The Nourishment of the Heart

There is no difference in a man who is growing older; for there is one underlying subject to that infant and that age; having perished, he is again a man underlying the child. And if he changes from the child to an ox, the age has changed again. And this is a quality, and it is a non-substantial quality. And again, always growing older until he reaches old age. Therefore, qualities and ages are being exchanged; for he said that ages are qualities that are non-substantial. But the same man remains.

Even if the body receives ten thousand changes in the resurrection, it is a body, but not this body, not the one before the change. And Paul, therefore, was compelled to speak as one thing and another. He said: 'A natural body is sown, a spiritual body is raised' (1 Cor 15:44). He says: 'Not first the spiritual but the natural, then the spiritual.' And where there is the first and the second, identity is not signified. However, we do not take the first and the second as an exchange of substances, but an exchange of the same body, since it has become incorruptible from the corruptible and spiritual from the natural. So one thing is change and another is alteration. The change of the soul effects the alteration, which I call the praised or even the lied-about; for it is easier to undergo alteration, as it has been said: 'How shall the gold be darkened? How shall the good silver be altered?' (Ps 119:127). And he says: 'Children of Zion, the precious ones, overlaid with gold and silver, how were they counted as vessels of earthenware, the work of their own hands?' (Ps 12:6).

Again, allegory will show other things; for it is said that gold has been changed into earthenware vessels, not according to history, but according to anagogical ascent. 'Unto the end,' therefore, 'for those who shall be altered; to the sons of Kore for understanding.' And since the inscription itself and the whole psalm have mysteries hidden within them, for this reason understanding is needed for the one bringing this song; for it is 'for understanding.' And it was also said concerning the three hundred and first psalm, since it was spoken with an enigma: 'A song, therefore, for the beloved.' This very triumphal song became for the beloved; for he himself became the cause of the alteration; for he said that 'being rich, he became poor,' so that he might work us to be rich, not rich according to a fantasy, not sensually, but having...

"Every word and all knowledge." He said that having become cursed, he established a blessing. Therefore, the beloved has become the cause of this best of transformations. For this reason, the song is assigned to him; just as a victory song is sent to a general or a king, even though others, spear-bearers and soldiers, are accompanying him, yet the essence of the victory is inscribed to the king or the general.

What about "for the sake of the beloved"? Instead of "concerning"—for it is not always said "on behalf of something"; "so that the one against him may be entangled, having nothing to say something trivial concerning us"; for it is not said here "concerning us" instead of "gathering for us."

"My heart searched out a good word" (Psalm 63:3). Some take this psalm to be spoken from the presence of the Father and from the presence of the perfect man, the wise one. And you know that the eructation of previously eaten food brings forth its fragrance; for there is no eructation other than a proceeding of spirit from the stomach declaring the quality of the things previously eaten. If indeed anyone eats an apple, he has the eructation bringing forth the quality and fragrance of the apple.

When therefore a holy person eats the "bread of life" (John 6:35) and having Jesus' flesh as true food and the fruits of the "tree of life" (Genesis 2:9) and drinks the wine being harvested from the "true vine" (John 15:1), he has an eructation suitable to the foods previously eaten. He who has thus been fed and has eructated signifies: "the good man out of the good treasure of the heart brings forth the good" (Luke 6:45). And since it is concerning spiritual things, he was not hesitant to speak of a treasure instead of stomachs, namely the heart.

He who therefore has been fed on the blessed food and has enjoyed the flesh of Jesus and the "bread of life" (John 6:35), the bread of heaven, brings forth words suitable to that which he was fed and eructated: "my heart searched out a good word" (Psalm 63:3). We have therefore spoken fully concerning the man.

The sons of Korah, bringing the hymns with this same mind and the same spirit, bring them forth as one. Just as: "as the deer longs for the water springs, so my soul longs" (Psalm 42:1), so also here they say as one and in unison: "my heart searched out." And this refers to each of the wise; for if the wise man brings forth what he has in his heart and what he was fed, these things...