§40ὑποσχέσεων, αἳ διαφέρουσιν ὀνειράτων οὐδέν;
...and sometimes even for promises which differ in nothing from dreams.
τὸ δὲ ἐπιφερόμενον „ἐγὼ κύριος“παγκάλως καὶ σφόδρα παιδευτικῶς εἴρηται.
And that which is added, "I am the Lord," is said in a beautiful and highly instructive manner.
ἀντίθες γάρ, φησίν, ὦ γενναῖε, τὸ σαρκὸς ἀγαθὸν τῷ τῆς ψυχῆς καὶ τῷ τοῦ παντὸς ἀγαθῷ· οὐκοῦν τὸ μὲν σαρκός ἐστιν ἄλογος ἡδονή, τὸ δὲ ψυχῆς καὶ τοῦ παντὸς ὁ νοῦς τῶν ὅλων, ὁ θεός. §41ἐφάμιλλός γε ἡ ἀσύγκριτος σύγκρισις, ὡς παρὰ τὴν ἐγγὺς ὁμοιότητα ἀπατηθῆναι·
"For contrast," he says, "my noble friend, the good of the flesh with the good of the soul and of the universe; therefore, the good of the flesh is irrational pleasure, while the good of the soul and of the universe is the mind of the whole, namely God." Indeed a rival-like comparison is that incomparable comparison, as if one could be deceived because of a close resemblance!
εἰ μὴ καὶ τὰ ἔμψυχα ἀψύχοις ἐρεῖ τις καὶ τὰ λογικὰ ἀλόγοις καὶ ἡρμοσμένα ἀναρμόστοις καὶ περιττοῖς ἄρτια καὶ φωτὶ σκότος καὶ ἡμέραν νυκτὶ καὶ πάντα τἀναντία τοῖς ἐναντίοις τὰ αὐτὰ πρὸς ἀλήθειαν εἶναι.
Unless someone will say that living things are the same as lifeless things, and rational things as irrational, and harmonious things as discordant, and even numbers as odd, and light as darkness, and day as night, and all contrary things as their contraries, in truth.
§42καίτοι καὶ εἰ ταῦτα τῷ γένεσιν ἐνδεδέχθαι κοινωνίαν τινὰ ἔχει καὶ συγγένειαν, ἀλλά γε ὁ θεὸς οὐδὲ τῷ ἀρίστῳ τῶν φύντων ὅμοιος, ὅτιπερ τὸ μὲν γέγονέ τε καὶ πείσεται, ὁ δ’ ἐστὶν ἀγένητός τε καὶ ποιῶν ἀεί.
And yet, even if these things, by admitting generation, have some community and relationship, still God is not like even the best of created things; for the one has been created and will suffer, while He is uncreated and always acting.
§43καλὸν δὲ μὴ λιποτακτῆσαι μὲν τῆς τοῦ θεοῦ τάξεως, ἐν ᾗ τοὺς τεταγμένους πάντας ἀριστεύειν ἀνάγκη, αὐτομολῆσαι δὲ πρὸς τὴν ἄνανδρον καὶ κεκλασμένην ἡδονήν, ἣ βλάπτει μὲν τοὺς φίλους, ὠφελεῖ δὲ τοὺς ἐχθρούς.
And it is a good thing not to desert the ranks of God, in which it is necessary for all who are stationed to act with excellence, and not to go over to that unmanly and broken pleasure which hurts its friends but benefits its enemies.
καινοτάτη γάρ τις αὐτῆς ἡ φύσις· οἷς μὲν ἂν ἐθελήσῃ τῶν ἰδίων ἀγαθῶν μεταδοῦναι, τούτους εὐθὺς ἐζημίωσεν, οὓς δ’ ἂν ἀφελέσθαι, τὰ μέγιστα ὤνησε·
For her nature is very strange: to whomsoever she wishes to impart her own goods, these she immediately damages, but whomsoever she wishes to deprive, she benefits in the greatest degree.
§44βλάπτει μὲν γὰρ ὅταν διδῷ, χαρίζεται δὲ ὅταν ἀφαιρῆται.
For she hurts when she gives, but she favors when she takes away.
ἐὰν οὖν, ὦ ψυχή, προσκαλῆταί σέ τι τῶν ἡδονῆς φίλτρων, μετάκλινε σεαυτὴν καὶ ἀντιπεριάγουσα τὴν ὄψιν κάτιδε τὸ γνήσιον ἀρετῆς κάλλος καὶ ὁρῶσα ἐπίμεινον, ἄχρις ἂν ἵμερος ἐντακῇ σοι καὶ ὡς σιδηρῖτις λίθος ἐπισπάσηταί §45σε καὶ ἐγγὺς ἀγάγῃ καὶ ἐξαρτήσῃ τοῦ ποθουμένου.
