸ τῆς ἀνθρωπίνης ψυχῆς ¹⁰ μέγεθοςd καὶ ὁποίαν αὐτῆς πρόνοιαν ποιεῖται ὁ θεός.


2. But since the reading is now assigned to be interpreted, should God grant, come, let us see what great things God has done on behalf of the human being: “For he commanded clouds from above and opened the doors of heaven and showered manna upon them to eat.” (Ps 77.23-24a) These, then, are unusual clouds, the ones that God ordered to rain manna, unusual compared to those in Isaiah, concerning which it is written, “I shall command the clouds not to shower rain on it.” (Is 5.6)	2. Ἐπεὶ δὲ νῦν πρόκειται τὰ ἀναγνωσθέντα, ἐὰν ὁ θεὸς ‹δι›δῷa, διηγήσασθαι, φέρ’ ἴδωμεν ἡλίκα τινὰ διὰ τὸν ἄνθρωπον ὁ θεὸς πεποίηκεν· ἐνετείλατο γὰρ νεφέλαις ὑπεράνωθεν καὶ θύρας οὐρανοῦ ἀνέῳξεν, καὶ ἔβρεξεν αὐτοῖς μάννα φαγεῖν b. Καιναὶ αὗται αἱ νεφέλαι, αἷς ἐντέλλεται ὁ θεὸς μάννα ¹⁵ ὕειν, καιναὶ παρὰ τὰς ἐν τῷ Ἠσαΐᾳ, περὶ ὧν γέγραπται· ταῖς νεφέλαις ἐντελοῦμαι τοῦ μὴ βρέξαι εἰς αὐτὸν ὑετόν c.
And perhaps, just as among clouds perceived by the senses, some are very high and elevated, but some are very low, so also among spiritual clouds, there are different ones, either those that rain upon the vineyard or those that rain manna upon the people of God, and the higher ones, so to speak, are the ones raining manna; but there are lower ones higher than the many,s but lower than those that rain manna.	Καὶ τάχα ὥσπερ τῶν αἰσθητῶν νεφελῶν αἱ μέν τινες ἀνωτέρω καὶ μετεωρότεραι αἱ δὲ κατωτέρω, οὕτως καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν πνευματικῶν νεφελῶν ὑουσῶν ἤτοι τὸν ὑετὸν τῷ ἀμπελῶνι ἤτοι μάννα τῷ λαῷ τοῦ θεοῦ διαφοραί εἰσιν· ὡς εἰπεῖν, τὰς μὲν εἶναι ἀνωτέρω τὰς τὸ μάννα ὑούσας, τὰς δὲ κατωτέρας ⁵ ὑ^[249v] ψηλοτέρας μὲν πολλῶν οὔσας, ὑποκάτω δὲ τῶν ὑουσῶν τὸ μάννα.
And in fact we shall say that the prophets are the inferior ones—to these clouds it was ordered not to shower rain any more upon that people—therefore, “there is no longer a prophet,” (Ps 73.9b) and they say, “we do not see our signs” (Ps 73.9a)—but the angels of God are the better and more distinguished clouds, serving the heavenly bread, then in token and now in truth.	Καὶ ἐροῦμέν γε τὰς μὲν ὑποδεεστέρας εἶναι τοὺς προφήτας – ταύταις γὰρ ταῖς νεφέλαις ἐνετείλατο τοῦ μὴ βρέξαι ἔτι ὑετὸν ‹ἐπὶ τὸν› λαὸν ἐκεῖνον [ὑετὸν]d, διὸ οὐκ ἔστιν ἔτι προφήτης e καί φασιν· τὰ σημεῖα ἡμῶν οὐκ εἴδομεν ¹⁰ τὰς δὲ μείζους καὶ διαφερούσας νεφέλας τοὺς ἀγγέλους εἶναι τοῦ θεοῦ, τὰς ὑψηλοτέρας νεφέλας, αἵτινες διακονοῦνται τὸν ἄρτον τὸν οὐράνιον, τότε μὲν συμβολικῶς ἀεὶ δὲ ἀληθινῶς.
According to me and those greater than I, the heavens are always opened and their gates are spread apart,(cf. Ps 77.23) and those taken as clouds rain upon those traveling and leaving the land of Egypt and leaving for the holy land.	Κατ’ ἐμὲ γὰρ καὶ τοὺς ἐμοῦ κρείττονας ἀεὶ ἀνοίγονται οἱ οὐρανοὶ καὶ αἱ θύραι αὐτῶν ἀναπετάννυνταιg, καὶ αἱ λαβοῦσαι νεφέλαι ὕουσι τοῖς ὁδέυουσι καὶ ἐξελθοῦσιν ἐκ γῆς Αἰγύπτου καὶ ἀπιοῦσιν ἐπὶ ¹⁵ τὴν ἁγίαν γῆν.


3. “And he gave them bread of heaven; a human being ate bread of angels,” (cf.77.24b-25a) and I do not suppose that they can thus be serving to men a bread of angels to eat as angels do and to share through their own common property the bread which they eat with the nature of men. For as those who are very rich share their own bread with the destitute, so the angels, who are loftier and better than we, who, being men, are destitute on account of the body of abasement, (cf. Phil 3.21) they, being richer than we, share their own nourishment with us.	3. Καὶ ἄρτον οὐρανοῦ ἔδωκεν αὐτοῖς, ἄρτον ἀγγέλων ἔφαγεν ἄνθρωπος a· καὶ [οὐκ] οἶμαι ὅτι δύνανται οὕτως διακονήσασθαι ἀνθρώποις ἄρτον ἀγγέλων φαγεῖν ὡς ἄγ ^[250r] γελοι ‹καὶ› μεταδοῦναι διὰ τὸ κοινωνικὸν ἑαυτῶν τοῦ ἄρτου οὗ ἐσθίουσι τῇ τῶν ἀνθρώπων φύσει. Ὡς γὰρ οἱ πλουσιώτεροι τοῖς πένησι μεταδιδόασι τῶν ἑαυτῶν ἄρτων, οὕτως οἱ ἡμῶν τῶν ἀνθρώπων ὄντων πτωχῶν διὰ τὸ σῶμα τῆς ταπεινώσεως ὑψηλότεροι καὶ μείζονες ἄγγελοι, ἅτε ὄντες⁵ ἡμῶν πλουσιώτεροι, μεταδιδόασιν ἡμῖν τῆς ἑαυτῶν τροφῆς.
And the logoi that we eat, “the living bread that came down from heaven,” (cf. Jn 6.51) is sometimes given by God, but sometimes by the angels. That when this bread is given by God, it is possible to hear when the Savior says, “I am the living bread who came down from heaven,” which the Father, he says, gave to the cosmos.(cf. ibid. See also Jn 6.33)	Καὶ οἱ λόγοι οὓς ἐσθίομεν, ὁ ἄρτος ὁ ζῶν ὁ ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καταβάς c, δίδοται ποτὲ μὲν ἀπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ, ποτὲ δὲ ἀπὸ τῶν ἀγγέλων. Ὅτι δὲ ποτὲ μὲν ἀπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ δίδοται ὁ ἄρτος οὗτος, ἔστιν ἀκοῦσαι αὐτοῦ τοῦ σωτῆρος λέγοντος· ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ ἄρτος ὁ ζῶν ὁ ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καταβάς d, ὃν ὁ πατήρ, φησίν, ἔδωκε τῷ ¹⁰ κόσμῳe.
But when it is also given from angels, you will find angels speaking in the prophets.(cf. Hemas, Mandates 11.9) Thus all share with us the bread from their surplus, accommodating it a little to us, for we cannot have an angelic habit of mind and accommodate as much learning as the angels accommodate, but, if one must use that term, the inwards of our soul accommodate little and have small space.	Ποτὲ δὲ καὶ ἀπὸ ἀγγέλων, εὕροις ἂν καὶ ἀγγέλους τοὺς λαλοῦντας ἐν τοῖς προφήταιςf. Οὗτοι πάντες μεταδιδόασιν ἡμῖν ἀπὸ τοῦ ἄρτου τῆς περισσείας αὐτῶν, χωροῦσιν ἡμῖν ἐλάχιστα· οὐ γὰρ δυνάμεθα ἕξιν ἔχειν ἀγγελικὴν καὶ ^[250v] χωρεῖν ὅσα χωροῦσιν ἄγγελοι μαθήματα, ἀλλ’ εἰ δεῖ οὕτως ὀνομάσαι, τὸ ἔγκατον τῆς ψυχῆς ἡμῶν ὀλίγα χωρεῖ καὶ βραχέα δέχεταιg.
Even if you were to mention Paul, or if you were to name Moses, he eats little nourishment in comparison with an angel. For each of these was a human being, even if the one was a human being of God, (cf. Dt 33.1, Jos 14.6, Ps 89.1, Ezra [2 Esdras in LXX] 3.2, 1 Chr 23.14) and the other a human being in Christ. (cf. 2 Cor 12.2)	Κἂν ¹⁵ γὰρ Παῦλον εἴπῃς, κἂν Μωσέα ὀνομάσῃς, ὡς πρὸς ἀγγέλου τροφήν, ὀλίγον ἐσθίει. Ἄνθρωπος γὰρ ἕκαστος τούτων ἦν, εἰ καὶ ὁ μὲν ἄνθρωπος ἦν θεοῦh, ὁ δὲ ἄνθρωπος ἐν Χριστῷi.


4. But let us be downcast when we hear these things, and let us see what great effort we make for the sake of the body, taking precautions about being hungry. And often, having bread, we want to have more and to exchange it for whiter bread, and to have not only what is needful but also what serves luxury and pleasure.	4. Ἀλλὰ δυσωπηθῶμεν τούτων ἀκούοντες καὶ ἴδωμεν ὅσην σπουδὴν περὶ τὸ σῶμα ποιούμεθα εὐλαβούμενοι λιμῶξαι. Καὶ πολλάκις ἔχοντες τὸν ἄρτον, ²⁰ θέλομεν πλείονα ἔχειν καὶ καθαρώτερον αὐτοῦ μεταλαβεῖν, καὶ οὐ μόνα τὰ πρὸς ἀνάγκην ἔχειν ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰ πρὸς τρυφὴν καὶ ἡδονήν.
If most of us are such people, I might say against myself and against those who have this experience, that we are not ashamed of putting such forethought as we do concerning bodily food and intend in its preference to eat the purest food and to eat most healthy for the occasion, but taking no thought at all that our wretched soul may be nourished; but it is destroyed by famine, and we have not given it any thought.	Εἰ δὲ οἱ πλείους ἡμῶν τοιοῦτοί εἰσιν, εἴποιμ’ ἂν πρὸς ἐμαυτὸν καὶ πρὸς τοὺς τοῦτο πεπονθότας, ὅτι οὐκ αἰδούμεθα τοσαύτην μὲν πρόνοιαν περὶ τοῦ σωματικοῦ ἄρτου ποιούμενοι καὶ θέλοντες συγκρίσει αὐτοῦ τὸν καθαρώτερον ἐσθίειν καὶ ἐν καιρῷ ἐσθίειν τὸν ὑγεινότερον ^[251r] , ⁵ οὐδεμίαν δὲ φροντίδα ποιούμεθα, ἵνα ἡ ταλαίπωρος ἡμῶν τραφῇ ψυχή, ἀλλὰ λιμῷ ἀπόλλυται καὶ οὐ πεφροντίκαμεν.
Or is not the soul destroyed by want of living bread, so falling into sins? And just as, if the athlete stops eating an athletic diet, he falls defeated by the antagonist because he has become weaker, in the same way the human soul, whenever it abandons eating nourishment suitable in preparation, nourishment that makes it stronger, necessarily becomes weaker and, when it becomes weaker, it is worsted in the wrestling match.(cf. Eph 6.12)	Ἢ οὐχὶ λιμῷ ἀπόλλυται ἡ ψυχὴ διὰ ἀπορίαν ἄρτου ζῶντοςa ἐμπίπτουσα εἰς ἁμαρτήματα; Καὶ ὥσπερ ἐὰν παύσηται ἐσθίων τὴν ἀθλητικὴν τροφὴν ὁ ἀθλητήςb, ἀσθενέστερος γίνεται καὶ γενόμενος ἀσθενέστερος πίπτει νικώμενος ὑπὸ τοῦ ἀνταγωνιστοῦ, ¹⁰ τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον καὶ ἡ ἀνθρωπίνη ψυχή, ὅταν ἐκλείπῃ ἐσθίουσα τὰς τροφὰς τὰς οἰκείας τῇ κατασκευῇ καὶ ἰσχυροποιούσας αὐτήν, ἀνάγκη γενέσθαι ἀσθενεστέραν καὶ γενομένην ἀσθενεστέραν ἐν τῇ πάλῃ ἡττᾶσθαι.
Have you deliberately forgotten that your “wrestling is not against blood and flesh,” but against such, so many, and such great antagonists? “Against the rulers,” not against some subordinates, but against the rulers; “against the authorities,” not against some inadequate antagonist, but an authoritative one; “against the cosmic dominators,” dominating not parts of the cosmos, but the cosmos, “the cosmic dominators of this darkness.” (Eph 6.12)	Ἐπιλέλησαι ὅτι οὐκ ἔστιν σοι ἡ πάλη πρὸς αἷμα καὶ σάρκα, ἀλλὰ πρὸς οἵους καὶ πηλίκους καὶ ὅσους; Πρὸς γὰρ τὰς ἀρχάς, οὐ πρός τινα ὑποτεταγμένα ¹⁵ ἀλλὰ πρὸς τοὺς ἄρχοντας· πρὸς τὰς ἐξουσίας, οὐ πρός τινα εὐτελῆ ἀλλ’ ἐξουσιάζοντα· πρὸς τοὺς ^[251v] κοσμοκράτορας, οὐ μερῶν κόσμου ἀλλὰ κόσμου κρατούντων, τοὺς κοσμοκράτορας τοῦ σκότους τούτου.
Should you not still make provision to hear, so that you may learn to be nourished with athletic nourishments, because your wrestling is even against the “spiritual matters of wickedness in the heavenly places.” (Eph 6.12) By all means, struggle! No one is crowned if he does not train according to the rules; as part of training according to the rules after the games, adopt the athletic diet.	Ἔτι μᾶλλον εὐλαβήθητι ἀκούων, ἵνα μάθῃς τρέφεσθαι ἀθλητικαῖς τροφαῖς, ὅτι καὶ πρὸς τὰ πνευματικὰ τῆς πονηρίας ἐν τοῖς ἐπουρανίοις d ἔστιν σοι ἡ πάλη. Ἀγώνισαι ²⁰ τοιγαροῦν! Οὐδεὶς γὰρ στεφανοῦται, ἐὰν μὴ νομίμως ἀθλήσῃ· μέρος δὲ τῆς νομίμου ἀθλήσεως μετὰ τῶν γυμνασίων παραλαμβανέσθω καὶ ἡ ἀθλητικὴ τροφή.
Or do you not see what is recounted about those contests called the Great Games? In them are present, sent by the chief judges of the games, those who keep watch over the athlete, how he eats; and, just as they show up for the games, and they keep watch to assure that the games occur according to rule and according to logos, so they show up also for the athletes when they are being nourished.	Ἢ οὐχ ὁρᾷς τί ἱστορεῖται περὶ τῶν ἀγώνων τούτων τῶν ὀνομαζομένων Μεγάλων Γυμνικῶν; Οἷ‹ς› πάρεισι πεμπόμενοι ὑπὸ τῶν Ἑλληνοδίκωνe οἱ ἐπιτηροῦντες τὸν ἀθλητὴν πῶς ἐσθίει· καὶ ὥσπερ τοῖς γυμνασίοις ²⁵ παρατυγχάνουσι, καὶ ἐπιτηροῦσιν εἰ κατὰ νόμον γίνεται καὶ κατὰ λόγον τὰ γυμνάσια, οὕτω παρατυγχάνουσι τοῖς ἀθληταῖς καὶ τρεφομένοις.
And they shout out to those being nourished, as if they were competing, and at the time when they are being nourished, they say, “You are eating well, you are eating nobly, you have good hopes,” and shout out in regard to the nourishment itself.	Καὶ ὑποφωνοῦσι τρεφομένοις ὡς ἀγωνιζομένοις καὶ παρ’ αὐτὸν ^[252r] τὸν καιρὸν τοῦ τρέφεσθαί φασιν “καλῶς ἐσθίεις, γενναίως ἐσθίεις, ἐλπίδας ἔχεις ἀγαθάς” καὶ ὑποφωνοῦσιν ἐπ’ αὐτῇ τῇ τροφῇ.
Next, so that they may receive a perishable crown, they accept workouts: workouts in diet, in games, in being displaced for a variety of reasons, and in making trips. And often human beings among them, going down on their knees, are struck and put up with being struck by their trainers and taking blows on the back and on the belly.	Εἶτα ἐκεῖνοι μὲν ἵνα φθαρτὸν στέφανον λάβωσιν, ἀναδέχονται κάματον· καὶ ⁵ τὸν ἐν ταῖς τροφαῖς, καὶ τὸν ἐν τοῖς γυμνασίοις, καὶ τὸν ἐν ταῖς ἀποδημίαις ταῖς ποικίλαις, καὶ τὸν ἐν ταῖς ὁδοιπορίαις. Καὶ πολλάκις δὲ ‹ἐξ› αὐτῶν ἄνθρωποι γένεια κατιέντες τύπτονται καὶ ἀνέχονται τυπτόμενοι ὑπὸ τῶν ἐπιστατούντων καὶ λαμβάνοντες κατὰ τοῦ νώτου καὶ κατὰ τῆς κοιλίας τὰς πληγάς.
But when you are training, you do not want to endure the blows that God applies to you, intending to make you an athlete by whippings. You do not want to give yourself an athletic diet, but often you let one day go by while your soul lacks nourishment. And why did I say one?	¹⁰ Σὺ δὲ ἀθλῶν οὐ θέλεις ὑπομεῖναι τὰς πληγάς, ἃς προσάγει σοι ὁ ἀθλητὴν ἐθέλων ποιῆσαί ‹σε› διὰ τῶν μαστίγων θεός. Οὐ θέλεις σαυτὸν ἐνδοῦναι τῇ τροφῇ τῇ ἀθλητικῇ, ἀλλὰ πολλάκις παρέρχεται ἡμέρα μία ἀτρόφου σου ὄντος τῇ ψυχῇ. Καὶ τί λέγω μία;
For you also let the second, and the third, and the fourth go by, and that is not enough, but often six or seven days go by, so that you nourish yourself on one. After all, if you could, you would come on the Lord’s day, take your spiritual nourishment, and thus be nourished for salvation in a way that would last, not just six or seven days, but many Lord’s days!	ἀλλὰ γὰρ καὶ δευτέρα καὶ τρίτη καὶ τετάρτη· καὶ οὐκ ἀρκεῖ ^[252v] ἀλλὰ πολλάκις παρέρχονταί σοι ἡμέραι ἓξ καὶ ἑπτά, ἵνα μίαν ¹⁵ τραφῇς. Ἐὰν ἄρα δυνηθῇς ἐλθὼν εἰς κυριακὸνf, λαβών σου τὴν τροφὴν τὴν πνευματικήν, καὶ προτραπῆναι εἰς σωτηρίαν, ἀλλὰ οὐ δὲ διὰ ἑπτὰ ἡμερῶν, ἀλλὰ διὰ πλειόνων κυριακῶν!
Already some are disdainful and stay without nourishment for a whole year, but they come on the few days of the so-called “Passover,” so that they are nourished on those. Do you suppose that those people could compete as athletes, that they could struggle against the spiritual things of wickedness, after neglecting their own diet? They cannot be strong without following a strength-building diet.	Ἤδη μέν τινες καταφρονοῦσι καὶ ὅλῳ τῷ ἐνιαυτῷ ἄτροφοι μένουσιν· ἔρχονται δὲ ἐπ’ ὀλίγας τὰς τοῦ πάσχα λεγομένας ‹ἡμέρας› ἐν αὐταῖς τραφησόμενοιh. Οἴεσθε ὅτι ἐκεῖνοι δύνανται ἀθλῆσαι, δύνανται ²⁰ ἀγωνίσασθαι πρὸς τὰ πνευματικὰ τῆς πονηρίαςi, οὕτως ἀμελοῦντες τῶν ἑαυτῶν τροφῶν; Οὐ δύνανται ἰσχὺν ἔχειν, τὰς ἰσχυροποιούσας μὴ λαμβάνοντες τροφάς.


5. Here is what needs to be said about the heavenly manna, so that you may not consider blessed those then, picturing for yourself manna, a food that goes into the mouth of human beings, as food chewed by angels. Even if these things did somehow come to pass according to God’s plan then, nonetheless they also had come to pass for our sake, to whom the completion of the ages have come. (cf.1 Cor 10.11)	5. Ταῦτα διὰ τὸ μάννα τὸ ἐπουράνιονa, ἵνα μὴ μακαρίζῃς τοὺς τότε ἀναζωγραφῶν σεαυτῷ μάννα τροφὴν ἀγγέλων μασωμένων, τροφὴν εἰς τὸ στόμα τῶν ἀνθρώπων εἰσιο‹+ῦσα›ν. Ταῦτα εἰ καὶ γέγονέ πως κατὰ τὴν οἰκονομίαν τὴν τότε, ἀλλὰ γέ ^[253r] *γονε δι’ ἡμᾶς, εἰς οὓς τὰ τέλη τῶν αἰώνων κατήντηκεν* b.**
So, as to the manna produced according to the narrative, should you actually be bold to say, in interpretation of “a human being ate the bread of angels,” (Ps 77.25a) that those men were eating, chewing with their teeth, just as the angels of God in the heavens were eating, and that the angels had also, as it were, a sacrifice so that they would grind the manna as the Israelites did, and they had an earthenware pot so that they might boil the manna? (cf. Nm 11.8. cf. Ps80 Hom.1.5.)	Ἵνα δὲ καὶ ⁵ γενόμενον ᾖ τὸ μάννα κατὰ τὴν ἱστορίαν, ἆρα τολμήσεις λέγειν ἐν τῷ ἐξηγεῖσθαι τὸ ἄρτον ἀγγέλων ἔφαγεν ἄνθρωπος c ὅτι ἐκεῖνο ὃ ἤσθιον οἱ ἄνθρωποι, μασώμενοι διὰ τῶν ὀδόντων, τοῦτο οἱ ἄγγελοι τοῦ θεοῦ οἱ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς ἤσθιον καὶ εἶχον καὶ αὐτοὶ ὡσπερεὶ θυσίαν τοῖς Ἰσραηλίταις ὁμοίως ἵνα τρίβωσι τὸ μάννα, καὶ χύτραν ἵνα ἐψῶσιν τὸ μάνναd;
And was the consistency of the manna, even for the heavenly powers, like a honey cake, and was the appearance of the manna, even among the heavenly powers, as of a thin coriander seed for them, like frost, and was it white on the ground? (cf.Ex 16.31)	Καὶ ἡ ποιότης 10 τοῦ μάννα καὶ παρὰ τοῖς ἀγγέλοις ἦν ὡς ἐγκρὶς ἐν μέλιτι e, καὶ ἡ ὄψις τοῦ μάννα καὶ παρὰ ταῖς ἐπουρανίαις δυνάμεσι ὡσεὶ σπέρμα κορίου λεπτὸν ἦν αὐτοῖς, ὡσεὶ πάγος, καὶ λευκὸν ἦν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς;
Or do you not know that the Holy Spirit was folding into the narrative nakedly figurative speech, so that he might alert the hearer who is about to lapse entirely into bodily and entirely into sensible things, so that he might alert him to spiritual things and to better things?(cf. Princ. 4.2.9)	Ἢ οὐκ οἶδας ὅτι ἀνέμιξε τὸ ἅγιον πνεῦμα τῇ ἱστορίᾳ τροπολογίαν γυμνήνg, ἵνα διεγείρῃ τὸν ἀκροατὴν μέλλοντα καταπίπτειν ὅλον ἐπὶ τὰ ¹⁵ σωματικὰ καὶ ὅλον ἐπὶ τὰ αἰσθητά ^[253v] , ἵνα διεγείρῃ αὐτὸν ἐπὶ τὰ πνευματικὰ καὶ τὰ κρείττοναh;
And angels, then, are nourished spiritually, and thrones, and lordships and rulers and authorities also do not remain unnourished. Why do I say angels, thrones, lordships, rulers, authorities? Μy Lord Jesus Christ himself is nourished. He confesses as much and teaches it, saying, “Μy food is that I do the will of the Father who sent me.” (Jn 4.34)	Καὶ ἄγγελοι οὖν τρέφονται πνευματικῶς, καὶ θρόνοι καὶ κυριότητες καὶ ἀρχαὶ καὶ ἐξουσίαι καὶ οὐδὲν ἄτροφον μένειi. Τί λέγω ἄγγελοι, θρόνοι, κυριότητες, ἀρχαί, ἐξουσίαι; Καὶ αὐτός μου ὁ κύριος Ἰησοῦς Χριστὸς τρέφεται. Ὁμολογεῖ γοῦν καὶ διδάσκει λέγων· ἐμὸν βρῶμά ἐστιν, ἵνα ποιήσω τὸ θέλημα τοῦ πέμψαντός με πατρός j.


6. And the logos is being somewhat bold to speak because of the nourishments, if, in fact, it will be bold to speak such things seasonably before this audience; but let the logos be bold and not be bold, and let it speak and let it judge. God’s logos knows that what is nourished has its life supplied, so that if, for the sake of argument, it were not nourished, it would be deprived of life.	6. Καὶ τολμᾷ τι ὁ λόγος διὰ τὰς τροφὰς εἰπεῖν, εἴ γε εὐκαίρως τολμήσει ἐπὶ τοῦ τοιούτου ⁵ ἀκροατηρίου τοιαῦτα εἰπεῖν· τολμησάτω δὲ καὶ μὴ τολμησάτω, καὶ λεγέτω καὶ κρινέτωa. Οἶδεν τοίνυν ὁ λόγος τοῦ θεοῦ τὸ τρεφόμενον ἐπισκευαστὴν ἔχειν τὴν ζωήν, ὡς εἰ καθ’ ὑπόθεσιν μὴ τρέφοιτο, στερηθείη ἂν τῆς ζωῆς.
A human being, then, confesses, when it comes to what is related to the body, that also he furnishes life from nourishment and that, if he were to neglect nourishment and completely stop furnishing it, he would die of starvation. Let the naive suppose that that starvation will not occur in the case of a just person, since it is written, “The Lord will not starve a just soul.”(Prv 10.3)	Ἄνθρωπος μὲν οὖν κατὰ τὸ σωματικὸν ὁμολογεῖται, ὅτι καὶ ἐκ τῆς τροφῆς ἐπισκευάζει τὴν ζωὴν καὶ ἐὰν ἀμελήσῃ τῆς τροφῆς καὶ μὴ ¹⁰ ἐπισκευάσῃ πάντη ^[254r] αὐτήν, λιμοκτονεῖται. Ταύτη‹ν› μὲν τὴν λιμοκτόνησιν οἱ μὲν ἀκέραιοι ὐπολαμβανέτωσαν μὴ γίνεσθαι ἐπὶ τὸν δίκαιον, ἐπεὶ γέγραπται· οὐ λιμοκτονήσει κύριος ψυχὴν δικαίαν
But the person who perceives divine things knows that there is another nourishment of the soul and it is possible for the soul by its own logos to be mortal in terms of another death, not this one.	^b. Ὁ δὲ νοήσων τὰ θεῖα οἶδεν ὅτι ἔστιν ἄλλη τροφὴ ψυχῆς καὶ ἔστιν ψυχὴ τῷ ἰδίῳ λόγῳ ἄλλῳ θανάτῳ θνητὴ οὐ τούτῳc.
(?cf.Mt 10.28) Some who misconstrue “The soul that sins, it will die” (Ezek 18.4) have supposed that the human soul perishes entirely, so that it does not exist, not grasping that every soul has its own ordinary life; whether it wants to or not, being rational, it always lives, but there is, nonetheless, another life by which each soul lives. For many souls have died, “for the soul that sins, it will die.”	Ὃ παρεκδεξάμενοί τινες ᾠήθησαν διὰ τὸ ἡ ψυχὴ ἡ ἁμαρτάνουσα, αὕτη ¹⁵ ἀποθανεῖται d, παντελῶς φθείρεσθαι εἰς τὸ μὴ ὂν τὴν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ψυχήν, οὐ συνιέντες ὅτι τὴν κοινὴν ἑαυτῆς ζωὴν πᾶσα ψυχή, εἴτε βούλεται εἴτε μὴ βούλεται, οὖσα λογικὴ ἀεὶ ζῇ, τὴν μέντοιγε ἑτέραν ζωὴν καθ’ ἣν πᾶσα ζωή ‹ἐστι›. Πολλαὶ γὰρ ψυχαὶ τεθνήκασι· ψυχὴ γὰρ ἡ ἁμαρτάνουσα αὕτη ἀποθανεῖται ^e.
The soul, accordingly, as I said, being mortal by logos, receives nourishment so as not to die; when nourishment is kept away, a death inimical to life lords it over the soul. And to the extent that you are nourished, death cannot lord it over you, but whenever you lack nourishment, then you will die. Lacking nourishment you sin, but sinning you die according to what is said, because “the soul that sins, it will die.”	Ἡ ψυχὴ τοίνυν, ὡ̔ς εἶπον, λόγῳ οὖσα θνητή, ὑπὲρ τοῦ μὴ ἀποθανεῖν τροφὴν λαμβάνει, κωλυούσης τῆς τροφῆς τὸν ἐχθρὸν τῇ ζωῇ θάνατον κρατῆσαι τῆς ψυχῆς ^[254v] . Καὶ ὅσον γε τρέφῃ, οὐ δύναται θάνατος κρατῆσαί σου· ὅταν δὲ ἀτροφήσῃς, τότε ἀποθανῇf. ⁵ Ἀτροφῶν γὰρ ἁμαρτάνεις, ἁμαρτάνων δὲ ἀποθνῄσκεις κατὰ τὸ εἰρημένον, ὅτι ψυχὴ ἡ ἁμαρτάνουσα, αὕτη ἀποθανεῖται^g.
