ТЕЛО

The human body does not have any advantages over other bodies, but, receiving an increase in glory, it seems more majestic than the rest (4). God took the body of man from the earth, but he created and gave the soul himself (having created it, and not taking it from his own being), so that when a body or a person dies, they would not despair about the soul. What's wrong with the body being buried in a coffin? Don't think that the soul is there. It was not taken from the earth and does not return to the earth. Thus God established hope. That is why Ezekiel, prophesying about the resurrection, says: a body appeared to the dead bones and then continues: “come from the four winds, O spirit, and breathe on these slain, and they will live” (Ezekiel 37:9). So David exclaims: when You turn away Your face, they will be troubled, You will take their spirit, and they will disappear and return to their own land. You will send Your Spirit, and they will be created, and you will renew the face of the earth (Ps. 103:29, 30) (5). Let us not be afraid of death, although the time of death has not come: we will be resurrected to a much better life. But, you say, will the body decay? That is why we should especially rejoice that death decays and the mortal perishes, and not the essence of the body. When you see an image being poured out, you do not say that its substance is lost, but that it receives a better image. Think the same way about your body and don’t cry. Then it would be necessary to cry when it remained forever in torment. But you will say: this could have happened without the bodies decaying, so that they would remain intact. What benefit would this bring to the living or the dead? How long will you be tied to the body? How long will you, nailing yourself to the ground, cling to the shadow? What good would that do? Or, better yet, no harm would occur? If the bodies had not decayed, then, firstly, pride would have taken possession of many - the greatest evil of all evils. If even now, when the body is subject to corruption and filled with worms, many wanted to be revered as gods, then what would not happen when the body remained incorruptible? Secondly, they would not believe that the body was taken from the earth. If even now, despite the fact that the very end clearly testifies, some doubt this, then why would they not think if they did not see this end? Thirdly, then they would love bodies excessively, and most people would become even more carnal and rude. If even now, when the bodies have completely decayed, some embrace coffins and shrines, then what would they not do then, when they could preserve their very image intact? Fourthly, they would not be very committed to the future. Fifthly, those who claim that the world is eternal would be even more confirmed in this thought and would not recognize God as the Creator of the world. Sixthly, we would not be confident either in the dignity of the soul or in how closely the soul is connected with the body. Seventhly, many who had lost their relatives, leaving the cities, would begin to live in tombs and, like madmen, would constantly begin to talk with their dead. If even now people, since they are not able to hold the body itself (and it is impossible, because it smolders and disappears against their will), when taking portraits, stick to the boards, then what absurdities would they not invent then? It seems to me that then many would have erected churches in honor of their beloved bodies, and those who practice sorcery would try to convince them that through them demons give answers, especially since even now those who have the audacity to engage in calling the dead (necromancy) do many absurdities (even despite the fact that the body turns to dust and ashes). What countless types of idolatry would not have arisen from here? So, God, taking away everything that could serve as a reason for such absurdities and teaching us to renounce everything earthly, strikes bodies with corruption before our eyes. Thus, a lover of bodily beauty, madly addicted to a beautiful maiden, if he does not want to recognize the ugliness of a bodily being with his mind, he will see it with his own eyes. There were many maidens equally blooming in beauty or even incomparably more beautiful than the one he loved, who after their death, one or two days later, were a stench, pus and rottenness of worms. Think about what kind of beauty you love and what kind of beauty you are seduced by? But if bodies were subject to decay, it would be impossible to know this well; just as demons flock to tombs, so many of those embraced by the passion of love, constantly sitting at the tombs, would make their souls the abode of demons and would soon die themselves from cruel passion. And now, in addition to everything else, it alleviates mental grief and the fact that the inability to see the image of a beloved object contributes to oblivion of passion itself. If the bodies did not decay, then there would not even be coffins, and you would see cities, instead of statues, full of the dead, because everyone would then want to see their dead person next to them. From here a great disorder would arise: none of the common people would care about their souls, they would not accept the doctrine of immortality. Many other even worse absurdities would have happened, which are even indecent to talk about. This is why the body immediately decays, so that you can see the beauty of the soul in nakedness. In