The Rule of Reason over Passions

the structure

He has understanding, whereas the irrational animals have been brought into likeness with them; and 'do not become like the horse and the ass, which have no understanding' (Ps 49:20), and other beautiful things are scattered in the divine Scriptures. Thus one would say that he who, through training, has ascended far above the others, preserves them from the irrationality mentioned. And this is possible even in this way: the many and varied passions and movements of the soul are guided by the soul, not being dragged under by the wave of these passions, but holding them and ruling them according to the authority given; for 'let them rule' (Gen 1:28) the fish of the sea and the following.

Or does not the one who is being tossed by the waves of this life from the depths, being moved according to Peter by the word of divine training, and having scattered the others who are loftily puffed up by conceit, being placed in the salvation of humility—upon which the Lord says, 'Learn from me that I am gentle and humble in heart' (Matt 11:29), so that thus, being lifted up from this into divine height, they might grow wings like eagles, having taken wings like doves and having flown to the appropriate rest? But also the one who leads those being driven out into daylight demonstrates the greatness of the rule. And the one who, lifting up his own movements according to the mind and marveling at them in thought, overcomes the struggles, demonstrates the rule given by God, ruling 'and all the earth' (Ps 89:11), which is all the bodily passions, dead 'the members upon the earth, fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire' (Rom 8:13), speaking of those that creep.

It is also said that they rule by the Giver, 'all the herb to be eaten' (Gen 1:29) and the other food, which would reasonably be understood as the teachings of the divine Scripture, the heavenly one becoming food. For 'man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word proceeding from the mouth of God' (Matt 4:4). God has also given another kind of food placed upon the earth; for having created the good concepts in the Word from the beginning, He sent them forth, which the one preserving as life always...