Someone hearing these logoi will then ask, “Do the angels, indeed, since they are maintained, have nourishment furnished, so that if they were not nourished, they would die?”	Ἐρεῖ τις οὖν τῶν ἀκουόντων τούτων τῶν λόγων· ἆρα καὶ οἱ ἄγγελοι ἐπεὶ ἐπιτρέφονται ἐπισκευαστὴν ἔχουσι τὴν τροφήν, ὡς εἰ μὴ τρέφοιντο τεθνηξόμενοι;
Let the logos be manifested, and let it show and let it say that if indeed God has kept for the judgment of the great day, in eternal chains under gloom, (Jude 6, Gn 6.2-4) the angels who did not preserve their own rulership but abandoned their own proper dwelling, it is evident that these are the ones who received a death sentence because of sinning.	Ἀποφαινέσθω ὁ λόγος καὶ ἀποδεικνύτω καὶ λεγέτω ὅτι εἴπερ ¹⁰ ἀγγέλους τοὺς μὴ τηρήσοντας τὴν ἑαυτῶν ἀρχήν, ἀλλὰ ἀπολιπόντας τὸ ἴδιον οἰκητήριον εἰς κρίσιν μεγάλης ἡμέρας δεσμοῖς ἀϊδίοις ὑπὸ ζόφον τετήρηκεν ὁ θεός, δῆλον ὅτι κἀκεῖνοι ἐπιδέχονται ἐκ τοῦ ἁμαρτάνειν τὸ ἀποθνῄσκειν·
But before they sinned, even in the case of those who would neglect nourishment, each one’s nourishment is God’s logos, the living one, who says, “I am the living bread who came down from heaven.” (Jn 6.51) In just this way, say that every power has a life furnished.	ἐπὶ δὲ τὸ ἁμαρτάνειν, ἐὰν ἀμελήσωσι τῆς τροφῆς, κἀκείνων γὰρ τροφή ἐστι ὁ λόγος ὁ ζῶν ὁ εἰπών· ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ ἄρτος ὁ ζῶν ὁ ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καταβάς i. Καὶ οὕτως γε ¹⁵ λέγε πᾶσαν δύ^[255r] ναμιν ἐπισκευαστὴν ἔχειν τὴν ζωήν.


7. Having gotten as far as these things, it suffices for me to leave to the hearer, if he should be intelligent, a logos something like this: the Apostle says somewhere, always marvelously speaking about God, “the only one having immortality,” (1Τm 6.16) making this evident, that only the life of the God of the Universe is not furnished, nor is such a thing produced when it comes to God’s life, as becomes the case concerning the life of those who have it furnished.	7. Ἀρκεῖ μοι μέχρι τούτων φθάσαντι καταλιπεῖν τῷ ἀκροατῇ, ἐὰν ᾖ συνετόςa, λόγον σοφὸν ἀκούσαντι αὐτὸν καὶ ἐπαινέσαντι αὐτόν, προσθεῖναι ἐπ’ αὐτόν. Λέγων γοῦν τὸ τοιοῦτον, φησί που ‹ὁ› ἀπόστολος καὶ θαυμαστῶς ἀεὶ λέγων περὶ τοῦ θεοῦ· ὁ μόνος ἔχων ἀθανασίαν b, τοῦτο δηλῶν ὅτι μόνου τοῦ θεοῦ τῶν ὅλων ἡ ζωὴ οὐκ ἔστιν ἐπισκευαστή οὐδὲ γίνεται περὶ τὴν ζωὴν τοῦ θεοῦ τοιοῦτον, ὁποῖον γίνεται περὶ τὴν ζωὴν τῶν ἐπισκευαζόντων αὐτήν.
If, accordingly, only God has immortality, let all beings think ahead to furnish their own life, persuaded that if they neglect nourishment, they also neglect life and will die. And such is the case in, “For I have been young, and I am old, and I did not see a just person who had been abandoned or his seed seeking bread; all day he is merciful and lends, and his seed will be for a blessing.” (Ps 36.25-26; cf Ps 36, Hom.4) The same thing holds for, “The Lord will not starve a just soul,” (Prv 10.3) and, “When the just eats, he fills his soul, but the souls of the irreverent are needy.” (Prv 13.25. cf Ps 15, Ηom.9)	Εἰ τοίνυν μόνος ὁ θεὸς ἔχει ἀθανασίαν, πάντα προνοείτω ἐπισκευάζειν ἑαυτῶν τὴν ζωήν, πεπεισμένα ὅτι ἐὰν⁵ ἀμελήσῃ τῆς τροφῆς, ἀμελήσει καὶ τῆς ζωῆς καὶ τεθνήξεται. Καὶ τοιοῦτόν ἐστι τὸ νεώτερος ἐγενόμην καὶ γὰρ ἐγέρασα καὶ οὐκ εἶδον δίκαιον ἐγκαταλελειμμένον οὐδὲ τὸ σπέρμα αὐτοῦ ζητοῦν ἄρτους· ὅλην τὴν ἡμέραν ἐλεᾷ καὶ δανείζει, καὶ τὸ σπέρμα ^[255v] αὐτοῦ εἰς εὐλογίαν ἔσται c. Τούτων ἔχεται καὶ τὸ οὐ λιμοκτονήσει κύριος ψυχὴν δικαίαν d, καὶ τὸ δίκαιος ¹⁰ *ἐσθίων ἐμπίπλησι ψυχήν, ψυχαὶ δὲ ἀσεβῶν ἐνδεεῖς* ^e.
The just person, then, always eats, and it is not possible that he neglects delight. For he keeps the commandment saying, “Take delight in the Lord,” (Ps 36.4. cf Ps 36, Ηom 1.4) and eats, for sure, to delight. For the person who has tasted spiritual nourishment knows what the delight of the soul is. Look with me at legal exposition. Thoroughly understand prophetic clarity.	Ὁ οὖν δίκαιος ἀεὶ ἐσθίει καὶ οὔκ ἐστιν ὅτε ἀμελεῖ τρυφῆς. Τηρεῖ γὰρ καὶ τὴν λέγουσαν ἐντολήν· κατατρύφησον τοῦ κυρίου f, καὶ ἐσθίει γε πρὸς τρυφήνg. Ὁ γὰρ γευσάμενος πνευματικῆς τροφῆς οἶδεν τίς ἡ τρυφὴ ἡ τῆς ψυχῆς. Ἴδε μοι διήγησιν νομικήν, κατανόησον σαφήνειαν προφητικήν,
Look at the gospel logos as it is unrolled. Thoroughly understand an Apostle enlightening you with the clear knowledge of Scripture, if you do not sense that such delight is a delight opposite to the delight of the body, the delight in which God intends us to delight. (cf Ps 34 Ηom.4)	ἴδε εὐαγγελικὸν ¹⁵ ἀναπτυσσόμενον λόγον, κατανόησον ἀπόστολον φωτίζοντά σε τῇ σαφηνείᾳ τῆς γραφῆς, εἰ μὴ αἰσθάνῃ ὅτι ἐναντία τρυφὴ τῆς τοῦ σώματος τρυφῆς ἡ τρυφή ἐστιν ἡ τοιαύτη, ἣν ὁ θεὸς βούλεται ἡμᾶς τρυφᾶν.
Therefore, in creating man, he placed him in the paradise of delight. (Gn 2.8, 3.23-24) But the man who sins does not eat nourishment from heaven, but from earth. For it is written, “Cursed is the earth in your works; in sorrows you shall eat of it all the days of your life. Thorns and thistles it will bring forth for you, and you shall eat the grass of the field. In sweat of your face you shall eat your bread until you return to the earth from which you were taken.” (Gn 3.17-19)	Διὸ καὶ κτίσας τὸν ἄνθρωπον, ἔθετο αὐτὸν ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ τῆς τρυφῆςi. Ὁ μὲν οὖν ἁμαρτήσας ἄνθρωπος οὐκ ἀπὸ οὐρανοῦ ἐσθίει, ἀλλ’ ἀπὸ γῆς τροφήν. Γέγραπται γάρ· ²⁰ *ἐπι* ^[256r] κατάρατος ἡ γῆ ἐν τοῖς ἔργοις σου, ἐν λύπαις φαγῇ αὐτὴν πάσας τὰς ἡμέρας τῆς ζωῆς σου· ἀκάνθας καὶ τριβόλους ἀνατελεῖ σοι, καὶ φαγῇ τὸν χόρτον τοῦ ἀγροῦ· ἐν ἱδρῶτι τοῦ προσώπου σου φαγῇ τὸν ἄρτον σου ἕως ἀποτρέψαι σε εἰς γῆν ἐξ ἧς ἐλήφθης.


8. But the one who is not sinning down in the desert, having left Egypt, no longer eats bread from earth, he no longer receives nourishment from the cursed earth, but see from where he is nourished, for it says, “He commanded to the clouds from above.” (Ps 77.23a) If you live well, it says that the Lord will open to you the good, heavenly treasury.	8. Ὁ δὲ μὴ ἁμαρτάνων κατὰ τὴν ἔρημον, Αἴγυπτον καταλιπών, οὐκέτι ἐσθίει ἄρτον γῆς, οὐκέτι λαμβάνει τροφὴν ἀπὸ τῆς ἐπικαταράτου γῆς, ἄλλ’ ὅρα πόθεν 5 τρέφεται· ἐνετείλατο γάρ, φησίν, νεφέλαις ὑπεράνωθεν a. Ἐὰν γὰρ καλῶς βιώσῃς, ἀνοῖξαί σοί φησι κύριος τὸν θησαυρὸν τὸν ἀγαθὸν τὸν ἐπουράνιον.
Let those hearing such logoi take wing, let them be uplifted, let them be no longer in the flesh, let them be in the spirit! Those who are in the flesh cannot please God. (Rom 8.8) Let them accomplish such things, that it may be said to them by the Spirit, “You are no longer in the flesh, but in spirit, if indeed God’s spirit dwells in you.” (Rom 8.9)	Οἱ τούτων ἀκούοντες τῶν λόγων πτερούσθωσαν, ἐπαιρέσθωσαν, μηκέτι ἔστωσαν ἐν σαρκί, γενέσθωσαν ἐν πνεύματιb! Οἱ γὰρ ἐν σαρκὶ ὄντες, θεῷ ἀρέσαι οὐ δύνανταιc. Τοιαῦτα πραττέτωσαν, ἵνα λέγηται πρὸς 10 αὐτοὺς ὑπὸ τοῦ πνεύματος· ὑμεῖς δὲ οὐκ ἐστὲ ἐν σαρκί, ἀλλ’ ἐν πνεύματι ^[256v] *, εἴπερ πνεῦμα θεοῦ οἰκεῖ ἐν ὑμῖν* ^d.
“And he opened the doors of heaven.”(Ps 77.23b) I am confident that this is impossible according to the statement. For in creating this heaven God did not make doors in it, so that, from time to time, heaven might be opened and closed. But this is true according to figurative speech. Seeking doors of heaven, I do find some things that are doors of heaven. I have one, the one who said, “I am the door.” (Jn 10.9) Similarly I find another one because the Holy Spirit is another door.(cf. Princ. 1.3.7)	Καὶ θύρας οὐρανοῦ ἀνέῳξεν e· ἐγὼ πέπεισμαι ὅτι κατὰ τὸ ῥητὸν ἀδύνατόν ἐστιν. Οὐ γὰρ κτίζων ὁ θεὸς τὸν οὐρανὸν τοῦτον θύρας αὐτῷ ἐποίησεν, ἵνα ὁτὲ μὲν ἀνοίγηται οὐρανός, ὁτὲ δὲ κλείηται. Κατὰ δὲ τὴν τροπολογίαν τοῦτο 15 ἀληθές ἐστιν. Ζητῶν θύρας οὐρανοῦ εὑρίσκω τίνες αἱ θύραι τοῦ οὐρανοῦ. Τὴν μὲν οὖν μίαν ἔχω τὸν εἰπόντα· ἐγώ εἰμι ἡ θύραf· τὴν δὲ ἑτέραν εὑρίσκω παρακειμένως ὅτι ἡ ἄλλη θύρα τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιόν ἐστι. Αὗται οὖν ἀνοίγονται αἱ θύραι τοῦ οὐρανοῦ.
These doors of heaven are opened. But one can see the doors of heaven in another way. The virtues are doors of heaven, but the vices are doors of death. “The one who lifts me up,” it says, “from the gates of death, so that I may announce to all your praises in the gates of the daughter of Zion.” .(Ps 9.14-15) One cannot come to be at the gates of the daughter of Zion and proclaim all the praises of God, unless one has been lifted up by God from the gates of death.	Καὶ ἄλλως δὲ δύνασαι ἰδεῖν θύρας οὐρανοῦ· αἱ γὰρ ἀρεταὶ θύραι εἰσὶν οὐρανοῦ, αἱ δὲ κακίαι θύραι θανάτου εἰσίν· ὁ ὑψῶν με, φησίν, ἐκ τῶν 20 πυλῶν τοῦ θανάτου, ὅπως ἂν ἐξαγγείλω πάσας τὰς αἰνέσεις σου ἐν ταῖς πύλαις τῆς θυγατρὸς Σιών g. Οὐ δύνασαι ἐν ταῖς πύλαις τῆς θυγατρὸς Σιὼν γενέσθαι καὶ ἐξαγγεῖλαι πάσας τὰς αἰνέσεις τοῦ θεοῦ, ἐὰν μὴ ὑψωθῇς ὑπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ ἀπὸ^[257r]τῶν τοῦ θανάτου πυλῶν.
What, then, are the initial gates of death and doors beside the gates? Fornication, idolatry, faithlessness, greed, vanity, and, in a word, the works of the flesh, about which the Apostle says, “fornication, impurity, insolence, idolatry, poisoning, enmities, strife, jealousy, angers, intrigues, divisions, heresies, envies, drunkennesses, riotings.” (Gal 5.19-2 1 All these are gates and doors of death.	Τίνες οὖν αἱ τοῦ θανάτου πύλαι πρότερον καὶ θύραι παρὰ ταῖς πύλαις; Πορνεία, εἰδωλολατρία, ἀπιστία, φιλαργυρία, ⁵ κενοδοξία καὶ ἅπαξ τὰ ἔργα τῆς σαρκός, περὶ ὧν ὁ ἀπόστολός φησιν· πορνεία, ἀκαθαρσία, ἀσέλγεια, εἰδωλολατρία, φαρμακεία, ἔχθραι, ἔρις, ζῆλος, θυμοί, ἐριθεῖαι, διχοστασίαι, αἱρέσεις, φθόνοι, μέθαι, κῶμοι h. Αὗται πᾶσαι αἱ πύλαι καὶ θύραι τοῦ θανάτου.
They are also gates of hell, the ones that could not overpower Peter and those who are equivalent to him according to what was said, “You are Peter, and upon this rock I shall build my Church, and gates of hell shall not overpower it.” (Mt 16.18) These gates are animate, for the adverse powers overpower some, but they do not overpower Peter.	Αἱ δ’ αὗταί εἰσι καὶ πύλαι τοῦ ᾅδουi, αἵτινες οὐ κατισχύουσι Πέτρου καὶ τῶν ¹⁰ παραπλησίων κατὰ τὸ εἰρημένον· σὺ εἶ Πέτρος καὶ ἐπὶ ταύτῃ τῇ πέτρᾳ οἰκοδομήσω μου τὴν ἐκκλησίαν καὶ πύλαι ᾅδου οὐ κατισχύ‹σ›ουσιν αὐτῆς j. – Ἔμψυχοι δέ εἰσιν αὗται αἱ πύλαιk· αἱ γὰρ δυνάμεις ἀντικείμεναι κατισχύουσι τινῶν, Πέτρου δὲ οὐ κατισχύσουσιν.
If you have seen the gates of death and gates and doors of hell described by the logos, ascend to the opposite ones and you will see that the gates of heaven are the virtues themselves, the gates of the daughter of Zion, the doors of life, the doors of justice, as it says, “Open for me the gates of justice; entering into them I shall give my testimony to the Lord.” (Ps 117.19)	Εἴπερ ἑώρακας τὰς τοῦ θανάτου πύλας καὶ θύρας καὶ ‹τὰς› τοῦ ^[257v] ᾅδου τοῦ λόγου παραστήσαντος, ἄνελθε ἐπὶ τὰ τούτοις ἐναντία καὶ ὄψει αὐτὰς τὰς ἀρετὰς θύρας οὐρανοῦ, πύλας θυγατρὸς Σιών l, θύρας ζωῆς, θύρας δικαιοσύνης, ὥς φησιν· ἀνοίξατέ μοι πύλας δικαιοσύνης· εἰσελθὼν ἐν αὐταῖς ἐξομολογήσομαι τῷ κυρίῳ.
Either according to the initial, or according to the next interpretation, or according to another, deeper one, it can be said also in the Psalm, “Lift gates, those who are ruling you, and be lifted up, age-long gates, and the king of glory will enter.” (Ps 23.7. cf Ps 15 Hom 2.8)	Εἴτε ⁵ δὲ κατὰ τὴν προτέραν, εἴτε κατὰ τὴν δευτέραν ἑρμηνείαν, εἴτε κατά τινα ἑτέραν βαθυτέραν, λεχθῆναι δύναται καὶ τὸ ἐν τῷ ψαλμῷ· ἄρατε πύλας, οἱ ἄρχοντες ὑμῶν, καὶ ἐπάρθητε, πύλαι αἰώνοι, καὶ εἰσελεύσεται ὁ βασιλεὺς τῆς δόξης ^n.
This will do for “He opened the doors of heaven and rained down manna on them to eat.” (Ps 77.23b-24a)	Ταῦτα διὰ τὸ θύρας οὐρανοῦ ἀνέῳξε καὶ ἔβρεξεν αὐτοῖς μάννα φαγεῖν ^o.


9. But let us not pass over unexamined the singular noun “heaven.” God opened the doors of “heaven” to those departing Egypt. Because they knew in part and they prophesied in part, (1Cor 13.9) the other doors of the rest of the heavens were not opened to them at all, but the person who ascends through the doors of the first heaven and is educated in the first heaven will need to ascend also to the gates of those higher than the first, even in this way following Jesus, who passed through all the heavens, (Heb 4.14. cf Princ. 2.11.6) so that he came to be next to the God and Father of the universe, so that one could grow to be beside God by following Christ.	¹⁰ 9. Μὴ παρέλθωμενa δὲ καὶ τὸ ἑνικὸν τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ἀνεξέταστον ὄνομαb. Τοῖς ἐξελθοῦσιν ἐκ γῆς Αἰγύπτου θύρας οὐρανοῦ ἀνέῳξεν ὁ θεόςc. Ὅτε ἐκ μέρους ἐγίνωσκον καὶ ἐκ μέρους ἐπροφήτευονd, αἵδε ἄλλαι θύραι τῶν λοιπῶν οὐρανῶν οὔπω αὐτοῖς ἠνοίχθησαν ^[258r] , ἀλλὰ δεήσει τὸν ἀνελθόντα διὰ τῶν θυρῶν τοῦ πρώτου οὐρανοῦ καὶ ἐμπαιδευθέντα τῷ πρώτῳ οὐρανῷ ἀνελθεῖν καὶ ¹⁵ ἐπὶ τὰς ἀνωτέρω τοῦ ‹πρώτου› οὐρανοῦ πύλας καὶ οὕτως ἀκολοθοῦντα τῷ Ἰησοῦ, ὃς διελήλυθε πάντας τοὺς οὐρανούςe, γενέσθαι παρὰ τῷ θεῷ καὶ πατρὶ τῶν ὅλων, ὡς πέφυκέν τις γίνεσθαι παρὰ τῷ θεῷ ἐκ τοῦ ἀκολουθεῖν τῷ Χριστῷ.