fact, if she gives such beauty and such liveliness to the body, then how beautiful should she be in herself? If she supports such an ugly and disgusting body, then all the more can she support herself. Beauty is not in the body, but the beauty of the body depends on the formation and color that the soul imprints on its being. So, love the soul that imparts such beauty to the body (6). Would you say passions are born from the body? This is an empty apology and a worthless excuse. If these passions were truly born from the body, then everyone would be subject to them. Just as no one can avoid fatigue, sleep, hunger and thirst, because all this is natural, so no one could avoid submission to passions, if they were such. If many avoid them, then it is clear that such shortcomings are born from the carelessness of the soul (9). The body serves as a means for both vice and virtue, like a weapon, which, for the one who uses it, is suitable for deeds of both kinds; Thus, both a warrior fighting for the fatherland and a robber armed against citizens are defended with the same weapon; therefore, the blame falls not on the weapon, but on the one who uses it for evil. The same can be said about the flesh, which is one or the other not according to its own nature, but according to the disposition of the soul. When you look with excessive attention at someone else’s beauty, then the eye becomes a weapon of untruth, not because of its own activity (because it is natural for the eye to look and not to look slyly), but because of the cunning of the thought that controls it; if you have curbed your thoughts, then your eye becomes an instrument of truth. The same must be said about the tongue, about the hands and all other members (11). [You] will say, if I had a non-mortal body, I would not have sinned. And that [Adam], tell me, did he have a mortal body when he sinned? No, if his body were mortal, then death would not be assigned to him as punishment. However, the mortal body does not serve as an obstacle to virtue, but it also instructs and contributes very much, as can be seen from the following: if the mere expectation of immortality made Adam so proud, then if he really were immortal, what kind of pride would he not fall into? Now, having sinned, you can correct yourself for the very fact that your body is humiliated, weak and subject to destruction; these thoughts can bring some sense to you; and if you had sinned in an immortal body, then your sins might have remained incorrigible. So, mortality is not the cause of sin - do not blame it - but evil will is the root of evil. Why did the body not harm Abel? Why did disembodiment bring no benefit to evil spirits? Do you want to know how a mortal body not only does no harm, but also brings benefit? Listen to how much good you can get from him if you are vigilant. It deflects and distracts you from evil with illnesses, sorrows, labors and the like. But, you say, does it also lead to adultery? No, not the body, but unbridledness: the body is characterized only by what I said above. It is impossible for a person who has entered this life not to endure illnesses, sorrows and sorrows, but it is possible not to commit fornication. Therefore, if vices depended on the nature of the body, then they would be common to everyone: everything natural is like this, but adultery is not like this; illnesses come from here, and adultery comes from arbitrariness. So, do not blame the body, lest the devil take away from you the honor that God has given you. If we want, the body can be a wonderful bridle, taming the lusts of the soul, subduing pride, putting down vanity, helping us to perform great virtues. Don’t talk to me about [people] being incontinent: we often see how horses rush along rapids, overthrowing the driver along with the bridle, but we don’t blame the bridle for that. It was not she who, having fallen down, caused this, but the driver, who could not restrain her, ruined everything. Think the same way here. If you see a young man living intemperately and indulging in vices, then blame not the body, but the driven driver, i.e. intelligence. Just as it is not the reins that cause harm to the driver, but he himself is guilty of everything, not holding them well - that is why they subject him to punishment, entangling him, dragging him away and forcing him to share their disastrous fate, so it is here. We, they say, bridled the horse while you held us; and when you let it out of your hands, we subject you to punishment for negligence, confuse and drag you away so that the same thing does not happen in the future. So, no one blames the reins, but yourself and your corrupted will. Our driver is the mind, the reins connecting the horses to the driver are the body. If they are held well, then nothing bad will be tolerated; and if you let it out of your hands, you will spoil and destroy everything. Let us be prudent and begin to blame not the body, but the evil disposition. The devil tries in every possible way to instill in the unreasonable that they blame the body, or God, or their neighbor, and not their corrupted will, so that, having comprehended the true cause of evil, they do not uproot it. But you, knowing his deceit, direct your anger at him and, leaving the yoke to the driver, turn your mental gaze to God. In other matters, the one who appoints feats does not contribute at all, but only waits for the end; Here the hero God accomplishes everything (12). You might be interested in: