The Teacher as Food and the Transformation of the Soul

They say: 'You turned us backward among our enemies' (Ps 44:23). And those hating us seized us for themselves (Ps 44:24). They would not have been able to take us by hand, if you had not turned us back among them for the sake of usefulness. They are enemies and haters; for to hate is to be an enemy. But we are neither enemies nor haters. And because of this we were far off; for what judgment... Lord, you turned us back among them, you have made us to be with those who are condemned. Therefore, those who were formerly in the form of God, having taken the form of a slave through compassion, say such a thing: that we have come to an earthly place not for ourselves, but for the sake of others, because you did not go out in our powers; for formerly you used to go out in our powers to bring us the victory against our enemies, and guarding us in the land of our fathers where we descended. Since therefore you did not go out in our powers, we were turned backward among those hating us. Those having seized us, to whom you gave—but with ill intent... And you find many such things in the Scripture; from envy... him y did not crucify him with this intention. Again Judas betrayed the Savior, and the betrayal became useful for the removal of 'the sin of the world' (John 1:29). Again, those crucifying did not crucify him with this intention. 'Those hating us seized us for themselves' (Ps 44:24), they did not kill us. But if you say this, that they took our things for their own profit, and that the betrayal and the turning backward occurred timely. Therefore they bring forward: 'All these things came upon us, and we did not remember you' (Ps 44:26). You gave us as sheep for feeding (Ps 44:25). Formerly you helped openly so that our praise would be to you all day long and to confess in your name forever. But why now have we been delivered into captivity, suffering this not because of our wickedness or impiety? Those saying the psalm were such as Daniel... the one of Joshua and Ezekiel and Haggai and Zechariah and the three and others more. These are...

Not because of personal malice has one become in Babylon. But concerning those handed over to afflictions, and especially those in whom the choice is precarious because they rejoice over those handed over through malice, they were sent like physicians after wars, so that they might care for them, bringing aids that either preserve their existing health or dissolve disease and bring health.

For it is not, as some suppose, that they blame that day. Instead, they move toward other sayings: 'You have given us as sheep for food' (Ps 54:2). We were handed over for our own eating; lions and wolves are devouring us. However, even if we are being devoured, we do not cease to be sheep: 'Israel was a wandering sheep; lions drove him out; the first devoured him, the King of Assyria' (Hos 11:7, 10:6). It is a bad thing for what has happened to be praised, not to remain as it is, but to be resolved into another quality. The one eating bread, if he sends it down into the stomach, the bread does not remain. And those who have been cast down and have become the food of enemies have not ceased to be sheep.

It is often said that food becomes the disciple of the teacher, concerning whom he also says: 'My food is to do the will of Him who sent me' (John 4:34). The Samaritan woman was indeed a disciple, concerning whom he also said: 'I have food to eat which you do not know' (John 4:32). Gaps in text... and again Gaps... to be bread. And bread becomes nourishment. In a certain way Gaps...

If, therefore, the man who preserves the image and the likeness, having become a teacher of God according to Jesus, eats a wild man through the process of training Gaps... and having become food for the teacher, he shall not be a lion. For this reason, he is blessed and is called blessed, not because he is a lion, but because he has become a man. But if ever a rational man, moving rationally, were to be eaten by a violent wild man or an evil power, he becomes a lion and such a one is a terror; for 'woe to the man whom the lion eats' (Job 15:26). These therefore say: 'You gave us as sheep for food.' Having been eaten as sheep, they remained sheep. And among the nations you scattered us. According to the immediate sense of the word...