“He rained down manna on them to eat.” (Ps 77.24a) God has given without stinting a bread from heaven to his people that is appropriate for activating every pleasure and fitting every taste. For whatever someone has wanted, the nature of the logos nourishing the soul has been mixed, adjusted to the strength of the one being nourished (cf Wis 16.20-21) If the logos is nourishing an infant, it becomes milk; (cf. 1Cor 3.2) if a weak soul is being nourished, since those who are weak eat vegetables, (cf. Rm 14.2) the logos becomes vegetables; if someone is mature, about whom it is written, “solid nourishment is for the mature,” (Heb 5.14) the logos becomes solid nourishment. The manna that God rained down is all this.	Ἔβρεξεν ἐπ’ αὐτοὺς μάννα φαγεῖν f· ἕτοιμον ἄρτον ἀπ’ οὐρανοῦ ἔδωκεν ὁ θεὸς τῷ λαῷ αὐτοῦ ἀκοπιάστως πρὸς πᾶσαν ἡδονὴν ἰσχύοντα καὶ πρὸς πᾶσαν ἁρμόνιον γεῦσιν g. Πρὸς ὅ ⁵ τι γάρ τις ἐβούλετο, μετεκιρνᾶτοh τοιαύτη δὲ τοῦ τρέφοντος τὴν ψυχὴν λόγου φύσις πρὸς τὴν δύναμιν τοῦ τρεφομένου μεταβάλλουσα. Ἐὰν νήπιον τρέφῃ ὁ λόγος, γάλα γίνεταιi· ἐὰν ψυχὴ ἀσθενοῦσα τρέφηται, ἐπεὶ ὁ ἀσθενῶν λάχανα ἐσθίει, ὁ λόγος λάχανα γίνεταιj· ἐὰν τέλειος ᾖ, περὶ ὧν γέγραπται· τελείων δέ ἐστιν ἡ στερεὰ τροφή k, ὁ λόγος στερεὰ τροφὴ γίνεται ^[258v] . Πάντα οὖν ἐστι τοῦτο τὸ μάννα ὃ ἔβρεξεν ὁ θεόςl.


10. The manna does not come to us when we stay where we are, but when we go outside the tents, so that when we are outside, then we will gather the manna. What, then, is the intent of this? Let us see. If our body, in which our soul is confined, is the tents, the soul must no longer be in the flesh but in the spirit and go out of the tents. I am talking about the tents of the body.	10. Οὐ καθεζομένοις δὲ ἡμῖν ἔρχεται τὸ μάννα, ἀλλὰἐρχομένοις ἔξω τῆς παρεμβολῆς, ἵνα ἔξωθεν γενόμενοι τότε συλλέξωμεν τὸ μάννα. Τί οὐν βούλεται ταῦτα, ἴδωμεν. Εἰ δὲ ⁵ ἡ παρεμβολὴ τῶ σῶμα ἡμῶν, ἐν ᾧ ἐνεῖρκται ἡ ψυχή, δεῖ τὴν ψυχὴν μηκέτι εἶναι ἐν σαρκὶ ἀλλ’ ἐν πνεύματιa καὶ ἔξω γενέσθαι τῆς παρεμβολῆς, λέγω δὲ τοῦ σώματος τῆς παρεμβολῆς.
It shall seek and it shall find (cf. Mt 7.7) manna coming out of heaven. For he showered on them manna to eat, the thing that, whenever you find it, you say, struck with amazement, “Manna? What is this?” (Ex 16.15) Therefore, it is named “manna”—”What?”—for that was the exclamation said in amazement by those who did not know what to think at the surprise of finding bread below. This came to be the name for the bread, it is called “manna,” and he gave them bread from heaven.	Ζητήσει ‹δὴ› καὶ εὑρήσει μάννα ἐλθὸν ἔξω τοῦ οὐρανοῦ. Ἔβρεξε γὰρ ἐπ’ αὐτοὺς μάννα φαγεῖν b, ὅπερ ἐὰν καὶ εὕρῃς, θαυμαστικῶς ἐρεῖς· “μάν; τί ἐστι τοῦτο c”; Διὸ ¹⁰ καλεῖται τὸ ὄνομα “μάννα”, τουτέστιν “τί”, οἷον τὸ φθέγμα ὃ εἴρηκας θαυμάσας καὶ ἐπαπορήσας ἐπὶ τῷ παραδόξῳ τοῦ εὑρήματος τοῦ κατὰ τὸν ἄρτονd. Τοῦτο τὸ ὄνομα τῷ ἄρτῳ γίνεται, καλεῖται μάννα, καὶ ἄρτον οὐρανοῦ ἔδωκεν αὐτοῖς.
The one being of the earth is from the earth and speaks from the earth, since it appears from the earth. The one who comes from heaven, (cf. Jn 3.31) that one bears the bread from heaven and puts the image of the heavenly (cf. 1 Cor 15.49) on those who are going to eat the bread of angels.	*Ὁ ὢν ἐκ τῆς γῆς ἐκ τῆς γῆς ἐστιν* ^[259r] καὶ ἐκ τῆς γῆς λαλεῖ f, ἐπεὶ ἐκ τῆς γῆς φαίνεται. Ὁ δὲ ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ἐρχόμενοςg, οὗτος φέρει τὸν ἐξ οὐρανοῦ ¹⁵ *ἄρτον καὶ περιτίθησιν εἰκόνα τοῦ ἐπουρανίουh τοῖς μέλλουσιν ἐσθίειν ἄρτον ἀγγέλων.*
But no one bearing the image of the one made of earth can eat the bread of heaven. Therefore, the soul-ish human being does not receive the things of the spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him. (cf. 1 Cor 2.14) Do not think, then, that anyone can eat heavenly bread while bearing the image of the one made of earth.	Οὐδεὶς δὲ φορὼν τὴν εἰκόνα τοῦ χοϊκοῦi δύναται ἄρτον οὐρανοῦ φαγεῖν. Διὰ τοῦτο ψυχικὸς ἄνθρωπος οὐ δέχεται τὰ τοῦ πνεύματος τοῦ θεοῦ j· μωρία γὰρ αὐτῷ ἐστιν. Μὴ νομίσῃς οὖν ὅτι ‹τις› δύναται ἄρτον οὐράνιον φαγεῖν ἐπιφορῶν τὴν εἰκόνα τοῦ χοϊκοῦ.
“He gave them bread from heaven; a human being ate the bread of angels.” (Ps 77.24b-25a) Do you suppose that the angels are blessed, because they have the life, the one who said, “I am the life”? (Jn 11.25, 14.6) The angels are blessed, because they are nourished by a nourishment that is not fleshly, not by the one disposed of in the toilet, (Mt 15.17, 1k 7.19) not the nourishment excreted by the body, but they are nourished by a heavenly nourishment, delivered for the subsistence of their being.	Ἄρτον οὐρανοῦ ἔδωκεν αὐτοῖς, ἄρτον ἀγγέλων ἔφαγεν ἄνθρωποςl. Οἴεσθε ὅτι μακάριοί εἰσιν οἱ ἄγγελοι ἔχοντες τὴν ζωήν, τὸν εἰπόντα· ἐγώ εἰμι ἡ ζωή m; Μακάριοί εἰσιν οἱ ἄγγελοι, ἐπεὶ τρέφονται τροφῇ οὐ τῇ σαρκικῇ, οὐ τῇ εἰς ἀφεδρῶνα βαλλομένῃn, οὐδὲ τῇ ἀποκρινομένῃ τροφῇ ἀπὸ τοῦ σώματος, ἀλλὰ τρέφονται τροφῇ τῇ ⁵ οὐρανίῳ, ἀναδιδομένῃ εἰς τὴν σύστασιν τῆς οὐσίας αὐτῶνo.
For which nourishment you also have been taught to pray, if you have in mind to obey Jesus who said, “Give us today bread for existence,” (Mt 6.11; cf Origen, Or. 27.9) “this bread for existence, the one that is not digested, the one that is not excreted, the one delivered for the being of the soul, give us this.”	Περὶ ἧς τροφῆς καὶ σὺ ἐδιδάχθης εὔχεσθαι, ἐὰν νοήσῃς ^[259v] πείθεσθαι τῷ Ἰησοῦ λέγοντι· τὸν ἄρτον τὸν ἐπιούσιον δὸς ἡμῖν σήμερον p, ἵνα “τὸν ἐπιούσιον τοιοῦτον ἄρτον, τὸν μὴ ἐκχωροῦντα, τὸν μὴ ἀποκρινόμενον, τὸν ἀναδιδόμενον εἰς τὴν οὐσίαν τῆς ψυχῆς, τοῦτο ἡμῖν δός”^.
Blessed are the angels who eat this bread, the one that did not come down from heaven, but stayed with them. But we, when we eat, eat what came down. For it is written, “I am the living bread, who came down from heaven.”(Jn 6.51) Towards them it did not come down, unless, in fact, a deeper and more secret logos is demonstrated, that even to them the living bread came down and came down from the Father.	Μακάριοι οἱ ¹⁰ ἄγγελοι οἱ ἐσθίοντες τοῦτον τὸν ἄρτον, τὸν οὐ καταβάντα ἐξ οὐρανοῦ, ἀλλὰ μένοντα παρ’ αὐτοῖς. Ἡμεῖς μὲν κἂν ἐσθίωμεν, καταβάντα ἐσθίομεν. Γέγραπται γάρ· ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ ἄρτος ὁ ζῶν ὁ ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καταβάς r. Πρὸς ἐκείνους δὲ οὐ καταβαίνει, εἰ μὴ ἄρα βαθύτερος καὶ μυστικώτερος λόγος ἀποδείξει, ὅτι καὶ πρὸς ἐκείνους καταβαίνει ὁ ἄρτος ὁ ζῶν καὶ καταβαίνει ἀπὸ ¹⁵ τοῦ πατρός.
If you understand the magnitude and loftiness of the Father and understand, “Thus says the Lord, the loftiest, the one dwelling in lofty places, the holy one resting on the holy ones,” (Is 57.15) you will see that all things, in relation to God, are below.	Ἐὰν γὰρ νοήσῃς μέγεθος καὶ ὕψος πατρὸς καὶ νοήσῃς τὸ τάδε λέγει κύριος ὁ ὕψιστος, ὁ ἐν ὑψηλοῖς κατοικῶν, ἄγιος ἐν ἁγίοις ἀναπαυόμενος s πῶς εἴρηται, ὄψει ὅτι πάντα ὡς πρὸς θεὸν κάτω ἐστίν.
For even the angels are below in relation to the loftiness of God, as well as thrones, lordships, rulers, and authorities. Even concerning the Savior when he says, “The Father is greater than I,” (Jn 14.28) I would say that, as regards the Father, he is below. For he is also above, near the Father, since “In a beginning was the logos, and the logos was near God, and the logos was a god,” (Jn 1.1) but if the logos had remained in a beginning near God, he would not have benefited what is below.	Καὶ οἱ ἄγγελοι γὰρ κάτω εἰσὶν ὡς πρὸς ^[260r] τὸ ὕψος τοῦ θεοῦ, καὶ θρόνοι, καὶ κυριότητες, καὶ ἀρχαί, καὶ ²⁰ ἐξουσίαι. Ἐγὼ καὶ περὶ τοῦ σωτῆρος λέγοντος· ὁ πατὴρ ὁ πέμψας με μείζων μού ἐστιν t, εἴποιμι ἂν ὅτι ὡς πρὸς τὸν πατέρα κάτω ἐστίν. Ἔστιν γὰρ καὶ ἄνω πρὸς τὸν πατέρα, ἐπεὶ ἐν ἀρχῇ ἦν ὁ λόγος, καὶ ὁ λόγος ἦν πρὸς τὸν θεὸν καὶ θεὸς ἦν ὁ λόγος u, ἀλλὰ ἐὰν μείνῃ ὁ λόγος ἐν ἀρχῇ πρὸς τὸν θεόν, οὐκ εὐεργετεῖται ὁ κάτω.
Then let the sole bread descend next to all those below—but every generated nature is lower than God—and when the bread descends, let it nourish all! But when this bread descends, look how far it descends, not just to earth, but to those farthest below earth.	Καταβαινέτω οὖν ὁ ἄρτος μόνος πρὸς πάντας τοὺς κάτω – πᾶσα δὲ ἡ γενητὴ φύσις κατωτέρα θεοῦ – καὶ καταβαίνων ὁ ἄρτος πάντα τρεφέτω! Οὗτος δὲ ὁ ἄρτος καταβαίνων, ὅρα μέχρι ποῦ καταβαίνει· οὐ μέχρι γῆς μόνης, ἀλλὰ καὶ μέχρι τῶν κατωτάτω τῆς γῆς^v.
For the one who descended is also the one who ascended far above the heavens. (Eph 4.9-10) Accordingly, this bread descends to all those below, and among those below there exist differences, so that those who are below in relation to God are above in relation to others, as, for example, the holy angels are below in relation to God, above in relation to other beings such as us, in relation to whom they are above.	**Ὁ καταβὰς γὰρ αὐτός ἐστιν καὶ ὁ ἀναβὰς ὑπεράνω τῶν οὐρανῶν** ⁵ w. Οὗτος ὁ ἄρτος τοίνυν πρὸς πάντας τοὺς κάτω καταβαίνει καὶ ἐν τοῖς κάτω οὔσης διαφορᾶς τινῶν ἐν αὐτοῖς, ὡς ^[260v] μὲν πρὸς θεὸν κάτω ὄντων, ὡς δὲ πρὸς ἑτέρους ἄνω· οἷον οἱ ἅγιοι ἄγγελοι ὡς πρὸς τὸν θεὸν κάτω, πρὸς ἑτέρους ἄνω, οἷον ἡμᾶς ἄνω.
But among us human beings ourselves, Moses, as he is above in relation to us, is below in relation to Jesus Christ. Perhaps in the case of every human being among those below, someone might find one even lower.	Ἀλλὰ καὶ ἡμῶν αὐτῶν τῶν ἀνθρώπων Μωϋσῆς, ὡς πρὸς ἡμᾶς ἄνω, πρὸς Ἰησοῦν δὲ τὸν Χριστὸν κάτω. Τάχα ¹⁰ δὲ καὶ ἐφ’ ἑκάστου τῶν ἀνθρώπων τῶν κάτω εὕροι τις ἂν τὸν ἔτι κατωτέρω.
For who would be lower than all? The human being of sin, the son of perdition, (Jn 17.12) the adversary who is lifted up over every so-called god or object of worship. (2 Thes 2.4) Because, then, we human beings are relatively below, therefore the logos exhorts us to ascend and says, “Ascend upon a lofty mountain, the one announcing good news to Zion.” (Is 40.9)	Ὁ γὰρ πάντων κατωτέρω τίς ἂν εἴη; Ὁ ἄνθρωπος τῆς ἁμαρτίας, ὁ υἱὸς τῆς ἀπωλείας x, ὁ ἀντικείμενος καὶ ἐπαιρόμενος ἐπὶ πάντα λεγόμενον θεὸν ἢ σέβασμα y. Ἐπεὶ οὖν κάτω ἐσμὲν μᾶλλον οἱ ἄνθρωποι, διὰ τοῦτο ὁ λόγος προτρέπει ἡμᾶς ἀναβαίνειν, καί φησιν· ἐπ’ ὄρος ὑψηλὸν ἀνάβηθι ὁ ¹⁵ *εὐαγγελιζόμενος Σιών* ^z.
“A human being ate the bread of angels.” (Ps 77.25a) Blessed are the angels who partake of truth and are nourished by the wisdom of God and by the logos through which all things were made. (cf. Jn 1.3) The aforementioned contemplation is the amusement of angels, but the imperative practice among us. For whenever those who are ministering spirits, for the sake of those who are going to inherit salvation, (Heb 1.14) are sent out and they are coming together, surrounding those who fear God, (cf. Ps 33.8) they do something practical and imperative.	Ἄρτον οὖν ἀγγέλων ἔφαγεν ἄνθρωπος aa· μακάριοι οἱ ἄγγελοι περὶ ἀληθείας διαλαμβάνοντες καὶ τρεφόμενοι τῇ σοφίᾳ τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ τῷ λόγῳ δι’ οὗ πάντα ἐγένετοab. Ἡ γὰρ διαγωγὴ τῶν ἀγγέλων ἡ προηγουμένη θεωρία ἐστίν, ἡ ^[261r] δὲ περιστατικὴ δι’ ἡμᾶς πρακτική ἐστιν. Ὅταν γὰρ ἀποστέλλωνται λειτουργικὰ ὄντες πνεύματα, διὰ τοὺς μέλλοντας κληρονομεῖν σωτηρίαν ac, καὶ συμπορεύωνται παρεμβάλλοντες κύκλῳ τῶν φοβουμένων τὸν θεόν ad, πρακτικὸν ποιοῦσι καὶ περιστατικόν.
The work set before them is to contemplate reality and to enjoy the wisdom of God and to see the logos of the ordering of the universe. A human being has also received a bread of angels, which nourishes angels, for whenever I gain understanding about God, about the cosmos, about Christ, about his divinity, and about his inhabiting a human body and soul, I eat a bread of angels. When I explain the logoi of the Holy Spirit, I eat a bread of angels.	Τὸ γὰρ προκείμενον ἔργον αὐτῶν ἐστιν θεωρεῖν τὰ πράγματα καὶ ἀπολαύειν τῆς σοφίας τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ βλέπειν τὸν λόγον τῆς τῶν ὅλων διατάξεως. Ἄρτον ⁵ ἀγγέλων, ᾧ τρέφονται ἄγγελοι, ἔλαβε καὶ ἄνθρωποςae· ὅταν γὰρ διαλαμβάνω περὶ θεοῦ, περὶ κόσμου, περὶ Χριστοῦ, περὶ τῆς θεότητος αὐτοῦ καὶ περὶ τῆς ἐνοικήσεως αὐτοῦ ἀνθρωπίνῳ σώματι καὶ ψυχῇ, ἄρτον ἀγγέλων ἐσθίω. Ἐὰν δ’ ἐξετάζω τοὺς λόγους τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος, ἄρτον ἀγγέλων ἐσθίω.
“A human being ate the bread of angels. He sent them provision in abundance.” (Ps 77.25) You pray that God may send us provision in abundance, so that we may not just taste, but may be surfeited with the logoi of life and be made strong in them; only the preceding nourishment is that very thing!”	**Ἄρτον γὰρ ἀγγέλων ἔφαγεν ἄνθρωπος, ¹⁰ ἐπισιτισμὸν ἀπέστειλεν αὐτοῖς εἰς πλησμονήν af. Εὔχεσθε, ἵνα ἡμῖν ὁ θεὸς ἐπισι*^[261v] τισμὸν* ἀποστείλῃ εἰς πλησμονήν, οὐχ ὥστε γεύσ‹ασ›θαι μόνον ἀλλὰ καὶ πληρωθῆναι τῶν λόγων τῆς ζωῆς καὶ ἱσχυροποιηθῆναι ἐν αὐτοῖς, πλὴν ἡ προηγουμένη τροφὴ αὕτη ἐστίν.


11. After this is: “He sent out a south wind from heaven and led in his power a southwest wind and rained on them flesh as dust and winged birds like the sand of the seas, and they fell in the middle of the tents around their tents, and they ate and were extremely satiated, and he brought their desire to them; they were not separated from their desire.” (Ps 77.26-30a)	11. Μετὰ ταῦτα ἔστιν· ἀπῆρεν νότον ἐξ οὐρανοῦ καὶ ἐπήγαγεν ἐν τῇ δυνάμει αὐτοῦ λίβα καὶ ἔβρεξεν ἐπ’ αὐτοὺς ὡσεὶ χοῦν σάρκας καὶ ὡσεὶ ἄμμον θαλασσῶν πετεινὰ πτερωτά, καὶ ἐπέπεσαν ἐν μέσῳ τῆς παρεμβολῆς κύκλῳ τῶν σκηνωμάτων αὐτῶν, καὶ ἔφαγον καὶ ἐνεπλήσθησαν σφόδρα, καὶ τὴν ἐπιθυμίαν αὐτῶν ἤνεγκεν αὐτοῖς, ⁵ οὐκ ἐστερήθησαν ἀπὸ τῆς ἐπιθυμίας αὐτῶν a.
When they ate the manna then, the sons of Israel were saying, “Our eyes are on nothing except this manna, for we remember that once we were sitting at the pots of meats in Egypt.” (Ex 16.3) When we are hearing these things, we say that they were wretched, those who were eating the bread of heaven; they desired onions, and garlic, and leeks, and cucumbers, and gourds, and completely preferred this nourishment to that.	Ἐσθίοντές ποτε τὸ μάννα οἱ υἱοὶ Ἰσραὴλ ἔλεγον ὅτι “οὐδὲν πλὴν εἰς τὸ μάννα οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ ἧμῶν, ἐμνήσθημεν γὰρ ὅταν ἐκαθίσαμεν ἐπὶ τῶν λεβήτων τῶν κρεῶν ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ”b. Καὶ ἡμεῖς ταῦτα ἀκούοντές φαμεν ὅτι ^[262r] ταλαίπωροι, οἵτινες ἐσθίοντες τοῦ ἄρτου τοῦ οὐρανίου, ἐπεθύμησαν ¹⁰ κρομύων καὶ σκορόδων καὶ πράσων καὶ σικύων καὶ πεπόνωνc, καὶ συνέκρινον ὅλως ταύτην τὴν τροφὴν ἐκείνῃ.
And we say these things as we read and consider them wretched for having sinned then, not seeing that such sins also arise among us.	Καὶ ταῦτα λέγομεν ἀναγινώσκοντες καὶ ταλανίζομεν ἐκείνους ὡς τότε ἡμαρτηκότας, οὐχ ὁρῶντες ὅτι καὶ ἐν ἡμῖν ταῦτα τὰ ἁμαρτήματα γίνεται.
Or whenever we despise the spiritual nourishment and divine nourishment available to us, we scurry after wealth and want luxury. Do we not lust to eat stinking leeks; and onions that sting the eyes of the soul; and garlic, putrid sins; and do we not acquire for ourselves the stench of pleasures?	Ἢ ὅταν παρούσης πνευματικῆς τροφῆς καὶ θείας τροφῆς καταφρονοῦντες, ¹⁵ πλοῦτον συνάγωμεν ἢ τρυφᾶν θέλωμεν, οὐχὶ τὰ πράσα τὰ δυσώδη, καὶ τὰ κρόμυα τὰ βλάπτοντα τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς τῆς ψυχῆς, καὶ τὰ πληροῦντα δυσωδίας ἁμαρτήματα σκόροδα ἐπιθ‹υμ›οῦμεν φαγεῖν καὶ ἐμφορηθῆναι ἡδονῶν δυσωδίας;
Thus also, desiring the hollowness of the cosmos and the nature of bodies, we desire gourds, and, taking away what has been imparted for the being of the soul, we want to substitute cucumbers.	Οὕτως δὲ τὴν ἔκλυτον τοῦ κόσμου καὶ τῶν σωματικῶν φύσιν ἐπιθυμοῦντες πεπόνων ἐπιθυμοῦμεν καὶ τὸ ἀναδιδόμενον εἰς τὴν τῆς ²⁰ ψυχῆς ^[262v] οὐσίαν ἀνελόντες, σικύων θέλομεν μεταλαμβάνειν.
If, then, we ever do such things, so that even when we have one who furnishes provision in abundance and gives bread of angels, we want worldly things and lust for things of the cosmos, God will send us meat like dust—for we do not want the bread of heaven—and, when he sends out such meat he keeps giving it, until it comes out of our nostrils and until it fills us with sickness and infirmity.	Ἐὰν οὖν ποτε τοιαῦτα ἡμεῖς ποιῶμεν καὶ ἔχοντες τὸν χορηγοῦντα ἐπισιτισμὸν εἰς πλησμονὴν d καὶ ἄρτον οὐρανοῦ διδόνταe κοσμικὰ θέλωμεν καὶ τὰ τοῦ κόσμου ἐπιθυμῶμεν, ἐξαποστέλλει ἡμῖν ὁ θεὸς κρέας ὡσεὶ χοῦν – οὐ γὰρ θέλομεν τὸν ἄρτον τοῦ οὐρανοῦ – καὶ ἐξαποστείλας τοιαῦτα κρέα ἐπὶ τοσοῦτον δίδωσιν, ἕως ἐξέλθῃ ἐκ τῶν μυκτήρων g ἡμῶν καὶ ἕως πληρώσῃ ἡμᾶς νόσου καὶ μαλακίας.
So that one could say against us, “Such is the spiritual wealth I intended you to seek and the heavenly glory that is with me alone and to desire what is eternal, but since you do not wish to do this to find refreshment, you are ill. For you intend to have these wounds from the cosmos; see all those enjoying worldly affairs and making the soul ill on account of them, that they are in bitter things and illness and in every bad thing because of their doublemindedness.	Οἷον γὰρ ἐρεῖ τις πρὸς ἡμᾶς· “τοιοῦτον ἐγώ σε ἐβουλόμην πνευματικὸν πλοῦτον ζητεῖν καὶ δόξαν τὴν ἐπουράνιον τὴν παρ’ ἐμοῦ τοῦ μόνου καὶ τὰ ἀΐδια ⁵ ἐπιθυμεῖν· ἐπεὶ δὲ οὐ θέλεις γενέσθαι καὶ ἀναπαύεσθαι ἔχειν, νοσεῖς. Ταῦτα γὰρ βούλει ἔχειν τὰ τοῦ κόσμου τραύματα καὶ βλέπε πάντας τοὺς ἀπολαύοντας τῶν κοσμικῶν πραγμάτων καὶ νοσοῦντας τὴν ψυχὴν διὰ ταῦτα ^[263r] , ὅτι ἐν χολαῖς καὶ νόσῳ εἰσὶν καὶ πᾶσι κακοῖς διὰ τὴν διψυχίαν αὐτῶν.
On account of this, understanding and comprehending the assessment of the Scriptures, be satisfied with the heavenly manna, the bread of angels, so that foods associated with earthly bread may not come back up and their taste may not still be in your mouths.”	Διὰ τοῦτο ταῦτα νοήσας καὶ τὴν ¹⁰ σύγκρισιν καταλαβὼν τῶν γραφῶν, ἀρκοῦ τῷ ἐπουρανίῳ μάννα, τῷ τῶν ἀγγέλων ἄρτῳ, ἵνα μὴ γένηταί σοι τὰ τοῦ χοϊκοῦ ἄρτου ἐπιπεμπόμενα βρώματα καὶ γένηται τὸ ἔτι τῆς βρώσεως αὐτῶν οὔσης ἐν τῷ στόματι αὐτῶν”.
And “the wrath of God arose upon them, and he killed among their fat ones,” (Ps 77.31ab) those who had become well-fed, whose flesh was like the flesh of donkeys from their fleshy and material diet. Abstaining from that diet, may it come about that we fast the acceptable fast that the Lord accepts. (cf. Is 58.5)	Καὶ ἡ ὀργὴ τοῦ θεοῦ ἀνέβη ἐπ’ αὐτοὺς, καὶ ἀπέκτεινεν ἐν τοῖς πίοσιν αὐτῶν h, τοῖς γενομένοις εὐτραφέσιν, ὧν ἦσαν ὡς σάρκες ὄνων αἱ σάρκες αὐτῶν ¹⁵ ἀπὸ τῆς τροφῆς τῆς σαρκώδους καὶ ὑλώδους. Παρ’ ἧς γένοιτο ἡμᾶς ἀπεχομένους νηστεύειν νηστείαν δεκτήν, ἣν παραδέχεται κύριος.
For when we do not nourish the mindset of the flesh, (cf. Rom 8.6-7) we fast a good fast, a fast in which it is appropriate to anoint the head with oi1, (Mt 6.17) not that of a sinner (for there is a certain oil of a sinner, about which the just person says, “Let me not anoint my head with the oil of a sinner”). (cf. Ps 140.5)	Ὅτε γὰρ τὸ φρόνημα τῆς σαρκὸςj οὐ τρέφομεν, νηστείαν ἀγαθὴν νηστεύομεν· ἐφ’ ᾗ νηστείᾳ ἄξιον ἀλείψασθαι τὴν κεφαλὴν ἐλαίῳk, μὴ ἀπὸ ἁμαρτωλοῦ – ἔστι γάρ τι καὶ ἔλαιον ἁμαρτωλοῦ, περὶ οὗ λέγει ὁ δίκαιος· ἔλαιον δὲ ἁ^[263v] *μαρτωλοῦ μὴ* ²⁰ λιπανάτω τὴν κεφαλήν μου.
In this fast, when I abstain from nourishing the mindset of the flesh with material and bodily nourishments, I wash my face and do not look glum, but I am cheerful. This fasting has become for me a prologue to the spiritual things and the holy things in Christ Jesus, to whom is the glory and the might to the ages. Amen.	Ἐπὶ ταύτῃ οὖν τῇ νηστείᾳ, ὅταν ἀπέχωμαι ὑλικῶν καὶ σωματικῶν τῶν τρεφόντων τὸ φρόνημα τῆς σαρκὸςm τροφῶν, νίπτομαί μου τὸ πρόσωπον καὶ οὐχὶ σκυθρωπάζω ἀλλ’ εἰμὶ ἱλαρός. Αὕτη γὰρ ἡ νηστεία πρόφασίς μοι γέγονε πνευματικῶν καὶ ἁγίων τῶν ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ, ᾧ ἐστιν ἡ δόξα καὶ τὸ κράτος εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας. Ἀμήν.
	²⁵ Εἰς τὸν οζʹ ‹ψαλμὸν ὁμιλία› δʹ

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