Greek

μὲν ἀνὴρ ὁ σπορεὺς καὶ διδάσκαλος τῶν καλῶν ὑπάρχει, θήλεια δὲ ἡ ὑποδεχομένη τὰ παρὰ τοῦ διδασκάλου μαθήματα καὶ μορφοῦσα καὶ ἀποτίκτουσα ψυχή, ὡς ἀμφοτέρων εἶναι τ[ὸ] κατόρθωμα, τοῦ μὲν διδασκάλου ὡς ἐναγαγόντ[ο]ς εἰ[ς αὐ]τήν, τοῦ δὲ μαθητοῦ ὡς εὔεικτον παράσχοντος τὴν κ̣αρ[δίαν π]ρὸς τελεσιουργίαν τῆς ἀγαθῆς πράξεως. Καὶ ἐπεὶ ἡ θεία [παίδε]υσις καὶ εἰσαγωγὴν ἔχει και`̣ προκοπὴν καὶ τέλος, κατὰ τ[αύτην τὸ] "6αὐξάνεσθε"6 νοητέον. Καὶ γ̣α`̣ρ ὁ μακάριος Παῦλος τὸ τῆ[ς εἰσαγ]ωγῆς δηλῶν καὶ τοὺς ἐν ταύτῃ ὄντας νηπίους εἰδὼς ε[ἶναί] φησιν· "6Γάλα ὑμᾶς ἐπότισα, οὐ βρῶμα"6· ἀλλὰ καὶ τελείοις [οὕτως] λέγει· "6Ἡρμοσάμην ὑμᾶς ἑνὶ ἀνδρὶ παρθένον ἁγνὴν [παραστῆσα]ι τῷ Χριστῷ"6· ἡ γὰρ ἐκκλησία τελεία τυγχάνουσα νύμφ[ης τρό]πῳ τῷ Χριστῷ συναρμόζεται, ἄνδρα αὐτὸν ἔχουσα, περὶ [οὗ λέγε]ται· "6Ἰδοὺ ἀνήρ, ἀνατολὴ ὄνομα αὐτῷ."6 Εὐλογοῦνται οὖν [ὅσοι ἐ]κ μικρῶν τέλειοι καὶ ἐξ ὀλίγων [θ]εωρημάτων πλείονα μ[ανθά]νουσιν, αὔξησιν ἀρετῆς καὶ πλῆθος νοητῶν ἀγαθῶν δ[εχόμ]ενοι, οἱ Θεῷ προσα- νέχοντες. Οὕτω καὶ τὴν γῆν πληροῦσ[ιν, τὴ]ν ἀγαθὴν ἑαυτῶν καρπίαν· καὶ γὰρ Σωτὴρ ἐν εὐαγγελί[ῳ περ]ὶ τοῦ σπόρου τὴν καλὴν γῆν τὴν καρδίαν εἶναι τὴν ἀγαθὴ[ν ἐδ]ίδαξεν, ἥτις δεξαμένη τὸν θεῖον σπόρον πολλὰ γεννήματα ἤγαγεν κατὰ τὸ "6Σπείρετε ἑαυτοῖς εἰς δικαιοσύνην, τρυγή[σα]τε εἰς καρπὸν ζωῆς"6. ∆υνατὸν δὲ καὶ περὶ διδασκάλου αὔξο[ντο]ς καὶ πληθύνοντος τοὺς μαθητευομένους νοῆσαι ὡς ἐνε[ργοῦ]ντος τὴν εἰρημένην εὐλογίαν φάσκουσαν· "6Αὐξάνεσθε κ[αὶ π]ληθύνεσθε καὶ πληρώσατε τὴν γῆν καὶ κατακυριεύσατε [α]ὐτῆς."6 Κατακυριεύει 70 γὰρ ὁ δρεπόμενος ἃ ἔσπειρεν, ὡς λεχθῆναι περὶ αὐτοῦ καὶ τῶν ὁμοίων· "6Ἐρχόμενοι δὲ ἥξουσιν ἐν ἀγαλλιάσει αἱροῦντες τὰ δράγματα αὐτῶν"6, εἶτε ε᾿̣ν θεωρήμασιν καὶ πράξεσιν θείαις, εἶτε ἐν μαθηταῖς· [οὐ] μικρὸν γὰρ τῷ διδασκάλῳ καὶ τὸ ἀπὸ τούτων ὄφελος. Τ[ὸ δ]ὲ "6[Κ]αὶ ἀρχέτωσαν τῶν ἰχθύων τῆς θαλάσσης καὶ τῶν [πετει]νῶν τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καὶ πάντων τῶν κτηνῶν"6 οὕτω ν[οηθείη]. ∆ιάφορα ἐν ἀνθρώποις ἤθη τυγχάνει, ὡς τοὺς μ[ὲν ἀκο]ύειν "6Γεννήματα ἐχιδνῶν"6, περὶ ἄλλων λέγεσ̣θ̣[αι· 28 "6Ἵππο]ι θηλυμανεῖς ἐγενήθητε"6, καὶ πάλιν· "6Ἄνθρωπος ἐν [τιμῇ ὢ]ν οὐ συνῆκεν, παρασυνεβλήθη τοῖς κτήνεσι[ν τοῖς ἀ]νοήτοις καὶ ὡμοιώθη αὐτοῖς"6, καί· "6Μὴ γίνεσθε [ὡς ἵππο]ς καὶ ἡμίονος, οἷς οὐκ ἔστιν σύνεσις"6, καὶ ἕτερα φ[ιλόκ]αλος ἐν ταῖς θείαις γραφαῖς ἐπεσπαρμένα