If therefore, O soul, any of the love-charms of pleasure should call you, turn yourself away, and turning your sight in the opposite direction, look down upon the genuine beauty of virtue, and having seen it, remain there, until desire melts into you and, like a magnet stone, draws you and brings you near and suspends you from the object of your desire.
τὸ δὲ „ἐγὼ κύριος“ἀκουστέον οὐ μόνον ἐν ἴσῳ τῷ „ἐγὼ τὸ τέλειον καὶ ἄφθαρτον καὶ πρὸς ἀλήθειαν ἀγαθόν“, οὗ περιεχόμενός τις τὸ ἀτελὲς καὶ φθαρτὸν καὶ σαρκῶν ἠρτημένον ἀποστραφήσεται, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀντὶ τοῦ „ἐγὼ ὁ ἄρχων καὶ [ὁ] βασιλεὺς καὶ δεσπότης“. §46οὔτε δὲ ὑπηκόοις παρόντων ἡγεμόνων οὔτε δούλοις δεσποτῶν ἀδικεῖν ἀσφαλές· ἐγγὺς γὰρ ὅταν ὦσιν οἱ κολασταί, φόβῳ σωφρονίζονται οἱ ἐξ ἑαυτῶν μὴ πεφυκότες νουθετεῖσθαι.
And "I am the Lord" is to be heard not only as equivalent to "I am the perfect and incorruptible and true good," by embracing which one will turn away from the imperfect, corruptible, and flesh-bound, but also instead of "I am the ruler, king, and master." And it is safe neither for subjects to do wrong when rulers are present, nor for slaves when masters are present; for when the punishers are near, those who are not naturally disposed to be admonished of themselves are made wise by fear.
§47πάντα γὰρ πεπληρωκὼς ὁ θεὸς ἐγγύς ἐστιν, ὥστε ἐφορῶντος καὶ πλησίον ὄντος μάλιστα μὲν αἰδεσθέντες, εἰ δὲ μὴ τοῦτο, εὐλαβηθέντες γοῦν τὸ ἀνίκητον τῆς ἀρχῆς αὐτοῦ κράτος καὶ τὸ φοβερὸν καὶ ἀπαραίτητον ἐν ταῖς τιμωρίαις, ὁπότε τῇ κολαστηρίῳ χρῆσθαι δυνάμει διανοηθείη, ἠρεμήσωμεν ἀδικοῦντες, ἵνα καὶ τὸ σοφίας πνεῦμα θεῖον μὴ ῥᾳδίως μεταναστὰν οἴχηται, πάμπολυν δὲ χρόνον καταμείνῃ παρ’ ἡμῖν, ἐπεὶ καὶ παρὰ Μωυσεῖ τῷ σοφῷ·
For God, having filled all things, is near, so that since He is watching and is close by, let us—above all out of reverence, or if not this, at least out of fear of the invincible power of His rule and what is fearsome and inexorable in His punishments, whenever He should design to use His punishing power—desist from doing wrong, so that the divine spirit of wisdom may not easily depart and go away, but may abide with us for a very long time, as indeed it did with the wise Moses.
§48χρῆται γὰρ οὗτος ταῖς εἰρηνικωτάταις σχέσεσιν ἢ ὡς ἑστὼς ἢ ὡς καθεζόμενος, ἥκιστα τρέπεσθαι καὶ μεταβολαῖς χρῆσθαι πεφυκώς· λέγεται γὰρ ὅτι „Μωυσῆς καὶ ἡ κιβωτὸς οὐκ ἐκινήθησαν“(Num. 14,44), ἤτοι παρ’ ὅσον ὁ σοφὸς ἀχώριστος ἀρετῆς ἢ παρ’ ὅσον οὔτε ἀρετὴ κινητὸν οὔτε σπουδαῖος μεταβλητόν, ἀλλ’ ἑκάτερον ὀρθοῦ λόγου βεβαιότητι ἱδρυμένον· καὶ πάλιν ἐν ἑτέροις· §49„σὺ δὲ αὐτοῦ στῆθι μετ’ ἐμοῦ“(Deut. 5,31).
For he uses the most peaceful postures, either as standing or as sitting, being least of all naturally disposed to turn and use changes; for it is said: "Moses and the ark did not move" (Num. 14:44), either because the wise man is inseparable from virtue, or because neither is virtue movable nor is the virtuous man changeable, but each is established on the stability of right reason; and again in other places: "But stand thou here with me" (Deut. 5:31).
λόγιόν ἐστι τοῦτο χρησθὲν τῷ προφήτῃ· στάσις τε καὶ ἠρεμία ἀκλινὴς ἡ παρὰ τὸν ἀκλινῶς ἑστῶτα ἀεὶ θεόν·
This is an oracle delivered to the prophet; and it means a steadfast posture and unbending rest beside God, who Himself always stands without bending.