The Soul as Multi-faceted Reality

It is the church of the living God. The richness of this house is perfect teaching, the wisdom spoken among the perfect, the 'solid food' of which the 'sensory' parts of the inner man partake, 'having been trained for the discernment of good and evil.' And these drink the wine harvested from 'the true vine.' Thus, these partake from the richness of this house of God. The richness of this house of God is perfect teaching, the unceasing knowledge of the truth.

And if he also calls the man the house of the Savior, since he says: 'destroy this temple' (John 2:19). 'This, he was speaking concerning the temple of the body,' not only that the body had a temple, but that this part of the temple could be destroyed by men. For he certainly took the destruction of the temple upon the body alone. But when he says: 'I lay down my soul, so that I may take it again' (John 10:18), he does not say: 'destroy my soul.' Thus they were saying something paradoxical: if he lays down his soul so that he may take it again, 'and no one takes it from him, but he himself has the authority to lay it down and take it' (John 10:18). Observe why: life was not taken from him by a common death. For certainly those crucified with him had their legs cut off so that they might die. Thus, without the Savior undergoing this, he was found dead. For 'bowing his head, he surrendered the spirit' (Luke 23:46).

And if no one took the soul, but he himself laid it down from himself so that he might take it again, in this way, as it is said in one of the psalms: 'I became like a man helpless among the free dead' (Psalm 116:15), it has happened. And according to the immediate sense, we say that those being delivered from sins while 'being constricted by the chains of their own sins' are not free dead. Since, therefore, Jesus did not commit sin nor even knew it, he was free among the dead. Only this soul was seen to be free there. For certainly the gatekeepers of Hades flew it away.

According to a second sense, 'free among the dead' has happened thus: all those coming out of life and leaving the body, if they are diligent, are led by light-giving angels, while others are led by tormentors of some kind. For it has been said: 'the poor man died and was carried by the angels to the bosom of Abraham' (Luke 16:22). He did not become there by himself, but angels carried him.

Not led away. And to another animal-loving commentator it is said: 'O fool, in this night they demand your soul from you.' If a soul is demanded and is itself carried away to Hades by certain tormentors, only the soul of Jesus went out free; neither were angels requested to guide it, nor was it dragged away, not having the causes to be dragged. This indeed is to lay down and to take the soul, and 'no one took it' from me, he says, 'I have authority to lay it down, so that I may take it again' (John 10:18). The divine education by the Savior having become human is the sweetness of the house.

And the paradox: things said to be spiritual and intelligible are not paradoxical. Things that exist sensuously are not something else than sensible. But the being that is intelligible can also be sensibly perceived. It is therefore impossible to take the same high priest and lamb through sensation. But Jesus is both lamb and high priest. It is impossible to take the same door and house upon the sensible. But Jesus is both, and the door entering into the house, and that very house into which the door leads. And in a general sense, all intelligible things are such.

And concerning the soul of man, we say, that he cultivates himself, and the plant is the teaching, and that it is a ground receiving seeds and bearing fruit, and that it becomes a bride of the God Word and bears children of salvation. And it becomes also a sheep. And we take it according to various thoughts, names, and benefits. When the soul is called ground, the things capable are the seeds of certain teachings; but if it is called a bride, the women falling into it, and the cosmic things concerning it, are the practical and ethical virtues and the intellectual and perfect virtues. Again, when it is called a sheep, the teachings are called pasture, the educations are called grass. Therefore, all things are able at once to be other things and others.

And this must be understood: the so-called house is also a vine bearing wine; and again it is flesh nourishing; and it is a farmer tending plants so that they may bear fruit. And behold, that he himself is both farmer and vine and shepherd and sheep. According to various thoughts, being taken this way, they show that there is an intelligible essence concerning which these things are said. For instance, when a Greek demands: 'How can you show from your Scripture that, come, the soul is intelligible...'