εὑρή[σει.] Λέγοι οὖν ἂν ὅτι ὁ τοὺς ἄλλους ὑπεραναβεβηκὼ[ς διὰ] παιδεύσεως τοὺς προε[ι]ρημένους τῆς ἀλογίας [α᾿̣]π̣ο[σῴζε]ι, ὃ δυνατὸν δὲ καὶ οὕτως· τὰ διάφορα πάθη καὶ κι̣ν̣[ήμ]ατα τῆς ψυχῆς, πολλὰ ὄντα καὶ ποικίλα, ὑπὸ τῆ[ς] ·[···] ψυχῆς ἡνιοχεῖται, μὴ ὑποσυρομένης αὐτῆς τ[ῷ κ]ύματι τῆς τούτων φορᾶς, ἀλλὰ κρατούσης αὐτῶν καὶ α᾿̣[ρ]χ̣ούσης κατὰ τὴν δοθεῖσαν ἐξουσίαν· "6Καὶ ἀρχέτωσαν"6 γὰ[ρ "6τ]ῶν ἰχθύων τῆς θαλάσσης"6 καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. Ἢ οὐκ ἄρχει ἰχ̣θ̣υ´̣ω̣[ν ὁ] τοὺς ἐννηχομένους τῷ κλύδωνι τοῦδε τοῦ βίου [ἐκ τοῦ] βάθους ἀνιμώμενος κατὰ τὸν Πέτρον τῷ λόγῳ τη῀̣[ς θ]είας παιδεύσεως καὶ τοὺς ἄλλως ὑψιπετεῖς δι' οἴημα ·[·]ον κατεσπακ̣ὼς ἐντιθείς τε ταπεινοφροσύνης σ[ω]τ̣ή[ρ]ιον, 71 ἐφ' ἧς ὁ Κύριος παρακα̣λῶν φησιν· "6Μάθετε ἀπ' ἐμοῦ ὅτι πραΰς εἰμι καὶ ταπεινὸς τῇ καρδίᾳ"6, ἵν' οὕτως ἀπο`̣ τ̣αύτης εἰς θεῖον ὕψος ἐπαιρόμενοι πτεροφυήσωσιν ὡς ἀετοί, λαβόντες πτέρυγας ὡσεὶ περιστερᾶς καὶ πετασθέντες εἰς̣ τὴν κατάλληλον κατάπαυσιν. Ἀλλὰ καὶ ὁ τοὺς ἐξηγρ̣ι̣ω[μ]ε´̣νους εἰς ἡμερότητα ἄγων δείκνυσιν τῆς ἀρχῆς [τὸ μέ]γεθος. Καὶ ὁ τὰ ἴδια δὲ κινήμα̣τα ἐπαιρόμενα κ̣[ατὰ το]ῦ νοῦ καὶ κατεξανιστάμενα λογισμῷ ἀγω[νιῶν κα]τακρατεῖν αὐτῶν τὴν παρὰ Θεοῦ δοθεῖσαν ἀρχὴ[ν ἀποδ]είκνυται, ἄρχων "6καὶ πα´̣σης τῆς γῆς"6, ὅ ἐστιν τω῀̣[ν σωμ]ατικῶν ἁπάντων παθῶν, νεκρῶν "6τὰ μέλη τὰ ἐ[πὶ τῆς γ]ῆς, πορνείαν, ἀκαθαρσίαν, πάθος, ἐπιθυμίαν κακήν"6, ἁ´̣[περ ἑρπ]ετὰ λέγων οὐκ ἂν ἁμάρτοις. Ὧν καὶ αὐτῶν ἄρχε[ιν λέγετ]α̣ι̣ ὑπὸ τοῦ δεδωκότος "6πάντα χόρτον σπόριμον̣"6 [καὶ τρ]ο̣φὴν τὴν ἄλλην, ἅπερ εὐλόγως ἂν νοηθείη τα`̣ [τῆς θ]είας γραφῆς παιδεύματα, τροφὸς τυγχάνοντα οὐ[ράνιο]ς· "6Οὐ"6 γὰρ "6ἐπ' ἄρτῳ μόνῳ ζήσετα̣ι̣ ἄνθρωπος, ἀλλ' ἐπὶ π[αντὶ] ῥήματι ἐκπο- ρευομένῳ διὰ στόματος Θεοῦ."6 ∆έδ[ωκε] δ[ὲ] ὁ Θεὸς καὶ ἕτερον εἶδος τροφῆς ἐπάνω τῆς γῆ[ς] ε᾿̣πικ[εί]μενον· τὰς γὰρ ἀγαθὰς ἐννοίας ἐν τῷ λόγῳ [ἐ]ν̣ α᾿̣ρ̣χῇ δημιουργήσας ἐνέπηξεν, ἃς ὁ διασῴζων ὡς ζω[τ]ι̣[κ]ὸν ἀεὶ τοῦτο

About this text

Didymus the Blind reads the creation account verse by verse, finding Christ and the Spirit in Genesis.

Catalogue & scope

Khazarzar scan

Witnesses

Copy-text PG (Khazarzar) (Greek)

This is an AI-assisted study translation. Source fidelity and completeness have not been independently certified. Open Greek on each section for the source text. This is not a complete critical edition.